Lowell Line

LOWELL LINE
An outbound Lowell Line train at Anderson RTC
Overview
Type	Commuter rail
System	MBTA Commuter Rail
Status	Operational
Locale	Northeastern Massachusetts
Termini	Lowell North Station
Stations	9
Daily ridership	11,965 (weekday average, 2014)[1]
Operation
Opened	1835 (Boston & Lowell Railroad)
Owner	Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
Operator(s)	Keolis North America
Character	Elevated and surface-level
Technical
Line length	25.4 Miles
Track gauge	4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Route map miles 73.3 Concord, N.H. (closed 1981, proposed) 55.5 Manchester, N.H. (closed 1981, proposed) Manchester Airport (proposed) 46.1 Merrimack, N.H. (closed 1981, proposed) 39.0 Nashua, N.H. (closed 1981, proposed) New Hampshire Massachusetts 32.1 Tyngsborough (proposed) 28.6 North Chelmsford (proposed) 25.4 Lowell 21.8 North Billerica 19.2 East Billerica (closed 1965) 17.0 Silver Lake (closed 1965) Wildcat Branch (to Haverhill Line) 15.2 Wilmington 12.7 Anderson/Woburn 11.6 Mishawum 11.0 Lechmere Warehouse (closed 1996) 10.5 Walnut Hill (closed 1965) 10.0 Woburn (closed 1981) 9.0 Cross Street (closed 1981) 9.0 Winchester Highlands (closed 1978) Woburn Branch 7.8 Winchester Center 7.3 Wedgemere 5.5 West Medford 4.0 Tufts University (closed 1979) Haverhill Line and Newburyport/Rockport Line Fitchburg Line 1.0 Boston Engine Terminal (MBTA employees only) US 1 Charles River Bridge 0.0 North Station

The Lowell Line is a railroad line of the MBTA Commuter Rail system, running north from Boston to Lowell, Massachusetts. Originally built as the Boston & Lowell Railroad and later operated as part of the Boston & Maine Railroad's Southern Division, the line was one of the first railroads in North America and the first major one in Massachusetts.

All stations are wheelchair accessible except for West Medford, Winchester Center, and Mishawum.

History

Junction of the former Woburn Branch in Winchester

Lowell is the current outer terminus

The Boston & Lowell Railroad started freight operations in 1835, with traffic from the Lowell mills to the Boston port. Demand for the express passenger service exceeded expectations, and in 1842 local service was added as well. The line north of Lowell was first owned by the Boston, Concord & Montreal Railroad, which was chartered in 1844. Trackage was completed as far as Wells River, Vermont, in 1853. The Boston & Maine Railroad (B&M) acquired the railroad in 1895.^[2][3] The line served as the route for Boston to Montreal service during the Golden Age of Rail (roughly 1880 to 1930). The Ambassador, the train from Boston's North Station to Montreal, ran through Concord, New Hampshire, along this line until 1966.^[4] This line, along with the New Englander, via Concord, White River Junction, Montpelier, ran through the northwestern section of Vermont prior to entering Quebec, Canada. The Alouette and Red Wing trains travelled to Montreal via Concord, Wells River and Newport in northeastern Vermont prior to entering Quebec. (The route via Wells River, St. Johnsbury and Newport was the more direct route of the two itineraries.)^[5] For this itinerary the Montreal route was marketed as an Air-line railroad.

B&M passenger service to Boston on the line was shortened from Nashua, New Hampshire to Lowell in 1967.^[6]

In 1973 the MBTA bought the Lowell line, along with the Haverhill and all other local Greater Boston passenger lines. Along with the sale, the B&M contracted to run the passenger service on the Lowell line for the MBTA. After bankruptcy, The B&M continued to run and fulfill its Commuter Rail contract under the protection of the United States Bankruptcy Court, in the hopes that a reorganization could make it profitable again. It emerged from the court's protection when newly formed Guilford Transportation Industries (GTI) purchased it in 1983.

For approximately thirteen months in 1980-81, daily passenger service was provided to Concord. Two round-trips were operated on each weekday and one on weekend days. Originally, there were intermediate stops in Manchester and Nashua. A stop in Merrimack was added later. Service was discontinued when federal funding was withdrawn.^[7]

In 2001, the Amtrak Downeaster began operating over the line south of Wilmington.^[8]

Expansions

As of 2011, there is a current debate over whether or not to expand the Lowell line to Nashua, New Hampshire and include stations in North Chelmsford and Tyngsborough en route, for the sake of commuters in those towns.

In January 2011, a bill was introduced into the New Hampshire legislature to end the proposed extension and give up a potential $4.1 million grant into its planning.^[9]

The MBTA is currently building the Green Line Extension through Somerville and part of Medford. One branch of the Extension will follow the right of way of the Lowell Line into Medford. Several stations once existed along that section of the line, but none are in operation any longer.

Operations

Track speeds

North of Wilmington, the line is authorized for a maximum of 60 miles per hour (97 km/h). South of Wilmington, the line has an unusual asymmetrical speed limit. The northbound track supports up to 70 miles per hour (110 km/h) where curvature allows, while the southbound track has a maximum of 60 miles per hour (97 km/h). Additional speed restrictions are in place at Wilmington, through the grade crossings in West Medford, and in the North Station terminal area.^[10]

Other services

Amtrak's Downeaster service to Maine, along with some Haverhill Line express trains, run on the Lowell Line from North Station to Wilmington, then follow the Wildcat Branch to the Haverhill Line. This routing is used to avoid the inner Haverhill Line, which has a number of single-track sections.

The line is the designated freight clearance route into Boston from the north; all stations with high-level platforms must either have mini-high platforms or a freight passing track. Pan Am Railways runs freight on the line, including local freights based out of Lawrence Yard and DOBO (a Dover to Boston through freight).

Station listing

Operating stations are shaded in purple; stations closed during the MBTA era are also listed.

Milepost[11]	City	Station	Connections and notes
0.0	Boston	North Station	Amtrak: Downeaster MBTA Commuter Rail: Fitchburg Line, Haverhill/Reading Line, and Newburyport/Rockport Line MBTA subway:Orange Line, Green Line MBTA Bus: 4
		Boston Engine Terminal	Flag stop with a wooden platform for MBTA employees Junctions with Fitchburg Line, Haverhill/Reading Line, and Newburyport/Rockport Line
4.0	Medford	Tufts University	Open from November 1976 to October 1979; replaced former Tufts College and College Hill stations that closed before the MBTA era.[8] College Avenue station will be located near the former site.
5.5		West Medford
7.3	Winchester	Wedgemere
7.8		Winchester Center	Split with Woburn Branch until 1981
9.0		Winchester Highlands	Closed in June 1978[8]
10.5	Woburn	Walnut Hill	Closed on January 17, 1965[8]
10.9		Lechmere Warehouse	Open 1979-1996 as a flag stop for reverse commuters[8]
11.6		Mishawum	Opened on September 24, 1984; limited reverse commute service only after the opening of Anderson RTC.[8] Replaced former North Woburn station that closed before the MBTA era.
12.7		Anderson Regional Transportation Center	Opened on April 28, 2001.[8]Amtrak Downeaster service to Maine Replaced former South Wilmington station that closed before the MBTA era.
15.2	Wilmington	Wilmington	Split with Wildcat Branch
17.0		Silver Lake	Closed 18 January 1965[8]
	Billerica	East Billerica	Closed 18 January 1965[8]
21.8		North Billerica	Junction with former Billerica and Bedford Branch
25.5	Lowell	Lowell	LRTA buses to Lowell and beyond Junction with Lowell and Nashua Railroad (B&L)
39.0	Nashua, New Hampshire	Nashua, N.H.	Unsubsidised B&M service ended 30 June 1967. Experimental MBTA service began 28 January 1980; closed 1 March 1981.[8] Restoration of service currently proposed.
46.1	Merrimack, New Hampshire	Merrimack, N.H.	Opened in April 1980; closed 1 March 1981[8]
55.5	Manchester, New Hampshire	Manchester, N.H.	Unsubsidised B&M service ended 30 June 1967. Experimental MBTA service began 28 January 1980; closed 1 March 1981.[8]
73.3	Concord, New Hampshire	Concord, N.H.	Unsubsidised B&M service ended 30 June 1967. Experimental MBTA service began 28 January 1980; closed 1 March 1981.[8]

References

1. "2014 Bluebook 14th Edition" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 2014. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
2. "Boston, Concord & Montreal Railroad waymark". Waymarking. 19 April 2007. Retrieved 23 August 2011.
3. See also Boston and Maine Corporation#Acquisitions
4. Mike Schafer, Classic American Trains, p. 31.
5. "Map of the Montreal and Boston Air Line, Passumpsic, and South Eastern Railroads, and connections". David Rumsey Map Collection. Retrieved 23 August 2011.
6. MBTA-MBCR contract of February 19, 2003. Exhibit 18, p. 5.
7. Skoropowski, Eugene K. (1 August 2008). "N.H> commuter rail: a success in 1980.". New Hampshire Business Review. Retrieved 23 August 2011.
8. Belcher, Jonathan (31 August 2012). "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). NETransit. Retrieved 2 November 2012.
9. "New Hampshire Republicans plan to kill commuter line". Trains Magazine. 8 February 2011. Retrieved 9 February 2011.
10. Parsons Brinckerhoff Quade & Douglas (April 2003). "Boston to Montreal High-Speed Rail Planning and Feasibility Study Phase I: Final Report" (PDF). Vermont Agency of Transportation et al. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 February 2006. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
11. "Ridership and Service Statistics" (PDF) (14 ed.). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 2014. Retrieved 26 November 2014.

External links

• MBTA - Lowell Line