Foxboro station is an
MBTA Commuter Rail
The MBTA Commuter Rail system serves as the commuter rail arm of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's transportation coverage of Greater Boston in the United States. Trains run over of track to 141 different stations, with 58 statio ...
station in
Foxborough, Massachusetts
Foxborough is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, about southwest of Boston, northeast of Providence, Rhode Island and about northwest of Cape Cod. Foxborough is part of the Greater Boston area. The population was 18,618 at ...
, located adjacent to
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 ...
and the
Patriot Place
Patriot Place is an open-air shopping center owned by The Kraft Group built around Gillette Stadium, the home of the New England Patriots and New England Revolution. It is located in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
The first phase opened in fall 2007, ...
shopping center. The station has a single
side platform
A side platform (also known as a marginal platform or a single-face platform) is a platform positioned to the side of one or more railway tracks or guideways at a railway station, tram stop, or transitway. A station having dual side platforms ...
serving the main track of the
Framingham Secondary. Previous passenger service on the line ran from 1870 to 1933, with several three stations in Foxborough. Special service for
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
games and other stadium events ran from 1971 to 1973, then resumed in 1986. Event trains run from Boston via the
Franklin Line
The Franklin Line, also called the Franklin/Foxboro Line, is part of the MBTA Commuter Rail system. It runs from Boston's South Station in a southwesterly direction toward Franklin, Massachusetts, utilizing the Northeast Corridor before splitti ...
and from Providence via the
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 ...
(
Northeast Corridor
The Northeast Corridor (NEC) is an electrified railroad line in the Northeast megalopolis of the United States. Owned primarily by Amtrak, it runs from Boston through Providence, New Haven, Stamford, New York City, Philadelphia, Wilmington, a ...
).
Regular weekday service to the station via the Franklin Line was studied in 2010 and proposed in 2014. A pilot program of service was announced in 2017, and ten daily round trips began operation in October 2019. The pilot was suspended in November 2020, but four midday round trips resumed on May 23, 2022. A new one-year pilot began on September 12, 2022.
Station design
![Underpass at Foxboro station, September 2020](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f9/Underpass_at_Foxboro_station%2C_September_2020.jpg)
Foxboro station is located in the northern part of Foxboro, adjacent to the
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 ...
sports complex and
Patriot Place
Patriot Place is an open-air shopping center owned by The Kraft Group built around Gillette Stadium, the home of the New England Patriots and New England Revolution. It is located in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
The first phase opened in fall 2007, ...
shopping center. It is on the far east side of the site, and is separated from the rest of the complex by the
Neponset River
The Neponset River is a river in eastern Massachusetts in the United States. Its headwaters are at the Neponset Reservoir in Foxborough, near Gillette Stadium. From there, the Neponset meanders generally northeast for about to its mouth at ...
. A pedestrian walkway from the station runs under an access road and to the north end of the stadium. The station has a single side platform serving the main track of the
Framingham Secondary, with a mini-high section at the south end for
accessibility
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. ...
; a passing siding allows freight trains to pass stopped passenger trains at the station.
Weekday trains run between Foxboro and
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
's
South Station
South Station, officially The Governor Michael S. Dukakis Transportation Center at South Station, is the largest railroad station and intercity bus terminal in Greater Boston and New England's second-largest transportation center after Logan In ...
via the
Franklin Line
The Franklin Line, also called the Franklin/Foxboro Line, is part of the MBTA Commuter Rail system. It runs from Boston's South Station in a southwesterly direction toward Franklin, Massachusetts, utilizing the Northeast Corridor before splitti ...
, connecting to the Franklin Line at and serving regular Franklin Line stops.
Event trains serving South Station run via the Franklin Line, with intermediate stops only at and . Event trains serving
Providence station
Providence station is a railroad station in Providence, Rhode Island, served by Amtrak and MBTA Commuter Rail. The station has four tracks and two island platforms for passenger service, with a fifth track passing through for Providence and Worc ...
in
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...
run via the
Northeast Corridor
The Northeast Corridor (NEC) is an electrified railroad line in the Northeast megalopolis of the United States. Owned primarily by Amtrak, it runs from Boston through Providence, New Haven, Stamford, New York City, Philadelphia, Wilmington, a ...
(
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 ...
), with intermediate stops at , , and .
History
Previous stations
![Foxboro station 1912 postcard](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3e/Foxboro_station_1912_postcard.jpg)
The
Mansfield and Framingham Railroad
Mansfield is a market town and the administrative centre of Mansfield District in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the largest town in the wider Mansfield Urban Area (followed by Sutton-in-Ashfield). It gained the Royal Charter of a market tow ...
opened between its namesake towns in 1870 and was immediately leased to the
Boston, Clinton and Fitchburg Railroad
The Agricultural Branch Railroad was a railroad in Massachusetts. It was incorporated by the Legislature of Massachusetts on April 26, 1847, to provide a rail connection between Framingham and Northborough through the town of Southborough and ...
(later the
Boston, Clinton, Fitchburg and New Bedford Railroad
The Boston, Clinton, Fitchburg and New Bedford Railroad was a railroad in Massachusetts. It was formed on June 1, 1876, when the Boston, Clinton and Fitchburg Railroad merged with the New Bedford Railroad. The Boston, Clinton and Fitchburg Ra ...
). In 1879, it became part of 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, ...
, which was in turn acquired 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.
There were three stations on the line in Foxborough – Foxvale at Spring Street, Foxboro at Bird Street, and North Foxboro at North Street – plus South Walpole at Summer Street just over the
Walpole border.
The original Foxboro station, a three-story structure with a
Mansard roof
A mansard or mansard roof (also called a French roof or curb roof) is a four-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterised by two slopes on each of its sides, with the lower slope, punctured by dormer windows, at a steeper angle than the upper. The ...
, was a converted coffin shop.
A two-story brick station with a Spanish-style roof was constructed in 1911.
South Walpole station burned on February 23, 1911, due to a defective chimney, and was soon rebuilt.
The lightly-used North Foxboro and Foxvale stations were closed in 1928. Remaining passenger service on the line – a single daily round trip between and Framingham – ended in 1933.
The line remained in use for freight service, passing to
Penn Central
The Penn Central Transportation Company, commonly abbreviated to Penn Central, was an American Railroad classes, class I railroad that operated from 1968 to 1976. Penn Central combined three traditional corporate rivals (the Pennsylvania Railroad ...
in 1969 and
Conrail
Conrail , formally the Consolidated Rail Corporation, was the primary Class I railroad in the Northeastern United States between 1976 and 1999. The trade name Conrail is a portmanteau based on the company's legal name. It continues to do busin ...
in 1976.
Special trains were operated to the opening of the
Bay State Raceway Bay State Raceway, later known as New England Harness Raceway, Foxboro Raceway, and Foxboro Park was a harness racing track located in Foxborough, Massachusetts, United States that operated from 1947 until 1997. It stood next to Foxboro Stadium and ...
in 1948.
[ ] None of the three Foxborough station buildings survive, though the former South Walpole station remains in use as a post office.
MBTA event service
The service started with the opening of Schaefer Stadium (later Sullivan Stadium, then
Foxboro Stadium
Foxboro Stadium, originally Schaefer Stadium and later Sullivan Stadium, was an outdoor stadium in the New England region of the United States, located in Foxborough, Massachusetts. It opened in 1971 and served as the home of the New England Pa ...
) on August 15, 1971, with trains from Boston and Providence.
Providence service ended early in the
1973 season due to low ridership; Boston service ended that October. Plans were made to resume Boston service for the
1982 season, but this was interrupted by a railroad strike and
an NFL strike. Boston–Foxboro service via the Franklin Line ultimately resumed with the
1986 season. Beginning with the
1989 season, it was moved to the Providence/Stoughton Line, with a reverse move at Mansfield and intermediate stops at Back Bay, (dropped by 1993), , , , and Mansfield.
Boston service was shifted back to the Franklin Line in
1995
File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...
, with stops at and . An accessible platform was added by 1996. Providence service resumed for the
1997 season, with intermediate stops at South Attleboro, Attleboro, and Mansfield. MBTA-organized privately-operated bus service also ran from , (1994 only), , and to Foxboro Stadium for the
1994
File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...
to
1999
File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...
seasons.
Foxboro Stadium was replaced with the adjacent Gillette Stadium in 2002. By 2005, ridership per event averaged 1,567.
The Norwood Central stop was dropped in 2011. Providence trains were extended to in
Warwick, Rhode Island
Warwick ( or ) is a city in Kent County, Rhode Island, the third largest city in the state with a population of 82,823 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It is located approximately south of downtown Providence, Rhode Island, sout ...
from 2012 to 2018.
Weekday service
![Train at Foxboro station (1), September 2020](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6c/Train_at_Foxboro_station_%281%29%2C_September_2020.jpg)
In September 2010, the MBTA completed a study to determine the feasibility of extending full-time commuter rail service to Foxboro via the Franklin Line. The study looked at extending some
Fairmount Line
The Fairmount Line or Dorchester Branch is a line of the MBTA Commuter Rail system in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Except for a short portion in Milton, it lies entirely within Boston, running southwest from South Station through the neighborh ...
service to Foxboro, running shuttle trains from Foxboro to , or a combination of both. The options with through service to Boston were to include the addition of a second track at Foxboro station, converting it to an
island platform
An island platform (also center platform, centre platform) is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange. Island platforms are popular on ...
.
In January 2014, the state began discussions with stadium owner Kraft Group for use of the stadium parking lots. The MassDOT Board authorized the purchase of the Framingham Subdivision from CSX that June. By November 2014, the MBTA planned to run five daily Boston–Foxboro round trips, but town officials objected to the plans being made without local input. The $23 million purchase of the line was completed in June 2015, making it the Framingham Secondary.
In February 2017, Kraft Group owner
Robert Kraft
Robert Kenneth Kraft (born June 5, 1941) is an American billionaire businessman. He is the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Kraft Group, a diversified holding company with assets in paper and packaging, sports and entertainment, ...
agreed to subsidize the costs of a pilot service up to $200,000 per year, with 500 parking spaces made available. The pilot was supported by Foxborough officials, but opposed by Walpole officials. In August 2017, the MBTA Board approved an 11-month pilot program of service to Foxboro, planned to begin in late 2018 or early 2019. Daily ridership was expected to be 210 passengers, with the majority diverted from other commuter rail stations. Most of the pilot service would be extended Fairmount Line trains, which prompted concerns that the pilot would increase crowding and decrease reliability on the Fairmount Line.
In November 2017, the MBTA indicated that service would begin on May 20, 2019. About of track between Walpole and south of Foxboro station was upgraded in preparation for the service. A freight passing track was added at the station, and the section from Walpole to Foxboro was signalized.
After an additional delay, pilot service began on October 21, 2019. Initial service was ten daily round trips, including both peak and midday trips.
Seven of the ten round trips were extended Fairmount Line trains. By December 2019, the pilot averaged 70 daily boardings at Foxboro – just one-third of the projected ridership.
On November 2, 2020, the pilot was suspended due to reduced ridership as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic; it was then expected to resume in spring 2021. Four midday Foxboro round trips – but no peak Foxboro service – ultimately resumed on May 23, 2022.
A new one-year Foxboro pilot began on September 12, 2022, with Boston–Foxboro round trips on weekdays.
References
External links
{{Commons category
MBTA – FoxboroMBTA – Gillette Stadium
1971 establishments in Massachusetts
20th century in Foxborough, Massachusetts
Stations along Old Colony Railroad lines
MBTA Commuter Rail stations in Norfolk County, Massachusetts
Railway stations in the United States opened in 1971