Ashland station (MBTA)

Ashland
Ashland station in March 2022
General information
Location	Pleasant Street near High Street Ashland, Massachusetts
Coordinates	42°15′42″N71°28′57″W / 42.2616°N 71.4826°W / 42.2616; -71.4826
Line(s)	Worcester Line
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	2
Connections	MWRTA: 5
Construction
Parking	678 spaces ($4.00 fee)
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Fare zone	6
History
Opened	August 24, 2002 [1]
Passengers
2018	931 (weekday average boardings) [2]
Services
Preceding station MBTA Following station Southborough toward Worcester Framingham/​Worcester Line Framingham toward South Station
Former services Preceding station New York Central Railroad Following station Cordaville toward Albany Boston and Albany Railroad Main Line Framingham toward Boston
Location

Ashland station is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in Ashland, Massachusetts. It serves the Framingham/Worcester Line. It has a long driveway leading from the south parking lot to the intersection of West Union Street (Route 135) and Voyagers Lane. Like the other stations on the line west of Framingham, Ashland serves as a park-and-ride station with 678 parking spots.

History

The previous downtown station photographed in 2016

A station at Unionville (later Ashland, after the town separated from Hopkinton in 1846) was in use by 1838. ^[3] Improvements to the station were made around 1846. ^[4] Passenger service to the old Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge–built downtown station ended on April 24, 1960, when Boston and Albany Railroad service west of Framingham was cut to stops at Worcester, Palmer, Springfield, and Pittsfield only. ^[5] Service to Worcester ended entirely in 1975, but resumed in 1994. ^[1]

In 1994, service to Worcester was restored as mitigation for delays with reopening the Old Colony Lines. Service initially ran nonstop from Framingham to Worcester, but intermediate park and ride stops were added later as mitigation for delays in reopening the Greenbush Line. After the opening of Grafton in 2000 caused traffic congestion in the town, officials from Ashland, Southborough, and Westborough asked that their three stations open within a 90-day span to avoid overwhelming any one town with traffic. The three stations, which together cost $14.2 million, were originally scheduled to open on December 31, 2001. ^[6] However, they were delayed by several factors, including a debate on whether to build full-length high-level platforms. Those were ruled out because they interfere with freight traffic; instead, smaller "mini-high" platforms plus long low platforms were built. ^[7]

Southborough and Westborough opened on June 22, 2002, followed by Ashland on August 24. ^{[8] [1]} Construction of the station cost $7.4 million. ^[9] Although the town originally insisted on no more than 450 parking spaces in an attempt to limit traffic on Route 135, officials later agreed to the MBTA's plans for a 700-space lot. ^[10] The new station was built to the west of the town center, where land was available for large parking lots. The downtown station still stands, and is currently used as a doctor's office. ^[11]

A $2.5 million renovation including restoration of the footbridge and resurfacing of the platforms took place in 2023. The station was temporarily closed on August 26 from to December 23, 2023. ^{[12] [13]}

References

1. Belcher, Jonathan. "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). Boston Street Railway Association.
2. Central Transportation Planning Staff (2019). "2018 Commuter Rail Counts". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
3. Dickinson, S.N. (1838). The Boston Almanac for the Year 1838. p. 49.
4. Report of the Directors of the Boston and Worcester Railroad. Boston and Worcester Railroad. June 1, 1846. p. 10.
5. Humphrey, Thomas J. & Clark, Norton D. (1985). Boston's Commuter Rail: The First 150 Years. Boston Street Railway Association. p. 24. ISBN   9780685412947.
6. Flanagan, Ted (October 16, 2001). "They'll wait for the stations a little longer". Boston Globe. p. 28 – via Newspapers.com.
7. Saltzman, Jonathan (June 16, 2002). "Hear that whistle blowin'". Boston Globe. pp. 148, 150 – via Newspapers.com. (second page)
8. Saltzman, Jonathan (August 11, 2002). "New stations popular with commuters: Town's rail stop will open Aug. 24". Boston Globe. p. 111 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "MBTA Opens New Ashland Station" (Press release). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. August 27, 2002. Archived from the original on October 11, 2002.
10. Gregg, John (November 1, 1998). "Parking scarcity makes commuting by train tough". The Boston Globe. pp. West 1, 11 – via Newspapers.com.
11. Roy, John H. Jr. (2007). A Field Guide to Southern New England Railroad Depots and Freight Houses. Branch Line Press. p. 125. ISBN   9780942147087.
12. "Ashland Station to Receive $2.5 Million in Repairs and Improvements" (Press release). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. July 31, 2023.
13. "Alerts: Framingham/Worcester Line". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. December 1, 2023. Archived from the original on December 13, 2023.

External links

Media related to Ashland station (MBTA) at Wikimedia Commons

• MBTA – Ashland