Lexington Depot, or Lexington station, is a former train station in

Lexington, Massachusetts Lexington is a suburban town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, located 10 miles (16 km) from Downtown Boston. The population was 34,454 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The area was originally inhabited by ...

on the

Lexington Branch Lexington or The Lexington may refer to: Places England *Laxton, Nottinghamshire, formerly Lexington Canada *Lexington, a district in Waterloo, Ontario United States *Lexington, Kentucky, the most populous city with this name *Lexington, Massac ...

History

The station opened in 1846 as part of the

Lexington and West Cambridge Railroad The Lexington and West Cambridge Railroad was a railroad company chartered in 1845 and opened in 1846 that operated in eastern Massachusetts. It and its successors provided passenger service until 1977 and freight service until 1980 or early 1981 ...

. It was damaged by fire on November 24, 1918. Although a new station was planned, the old station was instead restored in 1921–22. These renovations, designed by Kilham, Hopkins & Greeley, included a cupola and colonnade. The line became part of the

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (abbreviated MBTA and known colloquially as "the T") is the public agency responsible for operating most public transportation services in Greater Boston, Massachusetts. The MBTA transit network in ...

(MBTA)

Commuter Rail Commuter rail or suburban rail is a Passenger train, passenger rail service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting Commuting, commuters to a Central business district, central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter town ...

system in the 1960s, though the station building was converted to a bank by 1968. In January 1977, following a major snowstorm which temporarily shut down the Lexington Branch, the MBTA announced that service on the branch would not be restored; in the 1980s, the MBTA planned to extend the Red Line to Route 128 along the former path of the Lexington Branch as part of the Northwest Extension, including service to Lexington station, but fierce opposition from the residents of

Arlington Arlington most often refers to: *Arlington, Virginia **Arlington National Cemetery, a United States military cemetery *Arlington, Texas Arlington may also refer to: Places Australia *Arlington light rail station, on the Inner West Light Rail in S ...

scuttled this plan, and the Northwest Extension was cut short to . The building now serves as the headquarters of the Lexington Historical Society. The

Minuteman Bikeway The Minuteman Bikeway, also known as the Minuteman Commuter Bikeway, is a 10-mile (16-kilometre) paved multi-use rail trail located in the Greater Boston area of Massachusetts. It runs from Bedford to Alewife station, at the northern end of t ...

runs through the former trainshed adjacent to the former station platforms. Lexington and Bedford Depot are the only remaining station buildings from the Lexington Branch.

References

External links

* * MBTA Commuter Rail stations in Middlesex County, Massachusetts Former MBTA stations in Massachusetts Historic American Engineering Record in Massachusetts Buildings and structures in Lexington, Massachusetts Railway stations in the United States opened in 1846 1846 establishments in Massachusetts Former Boston and Maine Railroad stations Railway stations in the United States closed in 1977 {{Massachusetts-railstation-stub