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MBTA details station accessibility gains, pilots hands‑free faregate and unveils Green Line mock‑up
Summary
MBTA accessibility staff told R‑TAG the Winchester station reopened with partial accessible platforms, crews installed 'rub rail' to reduce horizontal gaps along the Orange Line Southwest Corridor and the agency will pilot an in‑house hands‑free faregate by year end while inviting riders to test a Green Line mock‑up at Government Center.
Laura Brelsford, assistant general manager for System‑Wide Accessibility at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, told the Riders’ Transportation Access Group on Oct. 24 that recent station and vehicle work aims to make transit easier to use for riders with disabilities and older adults.
Brelsford opened by noting Winchester Commuter Rail station reopened Sept. 30 after a multi‑year renovation and currently serves the first two or three cars of each train; both inbound and outbound platforms have elevator access and the full station will open in the coming months with raised platforms sized for nine‑car trains. She said crews also used a recent Orange Line Southwest Corridor closure to lift more than 20 slow zones and install 'rub rail' along many platforms to reduce horizontal gaps between platforms and train cars.
"The rub rail is really valuable because it essentially fills in the horizontal gap between the platform edge and the train car," Brelsford said. She acknowledged remaining vertical gaps will require "a much more comprehensive complex solution" but said the horizontal improvements should make boarding safer in the near term.
Brelsford also described an MBTA‑developed hands‑free faregate now in a test lab on Tremont Street and said staff plan user testing the following week. "We have what we believe is a viable solution," she said, and added the agency aims to install a pilot gate in a station by the end of the calendar year with up to nine additional pilot gates scattered systemwide next year. MBTA staff said the design will limit activations so that programmed CharlieCards will not trigger gates inadvertently and that refunds were processed for isolated double‑charge reports during an earlier contactless rollout.
The presentation included a preview of the Type Ten next‑generation Green Line car. Brelsford said the Type Ten will be "100% low floor," allowing level access across the full car and enabling later platform work to provide level boarding similar to MBTA's heavy rail lines. A mock‑up of the new car will be on public display at Government Center/City Hall Plaza the week after the meeting; Brelsford encouraged riders to visit, test features and provide feedback.
Riders asked about potential tradeoffs: one attendee said operators currently can assist by asking riders to move out of priority seating, and she worried automating bridgeplate deployment could reduce that assistance. Brelsford acknowledged the concern and said MBTA operations and vehicle teams are discussing protocols so motorpersons retain ways to ensure passenger safety during crowded conditions.
The MBTA also announced a new Manager of Accessible Coordinated Mobility and Training Developments position within System‑Wide Accessibility to lead rider education and staff training on accessibility features; interested applicants were directed to MBTA.com/careers.
Next steps: MBTA will conduct hands‑free faregate user testing, run a limited pilot by year end, and hold the Type Ten mock‑up open for public feedback; staff said they will report back to R‑TAG with pilot signups and early findings.
