North Billerica (MBTA station)
Encyclopedia
North Billerica is a passenger rail station on MBTA Commuter Rail
's Lowell Line
, located in North Billerica, Massachusetts
and serves close to 300,000 commuters.
and was completely renovated in 1998. It served as a flag stop on the Boston and Lowell Railroad's main line and was the starting point for the old narrow gauge Billerica and Bedford Railroad (B&B).
According to the Billerica
town historian, Margaret Ingraham, in 1829 the Boston and Lowell Railroad
(B&L) surveyed a route for its main line through Billerica and one year later the Massachusetts Legislature granted a charter to the B&L railroad.
In June, 1835 the line between Boston and Lowell
was completed, ranking the B&L among the earliest steam railways in the United States. By 1840 a second track was added. Initially the enterprise served passengers, but soon after freight cars were included.
The B&L concentrated on erecting stations at each terminus of the line and provisions for passengers to flag the train enroute were allowed.
Very quickly scheduled stops between Boston and Lowell were established including North Billerica, originally called Billerica Mills, where there were a number of factories adjacent to the millpond and dam on the Concord River about 200 yards from the tracks.
The first depot was erected at this site around 1840. In "North Billerica Recollections" this station (located south of the present depot) was described as a small box-like structure.
During ensuing years continued commercial and industrial development in the vicinity created greater demand for passenger service which resulted in the little station's becoming inadequate to accommodate the passenger load. On December 28, 1866 the B&L purchased from the "C. P. Talbot Company" the lot upon which today's depot is set.
The original depot was moved across the tracks and later burned down. The present depot was built in 1867 with the larger addition completed in 1877 when the B&B began operation.
The decision of the Boston and Maine Railroad
, which took over the B&L in 1887, to locate its repair shops in North Billerica in 1904 was in large part the reason for the creation of Garden City, the neighborhood behind the Faulkner Mills.
MBTA Commuter Rail
The MBTA Commuter Rail serves as the regional rail arm of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, in the United States. It is operated under contract by the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Company a joint partnership of Veolia Transportation, Bombardier Transportation and Alternate...
's Lowell Line
Lowell Line
The Lowell Line is a railroad line of the MBTA Commuter Rail system, running north from Boston to Lowell, Massachusetts. Originally built as the Boston and Lowell Railroad, and later operated as part of the Boston and Maine Railroad's Southern Division, the line was one of the first railroads in...
, located in North Billerica, Massachusetts
North Billerica, Massachusetts
North Billerica is a unincorporated village of the town of Billerica, Massachusetts, United States, one of the nine sections that make up the Town of Billerica. It is the home to Faulkner and Talbot mills and the North Billerica Train Depot...
and serves close to 300,000 commuters.
History
The Depot that stands at the station site is on the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
and was completely renovated in 1998. It served as a flag stop on the Boston and Lowell Railroad's main line and was the starting point for the old narrow gauge Billerica and Bedford Railroad (B&B).
According to the Billerica
Billerica, Massachusetts
Billerica is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 40,243 at the 2010 census. It is the only town named Billerica in the United States and borrows its name from the town of Billericay in Essex, England.- History :...
town historian, Margaret Ingraham, in 1829 the Boston and Lowell Railroad
Boston and Lowell Railroad
The Boston and Lowell Railroad is a historic railroad that operated in Massachusetts. It was one of the first railroads in North America and the first major one in the state...
(B&L) surveyed a route for its main line through Billerica and one year later the Massachusetts Legislature granted a charter to the B&L railroad.
In June, 1835 the line between Boston and Lowell
Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 106,519. It is the fourth largest city in the state. Lowell and Cambridge are the county seats of Middlesex County...
was completed, ranking the B&L among the earliest steam railways in the United States. By 1840 a second track was added. Initially the enterprise served passengers, but soon after freight cars were included.
The B&L concentrated on erecting stations at each terminus of the line and provisions for passengers to flag the train enroute were allowed.
Very quickly scheduled stops between Boston and Lowell were established including North Billerica, originally called Billerica Mills, where there were a number of factories adjacent to the millpond and dam on the Concord River about 200 yards from the tracks.
The first depot was erected at this site around 1840. In "North Billerica Recollections" this station (located south of the present depot) was described as a small box-like structure.
During ensuing years continued commercial and industrial development in the vicinity created greater demand for passenger service which resulted in the little station's becoming inadequate to accommodate the passenger load. On December 28, 1866 the B&L purchased from the "C. P. Talbot Company" the lot upon which today's depot is set.
The original depot was moved across the tracks and later burned down. The present depot was built in 1867 with the larger addition completed in 1877 when the B&B began operation.
The decision of the Boston and Maine Railroad
Boston and Maine Railroad
The Boston and Maine Corporation , known as the Boston and Maine Railroad until 1964, was the dominant railroad of the northern New England region of the United States for a century...
, which took over the B&L in 1887, to locate its repair shops in North Billerica in 1904 was in large part the reason for the creation of Garden City, the neighborhood behind the Faulkner Mills.