MBTA
To achieve stair-free, level boarding, MBTA has installed freestanding “mini-high platforms” on top of the existing inaccessible inbound and outbound platforms at the Walpole Station. This upgrade not only provides access for riders with disabilities and older adults, but also results in “better service for everyone,” including those traveling with strollers or luggage, according to the transit agency, which officially reopened the station March 31.
Commented General Manager and CEO Phillip Eng: “I applaud the MBTA team for developing and implementing this creative solution to provide vital accessibility upgrades to more stations for our riders across our system.”
Walpole Station is the fourth Commuter Rail station in the past six weeks to be upgraded for rider accessibility. The other three stations are Wellesley Square (pictured below), West Medford, and Franklin stations.
MBTA said that it has secured full funding for the design and construction of similar accessibility upgrades at more stations including but not limited to Concord, Wyoming Hill, Endicott, and Lincoln.
SEPTA
“SEPTA’s board of directors recently approved a deal with a local developer to lease the agency-owned property next to Conshohocken’s renovated regional rail stop [at 10 Washington Street] for a transit-oriented development,” nonprofit media outlet WHYY reported March 31.
Alterra Property Group won the bid for its mixed-use project, but it “still needs a zoning variance from the borough of Conshohocken because residential developments were banned in 2022,” WHYY reported.
“Borough administration has reached the conclusion that residential occupancy in that area of the borough has been maximized from an emergency management perspective and planning commission perspective,” attorney and borough solicitor Michael Peters said at a November 2024 meeting, according to the media outlet, which noted that “[s]everal thousand people are already living near the train station and officials worry about emergency management issues with so many residents.”
SEPTA Chief Strategy and Planning Officer Jody Holton noted, however, that during station renovations, the transit authority “put tremendous investment in access to the waterfront and evacuation routes on that new grade crossing at Oak Street,” according to WHYY. “That public investment that we’ve made combined with adding parking spaces for SEPTA commuters in this joint development proposal really is a unique opportunity for the borough to have a better waterfront experience,” Holton said.
According to Conshohocken Borough Manager Stephanie Cecco, a land-use application has not yet been submitted for the transit-oriented development project, the media outlet reported.
Separately, SEPTA recently reported that average daily ridership in February 2025 was 753,937 unlinked passenger trips across all modes. Systemwide ridership in February 2025 increased 8% from February 2024. On average there were 55,634 more trips per day in February 2025 compared to February 2024.
