Attleboro station is a
commuter rail
Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Generally commuter rail systems are con ...
station on the
MBTA
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (abbreviated MBTA and known colloquially as "the T") is the public agency responsible for operating most public transportation services in Greater Boston, Massachusetts. The MBTA transit network in ...
's
Providence/Stoughton Line
The Providence/Stoughton Line is an MBTA Commuter Rail service in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, primarily serving the southwestern suburbs of Boston. Most service runs entirely on the Northeast Corridor between South Station in Boston and Provi ...
located in
Attleboro, Massachusetts
Attleboro is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It was once known as "The Jewelry Capital of the World" for its many jewelry manufacturers. According to the 2020 census, Attleboro had a population of 46,461.
Attleboro is ...
. By a 2018 count, Attleboro had 1,547 daily riders, making it the fourth busiest station on the system outside Boston.
Attleboro has had railroad service to its downtown area continuously since 1835. The two-story northbound and southbound station buildings, now private businesses, were built during a grade crossing elimination project in 1906-1908 and added to the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 1989. MBTA trains stop at platforms located slightly south of the historic buildings.
Attleboro is an important transfer station for the Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority, with seven routes converging at the adjacent Attleboro Intermodal Transportation Center.
History
Early history
![Attleboro 1906](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e6/Attleboro_1906.png)
The original
Boston and Providence Railroad
The Boston and Providence Railroad was a railroad company in the states of Massachusetts and Rhode Island which connected its namesake cities. It opened in two sections in 1834 and 1835 - one of the Rail transport in the United States, first rail ...
station, a complex
Victorian Gothic
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...
building, was located north of Mill Street at a grade crossing.
Service began in June 1835 from Boston to Providence. Two branches opened from Attleboro: The Attleboro Branch Railroad (run by the B&P) opened in January 1870, followed by the
New Bedford and Taunton Railroad
The New Bedford and Taunton Railroad was originally incorporated at the Old Colony Railroad Corporation in 1836 as an extension of the Taunton Branch Railroad between Taunton and New Bedford, Massachusetts, United States. The name was changed to " ...
's Attleboro Branch (to Taunton) in August 1871.
The Boston & Providence was taken over by the
Old Colony Railroad
The Old Colony Railroad (OC) was a major railroad system, mainly covering southeastern Massachusetts and parts of Rhode Island, which operated from 1845 to 1893. Old Colony trains ran from Boston to points such as Plymouth, Fall River, ...
in 1888, which itself was absorbed by the
New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad
The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad , commonly known as The Consolidated, or simply as the New Haven, was a railroad that operated in the New England region of the United States from 1872 to December 31, 1968. Founded by the merger of ...
in 1893. The lease of the Attleboro Branch Railroad expired in 1901; the New Haven built a different connector to the Walpole and Wrentham Railroad and the branch was returned to its owners. It was converted to an
interurban
The Interurban (or radial railway in Europe and Canada) is a type of electric railway, with streetcar-like electric self-propelled rail cars which run within and between cities or towns. They were very prevalent in North America between 1900 a ...
trolley line locally known as the "Gee Whiz Line" in June 1903. Taken over by the
Rhode Island Company
The United Electric Railways Company (UER) was the Providence-based operator of the system of interurban streetcars, trolleybuses, and trolley freight in the state of Rhode Island in the early- to mid-twentieth century.
The UER was chartered in ...
in 1907, service lasted as long as 1932. The town plans to convert part of the right of way into a recreational trail.
New station
![Attleboro station early postcard](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/Attleboro_station_early_postcard.JPG)
In 1891, the town petitioned the New Haven Railroad to eliminate dangerous grade crossings in the town. In 1905, the railroad set out to construct a lengthy viaduct for the mainline and the branch to Taunton. The project removed 13 grade crossings and made the line four tracks through Attleboro - one of the few locations east of New Haven where the railroad completed quadruple-tracking plans. Two-story
Romanesque station buildings were built on both sides; the northbound building opened in 1906 and the larger southbound building two years later.
Service on the branch to Taunton lasted until 1958, with summer-only long-distance service to Cape Cod lasting until 1964. In April 1979, off-peak MBTA service to
Providence
Providence often refers to:
* Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion
* Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity
* Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...
was cut back to Attleboro due to a reduction in subsidy from the state of Rhode Island. All service was cut to Attleboro on February 20, 1981.
MBTA era
![Conrail freight train at Attleboro station, July 1983](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a2/Conrail_freight_train_at_Attleboro_station%2C_July_1983.jpg)
The station served
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
's ''
Cape Codder'' during the summers of 1986 to 1988, with the
Cape Cod and Hyannis Railroad
A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment which drapes the wearer's back, arms, and chest, and connects at the neck.
History
Capes were common in medieval Europe, especially when combined with a hood in the chaperon. Th ...
operating additional state-funded service from Attleboro to
Hyannis in 1988. The CC&HR stopped operation after the 1988 season due to elimination of state subsidies. The ''Cape Codder'' discontinued its Attleboro stop in 1989 as it served just 3 riders per train, though the service ran until 1996.
Rush hour MBTA service was restored to Providence on February 1, 1988. Off-peak and weekend service was extended to upon its opening on June 20, 1990; those trains were later extended to Providence under expanded funding agreements.
On January 5, 1989, the station buildings were added to the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
. Both buildings are owned by private businesses. On January 16, 1989, the MBTA began a $990k renovation project, which included the installation of
mini-high platforms to make the station
accessible
Accessibility is the design of products, devices, services, vehicles, or environments so as to be usable by people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design and practice of accessible development ensures both "direct access" (i.e ...
.
The station was accessible by late 1990. The MBTA began operating Providence– service for events at
Gillette Stadium
Gillette Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts, which is southwest of downtown Boston. It serves as the home stadium and administrative offices for both the New England Patriots of the National Footb ...
in 1997, with Attleboro as one of the intermediate stops.
A 782-space garage was planned around 1999 to deal with overcrowding in the surface parking lots, but was never built. The Attleboro Intermodal Transportation Center was opened on November 7, 2013 to provide better connections between local bus and commuter rail services. The facility includes dedicated busways and a waiting room located on the west side of the railroad viaduct.
A section of non-electrified platform sidings at Attleboro, not included in the initial Amtrak electrification, is being electrified in mid-2022 to support future electric MBTA operations.
Bus connections
GATRA operates seven local bus routes connecting to the station:
*Route 10 - Attleboro to North Attleboro
*Route 12 - South Attleboro to Attleboro
*Route 14 - Attleboro to Plainville
*Route 15 - Oak Hill
*Route 16 - Seekonk to Attleboro
*Route 18 - Attleboro, Norton, and Taunton
*Route 24 - Attleboro to Pawtucket
See also
*
References
External links
MBTA - AttleboroMill Street entrance from Google Maps Street ViewMain Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
{{National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts
Stations on the Northeast Corridor
MBTA Commuter Rail stations in Bristol County, Massachusetts
Attleboro, Massachusetts
Former Amtrak stations in Massachusetts
Romanesque Revival architecture in Massachusetts
Railway stations in the United States opened in 1835
Railway stations on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts
National Register of Historic Places in Bristol County, Massachusetts
Former New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad stations
1835 establishments in Massachusetts