New Yawkey Station

On Thursday the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority Board came to an agreement with the developers of the Fenway Center, a mixed-use project to be built over the Mass Pike. If approved by the state environmental officials, the construction of the first phase of the project will begin next summer.

The Fenway Center project will create new residencial, commercial, retail and shared-parking space, as well as a new full service commuter rail station at Yawkey Station.

You can find a few more details on the project and the new agreement by reading this MBTA news release.

Excited as I am at the prospect of the new Yawkey Station, I wish I knew answers to the following questions:

• Does the title "full service commuter rail station" require the station to have two platforms (as opposed to what is there now--just one)
• Would the existence of this brand new station actually affect the train schedule such that more inbound and outbound trains stop there?
• When would the construction of the new station be complete?
• How would the Fenway Project construction affect the current Yawkey Station and the Framingham/Worcester line train operation?