Haverhill/Reading Line

Haverhill/Reading Line
Info
Type	Commuter rail
System	MBTA Commuter Rail
Locale	Northeastern Massachusetts
Termini	Haverhill North Station
Stations	14
Operation
Owner	MBTA
Operator(s)	MBCR
Character	Elevated and surface-level
Technical
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Route map Plaistow (proposed) New Hampshire–Massachusetts state line Haverhill Amtrak connection Bradford Lawrence Andover Ballardvale North Wilmington Reading Wakefield Greenwood Melrose Highlands Melrose/Cedar Park Wyoming Hill Malden Center North Station Amtrak connection

The Haverhill/Reading Line is a branch of the MBTA Commuter Rail system, running north from downtown Boston, Massachusetts through the cities and towns of Malden, Melrose, Wakefield, Reading, Wilmington, Andover, Lawrence, North Andover, and Haverhill.

The station stops from North Station are: Malden Center, Wyoming Hill, Melrose/Cedar Park, Melrose Highlands, Greenwood, Wakefield, Reading, North Wilmington, Ballardvale, Andover, Lawrence, Bradford, and Haverhill.

A station stop also exists at Oak Grove in Malden, but this stop is only used when the Orange Line rapid transit service is disrupted.

The line was purchased by the MBTA from the Boston and Maine Railroad in 1973. The route to Reading was intended to be used as an extension of the Orange Line, and commuter service past there would operate as a branch off of the Lowell Line, using the Wildcat Branch as a bypass route. However, these plans were derailed due to opposition in the towns along the line, most notably in Melrose.

An article in the Eagle Tribune claims that Massachusetts is negotiating to buy property which has the potential to extend the Haverhill Line to Plaistow, New Hampshire (though the article also erroneously claims that the MBTA only serves Massachusetts, ignoring the existence of Providence station and the station under construction at T F Green Airport).^[1] Funding is available, and Plaistow is potentially interested, but wants to better understand the potential drawbacks of being the location of the layover station.^[2][3]

External links

• MBTA.com: Haverhill/Reading Line

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: MBTA Haverhill/Reading Line

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