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Natick Center station

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Coordinates: 42°17′09″N 71°20′50″W / 42.2858°N 71.3472°W / 42.2858; -71.3472
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Natick Center
Natick Center station in 2023 during reconstruction work
General information
Location1 Walnut Street
Natick, Massachusetts
Coordinates42°17′09″N 71°20′50″W / 42.2858°N 71.3472°W / 42.2858; -71.3472
Line(s)Worcester Main Line
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks2
ConnectionsBus transport MWRTA: 10, 11, Natick Commuter Shuttle, MathWorks Express Shuttle
Construction
Parking71 spaces (town permit required)
Other information
Fare zone4
History
Openedc. 1839
Rebuilt1897, c. 1962, 2020–2024
Previous namesNatick (until January 12, 2015)
Passengers
2018736 (weekday average boardings)[1]
Services
Preceding station MBTA Following station
West Natick
toward Worcester
 Framingham/​Worcester Line Wellesley Square
toward South Station
Former services
Preceding station New York Central Railroad Following station
Framingham
toward Albany
 Boston and Albany Railroad
Main Line
 Wellesley
toward Boston
Felchville
toward Saxonville
 Saxonville Branch Terminus
Location
Map

Natick Center station is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in Natick, Massachusetts served by the Framingham/Worcester Line. The station, located below grade in a wide cut adjacent to North Main Street (Route 27), has two side platforms serving the line's two tracks. The second-busiest non-accessible station on the system, it is undergoing a major accessibility renovation and modernization from 2020 to 2024.

History

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Early history

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Early station and Saxonville Branch engine house on an 1877 aerial map

The Boston & Worcester Railroad, extending outwards from Boston, was completed Natick in August 1834.[2] The line was double tracked through Natick in 1839, by which time a station had been established.[2][3][4] Two other stations were located in Natick: Lake Crossing (at Bacon Street on the border with Wellesley to the east) and Walkerville (at Speen Street to the west).[5] Neither lasted long into the 20th century.

Improvements to the station building were made around 1845.[6][7] The 3.87-mile (6.23 km) Saxonville Branch opened from Natick to the Saxonville section of Framingham on July 4, 1846, with through trains to Boston.[8] Although branch ridership was never high, these trains were timed to allow commuting from Natick for the first time.[2] Stations on the branch included Felchville (at Fisher Street), Cochituate (at Commonwealth Road on the Natick/Framingham border), and Saxonville.[3][9]

Longfellow station

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Early postcard of the 1897-built station

The B&A extended third and fourth tracks from Riverside to Lake Crossing in 1894, and through Natick in 1896. During that construction, the line was realigned north (primarily to eliminate a sharp curve west of downtown) and lowered into a wide cut through downtown Natick to eliminate grade crossings with a number of streets.[10] (Middlesex Avenue and the Middlesex Path now lie on the original alignment.) A new granite and brownstone station designed by Alexander Wadsworth Longfellow Jr., a student of H.H. Richardson (who had designed nine stations for the B&A in the 1880s), opened in 1897.[11] The New York Central Railroad acquired the line in 1900.[3]

Decline

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The lightly used Saxonville Branch never saw more than three daily round trips; passenger service was discontinued effective February 17, 1936.[12][13] A "bus" – the Saxonville station agent's car – ran to Saxonville until 1943.[13] Freight service continued until the 1980s; the Cochituate Rail Trail has been built on the right-of-way.[3]

The line was reduced to two tracks through Natick in 1962.[3] Around that time, a large building was built over the 1897 station, with the old station becoming the wine cellar of a liquor store. The original inbound canopy remained for use by the public, though the only station facilities were two bare platforms.[11] The inbound side of the station is supported by the rear wall of the liquor store, decorated with a colorful mural of the Downtown Natick area. A second station serving the town opened at West Natick in 1982 to provide additional parking.[14] In October 1997, Natick was identified as a possible site for a parking garage.[15] The MBTA planned a three-story, 300-space garage on town-owned land.[16] The plan was cancelled because of concerns over the financial viability of the garage.[15]

Reconstruction

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Natick Center station before reconstruction

Natick Center station is not accessible; the low platforms do not support level boarding, and passage to street level is via staircases only. Inbound ridership in 2018 was 736 passengers, making Natick Center the second-busiest non-accessible station on the MBTA Commuter Rail system.[1] Flooding of the inbound track and platform during heavy rains is a recurrent problem.[17][18] In January 2013, the Town of Natick formed a formal committee to advise the town on developing plans for a rebuilt station.[19]

In June 2014, conceptual plans were unveiled for upgrades to make the station fully handicapped accessible with high-level platforms and accessible routes from street level.[20] The rebuilt station was to replace the existing side platforms with an island platform for cost and operational reasons, with a third track (to allow freight trains and express passenger trains to pass stopped local trains) able to fit into the wide existing trench as well. The proposal would provide better integration of the station with the surrounding streets, including a deck over parts of the trench between Washington Street and Main Street.[21] One option with the new station and a pedestrian-only deck was projected to cost $26.0 million, while a deck incorporating a bus loop would add $17 million more.[22]

Construction work in March 2022

In July 2014, the MBTA agreed to the town's request to change the station's name as part of a larger rebranding of the Natick Center area.[20] Online maps were changed shortly thereafter, and on January 12, 2015, the station was officially renamed as Natick Center.[23] In March 2016, $4 million for completing design of the station was included in a draft 2017–2021 MBTA capital plan.[24]

After further MBTA review, the island platform design was replaced with two side platforms in 2017. The third center track will not be added as part of initial construction, but space will be left between the two main tracks to add it in the future.[25] The estimated $36.5 million contract was put out to bid in August 2019.[26] A $36.1 million contract was awarded on November 4, 2019.[27] The 30-month construction period began in March 2020.[28] Demolition of the canopy took place in May 2020.[29] A temporary platform on the south side was installed later in the year.[30]

In July 2020, the state awarded $125,000 for design of the final 1,300-foot (400 m) segment of the Cochituate Rail Trail, including the connection with the new station.[31] Construction in 2021 included platform supports, drainage, and a retaining wall.[32] In February 2022, the MBTA indicated that completion would be delayed to early 2024 due to supply chain issues and soil conditions requiring modification of a retaining wall design.[32] By December 2022, construction was 45% complete, with the east ramps nearly finished. By that time, expected completion was further delayed to fall 2024.[33] The east ramps were put into service on February 13, 2023, to access temporary platforms east of Washington Street, allowing the old platforms to be demolished and the new permanent platforms built. The Walnut Street footbridge was closed on March 2, 2023.[34] By November 2023, construction was 70% complete and expected to finish in September 2024.[35] By June 2024, work was still 70% complete, with completion expected in December 2024.[36]

In June 2021, the MBTA issued a $28 million design contract for a project to add a third track from Weston to Framingham, including through Natick Center, with projected completion in 2030.[37]

References

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  1. ^ a b Central Transportation Planning Staff (2019). "2018 Commuter Rail Counts". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
  2. ^ a b c Humphrey, Thomas J. & Clark, Norton D. (1985). Boston's Commuter Rail: The First 150 Years. Boston Street Railway Association. pp. 21–25. ISBN 9780685412947.
  3. ^ a b c d e Karr, Ronald Dale (1995). The Rail Lines of Southern New England. Branch Line Press. pp. 278–283. ISBN 0942147022.
  4. ^ Dickinson, S.N. (1838). The Boston Almanac for the Year 1838. p. 50.
  5. ^ "Natick". County Atlas of Middlesex Massachusetts. F.W. Beers & Co. 1875 – via Ward Maps.
  6. ^ Report of the Directors of the Boston and Worcester Railroad. Boston and Worcester Railroad. June 2, 1845. p. 10.
  7. ^ Report of the Directors of the Boston and Worcester Railroad. Boston and Worcester Railroad. June 1, 1846. p. 10.
  8. ^ Report of the Directors of the Boston and Worcester Railroad. Boston and Worcester Railroad. June 7, 1847. p. 13.
  9. ^ "Felchville". County Atlas of Middlesex Massachusetts. F.W. Beers & Co. 1875 – via Ward Maps.
  10. ^ Healey, John (August 1990). "WRITTEN HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE DATA" (PDF). HAER No. MA-108: Boston & Albany Railroad: Marion Street Bridge. Historic American Engineering Record, National Park Service.
  11. ^ a b Roy, John H. Jr. (2007). A Field Guide to Southern New England Railroad Depots and Freight Houses. Branch Line Press. pp. 302–03. ISBN 9780942147087.
  12. ^ "Bus to Take Place of Saxonville Train". Boston Globe. February 15, 1936. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ a b Humphrey, Thomas J. & Clark, Norton D. (1986). Boston's Commuter Rail: Second Section. Boston Street Railway Association. pp. 39, 61. ISBN 9780938315025.
  14. ^ Belcher, Jonathan. "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). Boston Street Railway Association.
  15. ^ a b "Independent State Auditor's Report on Certain Activities of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority: July 1, 1996 to July 31, 2001" (PDF). Auditor of the Commonwealth. April 3, 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 8, 2017. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  16. ^ Gregg, John (November 1, 1998). "Parking scarcity makes commuting by train tough". The Boston Globe. pp. West 1, 11 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ Rosen, Andy; Roberts, Sarah (August 21, 2015). "Heavy rains cause commuter rail delays, snarl commute". Boston Globe.
  18. ^ Henrich, Michael (30 September 2015). "Storm causes flooding on MBTA Commuter Rail tracks". FOX25 Boston. Archived from the original on 30 September 2015.
  19. ^ "MBTA Station Advisory Committee". Town of Natick. Archived from the original on 30 September 2015.
  20. ^ a b Benson, Brian (4 August 2014). "MBTA backs Natick Center station name change". MetroWest Daily News. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  21. ^ McMahon Associates; URS (15 June 2014). "Natick Center MBTA Commuter Rail Station: Feasibility Study and Conceptual Design for Upgrades (Draft)". Town of Natick. Archived from the original on 30 September 2015.
  22. ^ McMahon Associates; URS (18 June 2014). "Implementation Framework". Natick Center MBTA Commuter Rail Station Improvements Implementation Plan (Draft). Town of Natick. Archived from the original on 30 September 2015.
  23. ^ Arsenault, Charlene (12 January 2015). "MBTA Commuter Rail Station Now 'Natick Center Station'". Natick Patch. Archived from the original on 30 September 2015.
  24. ^ Benson, Brian (26 March 2016). "MBTA eyes money for Natick Center station design". Metrowest Daily News. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  25. ^ Benson, Brian (December 17, 2017). "Natick Center train station design progressing". Metrowest Daily News.
  26. ^ "Notice to Bidders" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. August 30, 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 6, 2019.
  27. ^ "FMCB Approves Contract for Major Improvements at Natick Center Station" (Press release). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. November 4, 2019.
  28. ^ Malachowski, Jeff (April 8, 2020). "Long-awaited $40 million reconstruction of the Natick Center commuter rail station is underway". Metrowest Daily News.
  29. ^ "Natick Center Station Accessibility Improvements". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. June 2020. Archived from the original on June 24, 2020.
  30. ^ Brelsford, Laura (November 30, 2020). "System-Wide Accessibility Initiatives—November 2020" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Department of System-Wide Accessibility. p. 7.
  31. ^ "2020 MassTrails Grant Awards". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. July 2020. p. 6.
  32. ^ a b Doherty, John (February 2022). "Natick Center Station Accessibility Improvements" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
  33. ^ "System-Wide Accessibility Initiatives—December 2022" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Department of System-Wide Accessibility. December 6, 2022. p. 6.
  34. ^ "Alerts: Framingham/Worcester Line". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. March 21, 2023. Archived from the original on March 21, 2023.
  35. ^ "System-Wide Accessibility Initiatives—November 2023" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Department of System-Wide Accessibility. November 27, 2023. p. 6.
  36. ^ "Accessibility Initiatives—June 2024" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. June 25, 2024. p. 6.
  37. ^ Kelly, Maribel (June 21, 2021). "MBTA Contract No. C72PS01: Worcester Line Track and Stations Accessibility Improvements (P0261) Design and Engineering Services" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
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