Milford Secondary

The Milford Secondary is a railroad line in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. The line currently runs from Franklin to Milford, formerly continuing through Hopkinton and connecting to the Boston Subdivision in Ashland. Part of the line was originally part of the Boston and Albany Railroad, and later Penn Central, before the northern part of the branch was abandoned in 1972.[1]

Milford Secondary
North end of the Milford Secondary in Milford in 2017
Overview
Type	Railroad
Status	Operating
Locale	Worcester County and Norfolk County
Termini	Franklin Milford (formerly Ashland)
Stations	1
Operation
Opened	1848
Closed	1972 (Milford to Ashland), still operating (South Milford to Franklin)
Owner	CSX (Milford to Bellingham) MBTA (Franklin)
Character	Surface Level
Technical
Line length	about 8.5 miles (13.7 km)
Track gauge	4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Route map Framingham/Worcester Line former route to Framingham via Milford Branch Milford Yard Grafton and Upton Railroad former route to Medway, Needham Junction, and Boston via Charles River Branch Bellingham Cogeneration former route to Woonsocket and Pascoag, RI via Charles River Branch Forge Park/495 I‑495 former route to Hartford and New York Public Works Way Franklin/Dean College Franklin Line to Boston

Current use

Forge Park/495 station in 2017

Although the northern part of the line was abandoned in 1972 and turned into a rail trail in the early 2000s, the southern part of the line is still being used for railroad use. The portion of the line from Union Street in Franklin, to the Forge Park/495 station is frequently used by the MBTA Commuter Rail Franklin Line. West of the Forge Park/495 station, the line is owned by CSX, where trains are seldom run. This portion of the line begins in West Franklin and continues through Bellingham, Hopedale and Milford, where it terminates near the intersection of Central Street and Depot Street. The abandoned track bed past this point was recently turned into the Upper Charles Rail Trail.[2] The line connects with the Grafton and Upton Railroad shortly before the rail trail begins.

Proposals for renewed service

In July 2011, a study by the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization proposed implementing new MBTA Commuter Rail service along the line. The new service was to be an extension of the existing Franklin Line, and the plan was to create a new station in Milford, before the commuter rail would diverge onto the Grafton and Upton Railroad, and eventually terminate in Hopedale. A second Milford station was additionally proposed near the intersection of Central and Depot streets, but this location was past where the Grafton and Upton Railroad connects with the line, and it was scrapped from the project. As of May 2018, construction on this extension has not begun, and no indication of when or if it will has been made.[3]

See also

• List of CSX Transportation lines
• List of Massachusetts railroads

References

1. Groundspeak, Inc. (June 18, 2012). "Milford Railroad Depot - Milford, MA". www.waymarking.com.
2. WordPress. "Upper Charles Trail".
3. Milford Daily News (May 2015). "Franklin rail line could expand to Milford and Hopedale". www.milforddailynews.com.

External links

Media related to Milford Secondary at Wikimedia Commons