MBTA Commuter Rail
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MBTA Commuter Rail
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 of track on 12 lines to 142 stations. It is operated under contract by Keolis. In , the system had a ridership of , or about per weekday as of , making it the List of United States commuter rail systems by ridership, fifth-busiest commuter rail system in the U.S., behind the three New York-area systems and the Metra, Chicago-area system. The line's characteristic purple-trimmed coaches operate as far south as North Kingstown, Rhode Island, and as far north as Newburyport, Massachusetts, Newburyport and as far west as Fitchburg, Massachusetts, Fitchburg, both in Massachusetts. Trains originate at two major Terminal station, terminals in Boston – South Station and North Station. The only connection between the two halves of the system is the non-revenue Grand Junction Railroad ...
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Fairmount 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. From the 1980s until 2012, the Fairmount Line had only five stations: three plus the two termini (South Station and Readville); however, three more stations were added to the line between 2012 and 2013. The first of these, Talbot Avenue, opened on November 12, 2012, followed by Newmarket and Four Corners/Geneva on July 1, 2013. Due to neighborhood opposition over its design and location, another planned station, Blue Hill Avenue, did not open until February 25, 2019. All stations on the lin ...
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Terminal Station
A train station, railroad station, or railway station is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight, or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track, and a station building providing such ancillary services as ticket sales, waiting rooms, and baggage/freight service. Stations on a single-track line often have a passing loop to accommodate trains travelling in the opposite direction. Locations at which passengers only occasionally board or leave a train, sometimes consisting of a short platform and a waiting area but sometimes indicated by no more than a sign, are variously referred to as "stops", "flag stops", " halts", or "provisional stopping places". The stations themselves may be at ground level, underground, or elevated. Connections may be available to intersecting rail lines or other transport modes such as buses, trams, or other rapid transit systems. Terminology ''Train station'' is the terminology typicall ...
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Needham 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 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 (running in the reverse of its original direction), and a 1906-built connector. History West Roxbury Branch The Boston and Providence Railroad (B&P) opened its main line from Boston through Toll Gate (Forest Hills) to Providence in 1834. A branch line from Forest Hills to Dedham via West Roxbury was opened on July 14, 1849 by the B&P. South Street ( Roslindale), Central ( Bellevue), and West Roxbury all opened with the branch; Highland was added around 1855. Charles River Branch Railroad On J ...
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Franklin/Foxboro Line
The Franklin/Foxboro Line (formerly the Franklin 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 (Fairmount Line) between Boston and Readville. Foxboro station is located on the Framingham Secondary branch line, which connects with the Franklin Line at Walpole. Previously, trains only served the station during special events at Gillette Stadium. Pilot weekday service to Foxboro ran from October 2019 to November 2020; it resumed in May 2022 and was made permanent in October 2023. History The earliest predecessor to the Franklin Line began in 1835 when the Boston and Providence Railroad built a branch from Dedham to Readville, connecting with the main line from Boston to Providence. This ...
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Providence/Stoughton Line
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 and terminates at . 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. The portion between Boston and Providence was originally built by the Boston and Providence Railroad between 1834 and 1847. The portion south of Providence was built by the New York, Providence and Boston Railroad in 1837, while the Stoughton Branch was built by the Stoughton Branch Railroad in 1845. The lines were acquired by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad in the 1890s. The MBTA began subsidizing serv ...
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Fall River/New Bedford Line
The Fall River/New Bedford Line (formerly the Middleborough/Lakeville Line) is a commuter rail line of the MBTA Commuter Rail system in southeastern Massachusetts, United States. It runs south from Boston to Taunton, Massachusetts, Taunton, where it splits into branches to Fall River, Massachusetts, Fall River and New Bedford, Massachusetts, New Bedford. There are 10 intermediate stations on the combined section and one on each branch. With a distance of from Boston to New Bedford and to Fall River, it is the second-longest line in the system. Most of the line originated as the Fall River Railroad (1846), Fall River Railroad, which opened in segments between Fall River and Braintree station (MBTA), South Braintree via Middleborough in 1845 and 1846. At South Braintree, it met the Old Colony Railroad#Old Colony Railroad (1844–1854), Old Colony Railroad, which provided a connection to Boston. The two railroads merged in 1854 to form the Old Colony and Fall River Railroad. While ...
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Kingston Line
The Kingston Line is a commuter rail line of the MBTA Commuter Rail system in southeastern Massachusetts, United States. It runs southeast from Boston to Kingston with eight intermediate stops. Plymouth station, which served as a second outer terminal, has been indefinitely closed since 2021. The line originated as the Old Colony Railroad, which opened between Boston and Plymouth in 1845. It became the primary rail route between Boston and southeastern Massachusetts, serving a number of branches that the Old Colony built and acquired. The Old Colony merged in 1854 to become the Old Colony and Fall River Railroad, in 1863 to become the Old Colony and Newport Railway, and in 1872 to become the Old Colony Railroad. It was leased by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad in 1893. Commuter service peaked in the early 20th century and began to decline in the 1910s. After two decades of attempts to end Old Colony Division service, the New Haven terminated it in 1959. Plannin ...
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Greenbush Line
The Greenbush Line is a branch of the MBTA Commuter Rail system which serves the South Shore region of Massachusetts. The 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 northern Braintree, Greenbush Line service shares the Old Colony Main Line with the Fall River/New Bedford Line and Kingston Line. From Braintree to , trains utilize the Greenbush Branch, the former South Shore Railroad line that was later incorporated into the Old Colony Railroad. Modern passenger service on the Greenbush Line began on October 31, 2007. This service restoration, put in place as environmental mitigation for the Big Dig project, was the first passenger service on the line since 1959. History South Shore Railroad and Old Colony Railroad Before passenger train service stopped in ...
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Back Bay Station
Back Bay station (also signed as Back Bay · South End) is an intermodal passenger station in Boston, Massachusetts. It is located just south of Copley Square in Boston's Back Bay and South End neighborhoods. It serves MBTA Commuter Rail and MBTA subway routes, and also serves as a secondary Amtrak intercity rail station for Boston. The present building, designed by Kallmann McKinnell & Wood, opened in 1987. It replaced the New Haven Railroad's older Back Bay station – which opened in 1928 as a replacement for an 1899-built station – as well as the New York Central's Huntington Avenue and Trinity Place stations which had been demolished in 1964. Although South Station is Boston's primary rail hub, Back Bay maintains high traffic levels due to its location in the Back Bay neighborhood near the Prudential Center development and its access to important Northeast Corridor services. All Amtrak ''Acela Express'' and ''Northeast Regional'' trains running to and from South Statio ...
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Downtown Boston
Downtown Boston is the central business district of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Boston was founded in 1630. The largest of the city's commercial districts, Downtown is the location of many corporate or regional headquarters; city, county, state and federal government facilities; and many of Boston's tourist attractions. Similar to other central business districts in the U.S., Downtown has recently undergone a transformation that included the construction of new condos and lofts, renovation of historic buildings, and arrival of new residents and businesses. It is represented in the Boston City Council by District 2's Ed Flynn. Downtown is bound by the Back Bay, North End, Beacon Hill, and the South End areas. It includes the Government Center and the Financial District. The area that is now Downtown Boston constituted much of the town/city proper prior to the city's dramatic expansion in the 1860s and 1870s. The Great Boston Fire of 1872 destroyed much of the ...
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North–South Rail Link
The North–South Rail Link (NSRL) is a proposed rail tunnel, or pair of tunnels, that would connect North Station and South Station in downtown Boston, Massachusetts, linking rail networks that serve the city's northern suburbs, New Hampshire, and Maine with the rest of the country. The project would build new underground stations near the existing stations, connect them with about of tunnels, and add other tunnels to link up with existing surface tracks. The NSRL would connect Amtrak and MBTA Commuter Rail lines that terminate either at North or South Station. For MBTA, it would link northern lines to South Station, Back Bay Station, and lines beyond Back Bay, including the Framingham/Worcester Line and the Northeast Corridor; one option under consideration would also link to commuter lines to the south. The project would also link Amtrak's various trains into and out of the city; for example, the '' Downeaster'' line from Maine currently has no direct connection with N ...
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Grand Junction Railroad And Depot Company
The Grand Junction Railroad was an long railroad in the Boston, Massachusetts, area, connecting the railroads heading west and north from Boston. The western portion between Beacon Park Yard in Boston and the Inner Belt District in Somerville is still in use as the Grand Junction Branch. The eastern portion between the Inner Belt and the East Boston wharves has largely been abandoned; portions have been reused for a busway, a bypass road, and a rail trail. Early history The railroad (full name Grand Junction Railroad and Depot Company) was chartered April 24, 1847, to connect the railroads entering Boston from the north and west with its wharves in East Boston. This was a rechartering of the Chelsea Branch Railroad, incorporated April 10, 1846. The first section to open was from East Boston to the Boston and Maine Railroad in Somerville, opened in 1849. It began at a huge waterfront yard complex on Boston Harbor, occupying the space east of the Eastern Railroad terminal and ...
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