(WBZ NewsRadio) — The MBTA unveiled new upgrades Monday at its Franklin Station it says will improve accessibility.
The upgrades include the completed construction of a mini-high platform which provides stair-free, level boarding for all passengers, including those with disabilities as well as those using strollers and luggage with rollers.
Franklin's Commission on Disability Chairperson Alison Rheaume said the upgrades are game changers. "So many residents in this very neighborhood were told to just go to another station," she said. "However, for those navigating disability, nothing is ever just that easy."
Now, Rheaume said better access to the station is improving people's lives. "There's one lady who lives just down the street, and for the first time, she was able to go into the city independently."
Along with upgraded station accessibility, artist Kayla Jean Nisbet was commissioned to create a mural on the station wall of a vacant coffee shop.
She said not only does the painting bring new life to the empty store front, it also celebrates the town's history. "As the story goes, the donation of 116 books that Benjamin Franklin gave to our town went on to establish America's first public library."
Town officials said they are hoping the upgrades will also attract a new tenant to the building.
WBZ NewsRadio's Jared Brosnan (@JaredBrosnanWBZ) reports
