Healey-Driscoll Administration, MBTA Celebrate Natick Center Station Upgrades

 Healey-Driscoll Administration, MBTA Celebrate Natick Center Station Upgrades 

11th T station upgraded this year to improve service and accessibility; 30 more stations scheduled for upgrades in next five years 

NATICK – The Healey-Driscoll Administration and Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) today celebrated the completion of major upgrades and project advancements at Natick Center Station on the Framingham/Worcester Commuter Rail Line. Natick Center Station is the 11th MBTA station to undergo major accessibility improvements in the past year.  

"If we want more people using the MBTA, we have to make it easier for them to access it. Under General Manager Eng, the T has made important progress to modernize its stations and enhance accessibility, which improves the experience for all riders,” said Governor Maura Healey. “Our administration believes in this work the T is doing to improve service every day and will continue supporting their efforts in every way that we can.”  

“If you’re a parent pushing a baby stroller, a worker who broke their leg, or an older adult with mobility issues – these upgrades will make it easier for you to use the T,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “We all benefit from the upgrades General Manager Eng and his team are making across the system. Together, we’re building a safer, more reliable MBTA.” 

This milestone reflects the Healey-Driscoll Administration and MBTA’s commitment to delivering systemwide accessibility and customer-focused improvements that modernize stations and improve the rider experience. Natick Station, which ranks within the top 25 percent most frequented Commuter Rail Stations in the system, reopened for passenger use during the last week of July 2025.  

“For too long, people with disabilities have been treated as an afterthought in our transportation systems. Upgrades to stations like Natick Center are a step toward correcting that injustice,” said Transportation Secretary and CEO Monica Tibbits-Nutt. “These improvements are about more than bricks and concrete—they’re about dignity, independence, and the right to move through the world freely. I’m deeply grateful to General Manager Eng and his team for their tireless work. And with 30 more accessibility projects on the horizon, we are committed to building a system that leaves no one behind.”  

“The MBTA team takes great pride as we continue to deliver improved service and rebuild our facilities across all modes. With the completion of Natick Center Station, we are able to provide for our riders a modern, fully accessible station with state-of-the-art technology,” said MBTA General Manager and CEO Phillip Eng.  “I thank the Healey-Driscoll Administration for their leadership as we strive to ensure that the communities and businesses we serve have the mass transportation system they deserve and need.”  

Key project achievements include:  

• Replacement of 1440 feet of track including 1160 ties  

• Full-length, high-level platforms for accessible boarding  

• Newly replaced pedestrian bridge  

• New elevators and ramps providing redundant accessible pathways to each platform, as well as, canopies, bicycle storage, signage, wayfinding, and emergency lighting  

• Upgraded audible and digital communication systems   

• Enhanced security systems, including upgraded camera technology  

• Streetscape improvements including bus stops, wider sidewalks, curb extensions, and a raised intersection for safer access and pickup/dropoff   

• Upgraded drainage infrastructure to improve climate resiliency  

Project achievements also include a direct connection to the Cochituate Rail Trail, a popular 4-mile shared use path from Natick Center to the village of Saxonville in Framingham. This will open in the coming months.   

This year alone, 11 stations – four on the Green Line D branch as well as Wellesley Square, West Medford, Franklin, Walpole, North Wilmington, Winchester Center and now Natick Center – have benefited from major accessibility upgrades, with 30 more slated to come over the next five years.   

The MBTA has been working to modernize all aspects of its system and transit service to make it easier for all riders to use, particularly people with disabilities, older adults, families with young children, veterans, those with temporary injuries and visitors. When the ADA was passed in 1990, only 22 percent of MBTA stations were accessible – today, nearly 85 percent of stations are accessible, and by 2030, the MBTA is on track to reach nearly 95 percent accessibility at stations. 

Learn more about the MBTA’s accessibility work.  

“This accessibility transformation at Natick Center Station is bringing safe, modern, and fully accessible transportation to our community,” said Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland). “These upgrades mean anyone with mobility challenges can travel with dignity and ease while connecting to the buses, bike paths, and sidewalks that make up our region’s transit network. I’m proud to see the state’s investments making a difference in our community, and I’m grateful for the Healey-Driscoll Administration’s partnership in building safe, reliable, and efficient transit statewide.” 

“The completion of the new Natick Center Commuter Rail Station is an important step in the incredible economic growth of Natick. It has helped make downtown Natick one of the hottest real estate markets in the Commonwealth and has spurred millions of dollars in new construction and development. I am grateful to all who worked on this project.” said Representative David Linsky (D-Natick) 

“The Natick Center commuter rail is more than a stop—it’s the heart of Natick, connecting Boston and Worcester to our regional multimodal infrastructure, including the $14M Cochituate Rail Trail, the $12M North Main Street project, and our vibrant Natick Center, a cultural hub of MetroWest,” said Natick Select Board Chair Kathryn Coughlin. 

“I have traveled from the Natick Center Commuter Rail station to work and for fun on my own, with extended family and my children for over 20 years,” said Jennifer Harnish, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired. “It is so exciting that the new station has been built with universal design in mind. Elevators, good lighting, a high platform with truncated dome strips all along the edge of the platform to name just a few aspects of this new station contribute to the safety and well-being of all who use it. Whether you're hauling a heavy suitcase in the elevator or pushing a stroller, you can now easily get onto the train without having to carry it up the stairs. And if you are living and thriving with blindness, low vision, a mobility challenge or more, the station provides what you need and what is best for our community.”   

In addition to the celebration of the station, attendees also recognized the legacy of late letter carrier Richard Walker. The original pedestrian bridge at the Natick Center Station was dedicated in his honor by the Commonwealth in 1996. To honor this dedication, the MBTA has erected the original plaque on the new pedestrian bridge.   

For more information, please visit mbta.com or connect with the T on X @MBTA, Facebook /TheMBTA, Instagram @theMBTA, Threads @thembta, or TikTok @thembta.