Manchester By The Sea
An outbound train at Manchester station in 2014
General information
Location40 Beach Street
Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts
Coordinates42°34′26″N 70°46′09″W / 42.5740°N 70.7691°W / 42.5740; -70.7691
Line(s)Gloucester Branch
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks2
Construction
Parking71 spaces (free)
Bicycle facilities7 spaces
AccessibleYes
Other information
Fare zone6
Passengers
2018198 (weekday average boardings)[1]
Services
Preceding station MBTA Following station
Beverly Farms
toward North Station
 Newburyport/​Rockport Line West Gloucester
toward Rockport

Manchester station (signed as Manchester by the Sea) is an MBTA Commuter Rail Newburyport/Rockport Line station in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts. The station is accessible, with mini-high platforms at the outbound end of the platform.[2]

History

A 1909 postcard of the 1895-built depot

The Gloucester Branch opened from Beverly to Manchester in August 1847. It was extended to Gloucester station in December 1847, and to Rockport in November 1861.[3] The line later passed to the Eastern Railroad, which itself was absorbed by the Boston and Maine Railroad.

The original passenger station was replaced by a newer station in 1895. Neither survive, but the original freight house is present and used as a community center.[4] West Manchester station, which was located on Boardman Street, was closed in early 1940.[5]

When the MBTA was formed in August 1964 to subsidize suburban commuter service, Manchester was the northeast limit of its funding district. On January 18, 1965, the Boston & Maine cut Gloucester Branch service back to Manchester. After Gloucester and Rockport reached funding deals to subsidize out-of-district operations, full service was returned to Rockport on June 28, 1965.[6] The 1895-built station was demolished by 1977 and replaced by a laundromat.[7]

References

  1. ↑ Central Transportation Planning Staff (2019). "2018 Commuter Rail Counts". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
  2. ↑ "Ridership and Service Statistics" (PDF) (14th ed.). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 2014.
  3. ↑ Karr, Ronald Dale (1995). The Rail Lines of Southern New England. Branch Line Press. pp. 264–265. ISBN 0942147022.
  4. ↑ Roy, John H. Jr. (2007). A Field Guide to Southern New England Railroad Depots and Freight Houses. Branch Line Press. p. 188. ISBN 9780942147087.
  5. ↑ "Two Stations closed on Boston & Maine". Boston Globe. December 28, 1939. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  6. ↑ Belcher, Jonathan. "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). Boston Street Railway Association.
  7. ↑ Henry, Alan P. (August 10, 1977). "There's no depot like an old depot". Boston Globe. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.

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