Lowell Line

LOWELL LINE
An outbound Lowell Line train at Anderson RTC
Overview
Type	Commuter rail
System	MBTA Commuter Rail
Status	Operating
Locale	Northeastern Massachusetts
Termini	Lowell North Station
Stations	9
Daily ridership	11,965 Daily Weekday (2014) 3,789 Saturday 2,597 Sunday [1]
Operation
Opening	1835 (Boston & Lowell Railroad)
Owner	Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
Operator(s)	Keolis North America
Character	Elevated and surface-level
Technical
Line length	24.5 Miles
Track gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Route map Legend Concord (former, proposed) Manchester (former, proposed) Manchester Airport (proposed) Merrimack (former, proposed) Nashua (former, proposed) New Hampshire Massachusetts Tyngsborough (proposed) North Chelmsford (proposed) 25.5 Lowell I‑495 21.8 North Billerica Wildcat Branch 15.2 Wilmington 12.7 Anderson RTC 11.6 Mishawum Woburn (former) Cross Street (former) Interstate 93 7.8 Winchester Center 7.3 Wedgemere 5.5 West Medford US 1 Commuter Rail Maintenance Facility employees only Charles River Bridge 0.0 mi North Station

The Lowell Line is a railroad line of the MBTA Commuter Rail system, running north from Boston to Lowell, Massachusetts. Originally built as the Boston & Lowell Railroad and later operated as part of the Boston & Maine Railroad's Southern Division, the line was one of the first railroads in North America and the first major one in Massachusetts.

History

The Wildcat Branch splits at Wilmington

Junction of the former Woburn Branch in Winchester

Lowell is the current outer terminus

The Boston & Lowell Railroad started freight operations in 1835, with traffic from the Lowell mills to the Boston port. Demand for the express passenger service exceeded expectations, and in 1842 local service was added as well. The line north of Lowell was first owned by the Boston, Concord & Montreal Railroad, which was chartered in 1844. Trackage was completed as far as Wells River, Vermont, in 1853. The Boston & Maine Railroad (B&M) acquired the railroad in 1895.^[2][3] The line served as the route for Boston to Montreal service during the Golden Age of Rail (roughly 1880 to 1930). The Ambassador, the train from Boston's North Station to Montreal, ran through Concord, New Hampshire, along this line until 1966.^[4] This line, along with the New Englander, via Concord, White River Junction, Montpelier, ran through the northwestern section of Vermont prior to entering Quebec, Canada. The Alouette and Red Wing trains travelled to Montreal via Concord, Wells River and Newport in northeastern Vermont prior to entering Quebec. (The route via Wells River, St. Johnsbury and Newport was the more direct route of the two itineraries.)^[5] For this itinerary the Montreal route was marketed as an Air-line railroad.

B&M passenger service to Boston on the line was shortened from Nashua, New Hampshire to Lowell in 1967.^[6]

In 1973 the MBTA bought the Lowell line, along with the Haverhill and all other local Greater Boston passenger lines. Along with the sale, the B&M contracted to run the passenger service on the Lowell line for the MBTA. After bankruptcy, The B&M continued to run and fulfill its Commuter Rail contract under the protection of the United States Bankruptcy Court, in the hopes that a reorganization could make it profitable again. It emerged from the court's protection when newly formed Guilford Transportation Industries (GTI) purchased it in 1983.

For approximately thirteen months in 1980-81, daily passenger service was provided to Concord. Two round-trips were operated on each weekday and one on weekend days. Originally, there were intermediate stops in Manchester and Nashua. A stop in Merrimack was added later. Service was discontinued when federal funding was withdrawn.^[7]

When GTI bought B&M, commuter rail service was in jeopardy. MBTA had owned the trains and the tracks since 1973, but had outsourced operations to B&M. Amtrak took over commuter rail operations in 1986, and in 2003, operations shifted to the MBCR. In 2014, the MBTA awarded the operating contract to Keolis North America.

Expansions

As of 2011, there is a current debate over whether or not to expand the Lowell line to Nashua, New Hampshire and include stations in North Chelmsford and Tyngsborough en route, for the sake of commuters in those towns.

In January 2011, a bill was introduced into the New Hampshire legislature to end the proposed extension and give up a potential $4.1 million grant into its planning.^[8]

The MBTA is planning a Green Line extension through Somerville and part of Medford. One branch of the extension would follow the right of way of the Lowell Line into Medford. Several stations once existed along that section of the line, but none are in operation any longer.

Station listing

Operating stations are shaded in purple.

Milepost	City	Station	Opening date	Connections and notes
0.0	Boston	North Station		Orange Line and Green Line MBTA Commuter Rail north-side lines Amtrak Downeaster service to Maine
		Boston Engine Terminal		A flag stop with a wooden platform for MBTA employees
				MBTA Fitchburg Line, Haverhill/Reading Line and Newburyport/Rockport Line split
	Cambridge	East Cambridge		closed on the old alignment, west of the current route
1.9	Somerville	Prospect Hill		closed originally Milk Row
2.4		Winter Hill		closed
2.8		Somerville Junction		closed originally Somerville split with Lexington and Arlington Branch future location of Lowell Street Green Line station
3.6		North Somerville		closed
4.0	Medford	Tufts University	November 1976 (reopening)[9]	closed October 1979[9] originally College Hill
4.6		Medford Hillside		closed
5.5		West Medford		originally Medford Gates (in 1835)
7.3	Winchester	Wedgemere		originally Mystic
7.8		Winchester Center		split with Woburn Branch
9.0		Winchester Highlands		closed June 1978[9]
9.8	Woburn	Montvale		closed split with Stoneham Branch
10.5		Walnut Hill		closed January 17, 1965[9]
10.9		Lechmere Warehouse	1979[9]	closed 1996 [10]
11.6		Mishawum	September 24, 1984 (reopening)[9]	originally East Woburn; limited reverse commute service only
12.7		Anderson Regional Transportation Center	April 28, 2001[9]	Amtrak Downeaster service to Maine originally South Wilmington (had been open previously)
15.2	Wilmington	Wilmington		split with Wildcat Branch, carrying the Amtrak Downeaster service (without stopping here)
17.0		Silver Lake		closed June 27, 1965[9]
	Billerica	East Billerica		closed June 27, 1965[9]
21.8		North Billerica		junction with Billerica and Bedford Branch
24.6	Lowell	Bleachery		closed junction with Lowell and Lawrence Railroad, Lowell Branch (B&M) and Framingham and Lowell Railroad (NYNH&H)
25.5		Lowell		LRTA buses to Lowell and beyond originally Middlesex Street junction with Lowell and Nashua Railroad (B&L)
		Merrimack Street		closed

Accessibility

Most stations are wheelchair accessible except for West Medford, Winchester Center, and Mishawum. See also MBTA accessibility.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to MBTA Lowell Line.

• MBTA - Lowell Line
• Mileposts from Boston to Montreal High-Speed Rail Planning and Feasibility Study Phase I Final Report and FRA Highway-Rail Crossing Inventory Files

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Subway lines (List of stations) Heavy rail      Blue      Orange      Red Light rail      Green "B" Branch "C" Branch "D" Branch "E" Branch      Ashmont–Mattapan      Commuter Rail lines (List of stations) North Station lines Fitchburg Haverhill (Wildcat Branch) Lowell Newburyport/Rockport South Station lines Fairmount Framingham/Worcester Franklin Greenbush Needham Old Colony (Kingston/Plymouth Middleborough/Lakeville      CapeFLYER) Providence/Stoughton Bus routes (List of routes)      Silver Crosstown routes Key routes Trackless trolleys Routes East Boston, Chelsea, Revere Melrose, Reading, Stoneham, Wakefield South Boston Other services      Boat The Ride Component parts of system lines      Boylston Street Subway      Haymarket North Extension      Lechmere Viaduct      Tremont Street Subway      Washington Street Subway Under construction           Government Center closure      Green Line Extension      South Coast Rail      Wachusett extension Proposed      Lynn extension           Red Line—Blue Line Connector Urban Ring Project      North–South Rail Link      Plaistow extension      Nashua extension      Westerly extension      Indigo Line (Fairmount Grand Junction Track 61) History Predecessor companies Boston Elevated Railway Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway Middlesex and Boston Street Railway Newton and Boston Street Railway Former lines      Atlantic Avenue Elevated      Causeway Street Elevated      Charlestown Elevated      Green Line "A" Branch      Lexington Branch Streetcar lines      Washington Street Elevated      Woburn Loop      History of the Green Line Other Accessibility Arts on the Line "Charlie on the M.T.A." CharlieCard Police Nomenclature Yards and maintenance facilities