Ashland station (MBTA)

Ashland station is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in Ashland, Massachusetts. It serves the Framingham/Worcester Line. It has a long driveway leading from the south parking lot to the intersection of West Union Street (Route 135) and Voyagers Lane. Like the other stations on the line west of Framingham, Ashland serves as a park-and-ride station with 678 parking spots.

Ashland
Ashland station in March 2022
General information
LocationPleasant Street near High Street
Ashland, Massachusetts
Coordinates42.2616°N 71.4826°W / 42.2616; -71.4826
Line(s)Worcester Line
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks2
ConnectionsBus transport MWRTA: 5
Construction
Parking678 spaces ($4.00 fee)
AccessibleYes
Other information
Fare zone6
History
OpenedAugust 24, 2002[1]
Passengers
2018931 (weekday average boardings)[2]
Services
Preceding station MBTA Following station
Southborough
toward Worcester
 Framingham/​Worcester Line Framingham
toward South Station
Former services
Preceding station New York Central Railroad Following station
Cordaville
toward Albany
 Boston and Albany Railroad
Main Line
 Framingham
toward Boston
Southville
toward Albany

History
The previous downtown station photographed in 2016

A station at Unionville (later Ashland, after the town separated from Hopkinton in 1846) was in use by 1838.[3] Passenger service to the old Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge–built downtown station ended on April 24, 1960, when Boston and Albany Railroad service west of Framingham was cut to stops at Worcester, Palmer, Springfield, and Pittsfield only.[4] Service to Worcester ended entirely in 1975, but resumed in 1994.[1]

In 1994, service to Worcester was restored as mitigation for delays with reopening the Old Colony Lines. Service initially ran nonstop from Framingham to Worcester, but intermediate park and ride stops were added later as mitigation for delays in reopening the Greenbush Line. After the opening of Grafton in 2000 caused traffic congestion in the town, officials from Ashland, Southborough, and Westborough asked that their three stations open within a 90-day span to avoid overwhelming any one town with traffic. The three stations, which together cost $14.2 million, were originally scheduled to open on December 31, 2001.[5] However, they were delayed by several factors, including a debate on whether to build full-length high-level platforms. Those were ruled out because they interfere with freight traffic; instead, smaller "mini-high" platforms plus long low platforms were built.[6]

Southborough and Westborough opened on June 22, 2002, followed by Ashland on August 24.[7][1] Construction of the station cost $7.4 million.[8] The new station was built to the west of the town center, where land was available for large parking lots. The downtown station still stands, and is currently used as a doctor's office.[9]

A $2.5 million renovation including restoration of the footbridge and resurfacing of the platforms is taking place in 2023. The station wasAugust 26 and is planned to reopen later in 2023.[10]

References
  1. Belcher, Jonathan. "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). Boston Street Railway Association.
  2. Central Transportation Planning Staff (2019). "2018 Commuter Rail Counts". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
  3. Dickinson, S.N. (1838). The Boston Almanac for the Year 1838. p. 49.
  4. Humphrey, Thomas J. & Clark, Norton D. (1985). Boston's Commuter Rail: The First 150 Years. Boston Street Railway Association. p. 24. ISBN 9780685412947.
  5. Flanagan, Ted (October 16, 2001). "They'll wait for the stations a little longer". Boston Globe. p. 28 – via Newspapers.com.open access
  6. Saltzman, Jonathan (June 16, 2002). "Hear that whistle blowin'". Boston Globe. pp. 148, 150 – via Newspapers.com.open access (second page)
  7. Saltzman, Jonathan (August 11, 2002). "New stations popular with commuters: Town's rail stop will open Aug. 24". Boston Globe. p. 111 – via Newspapers.com.open access
  8. "MBTA Opens New Ashland Station" (Press release). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. August 27, 2002. Archived from the original on October 11, 2002.
  9. Roy, John H. Jr. (2007). A Field Guide to Southern New England Railroad Depots and Freight Houses. Branch Line Press. p. 125. ISBN 9780942147087.
  10. "Ashland Station to Receive $2.5 Million in Repairs and Improvements" (Press release). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. July 31, 2023.

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