Foxboro station

Foxboro station, also known as Gillette Stadium station, is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in Foxborough, Massachusetts. It was originally used only for special events at nearby Gillette Stadium, primarily New England Patriots games, but now has weekday service on a pilot basis to test demand. It lies on a freight line between Mansfield and Framingham, known as the Framingham Secondary.

Foxboro
The single platform at Foxboro station in 2013
Coordinates42°05′42″N 71°15′41″W
Owned byMBTA
Line(s)Framingham Secondary
Platforms1 side platform
Tracks2[1]
Construction
Disabled accessYes
Other information
Fare zone4[1]
History
Opened1971 (event service)
October 21, 2019 (full service)
Passengers
December 201970 (daily boardings)[2]
Services
Preceding station MBTA Following station
Terminus Franklin Line Windsor Gardens
toward South Station
Franklin Line
(Special events)
 Dedham Corporate Center
toward South Station
Mansfield
toward Providence
 Providence/​Stoughton Line
(Special events)
 Terminus

History

The line was part of the Boston, Clinton, Fitchburg and New Bedford Railroad, Old Colony Railroad, New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad, Penn Central, and, finally, Conrail, until 1999, when it passed to CSX. The line connects to the MBTA's Franklin Line at Walpole and the Providence/Stoughton Line at Mansfield. Special trains were operated to the opening of the Bay State Raceway in 1948.[3]

Trains come from Boston's South Station via the Franklin Line and from Providence in Providence, Rhode Island via the Providence/Stoughton Line (Trains formerly originated at T.F. Green Airport in Warwick, Rhode Island from 2012-2018). Franklin Line trains make stops at Back Bay and Dedham Corporate Center. Providence/Stoughton Line trains make stops at South Attleboro, Attleboro, and Mansfield. The service started with the opening of Foxboro Stadium in August 1971; Providence service ended soon but was brought back in 1994.[4][5] (At that time, Boston–Foxboro service was shifted from the Providence/Stoughton Line, with a reverse move at Mansfield, to the Franklin Line.[6][7]) By 2005, ridership per event averaged 1,567.[8]

The station has a single side platform serving the line's main track, with a mini-high section for accessibility; a passing siding allows freight trains to pass stopped passenger trains at the station.

Weekday service
A train at Foxboro station in 2020

In September 2010, the MBTA completed a study to determine the feasibility of extending full-time commuter rail service to Foxboro via the Franklin Line. The study looked at extending some Fairmount Line service to Foxboro, running shuttle trains from Foxboro to Walpole, or a combination of both. No determination was made as to if or when this service would begin.[9]

A proposal for the MBTA to purchase the track and restore full service met with some local opposition, although the state purchased the line in June 2015.[10][11][12] Passenger service gained new momentum when Robert Kraft, the owner of Gillette Stadium, agreed to help subsidize the costs of a pilot program, up to $200,000/year.[13]

In August 2017, the MBTA Fiscal Board approved an 11-month pilot program to test commuter rail service to Foxborough, with service planned to begin sometime in late 2018 or early 2019.[14] In October 2017, the MBTA indicated that service would begin on May 20, 2019.[15] Service during the trial period will consist of seven daily round trips - three during the morning peak period, three in the evening peak, and one midday.[16] The launch date was delayed again, with regular service ultimately starting on October 21, 2019.[17][4][1]

By December 2019, daily boardings at Foxboro averaged 70 - one-third of the projected ridership.[2] The pilot service will be suspended from November 2, 2020 to Spring 2021 due to reduced ridership as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.[18]

References
  1. Foxboro Weekday Service Pilot, MBTA, October 2019
  2. Hand, Jim (December 12, 2019). "Foxboro train service slow to attract riders". The Sun Chronicle.
  3. Plotkin, A.S. (August 11, 1971). "Parking facilities can handle 15,000 cars hopefully, so can Rte. 1's four lanes". Boston Globe. p. 51 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. Belcher, Jonathan. "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). NETransit.
  5. Lopez, Manny (August 4, 1995). "There'll be a jam session on Rte. 1 today". Boston Globe. p. 84 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "MBTA rail service is available to Patriots games". Boston Globe. September 12, 1993. p. 39 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "T Patriots train!". Boston Globe. August 15, 1997. p. 86 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. Ridership and Service Statistics (PDF) (13 ed.). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 2010. p. 4.3. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 13, 2011.
  9. Jacobs Engineering Group; Central Transportation Planning Staff; Gailbraith, Anne S. (1 September 2010). "Foxborough Commuter Rail Feasibility Study" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
  10. http://www.myfoxboston.com/story/27520697/plan-to-add-commuter-rail-service-to-gillette-could-come-at-taxpayer-expense
  11. http://www.myfoxboston.com/story/27532348/walpole-residents-vow-to-stop-deal-to-bring-full-time-commuter-rail-service-to-Gillette
  12. Jessen, Klark (16 June 2015). "MassDOT Completes Framingham Secondary Rail Line Acquisition" (Press release). Massachusetts Department of Transportation. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  13. Mohl, Bruce (February 27, 2017). "Baker, Kraft push Foxborough commuter rail service". CommonWealth Magazine. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  14. "MBTA Board Approves Foxborough Commuter Rail Pilot". Foxborough, MA Patch. 2017-08-14. Retrieved 2017-08-19.
  15. Gomes, Alexandra (November 1, 2017). "Foxboro's MBTA pilot program won't launch until 2019". Sun Chronicle. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
  16. Bentley, Jimmy (November 29, 2018). "Foxborough Starting Pilot For Commuter Rail Service To Boston". Foxoborough Patch.
  17. Vaccaro, Adam. "Foxborough train service pushed back to fall - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  18. DiAdamo, Rob (September 14, 2020). "Fall 2020 Commuter Rail Schedule Changes" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.

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