Waltham (MBTA station)

WALTHAM

Outbound platform viewed from Moody Street in 2016
Location 75 Carter Street
Waltham, Massachusetts
Coordinates 42°22′27.11″N 71°14′10.72″W / 42.3741972°N 71.2363111°W / 42.3741972; -71.2363111Coordinates: 42°22′27.11″N 71°14′10.72″W / 42.3741972°N 71.2363111°W / 42.3741972; -71.2363111
Line(s) Fitchburg Line
Watertown Branch (former)
Platforms 2 side platforms
Tracks 1 (splits into 2 at station)
Connections MBTA Bus: 70, 70A, 170, 505, 553, 554, 556, 558
128BC Waltham Shuttle[1]
Construction
Parking 50 spaces ($1.00 fee)
4 accessible spaces
Bicycle facilities 8 spaces
Disabled access Yes
Other information
Fare zone 2
Traffic
Passengers (2013) 610 (weekday inbound average)[2]
Services
Preceding station   MBTA   Following station
toward Wachusett
Fitchburg Line

Waltham is a passenger rail station on MBTA Commuter Rail's Fitchburg Line.It is located in downtown Waltham, Massachusetts adjacent to Central Square (Waltham Common). With 610 inbound boardings on an average weekday, it has the second highest ridership on the line (behind South Acton).[2]

History and operations

Old Waltham depot with large clocktower on a 1915 postcard

The station has an unusual configuration, similar to Lincoln. There are 2 side platforms, separated by Moody Street: the eastern platform is used for inbound passengers, and the western platform is used for outbound passengers. Most of the station is located on a short single-track section; after double-tracking was completed from South Acton to Willows in 2014, this became the only single-track section of the Fitchburg Line.

Commuter rail service to Waltham station has remained relatively constant since the MBTA was formed in 1964. However, several nearby stops on the Fitchburg Line and the Central Mass Branch were closed in the early years of the MBTA.[3] The 1881-built Central Mass station building at Waltham Highlands, located at Hammond Street and Elson Road, still stands.[4]

The former depot building, which included a large clocktower, was torn down in the 1960s. The current building adjacent to the inbound platform is of modern construction. The Waltham Interlocking Tower is located next to Elm Street; it controlled the junction with the Watertown Branch Railroad, which operated passenger service until 1938.

Bus connections

A route 554 bus boards at Waltham in 2016

Eight MBTA Bus routes and one private route stop at Waltham station:

References

  1. 1 2 "Waltham Shuttle". Route 128 Business Council. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
  2. 1 2 "Ridership and Service Statistics" (PDF) (14th ed.). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 2014.
  3. Belcher, Jonathan (12 November 2012). "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). NETransit. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
  4. Roy, John H. Jr. (2007). A Field Guide to Southern New England Railroad Depots and Freight Houses. Branch Line Press. p. 254. ISBN 9780942147087.
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