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Salem Street station was a short-lived
Although the Wildcat Branch was in use from 1836 to 1848 and again from 1874 on, there was no station on the branch. On June 14, 1959, the
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 in Wilmington, Massachusetts
Wilmington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. Its population was 23,349 at the 2020 United States census.
History
Wilmington was first settled in 1665 and was officially incorporated in 1730, from parts of Woburn, Readi ...
in use from 1959 to 1967. It was located at the Salem Street crossing. It was established by the Boston and 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 ...
(B&M) as the sole stop on 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 ...
, in the wake of a restructuring brought on by service cuts. In 1965, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
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 ...
started funding 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 ...
service on the B&M routes, but closed Salem Street in 1967.
History
Although the Wildcat Branch was in use from 1836 to 1848 and again from 1874 on, there was no station on the branch. On June 14, 1959, the Boston and 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 ...
introduced a series of service cutbacks, including the abandonment of the north half of the Woburn Loop. Service on the Western Route (B&M mainline) was discontinued from Reading station
Reading railway station is a major transport hub in Reading, Berkshire, England. It is on the northern edge of the town centre, near the main retail and commercial areas and the River Thames, from .
Reading is the ninth-busiest station in th ...
to Wilmington Junction; all service to Haverhill station and beyond was rerouted via the Wilmington Branch (now known as the Wildcat Branch). North Wilmington station
North Wilmington is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in North Wilmington, Massachusetts. It serves the Haverhill Line, and is located off Middlesex Avenue ( Route 62). It has some of the most limited station faculties on the MBTA system - a s ...
on the Western Route was replaced with Salem Street. A single low-level platform was built on the east side of the line's single track, along with a small parking area.
When the newly formed 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 ...
began funding B&M commuter service in January 1965, state subsidies were provided only for service to Reading on the Western Route and Wilmington on the Lowell Line; local governments were required to fund out-of-district service. Salem Street was closed on June 30, 1967, as the B&M cut all service on the line except for a single round trip to Haverhill. That single trip was cut in June 1976.
When Haverhill service resumed as part 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 in December 1979, it ran on the pre-1959 routing via Reading. The former stop at Salem Street on the Wildcat Branch, plus the North Andover station on the mainline, were not returned to service. Although several daily Haverhill trains running over the Wildcat Branch were soon added, to be joined by 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 ...
'' Downeaster'' service beginning in 2001, the Salem Street stop was not reactivated. The former platform is still extant, though covered in weeds.
References
External links
{{commons category inline MBTA Commuter Rail stations in Middlesex County, Massachusetts Buildings and structures in Wilmington, Massachusetts Railway stations in the United States opened in 1959 Railway stations closed in 1967 Former MBTA stations in Massachusetts 1959 establishments in Massachusetts 1967 disestablishments in Massachusetts