Manchester station (MBTA)

Manchester By The Sea
Manchester By The Sea
	An outbound train at Manchester station in 2014
Location	40 Beach Street; Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts
Coordinates	42°34′26″N 70°46′09″W / 42.5740°N 70.7691°WCoordinates: 42°34′26″N 70°46′09″W / 42.5740°N 70.7691°W
Owned by	MBTA
Line(s)	Gloucester Branch
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	2
Construction
Parking	71 spaces (free); 6 accessible spaces
Bicycle facilities	7 spaces
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Fare zone	6
Passengers
2018	198 (weekday average boardings)
Services

Manchester is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts. Located in Downtown Manchester, it serves the Newburyport/Rockport Line. Although the official name is "Manchester", the station is signed as "Manchester by the Sea".

A small parking area is provided for local commuters. 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]

References[]

^ Central Transportation Planning Staff (2019). "2018 Commuter Rail Counts". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
^ "Ridership and Service Statistics" (PDF) (14th ed.). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 2014.
^ Karr, Ronald Dale (1995). The Rail Lines of Southern New England. Branch Line Press. pp. 264–265. ISBN 0942147022.
^ Roy, John H. Jr. (2007). A Field Guide to Southern New England Railroad Depots and Freight Houses. Branch Line Press. p. 188. ISBN 9780942147087.
^ "Two Stations closed on Boston & Maine". Boston Globe. December 28, 1939. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Belcher, Jonathan. "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). Boston Street Railway Association.