Readville station
Readville station is a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority commuter rail station located in the Readville section of the Hyde Park neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It is served by the MBTA Commuter Rail Fairmount, Franklin/Foxboro, and Providence/Stoughton Lines. Readville is the outer terminus for most Fairmount service, though some trips continue as Franklin/Foxboro Line trains. The station is located at a multi-level junction, with the Attleboro Line tracks at ground level and the Dorchester Branch above. Franklin/Foxboro Line trains that run on the Northeast Corridor use a connecting track with a separate platform. An MBTA maintenance and storage yard and a CSX Transportation freight yard are located near the station.
Passenger service to Dedham Low Plain began in 1834 with the Boston and Providence Railroad. A branch line to Dedham was built in 1835, and the neighborhood and station were renamed Readville in 1847. The Boston and New York Central Railroad opened its Midland Branch through Readville in 1855, crossing over the B&P. Its station there was originally named Blue Hill, but later renamed Readville as well. Both railroads were consolidated under the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad in the 1890s.
The New Haven built a two-level union station at Readville as part of an 1897–98 grade separation project, then constructed its Readville Shops car repair facility just to the west in 1900–03. Dorchester Branch service ended in 1944, and Dedham Branch service in 1967 when the newly formed MBTA ended its subsidies. Dorchester Branch service returned in 1979 as a Southwest Corridor construction bypass and became permanent as the Fairmount Line in 1987. The disused station building burned in a suspicious fire in 1983. The MBTA built accessible platforms and a footbridge in 1990–92. Readville 5-Yard, the former location of the 1958-closed Readville Shops, underwent decontamination in 2011–12 for reuse to allow construction of an industrial and office development. Providence/Stoughton Line service began stopping at Readville in 2024.
Station layout
Readville station is located at the crossing of two rail lines: the north–south Northeast Corridor and the northeast-southwest Dorchester Branch. The three-track Northeast Corridor is at grade, with the single-track Dorchester Branch on an embankment. On the west side of the station, a single track runs from the Northeast Corridor up to the Dorchester Branch, which continues as the Franklin Branch. A single side platform is located on the north side of the Dorchester Branch east of its bridge over the Northeast Corridor. Two side platforms are located on the outside of the Northeast Corridor tracks, while the connector track has platforms on both sides. West of the connector track, two stub tracks that formerly ran to the Dedham Branch and Readville 5-Yard are used for Amtrak equipment storage.Providence/Stoughton Line trains run on the Northeast Corridor. Fairmount Line trains run on the Dorchester Branch; most terminate at Readville. Most weekday Franklin/Foxboro Line trains use the connector track and run on the Northeast Corridor; weekend trains and some weekday trains run on the Dorchester Branch as Fairmount Line trains.
The station has entrances and parking lots at both levels off Hyde Park Avenue on the east side, and a ground-level entrance and parking lot off Milton Street on the west side. Readville station is accessible; all platforms have a 1-car length high-level platform. The platforms and east entrance are connected by a system of footbridges and accessible ramps; the west entrance is not accessible. In 2016, the MBTA considered the addition of elevators to supplement the ramps and add an accessible route to the Milton Street parking lot; however, this was not pursued. Readville station is also served by MBTA bus routes.
Readville station is bounded by several active and former railroad yards. East of the station on the Fairmount Line is the Readville Interim Repair Facility, an MBTA commuter rail maintenance facility and layover yard. Readville 1-Yard is an active CSX freight yard located south of the station, connecting the Dorchester Branch to the Northeast Corridor. West of the station, the former Readville 5-Yard lies south of the former Dedham Branch on both sides of the Franklin Branch. CSX freight trains operating between Walpole and Readville use the Franklin Branch and a short section of the Dorchester Branch to access Readville 1-Yard.
History
Early stations
The Boston and Providence Railroad was chartered on June 22, 1831, to build a rail line between its two namesake cities. Construction began in late 1832, and the B&P opened from Park Square, Boston to Sprague Mansion in Dedham Low Plain on June 4, 1834. A second daily round trip and a stagecoach connection from Sprague Mansion to Dedham began on July 28. The line closed on August 25; it reopened on September 12 with an extension to Canton but only one daily round trip. The remaining section of the B&P main line from Canton to Providence opened the following year with the completion of the Canton Viaduct.The Dedham Branch from Dedham Low Plain to Dedham – the first branch line in Massachusetts – opened on February 5, 1835, with service allowing day trips to Boston. Dedham Branch service varied between through trains to Boston, and horse-drawn cars split from Providence trains at Dedham Low Plain, for the next seven years. Dedham Specials became permanent in June 1842, allowing commuting from Dedham and Dedham Low Plain to Boston. Double track was built from Boston to Roxbury in 1839, and extended to Dedham Low Plain in 1845.
The neighborhood of Dedham Low Plain was renamed Readville after mill owner James Read in 1847. Commuting from Readville was not possible for several years after the 1850 completion of the West Roxbury Branch rerouted Dedham service via West Roxbury. Commuter service from began in 1855; it was replaced in 1858 by Dedham service via Readville, and supplemented by Providence commuter service in 1864. Readville became a short turn terminal in 1868. A new one-story wooden station was built in 1873, with the old station converted to a freight house. A third track opened from Boston to Readville in 1874.
The Norfolk County Railroad opened from to on April 23, 1849, using the B&P from Dedham to Boston. The Boston and New York Central Railroad opened its Midland Branch from to Boston via Readville on January 1, 1855, providing the railroad with its own entrance to Boston. The Midland Branch was intermittently operated over the next decade due to a lawsuit about grade crossings and financial issues of the parent railroad. Regular service did not resume until February 11, 1867, when it was sold to the Boston, Hartford and Erie Railroad, which was in turn was acquired by the New York and New England Railroad in 1875. The BH&E shops were located at Readville from 1867 until they burned in 1873; they were then moved to.
The Midland Branch crossed the B&P on a bridge; there was no track connection between the two railroads. The Midland Branch station, located on the upper level east of the B&P tracks, was originally called Blue Hills after the nearby range of hills. It was renamed Readville in the 1870s or 1880s. The station served as a short turn terminal for Midland Branch trains from 1867 to 1880 and after 1899.
Consolidation
The B&P was leased in 1888 by the Old Colony Railroad, which was in turn leased by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad in 1893; the B&P became the Providence Division. In 1896, the New Haven eliminated Readville short turns in favor of higher-frequency service north of on its newly elevated mainline. The NY&NE fell under control of the New Haven in 1895, and it was leased in 1898.On October 1, 1897, the New Haven began a $1.2 million project to eliminate several grade crossings at Readville. New road bridges were built to carry Sprague Street and Milton Street over the tracks, and a new 5-track bridge for the Midland Branch over the Providence Division. A -wide stone arch with an span – the widest such bridge of that span in the country – was built to carry the Midland Branch over Hyde Park Avenue. Connecting tracks were built between the Midland Branch and the Providence Division.
A two-story triangular union station,, was constructed at the northeast corner of the junction. It was made of yellow brick trimmed with Fitchburg granite. An under-track passage provided access to the southbound Providence Division platform, platform on the Midland Branch connector track, and the Dedham Branch platforms. The work was completed around October 15, 1898. In September 1899, most service from the southwest on the Midland Branch was routed onto the Providence Division at Readville, allowing use of express tracks and the new Back Bay station.
In 1900, the New Haven began construction of Readville Shops, a large coach repair yard complex located in the wedge-shaped space between the Midland and Dedham lines. The shops were built to consolidate the scattered shops of the New Haven and its recent acquisitions. Upon opening in 1903, Readville Shops employed as many as 3,000 workers, and could repair 200 passenger cars and 1,000 freight cars monthly. The powerhouse of the shops was designed to also power a planned electric suburban service, which was to run from Dedham to the new South Station on two routes via Readville and via West Roxbury to compete with the new Washington Street Elevated. The addition of the shops increased residential development in Readville. A locomotive shop was added to the facilities in 1907.
Decline
Rail service in the Boston area peaked in the early 20th century and began to decline after World War 1. Between 1926 and 1938, trains operated on a loop using the Dedham Branch and the West Roxbury Branch – the same loop previously proposed for electrification. Readville–Boston service on the Midland Branch was discontinued on July 18, 1938, as part of the 88 stations case; it was restored in 1940, but ended again on Mar 12, 1944. Midland Branch service southwest of Readville continued, though it was cut back from to in 1955. The Midland Branch bridge over the Providence Division, originally five parallel spans, was reduced to two spans by 1930 and one by the 1980s.By the early 1960s, Readville was served only by peak-hour peak-direction trains on the Providence and Blackstone lines, plus the single weekday Dedham round trip. The two-story depot served the lower level tracks, while the elevated connector track to Franklin and beyond was served by a small shack with stairs to the lower level and to the Dedham Branch track. In August 1964, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority was formed to subsidize suburban commuter rail service; initially, only trains that the Interstate Commerce Commission has approved for discontinuance were subsidized.
On April 24, 1966, the MBTA began subsidizing some New Haven commuter service, including the Dedham and Blackstone lines. The lone Dedham round trip ended on April 21, 1967. The MBTA purchased most of the New Haven's former commuter lines, including the Providence, Franklin, and abandoned Dedham routes, from Penn Central on 27, 1973. Subsidies began for Canton Junction and Sharon service in June 1973, and for Providence service on 1976.