Bridgewater station (MBTA)
Bridgewater station is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, served by the Middleborough/Lakeville Line. It is located on the east end of the Bridgewater State University campus along the Middleborough Main Line.
Bridgewater | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Bridgewater station in 2012 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| General information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | 80 Burrill Avenue Bridgewater, Massachusetts | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 41.9853°N 70.9658°W | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Line(s) | Middleborough Main Line | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Platforms | 1 side platform | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tracks | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Parking | 497 spaces (10 accessible) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bicycle facilities | 24 spaces | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Accessible | Yes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fare zone | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| History | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | September 29, 1997[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Passengers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018 | 600 (weekday average boardings)[2] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Services | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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History
The final section of the Fall River Railroad opened between North Bridgewater and Middleborough opened on December 21, 1846, completing the line between South Braintree and Fall River.[3][4] The railroad merged into the Old Colony and Fall River Railroad in 1854; it became the Old Colony and Newport Railroad in 1863, then the Old Colony Railroad in 1872. The line was originally single track; the second track was extended from Campello to Bridgewater in 1884.[5]
The original station was replaced by the Old Colony with a wooden structure with a hip roof.[6] The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad acquired the Old Colony in 1893. The next year, it constructed a new station designed by New York architect Bradford Gilbert. The Romanesque structure was built from Milford pink granite with brownstone trim.[6]
Old Colony Division passenger service ended on June 30, 1959. The Cape Cod & Hyannis Railroad stopped at Bridgewater from 1984 to 1988.[7][8] The modern station opened on September 29, 1997, along with the rest of the Middleborough/Lakeville and Plymouth/Kingston Lines.[1] It is located southeast of downtown Bridgewater at the Bridgewater State University campus. The former station building has been repurposed as a Burger King restaurant.[6]
References
- Belcher, Jonathan. "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). Boston Street Railway Association.
- Central Transportation Planning Staff (2019). "2018 Commuter Rail Counts". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
- "Rail Road". Fall River Monitor. December 26, 1846. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
- Fall River Railroad (December 24, 1846). "New Notice". Herald of the Times. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
- Twenty-First Annual Report of the Old Colony Railroad Co. to the Stockholders. Old Colony Railroad Company. November 1884. p. 8.
- Roy, John H. Jr. (2007). A Field Guide to Southern New England Railroad Depots and Freight Houses. Branch Line Press. pp. 134–135. ISBN 9780942147087.
- Pillsbury, Fred (June 30, 1984). "Passenger train service to Cape Cod begins anew: Hyannis, Falmouth—All aboard!". The Boston Globe. p. 23 – via Newspapers.com.
- Cape Cod & Hyannis Railroad Spring Schedule, Cape Cod and Hyannis Railroad, May 27, 1988 – via Wikimedia Commons
