Gov. Maura Healey recently joined Interim Transportation Secretary and MBTA General Manager and CEO Phillip Eng, labor leaders and local officials to break ground on the North Station Draw One Bridge Replacement Project, a $1.2 billion investment that will modernize one of the most critical rail connections between Boston and Cambridge.
The project will replace the nearly century-old bridge over the Charles River, expand rail capacity from four to six tracks, improve track and signal infrastructure and create approximately 15,600 direct and indirect jobs across Massachusetts. The bridge carries more than 11 million MBTA Commuter Rail and Amtrak passengers each year.
“Draw One is nearly 100 years old and one of the most important connections in our rail system,” said Healey. “We fought hard to win the federal funding, brought labor and industry together and now we're getting to work. This project is going to make a real difference for riders, workers and communities across Massachusetts.”
The North Station Draw One Bridge carries MBTA Commuter Rail service on the Haverhill, Lowell, Newburyport/Rockport and Fitchburg lines, as well as Amtrak's Downeaster. More than 1,000 trains rely on the bridge each week to reach North Station. Replacing the aging infrastructure will improve reliability and increase capacity for service throughout Massachusetts and Northern New England.
“The North Station Draw 1 Bridge project is another commitment fulfilled as we begin the $1.2 billion replacement of this nearly century-old facility carrying all of our commuter rail lines to the north,” said Eng. “This project is another step toward regional rail and offering the public more reliable and frequent service.”
Built in 1931, the existing bridge carries four tracks across the Charles River. The replacement will feature three movable vertical-lift spans capable of carrying six tracks, providing additional capacity and improving the reliability and resiliency of the northside rail network.
At North Station, two additional station tracks will be connected to the rail network, increasing the total number of tracks from 10 to 12 and creating additional capacity for future service. The project also will replace the existing bridge approaches, construct a new control and maintenance facility and make approximately 1.5 mi. of track and signal improvements north of the bridge.
The MBTA has developed construction strategies intended to reduce the project timeline from an originally estimated eight years to approximately six and a half years. Construction is expected to be completed in fall 2032.
The project will be delivered under a project labor agreement with the Greater Boston Building Trades, announced by Healey in March. The agreement establishes consistent wages, safety standards and working conditions for contractors and subcontractors and is intended to promote workforce stability and minimize construction disruptions.
State officials said the project is expected to create approximately 15,600 direct and indirect jobs and represents the largest project labor agreement executed since Healey signed an executive order aimed at ensuring major construction projects are completed safely, on time and on budget.
The project is supported by $472.3 million in federal funding awarded through the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Infrastructure Project Assistance, or MEGA, program. The $472,300,616 award was announced in September 2024 and was, at the time, the largest federal award the MBTA had ever received. The federal funding package also supports improvements to Platform F at North Station.
The bridge replacement is part of the Commonwealth's broader effort to modernize the MBTA and expand regional rail service. The Healey-Driscoll Administration also has advanced South Coast Rail, West-East Rail and major road and bridge investments while pursuing federal funding for transportation infrastructure across Massachusetts.
