Worcester opens new center platform at Union Station to boost accessibility and capacity

Officials and transit leaders on Friday marked the opening of a new center platform at Worcester’s Union Station, saying the upgrade will improve accessibility, reduce congestion and allow two trains to use the station simultaneously.

"The opening of the center platform represents a crucial step in enhancing transportation services to the city of Worcester and the surrounding communities," said Phil Ng, the MBTA official who addressed the crowd, thanking state and federal partners and local agencies for support. He said state, federal and local investments for the work exceeded $79,000,000.

Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll framed the renovation as part of a broader regional strategy. "This very building and the renovation of it that took place several years ago is all part of what I like to think of as team Worcester," Driscoll said, praising the project's role in equity and regional connectivity and noting its relevance to future East–West Rail planning.

The MBTA described a suite of accompanying improvements: two new station access points, a pedestrian tunnel linking the platform to the historic station building, a pedestrian bridge to an expanded parking lot, and three new elevators to improve accessibility. The agency also said it invested $20,000,000 in signal repairs intended to enable more frequent service on the Worcester commuter line, which carries about 75,000 riders per week and is the system’s second-busiest.

City officials emphasized the local development the project supports. City Manager Eric Batista said the Washington Square Urban Renewal Plan and partnerships with the Worcester Redevelopment Authority have catalyzed nearby projects — including a Homewood Suites hotel across the street, a planned hotel project on the last parcel in Washington Square, and more than 1,500 housing units completed, under construction or planned within walking distance of Union Station. He also noted the restored Mission Chapel now provides living space for seven households and a regional food hub is under construction beneath the station.

Speakers credited the Healey–Driscoll administration, the Federal Transit Administration, Worcester’s state and federal delegations, and local partners — including the Worcester Chamber of Commerce, Worcester Police and Fire, the Worcester Redevelopment Authority and the Worcester Regional Transit Authority — for helping to fund and coordinate the project.

When asked about delivery, MBTA staff said the project took almost two and a half years and that pandemic-era supply and logistics issues delayed an earlier anticipated opening, but that teams were ultimately able to complete the work. The event concluded with officials inviting attendees to tour the new platform and taking additional questions after the program.