Church Street station (MBTA)

Church Street station
Company type	MBTA Commuter Rail station
Industry	Transportation
Founded	March 24, 2025; 19 months ago
Headquarters	New Bedford, United States
Products	Commuter rail service

Church Street station serves as a stop on the MBTA Commuter Rail network in the northern area of New Bedford, Massachusetts, situated on the New Bedford Branch of the Fall River/New Bedford Line. It commenced operations on March 24, 2025, marking the initial phase of the South Coast Rail initiative. The station consists of a single side platform positioned on the eastern side of the New Bedford Subdivision track and includes a park and ride facility.

Historically, the Acushnet station, located just to the north of where Church Street station now stands, was operated by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad and its predecessors until approximately the 1930s. In 2009, plans were announced for a potential South Coast Rail stop near Kings Highway in northern New Bedford. Originally slated to be west of the rail line, the station site was moved eastward and renamed North New Bedford in 2019. Following a construction contract awarded in 2020, the station received its final designation as Church Street.

Station design

Positioned roughly south of Tarkiln Hill Road and about north of downtown New Bedford, Church Street station lies to the west of Acushnet Center. The facility features an -long accessible high-level side platform adjacent to the single-track New Bedford Subdivision, which also includes a freight siding at this point. A canopy provides shelter over a section of the platform. Nearby, a parking lot accommodates 354 vehicles, alongside 22 bicycle parking spaces and a designated kiss-and-ride zone.

Acushnet station

The establishment of rail service between Boston and New Bedford began with the opening of the New Bedford and Taunton Railroad in July 1840. Acushnet station, located at Tarkiln Hill Road just north of New Bedford, catered to residents of Acushnet, Massachusetts. The station building was situated on the east side of the tracks, with a freight house positioned opposite on the west side. Over subsequent decades, service was absorbed by several railroads: first by the New Bedford Railroad in 1873, followed by the Boston, Clinton, Fitchburg and New Bedford Railroad in 1876, then by the Old Colony Railroad in 1879, and ultimately by the New Haven Railroad in 1893.

Passenger trains continued to serve this route until September 5, 1958; however, most local stops including Acushnet had been eliminated by the 1930s. By that time, trains operated nonstop between New Bedford and Taunton. Freight services persisted under successors to New Haven such as Penn Central, Conrail, and later CSX, which currently manages this segment as part of its New Bedford Subdivision. The original Acushnet station structure was relocated to Church Street where it has been converted into a private residence.

South Coast Rail

In September 2008, MassDOT identified eighteen possible station locations for the South Coast Rail project, among them a proposed King's Highway station near New Bedford close to where Acushnet station once stood. The corridor plan released in 2009 suggested situating this stop south of Kings Highway/Tarkiln Hill Road with an aim to replace adjacent strip malls and industrial properties with mixed-use developments oriented around transit access. On June 11, 2010, ownership of the New Bedford Subdivision along with other lines formerly held by CSX was transferred to the state. By 2013, design plans placed the station west of the tracks with shared parking facilities connected to a nearby movie theater.

Concerns over project expenses led to a revised strategy in 2017 proposing an early service launch via Middleborough by 2024 and full service through Stoughton by 2029; this plan included King's Highway station within its initial phase. In 2019, due to drainage complications and land acquisition challenges, the proposed site shifted across the tracks and was renamed "North New Bedford" for clarity. To accommodate riders accessing from the west side—estimated at about 40% of users—a footbridge was considered. The name was changed once more in 2020 to "Church Street."

In preparation for construction and parking development, a former industrial structure at 387 Church Street was demolished in 2020. Subsequently, MBTA awarded a $403.5 million contract covering work on both Middleborough Secondary and New Bedford Secondary lines including Church Street station; construction commenced later that year with an anticipated duration of approximately 37 months. Initial projections targeted an opening date in late 2023. By February 2022, progress reports indicated that Church Street station was about 16% complete; this advanced to roughly 53% completion by August that year. In November 2022, voters in New Bedford approved joining the MBTA funding district which facilitated commencement of service.

As of September 2023, opening had been postponed until mid-2024; at that time construction stood at approximately 86% completion with expectations to finalize by year-end. Further delays pushed back inauguration to May 2025 according to updates from June that year; Church Street station was anticipated to be finished by then. Service officially launched on March 24, 2025. Although originally intended to be served by buses operated by Southeastern Regional Transit Authority, SRTA opted not to alter existing routes but instead introduced a new microtransit service option for riders.

External links

MBTA – Church Street Station