Mishawum station

Mishawum is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in Woburn, Massachusetts. It serves the Lowell Line, and is located on Mishawum Road north of downtown Woburn. Mishawum opened in 1984 at the site of a former station of the same name. Until Anderson RTC opened in 2001, Mishawum served as a park-and-ride station for Route 128 (I-95) and I-93. It is now a limited-service flag stop intended for those reverse commuting to the adjacent office park, though proposals have been made to return it to full-time service.

Mishawum
Mishawum station and associated development in May 2014
Location250 Mishawum Road, Woburn, Massachusetts
Coordinates42.5043°N 71.1376°W / 42.5043; -71.1376
Line(s)New Hampshire Main Line
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks2
Construction
Disabled accessNo
Other information
Fare zone2
History
OpenedSeptember 24, 1984[1]
Rebuilt2008–2010
Previous namesNorth Woburn
Mishawum Park
Mishawum Park-128
Mishawum/128
Passengers
201832 (weekday average boardings)[2]
Services
Preceding station MBTA Following station
Winchester Center
toward North Station
 Lowell Line
limited service
 Anderson/​Woburn
toward Lowell

With just 32 boardings on an average weekday in 2018, Mishawum is one of the least busy stations on the commuter rail system.[2] Mishawum is a weekday-only station; weekend trains do not stop.

History

Former station

When the Boston and Lowell Railroad opened in 1835, passenger service operated express between its two endpoints. Over the next several decades, a number of local stops were opened – often several in each town.[3][4] In addition to several stations on the Woburn Loop, by the late 1800s, there were three mainline stops in Woburn: Montvale at Montvale Avenue, Walnut Hill at Salem Street, North Woburn at what was then known as Middle Street in the village of New Boston, and South Wilmington at New Boston Street.[5] By 1890, both the road and the station were known as Mishawum, after the native name for what is now Charlestown.[6][7]

The station was located in a less-dense area between the town centers of Woburn, Stoneham, and Reading, each of which was served by its own downtown station.[4] As wooden railway cars gave way to heavier stainless steel, trains accelerated more slowly, pushing railroads to concentrate ridership onto a smaller number of stations. Mishawum was discontinued sometime in the mid-20th century, followed by Montvale, Walnut Hill, and other local stops in Billerica and Winchester in 1965.[1]

Revival
The modern Mishawum station opened in 1984

Through service on the Woburn Loop was cut back to terminate at Woburn station in 1959, and service on the remaining stub line with its two stations (Cross Street and Woburn, both located in the city of Woburn) ceased entirely in 1981 due to poor track conditions that the financially strained MBTA did not have the capital to repair.[1] This left a seven-mile gap between Winchester Center and Wilmington stations (except for the Lechmere Warehouse stop, opened in 1979, which served only a single office park), and well-populated Woburn without a full-service commuter rail station.

On September 24, 1984, the MBTA opened a park-and-ride station serving both Woburn residents and drivers from Route 128/I-95 and I-93.[1] It was variously listed on maps and timetables as Mishawum Park, Mishawum Park-128, Mishawum/128, and finally Mishawum.[8] A large parking lot was located west of the station between Mishawum Road and Route 128. The new station was just one quarter-mile from Exit 36 on 128, allowing easy access from both highways. The station was not originally accessible.[9] With the pending passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the MBTA announced a $1.1 million renovation of the station on September 29, 1989. The project, which included mini-high platforms for accessibility and a parking lot expansion, was completed on May 17, 1991.[10][11]

In 1992, Peter Pan began operating Logan Express bus service from Mishawum to Logan Airport via I-93 under contract to Massport, following the success of similar services running from Braintree and Shopper's World in Framingham.[1] A waiting room was built in the parking lot for Logan Express passengers. The route was taken over by Paul Revere Transportation in November 1995.[1] In September 1998, the MBTA introduced the route 355 Mishawum Station-Downtown via Cummings Industrial Park bus, with two daily round trips.[1]

Replacement and continued usage
Mishawum was largely replaced by the more modern Anderson RTC in 2001

By the turn of the century, Mishawum station was beginning to become inadequate for its intended use. A station near Route 128 was desired for Amtrak's Downeaster service, but Mishawum's location was not ideal. Although the station was accessible with mini-high platforms, full-length high-level platforms were desired for speedier boarding. However, the narrow Route 128 underpass would have made the addition of a freight passing track difficult. Handicapped access to the outbound platform also required crossing the tracks at grade, an undesirable situation. Instead, a new station – Anderson Regional Transportation Center – was built half a mile north, with facilities including a full-length high-level island platform, a freight passing track, a pedestrian overpass, a station building with amenities, and large parking lots. Logan Express service shifted to Anderson RTC effective April 8, 2001; full commuter rail service followed on April 28.[1][12]

The MBTA originally intended to close Mishawum after Anderson RTC opened. However, Anderson RTC is further from the commercial and residential center of Woburn, and local officials and business owners desired to retain the stop. After pressure from local politicians, the MBTA agreed to keep Mishawum open as a limited-service reverse commute stop for workers who live in Boston.[13] A state bill to study reestablishing Mishawum as a full-time stop died in committee in 2002 and 2003.[14]

During the 2004 Democratic National Convention held at the Fleet Center, commuter rail service was disrupted due to security concerns due to North Station's location under the arena. The parking area at Mishawum was temporarily reopened, with buses numbered as the normally unused Route 53 running directly to South Station.[1]

Development and renovations
The inbound mini-high platform with missing edge strip in 2013

In 2004, the MBTA proposed a mixed-use transit-oriented development on the former parking lot with a fire station, residential units, and a hotel, but zoning for the plan was rejected by Woburn City Council due to concerns about density.[15] In July 2005, two developers bought the 7-acre site from the MBTA for $7.2 million.[15] In August 2006, the City Council approved the parcel as a "transit oriented development overlay district" allowing the construction of apartment buildings up to 7 stories high, in addition to other possible uses.[16] The Council approved a 210-apartment building and a 50,000 square foot office building with a below-ground garage in January 2007. Although local opinion favored a smaller residential building, 210 units was considered the minimum number to bring restoration of Mishawum as a full-time station into consideration.[15] Environmental approval was granted two months later.[17]

Construction of the office building also included a large ramp structure leading to the inbound platform to replace the old ramp.[18] The office building, garage, and ramp were completed around 2010, but the apartment complex was delayed and ultimately never built.[19] However, the outbound stairs and the south ends of the platform were never renovated and are closed off. The mini-high platform edges were removed around 2007 to repair another station were not replaced, making the station no longer accessible.[20][21] The route 355 bus was discontinued in July 2012 as part of general service cutbacks due to the MBTA's financial state, leaving Mishawum with no remaining bus connections.[1] The abandoned Logan Express building was demolished in 2014 for the construction of a Dave and Busters, which opened in 2015.[22][23]

As of 2019, service consists of three outbound trains during the morning rush hour and three inbound trains during the evening rush hour - the same level it has had since 2001.[24][25]

References
  1. Belcher, Jonathan. "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). NETransit.
  2. Central Transportation Planning Staff (2019). "2018 Commuter Rail Counts". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
  3. Harlow, Alvin Fay (1946). Steelways of New England. Creative Age Press. pp. 92–93.
  4. Humphrey, Thomas J.; Clark, Norton D. (1985). Boston's Commuter Rail: The First 150 Years. Boston Street Railway Association. pp. 56, 108. ISBN 9780685412947.
  5. "Woburn". County Atlas of Middlesex Massachusetts. F.W. Beers & Co. 1875. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  6. Sammarco, Anthony Mitchell (1996). Charlestown. Arcadia. p. 7. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  7. "Burlington & Wilmington & Woburn". Atlas of Middlesex County, Massachusetts. George H. Walker & Co. 1889. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  8. "MBTA System Route Map". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 1988 – via WardMaps.
  9. Operations Directorate Planning Division (November 1990). "Ridership and Service Statistics" (3 ed.). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. pp. 1–5 – via Internet Archive.
  10. Sanborn, George M. (1992). A Chronicle of the Boston Transit System. Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority – via Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
  11. MBTA : ACCESS; The Guide to Accessible Services and Facilities. Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. June 1992. p. 15 – via Internet Archive.
  12. "Woburn Logan Express Service Moves To New Anderson Regional Transportation Center" (Press release). Massachusetts Port Authority. April 3, 2001.
  13. Qualters, Sheri (4 June 2001). "Woburn businesses want old station back on track". Boston Business Journal. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  14. Vincent, Gordon (28 May 2003). "Mishawum MBTA station bill heads back to committee". Daily Times Chronicle. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  15. Vincent, Gordon (3 January 2007). "Mishawum station plan approved by Council". Daily Times Chronicle. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  16. "SECTION 21: MISHAWUM STATION TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT OVERLAY DISTRICT" (PDF). City of Woburn. 16 August 2006. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  17. Bowles, Ian A. (March 1, 2007). "CERTIFICATE OF THE SECRETARY OF ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS ON THE EXPANDED ENVIRONMENTAL NOTIFICATION FORM" (PDF). Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 29, 2015.
  18. "Northern Bank and Trust Headquarters". CTA Construction.
  19. Vincent, Gordon (9 July 2010). "Mishawum plan earns extension from Council". Daily Times Chronicle. Retrieved 4 August 2013.
  20. "Mishawum". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007.
  21. Ridership and Service Statistics (PDF) (11 ed.). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 2007. p. 1-09.
  22. Thompson, Barry (22 April 2015). "Dave and Buster's To Open New Woburn Location". Woburn Patch. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  23. Laidler, John (October 27, 2013). "City Council approves Dave & Buster's: Restaurant and arcade site will be off Route 128". Boston Globe. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
  24. "Lowell Line" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. April 30, 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 12, 2001.
  25. "Lowell Line" (PDF). assachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. May 20, 2019.
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