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Kendal Green station

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Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Kendal Green station, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 7 August 20257 sources
Kendal Green station
Company typeMBTA Commuter Rail station
IndustryPublic transportation
Founded1844
Headquarters
Weston, Massachusetts
,
United States
Area served
Fitchburg Line
OwnerMassachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA)

Kendal Green station serves as a stop on the MBTA Commuter Rail network in Weston, Massachusetts, positioned along the Fitchburg Line. The facility consists of one side platform adjacent to two tracks and does not offer accessible features. Originally inaugurated in 1844 under the name "Weston" as part of the Fitchburg Railroad, it was renamed Kendal Green around 1886, inspired by the local green textile. A replacement station building was erected in 1896. Ownership and operation transferred to the Boston and Maine Railroad in 1900, followed by management under the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) beginning in the 1970s. The former station structure, now converted into a private home, gained recognition on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000 within the Kendal Green Historic District.

Station design

Situated just north of the Church Street grade crossing close to North Avenue (Route 117), Kendal Green station features a single asphalt side platform positioned on the northern side of two Fitchburg Line tracks. There is also a small paved crossing enabling boarding from the opposite track.[1] This low-level platform does not incorporate accessibility accommodations.[2] Parking spaces for 57 vehicles are provided along Lower Field Road, located south of Church Street.[3]

The nearby former station building is a one-story clapboard construction with a hip roof, measuring , and includes a polygonal bay window at its southern corner.[4] Although it is now a privately owned residence, it remains situated on land owned by the MBTA; the eaves facing the tracks continue to offer shelter to passengers.[5][4] For privacy reasons, windows and doors facing the tracks have been sealed off.[5]

Early history

The Fitchburg Railroad commenced operations through the Stony Brook valley within Weston on June 17, 1844, establishing stops at Weston and .[6][4] Residential growth developed around Weston station but did not extend to Silver Hill.[7] The initial Weston station, constructed around 1843, was a two-story wooden edifice that included an apartment for the station master on its upper floor.[5] A freight house was added nearby in 1875 but has since been removed.[5]

In 1881, the Central Massachusetts Railroad was constructed through Weston, featuring its own Weston station closer to the town center.[5] During 1885–86, a post office titled "Kendal Green" was established near North Avenue by General James F.B. Marshall, co-founder of the Hampton Institute. He named it after his estate and the English Kendal green cloth.[4] Around 1886, the railroad station adopted the Kendal Green designation, likely to avoid confusion with the two existing Weston stations.[5][4]

In 1896, a new single-story wooden station building was constructed at Kendal Green. Its design was a simplified version of the stick style used for the Central Massachusetts Railroad’s Weston station.[5][4] The Fitchburg Railroad became part of the Boston and Maine Railroad (B&M) system in 1900.[6]

MBTA era

By 1962, the Boston and Maine Railroad (B&M) had divested several unused station buildings, with Kendal Green and Weston stations transitioning to private ownership. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), created in 1964 to provide financial support for suburban commuter rail services, began subsidizing certain B&M operations in 1965, including the Fitchburg Line extending to West Concord. In 1976, the MBTA acquired the majority of B&M's commuter rail infrastructure, encompassing the Fitchburg Line.

In 1989, plans were considered by the MBTA to move the station further south to develop a park-and-ride "superstation" for Route 128, modeled after the existing Route 128 station. Later, in 1998, the local municipality investigated purchasing the old station building to facilitate parking expansion. The structure was officially recognized in 2000 on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Kendal Green Historic District.

A study conducted in 2005 under the Fitchburg Line Improvement Project suggested merging Weston's three stations—Silver Hill, Hastings, and Kendal Green—into a single enlarged Kendal Green station to shorten travel durations. Nevertheless, by 2007, this consolidation plan was abandoned. Silver Hill and Hastings stations were temporarily closed in December 2020 due to insufficient ridership and were permanently shut down in April 2021; Kendal Green continued operating without changes. In May 2024, the MBTA put forward a proposal to add shorter accessible platforms at Kendal Green as part of its ongoing efforts to enhance accessibility.

External links

  1. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named trackchart
  2. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named bluebook
  3. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named expansion
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named kendal
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named depots
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named 150years
  7. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named silverhill

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