Southborough station (MBTA)

Southborough station is a commuter rail station on the MBTA Commuter Rail Framingham/Worcester Line, located near the intersection of Cordaville Street and River Street (MA 85) in the Cordaville section of Southborough, Massachusetts. The parking area is located off River Street adjacent to the inbound platform. Passengers use ramps and stairways to access the sidewalk along River Street to cross under the tracks.

Southborough
An inbound train at Southborough station in September 2016
General information
Location	87 Southville Road Southborough, Massachusetts
Coordinates	42.2669°N 71.5250°W / 42.2669; -71.5250
Line(s)	Worcester Line
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	2
Connections	Marlborough Commuter Shuttle
Construction
Parking	364 spaces, $6.00 each
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Fare zone	6
History
Opened	June 22, 2002[1]
Previous names	Cordaville
Passengers
2018	525 (weekday average boardings)[2]
Services
Preceding station MBTA Following station Westborough toward Worcester Framingham/​Worcester Line Ashland toward South Station
Former services Preceding station New York Central Railroad Following station Westborough toward Albany Boston and Albany Railroad Main Line Ashland toward Boston Southville toward Boston
Location

History

The original Southville station, formerly located 0.7 miles (1.1 km) to the west, is now a private residence. The building was moved from its location south of the tracks in 1890.

A station at Southborough (later called Southville) was in use by 1838.^[3] The station was rebuilt in 1852, and a new station at Cordaville was added.^[4] Service to both stations lasted until 1960.

In 1994, service to Worcester was restored as mitigation for delays with reopening the Old Colony Lines. Service initially ran nonstop from Framingham to Worcester, but intermediate park and ride stops were added later as mitigation for delays in reopening the Greenbush Line. After the opening of Grafton in 2000 caused traffic congestion in the town, officials from Ashland, Southborough, and Westborough asked that their three stations open within a 90-day span to avoid overwhelming any one town with traffic. The three stations, which together cost $14.2 million, were originally scheduled to open on December 31, 2001.^[5] However, they were delayed by several factors, including a debate on whether to build full-length high-level platforms. Those were ruled out because they interfere with freight traffic; instead, smaller "mini-high" platforms plus long low platforms were built.^[6] Southborough and Westborough opened on June 22, 2002, followed by Ashland on August 24.^[7][1]

A shuttle service connecting the station with two locations in Marlborough began on September 16, 2019.^[8]

References

1. Belcher, Jonathan. "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). Boston Street Railway Association.
2. Central Transportation Planning Staff (2019). "2018 Commuter Rail Counts". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
3. Dickinson, S.N. (1838). The Boston Almanac for the Year 1838. p. 49.
4. Report of the Directors of the Boston and Worcester Railroad. Boston and Worcester Railroad. 1853. p. 7.
5. Flanagan, Ted (October 16, 2001). "They'll wait for the stations a little longer". Boston Globe. p. 28 – via Newspapers.com.
6. Saltzman, Jonathan (June 16, 2002). "Hear that whistle blowin'". Boston Globe. pp. 148, 150 – via Newspapers.com. (second page)
7. Saltzman, Jonathan (August 11, 2002). "New stations popular with commuters: Town's rail stop will open Aug. 24". Boston Globe. p. 111 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Free shuttle service to MBTA to launch next month" (Press release). Marlborough Economic Development Corporation. August 27, 2019.

External links

Media related to Southborough station (MBTA) at Wikimedia Commons

• MBTA - Southborough
• River Street entrance from Google Maps Street View