Rockport (MBTA station)
| ROCKPORT | |||||||||||
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 A train parked at the platform |
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| Station statistics | |||||||||||
| Address | 17 Railroad Avenue Rockport, MA 01966-1463 |
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| Coordinates | 42°39′21″N 70°37′36″W / 42.6559°N 70.6267°WCoordinates: 42°39′21″N 70°37′36″W / 42.6559°N 70.6267°W | ||||||||||
| Lines | |||||||||||
| Platforms | 1 side platform | ||||||||||
| Tracks | 6 (1 station, 4 layups, 1 auxiliary) | ||||||||||
| Parking | Yes | ||||||||||
| Bicycle facilities | Yes | ||||||||||
| Other information | |||||||||||
| Accessible |  |
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| Owned by | MBTA | ||||||||||
| Fare zone | 8 | ||||||||||
| Traffic | |||||||||||
| Passengers (2009 daily) | 390[1] | ||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||
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Rockport is a passenger rail station on MBTA's Newburyport/Rockport Line. It is the terminus of the Rockport branch of the line. The station complex consists of a single side platform with one revenue track plus 4 lay up tracks for parked trains and a short stretch of auxiliary track. This is the only station on the line to have a stretch of high platform in the middle, as opposed to at the end farthest from Boston as in all of the other stations built during the same time. This is due to the north end of the station being up against another property. The station is scheduled to be completely reconstructed with a full-length high-level platform which is standard on new stations, and a minimum of 185 paved parking spaces.[2]
History
Rockport was opened as the terminus of the Rockport Railroad (an independent extension of the Eastern Railroad's Gloucester Branch) in November 1861.[3] Rather than a turntable or wye, Rockport was built with an unusual loop track. The loop, around what is now called Loop Pond, was used until 1962, since which double-ended Budd RDC railcars and push-pull locomotive-hauled trains have been used on the line.[3]
Except for January to June 1965 (due to the Gloucester Branch being cut past Manchester due to funding issues) and January to December 1985 (Beverly draw destroyed by fire), Rockport has seen continuous service since 1861 - over 150 years.[4]
Rockport formerly had a second station, Bass Rocks, at Eastern Avenue (Route 127).[3] However, the station primarily served the Bass Rocks area of Gloucester, as the Rockport station was closer to most inhabitants of Rockport.
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Platform with a train on a layover track
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High-level section in the middle of the current platform
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Looking inbound towards Boston
References
- ^ "Ridership and Service Statistics". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 2010. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
- ^ "Rockport Commuter Rail Station Improvements". MBTA. 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-25.
- ^ a b c Karr, Ronald Dale (1995). The Rail Lines of Southern New England. Branch Line Press. p. 264-65. ISBN 0942147022.
- ^ Belcher, Jonathan (12 November 2012). "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). NETransit. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
