Littleton/Route 495 station
| Company type | MBTA Commuter Rail station |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Founded | 1980 |
| Headquarters | Littleton, Massachusetts , United States |
Area served | Northwestern suburbs of Boston |
| Products | Commuter rail services |
Littleton/Route 495 station serves as an MBTA Commuter Rail stop on the Fitchburg Line in Littleton, Massachusetts. Positioned at the intersection of Grimes Lane and Foster Street, close to Route 2 and I-495, it primarily functions as a park-and-ride facility catering to commuters from the northwestern suburbs of Boston.
Previously, a station existed at King Street in West Littleton until its closure in 1975. The current Littleton/Route 495 station was established in 1980, located several miles away, designed as a cost-effective park-and-ride option. Beginning in 2011, a new station was constructed featuring a fully accessible platform extending the length of the train and a pedestrian bridge, as part of broader improvements to the Fitchburg Line. This upgraded facility commenced operations in June 2013 after approximately sixteen months of construction.
Littleton station
The Fitchburg Railroad reached the Littleton area around November 1844, routing through West Littleton due to opposition from local residents. A sizable two-story depot was initially erected at King and Taylor Streets, which was replaced by a Victorian-style station nearby in 1879. The original structure was moved and later converted into residential apartments.
In the early years, travel restrictions limited Sunday trips to religious purposes only. Despite occasional accidents, the railroad played an essential role in transporting freight such as construction materials, apples, milk, and mail. The presence of the station stimulated economic growth with housing developments and commercial establishments emerging around Depot Square.
Between 1900 and 1906, proposals for a street railway were considered but never implemented; however, B&M obtained a bus franchise by 1926.
Operations continued under Fitchburg Railroad until 1900 before transitioning to the Boston and Maine Railroad (B&M). A notable freight derailment in 1956 temporarily blocked the main line. Passenger service reductions began in the early 1960s; nonetheless, starting in 1964, the MBTA subsidized northern commuter rail lines. Budget cuts in January 1965 curtailed Fitchburg Line service to West Concord but partial restoration up to Ayer—including Littleton—occurred by June of that year following subsidy agreements.
The depot ceased operations in 1970 and subsequently housed various commercial ventures before being restored in 1976 by David Erikson, who currently operates Erikson's Antique Stoves at the site.
In December 1973, state subsidies for towns outside MBTA’s service district were reduced by half. With only 21 daily commuters, Littleton declined its $12,300 subsidy in 1974. Consequently, service was truncated on March 1, 1975, back to South Acton, resulting in the elimination of stops at Ayer, Littleton, and West Acton.
Littleton/Route 495
On December 27, 1976, the MBTA purchased B&M’s northside commuter rail assets, including full ownership of the Fitchburg Line. After closure of the Lexington Branch in early 1977 stabilized these lines, energy crises during the decade spurred significant expansion by its end. On January 13, 1980, service resumed extending to Fitchburg and Gardner. The original West Littleton station was not reinstated due to insufficient parking availability. Instead, a new facility named Littleton/Route 495 opened roughly southeast on Foster Street near the interchange of Route 2 and I-495. This location utilized surplus parking from an adjacent industrial property. The station included a low-level asphalt platform with a shelter resembling those found at bus stops; a small canopy was added in 2003.
Throughout the 1980s and into the 1990s, Littleton acted as a turnback point for certain trains. Its unpaved parking area officially accommodated only fifteen vehicles with approximately twenty-five additional unofficial spaces—insufficient for demand. In 1995, local authorities suggested relocating the station further southeast along Route 2 with dedicated highway ramps to allow for expanded parking capacity since the Foster Street site was considered too rural for growth. Although initially declined due to protected wetlands near Route 2, this alternative location was revisited later in the decade.
New station
The Littleton/Route 495 station underwent a comprehensive reconstruction during 2012–13 as part of a $159 million enhancement project on the Fitchburg line. This upgrade included the installation of a second track extending from South Acton through Littleton to Ayer, necessitating the replacement of the original low-level platform. The station built in 1980 lacked accessibility features for individuals with disabilities and was unable to accommodate trains at full length. The newly constructed station, positioned just beyond the former platform in the outbound direction, features an 800-foot-long high-level platform that facilitates quicker and fully accessible boarding. A pedestrian bridge equipped with ramps links the platform to the adjacent parking area.
The bidding process commenced on August 18, 2011, with construction starting early in 2012. By mid-summer, the new platform was installed, and the primary span of the pedestrian bridge was set in place by November. The station and bridge officially opened on June 3, 2013, followed by a public inauguration event. The previous platform from 1980 was demolished soon afterward.
Before this extension, some trains terminated at South Acton; this short-turn service was lengthened to reach Littleton on August 4, 2014. The dual-track configuration allows terminating trains to board passengers on one track while through trains pass on the other. The island platform design streamlines boarding procedures by removing uncertainty about which side passengers should use.
Parking plans
The expansion of service and parking capacity at Littleton aimed to reduce congestion experienced at South Acton station. To compensate for the loss of a 44-space parking lot due to construction activities, the MBTA acquired and enlarged a nearby private lot to provide 195 spaces, including an off-street drop-off zone. The high demand for these additional parking spots prompted Littleton officials in 2014 to explore constructing a parking garage with approximately 200 spaces. A study conducted in September 2014 recommended further parking expansions on adjacent parcels, introduction of shuttle services from residential neighborhoods, and improvements such as bicycle storage facilities and sidewalks to encourage alternative transportation modes.
In late 2015, the MBTA added 24 temporary parking spaces off Grimes Lane. By April 2017, funding amounting to $1.5 million was allocated to increase parking capacity by adding between 43 and 109 spaces. As of August 2019, plans were underway to expand parking by another 60 spaces to meet rising demand.
Other Littleton stations
Several former railroad stations once served the Littleton area but have since been closed.
North Littleton station was located on the Stony Brook Railroad, which opened in 1858, at Great Road (Massachusetts Route 119). This station ceased operations in 1914 and was torn down in 1928. In 1917, it handled three daily round trips but had diminished to only one westbound stop by 1929 before passenger service ended entirely in the 1940s. It operated as a flag stop for local trains as well as for the overnight State of Maine Express.
Outside Littleton proper, the Stony Brook Railroad also served two additional stops. Willows (also referred to as Sandy Pond) was situated at the Fitchburg Railroad junction in Pingryville, Ayer; by 1917 it was served exclusively by Stony Brook trains and closed by 1929. Forge Village station in Westford remained operational until local passenger services ceased in April 1953; thereafter, the line continued solely for freight operations.
The Fitchburg Railroad made stops at Boxboro station near the boundary with Littleton. Service there had dwindled considerably by the 1940s and ended before MBTA operations began. West Acton station was located closer to Boxboro Center.
The Nashua, Acton and Boston Railroad ran between Concord and Nashua through Westford and included two stations near eastern Littleton. Passenger service operated from 1876 until its termination in 1924, with abandonment following in 1925. East Littleton station on Littleton Road (Massachusetts Route 110) handled frequent shipments of coal and grain destined for Conant and Company store. Pine Ridge station (also known as Westford) stood at Forge Village Road; its former buildings have since been converted into private homes and auxiliary structures.