Waverley station (MBTA)

Waverley station is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in Belmont, Massachusetts. It serves the Fitchburg Line. It is located below grade in Waverley Square in the triangle of Trapelo Road, Lexington Street, and Church Street in western Belmont.

Waverley
Waverley station in 2022
General information
Location525 Trapelo Road
Belmont, Massachusetts
Coordinates42°23′16.22″N 71°11′24.64″W
Line(s)Fitchburg Route
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks2
ConnectionsBus transport MBTA bus: 73, 554
Construction
AccessibleNo
Other information
Fare zone1
History
Opened1860;[1] March 4, 1974[2]
Closed1958[2]
Rebuilt1952[1]
Passengers
2018115 (weekday average boardings)[3]
Services
Preceding station MBTA Following station
Waltham
toward Wachusett
 Fitchburg Line Belmont Center
toward North Station

History
Ex-Fitchburg Railroad station at left and ex-Central Massachusetts Railroad station at right around 1905. By this time, both railroads and stations were under control of the Boston & Maine Railroad.

The Fitchburg Railroad opened through Belmont on December 20, 1843, but no station stop at Waverley Square existed until about 1860.[1] Service on the Central Massachusetts Railroad, which ran parallel to the Fitchburg, began in 1881.[1][4] The two railroads had separate station buildings, both of which remained in use until somewhat after both railroads were consolidated under the Boston and Maine Railroad (B&M). The tracks originally ran through the square at grade, with level crossings of Trapelo Road and Lexington Street. In August 1951, the town approved an agreement with the state and the B&M for a $1.125 million state-funded project to lower the tracks 18 feet (5.5 m) to eliminate the crossings.[5] The work was completed in 1952, at which timeCentral Mass Branch trains were moved from their parallel tracks onto the Fitchburg main.[1] All service to Waverley and nearby Belmont Center station ended in 1958.[2]

Service to Belmont Center and Waverley resumed on March 4, 1974. The Central Mass Branch had been discontinued in 1971, so all service was on the South Acton (now Fitchburg) Line.[2] The station building was gone by 1977.[6] Weekend service was discontinued at the two stops on January 30, 1981 as part of general cutbacks, but restored on December 6, 1993.[2][7]

As part of budget cuts,[8] in 2015, the MBTA was considering an option to shutter the current Waverley station and/or Belmont station(s)[9] due to expenses related to costs for making Waverley ADA-accessible.[10][11] Plans to combine both stations have been outlined in previous studies as early as 2005. Such works as the Fitchburg Commuter Rail Line Improvement Implementation Plan, released in September 2005 have considered this plan.[12] Other past proposals for altering the station, and in the process raising revenue have included building above the trench style station with a five-story mixed retail and residential development.[13]

References
  1. Humphrey, Thomas J. & Clark, Norton D. (1985). Boston's Commuter Rail: The First 150 Years. Boston Street Railway Association. pp. 86–88. ISBN 9780685412947.
  2. Belcher, Jonathan. "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). Boston Street Railway Association.
  3. Central Transportation Planning Staff (2019). "2018 Commuter Rail Counts". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
  4. ABC Pathfinder Railway Guide. New England Railway Publishing Company. 1858. p. 16 – via Google Books.
  5. "Underpass OK'd for Waverly Sq. at $1,125,000 Cost". Boston Globe. August 3, 1951. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  6. Henry, Alan P. (August 10, 1977). "There's no depot like an old depot". Boston Globe. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "T changes start today". Boston Globe. February 1, 1981. p. 24 – via Newspapers.com.open access
  8. TUCKER, FRANKLIN (February 29, 2012). "MBTA Cuts Will Go Deep Into Belmont". Belmont Patch. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
  9. Berkowitz, Bram (September 17, 2015). "Belmont could be home to new MBTA station". Gatehouse Media, LLC. Wicked Local. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
  10. TUCKER, FRANKLIN B. (September 16, 2015). "Belmont Could See One, Both MBTA Commuter Stations Closed In Favor of New Stop". The Belmontonian. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
  11. Brownsberger, Will (September 4, 2015). "A New Challenge for Belmont and the MBTA". State Senator. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
  12. "MBTA Commuter Rail Fitchburg Branch Improvements". Fitchburg Commuter Rail Line Improvement Implementation Plan. Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. September 2005. Archived from the original on 29 January 2014. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
  13. Cole, Caroline Louise (February 12, 2004). "MBTA air rights eyed for 5-story complex". The Boston Globe. Retrieved September 17, 2015.

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