Foxboro station

FOXBORO
The single platform at Foxboro station
Coordinates 42°05′42″N 71°15′41″W / 42.0950°N 71.2615°W / 42.0950; -71.2615Coordinates: 42°05′42″N 71°15′41″W / 42.0950°N 71.2615°W / 42.0950; -71.2615
Owned by MBTA
Line(s) Framingham Secondary
Platforms 1 side platform
Tracks 1
Construction
Disabled access Yes
Other information
Fare zone Special
History
Opened 1971
Traffic
Passengers (2005–2006) 1,567 (per event)[1]
Services
Preceding station   MBTA   Following station
TerminusFranklin Line
(Special events)
Providence/​Stoughton Line
(Special events)
Terminus

Foxboro, also known as Gillette Stadium, is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in Foxborough, Massachusetts. It is currently used only for special events at nearby Gillette Stadium, primarily New England Patriots games. It lies on a freight line between Mansfield and Framingham, known as the Framingham Secondary. The line was part of the Boston, Clinton, Fitchburg and New Bedford Railroad, Old Colony Railroad, New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad, Penn Central, and, finally, Conrail, until 1999, when it passed to CSX. The line connects to the MBTA's Franklin Line at Walpole and the Providence/Stoughton Line at Mansfield.

Trains come from Boston's South Station via the Franklin Line and from T. F. Green Airport station in Warwick, Rhode Island via the Providence/Stoughton Line. Franklin Line trains make stops at Back Bay, Dedham Corporate Center/128, and Norwood Central. Providence/Stoughton Line trains make stops at Providence, South Attleboro, Attleboro, and Mansfield. The service started with the opening of Foxboro Stadium in August 1971; Providence service ended soon but was brought back in 1994.

Expansion plans

In September 2010, the MBTA completed a study to determine the feasibility of extending full-time commuter rail service to Foxboro via the Franklin Line. The study looked at extending some Fairmount Line service to Foxboro, running shuttle trains from Foxboro to Walpole, or a combination of both. No determination was made as to if or when this service would begin.[2]

A proposal for the MBTA to purchase the track and restore full service met with some local opposition, although the state purchased the line in June 2015.[3][4][5] Passenger service gained new momentum when Robert Kraft, the owner of Gillette Stadium, agreed to help subsidize the costs of a pilot program, up to $200,000/year.[6]

In August 2017, the MBTA Fiscal Board approved an 11-month pilot program to test commuter rail service to Foxborough, with service planned to begin sometime in late 2018 or early 2019.[7] In October 2017, the MBTA indicated that service would begin on May 20, 2019.[8]

References

  1. ↑ "Ridership and Service Statistics" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 2010. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
  2. ↑ Jacobs Engineering Group; Central Transportation Planning Staff; Gailbraith, Anne S. (1 September 2010). "Foxborough Commuter Rail Feasibility Study" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
  3. ↑ http://www.myfoxboston.com/story/27520697/plan-to-add-commuter-rail-service-to-gillette-could-come-at-taxpayer-expense
  4. ↑ http://www.myfoxboston.com/story/27532348/walpole-residents-vow-to-stop-deal-to-bring-full-time-commuter-rail-service-to-Gillette
  5. ↑ Jessen, Klark (16 June 2015). "MassDOT Completes Framingham Secondary Rail Line Acquisition" (Press release). Massachusetts Department of Transportation. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  6. ↑ Mohl, Bruce (February 27, 2017). "Baker, Kraft push Foxborough commuter rail service". CommonWealth Magazine. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  7. ↑ "MBTA Board Approves Foxborough Commuter Rail Pilot". Foxborough, MA Patch. 2017-08-14. Retrieved 2017-08-19.
  8. ↑ Gomes, Alexandra (November 1, 2017). "Foxboro's MBTA pilot program won't launch until 2019". Sun Chronicle. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
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