List of MBTA Commuter Rail stations
The MBTA Commuter Rail is the commuter rail system for the Greater Boston metropolitan area of Massachusetts. It is owned by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) and operated under contract by the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Company (MBCR).[1] As of the first quarter of 2013, it was the sixth-busiest commuter rail system in the United States with an average weekday ridership of 127,500.[2] There are currently 141 stations on 12 lines (four of which have branches).[3]
The system's routes span about 400 miles (640 km) and cover roughly the eastern third of Massachusetts and the northern half of Rhode Island.[3] They stretch from Newburyport in the north to North Kingstown, Rhode Island, in the south, and reach as far west as Worcester and Fitchburg. The system is split into two parts, with lines north of Boston having a terminus at North Station and lines south of Boston having a terminus at South Station.
Currently, there are several extensions of the Commuter Rail system under construction or in the planning stages. Planning work on the South Coast Rail project to restore service to Fall River and New Bedford is continuing with bridge work already started,[4] and proposed extensions of commuter rail service to Nashua, New Hampshire via the Lowell Line,[5] Plaistow, New Hampshire via the Haverhill Line,[6] and Buzzards Bay via the Middleborough/Lakeville Line[7][8] are in the planning stages.
Key
| Station | Indicates the MBTA's official name for the station. If the station is handicapped-accessible in some way, a wheelchair symbol appears next to the station name. (See MBTA accessibility for further details.) |
| Line | Indicates the lines that stop at the given station. A bold line designation indicates that the station is a terminus for that line. |
| Connections | Denotes any links to the MBTA's subway, streetcar, or bus rapid transit lines, to other busses, to Amtrak trains, or to the CapeFLYER at the station. Bus connections in italics indicate that the connecting service does not stop directly at the station, but rather a short distance away. |
| City/neighborhood | Identifies the municipality (or for Boston, the neighborhood) in which the station is located. |
| Fare zone | Identifies which of the eleven fare zones the station is in. The zones are 1A, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10, with Zone 1A being the closest to North Station and South Station, and Zone 10 being the farthest.[9] |
| Station info | A link to the station's information on http://mbta.com. |
Stations
Future stations
The following stations are in design or under construction:
| Station | Line | Connections | City | Fare zone | Status | Planned opening | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chelsea | MBTA bus: 112, 114 | Chelsea | 1A | Planned (replacement for existing Chelsea station) | 2021 | [11] | |
| North Easton | — | North Easton/Stoughton | TBA | Planning | 2030 | [12][13] | |
| Easton Village | — | North Easton | TBA | Planning | 2030 | [12][13] | |
| Raynham Place | — | Raynham | TBA | Planning | 2030 | [12][13] | |
| Taunton | — | Taunton | TBA | Planning | 2030 | [12][13] | |
| Middleborough | — | Middleborough | TBA | Under construction | 2023 | [12][13] | |
| East Taunton | — | East Taunton | TBA | Under construction | 2023 | [12][13] | |
| King's Highway | — | New Bedford | TBA | Under construction | 2023 | [12][13] | |
| Whale's Tooth | — | New Bedford | TBA | Under construction | 2023 | [12][13] | |
| Freetown | — | Freetown | TBA | Under construction | 2023 | [12][13] | |
| Fall River | — | Fall River | TBA | Under construction | 2023 | [12][13] | |
| Battleship Cove | — | Fall River | TBA | Planning | 2030 | [12][13] | |
| West Station | — | Boston | 1A | Planning | 2040 | [14] |
Former stations
Stations closed without MBTA subsidy
The MBTA was formed in August 1964 to subsidize suburban commuter rail services. Subsidies for Boston and Maine Railroad (B&M) lines north of Boston began in 1965; subsidies for New York Central Railroad and New Haven Railroad lines west and south of Boston began later.[15] If a railroad was given ICC permission to discontinue a service, the MBTA would subsidize operation within its funding district (within about 15–25 miles [24–40 km] of Boston), while municipalities outside the district could contract with the MBTA to fund continue service.
A number of out-of-district stations (and several in-district stations) were closed in January 1965; most reopened that June, or over the next decades. However, several minor stations were never reopened. In June 1967, the B&M discontinued never-subsidized Boston–Dover and Boston–Concord round trips - the last remains of B&M interstate service.[15] Several out-of-district stations were also closed in April 1966 when the MBTA began subsidizing several New Haven Railroad lines.[15]
This listing includes only stations closed when MBTA or local subsidies began, or on services that were never subsidized. Stations that later reopened are not listed.
| Station | Line | City | Date closed[15] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blackstone | Blackstone Line | Blackstone | April 24, 1966 |
| Medway | West Medway Branch | Medway | April 24, 1966 |
| West Medway | West Medway Branch | Medway | April 24, 1966 |
| Ordway | Central Mass Branch | Hudson | January 18, 1965 |
| Gleasondale | Central Mass Branch | Hudson | January 18, 1965 |
| Hudson | Central Mass Branch | Hudson | January 18, 1965 |
| Riverview | Fitchburg Line | Waltham | January 18, 1965 |
| Walnut Hill | Lowell Line | Woburn | January 18, 1965 |
| Silver Lake | Lowell Line | Wilmington | January 18, 1965 |
| East Billerica | Lowell Line | Billerica | January 18, 1965 |
| North Chelmsford | Boston–Concord | Chelmsford | June 30, 1967 |
| Wakefield Junction | Reading Line | Wakefield | January 18, 1965 |
| Salem Street | Boston–Dover | Wilmington | June 30, 1967 |
| Atkinson | Boston–Dover | Atkinson, NH | June 30, 1967 |
| Plaistow | Boston–Dover | Plaistow, NH | June 30, 1967 |
| Newton Junction | Boston–Dover | Newton, NH | June 30, 1967 |
| Powwow River | Boston–Dover | East Kingston, NH | June 30, 1967 |
| East Kingston | Boston–Dover | East Kingston, NH | June 30, 1967 |
| Exeter | Boston–Dover | Exeter, NH | June 30, 1967 |
| Newfields | Boston–Dover | Newfields, NH | June 30, 1967 |
| Newmarket | Boston–Dover | Newmarket, NH | June 30, 1967 |
| Durham | Boston–Dover | Durham, NH | June 30, 1967 |
| Dover | Boston–Dover | Dover, NH | June 30, 1967 |
| Hampton | Portsmouth Line | Hampton, NH | January 4, 1965 |
| North Hampton | Portsmouth Line | North Hampton, NH | January 4, 1965 |
| Portsmouth | Portsmouth Line | Portsmouth, NH | January 4, 1965 |
Stations dropped after the start of MBTA service
The following stations had MBTA-subsidised service at one point, but are no longer served by the MBTA:
| Station | Line | City | Date closed[15][16] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Hope | Boston/Roslindale | November 3, 1979 | |
| East Foxboro | Foxborough | November 1977 | |
| Pawtucket-Central Falls | Pawtucket/Central Falls, Rhode Island | February 20, 1981 | |
| East Dedham | Dedham | April 21, 1967 | |
| Stone Haven | Dedham | April 21, 1967 | |
| Dedham | Dedham | April 21, 1967 | |
| Charles River | Dover | April 21, 1967 | |
| Dover | Dover | April 21, 1967 | |
| Farm Street | Medfield | April 21, 1967 | |
| Medfield | Medfield | April 21, 1967 | |
| Clicquot | Millis | April 21, 1967 | |
| Millis | Millis | April 21, 1967 | |
| Riverside | Newton | October 28, 1977 | |
| Waltham North | Waltham | November 26, 1971 | |
| Waltham Highlands | Waltham | November 26, 1971 | |
| Weston | Weston | November 26, 1971 | |
| Cherry Brook | Weston | November 26, 1971 | |
| Tower Hill | Wayland | November 26, 1971 | |
| Wayland | Wayland | November 26, 1971 | |
| East Sudbury | Sudbury | November 26, 1971 | |
| South Sudbury | Sudbury | November 26, 1971 | |
| Clematis Brook | Waltham | June 1978 | |
| Beaver Brook | Waltham | June 1978 | |
| West Acton | Acton | March 1, 1975 | |
| Littleton | Littleton | March 1, 1975 | |
| Gardner | Gardner | December 31, 1986 | |
| Lake Street | Arlington | January 10, 1977 | |
| Arlington Centre | Arlington | January 10, 1977 | |
| East Lexington | Lexington | January 10, 1977 | |
| Pierce's Bridge | Lexington | January 10, 1977 | |
| Munroe | Lexington | January 10, 1977 | |
| Lexington | Lexington | January 10, 1977 | |
| North Lexington | Lexington | January 10, 1977 | |
| Bedford | Bedford | January 10, 1977 | |
| Tufts University | Medford | October 1979 | |
| Cross Street | Woburn | January 30, 1981 | |
| Woburn | Woburn | January 30, 1981 | |
| Winchester Highlands | Winchester | June 1978 | |
| Lechmere Warehouse | Woburn | 1996 | |
| Nashua | Nashua, New Hampshire | March 1, 1981 | |
| Merrimack | Merrimack, New Hampshire | March 1, 1981 | |
| Manchester | Manchester, New Hampshire | March 1, 1981 | |
| Concord | Concord, New Hampshire | March 1, 1981 | |
| Oak Grove | Malden | April 25, 1985 | |
| Shawsheen | Andover | April 27, 1980 | |
| North Andover | North Andover | November 1974 | |
| Harbor | Gloucester | January 7, 1985 |
References
- Bierman, Noah (January 6, 2010). "Commuter rail contractor wins extension". The Boston Globe. Retrieved October 3, 2010.
- "Public Transit Ridership Report, First Quarter 2013" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
- "Ridership and Service Statistics" (PDF) (14th ed.). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 2014.
- Welker, Grant (May 18, 2010). "Work on South Coast Rail set to begin in fall". Taunton Daily Gazette. Taunton, Massachusetts: GateHouse Media. Retrieved October 3, 2010.
- Ward, Peter (February 12, 2005). "Lowell's Nashua rail plan on track". The Sun. Lowell, Massachusetts: MediaNews Group. Retrieved October 3, 2010.
- Ireland, Doug (September 14, 2010). "Plaistow wants to get rail project on track". The Eagle-Tribune. North Andover, Massachusetts: Community Newspaper Holdings. Retrieved October 3, 2010.
- Grady Culhane (December 3, 2020). "Study Investigates Possible Cape Cod Commuter Rail Service". CapeCod.com. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
- Ethan Genter (December 1, 2020). "New study renews hope for Cape commuter rail service". Cape Cod Times. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
- "Commuter Rail Fares & Passes". MBTA.com. Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Retrieved October 2, 2010.
- "Commuter Rail Maps and Schedules". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 2012. Retrieved June 14, 2012.
- Vaccaro, Adam (June 6, 2017). "Silver Line service to Chelsea to begin next spring". Boston Globe.
- "FAQs - South Coast Rail: What is the timeline for the project, and when will service start?". 2016. Retrieved January 16, 2016.
- "SCR Station Map - South Coast Rail". 2016. Retrieved January 16, 2016.
- Dungca, Nicole (September 30, 2014). "New transit station to connect Allston to downtown". Boston Globe. Retrieved October 1, 2014.
- Belcher, Jonathan. "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). NETransit.
- Humphrey, Thomas J.; Clark, Norton D. (1985). Boston's Commuter Rail: The First 150 Years. Boston Street Railway Association. ISBN 9780685412947.