The Fitchburg Line is a branch of the MBTA Commuter Rail system which runs from Boston's North Station to Wachusett station in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, United States. The line is along the tracks of the former Fitchburg Railroad, which was built across northern Massachusetts in the 1840s. Winter weekend service includes a specially equipped seasonal "ski train" to Wachusett Mountain.
At long, the Fitchburg Line is the third-longest line in the system (and was the longest until the Providence/Stoughton Line's 2010 extension to T. F. Green Airport and later to Wickford Junction), and ranked as one of the worst lines in terms of on-time performance. The Fitchburg Line had the oldest infrastructure in the system, and commuter trains must share trackage with freight trains on the outer segment of the line. A $150 million project completed in 2017 included adding nine miles of double track, an extension to Wachusett, rebuilding two stations, and building a new layover yard. Only ten of the line's nineteen stations, including both terminals, are fully handicapped accessible – the lowest proportion of any MBTA Commuter Rail line.
History
Boston & Maine
The Fitchburg Railroad was founded in 1842, and completed from Boston to Fitchburg in 1845. In 1854, Henry David Thoreau wrote about his skepticism of the Fitchburg Railroad near Walden Pond in his book Walden. The Boston and Maine Railroad leased the Fitchburg Railroad in 1900 and bought it outright in 1919.
In 1948, The Master Highway Plan for the Boston Metropolitan Area proposed the construction of eight radial expressways around Boston connecting to the Inner Belt, Interstate 695. A section of the Northwest Expressway, carrying a concurrency of Route 2 and Route 3, was to run along the Fitchburg right-of-way from Union Square in Somerville to Sherman Street in North Cambridge. This expressway would have taken up some or all of the trackbed, which was then four tracks wide in that section. After successful highway revolts, Governor Francis W. Sargent placed a hold on all highway construction inside Route 128 in 1970. Following a study, Sargent permanently canceled the 1948 plans in 1972, thus also securing the corridor's future for railroad use.
In January 1958, passenger service on the Fitchburg Division was cut back from the B&M's western terminal in Troy, New York to Williamstown; branch line service to Bellows Falls, Vermont, (with connections for Montreal) and Maynard was discontinued that May, while Main Line service was further truncated to Greenfield in December. All service west of Fitchburg was dropped on 23 April 1960.
MBTA era When the newly formed MBTA began subsidizing the Boston & Maine Railroad's intrastate service on January 18, 1965, service was only kept to communities in the MBTA's limited funding district. All service on the Fitchburg Line west of West Concord was cut, as was the low-ridership stop at Riverview; several other northside lines were cut or run at reduced service levels as well. The MBTA scrambled to find funding; subsidy agreements were soon reached with towns along the lines. Service was restored as far as on June 28, 1965, along with the outer Rockport Branch and full schedules on the Lowell and Ipswich routes.
Although some gains were made, including the reopening of and stations on March 4, 1974, the system continued to hang on by thin margins. The Central Mass Branch, which shared trackage with the Fitchburg, was cut on November 26, 1971. In December 1973, state subsidies for towns outside the MBTA funding district were halved, resulting in the MBTA needing to renegotiate subsidies from 14 municipalities. Ultimately Ayer, with just 14 daily commuters, refused to pay its $8,200 bill in 1974; Littleton also refused $12,300 for its 21 riders. On March 1, 1975, the line was cut back to , dropping stops at Ayer, , and . Two lightly used stops in Waltham – and – closed in June 1978.
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. The closure of the Lexington Branch the next month represented the limit of the contraction of the northside lines; as a result of the 1970s energy crisis and especially the 1979 energy crisis, a period of rapid expansion began in the end of the 1970s. Service was restored to Fitchburg and beyond to on January 13, 1980. Potential infill stations in Westminster and South Ashburnham were included in a 1981 fare tariff, but never added. Gardner service was ended on January 1, 1987, when Amtrak took over the MBTA contract, due to a dispute between Amtrak and Guilford; the MBTA only owned the trackage to Fitchburg.
During the 1980–81 through 1982–83 ski seasons, MBTA and the Montachusett Regional Transit Authority offered coordinated rail/bus service to ski areas at Wachusett Mountain and Mount Watatic on winter Saturdays. In December 2006, the MBTA again began branding certain winter weekend round trips as "ski trains". The train used includes a car equipped with ski racks; a shuttle bus to Wachusett Mountain connects at Wachusett station. (Until the 2016–2017 ski season, the bus ran to Fitchburg station instead.)
Improvement project Due to the cyclic expansion and contraction for the first three decades of the MBTA's existence, the Fitchburg Line was largely neglected and its infrastructure began to decline. The Fitchburg route was once fully double tracked from Boston to Troy, New York; however, the second main was removed in many sections as passenger service declined. By 2000, there was a section of single track between South Acton and Ayer, and a shorter section in Waltham. This limited the number of trains which could continue past South Acton to Fitchburg.
Until the extension of the Providence leg of the Providence/Stoughton Line to T.F. Green Airport in 2010, the Fitchburg Line was the longest line on the MBTA system; it is now the second longest, and still the longest without full double track.
Studies 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. In 2001, the MBTA began taking public comment for the decadal update to its Program for Mass Transportation. Following response from legislators from communities along the line, the MBTA initiated a study of potential improvements to the line, including not only westward extension but also station improvements and travel time reductions.
The 2004 edition of the Program for Mass Transportation found that restoration of service all the way to Gardner, much less Athol, was deemed impractical for several reasons. Gardner is and Athol by rail from North Station – outside normal commuting distances. The line between Fitchburg and Gardner would cost $104.2 million to double track, and speeds are limited due to the grades going through the Wachusett Mountain range. Because the Route 2 expressway is faster along the corridor than rail service would be, the station at Gardner would have attracted just 50 riders per day. Instead, a 4-mile extension to a previously considered station in West Fitchburg was recommended.
The Fitchburg Commuter Rail Line Service Expansion Study was released in February 2005, drawing off the PMT conclusions. Recommended short-range improvements included station consolidation, track upgrades, and station improvements; longer-term projects included double-tracking, increased service frequency, and an extension to Wachusett or Gardner. The report priced out $55 million in infrastructure upgrades including double tracking through downtown Waltham and from South Acton to Willows, signal improvements, rebuilding Littleton/Route 495 station, and grade crossing modifications. An extension to Wachusett was to cost $39 million, with Gardner costing an additional $50 million. As an immediate change, the MBTA began running express trains on the line.
The Fitchburg Commuter Rail Line Improvement Implementation Plan, released in September 2005, included a longer list of possible improvements, and outlined a goal of reducing travel time between Porter Square and Fitchburg to one hour. The $300 million list included high-level platforms at all stops from Porter to Littleton, grade crossing eliminations, a flyover at Willows, and stop consolidations. The three Weston stops were to be combined, Ayer and Shirley combined into a Devens station, and Waverley and Belmont stations combined. Few of these expanded alternatives were ultimately pursued.
The MBTA applied for a federal Small Starts grant in September 2005, and the Montachusett Regional Transit Authority filed a scoping package in April 2007 that began the analysis of construction alternatives. The Fitchburg Commuter Rail Line Improvements Project Alternatives Analysis was released in September 2007 and outlined six options: no build with the addition of some continuously welded rail to the line, a $30 million baseline with a new layover facility, and three build options ranging from $150 million to $239 million. Build Alternative 1, costing $150 million, was chosen.
A proposal known as Northern Tier Passenger Rail is in the early stages of planning, and would extend the Fitchburg Line westward through Greenfield and terminate at North Adams, following the existing CSX (formerly Pan Am) rail corridor. The first official study meeting was scheduled to take place in Fall 2021. In January 2023, MassDOT announced that the total price for corridor track upgrades would cost between $1.044 billion to $2.187 billion and would take three years to construct.Izikson, Shaw Israel (2023-01-14). "MassDOT: Creating passenger railway service to North Adams estimated to cost $1 billion". The Berkshire Edge. Retrieved 2023-01-15. The line is currently planned for either electric or diesel service provided by Amtrak with at least five round trips per day; there is currently no timeline for service implementation.
Funding and construction
In November 2007, following the completion of five years of conceptual studies, the MBTA announced $150 million in projects to significantly upgrade the Fitchburg Line. The project focuses on reducing travel times, increasing service frequency, and improving on-time performance. With the addition of several smaller funding sources, the improvements ultimately became a $306 million project with five major components:
CPF-43 interlocking The first work completed was the addition of CPF-43, a new interlocking located at Derby Curve in Leominster. Financed by $10.2 million in ARRA funds, the work was intended to "provide commuter rail operational flexibility and to minimize conflicts with freight". CPF-43 includes a universal crossover between the two mainline tracks, plus a new connection to a siding with of space for maintenance-of-way equipment storage and 1000 feet to connect to existing freight customers. Construction work began in October 2009 and finished by the end of 2011.
North Leominster garage
Located just off Route 2, the North Leominster station was often crowded for commuter parking spaces. After 5 years of planning, construction began in March 2012 on a three-story garage which provides 340 parking spaces. The $7.7 million project, which was funded by the FTA through earmarks and formula funding, includes a covered busway and charging stations for electric cars. Originally to be completed in August 2013, the garage was delayed due to high summer heat which prevented pouring concrete as well as contractor's financial problems. The garage opened on May 20, 2014.