Foxboro (MBTA Station)
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Foxboro station is an
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 ...
station in
Foxborough, Massachusetts Foxborough is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Located in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, it is about southwest of Boston. The population was 18,618 at the 2020 census. "Foxborough" is the official spelling of th ...
, located adjacent to
Gillette Stadium Gillette Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in Foxborough, Massachusetts, United States. The stadium is southwest of Downtown Boston and 18 miles (29 km) northeast of Providence, Rhode Island. It serves as the home stadium and admi ...
and the
Patriot Place Patriot Place is an open-air shopping center owned by The Kraft Group built around Gillette Stadium, the home of the New England Patriots and New England Revolution. It is located in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The first phase opened in late 20 ...
shopping center. The station has a single
side platform A side platform (also known as a marginal platform or a single-face platform) is a platform positioned to the side of one or more railway tracks or guideways at a railway station, tram stop, or transitway. A station having dual side platforms, ...
serving the main track of the Framingham Secondary. It is the terminus of a branch of the
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 be ...
service, and is served by trains from Boston via the Franklin/Foxboro Line and from Providence via the
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 Provi ...
(
Northeast Corridor The Northeast Corridor (NEC) is an electrified railroad line in the Northeast megalopolis of the United States. Owned primarily by Amtrak, it runs from Boston in the north to Washington, D.C., in the south, with major stops in Providence, Rhod ...
) during events at Gillette Stadium. Previous passenger service on the line ran from 1870 to 1933, with several stations in Foxborough. Special service for
New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...
games and other stadium events ran from 1971 to 1973, then resumed in 1986. Regular weekday service to the station via the Franklin Line was studied in 2010 and proposed in 2014. A pilot program of service was announced in 2017, and ten daily round trips began operation in October 2019. The pilot was suspended in November 2020, but four midday round trips resumed on May 23, 2022. A new one-year pilot began on September 12, 2022, and was made permanent in October 2023.


Station design

Foxboro station is located in the northern part of Foxboro, adjacent to the
Gillette Stadium Gillette Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in Foxborough, Massachusetts, United States. The stadium is southwest of Downtown Boston and 18 miles (29 km) northeast of Providence, Rhode Island. It serves as the home stadium and admi ...
sports complex and
Patriot Place Patriot Place is an open-air shopping center owned by The Kraft Group built around Gillette Stadium, the home of the New England Patriots and New England Revolution. It is located in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The first phase opened in late 20 ...
shopping center. It is on the far east side of the site, and is separated from the rest of the complex by the
Neponset River The Neponset River is a river in eastern Massachusetts in the United States. Its headwaters are at the Neponset Reservoir in Foxborough, near Gillette Stadium. From there, the Neponset meanders generally northeast for about to its mouth at ...
. A pedestrian walkway from the station runs under an access road and to the north end of the stadium. The station has a single side platform serving the main track of the Framingham Secondary, with a mini-high section at the south end for accessibility; a passing siding allows freight trains to pass stopped passenger trains at the station. Weekday trains run between Foxboro and
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
's
South Station South Station, officially The Governor Michael S. Dukakis Transportation Center at South Station, is the largest railroad station and intercity bus terminal in Greater Boston and New England's second-largest transportation center after Logan I ...
via the Franklin Branch, connecting to the Franklin Branch at and serving local stops. Event trains serving South Station run via the Franklin Branch, with intermediate stops only at and . Event trains serving Providence station in
Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...
run via the
Northeast Corridor The Northeast Corridor (NEC) is an electrified railroad line in the Northeast megalopolis of the United States. Owned primarily by Amtrak, it runs from Boston in the north to Washington, D.C., in the south, with major stops in Providence, Rhod ...
(
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 Provi ...
), with intermediate stops at , , and .


History


Previous stations

The Mansfield and Framingham Railroad opened between its namesake towns in 1870 and was immediately leased to the
Boston, Clinton and Fitchburg Railroad The Agricultural Branch Railroad was a railroad in Massachusetts. It was incorporated by the Massachusetts General Court, Legislature of Massachusetts on April 26, 1847, to provide a rail connection between Framingham, Massachusetts, Framingham ...
(later the
Boston, Clinton, Fitchburg and New Bedford Railroad The Boston, Clinton, Fitchburg and New Bedford Railroad was a railroad in Massachusetts. It was formed on June 1, 1876, when the Boston, Clinton and Fitchburg Railroad merged with the New Bedford Railroad. The Boston, Clinton and Fitchburg Rail ...
). In 1879, it became part of the
Old Colony Railroad The Old Colony Railroad (OC) was a major railroad system, mainly covering southeastern Massachusetts and parts of Rhode Island, which operated from 1845 to 1893. Old Colony trains ran from Boston to points such as Plymouth, Fall River, ...
, which was in turn acquired by 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 ...
in 1893. There were three stations on the line in Foxborough – Foxvale at Spring Street, Foxboro at Bird Street, and North Foxboro at North Street – plus South Walpole at Summer Street just over the Walpole border. The original Foxboro station, a three-story structure with a
Mansard roof A mansard or mansard roof (also called French roof or curb roof) is a multi-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterised by two slopes on each of its sides, with the lower slope at a steeper angle than the upper, and often punctured by dormer wi ...
, was a converted coffin shop. A two-story brick station with a Spanish-style roof was constructed in 1911. South Walpole station burned on February 23, 1911, due to a defective chimney, and was soon rebuilt. The lightly-used North Foxboro and Foxvale stations were closed in 1928. Remaining passenger service on the line – a single daily round trip between and Framingham – ended in 1933. The line remained in use for freight service, passing to
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 ...
in 1969 and
Conrail Conrail , formally the Consolidated Rail Corporation, was the primary Class I railroad in the Northeastern United States between 1976 and 1999. The trade name Conrail is a portmanteau based on the company's legal name. It continues to do busine ...
in 1976. Special trains were operated to the opening of the
Bay State Raceway Bay State Raceway, later known as New England Harness Raceway, Foxboro Raceway, and Foxboro Park was a harness racing track located in Foxborough, Massachusetts, United States that operated from 1947 until 1997. It stood next to Foxboro Stadium and ...
in 1948. None of the three Foxborough station buildings survive, though the former South Walpole station remains in use as a post office.


MBTA event service

The service started with the opening of Schaefer Stadium (later Sullivan Stadium, then
Foxboro Stadium Foxboro Stadium, originally Schaefer Stadium and later Sullivan Stadium, was an outdoor stadium in the New England region of the United States, located in Foxborough, Massachusetts. It opened in 1971 and served as the home of the New England ...
) on August 15, 1971, with trains from Boston and Providence. Providence service ended early in the 1973 season due to low ridership; Boston service ended that October. Plans were made to resume Boston service for the 1982 season, but this was interrupted by a railroad strike and an NFL strike. Boston–Foxboro service via the Franklin Line ultimately resumed with the 1986 season. Beginning with the 1989 season, it was moved to the Providence/Stoughton Line, with a reverse move at Mansfield and intermediate stops at Back Bay, (dropped by 1993), , , , and Mansfield. Boston service was shifted back to the Franklin Line in
1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...
, with stops at and . An accessible platform was added by 1996. Providence service resumed for the 1997 season, with intermediate stops at South Attleboro, Attleboro, and Mansfield. MBTA-organized privately-operated bus service also ran from , (1994 only), , and to Foxboro Stadium for the
1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...
to
1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...
seasons. Foxboro Stadium was replaced with the adjacent Gillette Stadium in 2002. By 2005, ridership per event averaged 1,567. The Norwood Central stop was dropped in 2011. Providence trains were extended to in
Warwick, Rhode Island Warwick ( or ) is a city in Kent County, Rhode Island, United States, and is the third-largest city in the state, with a population of 82,823 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Warwick is located approximately south of downtown Pr ...
from 2012 to 2018.


Weekday service

In September 2010, the MBTA completed a study to determine the feasibility of extending full-time commuter rail service to Foxboro via the Franklin Line. The study looked at extending some
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 neighborho ...
service to Foxboro, running shuttle trains from Foxboro to , or a combination of both. The options with through service to Boston were to include the addition of a second track at Foxboro station, converting it to an
island platform An island platform (also center platform (American English) or centre platform (British English)) is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway inte ...
. In January 2014, the state began discussions with stadium owner Kraft Group for use of the stadium parking lots. The MassDOT Board authorized the purchase of the Framingham Subdivision from CSX that June. By November 2014, the MBTA planned to run five daily Boston–Foxboro round trips, but town officials objected to the plans being made without local input. The $23 million purchase of the line was completed in June 2015, making it the Framingham Secondary. In February 2017, Kraft Group owner
Robert Kraft Robert Kenneth Kraft (born June 5, 1941) is an American billionaire businessman. He is the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Kraft Group, a diversified holding company with assets in paper and packaging, sports and entertainmen ...
agreed to subsidize the costs of a pilot service up to $200,000 per year, with 500 parking spaces made available. The pilot was supported by Foxborough officials, but opposed by Walpole officials. In August 2017, the MBTA Board approved an 11-month pilot program of service to Foxboro, planned to begin in late 2018 or early 2019. Daily ridership was expected to be 210 passengers, with the majority diverted from other commuter rail stations. Most of the pilot service would be extended Fairmount Line trains, which prompted concerns that the pilot would increase crowding and decrease reliability on the Fairmount Line. In November 2017, the MBTA indicated that service would begin on May 20, 2019. About of track between Walpole and south of Foxboro station was upgraded in preparation for the service. A freight passing track was added at the station, and the section from Walpole to Foxboro was signalized. After an additional delay, pilot service began on October 21, 2019. Initial service was ten daily round trips, including both peak and midday trips. Seven of the ten round trips were extended Fairmount Line trains. By December 2019, the pilot averaged 70 daily boardings at Foxboro – just one-third of the projected ridership. On November 2, 2020, the pilot was suspended due to reduced ridership as a result of the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
; it was then expected to resume in spring 2021. Four midday Foxboro round trips – but no peak Foxboro service – ultimately resumed on May 23, 2022. A new one-year Foxboro pilot began on September 12, 2022, with Boston–Foxboro round trips on weekdays. The service was made permanent effective October 2, 2023, with the service renamed as the Franklin/Foxboro Line. Foxboro station averaged 112–133 daily boardings by that time. The MBTA and the Kraft Group indicated they would attempt to find new funding to construct a full-length high-level platform at Foxboro. (That project was not scheduled for funding by the MBTA Capital Investment Plan). In May 2025, the MBTA indicated plans to expand the station for the
2026 FIFA World Cup The 2026 FIFA World Cup, marketed as FIFA World Cup 26, will be the 23rd FIFA World Cup, the Anniversary#Latin-derived numerical names, quadrennial international men's Association football, soccer championship contested by the List of men's n ...
, which includes several matches at Gillette Stadium in mid-2026. The existing platform would be rebuilt as a permanent -long high-level platform, while a temporary -long high-level platform would be placed across the tracks.


References


External links

{{Commons category
MBTA – FoxboroMBTA – Gillette Stadium
1971 establishments in Massachusetts Buildings and structures in Foxborough, Massachusetts Former Old Colony Railroad stations MBTA Commuter Rail stations in Norfolk County, Massachusetts Railway stations in the United States opened in 1971