Kendall/MIT station

Kendall
A southbound train arriving at Kendall/MIT station in June 2024
General information
Location	Main Street at Broadway Cambridge, Massachusetts
Coordinates	42°21′44″N71°05′10″W / 42.3623°N 71.0862°W /42.3623; -71.0862
Line(s)	Cambridge Tunnel
Platforms	2side platforms
Tracks	2
Connections	MBTA bus:64,68,85,CT2 EZRide
Construction
Structure type	Underground
Bicycle facilities	58 spaces
Accessible	Yes
History
Opened	March 23, 1912[1]
Previous names	Kendall (1912–1982) Cambridge Center/MIT (1982–1985)
Passengers
FY2019	17,018 (weekday average boardings)[2]
Services
Preceding station MBTA Following station Central toward Alewife Red Line Charles/MGH toward Ashmontor Braintree
Location

Kendall/MIT station(signed asKendall) is an undergroundrapid transitstation inCambridge, Massachusetts. It is served by theMBTARed Line. Located at the intersection of Main Street and Broadway, it is named for the primary areas it serves - theKendall Squarebusiness district and theMassachusetts Institute of Technology(MIT). Opened in March 1912 as part of the original Cambridge subway, Kendall/MIT has two side platforms serving the line's two tracks. TheKendall Band, apublic artinstallation of hand-operated musical sculptures, is located between the tracks in the station with controls located on the platforms. Kendall/MIT station isaccessible. With 17,018 weekday boardings by a FY2019 count, Kendall/MIT has the fourth highest ridership amongMBTA subwaystations.^[2]

Kendall/MIT station has two undergroundside platformsserving the two tracks of the Red Line, which runs approximately east–west under Main Street. The main headhouses are located midblock between Broadway and Ames Street, with smaller entrances further east near Broadway. The main headhouses have elevators foraccessibility.^[3]The main inbound headhouse has two angled glass entrances and a pair of glass elevators, with an angular canopy supported on thin columns.^[4]

The station is served by fourMBTA busroutes:64,68,85,andCT2. The CT2 stops on Ames Street northwest of the station, while the other routes stop on Main Street adjacent to the main headhouses. TheEZRideCambridge–North Station shuttle service also stops on Main Street.^[5]TheCambridgeSide Galleriaprovides a free shuttle bus from Kendall/MIT.^[6]

Between 1986 and 1988, artistPaul MatisseinstalledKendall Band, an interactive musical sculpture, at Kendall/MIT. Located between the Red Line tracks at the station, it cost $90,000 to construct under theArts on the Lineprogram.^[7]It consists of three musical devices -Pythagoras,Kepler, andGalileo- controlled by levers located on both subway platforms.^[8]Although Matisse maintained it for several decades, it ultimately fell into disrepair. A group of MIT students began restoration in 2010, withPythagorasrendered partially functional in May 2011.^[9]

The Cambridge subway opened fromPark Street UndertoHarvardon March 23, 1912, with intermediate stops atCentralandKendall.^[1]From the early 20th century through the 1970s, the MBTA operated a powerhouse above ground in Kendall Square, includingrotary converters(also called cycloconverters) to transform incoming AC electrical power to 600 volts DC power fed to thethird railto run the subway. An old-fashioned cycloconverter consisted of an AC motor coupled to a huge, slowly rotatingflywheelcoupled to a DC generator, hence the name. Despite the development of compact low-maintenancesemiconductor-based powerrectifiers, the long-obsolete electromechanical technology still occupied prime real estate in the heart of Kendall Square. The MBTA powerhouse was demolished, and replaced with an office building located at the convergence of Broadway and Main Street.^{[citation needed]}

The MBTA renamed the station three times in a seven-year period. On August 7, 1978, the station was renamed asKendall/MITto indicate the nearby presence of theMassachusetts Institute of Technology.^[1]On December 2, 1982, Columbia station was renamedJFK/UMass, and Kendall/MIT was renamed asCambridge Center/MITafter the adjacentCambridge Centerdevelopment, although most station signs were not changed.^[1]There were many complaints that the MBTA had suddenly changed the name without public input, and that the new name would be confused with the next Red Line station atCentral Square.^[10]On June 26, 1985, the name was reverted toKendall/MITas part of a series of station name changes.^[11]

During the 1980s, the MBTA rebuilt Kendall/MIT and other Red Line stations with longer platforms for six-car trains and with elevators for accessibility. The rebuilt station was dedicated in October 1987 and six-car trains began operation on January 21, 1988.^[8][1]Temporary artworks, including an entire fake cafe, were hosted at the station during the renovation as part of theArts on the Lineprogram.^[12]

The main southbound headhouse was reconstructed as part of the Kendall Square Initiative development project. Utility work began in July–August 2020, with excavation beginning in October.^[13][14]Part of the old headhouse was closed in November 2020 for construction of the interim headhouse.^[15]The temporary southbound headhouse opened on January 22, 2022.^[16][17]The permanent headhouse opened on February 11, 2023.^[18]

The main northbound headhouse is also being reconstructed as part of the adjacent 325 Main Street project.^[19]The new glass headhouse will also haveredundant elevators, and the roof will be part of an elevated public plaza.^[20]Work on the headhouse began in July 2022.^[21]A temporary outbound headhouse, located inside 325 Main Street, was completed in June 2024 and access to the old headhouse closed. The new permanent headhouse is anticipated to be completed in June 2025.^[22]

Kendall/MIT was a proposed stop on theUrban Ring– a circumferentialbus rapid transit(BRT) line designed to connect the existing radial MBTA rail lines to reduce overcrowding in the downtown stations.^[23]Under draft plans released in 2008, new surface-level BRT platforms would have been constructed on Main Street at Kendall/MIT.^[24]The project was cancelled in 2010^[25]

In 2012, the state studied the feasibility of sending someFramingham/Worcester Linetrains toNorth Stationvia theGrand Junction Railroad, including the possibility of a new commuter rail station at Kendall. The possible station would have consisted of a single platform between Main Street and Massachusetts Avenue, and was estimated to cost $7.5 million.^[26]After objections from the City of Cambridge over potential traffic problems due to thegrade crossingson the Grand Junction, the MBTA declined to pursue implementation of the proposed service. In 2014, it was revealed by the state that the stop would be part of the proposedIndigo Linesystem with frequentDMUservice, but that plan was canceled in 2015 for financial reasons.^[27][28]

A 2019 report indicated that daily boardings at the station would double to 30,000 by 2040, increasing the need for relief service on the Grand Junction and other corridors.^[29]

• MBTA - Kendall
• Google Maps Street View:outbound headhouse,inbound headhouse,secondary entrances