Bruce Freeman Rail Trail
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The Bruce Freeman Rail Trail (BFRT) is a partially-completed
rail trail A rail trail or railway walk is a shared-use path on a Right of way#Rail right of way, railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed but may also share the rail corr ...
in
Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
. The path is a paved
multi-use trail A shared-use path, mixed-use path or multi-use pathway is a path which is "designed to accommodate the movement of pedestrians and cyclists". Examples of shared-use paths include sidewalks designated as shared-use, bridleways and rail trails. A ...
, available for walking, running, biking, rollerblading, and other non-motorized uses. It follows the right-of-way of the abandoned Framingham and Lowell Line of the
New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad , commonly known as The Consolidated, or simply as the New Haven, was a railroad that operated principally in the New England region of the United States from 1872 to 1968. Founded by the merger of ...
. The constructed route connects with the
Bay Circuit Trail The Bay Circuit Trail and Greenway or Bay Circuit is a Massachusetts rail trail and greenway connecting the outlying suburbs of Boston from Plum Island (Massachusetts), Plum Island in Newburyport, Massachusetts, Newburyport to Duxbury Bay, Kin ...
, and Phase 2D connects with the
Mass Central Rail Trail—Wayside The Mass Central Rail Trail (MCRT) is a partially completed rail trail between Northampton, Massachusetts and Boston along the Right-of-way (transportation), right-of-way (ROW) of the former Central Massachusetts Railroad#HistoricMassachusettsCen ...
. The total planned length of the trail—which will eventually run continuously between Lowell and
Framingham Framingham () is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. Incorporated in 1700, it is located in Middlesex County and the MetroWest subregion of the Greater Boston metropolitan area. The city proper covers with a popula ...
—is just under .


History

By the 1980s, the former
Framingham and Lowell Railroad The Framingham and Lowell Railroad was a railroad in Middlesex County, Massachusetts. It was incorporated in 1870 to provide a rail connection between the growing railroad hub of Framingham and the important mill city of Lowell, passing through ...
from Lowell to South Sudbury, last operated by
Penn Central The Penn Central Transportation Company, commonly abbreviated to Penn Central, was an American class I railroad that operated from 1968 to 1976. Penn Central combined three traditional corporate rivals, the Pennsylvania, New York Central and the ...
, had been abandoned. Ownership of the
ROW Row or ROW may refer to: Exercise * Rowing, or a form of aquatic movement using oars * Row (weight-lifting), a form of weight-lifting exercise Mathematics and informatics * Row vector, a 1 × ''n'' matrix in linear algebra * Row(s) in a table ( ...
had passed to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Bruce Freeman, a state representative from Chelmsford, advocated to convert the ROW to the Lowell-Sudbury Rail Trail in 1985 until his death in 1986. Freeman was inspired by the
Cape Cod Rail Trail The Cape Cod Rail Trail (CCRT) is a paved rail trail located on Cape Cod in Massachusetts. The trail route passes through the towns of Yarmouth, Massachusetts, Yarmouth, Dennis, Massachusetts, Dennis, Harwich, Massachusetts, Harwich, Brewster, ...
, and the Lowell-Sudbury Rail Trail was modeled on it. In 1987, a Massachusetts bill was proposed to create the trail and name it in honor of Bruce Freeman, which was signed into law in 1989. This original trail was constructed in five phases from 2009 to 2025. An additional of the Framingham and Lowell Railroad line from South Sudbury to Framingham Center remained active; the final railroad owner became
CSX CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Railroad classes, Class I freight railroad company operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Operating about 21,000 route miles () of trac ...
in 1999. However, a freight train derailment in South Sudbury in 2000 caused CSX to begin abandonment proceedings. Sudbury and Framingham entered
railbanking Railbanking is the practice of preserving rail corridors for possible future use. Railbanking leaves the railroad, railbed, bridges or bridge corridor, and other infrastructure intact. This relieves the railroad's operator from the responsibility ...
negotiations with CSX in 2001 to extend the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail. Sudbury successfully railbanked the CSX corridor in 2020, and Framingham was successful in 2023. Trail design in South Sudbury and Framingham is ongoing.


Maintenance

The completed sections of trail are owned by the
Massachusetts Department of Transportation The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) oversees roads, public transit, aeronautics, and transportation licensing and registration in the US state of Massachusetts. It was created on November 1, 2009, by the 186th Sessio ...
(MassDOT). MassDOT built the trail, and takes care of serious issues. The towns have primary responsibility for maintaining the rail trail, and the
501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, Trust (business), trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of ...
nonprofit group Friends of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail assists the towns with maintenance.


Completed sections

The trail was divided into several phases of construction, and today are open: *Phase 1: in Lowell,
Chelmsford Chelmsford () is a city in the City of Chelmsford district in the county of Essex, England. It is the county town of Essex and one of three cities in the county, along with Colchester and Southend-on-Sea. It is located north-east of London ...
, and Westford (ending at Route 225). This segment opened on August 29, 2009. At the Lowell end, it begins at the Cross Point Towers with a parking lot and a corrugated metal tunnel under Route 3. ** Connector Trail northern extension (under construction): In 2019, MassTrails awarded $180,000 for construction of a short connecting trail under the Lowell Connector. As of May 2024, this segment was under construction and was expected to be completed in summer 2024. It extends the trail from Cross Point Towers to the Target shopping plaza on Plain Street. ** Future northern extension: Trail advocates want a further extension that would connect the BFRT to the Concord River Greenway to the east. The first phase of the CRG was completed in 2022; as of 2024, the city is negotiating with property owners for an expansion. *Phase 2A: through Westford,
Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from ) is a city in the Cumberland district of Cumbria, England. Carlisle's early history is marked by the establishment of a settlement called Luguvalium to serve forts along Hadrian's Wall in Roman Britain. Due to its pro ...
, and Acton (Route 225) to just north of Route 2). This segment began construction in June 2015 and opened on April 3, 2018. *Phase 2B: in Acton and
Concord Concord may refer to: Meaning "agreement" * Harmony, in music * Agreement (linguistics), a change in the form of a word depending on grammatical features of other words Arts and media * ''Concord'' (video game), a defunct 2024 first-person sh ...
, opened in May 2023 with a bridge spanning MA Route 2. *Phase 2C: from Commonwealth Avenue to Powder Mill Road in Concord, with a short job through West Concord station where bikes must be walked. This $7.2 million segment began construction in July 2017 and opened on September 27, 2019. *Phase 2D: from Powder Mill Road in Concord to the
Mass Central Rail Trail—Wayside The Mass Central Rail Trail (MCRT) is a partially completed rail trail between Northampton, Massachusetts and Boston along the Right-of-way (transportation), right-of-way (ROW) of the former Central Massachusetts Railroad#HistoricMassachusettsCen ...
in
Sudbury Sudbury may refer to: Places Australia * Sudbury Reef, Queensland Canada * Greater Sudbury, Ontario ** Sudbury (federal electoral district) ** Sudbury (provincial electoral district) ** Sudbury Airport ** Sudbury Basin, a meteorite impact cra ...
. Sudbury began planning for this phase since at least 2004. Residents continually advocated for and held Town Meeting votes in favor of construction at least six votes, and additionally supported a ballot box vote in favor. Construction began in January 2023, and the project was opened to public use "at your own risk" in June 2025. Sudbury expects MassDOT to finalize the current contract and transfer responsibility for maintenance of the trail in September 2025. An official ribbon cutting is estimated to be held in late summer or early fall 2025.


In progress sections

A further of the trail are in design as Phase 3 from the
Mass Central Rail Trail—Wayside The Mass Central Rail Trail (MCRT) is a partially completed rail trail between Northampton, Massachusetts and Boston along the Right-of-way (transportation), right-of-way (ROW) of the former Central Massachusetts Railroad#HistoricMassachusettsCen ...
in
Sudbury Sudbury may refer to: Places Australia * Sudbury Reef, Queensland Canada * Greater Sudbury, Ontario ** Sudbury (federal electoral district) ** Sudbury (provincial electoral district) ** Sudbury Airport ** Sudbury Basin, a meteorite impact cra ...
to Pleasant Street in
Framingham Framingham () is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. Incorporated in 1700, it is located in Middlesex County and the MetroWest subregion of the Greater Boston metropolitan area. The city proper covers with a popula ...
, and planned to be built in 3 sections. * from the Mass Central Rail Trail—Wayside, Sudbury to Eaton Road W, Framingham. In July 2020, MassTrails awarded Sudbury $300,000 to purchase the right-of-way from South Sudbury to the Framingham line, and Sudbury became the
railbanking Railbanking is the practice of preserving rail corridors for possible future use. Railbanking leaves the railroad, railbed, bridges or bridge corridor, and other infrastructure intact. This relieves the railroad's operator from the responsibility ...
trail sponsor for this section in December 2020. In 2022, Sudbury was awarded $240,000 in MassTrails grants for this design. In 2023, Sudbury was awarded $192,000 in MassTrails grants to continue the design of this Phase 3 segment. The 25% design is underway, and partial construction funding is on the draft Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization's Transportation Improvement Program for fiscal year 2029. In 2024, a MassTrails grant for final design of this section was awarded. In 2022, Framingham was awarded a $408,000 grant for conceptual design of the trail in Framingham. In December 2022, Framingham signed a purchase-and-sale agreement with CSX to purchase the right-of-way in Framingham. Framingham became the railbanking trail sponsor for both Framingham sections in December 2023. * from Eaton Road W, Framingham to Frost Street, Framingham. Also known as Framingham Phase 1, the 10% conceptual design is underway, the 25% design is targeted for summer 2025, and construction is estimated to start as early as 2028. In 2024, a MassTrails grant for design and permitting in Framingham was awarded. * from Frost Street, Framingham to Pleasant Street, Framingham, including the rehabilitation of two bridges over Grove Street and
I-90 Interstate 90 (I-90) is an east–west transcontinental freeway and the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It begins in Seattle, Washington, and travels through the Pacific Northwest, Mountain states, Mountain West, Great Pla ...
. Also known as Framingham Phase 2, it is hoped construction will start within a year of Framingham Phase 1. File:W,_Bruce_Freeman_Rail_Trail,_South_Chelmsford_MA.jpg, Approaching Maple Road,
Chelmsford Chelmsford () is a city in the City of Chelmsford district in the county of Essex, England. It is the county town of Essex and one of three cities in the county, along with Colchester and Southend-on-Sea. It is located north-east of London ...
File:Bruce_Freeman_Rail_Trail,_East_Acton_MA.jpg, Mile marker, Acton File:Bruce_Freeman_Rail_Trail_bridge_over_Route_2,_West_Concord_MA.jpg, Bridge over Route 2,
Concord Concord may refer to: Meaning "agreement" * Harmony, in music * Agreement (linguistics), a change in the form of a word depending on grammatical features of other words Arts and media * ''Concord'' (video game), a defunct 2024 first-person sh ...
File:Bridge_over_the_Assabet_River,_Bruce_Freeman_Rail_Trail,_West_Concord_MA.jpg, Bridge over the
Assabet River The Assabet River is a small, long river located about west of Boston, Massachusetts, United States.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed October 3, 2011 The Assabet rises ...
, Concord File:Junction_of_rail_trails_under_construction,_South_Sudbury_MA.jpg,
Mass Central Rail Trail—Wayside The Mass Central Rail Trail (MCRT) is a partially completed rail trail between Northampton, Massachusetts and Boston along the Right-of-way (transportation), right-of-way (ROW) of the former Central Massachusetts Railroad#HistoricMassachusettsCen ...
Sudbury Phase 1 and Bruce Freeman Rail Trail Phase 2D construction


Proposed connections

The
Mass Central Rail Trail—Wayside The Mass Central Rail Trail (MCRT) is a partially completed rail trail between Northampton, Massachusetts and Boston along the Right-of-way (transportation), right-of-way (ROW) of the former Central Massachusetts Railroad#HistoricMassachusettsCen ...
is under construction in Sudbury and estimated to complete in 2025, which will create a connection with the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail. The Upper Charles Trail Extension was proposed in 2022 by the Wellesley-based Solomon Foundation. It would connect the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail's southern terminus in Framingham with the existing Upper Charles River Rail Trail (passing through Sherborn, Holliston,
Milford Milford may refer to: Place names Canada * Milford (Annapolis), Nova Scotia * Milford (Halifax), Nova Scotia * Milford, Ontario England * Milford, Derbyshire * Milford, Devon, a place in Devon * Milford on Sea, Hampshire * Milford, Shro ...
, and Hopkinton), as well as the
Bay Circuit Trail The Bay Circuit Trail and Greenway or Bay Circuit is a Massachusetts rail trail and greenway connecting the outlying suburbs of Boston from Plum Island (Massachusetts), Plum Island in Newburyport, Massachusetts, Newburyport to Duxbury Bay, Kin ...
. A long term vision for the Concord River Greenway Park in progress is to connect to the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail in Lowell. The proposed Boston-Worcester Air Line Trail (BWALT) would connect to the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail in Framingham.


References


External links

{{commons category inline
Friends of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail
Protected areas of Middlesex County, Massachusetts Rail trails in Massachusetts