West Medford station

West Medford station is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in Medford, Massachusetts. It serves the Lowell Line, and is located at West Medford Square.

West Medford
An outbound train arrives at West Medford in 2012
General information
Location481 High Street
Medford, Massachusetts
Coordinates42.4218°N 71.13332°W / 42.4218; -71.13332
Line(s)New Hampshire Main Line
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks2
ConnectionsBus transport MBTA bus: 94, 95
Construction
Parking30 spaces
AccessibleNo
Other information
Fare zone1A
Passengers
2018628 (weekday average boardings)[1]
Services
Preceding station MBTA Following station
Wedgemere
toward Lowell
 Lowell Line North Station
Terminus
Former services
Preceding station MBTA Following station
Wedgemere
toward Haverhill
 Haverhill Line
Limited service
 North Station
Terminus
Preceding station Boston and Maine Railroad Following station
Wedgemere
toward Concord, NH
 Boston – Concord, NH Medford Hillside
toward Boston

History
West Medford station in 1909

When the original Boston and Lowell Railroad (B&L) was laid out in the 1830s, West Medford was mostly farmland. The route of the new railroad (one of the oldest railroads in North America) was built on land acquired from Peter Chardon Brooks, who sold a strip for the right-of-way plus a parcel for the station on High Street. Medford Gates station was open by 1838.[2] The name reflected the large gates built to warn passerby about the grade crossing. The Boston and Maine Railroad (B&M) opened its Medford branch to Medford Square in 1847; the B&L station was renamed West Medford in the early 1850s.[3][4]: 64  A new station building was constructed in 1854.[5]

The adjacent High Street grade crossing, and the Canal Street crossing 0.2 miles (0.32 km) southeast, are the only grade crossings on the line south of Wilmington. Elimination of the High Street crossing was considered in 1932, but not implemented.[6] The depot structure, built in 1886, was demolished in the 1960s.[7][8] The decorative weathervane from the roof of the station was acquired by the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan in the 1950s.[9]

Until December 2020, a small number of Haverhill Line trains ran via the Wildcat Branch and the inner Lowell Line, making stops including West Medford.[10][11] Until May 2023, West Medford and Wedgemere were flag stops outside of weekday peak hours. Effective May 22, 2023, they were made regular scheduled stops at all times.[12][13][14]

In 2019, the MBTA listed West Medford as a "Tier I" accessibility priority.[15] As of June 2023, the MBTA plans to pilot a freestanding temporary accessible platform at Beverly Depot in late 2023. If successful, West Medford would be one of the first four stations to receive a temporary platform while a full reconstruction is planned.[16]

References
  1. Central Transportation Planning Staff (2019). "2018 Commuter Rail Counts". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
  2. Dickinson, S.N. (1838). The Boston Almanac for the Year 1838. p. 49.
  3. "Boston and Lowell Railroad". Boston Evening Transcript. October 6, 1853. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. Mann, Moses Whitcher (July 1909). "A Pioneer Railroad and How it was Built". Medford Historical Register. Vol. 12, no. 3. Medford Historical Society. pp. 49–67.
  5. "Development of the business section of West Medford". Medford Historical Society Papers. Vol. 29. 1926.
  6. "Medford". Boston Globe. September 29, 1932. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. Harrington, Joe (April 1, 1963). "West Medford Keepsake Survives Rock Hounds". Boston Globe. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "West Medford–Then and Now". Boston Globe. October 10, 1965. p. 260 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. Sammarco, Anthony Mitchell (1999). Images of America: Medford. Arcadia Publishing. p. 104. ISBN 9780738538549 – via Google Books.
  10. "Lowell Line: Fall/Winter Schedule" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. November 2, 2020. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 30, 2020.
  11. "2020/2021 Reduced Service Schedule: Lowell Line" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. December 14, 2020.
  12. "Lowell Line Fall/Winter Schedule" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. October 17, 2022.
  13. "Lowell Line Spring/Summer Schedule" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. May 22, 2023.
  14. "Commuter Rail Spring/Summer Schedule to Take Effect May 22" (Press release). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. May 16, 2023.
  15. "Preview of 2019 Recommendations: Presentation to the FMCB" (PDF). Plan for Accessible Transit Infrastructure (PATI). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. April 1, 2019. p. 12.
  16. "System-Wide Accessibility Initiatives—June 2023" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Department of System-Wide Accessibility. June 5, 2023. p. 8.

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