Grafton | |||||||||||
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 Grafton station in May 2012 | |||||||||||
| General information | |||||||||||
| Location | 1 Pine Street North Grafton,Grafton, Massachusetts | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 42°14′48″N71°41′06″W / 42.24678°N 71.68506°W /42.24678; -71.68506 | ||||||||||
| Line | Worcester Main Line | ||||||||||
| Platforms | 2side platforms | ||||||||||
| Tracks | 2 | ||||||||||
| Connections |  WRTA: B | ||||||||||
| Construction | |||||||||||
| Parking | 386 spaces[1] | ||||||||||
| Bicycle facilities | 8 spaces | ||||||||||
| Accessible | Yes | ||||||||||
| Other information | |||||||||||
| Fare zone | 8 | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
| Opened | February 23, 2000[3] | ||||||||||
| Passengers | |||||||||||
| 2024 | 367 daily boardings[2] | ||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||
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Grafton station is anMBTA Commuter Rail station in the North Grafton village ofGrafton, Massachusetts, served by theFramingham/Worcester Line. The station isaccessible, with mini-high platforms serving both of the line's two tracks.
A former station at North Grafton was open from the 1800s until 1960. The modern station, located nearTufts University'sCummings School of Veterinary Medicine 1.3 miles (2.1 km) east of the former station, opened in 2000.
TheBoston and Worcester Railroad, which later became part of theBoston and Albany Railroad (B&A) opened toWorcester on July 4, 1835.[4]: 342 Grafton station was established near New England Village (later called North Grafton) along theroad to Shrewsbury by 1838.[5][6] Improvements to the station facilities were made around 1845.[7] TheGrafton Centre Railroad, a 3-mile (4.8 km)narrow-gauge feeder line, opened on August 20, 1874. Grafton station was renamed North Grafton to differentiate it from the Grafton Centre terminus.[8] The branch line was converted to standard gauge in 1887, renamed theGrafton and Upton Railroad (G&U) in 1888, and extended toMilford in 1890.[8]
The G&U was electrified in 1902; passenger service was provided by streetcars operated by theMilford and Uxbridge Street Railway.[8] North Grafton was a transfer point between B&A trains, G&U streetcars, andWorcester Consolidated Street Railway streetcars on the Worcester–Westborough line and Grafton Centre branch. Under great financial strain, the Worcester Consolidated cut its unprofitable suburban lines between 1925 and 1931. Westborough service ended in 1927; Grafton service lasted until 1931.[9] Streetcar service on the G&U ended on August 31, 1928, though freight service continued.[4]: 369 The G&U has continued to use a yard at North Grafton, where the freight house (built between 1930 and 1957) remains in use by the railroad.[10]
North Grafton station continued to be served by B&A commuter trains.[11][12] The station was closed on April 24, 1960 when the B&A dropped almost all stops west of Framingham as part of service cuts.[13] In August 1973, the 1964-formedMassachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) began subsidizing service (operated byPenn Central since 1968) between Boston and Framingham. On October 27, 1975, the one remaining Worcester round trip was cut back to Framingham.[13]
In 1994, service to Worcester was restored as mitigation for delays with reopening theOld Colony Lines. Service initially ran nonstop from Framingham to Worcester, but intermediatepark and ride stops were added later as mitigation for delays in reopening theGreenbush Line. The finalenvironmental impact statement for stations at Grafton andMillbury was released in 1996; the Millbury station was never built.[14]
Grafton station opened on February 23, 2000 - the first of the fourinfill stations to open on theFramingham/Worcester Line.[3] The modern station is 1.3 miles (2.1 km) east of the former North Grafton station site; it is located offMassachusetts Route 30 adjacent to theCummings School of Veterinary Medicine and other redevelopment of the formerGrafton State Hospital. The station was intended to supporttransit-oriented development of additional sections of the former hospital site.[15]
The station has two low-levelside platforms serving the two tracks of the Worcester Line, withmini-high platforms at the west ends to make the station accessible. The parking lot is on the north side of the station; a ramp leads from the lot directly to the outbound mini-high platform. A footbridge connects the lot to the inbound platform, with a ramp from the bridge to the mini-high section.[15]
Media related toGrafton station at Wikimedia Commons
