Plymouth station (MBTA)

Last updated
Plymouth
Plymouth station facing inbound 1.jpg
Looking inbound from the station's single side platform
General information
LocationLoring Boulevard at Cordage Park Circle
Plymouth, Massachusetts
Coordinates 41°58′52″N70°41′25″W / 41.9812°N 70.6903°W / 41.9812; -70.6903
Line(s)Plymouth Branch
Platforms1 side platform
Tracks1
ConnectionsAiga bus trans.svg GATRA: Freedom Link, Liberty Link
Construction
Parking96 spaces ($4.00 fee)
Bicycle facilities8 spaces
AccessibleYes
Other information
Fare zone8
History
OpenedNovember 29, 1997 [1]
ClosedJune 30, 1959 (former station)
April 5, 2021 (suspension; modern station)
Previous namesNorth Plymouth (1873–c. 1880)
Seaside (c. 1880–January 1925)
Cordage (January 1925–June 30, 1959)
Passengers
201821 (weekday average boardings) [2]
Services
Preceding station MBTA.svg MBTA Following station
Halifax
toward South Station
Kingston Line Terminus
Former services
Preceding station New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Following station
Cordage station
Kingston
toward Boston
Boston–​Plymouth Plymouth
Terminus
South Shore Line
Service ended 1938
Plymouth station
Cordage
toward Boston
Boston–​PlymouthTerminus
South Shore Line
Service ended 1938
Darby
toward Middleborough
Plymouth and Middleborough Branch
Service ended 1927
Location
Plymouth station (MBTA)

Plymouth station is a closed MBTA Commuter Rail station in Plymouth, Massachusetts. It served the Plymouth/Kingston Line and was located in the Cordage Park complex of North Plymouth. Plymouth was one terminus of the MBTA's Kingston/Plymouth Line, along with Kingston/Route 3 station in nearby Kingston, Massachusetts. Plymouth station provided non-peak service to Boston's South Station, as well as some peak service, which ran in addition to peak trips to Kingston. Most trains on the line served only Kingston station; service to and ridership from Plymouth were thus very limited. Due to this limited ridership and service, as well as due to the fact that trains had to reverse in and out of the station in order to serve it, Plymouth station was indefinitely closed in April 2021.

Contents

History

Cordage station in 1930 Cordage station 1930 postcard.jpg
Cordage station in 1930
A train at Plymouth station in August 2001 Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority MBTA 1060 (F40PH2C) (10567688246).jpg
A train at Plymouth station in August 2001

A previous station was located at Boundary Lane on the Plymouth/Kingston border, just north of the current site. Built as North Plymouth in 1873, it was renamed to Seaside around 1880 and Cordage in January 1925. [3] [4] [5] A new freight house was built in 1881. [6] The station closed with the rest of the Old Colony Division passenger rail service in southeastern Massachusetts on June 30, 1959. [7]

Because Plymouth did not want trains running through upscale residential areas near the downtown area[ citation needed ], Plymouth station is located in Cordage Park, a commercial and light industrial park in North Plymouth. The rest of the Plymouth/Kingston Line and the Middleborough/Lakeville Line opened for rush hour service on September 29, 1997. Plymouth, with no rush hour trains, did not open until midday and weekend service began on November 29, 1997. [1] The station was closed from November 3 to December 23, 2010, during tie replacement on the line. [1] [8]

Due to a FY 2013 budget shortfall and claims of low ridership by the MBTA, weekend service to the South Shore (and two other lines [9] ) was discontinued in July 2012. [10] MassDOT and the MBTA subsequently received substantial feedback from rail commuters and legislative representatives to reinstate weekend service to those lines. In 2014, funding was reallocated to the FY 2015 state budget (for a trial period) and weekend service resumed on the (formerly) suspended lines on December 27, 2014. [11] Prior to the return of weekend service on the Kingston/Plymouth Line, the MBTA held special weekend service to Plymouth for 2 weekends leading up to the 2014 Thanksgiving holiday. The two trains per day were intended only for tourists going to Plymouth; they did not run on schedules allowing day trips to Boston. [12]

The fork at the end of the line creates operational issues - a single train cannot serve both terminal stations efficiently. Three daily trips ran to both Kingston and Plymouth sequentially, which doubles travel time from Kingston to Boston during much of the day (Kingston is first on all weekday trips and one weekend trip). Between Kingston and Plymouth, the train is simultaneously acting as an inbound train (from the first station to Boston) and an outbound train (from Boston to the second station). Keolis and the MBTA planned to address the unusual routing during schedule changes in late 2015, but did not do so. [13]

The station was indefinitely closed in April 2021 along with four other low-ridership stations. [1] In June 2021, the MBTA indicated that the station would reopen on July 5, 2022 (the start of a new fiscal year). [14] However, due to budget cuts, this service restoration did not occur as planned, with no certain date for resumption of service announced by that time. [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">JFK/UMass station</span> Transit station in Boston, Massachusetts, US

JFK/UMass station is a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) intermodal transfer station, located adjacent to the Columbia Point area of Dorchester, Boston, Massachusetts. It is served by the rapid transit Red Line; the Greenbush Line, Kingston/Plymouth Line, and Middleborough/Lakeville Line of the MBTA Commuter Rail system, and three MBTA bus routes. The station is named for the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum and the University of Massachusetts Boston, both located nearby on Columbia Point.

<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">Fairmount Line</span> MBTA Commuter Rail line

The Fairmount Line or Dorchester Branch is a line of the MBTA Commuter Rail system in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Except for a short portion in Milton, it lies entirely within Boston, running southwest from South Station through the neighborhoods of Dorchester, Mattapan and Hyde Park. Weekend service began on November 29, 2014. Most trains reverse direction at the south end at Readville, but some Franklin/Foxboro Line trains use the Fairmount Line rather than the Northeast Corridor.

<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">Franklin/Foxboro Line</span> MBTA Commuter Rail line

The Franklin/Foxboro Line is part of the MBTA Commuter Rail system. It runs from Boston's South Station in a southwesterly direction toward Franklin, Massachusetts. Most weekday trains use the Northeast Corridor before splitting off onto the namesake Franklin Branch at Readville, though some weekday trains and all weekend trains use the Dorchester Branch between Boston and Readville.

<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">Greenbush Line</span> MBTA Commuter Rail line

The Greenbush Line is a branch of the MBTA Commuter Rail system which serves the South Shore region of Massachusetts. The 27.6-mile (44.4 km) line runs from downtown Boston, Massachusetts through the cities and towns of Quincy, Braintree, Weymouth, Hingham, Cohasset, and Scituate to the Greenbush neighborhood in southern Scituate. There are ten stations along the line. From South Station, to Quincy Center, service operates in conjunction with the Old Colony Lines commuter rail service via the Old Colony Main Line. From Weymouth Landing/East Braintree to Greenbush, trains utilize the Greenbush Branch, the former South Shore Railroad line that was later incorporated into the Old Colony Railroad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Colony Lines</span> Commuter rail lines in Massachusetts, US

The Old Colony Lines are a pair of branches of the MBTA Commuter Rail system, connecting downtown Boston, Massachusetts with the South Shore and cranberry-farming country to the south and southeast. The two branches operate concurrently for 10 miles (16 km) via the Old Colony Mainline from South Station to Braintree station. The Middleborough/Lakeville Line then winds south through Holbrook, Brockton, Bridgewater, Middleborough, and Lakeville via the Middleborough Main Line and Cape Main Line. The Kingston Line heads southeast to serve Weymouth, Abington, Whitman, Hanson, Halifax, and Kingston by way of the Plymouth branch. Limited service to Plymouth was provided prior to April 2021 but was cut due to low ridership and budget constraints. The Greenbush Line, which was also part of the Old Colony Division, was reactivated in 2007 as a separate project.

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

The Needham Line is a branch of the MBTA Commuter Rail system, running west from downtown Boston, Massachusetts through Roxbury, Jamaica Plain, Roslindale, West Roxbury, and the town of Needham. The second-shortest line of the system at just 13.7 miles (22.0 km) long, it carried 4,881 daily riders in October 2022. Unlike the MBTA's eleven other commuter rail lines, the Needham Line is not a former intercity mainline; instead, it is composed of a former branch line, a short segment of one intercity line, and a 1906-built connector.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Providence/Stoughton Line</span> Line of the Boston MBTA Commuter Rail system

The Providence/Stoughton Line is an MBTA Commuter Rail service in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, primarily serving the southwestern suburbs of Boston. Most service runs entirely on the Northeast Corridor between South Station in Boston and Providence station or Wickford Junction station in Rhode Island, while the Stoughton Branch splits at Canton Junction and terminates at Stoughton. It is the longest MBTA Commuter Rail line, and the only one that operates outside Massachusetts. The line is the busiest on the MBTA Commuter Rail system, with 17,648 daily boardings in an October 2022 count.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Scituate station</span>

North Scituate station is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in Scituate, Massachusetts. It serves the Greenbush Line. The station, located at 777 Country Way in North Scituate village, is the primary station for Scituate, while nearby Greenbush station primarily serves as a park-and-ride for adjacent communities. Like the other stations on the Greenbush Line, North Scituate consists of a single full-length high-level platform which provides accessible boarding to the line's single track.

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

Greenbush station is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in Scituate, Massachusetts. Located in the Greenbush section of Scituate, it is the terminus of the Greenbush Line.

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

Middleborough/Lakeville station is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in Lakeville, Massachusetts, just south of the Middleborough border. It is the southern terminus of the Middleborough/Lakeville Line; it is also an intermediate stop for seasonal CapeFlyer service to Cape Cod. Middleborough/Lakeville has a single full-length high-level side platform serving the line's single track.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Weymouth station</span>

South Weymouth station is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in Weymouth, Massachusetts. It serves the Plymouth/Kingston Line, and is located on the west side of the former South Weymouth Naval Air Station in the South Weymouth village.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abington station</span>

Abington station is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in Abington, Massachusetts. It serves the Plymouth/Kingston Line, and is located off Center Avenue. It serves as a park and ride stop for the towns of Abington, Rockland, and Hanover.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whitman station</span>

Whitman station is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in Whitman, Massachusetts. It serves the Plymouth/Kingston Line. It is located off South Avenue. Parking is available on the south side of South Avenue on both sides of the tracks. The station opened along with the rest of the Old Colony Lines on September 26, 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hanson station</span>

Hanson station is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in Hanson, Massachusetts. It serves the Plymouth/Kingston Line, It is located off Main Street in the South Hanson village. It has one full-length high-level platform serving the line's single track and is fully accessible.

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

Kingston station is an MBTA Commuter Rail serving the Plymouth/Kingston Line, located off of Massachusetts Route 3 south of downtown Kingston, Massachusetts. It opened in 1997 during the restoration of Old Colony Lines service. Like all stations on the Old Colony Lines, Kingston station is fully accessible.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 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. ↑ Tenth Annual Report of the Old Colony Railroad Co. to the Stockholders. Old Colony Railroad Company. November 1873. p. 8.
  4. ↑ Humphrey, Thomas J. & Clark, Norton D. (1986). Boston's Commuter Rail: Second Section. Boston Street Railway Association. p. 25. ISBN   9780938315025.
  5. ↑ Jacobs, Warren (October 1928). "Dates of Some of the Principal Events in the History of 100 Years of the Railroad in New England. 1826-1926". Railway and Locomotive Historical Society Bulletin . 17 (17). Railway and Locomotive Historical Society: 15–28. JSTOR   43504499.
  6. ↑ Eighteenth Annual Report of the Old Colony Railroad Co. to the Stockholders. Old Colony Railroad Company. November 1881. p. 6.
  7. ↑ Karr, Ronald Dale (1995). The Rail Lines of Southern New England. Branch Line Press. p. 310. ISBN   0942147022.
  8. ↑ "Old Colony Tie Replacement Project Underway Temporary Closure of Plymouth Station" (Press release). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. November 2, 2010.
  9. ↑ "MBTA restoring weekend commuter rail service on three lines". Metro Magazine. 8 October 2014. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  10. ↑ Trufant, Jessica (20 February 2014). "Duxbury man leads push to restore weekend rail service on South Shore". The Patriot Ledger. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  11. ↑ MassDOT Press Office (7 October 2014). "Patrick Administration Announces Restoration Of Weekend Service On Three Commuter Rail Lines". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  12. ↑ "Take the Special Seasonal Weekend Train to Plymouth!" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  13. ↑ Dungca, Nicole (4 October 2015). "Rail trip from Kingston shows MBTA's 'scheduling anomalies'". Boston Globe. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  14. ↑ Kindy, Dave (June 18, 2021). "North Plymouth train station scheduled to reopen in 2022". Wicked Local.
  15. ↑ Smith, David R. (July 13, 2022). "MBTA commuter rail is not coming back to Plymouth. Here's what we know" . Retrieved July 20, 2022.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Plymouth station (MBTA) 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.