Porter station

Porter
A southbound Red Line train entering Porter station in June 2024
General information
Location	Massachusetts Avenue at Somerville Avenue Cambridge, Massachusetts
Coordinates	42°23′18.0″N 71°7′8.5″W / 42.388333°N 71.119028°W / 42.388333; -71.119028
Line(s)	Fitchburg Route Red Line Northwest Extension
Platforms	1 island platform (Fitchburg Line) 2 split platforms (Red Line)
Tracks	2 (Fitchburg Line) 2 (Red Line)
Connections	MBTA bus: 77, 83, 96
Construction
Bicycle facilities	34 spaces
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Fare zone	1A (commuter rail)
History
Opened	1845 (Fitchburg Railroad) December 8, 1984 (Red Line)[1]
Rebuilt	1897, 1937
Previous names	Porter's Station, North Cambridge, Cambridge
Passengers
2018	1,468 daily boardings[2] (Fitchburg Line)
FY2019	8,094 daily boardings[3] (Red Line)
Services
Preceding station MBTA Following station Belmont Center toward Wachusett Fitchburg Line North Station Terminus Davis toward Alewife Red Line Harvard toward Ashmont or Braintree
Former services Preceding station MBTA Following station Lake Street toward Bedford Lexington Branch Closed 1977 North Station Terminus Waltham North toward South Sudbury Central Mass Branch Closed 1971 Preceding station Boston and Maine Railroad Following station Hill Crossing toward Northampton Central Mass Branch Boston Terminus
Track layout Legend to Alewife Mass Ave. Somerville Ave. to Wachusett North Station to Ashmont or Braintree Mass Ave.
Location

Porter station is a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) transit station in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It serves the Red Line rapid transit line, the MBTA Commuter Rail Fitchburg Line, and several MBTA bus lines. Located at Porter Square at the intersection of Massachusetts and Somerville Avenues, the station provides rapid transit access to northern Cambridge and the western portions of Somerville.^[4] Porter is 14 minutes from Park Street on the Red Line, and about 10 minutes from North Station on commuter rail trains.^[4] Several local MBTA bus routes also stop at the station.

A series of commuter rail depots have been located at Porter Square under various names since the 1840s. The modern station with both subway and commuter rail levels was designed by Cambridge Seven Associates and opened on December 8, 1984. At 105 feet (32 m) below ground, the subway section is the deepest station on the MBTA system.^[5] The station originally had six artworks installed as part of the Arts on the Line program. Five of these remain, including Gift of the Wind and Glove Cycle.