Lexington Depot

Former train station in Lexington, Massachusetts

Preceding station	MBTA			Following station
North Lexington toward Bedford		Lexington Branch		Munroe toward North Station

Lexington Depot, or Lexington station, is a former train station in Lexington, Massachusetts on the Lexington Branch.

History

The station opened in 1846 as part of the Lexington and West Cambridge Railroad. It was damaged by fire on November 24, 1918.^[2] Although a new station was planned, the old station was instead restored in 1921–22.^[3] These renovations, designed by Kilham, Hopkins & Greeley, included a cupola and colonnade.^[4]

The line became part of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Commuter Rail system in the 1960s, though the station building was converted to a bank by 1968.^[5] In January 1977, following a major snowstorm which temporarily shut down the Lexington Branch, the MBTA announced that service on the branch would not be restored;^[6] in the 1980s, the MBTA planned to extend the Red Line to Route 128 along the former path of the Lexington Branch as part of the Northwest Extension, including service to Lexington station, but fierce opposition from the residents of Arlington scuttled this plan, and the Northwest Extension was cut short to Alewife.

The building now serves as the headquarters of the Lexington Historical Society.^[6] The Minuteman Bikeway runs through the former trainshed adjacent to the former station platforms.^[7] Lexington and Bedford Depot are the only remaining station buildings from the Lexington Branch.

References

^ Belcher, Jonathan. "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). Boston Street Railway Association.
^ "Lexington Station Damaged By Fire". Boston Globe. November 25, 1918. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Lexington to Have a New Railroad Station". Boston Globe. December 16, 1921. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Yearby, Jean P. (1984). "Photographs: Historical and Descriptive Data: MA-21 Lexington & West Cambridge Railroad Lexington Depot" (PDF). Historic American Engineering Record. National Park Service.
^ O'Connell, Richard W. (August 18, 1968). "Old railroad depots take on new careers". Boston Globe. p. A-1 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ^a ^b "About the Lexington Branch". Archived from the original on 2014-11-29. Retrieved 2015-06-09.
^ Henry, Alan P. (August 10, 1977). "There's no depot like an old depot". Boston Globe. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.

External links

Media related to Lexington Depot at Wikimedia Commons
Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. MA-21, "Lexington & West Cambridge Railroad, Lexington Depot, Depot Square, Lexington, Middlesex County, MA", 3 photos, 2 data pages, 1 photo caption page

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority

Subway
(List of stations)

Heavy rail	Blue Line Orange Line Red Line
Light rail	Green Line B branch C branch D branch E branch Ashmont–Mattapan High-Speed Line
Infrastructure	Boylston Street subway Green Line Extension Haymarket North Extension Lechmere Viaduct Southwest Corridor Tremont Street subway
Former lines	Arborway Line Atlantic Avenue Elevated Causeway Street elevated Charlestown Elevated Green Line A branch Washington Street Elevated

Commuter Rail
(List of stations)

North Station lines	Fitchburg Haverhill (Wildcat Branch) Lowell Newburyport/Rockport
South Station lines	Fairmount Framingham/Worcester Franklin/Foxboro Greenbush Needham Old Colony Kingston Middleborough/Lakeville CapeFlyer Providence/Stoughton
Former lines	Central Mass Branch Dedham Branch Lexington Branch Millis Branch Woburn Branch

Bus

Other services

Boat
The Ride (paratransit)

Capital projects

Under construction	South Coast Rail
In planning/proposed	North–South Rail Link Red–Blue connector

History

Predecessor companies	Boston Elevated Railway Streetcar lines Trackless trolleys Boston and Maine Railroad Conrail New York Central Railroad New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Penn Central Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway Bay State Street Railway Boston and Northern Street Railway Old Colony Street Railway Middlesex and Boston Street Railway Newton and Boston Street Railway