West Medford station

West Medford
An outbound train arrives at West Medford in 2012
Location	481 High Street, Medford, Massachusetts
Coordinates	42°25′18″N 71°08′00″W / 42.4218°N 71.13332°W / 42.4218; -71.13332Coordinates: 42°25′18″N 71°08′00″W / 42.4218°N 71.13332°W / 42.4218; -71.13332
Line(s)	New Hampshire Main Line
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	2
Connections	MBTA bus: 80, 94, 95, 326
Construction
Parking	30 spaces
Other information
Fare zone	1A
Passengers
2018	628 (weekday average boardings)[1]
Services
Preceding station MBTA Following station Wedgemere toward Lowell Lowell Line North Station Terminus Wedgemere toward Haverhill Haverhill Line Limited service
Former services Preceding station Boston and Maine Railroad Following station Wedgemere toward Concord, NH Boston – Concord, NH Medford Hillside toward Boston

West Medford station is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in Medford, Massachusetts. It serves the Lowell Line, and is located at West Medford Square.

History[]

West Medford station in 1909

When the original Boston and Lowell Railroad was laid out in the 1830s, West Medford was mostly farmland. The route of the new railroad (one of the oldest railroads in North America) was built on land acquired from Peter Chardon Brooks, who sold a strip for the right-of-way plus a parcel for the station on High Street. The initial stop was called "Medford Gates"; it gave birth to West Medford Square and, eventually, the surrounding residential neighborhoods.

The adjacent High Street grade crossing, and the Canal Street crossing 0.2 miles (0.32 km) southeast, are the only grade crossings on the line south of Wilmington. Elimination of the High Street crossing was considered in 1932, but not implemented.^[2]

The depot structure built in 1880 was destroyed by a fire in 1950. The finial from the roof of the station now resides today at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan.

In 2019, the MBTA listed West Medford as a "Tier I" accessibility priority.^[3]

References[]

External links[]

Media related to West Medford station at Wikimedia Commons

• MBTA - West Medford
• City of Medford - West Medford Train Station
• Station from High Street from Google Maps Street View