Salem (MBTA station)

SALEM
Salem station with 2014-constructed high-level platform and garage in 2015
Location	252 Bridge Street Salem, MA 01970-3980
Coordinates	42°31′30″N 70°53′45″W / 42.5250°N 70.8959°W / 42.5250; -70.8959Coordinates: 42°31′30″N 70°53′45″W / 42.5250°N 70.8959°W / 42.5250; -70.8959
Owned by	MBTA
Line(s)	Newburyport/Rockport Line
Platforms	1 side platform
Tracks	1
Connections	MBTA Bus: 450, 450W, 451, 455, 456, 459, 465
Construction
Parking	700 spaces ($5.00 fee)
Bicycle facilities	100+ spaces (secure cage)
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Fare zone	3
History
Opened	August 10, 1987[1]
Rebuilt	October 24, 2014[2]
Traffic
Passengers (2013)	2,122 (weekday inbound average)[3]
Services
Preceding station   MBTA   Following station Swampscott toward North Station Newburyport/Rockport Line Beverly Depot toward Newburyport or Rockport

Salem is a passenger rail station on MBTA Commuter Rail's Newburyport/Rockport Line located at 252 Bridge Street near the intersection of Massachusetts Route 107 and Route 114 in Salem, Massachusetts.^[4] Salem station consists of one platform which serves a single track. A staircase provides access to the platform from Route 107. Immediately south of Salem, the train tracks enter the Salem Tunnel, which carries trains underneath Washington Street in Salem. A $44.5 million garage with 715 spaces, along with a full-length high-level platform for speedier boarding, opened on October 24, 2014.^[2]

During an April 2013 passenger count, Salem averaged 2,122 inbound weekday boardings, making it the second-busiest station (after Providence) on the system except for the three downtown Boston terminals.^[3]

History

The 1847-built Salem Depot in 1910. The building was demolished in 1954

1987-built station viewed in 2010

The Salem station was originally in what is now Riley Plaza, just south of the downtown businesses along Washington Street. The first structure, built in 1838, was a wooden structure with a train shed.^[5] It was replaced in 1847 with a medieval-style structure with two towers and a large granite archway through which trains would pass. Despite damage remaining from an 1882 fire, it had become a local landmark by the time it was demolished in 1954.^[5][6]

In 1958, the B&M extended the Salem tunnel to the south, and soon after built a station in the southern approach span.^[6] However, the station lacked modern elements like parking capacity and elevators to make the below-ground-level platforms handicapped accessible. In 1987, the MBTA abandoned the station and built the present station at the north end of the tunnel. The 1959 station building remains at 89 Margin Street; it has been converted into a private school.^[5] The platforms remain extant in the tunnel approach, as do rusted pieces of staircases from Mill Street and a pedestrian overpass behind the station building.

The current location of the station has its own railroad history: a wye junction was situated there in the mid-1800s, allowing trains northbound from Boston to continue north to Portsmouth, New Hampshire or to turn west over the Essex Branch Railroad to Peabody, Danvers, and Lowell.^[7] For decades there was an engine roundhouse inside the wye. This structure, along with its coaling tower and water tank, also was demolished in the mid-20th century; however, a signal tower near the north end of the tunnel remains. The granite block foundation of the roundhouse was covered over to make the parking lot rather than fully removed. In early 2012, engineers found it using ground penetrating radar while examining the site in preparation for the new parking garage.^[7] The remains were unearthed in December 2012 during construction.^[8]

The section of the wye leading to the Essex Branch Railroad has been paved over, but the north side of the wye still carries occasional freight trains operated by Pan Am Railways. These trains run to Peabody along the former Essex Railroad, then to South Peabody along the short remains of the South Reading Branch.^[9]

Garage

Turntable foundation with existing MBTA station in the background (2012)

Construction work in October 2013

Foundation work in May 2014

Until July 2013, parking was available in a 340-space surface lot adjacent to the platform. A new garage and remodeling of the station is under construction, with funding provided in part by the Federal Transit Administration ($3.6M), the Massachusetts Department of Capital Asset Management ($3M to reserve 150 spaces for the Essex County Courthouse), and unspecified amounts from the City of Salem, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the MBTA.^[10] Planners had initially considered a garage of up to 750 spaces; after various changes, the five-story garage is being built with just under 700 spaces.^[11][12]

Major planning was completed in 2012, with community input leading to the addition of brick facades to match local architecture, as well as an indoor waiting room.^[13] On August 24, 2012, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs granted the MBTA an exemption to the mandatory Environmental Impact Assessment, as the project will be built entirely over an existing parking lot and is thus unlikely to have negative environmental effects.^[14] In November 2012, the MBTA closed part of the existing parking lot to excavate remains of the former roundhouse, as required by the state Historical Commission. ^[12] Besides the garage, the project includes the construction of a standard 9-car-length (800-foot-long) high-level platform for faster, handicapped-accessible level boarding, as well as rehabilitation of the historic Salem interlocking tower nearby.^[14] The project was originally to cost $37 million, but increased to $44.5 million due to changes mandated by new earthquake codes, the brick facades, and a roof for the pedestrian walkway.^[15]

The Historical Commission unearthed the roundhouse remains in early December 2012. A $32.5 million construction contract was awarded on December 8, 2012.^[16] Construction on the garage and station began in June 2013 and to finish in October 2014.^[17] The parking lot closed on July 20, 2013 for construction; a free lot open at the nearby former Universal Steel at an undetermined point.^[18] A groundbreaking ceremony was held on September 13, 2013.^[19]

After several months of foundation work, construction of the garage itself began in May 2014.^[15] The garage and the first section of the high-level platform opened on October 24, 2014.^[2] A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on November 17, 2014.^[20] Remaining work on the project - including the north half of the platform, the bus loop, passenger drop-off areas, traffic lights, and bike paths - will last into the first half of 2015.^[21] In January 2015, a "Pedal and Park" secure bike cage with racks for at least 100 bikes opened. This was the first such installation at an MBTA station without rapid transit service.^[22]

Future

Pedestrian access

Although parking demand at Salem is high, approximately half of riders walk or bike to the station from nearby neighborhoods. Existing access via stairs to Washington Street is inconvenient for many of these passengers, particularly those coming from areas northwest of the station via North Street and southwest via Bridge Street. Reaching the station from these areas or an off-street lot along Bridge Street often involves crossing at an unsignalised crosswalk with poor visibility around a curve.^[23] Unofficial trails paralleling the two streets from the parking lot entrance are used by many pedestrians, but these routes are not handicapped accessible and involve trespassing on private land and/or the lightly used freight tracks.^[23] In April 2013, the City released a study that recommended constructing sidewalks and gated track crossings along these desire lines to enhance pedestrian access.^[23] However, an official pedestrian route following the unofficial path north of the platform to the nearby Jefferson at Salem Station development was ruled out in March 2013 due to safety concerns.^[17] The route would have crossed the mainline tracks, where there may be as little as three minutes between trains at rush hour.

Branch line

The MBTA has contemplated adding a branch line from Salem through Peabody, terminating near the Northshore Mall or the Danversport area of Danvers.^[24][25] While the right of way to Peabody would be shared with existing freight service, the routes beyond that involve restoring tracks that have been abandoned for decades. The MBTA's 2004 planning document classified the branch line as a "Medium Term" proposal, defined as an 11-20 year time frame for implementation.^[24] In comparison, the new parking garage and rehabilitation of the current station are classed "Short Term" and were completed in 2014.^[11]

The branch line is currently shelved due to the agency's financial problems, but it still exists as a future possibility. The former branch portal from the 1958 tunnel is still intact and would be reused if the line reopened. An easement for a single track was left when the new garage was built.^[26]

Bus connections

A number of MBTA bus routes serve Salem Depot:

• 450 Salem Depot - Haymarket
• 450W Salem Depot - Wonderland Station
• 451 North Beverly - Salem Depot via Cabot Street or Tozer Road
• 455 Salem Depot - Wonderland via Central Square, Lynn
• 456 Salem Depot - Central Square, Lynn via Highland Avenue
• 459 Salem Depot - Downtown Crossing via Logan Airport & Central Square, Lynn
• 465 Salem Depot - Liberty Tree Mall via Peabody & Danvers

The new garage includes a dedicated bus lane and a bus layover area.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Salem (MBTA station).

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Salem (B&M station).

• MBTA - Salem
• April 2013 pedestrian study
• June 2013 presentation and renderings
• Bridge Street and Washington Street entrance from Google Maps Street View