Andover (MBTA station)

ANDOVER

Andover Station, facing north (outbound)
Location 17 Railroad Street
Andover, Massachusetts
Coordinates 42°39′28″N 71°08′41″W / 42.6579°N 71.1446°W / 42.6579; -71.1446Coordinates: 42°39′28″N 71°08′41″W / 42.6579°N 71.1446°W / 42.6579; -71.1446
Owned by MBTA
Line(s)
  Haverhill Line
Platforms 1 side platform
Tracks 2
Construction
Parking 150 spaces ($4.00 daily)
4 accessible spaces
Bicycle facilities 6 spaces
Disabled access Yes
Other information
Fare zone 5
Traffic
Passengers (2013) 519 (weekday inbound average)[1]
Services
Preceding station   MBTA   Following station
Haverhill Line
toward Haverhill

Andover is a regional rail station on the MBTA Commuter Rail Haverhill Line, located near the town center of Andover, Massachusetts. The station has one platform with a mini-high platform for handicapped accessibility serving one track, while the second track lacks a platform.

History

The c.-1848 built station on a c. 1905 postcard

The Andover and Wilmington Railroad opened between its namesake cities in August 1836 as a branch line off the new Boston and Lowell Railroad (B&L).[2] A small wooden Greek revival station was built near the center of Andover.[3] The line was soon extended north, and in 1842 in merged into the Boston and Maine Railroad (B&M). After building its own route to Boston in 1845, the B&M looked to expand its passenger base to compete with the B&L. In 1848, the B&M relocated its main line from Ballardvale to North Andover to the west in order to serve the new mill town of Lawrence.[2]

The line was moved several blocks west in Andover, away from the busy intersections of the town square. A small house was converted into a temporary station, which was soon replaced by a larger L-shaped station with a large train shed. A brick freight house was built sometime between then and 1875.[3]

In 1906, the B&M began construction of a new station, as residents complained about the smoky conditions inside the train shed. The new station, a copy of Beverly Depot designed by Bradford Lee Gilbert a decade earlier, opened on September 1, 1907.[3] It was used as the station until 1959; in 1982, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places as Third Railroad Station.

Today, MBTA passengers board from a single platform behind the former freight house. Both buildings have been repurposed for commercial use.

Bus connections

Andover station is served by two MVRTA bus routes:

References

  1. ↑ "Ridership and Service Statistics" (PDF) (14 ed.). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 2014. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  2. 1 2 Karr, Ronald Dale (1995). The Rail Lines of Southern New England. Branch Line Press. pp. 238–239. ISBN 0942147022.
  3. 1 2 3 Roy, John H. Jr. (2007). A Field Guide to Southern New England Railroad Depots and Freight Houses. Branch Line Press. p. 124. ISBN 9780942147087.

External links

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