Bourne station

This article is about the station in Massachusetts, US. For the station in Lincolnshire, UK, see Bourne railway station.

Bourne
Bourne station in June 2019
General information
Location	21 Bourne Bridge Road Bourne, Massachusetts
Coordinates	41°44′47.90″N70°35′20.03″W / 41.7466389°N 70.5888972°W / 41.7466389; -70.5888972
Owned by	MassDOT
Line(s)	Cape Main Line
Platforms	1 side platform
Tracks	1
Connections	CCRTA: Falmouth shuttle [1] Steamship Authority Shuttle [1]
Construction
Parking	None [2]
Accessible	Yes
History
Opened	May 24, 2019 [3]
Services
Preceding station MBTA Following station Buzzards Bay toward South Station CapeFLYER Hyannis Terminus
Former services Preceding station New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Following station Buzzards Bay toward Boston Boston–​Hyannis Sagamore toward Hyannis Boston–​Provincetown Sagamore toward Provincetown
Location

Bourne station is a train station in Bourne, Massachusetts, served by the CapeFlyer. ^[2]

History

Former station

Postcard of Bourne station

Monument station was built by the Cape Cod Branch Railroad when the railroad line was extended from Wareham to Sandwich in 1848. ^[4] It was located at what is now Old Bridge Road on the north side of the Monument River, approximately where the north canal service road / bike path is now located. ^[5] The station was renamed Bourne by the Old Colony Railroad around 1884. ^{[6] [7]}

The 1909–1916 widening of the river into the Cape Cod Canal necessitated the relocation of the Cape Main Line between Buzzards Bay and Sagamore. ^[8] The relocated line opened in late 1911, with Bourne station moved about 800 feet (240 m) south to Keene Street on the south side of the canal. ^{[9] [10]} Between 1938 and 1939, the New Haven Railroad had ended passenger service at the station and shifted its status to freight only. ^{[11] [12]}

CapeFLYER station

Bourne station in 2023

In September 2014 it was announced that local officials were considering a new station along the CapeFlyer route in Bourne for the 2015 season. According to the announcement, the station stop would be located on government land under the Bourne Bridge. ^[13] In November 2014 the state announced construction of the station would occur, along with trackside improvements and signal houses on both sides of the bridge, as well as improvements to switches in the area. Additionally, a 4,000 foot siding would be constructed so trains could wait at the bridge. ^[14]

In February 2015, it was announced that station construction would be delayed for one year, due to the amount of winter snow and local unease over the project. ^[15] The station was also considered as a possible stop for future commuter rail. ^[16] In September 2015, however, it was announced that plans to build the station were suspended, and although there was still a push by some within the community to build the station behind the Gallo Ice Arena, ^{[17] [18]} no official proposals or plans were made.

Discussions on the station were effectively nonexistent for the following three years, until it was announced that a smaller station would be built for service during the 2019 season. While initial plans for a fully constructed station were not realized, a prefabricated section of high-level platform was installed in May 2019 at the Bourne Bridge site, ^[19] which the CapeFlyer began serving shortly after completion. Parking areas are not provided, as the station is primarily intended for train passengers to be picked up or dropped off. ^[2]

Possible commuter rail service

In late 2020 and early 2021, MassDOT conducted a study evaluating the feasibility of extending commuter rail service from Middleborough/Lakeville station to Bourne. ^{[20] [21]} Upon conclusion of the study in spring 2021, two different alternatives for service were presented, one of which would terminate at Bourne station. ^[22]

References

1. "Upper Cape". CCRTA. 7 March 2013. Retrieved April 2, 2013.
2. Billmair, Darlene (14 February 2013). "CapeFLYER Train Stations". CapeFlyer Official Website. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
3. Treffeisen, Beth (June 2, 2019). "Travelers keen on new stop for CapeFLYER". Cape Cod Times.
4. Farson, Robert H. (1993). Cape Cod Railroads Including Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. Joan Hollister Farson. Yarmouthport, Massachusetts: Cape Cod Historical Publications. p. 340. ISBN   0-9616740-1-6.
5. Walling, Henry Francis (1857), Map of the town of Sandwich, Barnstable County, Mass. – via Wikimedia Commons
6. The Rand McNally Official Railway Guide and Hand Book. Rand McNally & Co. February 1884. p. 51. hdl:2027/uiug.30112106509760.
7. Snow's Pathfinder Railway Guide. New England Railway Publishing Company. February 1885. p. 65.
8. "Relocating Cape Cod Tracks". Boston Globe. February 11, 1911. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Right of way and track map, Old Colony R.R. Co. operated by the New York, New Haven and Hartford R.R. Co operating from Middleboro to Provincetown station 1096+80 to station 1148+70.10, town of Bourne, state of Mass". New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. June 30, 1915. hdl:11134/20002:860072201 – via University of Connecticut Archives & Special Collections.
10. "Railroad is Rushing Work". Boston Globe. October 2, 1911. p. 16 – via Newspapers.com.
11. The Official Guide of the Railways, August, 1938, Index of Railroad Stations
12. New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad timetable, June 25, 1939, Table A
13. "Bourne Stop on Cape Flyer Route to be Considered For Next Season". CapeCod.com. 17 September 2014.
14. Rausch, Michael J. (13 November 2014). "MassDOT To Build New CapeFLYER Station". Enterprise Newspapers. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
15. Barber, C. Ryan (12 February 2015). "CapeFlyer rail platform project delayed a year". Cape Cod Times . Retrieved 13 February 2015.
16. Vaccaro, Adam (April 8, 2016). "Don't count on weekday MBTA rail service to the Cape". Boston.com. Boston Globe Media Partners, LLC. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
17. Gately, Paul (23 September 2015). "CapeFlyer ridership, revenue increase in third season". Wicket Local Bourne. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
18. Rausch, Michael (September 25, 2015). "Home Bourne Bourne News Revenue, Ridership Up For CapeFLYER". The Enterprise.
19. Rausch, Michael J. (May 16, 2019). "Lack Of Notice About Train Platform Miffs Bourne Selectmen". Cape News.
20. Grady Culhane (3 December 2020). "Study Investigates Possible Cape Cod Commuter Rail Service". CapeCod.com. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
21. Ethan Genter (1 December 2020). "New study renews hope for Cape commuter rail service". Cape Cod Times. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
22. Jimmy Bentley (June 2, 2021). "Cape Officials To Discuss Potential Commuter Rail Proposals". MSN. Retrieved June 3, 2021.