East Taunton station

East Taunton station is an under-construction MBTA Commuter Rail station in East Taunton, Massachusetts adjacent to the interchange between the Route 24 expressway and County Street (Route 140). It is planned to open in mid-2024 as part of the first phase of the South Coast Rail project.

East Taunton
East Taunton station under construction in February 2023
General information
LocationIndustrial Drive
Taunton, Massachusetts
Coordinates41.86799°N 71.06148°W / 41.86799; -71.06148
Line(s)New Bedford Secondary
Platforms1 island platform (under construction)
Tracks3 (2 station tracks, 1 freight bypass)
ConnectionsBus transport GATRA: 8[1]
Construction
AccessibleYes
History
Openingmid-2024 (planned)
Passengers
2030420 daily boardings (projected)[1]: 66 
Planned services
Preceding station MBTA Following station
Freetown
toward Fall River
 South Coast Rail Middleborough
Phase 1 (2023)
toward South Station
Church Street
toward New Bedford
 Taunton
Phase 2 (2030)
toward South Station

A former East Taunton station, located to the east on a different line, was served by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad and several predecessors until 1927. In 2009, South Coast Rail planning identified Taunton Depot, just north of Middleborough Junction (Cotley Junction), as a preferred station site. A 2017 re-evaluation of the project recommended an interim route through Middleborough, with East Taunton station located just south of the junction. A construction contract was issued in 2020.

Station design

The station will be located in the southeast portion of Taunton along the New Bedford Secondary, slightly northwest of the Route 24 expressway. The station driveway (an extension of the existing Industrial Drive) will be reached from County Street (Route 140) just north of the Route 24/Route 140 interchange.[1] East Taunton will have a single full-length high-level island platform, 800 feet (240 m) long and 26.5 feet (8.1 m) wide. It will serve the two passenger tracks, with a freight bypass track to the west.[1] Two footbridges – one with stairs, the other with ramps – will connect the platform to the 363-space parking lot, which includes a turnout for Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority (GATRA) buses.[1]

History

Former service
A postcard of a small structure at a railroad junction
Cotley Junction in the early 20th century

The Taunton Branch Railroad was extended to New Bedford as the New Bedford and Taunton Railroad in 1840.[2]: 398  The Middleborough and Taunton Railroad opened from Middleborough to Cotley Junction (Middleborough Junction) – south of Taunton on the New Bedford and Taunton Railroad – in 1856.[2]: 398  No station was located at the junction, which was in a relatively unpopulated area. East Taunton station on the Middleborough and Taunton was located 2 miles (3.2 km) east at Old Colony Avenue in East Taunton village.[3] The Middleborough and Taunton was acquired by the Old Colony Railroad in 1874, followed by the former New Bedford and Taunton (after several ownership and name changes) in 1879.[2]: 398  The Old Colony was in turn acquired by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad in 1893.[2]

Local passenger service between Middleborough and Taunton was operated as Providence–Plymouth or Taunton–Plymouth trains; it was discontinued in 1927 when service on the Darby Branch ended.[4][5][6] East Taunton station was closed; the line was used by New York–Cape Cod trains until 1964, and commuter rail service to New Bedford via Taunton lasted until 1958.[2]: 399  Freight service continued on the Middleboro Secondary and New Bedford Subdivision; the state purchased the former line from Conrail in December 1982.[7]

South Coast Rail
Aerial view of a construction site next to a rail line in a wooded area
Aerial view of construction in August 2021

In September 2008, MassDOT released 18 potential station sites for the South Coast Rail project, including two potential East Taunton sites: one just west of Route 24 if trains were routed through Middleborough, and one to the north off Route 140 if trains were routed through Stoughton or Attleboro.[8] The 2009 selection of the Stoughton route included Taunton Depot at the northern site. It was to have an island platform flanked by two passenger tracks, with a freight passing track on the western side.[9] Potential transit-oriented development included new multi-family housing to the north, and eventual redevelopment of a nearby shopping center.[10] Station plans released as part of the Final Environmental Impact Report in 2013 were nearly identical to those from 2009.[11] On June 11, 2010, the state took ownership of the New Bedford Subdivision and several other CSX lines as part of a sale agreement.[12]

In 2017, the project was re-evaluated due to cost issues. The new proposal called for early service via Middleborough by 2022, followed by full service via Stoughton by 2030.[13] The 2017 proposal attracted criticism from local officials across the route, including Taunton officials unhappy that the downtown Taunton station would be delayed until 2030.[14] The January 2018 Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Report considered several service patterns: serving Taunton Depot and/or Taunton stations with a reverse move on some or all trains, or a new East Taunton station near the previously proposed southern site. The latter option was chosen for lower costs and shorter travel times.[1]: 28 

Two sites just south of Cotley Junction, and one site at Old Colony Avenue (the former East Taunton station location) were considered. The previously-considered southern site (a former sports complex on Industrial Drive at 1141 County Street) was chosen. The site is adjacent to the interchange between the Route 24 expressway and County Street (Route 140).[1]: 41  As with the former Taunton Depot plans, the station will have a single island platform with two passenger tracks and a freight passing track.[1]: 41 

The sports complex was demolished in 2020 to make room for the station and its parking lot.[15] The MBTA awarded a $403.5 million contract for the Middleborough Secondary and New Bedford Secondary portions of the project, including East Taunton station, on August 24, 2020. Construction was expected to begin later in 2020 and take 37 months, with a late 2023 opening.[16] The contract was 18% complete by November 2021, with station construction underway, and 53% complete by August 2022.[17][18] In December 2022, the city council approved a zoning change allowing transit oriented development near the station.[19] Opening was delayed to mid-2024 in September 2023; at that point, the station was 69% complete.[20]

References
  1. VHB/HNTB (January 31, 2018). "Chapter 2 – Alternatives Analysis". South Coast Rail Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Report. Massachusetts Department of Transportation.
  2. Karr, Ronald Dale (2017). The Rail Lines of Southern New England (2 ed.). Branch Line Press. ISBN 9780942147124.
  3. "City of Taunton: Easterly Part". New Topographical Atlas of Surveys, Bristol County, Massachusetts. Publisher: Everts & Richards. 1895. pp. 68–69 – via Wikimedia Commons.
  4. "New Haven Announces New Cuts in Train Service". Boston Globe. August 12, 1919. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  5. "New Train Schedules on Railroads Sunday". Boston Globe. April 23, 1925. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  6. "Bus May Be Only Taunton–Middleboro Connection". Boston Globe. November 29, 1927. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  7. "Bay State gets Conrail lines". Boston Globe. December 31, 1982. p. 16 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  8. "South Coast Rail Fact Sheet" (PDF). Massachusetts Department of Transportation. October 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 5, 2015.
  9. "Taunton Depot Rail Alternative" (PDF). Massachusetts Department of Transportation. September 11, 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 4, 2014.
  10. South Coast Rail Economic Development and Land Use Corridor Plan (PDF). Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation and Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development. June 2009. p. 81. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 7, 2013.
  11. "Figure 3.2-26 Taunton Depot Station Conceptual Station Design" (PDF). Volume II: FEIS/FEIR Figures Final Environmental Impact Statement/Final Environmental Impact Report on the South Coast Rail Project proposed by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New England District. August 2013. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  12. "The Massachusetts Rail Program" (PDF). Massachusetts Department of Transportation. June 2010. p. 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 24, 2012.
  13. "Notice of Project Change" (PDF). Massachusetts Department of Transportation. March 15, 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 18, 2017.
  14. Laidler, John (June 16, 2017). "Sharp differences over latest plan for South Coast Rail". Boston Globe. Retrieved June 18, 2017.
  15. Roy, Linda (August 6, 2020). "North End industrial site demolished for commuter rail station". South Coast Today.
  16. "FMCB Approves $403.5 Million Contract for South Coast Rail Main Line Construction" (Press release). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. August 24, 2020.
  17. "South Coast Rail Fall Update" (Press release). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. November 19, 2021.
  18. "South Coast Rail Fall River Construction Update" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. October 13, 2022.
  19. Baker, Ed (December 19, 2022). "'A village environment': Shops, apartments can be built near a new Taunton station". Taunton Gazette. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  20. Medeiros, Dan (September 29, 2023). "South Coast Rail passenger service is being delayed. Here's why, explained in 60 seconds". The Herald News. Archived from the original on September 30, 2023.

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