North Wilmington
An inbound train at North Wilmington in August 2015
General information
Location370 Middlesex Avenue (Route 62)
Wilmington, Massachusetts
Coordinates42°34′11″N 71°09′35″W / 42.5696°N 71.1597°W / 42.5696; -71.1597
Line(s)Western Route
Platforms1 side platform
Tracks1
Construction
Parking20 spaces (free)
AccessibleNo
Other information
Fare zone3
History
OpenedJuly 1, 1845
December 19, 1979[1]
ClosedJune 14, 1959[2]
Passengers
201858 (weekday average boardings)[3]
Services
Preceding station MBTA Following station
Reading
toward North Station
 Haverhill Line Ballardvale
toward Haverhill

North Wilmington station is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in North Wilmington, Massachusetts. It serves the Haverhill Line, and is located off Middlesex Avenue (Route 62). It has some of the most limited station faculties on the MBTA system – a single short non-accessible platform serving the line's single track at the location, with a small parking lot and shelter for passengers. North Wilmington served by most Boston–Haverhill trains except for a small number that use the Wildcat Branch. It is a flag stop except during weekday peak hours.[4]

History

Boston and Maine

North Wilmington station before it was destroyed by a 1914 fire

The Boston and Maine Railroad Extension opened on July 1, 1845, from Wilmington Junction to Boston, allowing the Boston and Maine Railroad (B&M) a route into the city not dependent on the rival Boston and Lowell Railroad. Wilmington station was open by 1849.[5]: 154 [6] It was located on Middlesex Street about 1.7 miles (2.7 km) northeast of the Wilmington town center.[7] The B&M leased the B&L in 1887; both railroads had Wilmington stations. The B&M station was renamed North Wilmington in November 1888, while the B&L station retained its name.[8][9]

The station building was destroyed in a fire caused by a defective chimney on October 26, 1914.[10] A new station building replaced it at the same location.[11] On June 14, 1959, the section from Reading to Wilmington Junction became freight-only, and Haverhill commuter trains as well as intercity service from New Hampshire and Maine were rerouted over the Wildcat Branch and the lower Lowell Line.[2] The Salem Street stop on the Wildcat Branch opened to replace North Wilmington on the mainline.[1]

MBTA era

An inbound train blocking Route 62 while stopped at the station, seen in 2021

The lone remaining Haverhill trip was discontinued in June 1976. During the 1979 energy crisis, service was restored to Haverhill via the pre-1959 route, with several intermediate stops including North Wilmington returned to service.[1][2] Unlike the stops that had kept service until the 1970s, there was little left at North Wilmington. Like the similarly hastily built stations opened soon after on the Fitchburg Line, North Wilmington received a low asphalt platform and a small parking area, with a bus shelter added for passengers. On January 21, 2022, a motorist was killed when an inbound train struck her auto at the adjacent grade crossing. The initial MBTA investigation indicated that the crossing gates did not function due to an error by a signal technician who was performing preventive maintenance.[12]

Because the platform is close to Route 62, trains block the road when stopped, which causes delays for emergency services. A plan was made in 1992 to move the platform to allow emergency vehicles to drive around the crossing gates when a train was stopped, but the platform was not moved.[13] In 2018, the MBTA agreed to consider near-term changes as well as a later station reconstruction to fix the problem.[14] In January 2021, the MBTA received a $1 million Federal Transit Administration grant to relocate the platform to avoid blocking Route 62, as well as to make the station accessible.[15] This allowed the MBTA to self-fund the project, rather than needing town funding. The new platform will be made from a section of a demolished bridge, similar to Bourne station.[16] By May 2021, work was expected to be complete by the end of 2021.[17] The project was delayed; a construction contract was advertised in late 2023, with construction planned to begin in spring 2024.[18]

Rail service on the inner Haverhill Line was suspended from September 9 to November 5, 2023, to accommodate signal work. Unlike other stations, North Wilmington was not served by substitute bus service.[19]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Belcher, Jonathan. "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). Boston Street Railway Association.
  2. 1 2 3 Humphrey, Thomas J. & Clark, Norton D. (1985). Boston's Commuter Rail: The First 150 Years. Boston Street Railway Association. pp. 55–70. ISBN 9780685412947.
  3. ↑ Central Transportation Planning Staff (2019). "2018 Commuter Rail Counts". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
  4. ↑ "Haverhill Line Fall/Winter Schedule" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. November 6, 2023.
  5. ↑ Kennedy, Charles J. (Summer 1962). "Commuter Services in the Boston Area, 1835-1860". The Business History Review. 36 (2): 153–170. doi:10.2307/3111453. JSTOR 3111453. S2CID 154294514.
  6. ↑ Cobb, Charles (September 1850). American railway guide, and pocket companion, for the United States. Pathfinder Office. p. 92.
  7. ↑ Beers, Frederick W. (1875). "Wilmington" (Map). County atlas of Middlesex, Massachusetts. 1:31,680. J.B. Beers & Co. p. 34.
  8. ↑ "Boston & Maine". Boston Evening Transcript. November 12, 1888. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "Boston & Maine". Boston Evening Transcript. November 15, 1888. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ Butters, Albert D.; Foote, George F. (1915). "Fire Engineers' Report". Wilmington, Mass. Annual Report of the Town's Officers for the Financial Year Ending December 31, 1914. C. M. Barrows Co. p. 143 – via Internet Archive.
  11. ↑ "Plate 1" (Map). Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Wilmington, Middlesex County, Massachusetts. 1:14,400. Sanborn Map Company. June 1933.
  12. ↑ Sennott, Adam (January 22, 2022). "MBTA says human error is focus of probe into train crash that killed Wilmington woman". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on January 26, 2022.
  13. ↑ "Wilmington News Briefs" (PDF). Wilmington Town Crier. July 23, 1992. p. 7 – via Wilmington Library.
  14. ↑ LaCrosse, Mike (July 18, 2018). "Wilmington First Responders Worried About Train That Blocks Busy Intersection". CBS Boston (WBZ-TV).
  15. ↑ "MBTA Secures $1 Million Federal Grant for Improvements at North Wilmington Station" (Press release). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. January 19, 2021.
  16. ↑ "Board of Selectmen Meeting" (PDF). Town of Wilmington. February 10, 2020. p. 4.
  17. ↑ Brelsford, Laura (May 24, 2021). "System-Wide Accessibility Initiatives—May 2021" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Department of System-Wide Accessibility. p. 7.
  18. ↑ "System-Wide Accessibility Initiatives—November 2023" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Department of System-Wide Accessibility. November 27, 2023. pp. 7–8.
  19. ↑ "Service Disruption September 9 to November 5 on Haverhill Commuter Rail Line" (Press release). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. August 10, 2023.

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