Littleton station (MBTA)
| Company type | MBTA Commuter Rail station |
|---|---|
| Industry | Transportation |
| Founded | 1980 |
| Headquarters | Littleton, Massachusetts , United States |
Area served | Northwestern suburbs of Boston |
| Products | Commuter rail services on the Fitchburg Line |
| Website | www |
Littleton/Route 495 station is a stop on the MBTA Commuter Rail located in Littleton, Massachusetts, serving passengers on the Fitchburg Line. Positioned at the intersection of Grimes Lane and Foster Street, close to Route 2 and I-495, this station operates primarily as a park-and-ride facility catering to commuters from the northwestern suburbs of Boston.
The initial station, situated on King Street in West Littleton, remained in operation until 1975. The present-day Littleton/Route 495 station was inaugurated in 1980 at a different site several miles away, designed as a cost-efficient park-and-ride option. Beginning in 2011, construction commenced on a new, fully accessible platform and pedestrian bridge as part of a larger modernization effort for the Fitchburg Line. After approximately 16 months of development, the upgraded station opened its doors in June 2013.
Littleton station
The Fitchburg Railroad arrived in Littleton around November 1844; however, opposition from residents led to routing the line through West Littleton (Harwood Junction) instead. A substantial two-story station was initially built at King Street and Taylor Street, later replaced in 1879 by a Victorian-style depot nearby. The original building was moved and converted into residential use.
Early regulations prohibited Sunday train operations until 1850. Despite occasional accidents, the railroad played a crucial role in Littleton’s economy by transporting goods such as construction materials, apples, milk, and livestock. It also ensured daily mail delivery, bolstering commerce around Depot Square.
Although plans existed for a street railway between 1900 and 1906, these were never realized. Instead, the Boston and Maine Railroad (B&M) secured a bus franchise in 1926.
Passenger service was maintained under the Fitchburg Railroad until 1900 before transitioning to B&M control. A major freight derailment in 1956 caused significant disruption. Service reductions began during the early 1960s; nevertheless, the MBTA started subsidizing commuter lines north of Boston in 1964. Due to funding cuts in January 1965, service was reduced to West Concord but partially reinstated up to Ayer—including Littleton—in June 1965 following subsidy agreements with local towns.
The depot ceased operations in 1970 and subsequently housed McElroy Manufacturing and Learning Things before being restored by David Erikson in 1976. Erikson currently runs Erikson's Antique Stoves from this location.
In December 1973, diminished state subsidies required renegotiations with municipalities outside the MBTA district. Littleton opted not to contribute financially due to low ridership figures, resulting in service termination on March 1, 1975. Consequently, trains were cut back to South Acton, ending stops at Ayer, Littleton, and West Acton.
Littleton/Route 495
On December 27, 1976, the MBTA purchased B&M’s commuter rail assets north of Boston, including full ownership of the Fitchburg Line. After closing the Lexington Branch early in 1977, contraction of northside lines ceased. The energy crises during the 1970s prompted expansion efforts; thus, on January 13, 1980, service was extended through to Fitchburg and Gardner. The original West Littleton station was not reopened due to insufficient parking capacity; instead, a new facility named Littleton/Route 495 opened approximately southeast on Foster Street near the interchange of Route 2 and I-495. This location utilized parking spaces from an adjacent industrial property and featured a low-level asphalt platform accompanied by a shelter resembling those found at bus stops. A small canopy addition was made in 2003.
From the early 1980s through the 1990s, Littleton functioned as a turnback location for some trains. Its unpaved parking area officially accommodated only about 15 vehicles with an additional unofficial capacity of roughly 25 spots—far below commuter demand. By 1995, local authorities proposed constructing a new station equipped with dedicated highway ramps off Route 2 to support anticipated growth since the Foster Street site was considered too remote for expansion. Although initially rejected due to protected wetlands near Route 2, this proposal was revisited later that decade.
New station
As part of a $159 million improvement project on the Fitchburg line, the Littleton/Route 495 station underwent a complete reconstruction during 2012–13. The addition of a second track spanning from South Acton to Ayer, passing through Littleton, necessitated replacing the original low-level platform. Built in 1980, the previous station lacked handicap accessibility and was unable to accommodate full-length trains. The newly constructed station, positioned just beyond the former platform, includes an 800-foot-long high-level platform that facilitates quicker and fully accessible boarding. A pedestrian bridge equipped with ramps links the platform directly to the parking area.
The bidding process for construction commenced on August 18, 2011, and concluded on September 20. Construction work started in early 2012; by mid-summer, the platform installation was completed, and in November, the main span of the pedestrian bridge was lifted into place. The station and bridge officially opened on June 3, 2013, followed by a public dedication event. The outdated platform was demolished shortly thereafter.
Prior to these changes, some trains terminated at South Acton; starting August 4, 2014, these services were extended to Littleton. The dual-track configuration allows terminating trains to board passengers on one track while another train passes on the adjacent track. The island platform design simplifies navigation by removing uncertainty about which side serves terminating trains.
Parking plans
To alleviate parking congestion at South Acton, additional parking capacity was developed at Littleton. The MBTA compensated for the removal of a 44-space lot due to construction by acquiring and enlarging a nearby private lot to hold 195 vehicles and incorporating an off-street drop-off zone. This expanded parking facility became highly utilized, prompting Littleton officials in 2014 to explore constructing a 200-space parking garage. A study conducted in September 2014 recommended further parking expansion on neighboring properties, implementing shuttle services from residential neighborhoods, and improving bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure to encourage alternatives to car arrivals.
In late 2015, the MBTA introduced 24 temporary parking spaces off Grimes Lane. By April 2017, $1.5 million was allocated for increasing parking capacity from 43 to 109 spaces; as of August 2019, plans aimed to add another 60 spaces.
Other Littleton stations
Littleton was once served by several now-defunct railroad stations.
North Littleton station was located on the Stony Brook Railroad, which opened in 1858 at Great Road (Route 119). It ceased operations in 1914 and was demolished in 1928. In 1917, it had three daily round trips; this declined to one by 1929 before service ended entirely by the 1940s. The station operated as a flag stop for local trains as well as for the overnight State of Maine Express.
The Stony Brook line also had two stops near Littleton. Willows (also called Sandy Pond), situated at the Fitchburg Railroad junction in Pingryville, Ayer, was served exclusively by Stony Brook trains by 1917 and closed by 1929. Forge Village station, found on Pleasant Street (Route 225) in Westford, remained active until local passenger service ended in April 1953; freight operations continued afterward.
The Fitchburg Railroad included Boxboro station near Littleton’s town boundary. Service there was limited by the 1940s and ended before the MBTA era began. The nearby West Acton station was located closer to Boxboro Center.
The Nashua, Acton and Boston Railroad, running between Concord and Nashua through Westford, featured two stations near eastern Littleton. Passenger trains operated from 1876 until service ceased in 1924; the line was abandoned in 1925. East Littleton station stood on Littleton Road (MA 110), approximately one mile east of Littleton Common; it handled frequent coal and grain deliveries for Conant and Company store. Pine Ridge station (also known as Westford) was sited at Forge Village Road; its former station building is currently a private home, with freight and section houses converted into auxiliary structures.