West Medford station

West Medford
An inbound train arrives at West Medford in 2024
General information
Location	481 High Street Medford, Massachusetts
Coordinates	42°25′18″N71°08′00″W / 42.4218°N 71.13332°W / 42.4218; -71.13332
Line(s)	New Hampshire Main Line
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	2
Connections	MBTA bus: 94,  95
Construction
Parking	30 spaces
Accessible	No
Other information
Fare zone	1A
Passengers
2018	628 (weekday average boardings) [1]
Services
Preceding station MBTA Following station Wedgemere toward Lowell Lowell Line North Station Terminus
Former services Preceding station MBTA Following station Wedgemere toward Haverhill Haverhill Line Limited service North Station Terminus Preceding station Boston and Maine Railroad Following station Wedgemere toward Concord, NH Boston – Concord, NH Medford Hillside toward Boston
Location

West Medford station is an MBTA Commuter Rail station located at West Medford Square in Medford, Massachusetts. It is served by the Lowell Line. The station has low-level platforms and is not accessible; accessible mini-high platforms are under construction.

History

West Medford station in 1909

When the original Boston and Lowell Railroad (B&L) was laid out in the 1830s, West Medford was mostly farmland. The route of the new railroad (one of the oldest railroads in North America) was built on land acquired from Peter Chardon Brooks, who sold a strip for the right-of-way plus a parcel for the station on High Street. Medford Gates station was open by 1838. ^[2] The name reflected the large gates built to warn passerby about the grade crossing. The Boston and Maine Railroad (B&M) opened its Medford branch to Medford Square in 1847; the B&L station was renamed West Medford in the early 1850s. ^{[3] [4] : 64} A new station building was constructed in 1854. ^[5]

The adjacent High Street grade crossing, and the Canal Street crossing 0.2 miles (0.32 km) southeast, are the only grade crossings on the line south of Wilmington. Elimination of the High Street crossing was considered in 1932, but not implemented. ^[6] The depot structure, built in 1886, was demolished in the 1960s. ^{[7] [8]} The decorative weathervane from the roof of the station was acquired by the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan in the 1950s. ^[9]

Until December 2020, a small number of Haverhill Line trains ran via the Wildcat Branch and the inner Lowell Line, making stops including West Medford. ^{[10] [11]} This routing was resumed in April 2021, with the trains no longer making the intermediate stops. ^{[12] [13]} Until May 2023, West Medford and Wedgemere were flag stops outside of weekday peak hours. Effective May 22, 2023, they were made regular scheduled stops at all times. ^{[14] [15] [16]}

In 2019, the MBTA listed West Medford as a "Tier I" accessibility priority. ^[17] In 2024, the MBTA tested a temporary freestanding accessible platform design at Beverly Depot. These platforms do not require alterations to the existing platforms, thus skirting federal rules requiring full accessibility renovations when stations are modified, and were intended to provide interim accessibility at lower cost pending full reconstruction. ^[18] West Medford was one of the first four non-accessible stations to be modified with the temporary platforms. As of December 2024 ^[update] , the platforms are expected to open in February 2025. ^[19]

References

1. Central Transportation Planning Staff (2019). "2018 Commuter Rail Counts". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
2. Dickinson, S.N. (1838). The Boston Almanac for the Year 1838. p. 49.
3. "Boston and Lowell Railroad". Boston Evening Transcript. October 6, 1853. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
4. Mann, Moses Whitcher (July 1909). "A Pioneer Railroad and How it was Built". Medford Historical Register. Vol. 12, no. 3. Medford Historical Society. pp. 49–67.
5. "Development of the business section of West Medford". Medford Historical Society Papers. Vol. 29. 1926.
6. "Medford". Boston Globe. September 29, 1932. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
7. Harrington, Joe (April 1, 1963). "West Medford Keepsake Survives Rock Hounds". Boston Globe. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "West Medford–Then and Now". Boston Globe. October 10, 1965. p. 260 – via Newspapers.com.
9. Sammarco, Anthony Mitchell (1999). Images of America: Medford. Arcadia Publishing. p. 104. ISBN   9780738538549 – via Google Books.
10. "Lowell Line: Fall/Winter Schedule" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. November 2, 2020. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 30, 2020.
11. "2020/2021 Reduced Service Schedule: Lowell Line" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. December 14, 2020.
12. "Haverhill Line 2021 Spring Schedule" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. April 5, 2021. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 5, 2021.
13. "Lowell Line 2021 Spring Schedule" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. April 5, 2021. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 23, 2021.
14. "Lowell Line Fall/Winter Schedule" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. October 17, 2022.
15. "Lowell Line Spring/Summer Schedule" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. May 22, 2023.
16. "Commuter Rail Spring/Summer Schedule to Take Effect May 22" (Press release). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. May 16, 2023.
17. "Preview of 2019 Recommendations: Presentation to the FMCB" (PDF). Plan for Accessible Transit Infrastructure (PATI). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. April 1, 2019. p. 12.
18. "Accelerating Accessibility within the Commuter Rail: Freestanding Mini-high Platform Initiative" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. May 23, 2024.
19. "Accessibility Initiatives—December 2024" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. December 6, 2024. p. 8.

External links

Media related to West Medford station at Wikimedia Commons

• MBTA – West Medford