Church Street station (MBTA)

Church Street station is a planned MBTA Commuter Rail station located in north New Bedford, Massachusetts. It is planned to open in 2023 as part of the first phase of the South Coast Rail project. The station will have a single 800-foot (240 m)-long side platform on the east side of the single track of the New Bedford Subdivision.

Church Street
Location387 Church Street
New Bedford, Massachusetts
Coordinates41°40′36.50″N 70°56′22.88″W
Line(s)New Bedford Subdivision
Platforms1 side platform (planned)
Tracks1
Connections SRTA: 8[1]
Construction
Parking355 parking spaces
Bicycle facilities22 spaces
Disabled accessYes
History
Opening2023 (planned)
Previous namesAcushnet
Services
Preceding station MBTA Following station
New Bedford
Terminus
 South Coast Rail East Taunton
toward South Station

History
A postcard of Acushnet station

The New Bedford and Taunton Railroad opened between its mainsake cities in July 1840, completing a rail route between Boston and New Bedford.[2]:398 Acushnet station, located at Tarkin Hill Road north of downtown New Bedford, served the eponymous town to the east.[3] Service was later consolidated under the New Bedford Railroad (1873), Boston, Clinton, Fitchburg and New Bedford Railroad (1876), Old Colony Railroad (1879), and finally the New Haven Railroad (1893). Passenger service on the line continued until September 5, 1958.[4] However, local stops including Acushnet were discontinued well before then, and trains ran nonstop from New Bedford to Taunton.[5] The line continued to be used for freight service by the New Haven and its successors Penn Central and Conrail, then finally as the CSX New Bedford Subdivision.[2]:400

In September 2008, MassDOT released 18 potential station sites, including a King's Highway station in New Bedford (at the former Acushnet station site).[6] By 2013, plans called for the station to be on the west side of the tracks slightly south of King's Highway, sharing parking with an existing strip mall.[7] In 2017, the project was re-evaluated due to cost issues. The new proposal called for King's Highway station to be part of the first phase.[8]

In 2019, the planned site was moved across the tracks due to drainage and land acquisition issues, with the name changed to North New Bedford for clarity.[9][10] A footbridge may be constructed to provide access from the west side of the tracks.[10] In 2020, the planned name was changed to Church Street.[11] A former industrial building at 387 Church Street was demolished in 2020 to make room for the station and its parking lot.[12] The MBTA awarded a $403.5 million contract for the Middleborough Secondary and New Bedford Secondary portions of the project, including Church Street station, on August 24, 2020; construction was expected to begin later in 2020 and take 37 months.[13] The line is expected to open in late 2023.[11]

References
  1. VHB/HNTB (January 31, 2018). "Chapter 2 – Alternatives Analysis". South Coast Rail Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Report. Massachusetts Department of Transportation. p. 51.
  2. Karr, Ronald Dale (2017). The Rail Lines of Southern New England (2 ed.). Branch Line Press. ISBN 9780942147124.
  3. "Plate No. 13". Atlas of Massachusetts. Geo. H. Walker & Co. 1891. pp. 134–35 – via Ward Maps.
  4. Humphrey, Thomas J.; Clark, Norton D. (1985). Boston's Commuter Rail: The First 150 Years. Boston Street Railway Association. pp. 34–36. ISBN 9780685412947.
  5. "Table 19: Boston-New Bedford-Fall River". THE SCENIC SHORELINE ROUTE SERVING NEW YORK AND NEW ENGLAND. New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. April 24, 1955. p. 31 – via Wikimedia Commons.
  6. "South Coast Rail Fact Sheet" (PDF). Massachusetts Department of Transportation. October 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 5, 2015.
  7. "Figure 3.2-30 King's Highway Station Conceptual Station Design" (PDF). Volume II: FEIS/FEIR Figures Final Environmental Impact Statement/Final Environmental Impact Report on the South Coast Rail Project proposed by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New England District. August 2013.
  8. "Notice of Project Change" (PDF). Massachusetts Department of Transportation. March 15, 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 18, 2017.
  9. Barnes, Jennette (September 6, 2019). "Proposed King's Highway train station moved to Church Street". South Coast Today.
  10. "Phase 1 New Bedford Public Information Meeting: Summary". Massachusetts Department of Transportation. September 14, 2019.
  11. Tabakin, Jennifer (May 11, 2020). "South Coast Rail Phase 1 Update" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
  12. Roy, Linda (August 6, 2020). "North End industrial site demolished for commuter rail station". South Coast Today.
  13. "FMCB Approves $403.5 Million Contract for South Coast Rail Main Line Construction" (Press release). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. August 24, 2020.
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