South Acton station (MBTA)

South Acton
South Acton station in May 2017
General information
Location10 Central Street
Acton, Massachusetts
Coordinates42°27′41″N 71°27′25″W / 42.461428°N 71.456881°W / 42.461428; -71.456881
Owned byMBTA (station)
Town of Acton (parking lot)
Line(s)Fitchburg Line
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks2
ConnectionsBus transport Maynard Commuter Shuttle, Cross Acton Transit
Construction
Parking287 spaces
Bicycle facilities100 spaces
AccessibleYes
Other information
Fare zone6
History
OpenedOctober 1, 1844
Rebuilt1980s
2012–2015[1]
Passengers
2018991 (weekday average boardings)[2]
Services
Preceding station MBTA Following station
Littleton/Route 495
toward Wachusett
Fitchburg Line West Concord
Location
Map

South Acton station is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in Acton, Massachusetts. It serves the Fitchburg Line. It is located off Route 27 near Route 2 in the South Acton area. It is the busiest station on the Fitchburg line, averaging 991 weekday boardings.[2] It serves as a park and ride station for Acton and other suburbs of Boston, with a 287-space parking lot owned by the town.

There has been a station on the Fitchburg mainline at the South Acton site since 1844; until 1958 it also served a branch line to Maynard which in earlier years had extended through Hudson to Marlborough. This unused right-of-way became the Assabet River Rail Trail. South Acton has had continuous Boston commuter service since its inception except for five months in 1965 during the transition from fully private railroad operations to state subsidy.

As part of a $277 million project upgrading the Fitchburg Line, South Acton station was completely rebuilt with two accessible high-level platforms connected with an overhead pedestrian bridge, as well as a drop-off lane off Maple Street.[3] The work began in 2012 and the new station opened on December 19, 2015.[4][1]

  1. ^ a b Loughmann, Molly (December 15, 2015). "South Acton train station set to open Dec. 19". Wicked Local Acton. Retrieved December 17, 2015.
  2. ^ a b Central Transportation Planning Staff (2019). "2018 Commuter Rail Counts". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference globenov was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference mbta0714 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).