Ashland station (MBTA)

Ashland is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in Ashland, Massachusetts. It serves the Framingham/Worcester Line. It has a long driveway leading from the south parking lot to the intersection of West Union Street (MA 135) and Voyagers Lane. Like the other stations on the line west of Framingham, Ashland serves as a park-and-ride station with 678 parking spots.

Ashland
An inbound train arrives at Ashland station
LocationPleasant Street near High Street
Ashland, Massachusetts
Coordinates42°15′42″N 71°28′57″W
Line(s)Worcester Line
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks2
Construction
Parking678 spaces ($4.00 fee)
16 accessible spaces
Disabled accessYes
Other information
Fare zone6
History
OpenedAugust 24, 2002[1]
Traffic
Passengers (2018)931 (weekday average boardings)[2]
Services
Preceding station MBTA Following station
Southborough
toward Worcester
 Framingham/​Worcester Line Framingham
toward South Station
Former services
Preceding station New York Central Railroad Following station
Cordaville
toward Albany
 Boston and Albany Railroad Main Line Framingham
toward Boston
Southville
toward Albany

History
The previous downtown station photographed in 2016

Passenger service to the old Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge–built downtown station ended on April 24, 1960, when Boston and Albany Railroad service west of Framingham was cut to stops at Worcester, Palmer, Springfield, and Pittsfield only.[3] Service to Worcester ended entirely in 1975, but resumed in 1994.[1]

In 1994, service to Worcester was restored as mitigation for delays with reopening the Old Colony Lines. Service initially ran nonstop from Framingham to Worcester, but intermediate park and ride stops were added later as mitigation for delays in reopening the Greenbush Line. After the opening of Grafton in 2000 caused traffic congestion in the town, officials from Ashland, Southborough, and Westborough asked that their three stations open within a 90-day span to avoid overwhelming any one town with traffic. The three stations, which together cost $14.2 million, were originally scheduled to open on December 31, 2001.[4] However, they were delayed by several factors, including a debate on whether to build full-length high-level platforms. Those were ruled out because they interfere with freight traffic; instead, smaller "mini-high" platforms plus long low platforms were built.[5] Southborough and Westborough opened on June 22, 2002, followed by Ashland on August 24.[6][1] Construction of the station cost $7.4 million.[7] The new station was built to the west of the town center, where land was available for large parking lots. The downtown station still stands, and is currently used as a doctor's office.[8]

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References
  1. Belcher, Jonathan. "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). NETransit.
  2. Central Transportation Planning Staff (2019). "2018 Commuter Rail Counts". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
  3. Humphrey, Thomas J. & Clark, Norton D. (1985). Boston's Commuter Rail: The First 150 Years. Boston Street Railway Association. p. 24. ISBN 9780685412947.
  4. Flanagan, Ted (October 16, 2001). "They'll wait for the stations a little longer". Boston Globe. p. 28 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. Saltzman, Jonathan (June 16, 2002). "Hear that whistle blowin'". Boston Globe. pp. 148, 150 – via Newspapers.com. (second page)
  6. Saltzman, Jonathan (August 11, 2002). "New stations popular with commuters: Town's rail stop will open Aug. 24". Boston Globe. p. 111 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "MBTA Opens New Ashland Station" (Press release). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. August 27, 2002. Archived from the original on October 11, 2002.
  8. Roy, John H. Jr. (2007). A Field Guide to Southern New England Railroad Depots and Freight Houses. Branch Line Press. p. 125. ISBN 9780942147087.
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