Press Release: 10/22/2025
MBTA Celebrates Accessibility Upgrade at Franklin Station
Posted on October 22, 2025
MBTA Leadership, Franklin officials, and community advocates cut a ribbon at Franklin Station
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) held an official ribbon cutting to honor the accessibility upgrades implemented at Franklin Station along the MBTA’s Franklin/Foxboro Commuter Rail line. The project ensures all riders can now experience stair-free, level-boarding, which was a critical improvement from the station’s previous platform, which required the use of stairs to board trains. The station officially re-opened in March 2025.
Franklin Commission on Disability Chairperson Ali Rheaume speaks during the ribbon cutting event at Franklin Station.
Accessibility is essential for so many that want and need to use public transportation. I am proud of the teams across MBTA for continuing to deliver these projects making it easier for everyone to use Commuter Rail,” said Interim MassDOT Secretary and MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng. “Under the leadership of the Healey-Driscoll Administration, we are committed to deliver meaningful projects like this one in Franklin. There are more commuter rail stations accessible today than ever in MBTA history, and we’re not done yet.”
“Along with the new accessible mini-high platform, crews installed new lighting, signage, electronic message boards with audio, a new canopy, tactile warning strips, benches, and trash receptacles,” said MBTA Chief Operating Officer Ryan Coholan. “We also repaved the parking lot and relocated the accessible spaces right next to the ramp, significantly increasing the number of spaces from three to seven. This substantial expansion of accessible parking demonstrates our strong commitment to accessibility and ensures that more riders with disabilities can easily access the station. Together, these improvements make Franklin Station safer, easier to use, and available to every rider.”
"We are committed to making all stations accessible and these upgrades at Franklin help bring us one step closer to a system that works for everyone,” said MBTA Assistant General Manager Department of System-Wide Accessibility Laura Brelsford. “I extend special thanks to the Franklin Commission on Disability for their advocacy and support along the way."
"In line with the vision of the MBTA Communities Law and HLC's mission, these improvements to the Franklin Commuter Rail station increase accessibility, livability, and the possibility of building transit-oriented housing that can accommodate the Massachusetts residents who need it," said Ed Augustus, Secretary of Housing and Livable Communities.
“As an advocate for families and persons with disabilities, I am thankful to the MBTA for removing a barrier to public transportation for our residents and visitors,” said State Senator Becca Rausch (D-Needham). “This free standing mini-high platform helps individuals who rely on walkers and mobility scooters as well as families who use strollers and others so boarding a train can be safer, easier, and less stressful, improving the public transit experience.”
“I moved to this community because of access to two train stations,” said State Representative Jeffrey Roy. “One was here when I moved here, and the second was on its way. We very much embrace it.”
To achieve stair-free, level boarding, the MBTA pursued an innovative solution by designing and installing a freestanding mini-high platform on top of the original infrastructure.
This accessibility design has also been implemented within the past year at Wellesley, West Medford, and Walpole stations, demonstrating the MBTA's commitment to accessibility and the agency’s efforts to quickly replicate successful solutions under General Manager Eng’s leadership.
The Children’s Museum of Franklin, a vibrant new addition to the Town of Franklin’s landscape, has become a beacon of community engagement and educational play, since opening just a month ago, drawing over 7,000 visitors from more than 180 towns across Massachusetts and Rhode Island. This visitation underscores the critical role in providing accessible commuter rail access given the museum's proximity to the station.
"The fact that we're walking distance from the MBTA stop in what is now an accessible MBTA stop is going to provide accessible learning through play for hundreds of families in this region,” said Meg Hagan, Co-Founder, Co-Executive Director of Children's Museum of Franklin. “We love that the MBTA is our neighbor because we have the most dedicated group of train enthusiasts in our space every day, so excited to see the train go by, people moving and all of the action that happens right here outside of our windows.”
Photo courtesy of The Children’s Museum of Franklin
Gallagher continued, “It is so generous that the MBTA brings a train by here about 20 times a day.”
“The more opportunities that we provide for young women and girls all across the state to be able to access programs that provide leadership and empowerment opportunities, the better we are all going to be,” said Rausch. “The fact that those programs are being offered here at the Children's Museum of Franklin, that is just literally a stone's throw from the train station, makes those programs accessible not just to the people who happen to live in Franklin, but widely accessible to anyone who can access the commuter rail, which is a phenomenal thing and a phenomenal opportunity for us to continue to develop.”
Mural at Franklin Station painted by Franklin resident and artist Kayla Nisbet
For more information on all the ways the MBTA is putting accessibility in motion, visit MBTA.com/accessibility.
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