Lowell Line

Lowell Line
An outbound train in Medford
Overview
Type	Commuter rail
System	MBTA Commuter Rail
Locale	Northeastern Massachusetts
Termini	Lowell North Station
Stations	9
Daily ridership	12,893
Operation
Opened	1835 (Boston & Lowell Railroad)
Owner	MBTA
Operator(s)	MBCR
Character	Elevated and surface-level
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Route map Legend Manchester (former, proposed) Manchester Airport (proposed) Merrimack (former, proposed) Nashua (former, proposed) New Hampshire–Massachusetts state line Tyngsborough (proposed) North Chelmsford (proposed) 25.5 Lowell Interstate 495 21.8 North Billerica Wildcat Branch 15.2 Wilmington 12.7 Anderson RTC Amtrak Connection Woburn (former) Cross St (former) 11.6 Mishawum Interstate 93 7.8 Winchester Center 7.3 Wedgemere 5.5 West Medford U.S. Route 1 0.0 mi North Station Amtrak Connection

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 and Lowell Railroad, and later operated as part of the Boston and Maine Railroad's Southern Division, the line was one of the first railroads in North America and the first major one in Massachusetts.

History

Main article: Boston and Lowell Railroad

The Anderson Regional Transportation Center serves MBTA Commuter Rail and the Amtrak Downeaster

The Wildcat Branch splits at Wilmington

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 and Maine acquired the railroad in 1895. 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 to Montreal, ran through Concord, New Hampshire, along this line until the mid-1960s. 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.) For this itinerary the Montreal route was marketed as an Air-line railroad.

Boston and Maine passenger service to Boston on the line was shortened from Nashua, New Hampshire to Lowell in 1967.

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) bought it in 1983.

For about 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. The service was discontinued when Federal funding was withdrawn.

When GTI bought the B&M, commuter rail service was in jeopardy. The MBTA had owned the trains and the tracks since 1973, but it had outsourced the operation to the B&M. Amtrak took over commuter rail operations in 1986, and in 2003, operations shifted to the MBCR.

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.

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
3.6		North Somerville		closed
4.0	Medford	Tufts University	November 1976 (reopening)	closed October 1979 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
9.8	Woburn	Montvale		closed split with Stoneham Branch
		Lechmere Warehouse	1979	closed 1996
10.5		Walnut Hill		closed January 17, 1965
11.6		Mishawum	September 24, 1984 (reopening)	originally East Woburn; limited reverse commute service only
12.7		Anderson Regional Transportation Center	April 28, 2001	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?
	Billerica	East Billerica		closed June 27, 1965
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

North Station is wheelchair accessible, as are Anderson RTC and stations north of there. See also MBTA accessibility.

External links

• MBTA - The Lowell Line
• Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district (PDF)
• Railroad History Database
• Mileposts from Boston to Montreal High-Speed Rail Planning and Feasibility Study Phase I Final Report and FRA Highway-Rail Crossing Inventory Files