West Gloucester station is an MBTA Commuter Rail station on the Newburyport/Rockport Line, located off Massachusetts Route 133 (Essex Road) in the west part of Gloucester, Massachusetts.
West Gloucester | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 West Gloucester station in 2008 | |||||||||||
| General information | |||||||||||
| Location | 290 Essex Avenue (Route 133) Gloucester, Massachusetts | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 42°36′43″N 70°42′20″W / 42.61195°N 70.70550°W | ||||||||||
| Line(s) | Gloucester Branch | ||||||||||
| Platforms | 2 side platforms | ||||||||||
| Tracks | 2 | ||||||||||
| Connections |  CATA: West Gloucester | ||||||||||
| Construction | |||||||||||
| Parking | 43 spaces ($2 per day) | ||||||||||
| Bicycle facilities | Yes | ||||||||||
| Accessible | Yes | ||||||||||
| Other information | |||||||||||
| Fare zone | 7 | ||||||||||
| Passengers | |||||||||||
| 2018 | 37 (weekday average boardings)[1] | ||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
History edit
When the Gloucester Branch Railroad opened in 1847, there were no stops except Manchester and Gloucester.[2] A number of infill stations were later added; West Gloucester station was open by 1872, and by 1884 had a small depot building on the south side of the track.[3][4] That building was gone by 1977.[5]
West Gloucester station was closed on January 30, 1981, during severe budget cuts; 1977-opened Harbor station 1.1 miles (1.8 km) east remained open.[6][7] The line was temporarily closed on January 7, 1985, after a November 1984 fire destroyed the drawbridge between Salem and Beverly. When the line reopened on December 1, 1985, West Gloucester was reopened but Harbor remained closed.[6]
On April 29, 2020, service between West Gloucester and Rockport was indefinitely replaced by buses due to a failure of the old Gloucester Drawbridge.[8] That June, the MBTA indicated the closure would continue until the completion of the bridge replacement.[9] Regular service to Rockport over the bridge resumed on May 23, 2022.[10]
References edit
- ^ Central Transportation Planning Staff (2019). "2018 Commuter Rail Counts". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
- ^ Humphrey, Thomas J.; Clark, Norton D. (1985). Boston's Commuter Rail: The First 150 Years. Boston Street Railway Association. p. 76. ISBN 9780685412947.
- ^ "Gloucester". Atlas of Essex County, Massachusetts. D.G. Beers & Co. 1872 – via Ward Maps.
- ^ "Plate 11". Atlas of The City of Gloucester and Town of Rockport. G.M. Hopkins & Co. 1884 – via Ward Maps.
- ^ Henry, Alan P. (August 10, 1977). "There's no depot like an old depot". Boston Globe. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Belcher, Jonathan. "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). Boston Street Railway Association.
- ^ "T changes start today". Boston Globe. February 1, 1981. p. 24 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Rockport Line Service Changes". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. April 29, 2020. Archived from the original on May 1, 2020.
- ^ "Newburyport/Rockport Trains between Rockport and West Gloucester Replaced with Shuttle Buses through Summer 2021" (Press release). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. June 9, 2020.
- ^ "MBTA Commuter Rail Spring/Summer Schedule to Take Effect May 23" (Press release). Keolis Commuter Services. May 10, 2022.
External links edit
Media related to West Gloucester station at Wikimedia Commons
  | This Massachusetts train station–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |