Newton commuters who ride the Worcester Line out of Newtonville will no longer face a 28-month station closure.

Mayor Marc Laredo announced Thursday, Sept. 17, that the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) scrapped its original plan to shut the Newtonville commuter rail station from November through spring 2029. Instead, the station will close for three months starting next summer and for two months in spring 2029, the Newton Beacon first reported.

MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng called Laredo on Thursday afternoon. Laredo shared the revised schedule in an email to the community.

The reversal followed months of organized pushback from residents and business owners who pressed the MBTA to find a way to keep the station running during the $66 million renovation. More than 300 riders board at Newtonville each day, according to MBTA data.

Under the original timeline, no additional bus service was planned during the closure. At a June 24 public meeting, the MBTA said it could not add buses because of driver and vehicle shortages. City Councilors Lucas, Leary, Wright and Roche, along with State Rep. Amy Sangiolo, voiced concern over the lack of replacement bus service, according to Fig City News.

Charles River Regional Chamber President Greg Reibman called the announcement a win for local businesses. "We're grateful to the Laredo administration and our federal, state and local leaders who worked tirelessly to avoid what would have been a commuting disaster for riders and the businesses that depend on the Newtonville station," Reibman said in a statement Thursday evening.

The project will replace the current 800-foot, single-sided platform with a 400-foot, dual-sided platform featuring two sets of elevators and stairs on each side. Tracks will be realigned so trains can stop in both directions at all times. The current layout limits the station to inbound service in the morning and outbound later in the day.

MassDOT raised the project budget from $50 million to $66 million by delaying or canceling other projects. Congressman Auchincloss helped advance the project with $7 million in federal funding.

The MBTA also plans to shut down the Worcester Line for four to six weekends in late 2027 to realign tracks, replacing trains with buses during those periods.

The exact start date of the first three-month closure has not been announced. Construction was originally set to begin in November.