Gardner station
Gardner | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Freight Main Line | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Platforms | 1 island platform (1980s station) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tracks | 7 (shared with freight; only 2 tracks served the platform) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Connections |  MART: Gardner Route 1, Gardner Route 2, G-Link Gardner-Orange, G-Link Gardner-Winchendon, MWCC Commuter Rail/Intercity | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| History | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | 1851 (original); January 13, 1980 (later) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Closed | 1960 (original); December 31, 1986 (later) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Passengers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1983 | 24 daily[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Former services | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Gardner station is a former station stop on the MBTA Commuter Rail Fitchburg Line, located in Gardner, Massachusetts. Passenger service to Union Station ran from 1851 until 1960, and commuter service also briefly ran from 1980 to 1986. Restoration of passenger service was considered in the early 2000s, but was rejected due to low cost-effectiveness.
History
Gardner gained train service on the Fitchburg Railroad (via the Vermont & Massachusetts) in 1851.[2] Located at the intersection of the Fitchburg Railroad with the Boston, Barre and Gardner Railroad (which began service to Worcester in 1871), Gardner once had a large union station which was angled to serve both lines.[2][3] The Fitchburg bought the BB&G in 1885, and was itself bought by the Boston and Maine Railroad in 1900.[2] The "Biggest Chair", a 12-foot-tall chair made by a local company, was placed in the station lawn around 1910. Passenger service to Worcester ended in March 1953, and service to Boston ended in 1960 when the B&M discontinued all trains west of Fitchburg, ending more than a century of rail service.[2] Union Station was demolished soon after.
On December 27, 1976, the MBTA bought the Boston and Maine Railroad's northside commuter rail assets, including the entire length of the Fitchburg Line.
Proposed restoration
Restoring commuter rail service to Gardner has been considered since 1987. In 2000, the Massachusetts State Legislature passed a bill that directed the MBTA to "conduct a feasibility study regarding the reestablishment of the commuter rail line to the cities of Gardner and Athol on the existing Fitchburg/Gardner/Athol spur line" as one of many expansion and improvement projects.
The 1980s platform still exists; it became overgrown for a time but was later cleared off for freight yard access.[8] Beginning in 2007, MART built a new bus garage on the site of the former freight house, which burned in 2002.[9] An MBTA "T" roundel sign, which had remained for two decades after the end of service, was removed during construction. The new garage includes provisions for a platform should rail service ever return.
Bus connections
Even without rail service, Gardner serves as a hub for MART bus service. Two local routes, two interurban routes with local stops, and one intercity route operate from Gardner:
- Gardner Route 1
- Gardner Route 2
- G-Link Gardner-Orange
- G-Link Gardner-Winchendon
- MWCC Commuter Rail/Intercity (runs to Fitchburg stationto connect with commuter rail)
MART also offers direct service from Gardner to Wachusett.[10]
References
- ^ ISBN 9780685412947.
- ^ ISBN 0942147022.
- ^ LaPointe, Gary (23 June 2012). "Stations Gone from Their Original Sites: Worcester County". Retrieved 17 July 2012.
- ^ a b c d e Belcher, Jonathan (23 April 2012). "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). NETransit. Retrieved 17 July 2012.
- ^ "An Act Providing for an Accelerated Transportation Development and Improvement Program for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority". Session Laws: 2000. Massachusetts State Legislature. 30 June 2000. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
- ^ Central Transportation Planning Staff (January 2004) [May 2003]. "Chapter 5C: Service Expansion" (PDF). 2004 Program for Mass Transportation. Boston Metropolitan Planning Organization. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 February 2012. Retrieved 17 July 2012.
- ^ Montachusett Regional Planning Commission (24 August 2011). "Transit" (PDF). 2012 Regional Transportation Plan. Montachusett Metropolitan Planning Organization. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 February 2017. Retrieved 4 December 2012.
- ^ Wehmeyer, Billy (12 July 2011). "NS 9765 Pan Am Railways GE C40-9 (Dash 9-40C) at Gardner, Massachusetts". RailPictures.Net. Retrieved 17 July 2012.
- ^ Barnes, George (12 August 2007). "MART readies for new facility; Gardner groundbreaking". Worcester Telegram & Gazette. Retrieved 17 July 2012.
- ^ Petalas, Kimberly (24 October 2014). "MART announces plan for commuter rail access for Gardner residents". Leominster Champion. Archived from the original on 26 October 2014. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
External links
