Wikipedia

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 Route of the former Boston and Maine Railroad, serves Chelsea, Lynn, Swampscott, Salem, and Beverly. From there, a northern branch continues via the Eastern Route to serve Hamilton, Ipswich, Rowley, and Newburyport, while other trains operate east from Beverly via the Gloucester Branch, serving Manchester, Gloucester, and Rockport. A bicycle coach is offered on the Rockport branch during the summer.[3] With over 11,000 daily riders in October 2022, the line is the second-busiest on the system.

Newburyport/Rockport Line
An outbound train in Manchester-by-the-Sea in 2014
Overview
OwnerMassachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
LocaleGreater Boston
Termini
Stations12 (Newburyport–Boston)
14 (Rockport–Boston)
(7 serve both routes)
Service
TypeCommuter Rail
SystemMBTA Commuter Rail
Services2
Train number(s)100–198 (weekday)
1100–1167 (Saturday)
2100–2167 (Sunday)
Operator(s)Keolis North America
Daily ridership11,333 (October 2022)[1]
Technical
Line length36.2 miles (58.3 km) (Newburyport–Boston)
35.3 miles (56.8 km) (Rockport–Boston)[2]
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Route map

Legend
former Eastern Route
to Portland
56.9 mi
91.6 km
Portsmouth (closed)
48.7 mi
78.4 km
North Hampton (closed)
46.5 mi
74.8 km
Hampton (closed)
NH
MA
Merrimack River
36.2 mi
58.3 km
 Newburyport
Newburyport Layover
31.2 mi
50.2 km
 Rowley
27.6 mi
44.4 km
 Ipswich
22.7 mi
36.5 km
 Hamilton/Wenham
20.8 mi
33.5 km
 North Beverly
Gloucester Branch
35.3 mi
56.8 km
 Rockport
Rockport Layover
31.6 mi
50.9 km
 Gloucester
Gloucester Draw
30.6 mi
49.2 km
Harbor (closed)
29.6 mi
47.6 km
 West Gloucester
25.4 mi
40.9 km
 Manchester
Manchester Draw
22.9 mi
36.9 km
 Beverly Farms
22.2 mi
35.7 km
Prides Crossing (closed)
19.8 mi
31.9 km
 Montserrat
18.3 mi
29.5 km
 Beverly Depot
Beverly Draw (Danvers River)
16.8 mi
27 km
 Salem
Peabody Branch
Salem Tunnel
 Salem
(pre-1987 location)
 South Salem
(proposed)
12.8 mi
20.6 km
 Swampscott
11.5 mi
18.5 km
 Lynn
Saugus Branch
9.9 mi
15.9 km
 River Works
Saugus Draw
 SL3  to South Station
4.6 mi
7.4 km
 Bellingham Square
 SL3 
 Chelsea
 SL3 
Saugus Branch
Mystic River
 Haverhill 
 Orange  to Oak Grove
 Orange Line (MBTA) Sullivan Square
Grand Junction Railroad
 Lowell 
0.8 mi
1.3 km
Maintenance facility
 Fitchburg 
 Orange Line (MBTA) Community College
Lechmere
Charles River
 Science Park
0 mi
0 km
 North Station
Green Line (MBTA) Orange Line (MBTA) MBTA Commuter Rail Downeaster (train)
 Orange  to Forest Hills
 D  to Riverside
 E  to Heath Street
This diagram:

History

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Main article: Eastern Railroad
 
After 22 years terminating at Ipswich, the line was restored to Newburyport in 1998

The Eastern Route main line between Boston and Portsmouth, New Hampshire opened in 1836 as the Eastern Railroad. Ferries were used to transport passengers between the East Boston terminal and Boston proper. The line was extended to Portland, Maine, in 1842 under a track-sharing agreement with the Boston and Maine Railroad.[4] The Gloucester Branch was constructed in 1847, but despite local support, it was not extended to Rockport until November 1861.[5] In 1854, with the opening of the Grand Junction Railroad, the Eastern Railroad acquired direct access to downtown Boston.[4]

The Boston & Maine leased the Eastern Railroad in 1884, and in 1893 the new North Union Station became the terminus of the B&M, its subsidiaries the Eastern Railroad and Boston & Lowell Railroad, and the Fitchburg Railroad.

Amesbury Branch service ended in 1936, and Essex Branch service in 1942.[6] Branch line service declined heavily in the 1950s, with the single Salem–Marblehead round trip gone by 1957. Massive service cuts on May 18, 1958, ended all Saugus and Danvers branch service, closed all stations south of Lynn, and halved Marblehead service.[6] Further cuts on June 14, 1959, ended Marblehead Branch service; stations at East Lynn, Salisbury, and West Manchester were also closed.[7][6]

On February 28, 1956, a southbound Danvers–Boston commuter train crashed into the rear of a stopped Portsmouth–Boston local train just north of Swampscott station during a snowstorm. The collision, blamed on the engineer operating at unsafe speeds for the conditions, killed 13 people and injured 283.[8]: 317 [9] A second collision in Revere later that morning injured 143 people — some of whom had already been in the Swampscott wreck.[10][11] On December 27, 1966, an outbound Budd RDC struck an oil tanker truck at Second Street in Everett, killing 13 people.[8]: 317 

MBTA era

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In the 1960s, the B&M's passenger services - which, by that time, were almost exclusively commuter services — began to become financially unviable until the MBTA subsidized, and then acquired, the services. The line beyond Newburyport was abandoned in 1982; however, commuter service had been cut back from Newburyport to Ipswich in 1976.[4] In 1998, service was restored to Newburyport at a cost of $46 million.[12]

In the late 1980s, the MBTA planned to construct a park and ride relief station off Route 107 in Saugus. A $400,000 planning study was funded in February 1988; the proposed $11-million station would have had 1,000 parking spaces and opened in late 1991.[13] The station was not built; instead, a high-level platform and parking garage opened at Lynn in January 1992.[14]

In February 2001, the MBTA began two parallel planning processes for the North Shore region: a Draft Environment Impact Statement for the Blue Line Extension (DEIS), and a Major Investment Study (MIS) for other projects primarily north of Salem. The MIS, released in 2004, identified a number of possible improvements to the Newburyport/Rockport Line, including upgrades to current stations, grade crossing eliminations, signal system improvements, increased frequencies, a second Salem tunnel, a branch line to Danvers, and new stations at Revere and South Salem.[15] None of the projects in the DEIS or MIS was actually built due to lack of funding, except for parking structures at Salem and Beverly which were mandated as Big Dig mitigation. As of 2024, design of South Salem station is being undertaken by the city.[16][17]

In July 2019, Wynn Resorts proposed a combination commuter rail and Silver Line station in Everett to serve the newly owned Encore Boston Harbor casino and proposed surrounding development.[18]

Movable bridges and replacements

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Draw Number 7 shortly before replacement

Owing to its position along the North Shore coastline, the Newburyport/Rockport Line has a large number of river crossings, including movable bridges over the Saugus River and Danvers River on the mainline as well as Days Creek and the Annisquam River on the Rockport Branch. Draw Number 7 over the Mystic River between Somerville and Everett, built in 1877, was the oldest horizontally folding drawbridge in the country[19] until it was replaced by a fixed high-level concrete span on August 26, 1989. The new $34.2-million bridge, which was completed nine months ahead of schedule, eliminated the 5-mile-per-hour (8.0 km/h) speed restriction on the old bridge.[20][21]

The Beverly Drawbridge spanning the Danvers River was replaced in 2017. The abutments of the approach spans were repaired, followed by a 21-day service shutdown from July 17 to August 13, 2017, for the complete replacement of the swing bridge section.[22][14] The MBTA Board approved the $16.2-million contract in February 2016; work will last from March 2016 to December 2017.[23] The line was shut down on weekends from July 8 through August 27, 2017, for the installation of Positive Train Control equipment in order to meet a 2020 federal deadline; four of those weekends overlapped with the already planned service curtailments for drawbridge work.[24][14]

The Gloucester Drawbridge over the Annisquam River formerly consisted of a steel drawbridge and western approach span with a timber trestle for the eastern approach. It was built in 1911, modified in 1932, and substantially repaired in 1984–85. It was completely replaced with a modern box beam bridge on steel piles.[25] By February 2016, bidding was planned to begin by June for the four-year, then-$34-million project, though funding had not been allotted.[26] The MBTA Board approved a $56.9-million contract in October 2017; funding is split between federal and state funds. The 44-month project was to require 10 weekend shutdowns of the branch.[27] All service between West Gloucester and Rockport was replaced by buses from June 1 to 30, 2019 to allow for construction.[28]

On April 29, 2020, service between West Gloucester and Rockport was indefinitely replaced by buses due to a failure of the old bridge.[29] That June, the MBTA indicated the closure would continue until the completion of the bridge replacement in mid-2021.[30] In October 2020, weekend service was modified with the outbound bus connection at Manchester, so that trains could idle between the two stations.[14] This was repeated with weekday service on November 2, 2020.[31] On April 5, 2021, weekend bus shuttles were changed to run between Beverly and Rockport.[14] Other work during the closure included replacement of 11,000 wood ties with plastic ties, replacement of 12 culverts, and replacement of an old spring switch east of the drawbridge with a modern interlocking.[32] Portions of the line are being replaced by buses in several phases from April 11 to June 5, 2022, to allow for several construction projects including the completion of the drawbridge.[33] Regular service to Rockport over the bridge resumed on May 23, 2022.[34] Work on the bridge was completed in December 2022.[35]

The MBTA plans to replace the Saugus River drawbridge in the mid-to-late 2020s.[36]

COVID-19 changes

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Substantially reduced schedules due to the COVID-19 pandemic were in effect from March 16 to June 23, 2020.[14] Schedule changes effective November 2, 2020 shifted some peak service to off-peak, providing 30-minute midday headways on the inner portion of the line, as part of a transition to a regional rail model.[37] The final Newburyport-bound train on weekdays began operating as a shuttle from Salem, with a transfer from a Rockport-bound train.[31] In November 2020, as part of service cuts during the pandemic, the MBTA proposed to close Prides Crossing along with five other low-ridership stations on other lines.[38] On December 14, the MBTA Board voted to enact a more limited set of cuts, including indefinitely closing Prides Crossing and four of the other five stations.[39][40] That day, temporary reduced schedules were again put into place, with Prides Crossing not served.[41] Full service resumed on April 5, 2021, with Prides Crossing still closed.[42]

As of February 2022, weekday service had 12 Boston–West Gloucester round trips, 13 Boston–Newburyport round trips, three Boston–Beverly round trips, and one Salem–Newburyport outbound trip. Weekend service had nine round trips on each branch, with no short turns.[43] A series of partial and complete closures of the line took place from March 5 to June 12, 2022, to allow for signal construction work. Several shorter closures took place in July through September.[14] Lynn station temporarily closed on October 1, 2022, pending a reconstruction project.[44] By October 2022, the line had 11,333 daily riders — 76% of pre-COVID ridership.[1] Rockport Branch service was replaced by buses from October 15 to December 18, 2022, for the final phase of signal work.[14][35] All trips on the line were reduced to Zone 1A fares (the least expensive) from July 1 to August 31, 2023, during a closure of the Sumner Tunnel.[45]

Proposed electrification

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As the MBTA plans to transition to a regional rail model with more frequent service, the Newburyport/Rockport Line is a priority for electrification because it serves environmental justice communities.[clarification needed] In April 2021, the MBTA indicated plans to electrify the line between Boston and Beverly Depot. Studies for facility needs and traction power were noted as being funded, while design and planning for required infrastructure changes were not.[46] In June 2022, the MBTA indicated plans to begin service with battery electric multiple units on the line in 2031. The section from Chelsea to Hamilton/Wenham and Manchester (save for the Salem Tunnel) would have overhead wires. A light maintenance facility would be constructed near Salem. Improvements to a turnback track near Beverly, allowing more frequent diesel service in the interim, are planned to be completed in late 2022.[47][needs update]

Station listing

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State Fare zone Location Miles (km)[2] Station Connections and notes
MA 1A Boston 0.0 (0.0)   North Station   Amtrak: Downeaster
  MBTA Commuter Rail: Fitchburg Line, Lowell Line, and Haverhill Line
  MBTA subway: Orange Line, Green Line (D and E branches)
  MBTA bus: 4
  EZRide
Chelsea 4.1 (6.6)   Chelsea   MBTA subway: Silver Line (SL3)
  MBTA bus: 112, 114
Was located 0.4 miles (0.6 km) to the east until 2021
2 Lynn 9.9 (15.9) River Works For River Works employees only
11.5 (18.5)   Lynn   MBTA bus: 426, 426W, 429, 435, 436, 439, 441, 442, 455, 456
3 Swampscott 12.8 (20.6)   Swampscott
Salem 16.8 (27.0)   Salem   MBTA bus: 435, 450, 450W, 451, 455, 456
Was located 0.5 miles (0.8 km) to the south until 1987
4 Beverly 18.3 (29.5)   Beverly Depot   CATA: City of Beverly shuttle, Beverly Commuter
Split with Gloucester Branch
5 20.8 (33.5)   North Beverly   MBTA bus: 451
Hamilton 22.7 (36.5)   Hamilton/Wenham
6 Ipswich 27.6 (44.4)   Ipswich   CATA: Ipswich/Essex Explorer (summer)
7 Rowley 31.2 (50.2)   Rowley
8 Newburyport 36.2 (58.3)   Newburyport   MVRTA: 19, 20
Pre-1976 location was 1.1 miles (1.8 km) north
NH Hampton 46.5 (74.8) Hampton Closed January 4, 1965
North Hampton 48.7 (78.4) North Hampton Closed January 4, 1965
Portsmouth 56.9 (91.6) Portsmouth Closed January 4, 1965
  Currently operating station

Gloucester Branch

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Fare zone Location Miles (km)[2] Station Connections and notes
4 Beverly 18.3 (29.5)   Beverly Depot   CATA: City of Beverly shuttle, Beverly Commuter
Split from main line
19.8 (31.9)   Montserrat   CATA: City of Beverly Shuttle
5 22.2 (35.7) Prides Crossing Closed January 23, 2021
22.9 (36.9)   Beverly Farms
6 Manchester-by-the-Sea 25.4 (40.9)   Manchester
7 Gloucester 29.6 (47.6)   West Gloucester   CATA: West Gloucester
30.6 (49.2) Harbor Closed January 7, 1985
31.6 (50.9)   Gloucester   CATA: Beverly Commuter, Lanesville, Saturday Mall, Gloucester Crossing/Business Express, Stage Fort Park Shuttle (summer)
8 Rockport 35.3 (56.8)   Rockport   CATA: Beverly Commuter, Lanesville, Rockport Shuttle (summer only)
  Currently operating station
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  •  
    Chelsea Station
  •  
    River Works
  •  
    Swampscott
  •  
    Beverly Depot
  •  
    North Beverly
  •  
    Rowley
  •  
    Gloucester
  •  
    Rockport

References

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  1. ^ a b Poftak, Steve (October 27, 2022). "GM Report" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. p. 6.
  2. ^ a b c "Ridership and Service Statistics" (PDF) (14th ed.). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 2014.
  3. ^ MBTA. "MBTA Bike Train" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 23, 2014. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  4. ^ a b c T. Zabek (January 1, 2010). "Eastern Division". Remnants of the Boston & Maine Railroad. Archived from the original on March 31, 2012. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
  5. ^ Hurd, Duane Hamilton (1888). History of Essex County, Massachusetts: with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Volume 2, Part 1. J. W. Lewis & Co.
  6. ^ a b c Humphrey, Thomas J.; Clark, Norton D. (1985). Boston's Commuter Rail: The First 150 Years. Boston Street Railway Association. pp. 75–77. ISBN 9780685412947.
  7. ^ "Cities, Towns, Labor Officials Protest State O.K. of B&M Cutbacks". Boston Globe. May 13, 1959. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.  
  8. ^ a b Karr, Ronald Dale (2017). The Rail Lines of Southern New England (2 ed.). Branch Line Press. ISBN 9780942147124.
  9. ^ "Train Crashed at 50 M.P.H., Three Say". Boston Globe. March 9, 1956. pp. 1, 13 – via Newspapers.com.  
  10. ^ "B. & M. Sure Signals O.K." Boston Globe. March 9, 1956. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.  
  11. ^ "Two Railroad Wrecks in One Day Enough for Seven B&M Riders". Boston Globe. February 28, 1956. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.  
  12. ^ Dodge, John (October 1998). "The railroad returns to Newburyport". Trains. 57 (10): 48.
  13. ^ Howe, Peter J. (February 18, 1988). "MBTA OK's funds for Saugus study". Boston Globe – via Newspapers.com.  
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h Belcher, Jonathan. "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). Boston Street Railway Association.
  15. ^ PB/DMJM+HARRIS, Joint Venture (March 2004). "Chapter 3: Project Definition & Assessment" (PDF). Draft North Shore Transit Improvements Project-MIS. Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 10, 2016. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
  16. ^ "MBTA South Salem Commuter Rail Stop Conceptual Design Neighborhood Meeting" (PDF). City of Salem. June 18, 2024.
  17. ^ "Healey-Driscoll Administration Celebrates over $25 Million in Federal Funding for Three Critical Transportation Projects" (Press release). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. June 26, 2024.
  18. ^ Chesto, Jon (July 11, 2019). "Wynn offers investors a glimpse of Everett's development potential". Boston Globe.
  19. ^ "Mystic River Drawbridge No. 7, Spanning Mystic River at Boston & Maine Railroad Eastern Route, Somerville, Middlesex County, MA". Historic American Engineering Record (Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division). December 1988.
  20. ^ Coughlin, William (August 25, 1989). "Swing-Bridge Operators Drawing Down Curtain". Boston Globe – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ Ackerman, Jerry (August 28, 1989). "MBTA mulls asking state for $6m". Boston Globe – via Newspapers.com.  
  22. ^ Jessen, Klark (March 24, 2015). "Beverly: Drawbridge Project Community Meeting April 1" (Press release). Massachusetts Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
  23. ^ Oemig, Jennie (February 10, 2016). "Contractor named for Beverly drawbridge project". Wicked Local Beverly. Retrieved February 24, 2016.
  24. ^ "Commuter Rail Positive Train Control (PTC): Update and Communications Plan for Suspension of Weekend Service" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. March 27, 2017. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 31, 2017. Retrieved March 30, 2017.
  25. ^ "Gloucester Drawbridge Replacement". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
  26. ^ Lamont, Ray (February 23, 2016). "'We need to get going on this': MBTA bridge plans to be outlined Tuesday night". Gloucester Times. Retrieved February 24, 2016.
  27. ^ "Contract H62CN03: Replacement of Gloucester Drawbridge over the Annisquam River" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. October 16, 2017.
  28. ^ "Rockport and West Gloucester Shuttle Bus Replacement Extended 2 Weeks Through June 30" (Press release). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. June 13, 2019.
  29. ^ "Rockport Line Service Changes". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. April 29, 2020. Archived from the original on May 1, 2020.
  30. ^ "Newburyport/Rockport Trains between Rockport and West Gloucester Replaced with Shuttle Buses through Summer 2021" (Press release). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. June 9, 2020.
  31. ^ a b "Newburyport/Rockport Line Fall/Winter Schedule" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. November 2, 2020.
  32. ^ "Gloucester Drawbridge Replacement Project: Rockport Commuter Rail Service Restoration Expected May 2022" (Press release). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. December 23, 2021.
  33. ^ "Newburyport/Rockport Commuter Rail Line Service Changes" (Press release). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. April 7, 2022.
  34. ^ "MBTA Commuter Rail Spring/Summer Schedule to Take Effect May 23" (Press release). Keolis Commuter Services. May 10, 2022. Archived from the original on May 13, 2022. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
  35. ^ a b "Gloucester Drawbridge on Newburyport/Rockport Commuter Rail Line Has Been Successfully Completed" (Press release). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. December 14, 2022.
  36. ^ "Capital Investment Plan Update: Initial FY23-27 program sizes and public engagement process preview" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. February 10, 2022.
  37. ^ DiAdamo, Rob (September 14, 2020). "Fall 2020 Commuter Rail Schedule Changes" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
  38. ^ Paget-Seekins, Laurel; Benesh, Kat (November 9, 2020). "Forging Ahead: Scenario and Service Planning" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. p. 21.
  39. ^ Enwemeka, Zeninjor (December 14, 2020). "MBTA Control Board Votes To Scale Back Bus, Train And Ferry Service". WBUR. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
  40. ^ Paget-Seekins, Laurel; Benesh, Kat (December 14, 2020). "Forging Ahead: Service Proposal" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. p. 17.
  41. ^ "Commuter Rail to Temporarily Operate Reduced Service Schedule Starting December 14" (Press release). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. December 10, 2021.
  42. ^ "Kingston Line Spring 2021 Schedule, Effective April 5th, 2021" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. April 5, 2021.
  43. ^ Belcher, Jonathan (January–February 2022). "MBTA Vehicle Inventory as of February 28, 2022". Rollsign. Vol. 59, no. 1–2. Boston Street Railway Association. p. 17.
  44. ^ "Lynn Station to Close on October 1 for Improvements" (Press release). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. September 16, 2022.
  45. ^ "Entire Newburyport/Rockport Line to Accept Zone 1A Fares July 1 – August 31" (Press release). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. June 22, 2023.
  46. ^ Alistair Sawers (April 12, 2021). "Regional Rail Transformation Update: EMU Pilot and Phase 1 Planning Update" (PDF). Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  47. ^ Sawers, Alistar (June 23, 2022). "Regional Rail Transformation Update: Traction Power Planning for Regional and Urban Rail Services" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
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