Newburyport/Rockport Line

Newburyport/Rockport Line
An outbound train crosses the Mystic River
Overview
Type	Commuter Rail
Termini	North Station Newburyport or Rockport
Stations	12 (Newburyport Line) 14 (Rockport Line) (7 serve both lines)
Services	2
Daily ridership	18,503[1]
Operation
Owner	Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
Operator(s)	MBCR
Character	Elevated and surface-level
Rolling stock	Commuter rail cars
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Route map Legend North Station Fitchburg, Lowell & Haverhill/Reading Lines Chelsea Saugus Draw River Works (General Electric employees only) Saugus Branch Lynn Swampscott Original Salem station Salem Tunnel Salem Beverly Draw Beverly Depot North Beverly Hamilton/Wenham Ipswich Rowley Newburyport Montserrat Prides Crossing Beverly Farms Manchester Draw Manchester West Gloucester Gloucester Draw Gloucester Rockport

The Newburyport/Rockport Line is a branch of the MBTA Commuter Rail system, running northeast from downtown Boston, Massachusetts towards Cape Ann and the Merrimack Valley, serving the North Shore. The first leg serves Chelsea, Lynn, Swampscott, Salem, and Beverly. From there, a northern branch of the line serves Hamilton, Ipswich, Rowley and Newburyport. The line also branches east from Beverly, serving Manchester, Gloucester and Rockport.

History

The Eastern Route main line between Boston and Portsmouth, New Hampshire opened in 1836 as the Eastern Railroad. Ferries were used to transport passengers between the East Boston terminal and Boston proper. The line was extended to Portland, Maine, in 1842 under a track-sharing agreement with the Boston and Maine Railroad.^[2] The Gloucester Branch was constructed in 1847, but despite local support, it was not extended to Rockport until November 1861.^[3] In 1854, with the opening of the Grand Junction Railroad, the Eastern Railroad acquired direct access to downtown Boston.^[2] This access was more convenient than its previous access, which required using the Saugus Branch or the South Reading Branch Railroad.

The Boston & Maine leased the Eastern Railroad in 1884, and in 1893 the new North Union Station became the terminus of the B&M, its subsidiaries the Eastern Railroad and Boston & Lowell Railroad, and the Fitchburg Railroad.

In the 1970s, the B&M passenger service - which by that time was almost exclusively commuter service - began to become financially inviable until the MBTA subsidized, and then acquired, the services. The line beyond Newburyport was abandoned in 1982; however, commuter service had been cut back from Newburyport to Ipswich in 1976.^[2] In 1998, service was restored to Newburyport.

Station listing

State	Milepost[1]	City	Station	Opening date	Connections and notes
MA	0.0	Boston	North Station	1898	Terminus and connection with MBTA Orange Line and Green Line, as well as Fitchburg Line, Lowell Line, Haverhill Line, Amtrak Downeaster service to Maine and #4 bus
	4.6	Chelsea	Chelsea	November 29, 1985	Station connects to buses 112 and 114.
	9.9	Lynn	River Works		Station is accessible during weekdays to employees of the nearby General Electric plant.
	11.5		Central Square/Lynn	1992 (Current station)[4]	MBTA Bus: 426, 429, 431, 435, 436, 439, 441, 442, 455, 456 and 459
	12.8	Swampscott	Swampscott	1868[4]	MBTA Bus: 441/448, 455/459
	16.8	Salem	Salem	1959[4]	Station is near the intersection of Massachusetts Routes 107 and 114 MBTA Bus: 450, 451, 455, 459, and 468
	18.3	Beverly	Beverly Depot	1897	Station is on the edge of downtown Beverly between Rantoul Street and the Bass River; it is the closest station to Montserrat College of Art and the Cabot Street Cinema Theatre. Tickets are sold at a nearby dry cleaner, Depot Cleaners. The former station house has been converted into the Beverly Depot Restaurant. It connects to the Beverly Shoppers Shuttle bus line.

Newburyport Line

State	Milepost[1]	City	Station	Opening date	Connections and notes
MA	20.8	Beverly	North Beverly		Station lies on Route 1A among the shops that line Enon Street. Bus 451 travels to Salem.
	22.7	Hamilton	Hamilton/Wenham		Station lies between the Wenham and Hamilton town centers, and tickets may be purchased at the Hamilton Convenience Store.
	27.6	Ipswich	Ipswich		Station tickets can be purchased at Richdale's on Market Street. Ipswich Essex Explorer provides weekend service during the summer to Crane Beach, downtown Essex and other nearby attractions.
	31.2	Rowley	Rowley		Station is on the eastern outskirts of town, with connections to MVRTA buses, serving the Merrimack Valley.
	36.2	Newburyport	Newburyport	1998 (Current station)[4]	Station has connections with MVRTA buses.

Rockport Line

State	Milepost[1]	City	Station	Opening date	Connections and notes
MA	19.8	Beverly	Montserrat		Station is close to Beverly Hospital, and lies on Route 22 leading north to Essex. Tickets may be purchased at the nearby convenience store.
	22.2		Prides Crossing		Station serves the village of Prides Crossing, between Beverly Cove and Beverly Farms, and is close to Endicott College. The former station house has been converted into Prides Crossing Confections.
	22.9		Beverly Farms	1898	Station serves the small residential village of Beverly Farms, and is the closest station to Gordon College in Wenham.
	25.4	Manchester	Manchester		Tickets may be purchased at Richdale's, and is close to Singing Beach.
	29.6	Gloucester	West Gloucester		Station is close to Cape Ann Industrial Park, and is the closest station to the village of Magnolia, which can be reached by CATA bus.
	31.6		Gloucester		Station is also near CATA buses that reach downtown Gloucester and Magnolia.
	35.3	Rockport	Rockport		Station is near CATA buses that reach downtown Rockport and Good Harbor Beach.

Gallery

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  Chelsea Depot

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  River Works

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  Swampscott

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  Beverly Depot

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  North Beverly

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  Rowley

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  Gloucester

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  Rockport

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: MBTA Newburyport/Rockport Line

• MBTA.com: Newburyport/Rockport Line

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