Brockton station (MBTA)
| Company type | MBTA Commuter Rail station |
|---|---|
| Industry | Transportation |
| Founded | 1846 |
| Headquarters | Brockton, Massachusetts , United States |
| Products | Commuter rail service |
| Website | www |
Brockton station serves as an MBTA Commuter Rail stop located in Brockton, Massachusetts, accommodating the MBTA Fall River/New Bedford Line along with the seasonal CapeFLYER service. The station includes a single fully accessible, high-level platform that extends the full length of two tracks and is situated next to the BAT Centre, which functions as the primary transfer point for Brockton Area Transit Authority local bus routes.
Originally known as North Bridgewater station, it commenced operations in 1846 on the Fall River Railroad. The facility underwent reconstruction during 1873–74 and was renamed Brockton in 1874. The railroad significantly contributed to Brockton’s emergence as a manufacturing hub. In the 1890s, Brockton pioneered Massachusetts’ initial large-scale grade crossing elimination project, featuring an extensive stone viaduct and station buildings crafted by Bradford Gilbert.
Passenger train service ended in 1959, and the original station was demolished amid urban renewal efforts in the 1960s. After nearly twenty years of planning, the current MBTA commuter rail station opened its doors in 1997, followed by the inauguration of the BAT Centre in 1999.
Early history
The northern segment of the Fall River Railroad extended southward from Randolph to North Bridgewater around October 1846. The line was further extended to on December 21, 1846, completing the rail connection between South Braintree and Fall River. The initial North Bridgewater station was a single-story building located just south of Center Street on the west side of the tracks. Until 1895, most railroads in southeastern Massachusetts operated with left-hand running.
Unlike many larger cities in Massachusetts, Brockton never functioned as a railroad junction; instead, east-west branches were constructed from Bridgewater prior to North Bridgewater’s rise as a manufacturing center. A proposed branch line from Stoughton to North Bridgewater planned in 1845 did not come to fruition. In 1854, the Fall River Railroad merged into the Old Colony and Fall River Railroad. From that year onward, commuting from North Bridgewater to Boston became feasible, with North Bridgewater serving as an outer terminus for certain trains during the late 1850s and early 1860s.
The railroad was renamed Old Colony and Newport Railroad in 1863 and later became part of the Old Colony Railroad in 1872. Between 1873 and 1874, a new Victorian-style station was constructed at Church Street on the west side of the tracks. The town officially changed its name to Brockton in 1874, with the station adopting this new name on May 7. The railroad played a vital role in Brockton’s flourishing shoe manufacturing industry and rapid expansion, with its population doubling between 1877 and 1887. Additionally, a new freight house was built in 1881.
Grade crossing elimination
On June 21, 1890, the Massachusetts General Court enacted An Act to Promote the Abolition of Grade Crossings, permitting municipalities or railroads to petition the state superior court for an independent commission tasked with deciding on grade crossing eliminations. The financial responsibility was divided such that railroads covered 65%, towns up to 10%, and the remainder was funded by the state.
This minimal local expense encouraged cities to pursue grade crossing removals to prevent train-related obstructions on public roads. Brockton’s petition submitted in April 1891 was the first under this legislation. At that time, although Old Colony Railroad intended to build a new Brockton station at grade level, this design threatened economic development due to blocked road crossings and fire safety issues—delays for fire engines increased insurance premiums and negatively impacted land values east of the tracks.
Initially, the legislation only applied to public roads; however, many crossings in Brockton involved private roads beyond municipal jurisdiction. On June 15, 1892, new legislation authorized Brockton to include private road crossings within its grade separation initiative.
City engineer F. Herbert Snow recommended elevating tracks and lowering streets downtown while implementing inverse changes at Campello village. Both Brockton and Montello station were slated for relocation and reconstruction; meanwhile, Campello station would be replaced at its existing site. Although initially resistant due to cost concerns, the railroad agreed to proceed by June 1893. That same year, Old Colony came under lease by the New Haven Railroad, which continued advancing the project. Approval from the Massachusetts Board of Railroad Commissioners was granted on April 21, 1894.
Snow directed construction of a nearly long stone viaduct carrying four tracks with stone arch bridges spanning five downtown streets; an additional seven bridges were built near Montello and Campello areas. Approximately of track were elevated up to , while another section was lowered by as much as . Two stone passenger stations north of Centre Street were connected via a pedestrian tunnel; smaller stations were erected at Campello and Montello. Designed by Bradford Gilbert, these stations shared architectural features with other Old Colony depots such as those at .
Brockton’s stations were constructed using Milford pink granite accented with brown trim and topped with slate roofs in a Richardsonian Romanesque architectural style. The main station measured , while the secondary station measured . Platforms served trains on outer tracks while inner tracks allowed express trains to pass without interference. Construction prioritized completing one half of the tracks first to maintain uninterrupted service throughout. A large freight yard was established north of downtown Brockton; smaller yards served Montello and Campello locations.
Completed by early 1897, this project received acclaim for both its design quality and operational enhancements; other municipalities later adopted Brockton’s model for grade separation projects. The total cost reached $2,236,411 (), predominantly funded by the railroad company. Despite these advantages, railroads subsequently became more cautious about investing heavily in large-scale grade crossing elimination projects:
Closure and revival
Passenger rail service in the Boston area experienced a downturn starting in the 1920s. By 1954, Brockton was served by 13 daily round trips, with half of them terminating in the city. The original four-track system had been reduced to just two tracks. Following the inauguration of the Southeast Expressway, the New Haven Railroad discontinued passenger operations on the Old Colony Division as of June 30, 1959. A bridge fire in 1960 further escalated the costs required for any potential restoration. Established in 1964 to provide subsidies for suburban commuter rail, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) reinstated several lines but excluded southeastern Massachusetts from these efforts. Freight operations persisted under the successors of New Haven. During urban renewal projects in the late 1960s, station buildings were demolished; a more modest police station was constructed on the eastern portion of the site in 1967 atop remnants of former retaining walls, some of which still exist.
Restoration initiatives for Old Colony commuter rail began gaining momentum in the 1970s. The MBTA acquired critical rights-of-way from Penn Central in 1973, including the main line through Middleborough. A state study conducted in 1974 determined that Brockton’s platforms were salvageable but required refurbishment. From 1984 to 1988, seasonal service was provided by the Cape Cod and Hyannis Railroad, which made stops at Brockton’s former station location.
An MBTA study completed in 1984 confirmed that restoring commuter rail service was viable. Environmental Impact Statements issued between 1990 and 1992 suggested relocating Brockton station southward from downtown; however, it was ultimately reconstructed at its traditional site behind the police station. The accessible full-length island platform was built over what had been the inner tracks, while current track alignment corresponds with where the outer tracks once lay. Service on the Middleborough/Lakeville and Plymouth/Kingston Lines commenced on September 29, 1997.
The Brockton Intermodal Centre (BAT Centre), a $4 million bus terminal for Brockton Area Transit Authority located one block away, opened on February 15, 1999. Its design pays homage to the architectural style of the former railroad station and includes a parking lot with space for 250 vehicles. Funding amounting to $1 million was secured in December 2001 for constructing a parking garage at this terminal, which officially opened on April 30, 2004.
Starting in 2015, seasonal weekend CapeFLYER service to Cape Cod began making stops at Brockton.
External links
- MBTA – Brockton
- Google Maps Street View: Centre Street entrance, Court Street entrance, Commercial Street entrance