Lowell station

Lowell, officially the Charles A. Gallagher Transit Terminal, is an intermodal transit station in Lowell, Massachusetts. The transit complex includes an MBTA Commuter Rail station as well as the Robert B. Kennedy Bus Transfer Center, which serves local and intercity buses. It is located off Thorndike Street (MA-3A) near the end of the Lowell Connector south of downtown Lowell. The commuter rail station is the northern terminus of the Lowell Line, and is a major park-and-ride station for the system, serving commuters from Lowell, northern Massachusetts, and southern New Hampshire. The Kennedy Bus Transfer Center is the transfer point for all Lowell Regional Transit Authority local bus routes and several intercity bus routes by other operators.

Lowell
Gallagher Transit Terminal from the garage roof in 2012
Location101 Thorndike Street, Lowell, Massachusetts
Coordinates42.6366°N 71.3148°W / 42.6366; -71.3148
Owned byLowell Regional Transit Authority
Line(s)New Hampshire Route Main Line
Platforms1 island platform
Tracks5
Connections LRTA: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19
MVRTA: 41
Coach Company
OurBus
Construction
Parking695 spaces ($8.00 fee)
7 accessible spaces
Bicycle facilities18 spaces
Disabled accessYes
Other information
Fare zone6 (MBTA)
History
Rebuilt1983[1]
Passengers
20181,522 (weekday average boardings)[2]
Services
Preceding station MBTA Following station
North Billerica
toward North Station
 Lowell Line Terminus

Terminal and services
LRTA buses at the Kennedy Bus Transfer Center

The Charles A. Gallagher Transit Terminal is an intermodal transit center at 101 Thorndike Street (MA 3A) near to Downtown Lowell. The station is the northern terminus of the MBTA Lowell Line, which provides train service to and from Boston.

The Lowell Regional Transit Authority (LRTA) operates bus service from the Kennedy Bus Transfer Center to 14 communities.[3] The Route 18 downtown shuttle links the terminal to downtown, with buses departing every 15 minutes during the week and every 30 minutes on Saturdays. Other services include the MVRTA Route 41 to Lawrence, OurBus service to New York City, and the Coach Company Foxwoods Line Run bus to Foxwoods Resort Casino.

The lobby at Gallagher Terminal includes a waiting area, a Dunkin' Donuts, and rest rooms.

Passengers access the train platform from the lobby via a bridge over the tracks. The platform is accessible with elevators in the lobby and at the train platform.

History
Union Station, Lowell's main railroad station from 1894 to the 1950s

The Charles A. Gallagher Transit Terminal opened in 1983.[1] Previously, this area had held a depot for the Boston and Lowell Railroad. To the east, Lowell had also been the location of a former Lowell and Andover Railroad, built by the Boston and Maine Railroad, station on Central and Green Streets known as Central Street Station, which is no longer in use.[4] In 2005, the Robert B. Kennedy Bus Transfer Center opened at the Gallagher Terminal as a new hub for all LRTA bus routes.[3]

Historical services

Into the early 1960s Lowell Union Station was a junction point for Boston and Maine Railroad trains to Montreal and pooled New Haven Railroad and Boston and Maine pooled trains to Portland, Maine:[5]

  • Boston North Station to Montreal via Essex Falls, Vermont:

Ambassador and overnight counterpart: New Englander

  • Boston to Montreal via Plymouth, New Hampshire and Newport, Vermont:

Alouette and overnight counterpart: Red Wing's

  • New York (Grand Central Terminal) - Portland Union Station, via Worcester, bypassing Boston:

State of Maine, year-round, overnight train

  • New York (Pennsylvania Station) - Portland Union Station via Worcester, also bypassing Bostin:

East Wind, summers only

References
  1. Urban Land Institute (2003-11-14). "Lowell Massachusetts Strategies for Redevelopment and Revitalization" (PDF). City of Lowell. p. 18. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-10-08. Retrieved 2007-10-02.
  2. Central Transportation Planning Staff (2019). "2018 Commuter Rail Counts". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
  3. "First Transit (LRTA contracted manager)". Archived from the original on 2007-11-05. Retrieved 2007-10-02.
  4. Existing Railroad Stations in Middlesex County, Massachusetts
  5. Official Guide of the Railways, August 1949, Boston and Maine section, Tables 1, 2, & 'Through Service to Maine'
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