Fitchburg Line

Fitchburg Line
An outbound train arriving at South Acton station in 2022
Overview
OwnerMassachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
LocaleGreater Boston
Termini
Stations17
Service
TypeCommuter rail
SystemMBTA Commuter Rail
Train number(s)400–433 (weekday)
1400-1415 (Saturday)
2400-2415 (Sunday)
Operator(s)Keolis North America
Daily ridership4,829 (October 2022)[1]
Technical
Line length54 miles (87 km)[2]
CharacterCommuter rail line
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Route map

Legend
64.9 mi
104.4 km
 Gardner
Wachusett Layover
53.7 mi
86.4 km
 Wachusett
49.6 mi
79.8 km
 Fitchburg
Fitchburg Layover
45.1 mi
72.6 km
 North Leominster
39.4 mi
63.4 km
 Shirley
36.1 mi
58.1 km
 Ayer
31.5 mi
50.7 km
 Littleton
30.3 mi
48.8 km
 Littleton/Route 495
26.8 mi
43.1 km
 West Acton
25.3 mi
40.7 km
 South Acton
21.9 mi
35.2 km
 West Concord
20.1 mi
32.3 km
 Concord
16.7 mi
26.9 km
 Lincoln
14.7 mi
23.7 km
 Silver Hill
13.7 mi
22 km
 Hastings
13.2 mi
21.2 km
 Kendal Green
Central Massachusetts Branch
11.5 mi
18.5 km
 Brandeis/Roberts
10.6 mi
17.1 km
 Riverview
9.9 mi
15.9 km
 Waltham
9.3 mi
15 km
 Beaver Brook
8.3 mi
13.4 km
 Clematis Brook
7.4 mi
11.9 km
 Waverley
6.4 mi
10.3 km
 Belmont Center
Lexington Branch
3.4 mi
5.5 km
 Porter
 Red Line 
 D  Union Square
Grand Junction Railroad
 E  to Medford/​Tufts
Grand Junction Branch
0.8 mi
1.3 km
Maintenance Facility
Lowell   Haverhill
Newburyport/Rockport
 Orange   to Oak Grove
 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:

The Fitchburg Line is a branch of the MBTA Commuter Rail system which runs from Boston's North Station to Wachusett station in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. The line is along the tracks of the former Fitchburg Railroad, which was built across northern Massachusetts, United States, in the 1840s. Winter weekend service includes a specially equipped seasonal "ski train" to Wachusett Mountain.[3][4]

At 54 miles (87 km) long, the Fitchburg Line is the second-longest line in the system (and was the longest until the Providence/Stoughton Line's 2010 extension to T. F. Green Airport and later to Wickford Junction), and ranked as one of the worst lines in terms of on-time performance. The Fitchburg Line had the oldest infrastructure in the system, and commuter trains must share trackage with freight trains on the outer segment of the line.[5] A $150 million project completed in 2017 included adding nine miles of double track, an extension to Wachusett, rebuilding two stations, and building a new layover yard.[6] Only ten of the line's nineteen stations, including both terminals, are fully handicapped accessible – the lowest proportion of any MBTA Commuter Rail line.[2]

  1. ^ Poftak, Steve (October 27, 2022). "GM Report" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. p. 6.
  2. ^ a b "Ridership and Service Statistics" (PDF) (14th ed.). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 2014.
  3. ^ "Ski Train - Wachusett Mountain". Wachusett Mountain Ski Area. 2023. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  4. ^ "Wachusett Mountain - Destinations - MBTA". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 2023. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  5. ^ "Fitchburg Rail Line Improvement Project Alternatives Analysis" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. September 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 2, 2010. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
  6. ^ "Fitchburg Commuter Rail Line Improvement Program Project Map" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 28, 2012. Retrieved January 18, 2014.