McGovern Transportation Center

Lawrence
The 2005-built station platform and garage in 2012
General information
Location	211 Merrimack Street Lawrence, Massachusetts
Coordinates	42°42′7″N71°9′9″W / 42.70194°N 71.15250°W / 42.70194; -71.15250
Owned by	MVRTA
Line(s)	Western Route
Platforms	1 side platform
Tracks	3
Connections	MVRTA: 3, 9
Construction
Parking	400 spaces (5 accessible) [1]
Bicycle facilities	18 spaces [1]
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Fare zone	6
History
Opened	1848, 1979
Closed	1976
Rebuilt	1931, 2005 (relocated)
Passengers
2018	482 (weekday average boardings) [2]
Services
Preceding station MBTA Following station Andover toward North Station Haverhill Line Bradford toward Haverhill
Location

The Senator Patricia McGovern Transportation Center, also known as the McGovern Transportation Center or simply Lawrence station, is a transit station in Lawrence, Massachusetts. It serves the MBTA Commuter Rail Haverhill Line and Merrimack Valley Regional Transit Authority local bus service. The station, which opened in 2005, is the latest of seven distinct stations located in Lawrence since 1848; it is located in the city's Gateway District.

History

Early stations

1879 North Lawrence station in 1915

The city of Lawrence was chartered in 1846, several years after the Boston & Maine Railroad opened. In 1848, the original tracks from Ballardvale to North Andover were abandoned and the route was relocated to the modern routing through Lawrence south of the Merrimack River. ^[3] That year, the B&M set a land speed record for railed vehicles by operating the first authenticated 60 mph (96.6 km/h) train, The Antelope, from Boston to Lawrence, travelling 26 miles in 26 minutes. ^[4]

The first station in Lawrence, South Lawrence, was a wooden structure built in 1848 just north of Salem Street. ^{[5] [6]} It was enlarged just two years after construction, then replaced in 1872 by a brick depot between Salem and Andover Streets. ^{[5] [7]}

In 1849, the Manchester and Lawrence Railroad was built from South Lawrence depot north through Lawrence proper. A new station was located at Essex Street and named North Lawrence; the original wooden building was replaced in 1851 by a permanent building (similar to the depot at Andover) then in 1879 by a Victorian Gothic brick structure. ^[5] In 1880, the Boston and Lowell Railroad extended the 1848-built Lowell and Lawrence Railroad to a new depot north of the Merrimack River on Canal Street. After the B&M absorbed the B&L in 1887 the depot became redundant, though it saw service until 1918. ^[5] Passenger service on the Lawrence & Lowell ended in 1926. ^[8]

Consolidation

1931 Lawrence station in 1936

In 1931, the Boston & Maine consolidated the existing South and North Lawrence into a single station, Lawrence, located off Parker Street. The tall brick and marble building, technically located at 65 Merrimack Street still stands as part of a strip mall. ^[5] Regular Manchester & Lawrence service ended in 1953, and after January 18, 1965, service to Boston was reduced to a single daily round trip. ^{[8] [9]} Service on the Haverhill Line past Reading was cut in June 1976, ending service to Lawrence. However, the MBTA bought BM commuter assets in December 1976, and the 1979 energy crisis prompted a return of service. Service returned on December 17, 1979, including the resumption of the Lawrence stop. ^[9] A mini-high platform for accessibility was added around 1992. ^[10]

McGovern Transportation Center

Main platform (left) and temporary platform (right) in 2008

On December 6, 2005, the Senator Patricia McGovern Transportation Center opened with a new Lawrence train station a quarter mile to the east, replacing the former station. ^[9] The old platform is still extant.

Service to the station is at a single full-length high-level platform on the north side of the tracks. After the station was built in 2005, there was also a temporary platform located on the south side of the tracks, but locals were unhappy with having to cross active tracks to reach the garage from the platform. ^[11] The second platform was removed from service after several years and was demolished when Pan Am built a second freight track through the station around 2010. With freight trains now on their dedicated tracks, the single passenger track is sufficient for current service levels. A similar platform was built in 2014 for use during track work on the line.

References

1. "Ridership and Service Statistics" (PDF) (14th ed.). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 2014.
2. Central Transportation Planning Staff (2019). "2018 Commuter Rail Counts". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
3. Karr, Ronald Dale (2010). Lost Railroads of New England (Third ed.). Branch Line Press. p. 86. ISBN   9780942147117.
4. George, Charles B. (1887). "A MILE A MINUTE". Forty Years on the Rail (2nd ed.). R.R. Donnelley & Sons. pp. 50–54.
5. Roy, John H. Jr. (2007). A Field Guide to Southern New England Railroad Depots and Freight Houses. Branch Line Press. pp. 176–177. ISBN   9780942147087.
6. Walling & Gray (1871). "Lawrence 1871". Official Topographical Atlas of Massachusetts, 1871. WardMaps LLC. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
7. Walker Lithograph; Publishing Co. (1891). "Lawrence 1891". Topographical Atlas of Massachusetts, 1891. WardMaps LLC. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
8. Karr, Ronald Dale (1995). The Rail Lines of Southern New England. Branch Line Press. pp. 232, 241–244. ISBN   0942147022.
9. Belcher, Jonathan. "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). Boston Street Railway Association.
10. MBTA : ACCESS; The Guide to Accessible Services and Facilities. Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. June 1992. p. 15 – via Internet Archive.
11. Mason, Edward; Vogler, Mark E. (21 September 2006). "Financial woes hit McGovern Transportation Center". Eagle-Tribune . Archived from the original on 22 January 2013. Retrieved 21 July 2012.

External links

• MBTA - Lawrence
• MVRTA - Senator Patricia McGovern Transportation Center
• Photo set of the building of the 1931 station