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  • 21 Aug, 2019

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Waltham Station
Waltham station is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in Waltham, Massachusetts, served by the Fitchburg Line. It is located in downtown Waltham adjacent to Central Square (Waltham Common). The station is the transit hub of Waltham, with MBTA bus routes 61, 70, 553, 554, 556, and 558 stopping on Carter Street adjacent to the station.

Station layout

The platform layout at Waltham station

The otherwise double-tracked Fitchburg Line has a short section of single track through downtown Waltham. Despite the single track, trains in different directions stop at separate inbound and outbound platforms; both are side platforms located on the north side of the rail line.

The inbound platform is between the Elm Street and Moody Street grade crossings and serves the single track. The outbound platform is west of Moody Street; the second track splits next to the platform. Both platforms have mini-high segments for accessibility.

History

1915 postcard of Waltham station

The Fitchburg Railroad opened west to Waltham on December 20, 1843, then to Concord on June 17, 1844. The Watertown Branch was extended to Waltham in 1851, meeting the Fitchburg mainline with a wye. An interlocking tower at Elm Street controlled the junction. By 1875, the station was located on the north side of the tracks on the west side of Elm Street.

Construction of a new station began in 1887. It was located on the north side of the tracks, just west of the existing station. The new station was made of brick with brownstone trim, with a clocktower. It opened on July 23, 1888.

The Fitchburg Railroad was acquired by the Boston and Maine Railroad (B&M) in 1900. Elimination of the grade crossings at the station was considered in the 1910s, but never completed. Watertown Branch passenger service ended on July 9, 1938, though the line remained in use for freight until the early 20th century.

The station building was demolished around 1962. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) was formed in 1964 and began subsidizing B&M commuter service the following year. Accessible mini-high platforms were added in 2007.

References

  1. ^ Humphrey, Thomas J.; Clark, Norton D. (1985). Boston's Commuter Rail: The First 150 Years. Boston Street Railway Association. pp. 87–90. ISBN 9780685412947.
  2. ^ Central Transportation Planning Staff (2019). "2018 Commuter Rail Counts". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
  3. ^ Held, Patrick R. (2010). "Massachusetts Bay Colony Railroad Track Charts" (PDF). Johns Hopkins Association for Computing Machinery. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 8, 2013.
  4. ^ Humphrey, Thomas J.; Clark, Norton D. (1986). Boston's Commuter Rail: Second Section. Boston Street Railway Association. p. 52. ISBN 9780938315025.
  5. ^ Beers, Frederick W. (1875). "Waltham" (Map). County atlas of Middlesex, Massachusetts. 1:5,400. J.B. Beers & Co. pp. 89–90.
  6. ^ "Railroad Racket". The Boston Globe. September 1, 1887. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Waltham's New Station". The Boston Globe. March 1, 1887. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Waltham's New Station". The Boston Globe. July 24, 1888. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Decision Reversed". Boston Globe. June 25, 1910. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Waltham Grade Crossings". Boston Globe. February 28, 1913. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Glynn, Robert E. (October 6, 1962). "Passengers Will Find Gift Shops, Laundries Replacing Rail Depots". Boston Globe. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Belcher, Jonathan. "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). Boston Street Railway Association.
  13. ^ Haley, Nicole (July 25, 2007). "Station boosts access". Daily News Tribune. Archived from the original on July 26, 2007.

Media related to Waltham station at Wikimedia Commons

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