North Leominster station

Last updated
North Leominster
Inbound train at North Leominster station, December 2013.JPG
An inbound train at North Leominster in December 2013
General information
Location34 Nashua Street
Leominster, Massachusetts
Coordinates 42°32′21″N71°44′21″W / 42.5392°N 71.7393°W / 42.5392; -71.7393
Line(s) Fitchburg Route
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks2
ConnectionsAiga bus trans.svg MART: Intercity/MWCC, 1, 3, 9
Construction
Parking436 spaces
AccessibleYes
Other information
Fare zone8
History
Opened1845; January 13, 1980
ClosedJanuary 18, 1965
RebuiltOctober 4, 2004
May 20, 2014
Passengers
2018239 (weekday average boardings) [1]
Services
Preceding station MBTA.svg MBTA Following station
Fitchburg
toward Wachusett
Fitchburg Line Shirley
toward North Station
Former services
Preceding station Boston and Maine Railroad Following station
Fitchburg
toward Troy
Boston – Troy Shirley
toward Boston
Location
North Leominster station

North Leominster station is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in Leominster, Massachusetts. It serves the Fitchburg Line. It is located at 34 Nashua Street, east of Main Street. The station, which is accessible, has two side platforms to serve the line's two tracks (the outbound platform is only able to be reached by crossing the tracks from the inbound platform). There is a small freight yard adjacent to the parking lot and mainline tracks on the south end of the inbound platform. A garage opened in 2014 to nearly triple parking capacity at the station, which serves as a park-and-ride stop for Route 2 and I-190, to a total of 436 spaces.

Contents

History

Early history

Original station building on a 1915 postcard 1915 postcard of North Leominster station.JPG
Original station building on a 1915 postcard

The Fitchburg Railroad opened through North Leominster in 1845. [2] Leominster – later North Leominster – was opened by 1858. [3] It was just north of the Main Street crossing, near the modern station location. [4]

Trains ran to North Leominster for over a century under the Fitchburg Railroad and the Boston and Maine Railroad until the latter cut all service on the line past West Concord on January 18, 1965 due to insufficient subsidies from the newly formed Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. [5] The station building was reused as a foreign car agency by 1968, but later demolished. [6]

Service restoration

1980-built low platforms, photographed in 2014 Old North Leominster platforms, December 2014.JPG
1980-built low platforms, photographed in 2014

On January 13, 1980, the MBTA restored service on 37 miles of the Fitchburg Line from West Concord to Gardner, including the stop at North Leominster. [7] Short asphalt platforms were built behind a strip mall at the location of the former depot, with pedestrian access from Main Street but only 30 parking spaces. [8]

In July 2003, the MBTA Board approved spending $950,000 in MBTA funds for a $3 million new station. [9] On October 4, 2004, the new station was opened about 600 feet (180 m) southeast of the old station. It was built with short high-level platforms for handicapped accessibility, and a 150-space parking lot was built off Nashua Street adjacent to the station. [8] [10] The former station platforms are still extant.

However, the lot quickly proved to be too small, as North Leominster serves park-and-ride commuters from as far as Orange and Athol. [8] (Fitchburg, the other major park-and-ride on the outer end of the Fitchburg Line, does not have convenient access to Route 2 and I-190 as North Leominster does.) [11]

Garage

The completed garage in December 2014 North Leominster station parking garage, December 2014.jpg
The completed garage in December 2014

Beginning in 2007, the Montachusett Regional Transit Authority and Montachusett Regional Planning Commission began planning for an expansion of parking capacity. Construction began in March 2012 on a three-story garage which will provide 340 parking spaces. [11] The $7.7 million project, which was funded by the FTA through earmarks and formula funding, includes a covered busway and charging stations for electric cars. [8] Originally to be completed in August 2013, the garage was delayed due to high summer heat which prevented pouring concrete. [12] The garage was dedicated on November 1, 2013, but it was not yet completed. [13] After five months of delays caused by the contractor's financial problems, the garage opened on May 20, 2014. [14] [15] [16]

Construction of full-length high-level accessible platforms was considered as part of the project, but the platforms would have cost an additional $18 million and created clearance issues with passing Pan Am freight trains. [8] The freight trains, which are slightly wider than standard passenger cars, frequently impact the mini-high platforms and would cause severe damage to full-length platforms.

On September 11, 2023, flash floods in Leominster washed out an embankment at the former North Leominster station site. Service between Shirley and Wachusett was replaced with buses until September 19. [17] [18] [19]

Other stations

Leominster Center station building in 2014 Leominster depot HDR, December 2014.jpg
Leominster Center station building in 2014

Besides the Fitchburg Line station, Leominster also once had two other train stations. The Fitchburg and Worcester Railroad opened in 1850 between the eponymous cities, with a station stop in Leominster Center as well as West Leominster (at Hamilton Avenue). [2] [4] Through service from Worcester to Fitchburg ended in 1926, and the last passenger service through Leominster Center ended in 1931. The line is now used for freight service from the south but is abandoned north of Mechanic Street in downtown Leominster. [2] The 1878 Leominster Center station still stands at 24 Columbia Street. [20]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alewife station</span> Rapid transit station in Cambridge, Massachusetts, US

Alewife station is a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) intermodal transit station in the North Cambridge neighborhood of Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is the northwest terminal of the rapid transit Red Line and a hub for several MBTA bus routes. The station is at the confluence of the Minuteman Bikeway, Alewife Linear Park, Fitchburg Cutoff Path, and Alewife Greenway off Alewife Brook Parkway adjacent to Massachusetts Route 2, with a five-story parking garage for park and ride use. The station has three bike cages. Alewife station is named after nearby Alewife Brook Parkway and Alewife Brook, themselves named after the alewife fish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Porter station</span> Transit station in Cambridge, Massachusetts, US

Porter station is a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) transit station in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It serves the Red Line rapid transit line, the MBTA Commuter Rail Fitchburg Line, and several MBTA bus lines. Located at Porter Square at the intersection of Massachusetts and Somerville Avenues, the station provides rapid transit access to northern Cambridge and the western portions of Somerville. Porter is 14 minutes from Park Street on the Red Line, and about 10 minutes from North Station on commuter rail trains. Several local MBTA bus routes also stop at the station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Station</span> Train station in Boston, Massachusetts, US

North Station is a commuter rail and intercity rail terminal station in Boston, Massachusetts. It is served by four MBTA Commuter Rail lines – the Fitchburg Line, Haverhill Line, Lowell Line, and Newburyport/Rockport Line – and the Amtrak Downeaster intercity service. The concourse is located under the TD Garden arena, with the platforms extending north towards drawbridges over the Charles River. The eponymous subway station, served by the Green Line and Orange Line, is connected to the concourse with an underground passageway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MBTA Commuter Rail</span> Greater Boston commuter rail system

The MBTA Commuter Rail system serves as the commuter rail arm of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's (MBTA's) transportation coverage of Greater Boston in the United States. Trains run over 394 mi (634 km) of track to 134 stations. It is operated under contract by Keolis, which took over operations on July 1, 2014, from the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Company (MBCR).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fitchburg Line</span> MBTA Commuter Rail line

The Fitchburg Line is a branch of the MBTA Commuter Rail system which runs from Boston's North Station to Wachusett station in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. The line is along the tracks of the former Fitchburg Railroad, which was built across northern Massachusetts, United States, in the 1840s. Winter weekend service includes a specially equipped seasonal "ski train" to Wachusett Mountain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Braintree station (MBTA)</span> Transit station in Braintree, Massachusetts, US

Braintree station is an intermodal transit station in Braintree, Massachusetts. It serves the MBTA's Red Line and the MBTA Commuter Rail Old Colony Lines as well as MBTA buses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Community College station</span> Rapid transit station in Charlestown, Massachusetts, US

Community College station is a rapid transit station on the MBTA Orange Line in Boston, Massachusetts. It is located in the Charlestown neighborhood off Austin Street near New Rutherford Avenue (MA-99), under the double-decked elevated structure carrying Interstate 93 to the Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge. The station is named for the adjacent Bunker Hill Community College. The station opened in April 1975, replacing the City Square and Thompson Square stations of the Charlestown Elevated. It was made accessible around 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Acton station (MBTA)</span> Railroad station in Acton, Massachusetts

South Acton station is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in Acton, Massachusetts. It serves the Fitchburg Line. It is located off Route 27 near Route 2 in the South Acton area. It is the busiest station on the Fitchburg line, averaging 991 weekday boardings. It serves as a park and ride station for Acton and other suburbs of Boston, with a 287-space parking lot owned by the town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quincy Center station</span> Transit station in Quincy, Massachusetts, US

Quincy Center station is an intermodal transit station in Quincy, Massachusetts. It is a transfer station between the MBTA Red Line subway, MBTA Commuter Rail's Old Colony Lines and Greenbush Line, and a number of MBTA bus routes. It is located between Hancock Street and Burgin Parkway in the Quincy Center district. Opened in 1971, the station was covered by a large parking garage which was closed in 2012 due to structural problems and removed several years later. The station is accessible on all modes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wollaston station</span> Rapid transit station in Quincy, Massachusetts, US

Wollaston station is a rapid transit station in Quincy, Massachusetts. Located in the Wollaston neighborhood, it serves the MBTA's Red Line. It was opened in September 1971 as the second of three stations in the original South Shore Extension, replacing a mainline rail station which had been located there from 1845 to 1959. Wollaston station was closed from January 8, 2018, to August 16, 2019, for renovations to the station, including flood mitigation and accessibility improvements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silver Hill station</span> Former railway station in Weston, Massachusetts, US

Silver Hill station was an MBTA Commuter Rail Fitchburg Line station in Weston, Massachusetts, United States. The station had a small shelter, parking area, and a gravel boarding area; it was not accessible. It was the least-used station in the entire MBTA system in 2018, with an average of just eleven daily boardings. Silver Hill station opened in 1844 as one of the original stops on the Fitchburg Railroad. The Boston and Maine Railroad unsuccessfully attempted to close the station in 1959. It remained in use until its temporary closure by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) in December 2020 due to low ridership and a lack of accessibility, with indefinite closure effective April 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ayer station</span> Railway station in Ayer, Massachusetts, US

Ayer station is an MBTA Commuter Rail station located off Main Street in the Ayer Main Street Historic District of Ayer, Massachusetts. It serves the Fitchburg Line. There are three tracks through the station, two of which are served by a pair of low-level side platforms, which are not accessible. There is a shelter on the inbound platform.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Littleton/Route 495 station</span> Rail station in Littleton, Massachusetts, US

Littleton/Route 495 station is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in Littleton, Massachusetts. It serves the Fitchburg Line. The station is located at the intersection of Grimes Lane and Foster Street near Route 2 and I-495 and serves as a park-and-ride station for both highways.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salem station</span> Commuter rail station in Salem, Massachusetts

Salem station is an MBTA Commuter Rail station served by the Newburyport/Rockport Line. The station is located off Bridge Street near its interchange with North Street at the north end of downtown Salem, Massachusetts. The station has a single accessible full-length high-level platform serving the single track of the Eastern Route. Just south of the station is the Salem Tunnel, which carries the line under Washington Street. Salem is a major park and ride center, with a 700-space parking garage, as well as an MBTA bus terminal. It is the busiest commuter rail station in the MBTA system outside of the central Boston stations, with an average of 2,326 daily boardings in a 2018 count.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montachusett Regional Transit Authority</span> Public transportation organization for Montachusett Region, Massachusetts

The Montachusett Regional Transit Authority (MART) is a public, nonprofit organization established under Chapter 161B of the Massachusetts General Laws to provide public transportation to the Montachusett Region. MART is one of Massachusetts' 15 regional transit authorities and provides public transportation to 21 communities within the Montachusett region consisting of the cities of Fitchburg, Leominster and Gardner, and the towns of Athol, Ashburnham, Ashby, Ayer, Bolton, Boxborough, Hardwick, Harvard, Hubbardston, Lancaster, Littleton, Lunenburg, Royalston, Shirley, Sterling, Stow, Templeton, Westminster, and Winchendon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kendal Green station</span> MBTA Commuter Rail station in Weston, Massachusetts

Kendal Green station is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in Weston, Massachusetts, US, served by the Fitchburg Line. The station has a single platform serving two tracks; it is not accessible. It originally opened with the Fitchburg Railroad in 1844 as "Weston"; it was renamed Kendal Green after the green cloth around 1886. A new station building was constructed in 1896. Service passed to the Boston and Maine Railroad in 1900, and to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) in the 1970s. The former station building, reused as a private residence, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2000 as a contributing property to the Kendal Green Historic District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hastings station (MBTA)</span> Former railway station in Weston, Massachusetts, US

Hastings station was an MBTA Commuter Rail Fitchburg Line station in Weston, Massachusetts. The station had a small parking area but no platforms; passengers boarded trains from the Viles Street grade crossing. It was originally opened in the 1890s to serve the adjacent Hook & Hastings organ factory. The factory closed in 1935, but the station remained open with limited service. It was temporarily closed by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) in December 2020 due to its low ridership and lack of accessibility; indefinite closure became effective in April 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fitchburg Intermodal Transportation Center</span> Regional rail and bus station

The Fitchburg Intermodal Transportation Center is a regional rail and bus station located in downtown Fitchburg, Massachusetts. It is a stop on the MBTA Commuter Rail Fitchburg Line and a hub for Montachusett Regional Transit Authority local and intercity bus routes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wachusett station</span> Railway station in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, US

Wachusett station is a commuter rail station on the MBTA Commuter Rail Fitchburg Line. It is northwest of the intersection of Massachusetts Route 2 and Route 31 in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. It serves as the northwestern terminus for Fitchburg Line trains. The opening of Wachusett extended service 4.5 miles (7.2 km) west from Fitchburg on the Pan Am Southern main line, lengthening the Fitchburg Line to 54 miles (87 km). The station was expected to draw 400 daily riders; by 2018, daily ridership was 132.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gardner station</span> Former train station in Massachusetts

Gardner station is a former station stop on the MBTA Commuter Rail Fitchburg Line, located in Gardner, Massachusetts. Passenger service to Union Station ran from 1851 until 1960, and commuter service also briefly ran from 1980 to 1986. Restoration of passenger service was considered in the early 2000s, but was rejected due to low cost-effectiveness.

References

  1. ↑ Central Transportation Planning Staff (2019). "2018 Commuter Rail Counts". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
  2. 1 2 3 Karr, Ronald Dale (1995). The Rail Lines of Southern New England. Branch Line Press. pp. 192–193, 200–204. ISBN   0942147022.
  3. ↑ ABC Pathfinder Railway Guide. New England Railway Publishing Company. 1858. p. 12 – via Google Books.
  4. 1 2 Walker Lithograph & Publishing Co. (1891). "Fitchburg & Gardner & Leominster & Lunenburg & Pepperell & Shirley & Townsend & Winchendon 1891 Plate 18". Topographical Atlas of Massachusetts, 1891. WardMaps LLC. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
  5. ↑ Belcher, Jonathan. "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). Boston Street Railway Association.
  6. ↑ O'Connell, Richard W. (August 18, 1968). "Old railroad depots take on new careers". Boston Globe. p. A-1 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "Ridership and Service Statistics" (PDF) (14th ed.). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 2014.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Stewart, Matt (20 July 2012). "New Look for North Leominster Station". Leominster Champion. Archived from the original on 23 October 2013. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
  9. ↑ "N. Leominster Train Station to Get a Major Upgrade" (Press release). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. July 11, 2003. Archived from the original on August 3, 2003.
  10. ↑ "Transit Updates". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. October 2004. Archived from the original on 11 October 2004.
  11. 1 2 Davis, Nichole (17 June 2013). "Parking problems on the Fitchburg Line, and another 93 closure". Boston Globe. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
  12. ↑ Minch, Jack (23 August 2013). "July heat stalled work on Leominster rail garage". Sentinel and Enterprise. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
  13. ↑ Minch, Jack (2 November 2013). "New Leominster MBTA station christened". Sentinel and Enterprise. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
  14. ↑ Sato, Hiriko (18 February 2014). "Builder of Leominster project had Groton woes". Sentinel and Enterprise. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
  15. ↑ Minch, Jack (28 April 2014). "MART: Leominster parking garage finally being completed". Sentinel and Enterprise. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
  16. ↑ "MART: North Leominster commuter rail parking garage to open Tuesday". Sentinel and Enterprise. 19 May 2014. Archived from the original on 14 June 2014. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  17. ↑ Tenser, Phil (September 13, 2023). "MBTA Commuter Rail tracks compromised by flooding in Leominster". WCVB. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
  18. ↑ "Fitchburg Line Diversion Schedule" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. September 16, 2023.
  19. ↑ "Commuter Rail Track Repairs Complete in Leominster Following Flash Floods" (Press release). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. September 19, 2023.
  20. ↑ Roy, John H. Jr. (2007). A Field Guide to Southern New England Railroad Depots and Freight Houses. Branch Line Press. p. 180. ISBN   9780942147087.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to North Leominster station at Wikimedia Commons

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.