The Lowell Line is a
railroad
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
line of the
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 ...
system, running north from
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 ...
to
Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell () is a city in Massachusetts, in the United States. Alongside Cambridge, It is one of two traditional seats of Middlesex County. With an estimated population of 115,554 in 2020, it was the fifth most populous city in Massachusetts as of ...
. Originally built as the New Hampshire Main Line of the
Boston & Lowell Railroad and later operated as part of the
Boston & Maine Railroad
The Boston and Maine Railroad was a U.S. Class I railroad in northern New England. Originally chartered in 1835, it became part of what was the Pan Am Railways network in 1983 (most of which was purchased by CSX in 2022).
At the end of 1970 ...
's Southern Division, the line was one of the
first railroads in North America
This is a list of the earliest railroads in North America, including various railroad-like precursors to the general modern form of a company or government agency operating locomotive-drawn trains on metal tracks.
Railroad-like entities (1700 ...
and the first major one in Massachusetts.
All stations are
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. ...
except for West Medford, Winchester Center, and Mishawum.
History
Boston and Lowell Railroad
![Lowell station with train postcard, circa 1920](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/08/Lowell_station_with_train_postcard%2C_circa_1920.jpg)
The
Boston and Lowell Railroad
The Boston and Lowell Railroad was a railroad that operated in Massachusetts in the United States. It was one of the first railroads in North America and the first major one in the state. The line later operated as part of the Boston and Maine R ...
started freight operations in 1835, with traffic from the Lowell mills to the Boston port. Demand for the express passenger service exceeded expectations, and in 1842 local service was added as well. The line north of Lowell was first owned by the Boston, Concord & Montreal Railroad, which was chartered in 1844. Trackage was completed as far as
Wells River, Vermont
Wells River is a village in the town of Newbury in Orange County, Vermont, United States. The population was 431 at the 2020 census. The village center is located at the junction of U.S. Routes 5 and 302.
The village center (the portion near ...
, in 1853. The
Boston & Maine Railroad
The Boston and Maine Railroad was a U.S. Class I railroad in northern New England. Originally chartered in 1835, it became part of what was the Pan Am Railways network in 1983 (most of which was purchased by CSX in 2022).
At the end of 1970 ...
(B&M) acquired the railroad in 1895. The line served as the route for Boston to
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
service during the Golden Age of Rail (roughly 1880 to 1940). The ''
Ambassador
An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...
'', the train from Boston's
North Station
North Station is a commuter rail and intercity rail terminal station in Boston, Massachusetts. It is served by four MBTA Commuter Rail lines – the Fitchburg Line, Haverhill Line, Lowell Line, and Newburyport/Rockport Line – and the Amtrak ...
to Montreal, ran through
Concord, New Hampshire
Concord () is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Hampshire and the seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2020 census the population was 43,976, making it the third largest city in New Hampshire behind Manchester and Nashua.
The village of ...
, along this line until 1966. This line, along with the ''New Englander'', via Concord,
White River Junction
White River Junction is an unincorporated village and census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Hartford in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,528 at the 2020 census, up from 2,286 in 2010, making it the largest co ...
,
Montpelier, ran through the northwestern section of Vermont prior to entering
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
, Canada. The ''
Alouette'' and ''Red Wing'' trains travelled to Montreal via Concord, Plymouth, Wells River and
Newport in northeastern Vermont prior to entering Quebec. (The route via Wells River,
St. Johnsbury and Newport was the more direct route of the two itineraries.) For this itinerary the Montreal route was marketed as an
Air-line railroad
An air-line railroad was a railroad that was relatively straight, following a shorter (and thus, presumably quicker) route instead of a longer, winding route. In their heyday, which was prior to aviation, they were often referred to simply as "air ...
.
Massive cutbacks on May 18, 1958, included the end of Stoneham Branch service and the closure of Medford Hillside,
Tufts College
Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists who sought to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learning. ...
, and
North Somerville stations.
Cuts on June 14, 1959, ended service north of Woburn on the Woburn Loop; trains for points north were rerouted via the mainline to the east. Boston–Lowell local service was halved to seven daily round trips; Tyngsboro, Bleachery, and
South Wilmington stations were closed.
B&M passenger service to Boston on the line was shortened from
Concord, New Hampshire
Concord () is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Hampshire and the seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2020 census the population was 43,976, making it the third largest city in New Hampshire behind Manchester and Nashua.
The village of ...
to Lowell in 1967.
MBTA era
![Tufts University station with RDC, September 1977](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0e/Tufts_University_station_with_RDC%2C_September_1977.png)
In 1973, 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 ...
bought the Lowell line, along with the Haverhill and all other local Greater Boston passenger lines. Along with the sale, the B&M contracted to run the passenger service on the Lowell line for the MBTA. After bankruptcy, the B&M continued to run and fulfill its
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 ...
contract under the protection of the
United States Bankruptcy Court
United States bankruptcy courts are courts created under Article I of the United States Constitution. The current system of bankruptcy courts was created by the United States Congress in 1978, effective April 1, 1984. United States bankruptcy c ...
, in the hopes that a reorganization could make it profitable again. It emerged from the court's protection when newly formed
Guilford Transportation Industries
Guildford is a town in Surrey, England. It gives its name to the Borough of Guildford, the Diocese of Guildford and the Parliamentary constituency of Guildford.
Guildford, Guilford, or Gildford may also refer to:
Places
Australia
* Guildf ...
(GTI) purchased it in 1983.
For approximately thirteen months in 1980-81, daily passenger service was provided to Concord. Two round-trips were operated on each weekday and one on weekend days. Originally, there were intermediate stops in
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 ...
and Nashua. A stop in
Merrimack was added later. Service was discontinued when federal funding was withdrawn.
Anderson Regional Transportation Center
Anderson Regional Transportation Center (RTC) (noted on MBTA schedules and maps as Anderson/Woburn, and on Amtrak schedules and maps as Woburn–Anderson) is a train and bus station located at 100 Atlantic Avenue, off Commerce Way, in Woburn, Mas ...
opened on April 28, 2001, replacing Mishawum as the Lowell Line's primary park-and-ride station for Route 128. Mishawum was reduced to limited reverse-peak service.
On December 15, 2001, the Amtrak ''
Downeaster'' began operating over the line south of Wilmington.
In October 2006, the MBTA added four
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 ...
round trips that terminated at Anderson RTC. The line was shut down on weekends in July through September 2017 for the installation of
Positive Train Control
Positive train control (PTC) is a family of automatic train protection systems deployed in the United States. Most of the United States' national rail network mileage has a form of PTC. These systems are generally designed to check that trains a ...
equipment in order to meet a 2020 federal deadline.
Substantially reduced schedules due to the COVID-19 pandemic were in effect from March 16 to June 23, 2020, and from December 14, 2020, to April 5, 2021.
On January 23, 2021, reduced schedules went into place with no weekend service on seven lines, including the Lowell Line.
Weekend service on the seven lines resumed on July 3, 2021. , the line has round trips on weekdays and nine on weekends. By October 2022, the line had 6,485 daily riders – 59% of pre-COVID ridership.
In June 2022, the MBTA indicated it was considering improvements to a siding in Woburn, which would allow 30-minute headways between Boston and Anderson/Woburn by 2024.
The Medford Branch of the
Green Line Extension
The Green Line Extension (GLX) was a construction project to extend the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Green Line light rail system northwest into Somerville and Medford, two inner suburbs of Boston, Massachusetts. The p ...
, which opened on December 12, 2022, runs along the Lowell Line through Somerville and part of Medford. There are five Green Line stations on the branch, but no additional commuter rail stops were added.
Proposed expansion to New Hampshire
![MBTA demonstration train at Concord, N](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8c/MBTA_demonstration_train_at_Concord%2C_N.H.%2C_May_1979.jpg)
MBTA Commuter Rail service connecting Concord, Manchester and Nashua from the Lowell Line used to exist in NH, ending in 1967.
The service came back in 1980 for a quick 13 month return, but the program grant was cut by the
Reagan administration
Ronald Reagan's tenure as the 40th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1981, and ended on January 20, 1989. Reagan, a Republican from California, took office following a landslide victory over D ...
in 1981, and commuter rail service has remained not available.
In October 2010, the
New Hampshire Department of Transportation
The New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT) is a government agency of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. The Commissioner of NHDOT is Victoria Sheehan. The main office of the NHDOT is located in the J. O. Morton Building in Concord.
F ...
received a $2.24 million federal grant to study an extension of the Lowell Line to Concord. In January 2011, a bill was introduced into the New Hampshire legislature to end the proposed extension and give up a potential
$4.1 million grant into its planning. The MBTA acquired
trackage rights
Railway companies can interact with and control others in many ways. These relationships can be complicated by bankruptcies.
Operating
Often, when a railroad first opens, it is only a short spur of a main line. The owner of the spur line may con ...
from Pan Am in May 2011 as part of a larger transaction.
The 2020 census revealed that, from 2010 to 2020, the population of NH increased by 61,000, with migration to NH making up 89% of the state's new residents.
Since 2001, rail transit on the Amtrak ''
Downeaster'' has been connecting the
Seacoast Region to Boston, with stops in
Dover
Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...
,
Durham–UNH, and
Exeter
Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol.
In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...
. With no rail transit in
Hillsborough County, the state's most populated county, most commuters drive on
U.S. Route 3
U.S. Route 3 (US 3) is a United States highway running from Cambridge, Massachusetts, through New Hampshire, to the Canada–US border near Third Connecticut Lake, where it connects to Quebec Route 257.
Massachusetts Route 3 connects to ...
or
Interstate 93
Interstate 93 (I-93) is an Interstate Highway in the New England states of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont in the United States. Spanning approximately along a north–south axis, it is one of three primary Interstate Highways ...
to get to Boston.
NH Department of Transportation traffic data from 2014 reveals that southbound traffic on these two highways during rush hour is exceeding the highway capacity by 25%, and average speeds as low as 12 mph, with the volume of cars only expected to keep increasing.
Due to local environmental and financial constraints, expanding either highway is not a possible solution.
Although traffic in NH dropped by 58% at the beginning of the pandemic, traffic data is beginning to look similar to 2019 pre-pandemic numbers again, and more commuters are back on the road.
In December 2020, a $5.5 million contract was awarded to
AECOM
AECOM (, ; formerly AECOM Technology Corporation) is an American multinational infrastructure consulting firm.
AECOM has approximately 51,000 employees, and is number 157 on the 2019 Fortune 500 list.
The company's official name from 1990 t ...
for preliminary engineering and design work, environmental and public engagement services, and final design, for the project to extend MBTA commuter rail service to southern New Hampshire. With President Joe Biden signing the
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill and originally in the House as the INVEST in America ActH.R. 3684, is a United States federal statute enacted by the 117th United States Congress ...
in November 2021, $66 million has been allotted to rejuvenate rail transit in the United States, which is bringing the commuter rail service to NH closer.
The current plan as of early 2022 is to extend the Lowell Line up through
Nashua Nashua may refer to:
* Nashaway people, Native American tribe living in 17th-century New England
Places
In Australia:
* Nashua, New South Wales
In the United States:
* Nashua, California
* Nashua, Iowa
* Nashua, Minnesota
* Nashua, Kansas City ...
and
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 ...
, the state's two most-populous cities.
The proposed expansion would include four new stops: South Nashua near the
Pheasant Lane Mall
Pheasant Lane Mall, occupying , is one of the largest shopping malls in the state of New Hampshire and the focal point of the commercial area in south Nashua.
As of , the mall has about 139 stores and kiosks, including four anchor stores: Dick ...
, Crown Street in Nashua, a site in
Bedford
Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...
intended to serve
Manchester–Boston Regional Airport
Manchester–Boston Regional Airport , commonly referred to as Manchester Airport, is a public use airport south of the central business district of Manchester, New Hampshire, United States on the border of Hillsborough and Rockingham countie ...
, and behind the
Market Basket
A market basket or commodity bundle is a fixed list of items, in given proportions. Its most common use is to track the progress of inflation in an economy or specific market. That is, to measure the changes in the value of money over time. A ...
in Manchester, which was chosen as a hybrid site between the two previously considered options at Valley Street and Granite Street.
In January of 2022, the Manchester Board of Mayor and Aldermen approved the location for new facilities to house layover trains adjacent to the Manchester Transit Authority facilities. The track from Lowell to Manchester exists already from the previous commuter rail service.
Jonathan Bruneau of Jacobs Engineering states, "It's a beat-up little railroad however it doesn't look that bad. If you're out there and you're looking at it, it supported coal trains for years. We're just gonna try to make it a little bit better, a little bit faster".
Extending service to NH could provide an expected 34 trains a day to Nashua, and 16 a day to Manchester, connecting commuters from Nashua to Boston as low as 54 minutes, and commuters from Manchester to Boston in as low as 1 hour and 25 minutes, and 3,120 passengers a day.
The project cost and finish timeline still remain unfinalized as of early 2022, but was estimated to cost $246 million in the 2014 NHDOT report, and the project still waits approval from the federal government.
The expansion of the commuter rail to Southern New Hampshire has been met with both positive and negative reviews. Support for the commuter rail is that it will ease congestion on I-93 and Route 3 and bring more families and business to NH.
Opposition to the expansion is that people do not want to have any increases in taxes, and some consider the project to not be necessary. MBTA Commuter rail ridership has dropped 25% pre-pandemic from 40,569,600 riders in 2002, to 32,143,251 riders in 2018. NH Governor,
Chris Sununu
Christopher Thomas Sununu ( ; born November 5, 1974) is an American politician and engineer who has served as the 82nd governor of New Hampshire since 2017. A member of the Republican Party, Sununu was a member of the New Hampshire Executive Co ...
, once against the commuter rail, calling it "boondoggle",
has since changed stance and now in support of the project as of 2022, with the possibility of Amazon relocating to NH.
In December 2021, HB 1432, a bill that, if passed, would prohibit state funds from going toward passenger rail expansion within the state, was introduced to the New Hampshire State Legislature as a partisan bill (Republican 10-0). On May 12, 2022, HB1432 was killed by the NH Senate after Senator Birdsell refused to accede to the House's request for a Committee of Conference after the Senate had changed the wording of the bill. As of 2022, the study being carried out by AECOM and the State of New Hampshire to design and make a financial plan for the project is due to be completed by 2023, where the project will then await federal funding.
Operations
![Downeaster passing Gilman Square station construction, July 2019](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5f/Downeaster_passing_Gilman_Square_station_construction%2C_July_2019.JPG)
Track speeds
North of Wilmington, the line is authorized for a maximum of . South of Wilmington, the line has an unusual asymmetrical speed limit. The northbound track supports up to where curvature allows, while the southbound track has a maximum of . Additional speed restrictions are in place at Wilmington, through the grade crossings in West Medford, and in the North Station terminal area.
Other services
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 ''
Downeaster'' service to Maine, along with some
Haverhill Line
The Haverhill Line (formerly named the Haverhill/Reading Line) is a branch of the MBTA Commuter Rail system, running north from downtown Boston, Massachusetts through the cities and towns of
Malden, Melrose, Wakefield, Reading, Wilmington, And ...
express trains, run on the Lowell Line from North Station to Wilmington, then follow the
Wildcat Branch
The Wildcat Branch is a single track railroad branch line which connects the MBTA Lowell Line in Wilmington, Massachusetts to the MBTA Haverhill Line at Wilmington Junction. The total length of the branch line from the connection with the Lowell ...
to the Haverhill Line. This routing is used to avoid the inner Haverhill Line, which has a number of single-track sections.
The line is the designated freight clearance route into Boston from the north; all stations with high-level platforms must either have
mini-high platforms or a freight passing track.
Pan Am Railways
Pan Am Railways, Inc. (PAR) is a subsidiary of CSX Corporation that operates Class II regional railroads covering northern New England from Mattawamkeag, Maine, to Rotterdam Junction, New York. Pan Am Railways is primarily made up of former Clas ...
runs freight on the line, including local freights based out of Lawrence Yard and DOBO (a Dover to Boston through freight).
Station listing
Woburn Branch
References
External links
MBTA - Lowell Line, New Hampshire DOT
{{Massachusetts-Rhode Island transit agencies
MBTA Commuter Rail