Franklin/Foxboro Line
| Company type | Commuter rail line |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Founded | 1835 |
| Headquarters | Boston, Massachusetts , United States |
Area served | Boston metropolitan area |
| Products | Commuter rail service |
| Owner | Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) |
| Website | www |
Franklin/Foxboro Line
The Franklin/Foxboro Line—previously known as the Franklin Line—is a component of the MBTA Commuter Rail network, traveling southwest from Boston's South Station toward Franklin, Massachusetts. On most weekdays, trains follow the Northeast Corridor before diverging onto the Franklin Branch at Readville, whereas some weekday services and all weekend trains operate via the Dorchester Branch (also called the Fairmount Line) between Boston and Readville.
Located on the Framingham Secondary branch, Foxboro station connects with the Franklin Line at Walpole. Originally serving only events at Gillette Stadium, a trial weekday service to Foxboro was conducted from October 2019 through November 2020, resumed in May 2022, and was officially established as permanent in October 2023.
History
The roots of the Franklin Line trace back to 1835 when the Boston and Providence Railroad constructed a branch linking Dedham to Readville, connecting with the main Boston-Providence route. In 1848, service extended from Dedham to Walpole via the Norfolk County Railroad. Following several mergers, this line became part of the New York and New England Railroad until 1898, then transferred to the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad until 1968, and subsequently came under Penn Central until its bankruptcy in 1970.
The current Franklin Branch was originally incorporated within New Haven's Midland Line, serving as an alternate Boston-New York corridor. The MBTA's Dorchester Branch along with abandoned sections stretching from Franklin to Willimantic, Connecticut through Blackstone were also components of this route. In 1910, intercity trains passed through this corridor en route to New York via the Highland Division and Housatonic Railroad. By 1937, service had been curtailed to Waterbury.
During the 1940s and early 1950s, trains such as the New Haven's Nutmeg operated between Boston, Hartford, and Waterbury. However, after Hurricane Diane in 1955 damaged two bridge spans over the Quinebaug River in Putnam, Connecticut, which were never restored, service was reduced to Blackstone. The segment connecting Willimantic and Putnam was abandoned in 1959.
MBTA era
Service beyond Blackstone ceased in April 1966 when the MBTA began subsidizing operations; areas past Franklin were outside the MBTA district and required local funding support—only Franklin agreed to provide subsidies. Flooding in March 1968 washed out the easternmost bridge over the Blackstone River; service past Franklin was discontinued three years later. This corridor is now repurposed as the Southern New England Trunkline Trail. Between 1973 and 1976, Massachusetts acquired nearly all Southeastern Massachusetts rail assets from Penn Central's bankruptcy trustees, including the Franklin Branch. Ridership saw a threefold increase between 1982 and 1990.
At its inception under MBTA management, Franklin marked the line’s terminus. On June 2, 1988, service was extended to Forge Park/495 station—though the line retained its original name. Forge Park/495 is situated on what was once part of the Milford and Woonsocket Railroad, which last offered passenger service in 1938. This extension involved leasing that branch from Conrail with options for future purchase. In February 2020, the MBTA authorized a $13 million acquisition of the rail segment between Franklin and Milford.
Double tracking
Starting in early 2019, the MBTA initiated the installation of 3.8 miles of double track—comprising 3.3 miles of new track plus conversion of existing sidings—between Walpole and Norfolk. The primary construction phase was completed by April 2020. In November 2019, a $30 million second phase was announced alongside preliminary planning for a third phase. The second phase will extend double tracking by an additional 3.5 miles between Franklin and Norfolk, aiming to decrease train intervals from 45 to 35 minutes. The third phase intends to finalize double-tracking from just north of Franklin/Dean College station down to just south of Readville station, including updates to stations along the route. The entire project is projected to cost approximately $68 million. As of November 2024, Phase 2 is anticipated to finish by January 2026, while Phase 3 design work is scheduled for completion in 2025.
Foxboro service and COVID-19 changes
Intermittent commuter rail service connecting Boston to Foxboro Stadium events operated between 1971 and 1995 via multiple routes such as the Franklin Line, Framingham Secondary, and Providence/Stoughton Line, with stops including , , and . Service to Norwood Central ceased in 2011.
In September 2010, the MBTA finalized a feasibility study exploring options for extending regular commuter rail service to Foxboro via the Franklin Line. Potential approaches included extending Fairmount Line trains or running shuttle services from Walpole. The MBTA acquired ownership of the Framingham Secondary line in June 2015, which provided access to Foxboro station; however, CSX maintained trackage rights.
An approved pilot program lasting eleven months aimed to introduce Foxboro commuter rail service starting in late 2018 or early 2019 with seven daily round trips. This commencement was postponed until October 21, 2019. By December that year, average daily boardings were approximately 70—about one-third of initial forecasts.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, service was significantly curtailed between March and June 2020. The Foxboro pilot was suspended on November 2, 2020, with intentions to restart in spring 2021. Simultaneously, the MBTA proposed closing several low-ridership stations including , which was closed indefinitely in December 2020 as part of broader pandemic-related reductions. Reduced schedules persisted into early 2021, with no weekend operations on seven lines including the Franklin Line.
In April 2021, schedule adjustments introduced midday service aligned with a regional rail concept featuring hourly trains between Walpole and Boston; however, Foxboro service did not resume at this time. All Franklin Line trains traveling via the Southwest Corridor began stopping at Ruggles station following platform upgrades. Weekend service recommenced on July 3, 2021.
On May 23, 2022, four midday Foxboro round trips were reinstated and the line was renamed the Franklin/Foxboro Line. Starting September 2022 during Orange Line outages, some trains began serving . A new one-year Foxboro pilot launched on September 12 offered roughly ten weekday Boston–Foxboro round trips without weekend service. By October 2022, daily ridership had grown to 8,711—reaching about 75% of pre-pandemic levels.
The Foxboro service extension and renaming of the line were made permanent on October 2, 2023. Beginning May 20, 2024, all weekend Franklin/Foxboro Line trains will operate over the Fairmount Line with coordinated transfers at Readville connecting passengers to Ruggles and Back Bay stations. From June 2, 2025, most weekend Fairmount Line trains will temporarily be rerouted onto the Northeast Corridor due to track maintenance work.
Milford extension
In July 2011, the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization reexamined the possibility of expanding Franklin Line commuter rail service to include Hopedale and Milford. This review updated a 1997 MBTA assessment which had previously concluded that the costs surpassed the benefits. However, due to population increases and improvements made to the Grafton and Upton Railroad tracks, local authorities now recognize new opportunities. To facilitate the Forge Park/495 extension and potential future services, the MBTA secured an 8-mile lease of track from Franklin Junction to Milford from Conrail. A 2004 study projected the extension would require an investment of $70.5 million and attract approximately 1,800 additional weekday passengers.
Station listing
| Fare zone | Location | Miles (km)[1] | Station | Connections and notes | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1A | Boston | : , , : Fairmount Line, Fall River/New Bedford Line, Framingham/Worcester Line, Greenbush Line, Kingston Line, Needham Line, and Providence/Stoughton Line; seasonal CapeFlyer service : , () : Intercity bus services at South Station Bus Terminal | |||||||||||||||||||||
| : Acela, Lake Shore Limited, Northeast Regional : Framingham/Worcester, Needham, Providence/Stoughton lines : : | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| : Needham, Providence/Stoughton lines : : | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| : Needham, Providence/Stoughton lines : : | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Station closed November 2, 1979) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | "" | "" "" | ": "" | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2" | "" | "" "" | ": Fairmount, Providence/Stoughton lines " ": "" | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Dedham, Massachusetts" | "" | "" | "" | ||||||||||||||||||||
| "" | "" "" | "" | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 3" | "Westwood, Massachusetts" | "" | "" | "" | |||||||||||||||||||
| Norwood, Massachusetts" | "" | "" "" | "" | ||||||||||||||||||||
| "" | "" "" | "" | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 4" | "" | "" | "" | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Walpole, Massachusetts" | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| "" | "" | (Station closed December 14, 2020) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| "" | "" "" | (Connection to Framingham Secondary line toward Foxboro) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| "Foxborough, Massachusetts" | "" |
External links |