After more than a decade of advocacy by MASCO on behalf of its members, the new commuter rail platform at Ruggles Station opened on April 5th, significantly increasing train capacity at Ruggles and improving access to the Longwood Medical and Academic Area.

MASCO is proud to have played a key role in coordinating and securing funding for the new platform and other station improvements, working in partnership with the state and neighboring stakeholders to pursue a $20 million federal TIGER grant that was awarded in 2014.

Before adding this platform, 30% of commuter rail trains were forced to bypass Ruggles Station, adding an extra 20 minutes to an already long morning commute for employees, students, and visitors coming to the LMA. The new 800-foot commuter rail platform will allow an increase in the number of commuter rail trains stopping at Ruggles Station, already one of the busiest stations in the LMA, by nearly 60%.

For someone taking the commuter rail to the LMA on the Providence/Stoughton, Needham, and Franklin lines, this means they will save 20 minutes per day roundtrip, or 1.5 hours per week, in travel time. That's more than three days back per year that otherwise would have been spent on a train.

Employment in the LMA has reached a historic high of nearly 68,000 workers, and more than 2.8 million patients seek care in the LMA each year. It continues to be a top priority at MASCO to advocate for equitable access to the LMA, one of the Boston region's largest concentrations of jobs, schools, and medical centers, and Ruggles Station is a critical connection between Roxbury and the LMA.