Lowell Line

File:Lowell station with train postcard, circa 1920.jpg

The Boston and Lowell Railroad started freight operations in 1835, with traffic from the Lowell mills to the Boston port. Demand for the express passenger service exceeded expectations, and in 1842 local service was added as well. The line north of Lowell was first owned by the Boston, Concord & Montreal Railroad, which was chartered in 1844. Trackage was completed as far as Wells River, Vermont, in 1853. The Boston & Maine Railroad (B&M) acquired the railroad in 1895.{{cite web |title=Boston, Concord & Montreal Railroad waymark |url=http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM1ECR |publisher=Waymarking |date=19 April 2007 |access-date=23 August 2011}}See also Boston and Maine Corporation#Acquisitions The line served as the route for Boston to Montreal service during the Golden Age of Rail (roughly 1880 to 1940). The Ambassador, the train from Boston's North Station to Montreal, ran through Concord, New Hampshire, along this line until 1966.Mike Schafer, Classic American Trains, p. 31. This line, along with the New Englander, via Concord, White River Junction, Montpelier, ran through the northwestern section of Vermont prior to entering Quebec, Canada. The Alouette and Red Wing trains travelled to Montreal via Concord, Plymouth, Wells River and Newport in northeastern Vermont prior to entering Quebec. (The route via Wells River, St. Johnsbury and Newport was the more direct route of the two itineraries.){{cite web |url=http://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~24521~900036:Map-of-the-Montreal-and-Boston-Air- |title=Map of the Montreal and Boston Air Line, Passumpsic, and South Eastern Railroads, and connections |publisher=David Rumsey Map Collection |access-date=23 August 2011}} For this itinerary the Montreal route was marketed as an Air-line railroad.

Massive cutbacks on May 18, 1958, included the end of Stoneham Branch service and the closure of Medford Hillside, Tufts College, and North Somerville stations.{{cite book |title=Boston's Commuter Rail: The First 150 Years |last1=Humphrey |first1=Thomas J.|last2=Clark |first2=Norton D. |publisher=Boston Street Railway Association |year=1985 |isbn=9780685412947 |pages=55–58}} Cuts on June 14, 1959, ended service north of Woburn on the Woburn Loop; trains for points north were rerouted via the mainline to the east. Boston–Lowell local service was halved to seven daily round trips; Tyngsboro, Bleachery, and South Wilmington stations were closed.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/71698391/the-boston-globe/ |title=Cities, Towns, Labor Officials Protest State O.K. of B&M Cutbacks |newspaper=Boston Globe |date=May 13, 1959 |page=6 |via=Newspapers.com}} B&M passenger service to Boston on the line was shortened from Concord, New Hampshire, to Lowell in 1967.

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File:Tufts University station with RDC, September 1977.png

In 1973, the MBTA bought the Lowell line, along with the Haverhill and all other local Greater Boston passenger lines. Along with the sale, the B&M contracted to run the passenger service on the Lowell line for the MBTA. After bankruptcy, the B&M continued to run and fulfill its commuter rail contract under the protection of the United States Bankruptcy Court, in the hopes that a reorganization could make it profitable again. It emerged from the court's protection when newly formed Guilford Transportation Industries (GTI) purchased it in 1983.

For approximately thirteen months in 1980–81, daily passenger service was provided to Concord. Two round-trips were operated on each weekday and one on weekend days. Originally, there were intermediate stops in Manchester and Nashua. A stop in Merrimack was added later. Service was discontinued when federal funding was withdrawn.{{cite news |author=Skoropowski |first=Eugene K. |date=1 August 2008 |title=N.H. commuter rail: a success in 1980. |url=https://www.nhbr.com/n-h-commuter-rail-a-success-in-1980/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806015237/https://www.nhbr.com/n-h-commuter-rail-a-success-in-1980/ |archive-date=6 August 2020 |access-date=22 April 2024 |newspaper=New Hampshire Business Review}}

Anderson Regional Transportation Center opened on April 28, 2001, replacing Mishawum as the Lowell Line's primary park-and-ride station for Route 128. Mishawum was reduced to limited reverse-peak service. On December 15, 2001, the Amtrak Downeaster began operating over the line south of Wilmington. In October 2006, the MBTA added four short turn round trips that terminated at Anderson RTC.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/44816524/the_boston_globe/ |title=Still plenty of parking at the Anderson lot in Woburn |newspaper=Boston Globe |page=B3 |date=March 4, 2012 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}} The line was shut down on weekends in July through September 2017 for the installation of Positive Train Control equipment in order to meet a 2020 federal deadline.{{cite web |url=http://www.mbta.com/uploadedfiles/About_the_T/Board_Meetings/K.%20%20%20FINAL%20FMCB%20PTC%20WE%20Suspension%20Comm%20Plan%203-27-17.pdf |title=Commuter Rail Positive Train Control (PTC): Update and Communications Plan for Suspension of Weekend Service |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority |date=March 27, 2017 |page=6 |access-date=March 30, 2017 |archive-date=March 31, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170331205623/http://www.mbta.com/uploadedfiles/About_the_T/Board_Meetings/K.%20%20%20FINAL%20FMCB%20PTC%20WE%20Suspension%20Comm%20Plan%203-27-17.pdf |url-status=dead }}

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File:Lowell Line train passing Ball Square station construction, September 2022.JPG in September 2022]]

Substantially reduced schedules due to the COVID-19 pandemic were in effect from March 16 to June 23, 2020, and from December 14, 2020, to April 5, 2021. On January 23, 2021, reduced schedules went into place with no weekend service on seven lines, including the Lowell Line. Weekend service on the seven lines resumed on July 3, 2021.{{cite web |url=https://cdn.mbta.com/sites/default/files/2021-05/2021-05-24-fmcb-10-commuter-rail-performance-update.pdf |title=Commuter Rail Performance Update |page=7 |date=May 24, 2021 |first=Ryan |last=Coholan |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority}} Until December 2020, a small number of Haverhill Line trains ran via the Wildcat Branch and the inner Lowell Line, making stops between Anderson/Woburn and West Medford.{{cite web |url=https://cdn.mbta.com/sites/default/files/route_pdfs/2020-fall/2020-11-02-cr-lowell-accessible.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130015122mp_/https://cdn.mbta.com/sites/default/files/route_pdfs/2020-fall/2020-11-02-cr-lowell-accessible.pdf |archive-date=November 30, 2020 |title=Lowell Line: Fall/Winter Schedule |date=November 2, 2020 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority}}{{cite web |url=https://cdn.mbta.com/sites/default/files/route_pdfs/2021-winter/2020-2021-cr-lowell-reduced-accessible.pdf |title=2020/2021 Reduced Service Schedule: Lowell Line |date=December 14, 2020 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority}} Some Haverhill Line trains resumed using this routing on April 5, 2021, but no longer make stops on the Lowell Line.{{cite web |url=https://cdn.mbta.com/sites/default/files/route_pdfs/2021-spring/2021-04-05-spring-haverhill-accessible.pdf |title=Haverhill Line 2021 Spring Schedule |date=April 5, 2021 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210405122058/https://cdn.mbta.com/sites/default/files/route_pdfs/2021-spring/2021-04-05-spring-haverhill-accessible.pdf |archive-date=April 5, 2021}}{{cite web |url=https://cdn.mbta.com/sites/default/files/route_pdfs/2021-spring/2021-04-05-spring-lowell-accessible.pdf |title=Lowell Line 2021 Spring Schedule |date=April 5, 2021 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210423161734/https://cdn.mbta.com/sites/default/files/route_pdfs/2021-spring/2021-04-05-spring-lowell-accessible.pdf |archive-date=April 23, 2021}}

By February 2022, the line had {{frac|21|1|2}} round trips on weekdays and nine on weekends.{{cite magazine |magazine=Rollsign |publisher=Boston Street Railway Association |date=January–February 2022 |issue=1–2 |volume=59 |title=MBTA Vehicle Inventory as of February 28, 2022 |first=Jonathan |last=Belcher |page=17}} By October 2022, the line had 6,485 daily riders – 59% of pre-COVID ridership. In June 2022, the MBTA indicated it was considering improvements to a siding in Woburn, which would have allowed 30-minute headways between Boston and Anderson/Woburn by 2024.{{cite web |url=https://mbta.com/sites/default/files/2022-06/10.%20Rail%20Transformation%20Technology%20Board%20Update%20v2.pdf |title=Regional Rail Transformation Update: Traction Power Planning for Regional and Urban Rail Services |first=Alistar |last=Sawers |date=June 23, 2022 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority |page=17}} The Medford Branch of the Green Line Extension, which opened on December 12, 2022, runs along the Lowell Line through Somerville and part of Medford. There are five Green Line stations on the branch, but no additional commuter rail stops were added.

From September 9 to November 5, 2023, all outer Haverhill Line service was routed over the Wildcat Branch during signal work on the inner part of the Haverhill Line. The diverted trains stopped only at Anderson/Woburn.{{cite press release |url=https://www.mbta.com/news/2023-08-10/service-disruption-september-9-november-5-haverhill-commuter-rail-line |title=Service Disruption September 9 to November 5 on Haverhill Commuter Rail Line |date=August 10, 2023 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority}} On March 25, 2024, weekday midday service was reduced to two-hour headways to accommodate construction including reconstruction of Winchester Center station, fiber optic cable work, and replacement of a bridge on the High Line in the Inner Belt District.{{cite press release |url=https://news.keolisna.com/temporary-changes-to-lowell-commuter-rail-schedule-take-effect-march-25 |title=Temporary Changes to Lowell Commuter Rail Schedule Take Effect March 25 |date=March 21, 2024 |publisher=Keolis North America}}{{cite web |url=https://cdn.mbta.com/sites/default/files/media/route_pdfs/2024-03-25-lowell-line-construction-schedule.pdf |title=Lowell Line Fall/Winter Construction Schedule |date=March 25, 2024 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority}} From May 20 to September 29, 2024, weekday midday inbound Haverhill Line trains were temporarily routed over the Wildcat Branch during construction work on the inner Haverhill Line, again stopping only at Anderson/Woburn.{{cite web |url=https://cdn.mbta.com/sites/default/files/media/route_pdfs/batch_7022/2024-05-20-cr-spring-summer-haverhill-line-schedule-accessible.pdf |date=May 20, 2024 |title=Haverhill Line Spring/Summer Schedule |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240521000654/https://cdn.mbta.com/sites/default/files/media/route_pdfs/batch_7022/2024-05-20-cr-spring-summer-haverhill-line-schedule-accessible.pdf |archive-date=May 21, 2024}}{{cite press release |url=https://www.mbta.com/news/2024-05-20/june-service-changes-mbta-continues-repair-work-improve-reliability-across-the |title=June Service Changes: MBTA Continues Repair Work to Improve Reliability Across the System |date=May 20, 2024 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority}}{{cite web |url=https://www.mbta.com/schedules/CR-Haverhill/alerts |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240930205057/https://www.mbta.com/schedules/CR-Haverhill/alerts |archive-date=September 30, 2024 |title=Alerts: Haverhill Line |date=September 30, 2024 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority}} Regular midday service on the Lowell Line resumed on June 2, 2025.{{cite press release |url=https://news.keolisna.com/mbta-and-keolis-announce-schedule-changes-on-commuter-rail-effective-june-2 |title=MBTA and Keolis Announce Schedule Changes on Commuter Rail Effective June 2 |publisher=Keolis North America |date=May 22, 2025}}{{cite web |url=https://cdn.mbta.com/sites/default/files/media/route_pdfs/2025-06-02-cr-lowell-line-spring-summer-schedule.pdf |title=Lowell Line Spring/Summer Schedule |date=June 2, 2025 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority}}

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File:MBTA demonstration train at Concord, N.H., May 1979.jpg

File:1980 NH service.jpg

MBTA Commuter Rail service connecting Concord, Manchester and Nashua from the Lowell Line used to exist in New Hampshire until subsidies were ceased in 1967. The service came back in 1980 for a quick 13 month return, but the program grant was cut by the Reagan administration in 1981, and commuter rail service has remained not available. In October 2010, the New Hampshire Department of Transportation received a $2.24 million federal grant to study an extension of the Lowell Line to Concord.{{cite press release |url=https://www.mbta.com/news/2010-10-25/governor-patrick-congressional-delegation-announce-more-160-million-federal-rail |title=Governor Patrick, Congressional Delegation Announce More than $160 Million In Federal Rail Grants |date=October 25, 2010 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority}} In January 2011, a bill was introduced into the New Hampshire legislature to end the proposed extension and give up a potential $4.1 million grant into its planning.{{cite web | url=http://trn.trains.com/en/Railroad%20News/News%20Wire/2011/02/New%20Hampshire%20Republicans%20plan%20to%20kill%20commuter%20line.aspx | title=New Hampshire Republicans plan to kill commuter line | access-date=9 February 2011 | date=8 February 2011 | publisher=Trains Magazine}} The MBTA acquired trackage rights from Pan Am in May 2011 as part of a larger transaction.{{cite press release |url=https://www.mbta.com/news/2011-03-03/massdot-board-approves-agreement-build-new-lechmere-station-crucial-green-line |title=MassDOT Board Approves Agreement to Build New Lechmere Station, Crucial to Green Line Extension |date=May 3, 2011 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority}}

The project was estimated to cost $246 million in a 2014 NHDOT report.{{Cite web |last=Cronin |first=Mike |date=2021-11-18 |title=Commuter rail to New Hampshire debate returns after infrastructure bill signing |url=https://www.wmur.com/article/commuter-rail-new-hampshire-debate-returns-after-infrastructure-bill-signing/38285373 |access-date=2022-02-22 |website=WMUR |language=en}} Extending service to NH was projected to provide an expected 34 trains a day to Nashua and 16 a day to Manchester, connecting commuters from Nashua to Boston as low as 54 minutes and commuters from Manchester to Boston in as low as 1 hour and 25 minutes with 3,120 passengers a day.{{Cite web |last=NHDOT |date=Dec 2014 |title=State Project Numbers 16317 and 68067-A |url=https://www.nh.gov/dot/org/aerorailtransit/railandtransit/documents/fr-summary.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150226011308/https://www.nh.gov/dot/org/aerorailtransit/railandtransit/documents/fr-summary.pdf |archive-date=February 26, 2015 |website=nh.gov}} Proponents of the extension see expanded rail services as a link to Boston’s growing economy while opponents consider the project to be extraneous and expensive.{{Cite web |last=Leader |first=Josie Albertson-Grove New Hampshire Union |title=Commuter rail moving ahead, but planning on track through at least 2023 |url=https://www.unionleader.com/commuter-rail-moving-ahead-but-planning-on-track-through-at-least-2023/article_a906c05c-13fb-52df-82a3-408f34214b1c.html |access-date=2022-02-22 |website=UnionLeader.com |date=17 November 2021 |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2022-01-13 |title=NH House to Debate Bill Protecting NH Taxpayers From Subsidizing New Rail Projects |url=https://nhjournal.com/nh-house-to-debate-bill-protecting-nh-taxpayers-from-subsidizing-new-rail-projects/ |access-date=2022-02-22 |website=NH Journal |language=en-US}}

In December 2020, a $5.5 million contract was awarded to AECOM for preliminary engineering and design work, environmental and public engagement services, and final design, for the project to extend MBTA commuter rail service to southern New Hampshire.{{cite news |last=Kitch |first=Michael |date=December 22, 2020 |title=New Hampshire Executive Council OKs start of Capitol Corridor design |url=https://www.nhbr.com/new-hampshire-executive-council-oks-start-of-capitol-corridor-design/ |work=NH Business Review}} The project called for the extension of the Lowell Line up through Nashua and Manchester along an existing rail alignment.{{Cite web |last=NHDOT |date=Apr 27, 2021 |title=Nashua-Manchester (Capitol Corridor) Project Development Phase |url=https://www.snhpc.org/sites/g/files/vyhlif5006/f/uploads/nhdot_briefing_snhpc_april_27_2021_final.pdf |website=snhpc.org}}{{Cite web|url=https://manchesterinklink.com/aldermen-support-downtown-rail-station-concept/|title=Aldermen support downtown rail station concept | Manchester Ink Link|date=August 4, 2021|website=manchesterinklink.com}} The proposed expansion would include four new stops: South Nashua, Crown Street in Nashua, Bedford, and Manchester. In January of 2022, the Manchester Board of Mayor and Aldermen approved the location for new facilities to house layover trains adjacent to the Manchester Transit Authority facilities.{{Cite web |date=2022-01-19 |title=Aldermen approve layover site for commuter rail line {{!}} Manchester Ink Link |url=https://manchesterinklink.com/aldermen-approve-layover-site-for-commuter-rail-line/ |access-date=2022-02-22 |website=manchesterinklink.com |language=en-US}}

By autumn 2022, the study was being carried out by AECOM and the State of New Hampshire to design and make a financial plan for the project by 2023. In December 2022, the New Hampshire Executive Council voted to cease state funding for an extension of the AECOM study; the study reported an updated project cost of $782 million.{{Cite web |last=Wade |first=Christian |title=New Hampshire panel axes funding for regional commuter rail |url=https://www.thecentersquare.com/massachusetts/new-hampshire-panel-axes-funding-for-regional-commuter-rail/article_3c4fd7a0-820d-11ed-aeda-8f3dd01034d9.html |access-date=2023-01-16 |website=The Center Square |date=22 December 2022 |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=NHDOT |date=March 2023 |title=Capitol Corridor Commuter Rail Extension Project Winter 2023 |url=https://www.nh.gov/dot/projects/nashuamanchester40818/documents/40818-info-sheets-winter-2023.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20230403165232/https://www.nh.gov/dot/projects/nashuamanchester40818/documents/40818-info-sheets-winter-2023.pdf |archive-date=April 3, 2023}}{{Cite web |last=Landrigan |first=Kevin |date=February 26, 2023 |title=Boston to Manchester rail study: $782 million to build, $17 million a year to run |url=https://news.yahoo.com/boston-manchester-rail-study-782-045900583.html}}{{Cite web |last=Winters |first=Shelley |date=March 8, 2023 |title=Pre-Decisional Draft for Information Purposes: Environmental Assessment, Nashua-Manchester, 40818 (Capitol Corridor Commuter Rail Extension) |url=https://www.nh.gov/dot/projects/nashuamanchester40818/documents/2023-03-08-40818-ea-memo-nhdot.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20230314114744/https://www.nh.gov/dot/projects/nashuamanchester40818/documents/2023-03-08-40818-ea-memo-nhdot.pdf |archive-date=March 14, 2023 |website=nh.gov}} As of {{YEAR}}, corridor planning for the extension has been indefinitely postponed.{{Cite web |title=COMMENTARY: Executive Council derails commuter rail |url=https://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/local-news/2023/01/28/commentary-executive-council-derails-commuter-rail/ |access-date=2025-01-02 |website=nashuatelegraph.com |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Blanchard |first=Byline: Mya |date=2024-09-26 |title=Update on commuter rail exploration project » Nashua Ink Link |url=https://nashua.inklink.news/update-on-commuter-rail-exploration-project/ |access-date=2025-01-02 |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=November 2023 |title=New Hampshire State Rail Plan |url=https://mm.nh.gov/files/uploads/dot/remote-docs/railplan-rac1-20231101-final.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com |website=NHDOT}}

File:Downeaster passing Gilman Square station construction, July 2019.JPG

North of Wilmington, the line is authorized for a maximum of {{convert|60|mph}}. South of Wilmington, the line has an unusual asymmetrical speed limit. The northbound track supports up to {{convert|70|mph}} where curvature allows, while the southbound track has a maximum of {{convert|60|mph}}. Additional speed restrictions are in place at Wilmington, through the grade crossings in West Medford, and in the North Station terminal area.{{cite web |url=http://www.bostonmontrealhsr.org/documents/Final_Repor_%20Boston-Montreal_HSR-Phase1.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060221013655/http://www.bostonmontrealhsr.org/documents/Final_Repor_%20Boston-Montreal_HSR-Phase1.pdf |archive-date=21 February 2006 |title=Boston to Montreal High-Speed Rail Planning and Feasibility Study Phase I: Final Report |date=April 2003 |author=Parsons Brinckerhoff Quade & Douglas |publisher=Vermont Agency of Transportation et al |access-date=8 July 2015}}

Amtrak's Downeaster service to Maine, along with some Haverhill Line express trains, run on the Lowell Line from North Station to Wilmington, then follow the Wildcat Branch to the Haverhill Line. This routing is used to avoid the inner Haverhill Line, which has a number of single-track sections.

The line is the designated freight clearance route into Boston from the north; all stations with high-level platforms must either have mini-high platforms or a freight passing track. Pan Am Railways runs freight on the line, including local freights based out of Lawrence Yard and DOBO (a Dover to Boston through freight).

{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Commons category|MBTA Lowell Line}}

{{Attached KML}}

• [http://mbta.com/schedules_and_maps/rail/lines/?route=LOWELL MBTA - Lowell Line]
• [https://www.nh.gov/dot/projects/nashuamanchester40818/index.htm Design, Environmental Review, and Financial Plan for Commuter Rail extension from MA to NH] | New Hampshire DOT

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{{Massachusetts-Rhode Island transit agencies}}

Category:MBTA Commuter Rail