South Station is a beautiful curved building at the intersection of Summer and Atlantic Streets. It is a major node for rail, transit and bus lines, and many taxis make their stops here. Inside, there is a large waiting area which not only is used by people waiting for the next local or intercity train, but often space within this area is transformed into retail shops, artist exibit areas, and even concerts. It's such a beautiful station that it is hard to believe that it was once within a wrecking ball's swing of being lost forever.
The following is from the South Station Retail Web Site:
In the 1800s, railroads usually connected to a city with their own terminals. In the case of Boston, which was heavily connected by rail, many railroads had their own stations. By the 1890s railroads to the south decided that it was no longer efficient to have their own terminals and decided to pool together and form one terminal that served them all. The Massachusetts State Legislature granted a charter to a new company, the Boston Terminal Company, and charged it with “constructing and maintaining a union passenger station in the southerly part of the City of Boston.” The land was purchased and the building was built in two years. The first train rolled out in the early morning hours of January 1, 1899. When it was opened, it was the largest railroad station in the world, and for many decades it handled large crowds of people traveling to destinations such as New York City. However, after World War II, use declined dramatically. In 1965, the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) purchased the station, and demolition of the building began in 1970. Some of the tracks were removed and a wing of the building was demolished. However, a group of concerned citizens succeeded in getting the building listed on the National Register of Historic Landmarks, and demolition was later stopped and new plans for the station were drawn up. In 1978, the BRA sold the property to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). The MBTA then spent $195 million to totally reconstruct the tracks, restore the station, and build an intercity bus terminal over the tracks. The major work was complete in time for its 90th Anniversary. Other changes include electrifying the line for the Amtrak Northeast Corridor route and the redesign of the underground section to accommodate the new Silver-line dedicated bus line to the airport.
What is ironic now, compared to the decline after WWII and threat of demolition, is that the MBTA commuter rail line has grown so much that MBTA is now considering new plans to add more tracks (there are 13 now).
The current rail users include MBTA - with lines to Framingham, Franklin, Fairmont (Readville), Providence/Attleboro, Canton/Stoughton, Old Colony, Plymouth/Kingston, and in October 2007, the Greenbush (Scituate), and Amtrak, with trains along the northeast corridor route and to Chicago (via the Lake Shore Limited).
MBTA also has the Red Line Heavy Rail Subway that runs between Braintree and Cambridge, and the Silver Line dedicated bus line that runs between South Station and Logan Airport. There are also transit bus routes that stop at or near South Station.
The bus terminal has inter city buses from several companies, including greyhound and Peter Pan.
I go through this station almost every business day as I commute between my home and where I work. In addition to passing through, I have eaten at a number of the establishments in the station, taken money out at an ATM located there, seen several displays and art exhibitions, seen people act as 'living statues', seen classical and jazz musicians play together, seen the pop/folk artist Jewell play a free concert, and, in December regularly see the Christmas toy train display.
South Station is a great example of how a place can go through cycles of growth, decay, and rebirth.
In addition to the web site link included below, here is the MBTA site - (
visit link) and Amtrak - (
visit link) .
Other fact (from the South Station Retail site): In l945, swollen by GIs returning from World War II, South Station made history, when over 135,000 visitors a day poured into its halls. That’s a volume unmatched in any train station.