Harbor was 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

Gloucester, Massachusetts Gloucester () is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It sits on Cape Ann and is a part of Massachusetts's North Shore. The population was 29,729 at the 2020 U.S. Census. An important center of the fishing industry and a ...

. It served the Rockport Branch of the

Newburyport/Rockport Line The Newburyport/Rockport Line is a branch of the MBTA Commuter Rail system, running northeast from downtown Boston, Massachusetts towards Cape Ann and the Merrimack Valley, serving the North Shore. The first leg, operating via the Eastern Rou ...

. A short-lived stop, it was open from 1977 to 1985.

History

Harbor station opened in December 1977 to serve a new apartment complex (now The Heights at Cape Ann) located on a bluff above the tracks. Several

short turn In public transport, a short turn, short working or turn-back is an earlier terminus on a bus or rail line that is used on some scheduled trips that do not operate along the full length of the route. Short turns are practical in scheduling when t ...

trains (which had formerly terminated at

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

but ran to an interlocking just west of

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...

to switch tracks for the inbound journey) were extended to Harbor at that time. Several trips, including the short turns, were cut in September 1979. On January 30, 1981, service to nearby West Gloucester was discontinued during a round of budget cuts, leaving Harbor as the only station serving the area. The station was never heavily used - an April 1983 count showed just 35 daily boardings. On November 16, 1984, a fire destroyed Beverly Draw, which connects

Salem Salem may refer to: Places Canada Ontario * Bruce County ** Salem, Arran–Elderslie, Ontario, in the municipality of Arran–Elderslie ** Salem, South Bruce, Ontario, in the municipality of South Bruce * Salem, Dufferin County, Ontario, part ...

and

Beverly Depot Beverly Depot is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in Beverly, Massachusetts. Located in Downtown Beverly, it serves the Newburyport/Rockport Line. It is the junction of the line's two branches to Newburyport and Rockport and is served by every t ...

on the line. A shuttle train continued to operate from Rockport to Beverly until January 7, 1985, when it was replaced by bus service. The locomotives used were then trucked to Danvers so they could be repaired at the MBTA's main maintenance facility. When service was restored on December 1, 1985, Harbor station remained closed. West Gloucester, which had more room for parking, reopened instead. Harbor station consisted of a small shelter with no platforms; passengers boarded from a clearing next to the tracks. A paved path led from the rear of the apartment complex to the station area. Only the path and a small clearing around the concrete base of the shelter are still extant.

References

External links

Buildings and structures in Gloucester, Massachusetts MBTA Commuter Rail stations in Essex County, Massachusetts Railway stations in the United States opened in 1977 Former MBTA stations in Massachusetts Railway stations in the United States closed in 1985 {{Massachusetts-railstation-stub