Nine years after the state granted Waverley Station a 10-year pass on meeting accessibility standards, the commuter rail stop remains out of reach for people with disabilities—and change is still a long way away. Despite renewed talk of improvements, the station’s steep stairs and lack of level boarding leave it unusable for many residents.
“I got frustrated and stopped using it,” said Macharia Waruingi, a member of the Belmont Disability Access Commission who is blind. “I took the bus because it is highly accessible.”
What’s more, Belmont Center—the town’s second commuter rail stop—is also inaccessible. Although the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) has set aside funds to explore possible upgrades at Waverley, officials acknowledge the station isn’t a priority compared to stations with higher ridership.
“While it needs accessibility improvement, it is not at the top of MBTA’s accessibility priorities,” said Sen. William Brownsberger. “There are other stations that have higher ridership and need attention first.”
Located below ground level in Waverley Square, the station lacks level boarding and is only accessible via steep stairs, Brownsberger said. Waruingi added that as a flag stop, the train only stops if it is waved down—posing an accessibility issue for individuals like himself who may not be aware the train is coming.
“I don’t have to worry about being left behind by the bus,” Waruingi said, adding he also uses rideshare programs, such as Lyft and Uber, which alert the rider their vehicle has arrived.
In the MBTA’s Capital Investment Plan for fiscal years 2026 to 2030, roughly $300,000 was budgeted specifically for the planning stage of Waverley Station accessibility upgrades. Though it’s unclear whether any portion of the budget will be allocated to either station in Belmont, the town is also listed alongside the Melrose Cedar and Wellesley Hill commuter stations for an authorized budget of $51.7 million (for construction), with a programmed spend of $41.5 between FY26 and FY30.
According to an MBTA spokesperson, some of the proposed Waverley improvements include building raised platforms, elevators, and ramps. These plans, as well as cost estimates, will be reviewed internally soon, so the MBTA can develop future funding strategies.
In November, Belmont finalized new zoning in town to comply with the MBTA Communities Act—a state law requiring communities near transit to allow more multi-family housing—with Waverley Square in the limelight as the largest affected district. Concern for the station’s accessibility, however, is at least a decade old.
In May 2016, the Massachusetts Architectural Access Board gave the station a 10-year variance, allowing it to remain open despite not meeting certain accessibility requirements. In the decision letter, Waverley was ranked as one of the lowest ridership stations, with 117 inbound riders daily.
Former Select Board member Roy Epstein, who served as a Belmont representative to the MBTA Advisory Board for six years, said he hopes to see that variance extended.
“The station is rudimentary; I would say the low platform is one of its worst features,” said Epstein. “I hope the Massachusetts Architectural Access Boardextends the waiver because the financial constraints are real and closing the station would benefit no one.”
With just a year left of the variance, there do not appear to be new conversations about closing the station.
“There is a perennial conversation about consolidating Waverley and Belmont Center, but that conversation basically died some years ago,” Brownsberger said, noting a committee was formed in the mid-1990s to consider such a change. “It’s one of the first things I was involved in as a participating citizen in Belmont. . . .People didn’t want that. It was not a popular idea in Belmont, so we kind of let it go.”
“These stations will continue to be operating together until at some point maintenance forces a change,” he added.
The public comment period for the MBTA’s Capital Investment Plan concluded earlier this month. In May, the MBTA Finance and Audit Subcommittee will present the final Capital Investment Plan, and it will be published online in June, once approved by the MBTA Board of Directors.