On Wednesday morning, MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng joined local elected officials in downtown Lynn to announce the construction of a new temporary platform that will enable the commuter rail service to return to the city over a year after the T closed Lynn's main commuter rail station.
Lynn's former commuter rail station and an adjacent parking garage closed last October to address structural issues.
The T last re-built Lynn's station and built a new parking garage in 1992 as part of the state's federal agreement to improve transit service to mitigate traffic from the "Big Dig" highway expansion project.
Though they were only 30 years old, the station's infrastructure and the garage had visible signs of deterioration, with crumbling concrete, abandoned escalators, and severely rusted steel beams.
The T is currently demolishing the parking garage and designing a permanent replacement at the former station location.
In the meantime, the new, temporary station will be located one block northeast of Lynn's closed commuter rail stop.
"We anticipate restoring service by December 2023. That's nine months earlier than originally scheduled," said MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng at a press conference in downtown Lynn Wednesday morning.
The temporary station will consist of two platforms – one to serve inbound trains, with access from Silsbee Street, and one to serve outbound trains, with access from Friend Street.
"Behind me, you can see the temporary platform has been constructed. The new pathways, accessible pathways to the platform are being constructed. In a few weeks, you'll see the canopies will go up," said Eng, speaking from a parking lot on Ellis Street next to the temporary inbound platform.
