Needham Center (MBTA Station)
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Needham Center station is a
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 ...
station on the
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 ...
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 ...
, located just north of Great Plain Avenue ( MA-135) in downtown
Needham, Massachusetts Needham ( ) is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. A suburb of Boston, its population was 32,091 in the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census. It is the home of Olin College. History ...
. The first station at Needham opened in 1853; it burned in 1887 and was replaced with a stone station, some of which is still in place. The station has one
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, ...
with an accessible mini-high platform serving the line's single track.


History


Great Plain

On June 1, 1853, the
Charles River Branch Railroad The Charles River Railroad was a railroad in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. It ran from a connection with the end of the Charles River Branch Railroad in Dover, Massachusetts, Dover to Bellingham, Massachusetts, Bellingham through the current-da ...
was extended from
Newton Upper Falls Newton Upper Falls is one of the thirteen villages within the city of Newton in Massachusetts, United States. The village is listed as the Newton Upper Falls Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places. Geography The area ...
into Needham as the first stage of a line to
Dover Dover ( ) is a town and major ferry port in Kent, southeast England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies southeast of Canterbury and east of Maidstone. ...
and beyond. The railroad was not able to follow its original plan to go through the East Village, Needham's historical center, because one landowner refused to sell; instead, it was routed to Great Plain station in Great Plain Village further to the east. Great Plain served as the terminus of the railroad until it was extended to
Medway Medway is a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in the ceremonial county of Kent in South East England. It was formed in 1998 by merging the boroughs of City of Roche ...
in 1861 and to
Woonsocket Woonsocket ( ), is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 43,240 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, making it the sixth largest city in the state. Being Rhode Island's northernmost city, Woonsoc ...
in 1863.


Needham

With the coming of the railroad, Great Plain Village eclipsed East Village as the primary business district of Needham, and it officially became the town center in 1879. The station's name was gradually changed to Needham Plain, then Needham. By the 1880s, the line was part of the
New York and New England Railroad The New York and New England Railroad (NY&NE) was a railroad connecting southern New York State with Hartford, Connecticut; Providence, Rhode Island; and Boston, Massachusetts. It operated under that name from 1873 to 1893. Prior to 1873 it was ...
. The original gable-roofed wooden station burned in 1887 and was replaced with a stone station with a turreted roof. Most of the building was destroyed in the mid 20th century, but one corner remains and is part of a restaurant.


Needham Cutoff

The line became part of the
New Haven 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 ...
's Midland Division in 1898. In 1906, the New Haven opened the
Needham cutoff The Needham Line is a branch of the MBTA Commuter Rail system, running west from downtown Boston, Massachusetts through Roxbury, Massachusetts, Roxbury, Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, Jamaica Plain, Roslindale, Massachusetts, Roslindale, West Roxb ...
, a faster route to Boston that avoided the rival
Boston and Albany Railroad The Boston and Albany Railroad was a railroad connecting Boston, Massachusetts to Albany, New York, later becoming part of the New York Central Railroad system, Conrail, and CSX Transportation. The mainline is currently used by CSX for freight a ...
's Highland branch tracks. The line through Needham was thus downgraded from an intercity route to a branch line. Loop service jointly run by the B&A and the New Haven operated over the cutoff and the Highland branch via Needham from 1911 to 1914; after that, most Needham trains originated at Needham Heights. Service between Newton Highlands and Newton Upper Falls ended in 1927, and between Needham Heights and Newton Upper Falls in 1932, leaving Needham Heights as the terminus of the line.


MBTA era

The
MBTA 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 ...
bought
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 ...
's southside commuter rail assets, including the Needham Line, on January 27, 1973. The station was closed with the rest of the line from October 13, 1979 to October 19, 1987 during Southwest Corridor construction. Upon reopening, the station was renamed as Needham Center to differentiate it from Needham Heights and Needham Junction stations. A mini-high platform was added during the closure, making Needham Center fully accessible. The MBTA acquired a brick structure next to the remaining part of the station building in 1991 for use as a waiting room. After years of disuse, the agency sold the building in 2012.


References


External links

{{commons category-inline
MBTA - Needham Center

Station from Great Plain Avenue from Google Maps Street View
Buildings and structures in Needham, Massachusetts Former New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad stations MBTA Commuter Rail stations in Norfolk County, Massachusetts 1853 establishments in Massachusetts Railway stations in the United States opened in 1853 Railway stations in the United States closed in 1979 1979 disestablishments in Massachusetts