West Gloucester station

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West Gloucester
MBTAwestg10.jpg
West Gloucester station in 2008
Location290 Essex Avenue, Gloucester, Massachusetts
Coordinates42°36′43″N 70°42′20″W / 42.61195°N 70.70550°W / 42.61195; -70.70550Coordinates: 42°36′43″N 70°42′20″W / 42.61195°N 70.70550°W / 42.61195; -70.70550
Owned byMBTA
Line(s)Gloucester Branch
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks2
ConnectionsBus transport CATA: Purple Line
Construction
Parking43 spaces ($2 per day)
1 accessible space
Bicycle facilitiesYes
Disabled accessYes
Other information
Fare zone7
Passengers
201837 (weekday average boardings)[1]
Services
Preceding station MBTA.svg MBTA Following station
Manchester Newburyport/​Rockport Line Gloucester
toward Rockport

West Gloucester station is an MBTA Commuter Rail station on the Newburyport/Rockport Line, located off Massachusetts Route 133 (Essex Road) in the west part of Gloucester, Massachusetts.

History[]

When the Gloucester Branch Railroad opened in 1847, there were no stops except Manchester and Gloucester.[2] A number of infill stations were later added; West Gloucester station was open by 1872, and by 1884 had a small depot building on the south side of the track.[3][4]

West Gloucester station was closed on January 30, 1981, during severe budget cuts; 1977-opened Harbor station 1.1 miles (1.8 km) east remained open.[5][6] The line was temporarily closed on January 7, 1985, after a November 1984 fire destroyed the drawbridge between Salem and Beverly. When the line reopened on December 1, 1985, West Gloucester was reopened but Harbor remained closed.[5]

On April 29, 2020, service between West Gloucester and Rockport was indefinitely replaced by buses due to a failure of the old Gloucester Drawbridge.[7] That June, the MBTA indicated the closure would continue until the completion of the bridge replacement.[8] As of December 2021, rail service to Rockport is expected to resume in May 2022.[9]

References[]

  1. ^ Central Transportation Planning Staff (2019). "2018 Commuter Rail Counts". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
  2. ^ Humphrey, Thomas J.; Clark, Norton D. (1985). Boston's Commuter Rail: The First 150 Years. Boston Street Railway Association. p. 76. ISBN 9780685412947.
  3. ^ "Gloucester". Atlas of Essex County, Massachusetts. D.G. Beers & Co. 1872 – via Ward Maps.
  4. ^ "Plate 11". Atlas of The City of Gloucester and Town of Rockport. G.M. Hopkins & Co. 1884 – via Ward Maps.
  5. ^ a b Belcher, Jonathan. "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). Boston Street Railway Association.
  6. ^ "T changes start today". Boston Globe. February 1, 1981. p. 24 – via Newspapers.com.open access
  7. ^ "Rockport Line Service Changes". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. April 29, 2020. Archived from the original on May 1, 2020.
  8. ^ "Newburyport/Rockport Trains between Rockport and West Gloucester Replaced with Shuttle Buses through Summer 2021" (Press release). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. June 9, 2020.
  9. ^ "Gloucester Drawbridge Replacement Project: Rockport Commuter Rail Service Restoration Expected May 2022" (Press release). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. December 23, 2021.

External links[]

Media related to West Gloucester station at Wikimedia Commons

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