Jump to content

Fall River station

Add links
Coordinates: 41°42′51″N 71°09′15″W / 41.714152°N 71.154079°W / 41.714152; -71.154079
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Fall River Depot)

Fall River Depot
A diesel locomotive at a high-level railway platform in an urban area
A train at Fall River station in April 2025
General information
Location825 Davol Street
Fall River, Massachusetts
Coordinates41°42′51″N 71°09′15″W / 41.714152°N 71.154079°W / 41.714152; -71.154079
Line(s)Fall River Secondary
Platforms1 side platform
Tracks2
ConnectionsBus transport SRTA: 102[1]
Construction
Parking513 spaces
Bicycle facilities8 spaces
AccessibleYes
Other information
Fare zone8[2]
History
Opened
  • August 12, 1867 (previous station)
  • March 24, 2025
ClosedSeptember 5, 1958 (previous station)
Previous namesBowenville (until 1891)
Passengers
2030 (projected)390 daily boardings[1]: 2–66 
Services
Preceding station MBTA Following station
Freetown
toward South Station
 Fall River/​New Bedford Line Terminus
Former services
Preceding station New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Following station
Steep Brook
toward Boston
 Boston–Fall River Terminus
Braleys
toward Providence
 Providence–​Fall River
Terminus Fall River–​Newport Ferry Street
toward Newport
Location
Map

Fall River station (signed as Fall River Depot) is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in northern Fall River, Massachusetts. It opened on March 24, 2025, as part of the first phase of the South Coast Rail project. It is the southern terminal of the Fall River Branch of the Fall River/New Bedford Line. The station has a single side platform on the west side of the Fall River Secondary, along with a park and ride lot.

The Fall River Railroad opened to its namesake city in 1845. Bowenville station opened in the northern part of the city in 1867 under the Old Colony Railroad. It became the eastern terminal of the Fall River, Warren and Providence Railroad in 1875. A new station designed by Bradford Gilbert opened in 1891 and became the main station for the city. It saw passenger service until 1958. After over a decade of planning, construction of the modern station began in 2020.

Station design

[edit]

Fall River station is located about 1 mile (1.6 km) north of the downtown area near the junction of Route 79 and President Avenue (U.S. Route 6). It has a single 730-foot (220 m)-long high-level side platform on the west side of the single main track of the Fall River Secondary. A freight passing siding is located on the east side of the main track. A 220-space park and ride lot with a kiss-and-ride lane is located on the west side of the platform, with access from Davol Street on the west. A ramp and stairs connect to Pearce Street on the north side of the station. A canopy covers a portion of the platform adjacent to the entrance from the parking lot.[1]: 44, 46 [3]

History

[edit]

Former station

[edit]

Early stations

[edit]
Bowenville station (center) on an 1877 map

The Fall River Railroad opened from Myricks to Fall River on June 9, 1845, and to the Old Colony Railroad at South Braintree in December 1846.[4][5]: 403  The first Fall River station was located at the south end of a short tunnel under Central Street.[6][4] It was a two-story building measuring 75 by 180 feet (23 m × 55 m).[7]: 19  A temporary depot further north was used until the Central Street tunnel was completed in September 1845.[7]: 19  In October 1847, the Fall River and Old Colony began running the Boston–Fall River Boat Train, which met Fall River Line steamers from New York at the Fall River Wharf; the Central Street station closed at that time.[4][5]: 403 [7]: 19  The two railroads merged as the Old Colony and Fall River Railroad in 1854.[5]: 403  The former station was converted to store coal in 1858.[7]: 19 

In 1862, the railroad began construction of a line south to Newport, Rhode Island. The former station was demolished to make room for the extension.[7]: 19  The line to Newport opened in November 1863; the railroad was renamed as the Old Colony and Newport Railway.[7]: 13  The extension prompted local debate about where to place a station. The railroad preferred a location at Ferry Street south of the wharf, while the city preferred a site near Metacomet Mill closer to the downtown area.[8][7]: 19  An agreement was eventually made for two stations: one at Ferry Street in the South End, and one near Turner Street in the North End.[7]: 19  The Ferry Street station opened by mid-1864; a two-story brick building was built at Maple Street for the North End station, but it never opened as a station.[7]: 19 [9][10]

The Dighton and Somerset Railroad opened in 1866, joining the Fall River mainline at Somerset Junction, north of Fall River.[5]: 393  Trains began stopping at Bowenville in the north part of Fall River on August 12, 1867. A wooden station building measuring 18 by 64 feet (5.5 m × 19.5 m) was constructed.[11][12] The station was named for the nearby neighborhood, itself named for the estate of the Bowen family.[7]: 21  The railroad changed names again to become the Old Colony Railroad in 1872. The Old Colony built a new station building at Bowenville in early 1874 and enlarged it in 1878.[4][13][14][15] It was located on the east side of the tracks between Turner Street and Old Colony Street.[16][17] A branch of the Providence, Warren and Bristol Railroad (known as the Fall River, Warren and Providence Railroad) opened over the new Slade's Ferry Bridge on December 6, 1875, connecting to the Fall River mainline north of Bowenville.[18] The line was doubled-tracked between Somerset Junction and the Central Street tunnel in 1882; the unused station at Maple Street was demolished at that time.[7]: 19 [19]

1891 station

[edit]

The Globe Street Railway opened its first horsecar line on North Main Street between Bowenville and downtown Fall River in July 1880.[20][21] A short spur on Old Colony Avenue to Bowenville station opened that November.[22] Between the horsecar connection and the northward growth of the city, Bowenville soon became Fall River's main railroad station.[23][24] The Old Colony began planning a new station at Pearce Street around 1883. However, the company soon reached an impasse with the city, which desired to open Pearce Street across the tracks and create a new grade crossing.[25][26][27] The street had been legally established in 1873 and laid out in 1874, but the railroad built fences to block access across the tracks.[25][24]

In May 1886, the city alderman ordered the railroad to remove the fences and open the crossing.[28] The Old Colony obtained a temporary injunction; it sought a permanent injunction in July 1886.[25] That month, the state railroad commissioners issued a report on the dispute. They noted that the existing Bowenville station was responsible for two-thirds of the rail traffic in the city and was inadequate for that purpose. Stating that opening the street in close proximity to a station would "create a grade crossing of the most dangerous kind", the commissioners advised against the construction of a new station if the crossing was opened.[24] By that time, the railroad was also considering acquisition of the Fall River Iron Works property near the wharf in order to build a central passenger station and freight yard.[25]

The case was heard by Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. for the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, which ruled in October 1888 that the city had the right to establish the crossing.[29][30] Although the Old Colony continued to offer a new station in return for the street being abandoned, the grade crossing was opened on December 28, 1888.[31][32] The next year, the railroad proposed to build a bridge to carry Pearce Street over the tracks.[33] In April 1890, the Old Colony made a new offer to the city: the railroad would build an underpass to carry President Avenue under the tracks, construct a new station, and pay any damages to abutters for closure of Pearce Street.[34] The city accepted the offer that July; the Pearce Street crossing was closed on August 20.[35][36]

Postcard of the 1891-built station

Plans for the new station by Bradford Gilbert were shown to the public in September 1890. At that time, the railroad yielded to the city's request to use granite rather than brick.[37][38] Bowenville station was used by 2,000 to 3,000 daily riders by then.[39] Construction began in December 1890.[40] In August 1891, the railroad announced that the new station would be named Fall River since it would be the city's primary passenger station.[23][4]: 177  Fall River station opened on November 9, 1891. The older Bowenville station building was moved away from the tracks and sold for reuse.[41] Including land acquisition, the cost of the new station was nearly $100,000 (equivalent to $3.1 million in 2023).[42]

Fall River station was located on the east side of the tracks between Baylies Street and Pearce Street, slightly north of the previous station.[43] It measured 185 by 40 feet (56 m × 12 m) with rounded ends.[39] The station was built of Milford pink granite trimmed with brown sandstone from Longmeadow.[44][39] All exposed wood on the exterior was yellow pine. The roof was purple slate with dark red terracotta trim. At its center was a 25-foot (7.6 m)-square turret with a pyramidal roof.[39] The station had a single concrete side platform used by all passenger trains.[41][43][39] It was covered by a canopy attached to the station's roof.[39][43] The Globe Street Railway built a spur track off its North Main Street line to the south end of the station.[45][39]

A porte-cochère projected from the main entrance at the center of the east side of the building. It opened onto a loggia and ticket counter under the 30-foot (9.1 m) ceiling of the turret. Behind the ticket office were the telegraph office and agent's room, each with a bay window overlooking the tracks. To each side were the men's and women's waiting rooms, each 37 by 40 feet (11 m × 12 m), with floors and wainscotting of dark red oak. The women's (north) waiting room had an inglenook around a fireplace on the north wall, flanked by two alcoves that could be screened off for private use. One connected to a retiring room and bathroom. The men's waiting room had an open fireplace on the south wall, with a smoking room and bathroom connected to the waiting room. Both bathrooms had marble floors and walls. The north end of the station was occupied by the baggage room with the small mail room inside, while the south end held locker rooms for trainmen and hackmen.[39][46][47]

20th century

[edit]

The station was raised 8 feet (2.4 m) as part of a 1902–1905 project that eliminated eleven grade crossings in the city.[48] The New Haven operated electrified passenger service between Providence and Fall River from 1900 to 1934.[4][49] Service to Providence, and to Taunton over the Dighton and Somerset, both ended in 1932.[5]: 172, 395  Newport service ended in 1938 due to the 88 stations case; Ferry Street station was closed until around 1950, leaving Fall River as a terminal.[5]: 416  Fall River service was suspended from 1949 to 1952, and ultimately ended on September 5, 1958.[50]

South Coast Rail

[edit]
Construction of a retaining wall next to an urban street, with a railroad bridge behind
Retaining wall construction, November 2021

In September 2008, MassDOT released 18 potential station sites for the South Coast Rail project, including Fall River Depot off Davol Street.[51] A 2009 conceptual design called for a single 730 ft (220 m) side platform serving the west track, with a second track allowing freight trains to pass the high-level platform; a two-story parking deck would be located on the west side of the tracks.[52] Plans released as part of the Final Environmental Impact Report in 2013 were nearly identical.[53] A 2009 corridor plan called for mixed-use transit-oriented development around the new station.[54] On June 11, 2010, the state took ownership of the Fall River Subdivision and several other CSX lines as part of a sale agreement.[55]

In 2017, the project was re-evaluated due to cost issues. A new proposal released in March 2017 called for early service via Middleborough by 2024, followed by full service via Stoughton by 2029.[56] The January 2018 Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Report reconfigured the planned parking lot configuration, as part of the previously planned deck site had been developed for use by a business. A parking lot on the west side of the tracks was to be constructed during Phase 1, with a possible eastern lot (on the site of an existing retail building) to be added later.[1]: 44 

The MBTA awarded a $159 million contract for construction of the Fall River Secondary portion of the project, including Fall River station, in May 2020. Service was then planned to begin in November 2023.[57][58] Two former industrial buildings were demolished in 2020 to make room for the station and its parking lot.[59][60] The station was 32% complete by February 2022, with 96% of platform foundations and some retaining walls in place.[61] Construction of the station reached 90% completion in October 2022, with the platform and canopies in place.[62][63][64] Substantial completion of the Fall River Secondary work was announced in December 2022.[65] Opening was delayed to mid-2024 in September 2023.[66] In June 2024, the opening of the project was delayed to May 2025. Fall River station was complete by that time.[2] Service began on March 24, 2025.[67]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d VHB/HNTB (January 31, 2018). "Chapter 2 – Alternatives Analysis". South Coast Rail Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Report. Massachusetts Department of Transportation.
  2. ^ a b Medeiros, Dan (June 13, 2024). "'MBTA owes this region an apology': South Coast Rail start is delayed another year". The Herald News. Archived from the original on June 14, 2024.
  3. ^ "South Coast Rail Project Phase 1 - Fall River Community Meeting" (PDF). Massachusetts Department of Transportation. February 25, 2021. pp. 17–19.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Phillips, Arthur Sherman (1945). The Phillips History of Fall River: Fascicle II. pp. 176–178 – via Internet Archive.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Karr, Ronald Dale (2017). The Rail Lines of Southern New England (2 ed.). Branch Line Press. ISBN 9780942147124.
  6. ^ "Fall River Railroad Co., Began Operations 1851" (PDF). Fall River Herald News. September 19, 1953.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Sweeney, Edward J. (2012). "Fall River Cotton Spinners Needed a Railroad". Shoreliner. Vol. 34, no. 3. New Haven Railroad Historical and Technical Association. pp. 6–39. LCCN 78-641543.
  8. ^
  9. ^ "Old Colony and Newport". Fall River Daily Evening News. June 20, 1864. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^
  11. ^ "New Station". Fall River Daily Evening News. August 12, 1867. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Old Colony and Newport Railway". Fall River Daily Evening News. August 19, 1867. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Found Dead". Fall River Daily Evening News. January 20, 1874. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ Fourteenth Annual Report of the Old Colony Railroad Co. to the Stockholders. Old Colony Railroad Company. November 1878. p. 7.
  15. ^ "Brief Locals". Fall River Daily Evening News. April 29, 1878. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ Bailey, Oakley Hoopes (1877). "City of Fall River, Mass". O.H. Bailey & J.C. Hazen.
  17. ^ "Plate 2" (Map). Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Fall River, Bristol County, Massachusetts. 1:600. Sanborn Map Company. August 1888.
  18. ^ "All Aboard for Providence via the New Bridge!". Fall River Daily Evening News. December 4, 1875. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ Nineteenth Annual Report of the Old Colony Railroad Co. to the Stockholders. Old Colony Railroad Company. November 1882. p. 7.
  20. ^ "The Street Railway". Fall River Daily Evening News. July 22, 1880. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ Globe Street Railway (July 30, 1880). "Time Table No. 1". Fall River Daily Evening News. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ "R. & R. Vibrations". Fall River Daily Evening News. November 19, 1880. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ a b "To Have a New Name". The Fall River Daily Herald. August 6, 1891. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ a b c "Bowenville Station". Fall River Daily Evening News. April 21, 1890. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ a b c d "The Pearce Street Muddle". Fall River Daily Evening News. July 7, 1886. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ^
    • "City Government". The Fall River Daily Herald. August 7, 1883. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
    • "Municipal". Fall River Daily Evening News. October 2, 1883. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ^
  28. ^ "City Rulers". The Fall River Daily Herald. May 4, 1886. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  29. ^ "The City Wins". Fall River Daily Evening News. October 20, 1888. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  30. ^ "Pearce Street". Fall River Daily Evening News. October 29, 1888. pp. 1, 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  31. ^ "Pearce Street Crossing". The Fall River Daily Herald. December 20, 1888. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  32. ^ "Painted Red". The Fall River Daily Herald. December 29, 1888. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  33. ^ "Old Colony Wants". Fall River Daily Evening News. May 23, 1889. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  34. ^
    • "A Proposition". The Fall River Daily Herald. April 11, 1890. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
    • "Pearce Street". Fall River Globe. April 18, 1890. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
    • "Pearce Street". Fall River Globe. June 10, 1890. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  35. ^ "A Vexed Question Settled". Fall River Daily Evening News. July 26, 1890. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  36. ^ "Pearce Street Closed". The Fall River Daily Herald. August 20, 1890. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  37. ^ "The Palace Depot at Bowenville". Fall River Globe. September 26, 1890. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  38. ^ "Old Colony Depot". The Fall River Daily Herald. September 27, 1890. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  39. ^ a b c d e f g h "The New Railroad Station, "Fall River"". Fall River Daily Evening News. December 11, 1890. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  40. ^ "City Briefs". The Fall River Daily Herald. December 19, 1890. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  41. ^ a b "Fall River Station". Fall River Daily Evening News. November 9, 1891. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  42. ^ "About the City". Fall River Globe. June 17, 1891. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
  43. ^ a b c "Plate 3" (Map). Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Fall River, Bristol County, Massachusetts. 1:600. Sanborn Map Company. 1893.
  44. ^ "Along Shore". Fall River Daily Evening News. March 23, 1891. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  45. ^ "Plate 3" (Map). New topographical atlas of surveys: Bristol County, Massachusetts. 1:3,600. Everts & Richards. 1895. pp. 20–21.
  46. ^ Berg, Walter Gilman (1893). "Local Stations". Buildings and Structures of American Railroads. J. Wiley & Sons. pp. 309–311.
  47. ^ "Old Colony Passenger Station at Fall River". The Railroad Gazette. Vol. 23. February 27, 1891. pp. 144–145.
  48. ^ History of Fall River, Massachusetts. Fall River Merchants Association. 1911. pp. 43, 44 – via Internet Archive.
  49. ^ Karr, Ronald Dale (2010). Lost Railroads of New England. Branch Line Press. p. 114. ISBN 978-0-942147-11-7.
  50. ^ Humphrey, Thomas J.; Clark, Norton D. (1985). Boston's Commuter Rail: The First 150 Years. Boston Street Railway Association. p. 36. ISBN 9780685412947.
  51. ^ "South Coast Rail Fact Sheet: October 2008" (PDF). South Coast Rail. October 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 12, 2017.
  52. ^ "Fall River - Fall River Depot Rail Alternative" (PDF). Massachusetts Department of Transportation. June 30, 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 7, 2011.
  53. ^ "Figure 3.2-28 Fall River Depot Station Conceptual Station Design" (PDF). Volume II: FEIS/FEIR Figures Final Environmental Impact Statement/Final Environmental Impact Report on the South Coast Rail Project proposed by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New England District. August 2013.
  54. ^ South Coast Rail Economic Development and Land Use Corridor Plan (PDF). Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation and Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development. June 2009. p. 73. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 7, 2013.
  55. ^ "The Massachusetts Rail Program" (PDF). Massachusetts Department of Transportation. June 2010. p. 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 24, 2012.
  56. ^ Dungca, Nicole (March 22, 2017). "State changes gears on Middleborough commuter rail plan". Boston Globe. Archived from the original on April 11, 2017.
  57. ^ "South Coast Rail Main Line Construction Contract Approved" (Press release). Massachusetts Department of Transportation. May 11, 2020. Archived from the original on May 16, 2020. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  58. ^ Tabakin, Jennifer (May 11, 2020). "MBTA Construction Contract No. K78CN03: Fall River Secondary Commuter Rail Expansion Project" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
  59. ^ Roy, Linda (August 6, 2020). "North End industrial site demolished for commuter rail station". South Coast Today. Archived from the original on August 9, 2020.
  60. ^ Winokoor, Charles (October 7, 2020). "Groundwork being laid for Fall River Depot train station". South Coast Today. Archived from the original on October 10, 2020.
  61. ^ "South Coast Rail Briefing for MBTA Board of Directors" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. February 24, 2022. p. 7.
  62. ^ Goode, Jo (October 12, 2022). "South Coast Rail's Fall River station is 90% complete — here's when trains hit the tracks". Herald News. Archived from the original on November 23, 2022.
  63. ^ "South Coast Rail Fall 2022 Fact Sheet" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. November 2022.
  64. ^ "South Coast Rail Fall River Construction Update" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. October 13, 2022.
  65. ^ "Baker-Polito Administration Celebrates Substantial Completion of $159 Million Contract for South Coast Rail Main Line Construction" (Press release). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. December 8, 2022.
  66. ^ Medeiros, Dan (September 29, 2023). "South Coast Rail passenger service is being delayed. Here's why, explained in 60 seconds". The Herald News. Archived from the original on September 30, 2023.
  67. ^ "MBTA Announces South Coast Rail Service Begins March 24, 2025" (Press release). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. February 7, 2025.
[edit]

Media related to Fall River station at Wikimedia Commons

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fall_River_station&oldid=1287896433"