By Judy Vance

In a dramatic shift from what Mattapan residents and community leaders had anticipated, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA)General Manager Michael Mulhern said last month that the entire Mattapan T station should be redesigned after visiting the station personally on May 17. Mulhern met with the Mattapan Community Partnership Economic Working Group at the station to discuss improvements to the MBTA services and the conditions at the station on River Street. The meeting, initially set up to discuss improvements, took a turn when Mulhern said he would support the redesign of the entire station.

"There is a consensus that the Mattapan Station does not work and it doesn't make sense to put a band-aid on the situation," said Mulhern, redirecting the conversation from repairs to an entirely new design. Mulhern said that the current lay-out of the Mattapan Square train station is such that the cost to redesign it is within the MBTA's capabilities, at least for the initial seed money to get the project going.

That news was an unexpected surprise for many who complained about the level of service out of and into Mattapan Station, the conditions of the trolleys and the lack of MBTA personnel to direct passengers when a train or bus is late.

"We're glad to see now what is a new beginning with the general manager here and a beginning of a real process to result in a redesign of Mattapan Station," said Eva Clarke, Executive Director with the Mattapan Community Development Corporation, who has been working to focus on improving Mattapan, particularly its transportation system.

Clarke, speaking at the meeting, told Mulhern about her frustration trying to take public transportation from Mattapan Square to Downtown Boston. On one trip, Clarke said the trolley became disabled before leaving Mattapan Station. Clarke said she was then transported to another trolley only then to find that the train tracks were malfunctioning. After being boarded on another trolley, Clarke said she was on her way to downtown, now behind schedule. "We deserve better than that," said Clarke.

Mulhern was optimistic that, with the help of local politicians a newly designed, fully functional station in Mattapan was within the realm of possibility. State Senator Jack Hart, addressing Mulhern at the meeting, said the old trolley service in Mattapan is behind the times.

"It looks like it's been neglected for a long time and we want the same quality service as anywhere else," said Hart. Representatives from the offices of Speaker of the House Thomas Finneran, State Representative Shirley Owens-Hicks and City Councillor Charles Yancey attended the meeting.

Days before Mulhern's visit workers were out painting and cleaning the shop worn station. Paint on signage was chipped so badly that the lettering of the Mattapan Station is barely recognizable.

Among the improvements Mulhern suggested included retail space in the Mattapan Station that he felt would have a positive impact as it did in Roxbury's Dudley Square station. The idea fit in nicely with the Mattapan CDC's plan to encourage vertical development at the Mattapan T Station with office and retail space above the trolley station.

While Mulhern and other MBTA officials were in favor of the redesign the entire station, it was also mentioned that while improvements could be made to the physical trolleys themselves, eliminating the vehicles would not be feasible, as it would require new bridges and a sub-station.

While stations in Dorchester are undergoing a multi-million dollar renovation, Mattapan Station has not had any major reconstruction since 1926 when it was originally built, according to Steven Busby, the Project Manager for the Mattapan CDC. Historically, Busby said train enthusiasts have vied for maintaining the trolley service on the Mattapan line, some of the oldest in the country. Yet as Busby pointed out, those individuals were interested in trolleys from a nostalgic point of view, not a practical one.

"The railroad buffs are those people who may take a trip once a year on them and find them charming, but those are not people who are trying to get to work on time," said Busby.

Also mentioned were the renovations to the Fairmount Line stop in Mattapan near Morton Street. A meeting to discuss the Fairmount Line is scheduled for June 11th at the State Transportation Building in Park Plaza.

In the meantime, Mulhern said designers for the MBTA will meet with Mattapan residents to begin formulating a newly designed station, which was great news for residents. "I think the meeting went well," said Mattapan resident Orin Elow as he complimented Mulhern for his initiative. "He [Mulhern] promises that he is going to get back to us and he said the legislature asked him to look into this matter of Mattapan Station so I think things are starting to roll and I hope we can get something done."