North Station

North Station
Company type	Transit terminal
Industry	Rail transport
Founded	1928
Headquarters	Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Area served	Boston metropolitan area
Products	Commuter rail services, intercity rail services

North Station functions as a terminal for both commuter rail and intercity rail services in Boston, Massachusetts. It accommodates four MBTA Commuter Rail routes — the Fitchburg Line, Haverhill Line, Lowell Line, and Newburyport/Rockport Line — alongside the Amtrak intercity trains. Situated beneath the TD Garden arena, the concourse extends northward toward drawbridges spanning the Charles River. An underground passageway connects the concourse to the adjacent subway station, which is served by the Green Line and Orange Line.

Description

The concourse, named in honor of renowned Boston Celtics coach and executive Red Auerbach, lies under the TD Garden arena and features access points from both Causeway Street and Nashua Street. It includes five island platforms serving ten tracks that stretch north from the concourse area. Beyond these platforms, a set of two two-track drawbridges cross the Charles River. Approximately to the south, eight commuter rail lines and three Amtrak routes conclude at South Station; however, there is currently no direct rail connection between North and South Stations. The planned North–South Rail Link project seeks to establish an underground link connecting these commuter rail networks.

North Station offers full accessible facilities across all transit modes. The nearby Causeway Street hosts stops for the MBTA bus route . Additionally, the EZRide Shuttle operates a loop along Red Auerbach Way, providing service near the secondary entrance.

Located northeast of North Station off Beverly Street, Lovejoy Wharf signifies the head of navigation on the Charles River, close to the Charles River Dam. This location is served by private water taxi operations connecting to Logan Airport and Boston’s waterfront, including a ferry route between Lovejoy Wharf and Fan Pier.

Earlier stations

Originally, four prominent northside railroads each established their own separate terminals in Boston. The Boston and Lowell Railroad (B&L) commenced operations on June 24, 1835. Its first depot was situated on Lowell Street (present-day Lomasney Way), a few blocks north of Causeway Street. In 1857, a new station opened on Causeway Street east of Nashua Street, with the initial facility converted into a freight house. This was replaced by a larger brick structure featuring towers on November 24, 1873.

The Boston and Maine Railroad (B&M) began service in July 1845 with a temporary station located at Canal and Traverse streets. Its permanent terminal opened on October 20 between Canal and Haverhill streets, facing Haymarket Square. Due to city regulations, trains originally crossed Causeway Street pulled by oxen. The station underwent expansion northward in 1867.

The Fitchburg Railroad, which had initially terminated near the Warren Bridge in Charlestown since 1843, inaugurated a new station adorned with Norman-style towers on Causeway Street on August 9, 1848. Its second floor contained what was then New England’s largest auditorium, hosting two performances by Jenny Lind during her U.S. tour in October 1850.

The Eastern Railroad, established in 1838 with its East Boston terminal connected via ferry to Lewis Wharf, opened its Boston terminal on April 10, 1854 along Causeway Street opposite Friend Street—positioned west of B&M tracks and east of the soon-to-be-constructed B&L station. This "temporary" station was destroyed by fire on June 21, 1862. Its brick successor completed the following year gained a reputation for being "dirty, unattractive, and uninviting."

North Union Station

Although the Boston and Maine Railroad (B&M) leased the Eastern Railroad in 1884, it continued to operate from its own terminal. As part of the state's conditions for B&M's 1887 lease of the Boston and Lowell Railroad (B&L), a union station was mandated to serve both the combined B&M system and the Fitchburg Railroad. After prolonged opposition, construction of North Union Station commenced in 1893. The station extended eastward from the original B&L station, boasting a prominent frontage along Causeway Street and an imposing granite triumphal arch rising to , supported by four substantial columns. On the eastern side stood a five-story building dedicated to baggage and express services. The design, created by Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge—who later designed South Station—was completed in phases between August 1893 and June 1894.

The Eastern Railroad’s depot was torn down in 1893 to make way for this new construction, while the B&M depot was removed in 1897 to accommodate the Canal Street incline for the Tremont Street subway. In 1900, B&M leased the Fitchburg Railroad, converting its depot into office space. By this time, the facility had become commonly known as "North Station." The former Fitchburg depot succumbed to a fire in 1925 and was fully demolished by 1928.

North Station

Starting in 1926, B&M undertook expansion and modernization of freight yards situated north of North Station in Somerville. By November 1927, plans for a new North Station complex were unveiled, with demolition of the existing station beginning that December. The newly constructed station partially opened on August 19, 1928, with an official dedication ceremony held on November 14.

The updated station featured 22 tracks arranged around island platforms, maintaining a layout similar to its predecessor. Above the concourse sat the Boston Garden arena, flanked by a 14-story office tower and an adjacent hotel. This expansive complex stretched along Causeway Street from Nashua Street to Beverly Street. Between August 1930 and mid-1931, the station's approach was reconstructed with four new drawbridges spanning a relocated channel of the Charles River.

Up until the 1960s, North Station functioned as a central hub for long-distance B&M routes heading north and west from Boston, often collaborating with other railroads. Service reductions began in the 1950s, gradually limiting operations to commuter rail by the mid-1960s. Intercity trains to Portland, Maine and destinations beyond ceased operations on January 4, 1965; limited commuter runs persisted until June 30, 1967. A brief revival of commuter service to Concord occurred from January 1980 through March 1981 thanks to federal support. During the 1960s, two drawbridges were removed and track capacity was reduced to ten; portions of platforms were also eliminated to create parking areas.

Significant former interstate trains departing from North Station:

Name	Peak Boston & Maine terminal	Partner railroad	Final destination	Year discontinued
Minute Man	Troy, New York via Fitchburg and Greenfield	New York Central	Chicago	1957
The Cheshire	Bellows Falls via Fitchburg and Keene	–	–	1958
Green Mountain Flyer	Bellows Falls	Rutland Railway	Burlington, Montreal	1953
Mount Royal	Bellows Falls	Rutland Railway	Burlington, Montreal	1953
Ambassador	White River Junction via Lowell and Concord	Central Vermont Railway	Essex Junction, Montreal	1956
Alouette	Wells River via Lowell and Concord	Canadian Pacific Railway	Montreal	1956 (renamed after 1965)
Connecticut Yankee	Via Concord and Plymouth with connection at White River Junction	Central Vermont Railway, Quebec Central Railway	Quebec City via Sherbrooke	circa 1952
Flying Yankee	Portland via Dover	Maine Central Railroad	Bangor	1957
The Gull	Portland	Maine Central Railroad, Canadian Pacific Railway, Canadian National Railway	Halifax via Saint John	1960
Kennebec Limited	Portland	Maine Central Railroad	Vanceboro	1958
Mountaineer (summer)	Littleton via North Conway and Crawford Notch	Maine Central Railroad	Intervale	1955
Penobscot	Portland	Maine Central Railroad	Bangor	1957
Pine Tree Limited	Portland	Maine Central Railroad	Bangor	1958
Red Wing	Wells River via Lowell and Concord	Canadian Pacific Railway	Montreal	1959

New station

On January 20, 1984, a fire damaged the wooden trestles leading to the drawbridges at North Station. As a result, temporary terminal facilities were set up for the affected rail lines. By June 28, 1984, the MBTA had awarded an $11.3 million contract to reconstruct the trestles, install new tracks, and build updated platforms. The renovated station officially reopened on April 20, 1985. In 1989, a contract valued at $13.7 million was granted to elevate commuter rail platforms to improve accessibility; before this upgrade, modified forklifts were used as makeshift lifts for passengers with disabilities. Construction began in 1990 on an underground parking garage, followed by additional platform enhancements. However, fully accessible transfers to the subway were not available nearby until upgrades to North Station and Haymarket stations were completed in 2001.

In February 1993, the state collaborated with a developer to replace the outdated Boston Garden with the new FleetCenter. In return for land and easements, the developer constructed a modern train shed and waiting area on the arena’s ground floor. The MBTA obtained easements allowing for a Green Line tunnel beneath the arena to replace the Causeway Street Elevated structure and to provide pedestrian access to North Station. The FleetCenter, along with its concourse and parking garage, opened in 1995.

Two MBTA Boat routes serving Lovejoy Wharf commenced operations in 1997 during Big Dig construction but were discontinued in 2005 due to insufficient ridership. A privately operated express ferry route continued service until 2006. Additionally, a one-year pilot program for a private ferry route to Fan Pier began in January 2019.

Intercity rail service returned to North Station in 2001 with Amtrak’s Downeaster connecting Boston to Portland, Maine (later extended to Brunswick). In April 2006, the MBTA announced a $5 million expansion of the waiting area that extended over 80 feet of platform length and added 20,000 square feet of combined waiting and retail space; this project was completed by February 2007. Two large electronic train information displays were installed in November of that year.

Beginning in early 2016, Boston Properties initiated development of The Hub On Causeway, a mixed-use complex featuring two towers on the former Boston Garden site. This project introduced a new entrance from Causeway Street and created an underground walkway linking the rail station directly to the subway station, which opened in January 2019. Installation of automated fare gates within the North Station concourse started in March 2022 and became fully operational on October 1, 2022.

Drawbridge replacement

The two aging drawbridges at North Station, each carrying two tracks, are planned for replacement by three new two-track spans designed to improve both capacity and reliability. The unfinished sixth platform will be completed to accommodate tracks 11 and 12, while a slight realignment of the Fitchburg mainline will increase layover space near the maintenance yard. Additionally, FX interlocking will be reconfigured as part of this project. The contract for signal upgrades associated with the new drawbridges was awarded in May 2019, with completion of signal work projected by August 2023.

Design efforts for the new vertical lift bridges commenced in 2019 and reached approximately 75% completion by May 2023; final design is expected during 2024. In September 2024, the MBTA secured a federal grant totaling $472 million dedicated to bridge replacement efforts. The draft environmental assessment released in December 2024 outlines construction activities scheduled from 2026 through 2034. Work on Platform F is planned between 2025 and 2027, with track and interlocking upgrades occurring from 2025 through 2028. Procurement for a design-build contractor is slated to begin early in 2025, with an anticipated contract award valued near $1 billion expected by December of that year.

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