Bradford station

Bradford station is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in Bradford, Massachusetts. It serves the Haverhill Line. The Haverhill Line's layover yard is located adjacent to the station.

For a railway station and bus station in the GO Transit network, see Bradford GO Station.
Bradford
Bradford station platforms in May 2012
General information
Location10 Railroad Avenue
Bradford, Massachusetts
Coordinates42°46′01″N 71°05′18″W
Owned byMBTA
Line(s)Western Route
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks2
ConnectionsBus transport MVRTA: 14
Construction
Parking303 spaces ($2.00 fee)
9 accessible spaces
Bicycle facilities12 spaces
AccessibleYes
Other information
Fare zone7
Passengers
2018170 (weekday average boardings)[1]
Services
Preceding station MBTA Following station
Lawrence
toward North Station
 Haverhill Line Haverhill
Terminus

History
A postcard of the former Bradford station building, which is still extant

The Boston and Portland Railroad opened to Bradford, across the Merrimack River from Haverhill, on October 26, 1837.[2]: 5  It was the terminus of the line until the January 1, 1840 extension across the river and into New Hampshire. The Boston and Portland became the Boston and Maine Railroad (B&M) in 1843.[2]: 6 

The Newburyport Railroad opened its Haverhill Branch between Georgetown and Bradford on September 22, 1851, with regular service beginning the next month.[2]: 25  The B&M obtained control of the Newburyport in 1855 and leased it in 1860.[3]: 302  The B&M built a new depot building in the 1870s, likely as part of a double-tracking project.[4] It was raised 8 feet (2.4 m) in 1904–05 as part of a grade crossing elimination project.[5]

Passenger service on the Haverhill Branch ended in 1933, though a short segment to a paper mill remained in freight use until 1982.[3]: 302  The B&M sold the depot for commercial reuse in the 1960s, though service to Bradford continued until the last remaining Haverhill round trip was canceled in April 1976.[4][6] MBTA Commuter Rail service resumed on December 17, 1979.[6]

Prior to 1987, when the system was operated by B&M successor Guilford Transportation Industries, trains were stored overnight on Guilford-owned sidings north of Haverhill station in a largely industrial area. When the MBTA contracted with Amtrak in 1987 to operate the system, a new layover yard for the line was needed. The MBTA constructed a two-track layover yard adjacent to a rebuilt Bradford station at a cost of $2.2 million. It was built without an environmental evaluation process in violation of state law; not until 1992 did complaints from residents prompt the MBTA to belatedly start the process.[7] Because of its proximity to the Bradford residential neighborhood, the noise and diesel fumes from the layover have prompted continued complaint from residents.[8][9] Mini-high platforms for accessibility were added to the station around 1992.[10]

As of 2022, the MBTA plans to relocate and expand the layover facility in the mid-to-late 2020s.[11]

References
  1. Central Transportation Planning Staff (2019). "2018 Commuter Rail Counts". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
  2. Bradlee, Francis Boardman Crowninshield (1921). The Boston and Maine Railroad; a history of the main road, with its tributary lines. Essex Institute – via Internet Archive.
  3. Karr, Ronald Dale (2017). The Rail Lines of Southern New England (2 ed.). Branch Line Press. ISBN 978-0-942147-12-4.
  4. Roy, John H. Jr. (2007). A Field Guide to Southern New England Railroad Depots and Freight Houses. Branch Line Press. p. 134. ISBN 978-0-942147-08-7.
  5. "Haverhill's $750,000 Job". Boston Globe. December 3, 1905. p. 30 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  6. Belcher, Jonathan. "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). Boston Street Railway Association.
  7. Sessler, Amy (December 27, 1992). "Dawn train engines rouse neighbors". Boston Globe North Weekly. pp. 1, 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. Goldstein, Meredith (February 5, 2004). "Steam builds for silencing of idle trains". Boston Globe North. pp. 1, 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. Goldstein, Meredith (August 12, 2004). "T to turn down volume at rail sttaion". Boston Globe North. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. MBTA : ACCESS; The Guide to Accessible Services and Facilities. Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. June 1992. p. 15 – via Internet Archive.
  11. "Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority FY23-27 Capital Investment Plan (CIP): Proposed" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. March 2022. p. 70.

Media related to Bradford station at Wikimedia Commons

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