Ballardvale station

Ballardvale
A train at Ballardvale station in 2013
General information
Location195 Andover Street
Andover, Massachusetts
Coordinates42°37′40″N 71°09′36″W / 42.6277°N 71.1599°W / 42.6277; -71.1599
Line(s)Western Route
Platforms1 side platform
Tracks1
Construction
Parking115 spaces ($4.00 daily)
Bicycle facilities9 spaces
AccessibleYes
Other information
Fare zone4
History
Openedc. 1836
Rebuilt1849
Passengers
2018200 (weekday average boardings)[1]
Services
Preceding station MBTA Following station
North Wilmington
toward North Station
 Haverhill Line Andover
toward Haverhill
North Station
Terminus
 Haverhill Line
limited service via Wildcat Branch
Location

Ballardvale station is an MBTA Commuter Rail station on the Haverhill Line, located in the Ballardvale village of Andover, Massachusetts. The station has a single side platform serving a single track.

History

The Andover and Haverhill Railroad opened through Ballardvale in 1836. In 1849, the Boston and Maine Railroad moved the line about 0.5 miles (0.80 km) west to its present alignment as part of a lengthy relocation to serve the growing mill city of Lawrence. The original depot was converted to a residence.[2]

A two-story Italianate depot was built in 1849 at the Andover Street crossing to serve as the new Ballardvale station. A baggage room was added around 1893. In 1950, it was cut in half, moved 150 feet (46 m), and converted to a private residence. The baggage room was detached and served as the station shelter for some time.[3]

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) was formed in 1964 to subsidize suburban commuter rail service. Andover was outside the MBTA district. On January 4, 1965, the B&M discontinued most interstate service. The only service north of Haverhill was a single Boston–Dover round trip.[4] On January 18, 1965, the B&M discontinued almost all remaining intrastate service outside the MBTA district. This left only the Dover round trip serving Andover.[5] It was cut to Haverhill on June 30, 1967, with Andover and the other towns outside the district subsidizing the train.[6][7]

In November 1974, North Andover and Andover declined to renew their subsidies. Service to North Andover station ended on November 15 that year.[8] Days before, Andover commuters and businesses raised funds to continue service until April 1975. On April 7, 1975, town residents voted "overwhelmingly" to reimburse the commuters and subsidize service for an additional year.[9] The town declined to subsidize further service, and the three Andover stops (Shawsheen, Andover, and Ballardvale) were dropped effective April 2, 1976.[10] The round trip, by then stopping just at Lawrence, Bradford and Haverhill, was ended on June 30, 1976.[11]

The MBTA purchased most of the B&M commuter assets, including the Western Route, on December 27, 1976.[6] Planning began in 1978 for restoration of Haverhill service using the Merrimack Valley Regional Transit Authority as a funding intermediary.[12]: 70  Haverhill Line service returned on December 17, 1979, including the resumption of the Ballardvale stop.[6] A mini-high platform for accessibility was added around 1992.[13] Ballardvale station was left as single track after the 2010–2017 double-tracking project. However, the MBTA plans to reconstruct the station and add a second track.[14][15]

References

  1. ^ Central Transportation Planning Staff (2019). "2018 Commuter Rail Counts". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
  2. ^ LaPointe, Gary. "Essex County". Railroad Stations in Massachusetts.
  3. ^ Roy, John H. Jr. (2007). A Field Guide to Southern New England Railroad Depots and Freight Houses. Branch Line Press. p. 130. ISBN 9780942147087.
  4. ^ "B&M Posts Notices On Rail Curbs". The Bangor Daily News. UPI. January 2, 1965. p. 22 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Hanron, Robert B. (January 16, 1965). "B&M Switches Monday". The Boston Globe. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ a b c Belcher, Jonathan. "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). Boston Street Railway Association.
  7. ^ "Last B&M Train to New Hampshire". Transcript-Telegram. UPI. June 30, 1967. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Carr, Robert B. (November 13, 1974). "Two towns lose MBTA rail service". Boston Globe. p. 53 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Andover votes to support commuters who paid their own way". Boston Globe. April 9, 1975. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "End of Commuting". Boston Globe. April 1, 1976. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "B&M Lawrence, Haverhill runs closed". The Berkshire Eagle. UPU. July 2, 1976. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Humphrey, Thomas J.; Clark, Norton D. (1985). Boston's Commuter Rail: The First 150 Years. Boston Street Railway Association.
  13. ^ MBTA : ACCESS; The Guide to Accessible Services and Facilities. Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. June 1992. p. 15 – via Internet Archive.
  14. ^ Sawers, Alistair (January 25, 2021). "Regional/Urban Rail Transformation Update" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. p. 4.
  15. ^ Hughes, Madeline (January 11, 2021). "Andover receives $70M for better roads, train service". Andover Townsman. Retrieved June 23, 2022.

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