Misplaced Pages

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55-650: Foxboro station is located on the Framingham Secondary branch line, which connects with the Franklin Line at Walpole. Previously, trains only served the station during special events at Gillette Stadium . Pilot weekday service to Foxboro ran from October 2019 to November 2020; it resumed in May 2022 and was made permanent in October 2023. The earliest predecessor to the Franklin Line began in 1835 when

110-678: A 1997 MBTA evaluation that concluded costs outweighed the benefits of a possible expansion. Local officials believe increased population and track upgrades to the Grafton and Upton Railroad may increase the viability of an extension. 8 miles of track from Franklin Junction to Milford were leased by the MBTA from Conrail for the Forge Park/495 extension and to establish the possibility of future service to Milford. A 2004 analysis determined that

165-483: A Spanish-style roof was constructed in 1911. South Walpole station burned on February 23, 1911, due to a defective chimney, and was soon rebuilt. The lightly-used North Foxboro and Foxvale stations were closed in 1928. Remaining passenger service on the line – a single daily round trip between Taunton and Framingham – ended in 1933. The line remained in use for freight service, passing to Penn Central in 1969 and Conrail in 1976. Special trains were operated to

220-399: A female householder with no husband present. 18.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.7% had someone living alone 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80, the average family size 3.29. The population includes 28.5% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 35.1% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 9.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age

275-721: A mini-high section at the south end for accessibility ; a passing siding allows freight trains to pass stopped passenger trains at the station. Weekday trains run between Foxboro and Boston 's South Station via the Franklin Branch , connecting to the Franklin Branch at Walpole and serving local stops. Event trains serving South Station run via the Franklin Branch, with intermediate stops only at Back Bay and Dedham Corporate Center . Event trains serving Providence station in Providence, Rhode Island run via

330-508: Is also home to the birthplace of America's father of public education , Horace Mann . The town is also home to what may have been the nation's oldest continuously operational one-room school house ( Croydon, New Hampshire 's school dates to 1780, but there is debate as to whether it is truly "one room"). The Red Brick School was started in 1792, its building constructed in 1833, and was operational until 2008. St. Mary's Catholic Church, located in central Franklin and built by Matthew Sullivan ,

385-728: Is one charter school (grades K–8). Elementary Schools K–5: Middle Schools 6-8: High Schools 9–12: The Town of Franklin is also home to Dean College , founded in 1865, a private residential college with over 1,100 students. The college grants associate degrees in a number of subjects (98% of the students are accepted for transfer to four-year schools) and also offers bachelor 's programs in Arts and Entertainment Management, Psychology, Sociology, History, English, Business, Marketing, Criminal Justice and Homeland Security Management, Sport Management, Sport Fitness, Recreation and Coaching, Dance, Liberal Arts & Studies, and Theater. As noted,

440-548: Is one of thirteen Massachusetts municipalities that have applied for, and been granted, city forms of government but wish to retain "The town of" in their official names. As of 2022, the city's population was 36,745, with a growth rate of 15.38% since 2015. It is home to the country's first public library, the Franklin Public Library with its first books donated by Benjamin Franklin in 1790. It also contains

495-483: Is the largest Catholic parish in the Boston Archdiocese with some 15,000 members. Franklin is located at 42°5′N 71°24′W  /  42.083°N 71.400°W  / 42.083; -71.400 (42.0891, –71.4069). According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 27.0 square miles (70 km ), of which 26.7 square miles (69 km ) is land and 0.3 square miles (0.78 km )

550-613: Is today's Franklin Branch was a portion of the Midland Line of the New Haven's Midland Division , the New Haven's secondary route between Boston and New York; the MBTA's Dorchester Branch and the abandoned segments from Franklin to Willimantic, Connecticut via Blackstone were the remaining components of the Midland Line. In 1910, the passenger route on the Midland Line was a regional inter-city train that continued to New York via

605-715: Is water. Much of the Town of Franklin lies within the Charles River watershed. Principal streams include Mine, Shepard's, Miller, Uncas, Dix and Miscoe Brooks. Much of the marshland along Mine Brook has been permanently protected by the Natural Valley Storage Project of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers . The extreme southwestern corner of Franklin is part of the Blackstone River watershed. The town has an impounded series of lakes known as

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660-513: The 1982 season , but this was interrupted by a railroad strike and an NFL strike . Boston–Foxboro service via the Franklin Line ultimately resumed with the 1986 season . Beginning with the 1989 season , it was moved to the Providence/Stoughton Line, with a reverse move at Mansfield and intermediate stops at Back Bay, Hyde Park (dropped by 1993 ), Route 128 , Canton Junction , Sharon , and Mansfield. Boston service

715-492: The 1994 to 1999 seasons. Foxboro Stadium was replaced with the adjacent Gillette Stadium in 2002. By 2005, ridership per event averaged 1,567. The Norwood Central stop was dropped in 2011. Providence trains were extended to T.F. Green Airport in Warwick, Rhode Island from 2012 to 2018. In September 2010, the MBTA completed a study to determine the feasibility of extending full-time commuter rail service to Foxboro via

770-665: The Boston and Providence Railroad built a branch from Dedham to Readville , connecting with the main line from Boston to Providence . This was followed, in 1848, by the Norfolk County Railroad, which ran from Dedham to Walpole . After various mergers and acquisitions, the line become part of the New York and New England Railroad until 1898, the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad until 1968, and, ultimately, Penn Central until its 1970 bankruptcy. What

825-556: The Northeast Corridor ( Providence/Stoughton Line ), with intermediate stops at South Attleboro , Attleboro , and Mansfield . The Mansfield and Framingham Railroad opened between its namesake towns in 1870 and was immediately leased to the Boston, Clinton and Fitchburg Railroad (later the Boston, Clinton, Fitchburg and New Bedford Railroad ). In 1879, it became part of the Old Colony Railroad , which

880-509: The 1980s iteration were at Readville and Norwood Central (plus Back Bay in 1988). The service ran over the Providence/Stoughton Line from 1989 to 1994, with a reverse move at Mansfield . It was routed back to the Franklin Line in 1995, with intermediate stops at Back Bay , Dedham Corporate Center , and Norwood Central. Norwood Central was dropped from these trains beginning with the 2011 season. In September 2010,

935-556: The Franklin Branch, from the Penn Central's bankruptcy trustees. Ridership on the line tripled from 1982 to 1990. From the start of MBTA operations, Franklin was the terminus of the line. Service was extended to Forge Park/495 station on June 2, 1988, although the line retained its original name. Forge Park/495 is not on the former NY&NE main line to Woonsocket, but instead on the former Milford and Woonsocket Railroad , which last saw passenger service in 1938. The MBTA leased

990-546: The Franklin Line. Service changes on April 5, 2021, added midday service as part of a transition to a regional rail model, with hourly service between Walpole and Boston and less frequent service south of Walpole. Foxboro service was not resumed at that time. As part of that schedule change, all Franklin Line trains operating via the Southwest Corridor began stopping at Ruggles station after an additional platform there

1045-405: 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. The options with through service to Boston were to include the addition of a second track at Foxboro station, converting it to an island platform . In January 2014, the state began discussions with stadium owner Kraft Group for use of

1100-712: The Franklin Public Library is the first public library in America, the original books of which were donated by Benjamin Franklin. Across the street from the library is Dean College. At one end of Franklin's Historic District is the little Red Brick School. Its classroom, believed to be one of the oldest public schools in the United States, but is not still functioning, celebrated its 175th birthday in 2008. Franklin has two exits along I-495 , at Route 140 and King Street. MBTA Commuter Rail service on

1155-475: The Franklin Reservoir, which is not used as a public drinking water supply. The lakes are now protected open space. Ernest DelCarte (1911–2000) bequeathed the land that would become the conservation area to the Town of Franklin. The DelCarte family assisted in the transfer to Franklin in return for the town's commitment to preserve the land as open space. Worth an estimated $ 3 million at the time of

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1210-691: The Highland Line segment of the Highland Division between Willimantic and Waterbury, Connecticut , then continuing down the Housatonic Railroad to the New Haven Line . Service was eventually shortened to Waterbury in 1937. However, in the 1940s and early 1950s service, including the New Haven's Nutmeg and several unnamed trains from Boston to Hartford and Waterbury continued. It was shortened to Blackstone when

1265-495: The MBTA completed a study to determine the feasibility of extending regular commuter rail service to Foxboro station 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. The MBTA planned to purchase trackage prior to restoring service; the Framingham Secondary , which provides access to Foxboro station,

1320-471: The MBTA indicated that service would begin on May 20, 2019. 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. The launch date was later delayed to October 21, 2019. By December 2019, daily boardings at Foxboro averaged 70 - one-third of the projected ridership. Substantially reduced schedules were in effect from March 16 to June 23, 2020. Foxboro pilot service

1375-419: The branch from Conrail for the extension, with the possibility of future purchase. In February 2020, the MBTA voted to purchase the line from Franklin to Milford for $ 13 million. In early 2019, the MBTA begin installation of an additional 3.8 miles (6.1 km) of double track - 3.3 miles (5.3 km) of new track plus the conversion of an existing siding) - between Walpole and Norfolk . Major construction

1430-458: The city was 92.8 percent White , 3.83 percent Asian or Pacific Islander , 2.0 percent Hispanic or Latino of any race, 1.4 percent Black or African American , 0.15 percent Native American , 0.29 percent from other races , and 1.4% from two or more races. There were 10,866 households, out of which 44.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.4% contained married couples living together, 22.4% were non-families, and 8.5% had

1485-418: The closure on September 19. A new one-year Foxboro pilot began on September 12, 2022. As of September 2022, weekday service consists of 10 + 1 ⁄ 2 Boston–Foxboro round trips and 11 + 1 ⁄ 2 Boston–Forge Park round trips; weekend service has nine Boston–Forge Park round trips, with no Foxboro service. By October 2022, daily ridership was 8,711 – 75% of pre-COVID ridership. Foxboro service and

1540-491: The costs of a pilot service up to $ 200,000 per year, with 500 parking spaces made available. The pilot was supported by Foxborough officials, but opposed by Walpole officials. In August 2017, the MBTA Board approved an 11-month pilot program of service to Foxboro, planned to begin in late 2018 or early 2019. Daily ridership was expected to be 210 passengers, with the majority diverted from other commuter rail stations. Most of

1595-544: The extension would cost $ 70.5 million and attract about 1,800 additional riders per weekday. [REDACTED] Media related to MBTA Franklin/Foxboro Line at Wikimedia Commons Foxboro station Foxboro station is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in Foxborough, Massachusetts , located adjacent to Gillette Stadium and the Patriot Place shopping center. The station has a single side platform serving

1650-546: The largest Catholic parish in the Boston Archdiocese, St. Mary's Catholic church, with some 15,000 members. Franklin was first settled by Europeans in 1660 and officially incorporated during the American Revolution . The town was formed from the western part of the town of Wrentham , and it was officially incorporated on March 2, 1778; its designated name at incorporation was to be Exeter. However,

1705-663: The line's renaming were made permanent effective October 2, 2023. Effective May 20, 2024, all weekend Franklin/Foxboro Line trains began operating over the Fairmount Line, with timed transfers to Providence/Stoughton Line trains at Readville station for connections to Ruggles and Back Bay. In July 2011, the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization began studying the viability of extending Franklin Line commuter rail service to Hopedale and Milford . The study would update

Franklin/Foxboro Line - Misplaced Pages Continue

1760-747: The main track of the Framingham Secondary . It is the terminus of a branch of the Franklin/Foxboro Line service, and is served by trains from Boston via the Franklin/Foxboro Line and from Providence via the Providence/Stoughton Line ( Northeast Corridor ) during events at Gillette Stadium. Previous passenger service on the line ran from 1870 to 1933, with several stations in Foxborough. Special service for New England Patriots games and other stadium events ran from 1971 to 1973, then resumed in 1986. Regular weekday service to

1815-495: The modification of several stations. Total cost of the projects was expected to be $ 68 million. As of November 2024, Phase 2 is expected to be completed in January 2026, while design work for Phase 3 is expected to be completed in 2025. From 1971 to 1973 and 1986 to 1988, Boston– Foxboro service for Foxboro Stadium events ran over the Franklin Line to Walpole, then over the Framingham Secondary to Foxboro. Intermediate stops for

1870-557: The northern part of Foxboro, adjacent to the Gillette Stadium sports complex and Patriot Place shopping center. It is on the far east side of the site, and is separated from the rest of the complex by the Neponset River . A pedestrian walkway from the station runs under an access road and to the north end of the stadium. The station has a single side platform serving the main track of the Framingham Secondary , with

1925-573: The opening of the Bay State Raceway in 1948. None of the three Foxborough station buildings survive, though the former South Walpole station remains in use as a post office. The service started with the opening of Schaefer Stadium (later Sullivan Stadium, then Foxboro Stadium ) on August 15, 1971, with trains from Boston and Providence. Providence service ended early in the 1973 season due to low ridership; Boston service ended that October. Plans were made to resume Boston service for

1980-407: The pilot service would be extended Fairmount Line trains, which prompted concerns that the pilot would increase crowding and decrease reliability on the Fairmount Line. In November 2017, the MBTA indicated that service would begin on May 20, 2019. About 4.3 miles (6.9 km) of track between Walpole and south of Foxboro station was upgraded in preparation for the service. A freight passing track

2035-486: The pilot was suspended due to reduced ridership as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic ; it was then expected to resume in spring 2021. Four midday Foxboro round trips – but no peak Foxboro service – ultimately resumed on May 23, 2022. A new one-year Foxboro pilot began on September 12, 2022, with 10 + 1 ⁄ 2 Boston–Foxboro round trips on weekdays. The service was made permanent effective October 2, 2023, with

2090-750: The population each. The town is represented in the Massachusetts General Court by Representative Jeffrey Roy of the 10th Norfolk district and Senator Becca Rausch of the Norfolk, Worcester and Middlesex district . The Town is located in Massachusetts's 4th congressional district and is currently represented by Jake Auchincloss . The Franklin Public Schools have five elementary schools serving K–5, 4 middle schools serving 6-8, and 1 high school serving 9–12. There

2145-670: The service renamed as the Franklin/Foxboro Line. Foxboro station averaged 112–133 daily boardings by that time. The MBTA and the Kraft Group indicated they would attempt to find new funding to construct a full-length high-level platform at Foxboro. (That project was not scheduled for funding by the MBTA Capital Investment Plan). Franklin, Massachusetts The Town of Franklin is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts , United States. Franklin

2200-574: The stadium parking lots. The MassDOT Board authorized the purchase of the Framingham Subdivision from CSX that June. By November 2014, the MBTA planned to run five daily Boston–Foxboro round trips, but town officials objected to the plans being made without local input. The $ 23 million purchase of the line was completed in June 2015, making it the Framingham Secondary. In February 2017, Kraft Group owner Robert Kraft agreed to subsidize

2255-457: The station via the Franklin Line was studied in 2010 and proposed in 2014. A pilot program of service was announced in 2017, and ten daily round trips began operation in October 2019. The pilot was suspended in November 2020, but four midday round trips resumed on May 23, 2022. A new one-year pilot began on September 12, 2022, and was made permanent in October 2023. Foxboro station is located in

Franklin/Foxboro Line - Misplaced Pages Continue

2310-475: The town was $ 27,849. About 2.2% of families and 3.6% of the population were below the poverty line , including 2.8% of those under 18 and 5.2% of those 65 or over. 65.5% of Franklin residents claim to be religious, of that 54.2% are Catholic , 3.0% are Jewish , 2.2% are Presbyterian , 1.7% are Episcopalian , while members of Baptist , Lutheran , Methodist , Buddhist , Pentecostal , Mormon , Hindu , Mennonite , and Muslim faiths make up less than 1.0% of

2365-413: The town's citizens opted to call it Franklin, in honor of the statesman Benjamin Franklin, the first municipality in the U.S. to be so named. It was hoped that Benjamin Franklin would donate a bell for a church steeple in the town, but he donated 116 books instead, including Night-Thoughts , James Janeway 's Invisible Realities , and the works of John Locke . On November 20, 1790, it was decided that

2420-809: The towns themselves had to subsidize service, and only Franklin agreed to do so. The easternmost bridge over the Blackstone River was washed out in the March 17-19th flooding of the river in 1968; the line beyond Franklin was abandoned 3 years later, and is now preserved in full as the Southern New England Trunkline Trail . Between 1973 and 1976, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts bought almost all track assets in Southeastern Massachusetts, including

2475-706: The transfer of title, the Recreation and Conservation Area received a multi-million-dollar upgrade in 2014. Significant public forests and parks include the Franklin State and the Franklin Town Forests. As of the 2010 census , there were 31,852 people, 10,866 households, and 7,877 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,105.4 inhabitants per square mile (426.8/km ). There were 10,327 housing units at an average density of 386.2 per square mile (149.1/km ). The racial makeup of

2530-567: The two southern spans of the bridge crossing the Quinebaug River in Putnam, Connecticut washed out during Hurricane Diane in 1955 . The bridge was never repaired, and the line was abandoned between Willimantic and Putnam in 1959. Service to Blackstone was discontinued in April 1966 when the MBTA began subsidizing the line; Franklin and beyond were not in the MBTA district, meaning that

2585-568: The volumes would be lent to the residents of Franklin for free via its library, which has been in operation since then as the Franklin Public Library making this the oldest running public library in the nation. The Ray Memorial Library building was dedicated in 1904. In 1990, on the library's bicentennial, its staff published a booklet, "A History of America's First Public Library at Franklin Massachusetts, 1790 ~ 1990" to commemorate America's first public library and book collection. The town

2640-402: Was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.4 males. The median household income in the town was $ 92,066, and the median income for a family was $ 81,826 (these figures had risen to $ 89,659 and $ 101,900, respectively, as of a 2008 estimate) ). Men had a median income of $ 58,888 versus $ 36,557 for women; the per capita income for

2695-537: Was acquired by the MBTA effective June 17, 2015. ( CSX Transportation , the former owner of the branch, retained trackage rights over it.) In August 2017, the MBTA Fiscal Control Board approved an 11-month pilot program to test commuter rail service to Foxboro, with service planned to begin sometime in late 2018 or early 2019, although Fairmount Line advocates warned it might reduce service quality to existing Fairmount Line stations. In October 2017,

2750-438: Was added at the station, and the section from Walpole to Foxboro was signalized. After an additional delay, pilot service began on October 21, 2019. Initial service was ten daily round trips, including both peak and midday trips. Seven of the ten round trips were extended Fairmount Line trains. By December 2019, the pilot averaged 70 daily boardings at Foxboro – just one-third of the projected ridership. On November 2, 2020,

2805-440: Was completed in April 2020. The $ 30 million construction of an additional phase and preliminary design of a third were announced in November 2019. Phase 2 will add 3.5 miles (5.6 km) of double track between Franklin and Norfolk; it will allow headways to drop from 45 to 35 minutes. Phase 3 is planned to complete double-tracking between just north of Franklin/Dean College station and just south of Readville station , including

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2860-520: Was completed. Weekend service on the Franklin Line and the six other lines resumed on July 3, 2021. Four midday Foxboro round trips – but no peak Foxboro service – resumed on May 23, 2022. The line was renamed the Franklin/Foxboro Line at that time. Some Franklin/Foxboro Line trains began stopping at Forest Hills on September 3, 2022, to provide alternate service during a closure of the Orange Line. Some peak-hour trains continued to stop after end of

2915-494: Was in turn acquired by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad in 1893. There were three stations on the line in Foxborough – Foxvale at Spring Street, Foxboro at Bird Street, and North Foxboro at North Street – plus South Walpole at Summer Street just over the Walpole border. The original Foxboro station, a three-story structure with a Mansard roof , was a converted coffin shop. A two-story brick station with

2970-432: Was shifted back to the Franklin Line in 1995 , with stops at Dedham Corporate Center and Norwood Central . An accessible platform was added by 1996. Providence service resumed for the 1997 season , with intermediate stops at South Attleboro, Attleboro, and Mansfield. MBTA-organized privately-operated bus service also ran from Alewife , Forest Hills (1994 only), Quincy Adams , and Riverside to Foxboro Stadium for

3025-634: Was suspended on November 2, 2020, with the intention for it to resume in Spring 2021. In November 2020, as part of service cuts during the pandemic, the MBTA proposed to close Plimptonville along with five other low-ridership stations on other lines. On December 14, the MBTA Board voted to enact a more limited set of cuts, including indefinitely closing Plimptonville and four of the other five stations. That day, temporary reduced schedules were again put into place. On January 23, 2021, reduced schedules went into place with no weekend service on seven lines, including

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