Reading (MBTA station)

READING

Reading Station viewed from the outbound platform
Location 35 Lincoln Street
Reading, MA 01867
Owned by MBTA
Line(s)
  Haverhill Line
Platforms 2 side platforms
Tracks 1
Construction
Parking Yes
Bicycle facilities 10 Spaces
Disabled access Yes
Other information
Fare zone 2
History
Opened 1870
Traffic
Passengers (2008) 898 weekday avg.[1]
Services
Preceding station   MBTA   Following station
Haverhill Line
toward Haverhill
Boston and Maine Railroad Depot
Location Reading, Massachusetts, USA
Coordinates 42°31′18″N 71°6′27″W / 42.52167°N 71.10750°W / 42.52167; -71.10750Coordinates: 42°31′18″N 71°6′27″W / 42.52167°N 71.10750°W / 42.52167; -71.10750
Area 3 acres (1.2 ha)
Built 1870
Architect Unknown
Architectural style Stick/Eastlake, Queen Anne
MPS Reading MRA
NRHP Reference # 84002509[2]
Added to NRHP July 19, 1984

Reading is a commuter rail station in Reading, Massachusetts, United States, on the Haverhill/Reading Line of the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad, a branch of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). It is located at Lincoln and High Streets on the western fringe of the town's central business district.

The station's historic depot building was built in 1870 to service the Boston and Maine Railroad and was the former terminus of the line before its extension to Haverhill. The MBTA purchased the Haverhill Line in 1973, intending to replace commuter rail service with extended Orange Line subway service between Oak Grove and Reading. This plan was rejected by riders who desired to retain commuter rail service. The second track was not rebuilt through the station when the outbound platform was built, so the inbound platform serves trains in both directions. Despite this limited capacity, Reading is the terminus for some local trains on the line.

Architecture and building history

Reading station on an early postcard

The historic depot is located south of the tracks, at the junction of Lincoln and Prescott Streets. It is a long rectangular building with Queen Anne styling, with paneled pilasters at the corners and between the bays, and large knee braces that help support the wide overhangs of the hip roof. The north (track-facing) facade has seven bays, alternating windows (4) and doors (3). One of the windows is a projecting bay with a band of narrow and tall windows, whose upper sash has colored lights.[3] The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.[2]

The depot was the second built at the site, the first dating to 1845. It was purchased by the town in 1960, and was briefly used as a museum of railroad history. The town sold the building to private owners in 1985, with preservation restrictions.[3]

Bus connections

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Ridership and Service Statistics" (PDF). MBTA. 2009. Retrieved 2011-02-01. External link in |publisher= (help)
  2. 1 2 Staff (2008-04-15). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  3. 1 2 "MACRIS inventory record and NRHP nomination for Boston and Maine Railroad Depot". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved 2015-05-18.

External links

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