Gov. Charlie Baker and Transportation Secretary and CEO Stephanie Pollack joined state and local transit officials, federal and state elected leaders and community partners today to celebrate the groundbreaking of a $38.5 million improvement project to the MBTA’s Ruggles Orange Line and Commuter Rail Station.

The new station includes elevators, a reconstructed lower busway, and a new 800-foot Commuter Rail platform to better service track two and increase capacity for nearly all inbound commuter rail trains to stop at the station.

Construction is scheduled to be performed from 2017 through 2019.

Approximately 30 percent of inbound trains currently bypass Ruggles due to physical limitations of the current platform and daily congestion along the corridor from MBTA and Amtrak trains. Construction will increase the size of the existing platform and improve the infrastructure in keeping with ADA guidelines to allow improved access to the neighboring community that includes the Longwood Medical and Academic Area, which is the largest employment center near Ruggles Station, and Northeastern University.

A total project cost of $38.5 million is supported by a $20 million federal Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery VI Grant awarded in October 2014, federal FTA funding of $6.8 million and state funding of $11.7 million from the MBTA Revenue Bond fund.

Ruggles Station serves 13 MBTA bus routes, seven private bus shuttles, the Orange Line and three commuter rail lines (Needham, Franklin and Providence/Stoughton).