Freetown station

Last updated

Freetown
Photo op train at Freetown station, December 2022.jpg
Freetown station during a ribbon cutting in December 2022
General information
LocationSouth Main Street
Assonet, Freetown, Massachusetts
Coordinates 41°46′21.55″N71°5′37.28″W / 41.7726528°N 71.0936889°W / 41.7726528; -71.0936889
Line(s) Fall River Secondary
Platforms1 side platform (planned)
Tracks2
ConnectionsAiga bus trans.svg SRTA: 102 [1] : 57 
Construction
Parking170 spaces
Bicycle facilities8 spaces
AccessibleYes
History
Opening2024 (planned)
Passengers
203060 (projected weekday boardings) [1] : 66 
Planned services
Preceding station MBTA.svg MBTA Following station
East Taunton
toward South Station
South Coast Rail Fall River
Terminus
Location
Freetown station

Freetown station is a future MBTA Commuter Rail station located in the Assonet village of Freetown, Massachusetts. It is planned to open in 2024 as part of the first phase of the South Coast Rail project. The station will have a single side platform on the west side of the Fall River Secondary, along with a park and ride lot.

Contents

The Fall River Railroad opened through Freetown in 1845. Two stations on the line in Freetown were open until the 1930s. Freetown was announced as a potential South Coast Rail station in 2009. The planned station site was relocated slightly to the northeast in 2018. A construction contract was issued in 2020, and the station was substantially completed in December 2022.

Station design

Freetown station will be located in the southwestern part of the Assonet village in Freetown between the South Main Street and the Route Massachusetts Route 24/79 expressway. It will have a single 800-foot (240 m)-long high-level side platform on the west side of the single main track of the Fall River Secondary. A freight passing siding will be located on the east side of the main track. A 107-space park and ride lot with a kiss-and-ride lane will be located next to the platform, with a driveway to South Main Street. A canopy will cover the portion of the platform adjacent to the entrance from the parking lot, with smaller canopies near the ends of the platform. [1] : 45  [2]

History

Previous stations

A postcard of Assonet station Assonet station postcard.jpg
A postcard of Assonet station

The Fall River Railroad opened from Fall River to Myricks on June 9, 1845; it was completed to South Braintree in December 1846. [3] [4] Two stations were located on the line in Freetown: Assonet at Elm Street, and Crystal Spring (Thwaites) at Copicut Road. [5] Somerset Junction (Millers), the junction with the 1866-opened Dighton and Somerset Railroad, was located further to the south in northern Fall River near the Freetown border. [3] [6] Service was consolidated in 1854 under the Old Colony and Fall River Railroad (later the Old Colony Railroad); the Old Colony was leased to the New Haven Railroad in 1893. [3]

Passenger service on the line continued until September 5, 1958, except for a discontinuance from 1949 to 1952. [7] However, most local stops including Assonet, Crystal Spring, and Somerset Junction were discontinued by the 1930s; by the end of service, trains ran nonstop from Fall River to Taunton. [8] [9] The line continued to be used for freight service by the New Haven and its successors Penn Central and Conrail, then finally as the CSX Fall River Subdivision. [3]

South Coast Rail

Construction of the new passing siding in April 2021 Siding preparation at Freetown station, April 2021.jpg
Construction of the new passing siding in April 2021

In September 2008, MassDOT released 18 potential station sites for the South Coast Rail project, including a Freetown station off South Main Street near the Route 24/79 expressway. [10] A 2009 conceptual design called for a single side platform serving one track, with a second track allowing freight trains to pass the high-level platform. [11] The station was planned to be the anchor of Assonet Village, a new mixed-use transit-oriented development village. [12] Station plans released as part of the Final Environmental Impact Report in 2013 were nearly identical to the 2009 plans. [13] On June 11, 2010, the state took ownership of the Fall River Subdivision (renamed the Fall River Secondary) and several other CSX lines as part of a sale agreement. [14]

In 2017, the project was re-evaluated due to cost issues. A new proposal released in March 2017 called for early service via Middleborough by 2024, followed by full service via Stoughton by 2029. [15] Freetown would have only been built as an infill station during the second phase. [16] By mid-2017, plans called for the first phase to be completed in 2022, and to include stations at Freetown and Battleship Cove in Phase 1 rather than Phase 2. [17] The January 2018 Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Report moved the planned station about 0.2 miles (0.32 km) northeast, as the previously planned site had been developed for use by a business. [1] : 44 

The MBTA awarded a $159 million contract for construction of the Fall River Secondary portion of the project, including Freetown station, in May 2020. Service was then planned to begin in November 2023. [18] [19] The station was 27% complete by February 2022, with 82% of platform foundations complete. [20] Substantial completion of the Fall River Secondary work was announced at an event at Freetown station in December 2022. [21] Opening was delayed to mid-2024 in September 2023. [22] In April 2024, the MBTA acknowledged that a midyear opening was unlikely, but did not provide a new schedule. [23] [24]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MBTA Commuter Rail</span> Greater Boston commuter rail system

The MBTA Commuter Rail system serves as the commuter rail arm of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's (MBTA's) transportation coverage of Greater Boston in the United States. Trains run over 394 mi (634 km) of track to 134 stations. It is operated under contract by Keolis, which took over operations on July 1, 2014, from the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Company (MBCR).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruggles station</span> Transit hub in Boston, Massachusetts, US

Ruggles station is an intermodal transfer station in Boston, Massachusetts. It serves Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) rapid transit, bus, and commuter rail services and is located at the intersection of Ruggles and Tremont streets, where the Roxbury, Fenway–Kenmore, and Mission Hill neighborhoods meet. It is surrounded by the campus of Northeastern University. Ruggles is a station stop for the Orange Line subway, as well as the Providence/Stoughton Line, Franklin/Foxboro Line, and Needham Line of the MBTA Commuter Rail system. Thirteen MBTA bus routes stop at Ruggles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lowell Line</span> MBTA Commuter Rail line

The Lowell Line is a railroad line of the MBTA Commuter Rail system, running north from Boston to Lowell, Massachusetts. Originally built as the New Hampshire Main Line of 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Braintree station (MBTA)</span> Transit station in Braintree, Massachusetts, US

Braintree station is an intermodal transit station in Braintree, Massachusetts. It serves the MBTA's Red Line and the MBTA Commuter Rail Old Colony Lines as well as MBTA buses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franklin/Foxboro Line</span> MBTA Commuter Rail line

The Franklin/Foxboro Line is part of the MBTA Commuter Rail system. It runs from Boston's South Station in a southwesterly direction toward Franklin, Massachusetts. Most weekday trains use the Northeast Corridor before splitting off onto the namesake Franklin Branch at Readville, though some weekday trains and all weekend trains use the Dorchester Branch between Boston and Readville.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Providence/Stoughton Line</span> Line of the Boston MBTA Commuter Rail system

The Providence/Stoughton Line is an MBTA Commuter Rail service in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, primarily serving the southwestern suburbs of Boston. Most service runs entirely on the Northeast Corridor between South Station in Boston and Providence station or Wickford Junction station in Rhode Island, while the Stoughton Branch splits at Canton Junction and terminates at Stoughton. It is the longest MBTA Commuter Rail line, and the only one that operates outside Massachusetts. The line is the busiest on the MBTA Commuter Rail system, with 17,648 daily boardings in an October 2022 count.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canton Center station</span>

Canton Center is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in Canton, Massachusetts. It serves the Providence/Stoughton Line, including most Stoughton Branch service except for evening inbound trains. The station has 1 side platform on the south side of the track west of Washington Street; the platform has a mini-high section for accessibility.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bellingham Square station</span> Bus rapid transit station in Chelsea, Massachusetts, US

Bellingham Square station is a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Silver Line bus rapid transit (BRT) station located near Bellingham Square slightly north of downtown Chelsea, Massachusetts. The station has two accessible side platforms for buses on the SL3 route. The Boston and Maine Railroad and predecessor Eastern Railroad served Chelsea station at the same location from the mid-1850s to 1958. The MBTA opened Chelsea station on the Newburyport/Rockport Line in 1985. Prior to its 2010 cancellation, the Urban Ring Project planned for a circumferential BRT line with a stop at Mystic Mall. Planning continued for the Chelsea segment; a Silver Line extension to Mystic Mall was announced in 2013. Construction began in 2015, and SL3 service to the renamed Bellingham Square station began on April 21, 2018. Commuter rail service moved to the newly constructed Chelsea station on November 15, 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Middleborough/Lakeville station</span> Commuter rail station in Lakeville, Massachusetts, US

Middleborough/Lakeville station is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in Lakeville, Massachusetts, just south of the Middleborough border. It is the southern terminus of the Middleborough/Lakeville Line; it is also an intermediate stop for seasonal CapeFlyer service to Cape Cod. Middleborough/Lakeville has a single full-length high-level side platform serving the line's single track.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Coast Rail</span> Railway construction project in Massachusetts

South Coast Rail is a project to build a new southern line of the MBTA Commuter Rail system along several abandoned and freight-only rail lines. The line has been planned to restore passenger rail service between Boston and the cities of Taunton, Fall River, and New Bedford, via the towns of Berkley, and Freetown, on the south coast of Massachusetts. It would restore passenger service to some of the southern lines of the former Old Colony Railroad and the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raynham Place station</span>

Raynham Place station is a proposed MBTA Commuter Rail station in Raynham, Massachusetts. Under current plans, it would be constructed behind the Raynham Park racing center north of downtown Raynham and open in 2030 as part of the second phase of the South Coast Rail project.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Taunton station</span> Future railway station in Taunton, Massachusetts, US

East Taunton station is an under-construction MBTA Commuter Rail station in East Taunton, Massachusetts adjacent to the interchange between the Route 24 expressway and County Street. It is planned to open in 2024 as part of the first phase of the South Coast Rail project.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fall River station</span> Railway station in Fall River, MA

Fall River station is an under-construction MBTA Commuter Rail station in Fall River, Massachusetts. The station is being constructed as part of the South Coast Rail project and is expected to open in 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battleship Cove station</span> Planned railway station in Fall River, Massachusetts, USA

Battleship Cove is a proposed MBTA Commuter Rail station in Fall River, Massachusetts. It is planned to be the southern terminus of the Fall River branch of the South Coast Rail project, and will open in 2030 as part of the project's Phase II. The station will have no parking—it is intended for tourists visiting Battleship Cove and the Fall River waterfront, with Fall River station to the north serving commuters—and will be open seasonally. Previous passenger service to Fall River included stations at Fall River Wharf (1847–1937) and Ferry Street (1864–1958). The Wharf station was the terminus of the Fall River Line steamship service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church Street station (MBTA)</span> Under-construction railway station in New Bedford, Massachusetts, US

Church Street station is an under-construction MBTA Commuter Rail station located in northern New Bedford, Massachusetts, United States. It is planned to open in 2024 as part of the first phase of the South Coast Rail project. The station will have a single side platform on the east side of the New Bedford Subdivision, along with a park and ride lot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Bedford station</span>

New Bedford station is an under-construction MBTA Commuter Rail station in New Bedford, Massachusetts. The station is being constructed as part of the South Coast Rail project and is expected to open in 2024.

The Dighton and Somerset Railroad, currently referred to as the Dean Street Industrial Track, is a railroad that ran between Fall River and Braintree, Massachusetts. It opened in 1866; from the 1890s to the 1930s and again in the late 1950s, it was the primary rail route from Boston to the South Coast. Passenger service ended in stages with the final regular service in 1958, though freight service on two short segments continues into the 21st century. MBTA Commuter Rail service is proposed to be extended onto the northern part of the line around 2030 as part of the South Coast Rail project.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Middleborough station</span> Rail station in Middleborough, Massachusetts, US

Middleborough station is an under-construction MBTA Commuter Rail station in Middleborough, Massachusetts. It is expected to open in 2024 as part of the South Coast Rail project, replacing Middleborough/Lakeville station for regular service. The station will have a single side platform located inside the wye between the Middleborough Main Line and the Middleboro Secondary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chelsea station (MBTA)</span> Intermodal transit station in Chelsea, Massachusetts, US

Chelsea station is a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) intermodal transit station located adjacent to the Mystic Mall in Chelsea, Massachusetts. It is the terminus of the SL3 route of the MBTA Silver Line bus rapid transit (BRT) network, and is served by the Newburyport/Rockport Line of the MBTA Commuter Rail. The accessible station has a loop with two small platforms for the Silver Line, and two full-length side platforms for commuter rail trains.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 VHB/HNTB (January 31, 2018). "Chapter 2 – Alternatives Analysis". South Coast Rail Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Report. Massachusetts Department of Transportation.
  2. ↑ "South Coast Rail Project Phase 1 - Freetown Meeting". Massachusetts Department of Transportation. October 25, 2018. p. 13.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Karr, Ronald Dale (2017). The Rail Lines of Southern New England (2 ed.). Branch Line Press. pp. 401–405. ISBN   9780942147124.
  4. ↑ "Fall River Railroad". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. June 5, 1845. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ "Town of Freetown". New Topological Atlas of Surveys, Bristol County, Massachusetts. Everts & Richards. 1895. pp. 148–149 – via Ward Maps.
  6. ↑ "City of Fall River". New Topological Atlas of Surveys, Bristol County, Massachusetts. Everts & Richards. 1895. pp. 48–49 – via Ward Maps.
  7. ↑ Humphrey, Thomas J.; Clark, Norton D. (1985). Boston's Commuter Rail: The First 150 Years. Boston Street Railway Association. pp. 34–36. ISBN   9780685412947.
  8. ↑ "Table 31". Form 200. New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. September 26, 1937. p. 28.
  9. ↑ "Table 19: Boston-New Bedford-Fall River". The Scenic Shoreline Route Serving New York and New England. New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. April 24, 1955. p. 31 – via Wikimedia Commons.
  10. ↑ "South Coast Rail Fact Sheet: October 2008" (PDF). Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation. October 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 12, 2017.
  11. ↑ "Freetown - Freetown Rail Alternative" (PDF). Massachusetts Department of Transportation. June 30, 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 21, 2012.
  12. ↑ South Coast Rail Economic Development and Land Use Corridor Plan (PDF). Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation and Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development. June 2009. p. 79. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 7, 2013.
  13. ↑ "Figure 3.2-27 Freetown Depot Station Conceptual Station Design" (PDF). Volume II: FEIS/FEIR Figures Final Environmental Impact Statement/Final Environmental Impact Report on the South Coast Rail Project proposed by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New England District. August 2013.
  14. ↑ "The Massachusetts Rail Program" (PDF). Massachusetts Department of Transportation. June 2010. p. 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 24, 2012.
  15. ↑ Dungca, Nicole (March 22, 2017). "State changes gears on Middleborough commuter rail plan". Boston Globe. Archived from the original on April 11, 2017.
  16. ↑ "Notice of Project Change". Massachusetts Department of Transportation. March 15, 2017. p. 5.
  17. ↑ "South Coast Rail Corridor Map" (PDF). South Coast Rail - Summer 2017 Fact Sheet. Massachusetts Department of Transportation. Summer 2017. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 5, 2017.
  18. ↑ "South Coast Rail Main Line Construction Contract Approved" (Press release). Massachusetts Department of Transportation. May 11, 2020. Archived from the original on May 16, 2020. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  19. ↑ Tabakin, Jennifer (May 11, 2020). "MBTA Construction Contract No. K78CN03: Fall River Secondary Commuter Rail Expansion Project" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
  20. ↑ "South Coast Rail Briefing for MBTA Board of Directors" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. February 24, 2022. p. 6.
  21. ↑ "Baker-Polito Administration Celebrates Substantial Completion of $159 Million Contract for South Coast Rail Main Line Construction" (Press release). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. December 8, 2022.
  22. ↑ Medeiros, Dan (September 29, 2023). "South Coast Rail passenger service is being delayed. Here's why, explained in 60 seconds". The Herald News. Archived from the original on September 30, 2023.
  23. ↑ Berke, Ben (April 11, 2024). "South Coast Rail delayed again, as MBTA parts ways with project's top manager". The Public's Radio . Retrieved May 1, 2024.
  24. ↑ Medeiros, Dan (April 11, 2024). "Summer start to South Coast Rail looks 'unlikely' — but there's one bright spot for riders". The Herald News. Archived from the original on April 11, 2024.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Freetown station at Wikimedia Commons

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.