Sharon station

Sharon station is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in Sharon, Massachusetts. It serves the Providence/Stoughton Line. The station has two separate entrances for inbound trains to Boston and for outbound trains to Providence and beyond. Sharon station is the only public transportation in the Sharon area, as there are no public bus lines in the town. New platforms were constructed in 2014 to make the station accessible.

This article is about the station in Massachusetts. For the former station in Amenia, New York, see Sharon station (New York Central Railroad).
Sharon
Platforms and depot building at Sharon in November 2016
General information
Location1 Upland Road
Sharon, Massachusetts
Coordinates42.12475°N 71.18400°W / 42.12475; -71.18400
Line(s)Attleboro Line (Northeast Corridor)
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks2
Construction
Parking546 spaces ($4.00 fee)[1]
Bicycle facilities8 spaces
AccessibleYes
Other information
Fare zone4
History
OpenedJune 1835
Rebuilt1936
September 30, 2014
Passengers
20181,308 (weekday average boardings)[2]
Services
Preceding station MBTA Following station
Mansfield
toward Wickford Junction
 Providence/​Stoughton Line Canton Junction
toward South Station
Former services
Preceding station New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Following station
East Foxboro
toward New Haven
 Shore Line Canton Junction
toward Boston
Location

History
1870s-built Sharon station on a 1908 postcard

The Boston and Providence Railroad started full operations between the two cities in June 1835, including a station at the modern location in Sharon.[3][4] In the 1870s, the original Sharon station was replaced by a larger building similar to those still extant at East Greenwich and Kingston in Rhode Island.[5] The Boston and Providence was leased by the Old Colony Railroad in 1888, which was in turn absorbed by the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad in 1893.[4]

The current inbound station building and the small outbound shelter were designed by F.J. Pitcher and built in 1936 by the New Haven Railroad.[5] The Depot Road grade crossing was also replaced with a road bridge in 1936–37 at a cost of $127,094 (equivalent to $2,000,000 in 2021).[6][7] It was considered a priority for elimination because of busy rail traffic – 78 daily trains – and because the Comet operated through Sharon at up to 95 miles per hour (153 km/h).[8][9] The state issued a $9,789 contract (equivalent to $146,000 in 2021) in November 1937 for construction of platform canopies and other improvements related to the crossing elimination.[10]

Penn Central took over New Haven Railroad commuter operations on January 1, 1969. On January 27, 1973, the MBTA acquired a number of Penn Central's Boston commuter lines, including the Providence/Stoughton Line.[11] In June 1973, the MBTA began subsidizing commuter rail service to Sharon. The town had been part of the MBTA district since 1964.[11]

From 1989 to 1994, Boston–Foxboro trains for events at Foxboro Stadium operated over the Northeast Corridor, with intermediate stops including Sharon.[12][13] Boston–Foxboro service was rerouted over the Franklin Line in 1995.[14] Overcrowding of the parking lot led to plans for a 102-space expansion in 1999 and a 31-space expansion in 2003; neither were built.[15][16]

Accessibility
Mini-high platforms at Sharon station in 2016

Until 2014, Sharon was the busiest station on the system that was not accessible. All other stations with daily ridership above 1,000 passengers had accessible high-level platforms, as did all other stations on the busy Providence/Stoughton Line.[17] After an accessibility complaint was filed in May 2011, construction was mandated to take place by November 1, 2012. No construction took place in 2012, prompting concerns that the commuter rail stop - not just the building - would be closed.[18] On October 15, 2012, the state's Architectural Access Board granted the MBTA an extension until October 1, 2013 to make the station accessible.[19]

The project, which included adding mini-high platforms and improving handicapped access to the building, was originally expected to begin in the spring of 2013 and to be completed that fall at a cost of $1.2 million.[19] In May 2013, the MBTA issued a request for bids for the then-$2.6 million project, with work to start in August.[20][21] Notice to Proceed was given to the chosen contractor on September 5, 2013, with work to be completed by February 2014.[20] Noise testing begun in April 2014, followed by ongoing construction of mini-high platforms as well as improvements to the building and parking lot.[22]

The accessible parking spots and the building retrofits were completed during May 2014.[1] The mini-high platforms were opened on September 30, 2014.[23]

The stairs to the platforms were closed on January 29, 2023.[24]

Other Sharon stations
Sharon Heights station in the early 20th century

A station was located in Sharon Heights near Garden Street, about a mile south of Sharon proper.[3][4][25] It was closed sometime in the mid-20th century, at least a decade before the 1973 MBTA takeover.

In the late 1800s, a short-lived half-mile branch line led from Sharon Heights to a summer-only station at Lake Massapoag.[25] The branch was also used to haul ice from the lake to surrounding locales.[3] The remnants of the wye to the branch are still visible from passing trains on the main line.

References
  1. "Sharon Disabilities Commission Minutes, May 28, 2014" (PDF). Sharon Disabilities Commission. 28 May 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 9, 2017. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
  2. Central Transportation Planning Staff (2019). "2018 Commuter Rail Counts". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
  3. E. Robinson (1888). "Foxborough & Sharon 1888 Plate 45 - Sharon Heights, Franklin Center". Atlas of Norfolk County, 1888. WardMaps LLC. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
  4. Karr, Ronald Dale (1995). The Rail Lines of Southern New England. Branch Line Press. pp. 146–149. ISBN 0942147022.
  5. Roy, John H. Jr. (2007). A Field Guide to Southern New England Railroad Depots and Freight Houses. Branch Line Press. pp. 225–226. ISBN 9780942147087.
  6. Annual Report of the Department of Public Works for the Year Ending November 30, 1936. Massachusetts Department of Public Works. 1937. p. 28.
  7. "Bids For Sidewalks And Grade Crossings Opened". The Boston Globe. May 1, 1936. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "Crossing Projects Discussed By Foy". The Boston Globe. July 25, 1935. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Worst Crossing "Is In Sharon"". The Boston Globe. July 23, 1935. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. Annual Report of the Department of Public Works for the Year Ending November 30, 1937. Massachusetts Department of Public Works. 1937. p. 39.
  11. Belcher, Jonathan. "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). Boston Street Railway Association.
  12. Ackerman, Jerry (September 18, 1989). "The latest words from the streets". Boston Globe. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. "How to get to the game". Boston Globe. December 4, 1994. p. 63 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. "How to get to the game". Boston Globe. September 10, 1995. p. 93 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. Preer, Robert (November 21, 1999). "MBTA set to expand station parking". Boston Globe. pp. 21, 32 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  16. Massey, Joanna (October 2, 2003). "Supply and demand clash at MBTA lots". Boston Globe. p. 201 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  17. "Ridership and Service Statistics" (PDF) (14th ed.). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 2014.
  18. Salisbury, Phil (October 1, 2012). "Sharon train station may close due to lack of handicap access". Wicked Local Sharon. Retrieved October 22, 2012.
  19. Vogler, Paula (18 October 2012). "Sharon commuter rail station gets access waiver extension". Wicked Local Sharon. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
  20. Davey, Richard A. & Scott, Beverly A. (17 May 2013). "Notice to Bidders" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
  21. Barnes, Jennette (20 July 2013). "Train accessibility plan outlined". Boston Globe. Retrieved 21 July 2013.
  22. Taurasi, Liz (7 April 2014). "MBTA Work at Sharon Station Nightly Through April 25". Sharon Patch. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
  23. "Sharon Commission on Disabilities Minutes, October 22, 2014" (PDF). Sharon Disabilities Commission. October 22, 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 9, 2016. Retrieved November 22, 2016.
  24. "A;erts: Providence/Stoughton Line". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. January 29, 2023. Archived from the original on April 18, 2023.
  25. George J. Varney & Rev. Elias Nason (1890). A gazetteer of the State of Massachusetts with numerous illustrations. B.B. Russell. pp. 588–589. Retrieved 22 October 2012.

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