Andover (MBTA station)

ANDOVER
Andover Station, facing north (outbound)
Location	17 Railroad Street Andover, Massachusetts
Coordinates	42°39′28″N 71°08′41″W / 42.6579°N 71.1446°WCoordinates: 42°39′28″N 71°08′41″W / 42.6579°N 71.1446°W
Owned by	MBTA
Line(s)	Haverhill Line
Platforms	1 side platform
Tracks	2
Construction
Parking	150 spaces ($4.00 daily) 4 accessible spaces
Bicycle facilities	6 spaces
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Fare zone	5
Traffic
Passengers (2013)	519 (weekday inbound average)[1]
Services
Preceding station   MBTA   Following station Ballardvale toward North Station Haverhill Line Lawrence toward Haverhill

Andover is a regional rail station on the MBTA Commuter Rail Haverhill Line, located near the town center of Andover, Massachusetts. The station has one platform with a mini-high platform for handicapped accessibility serving one track, while the second track lacks a platform.

History

The c.-1848 built station on a c. 1905 postcard

The Andover and Wilmington Railroad opened between its namesake cities in August 1836 as a branch line off the new Boston and Lowell Railroad (B&L).^[2] A small wooden Greek revival station was built near the center of Andover.^[3] The line was soon extended north, and in 1842 in merged into the Boston and Maine Railroad (B&M). After building its own route to Boston in 1845, the B&M looked to expand its passenger base to compete with the B&L. In 1848, the B&M relocated its main line from Ballardvale to North Andover to the west in order to serve the new mill town of Lawrence.^[2]

The line was moved several blocks west in Andover, away from the busy intersections of the town square. A small house was converted into a temporary station, which was soon replaced by a larger L-shaped station with a large train shed. A brick freight house was built sometime between then and 1875.^[3]

In 1906, the B&M began construction of a new station, as residents complained about the smoky conditions inside the train shed. The new station, a copy of Beverly Depot designed by Bradford Lee Gilbert a decade earlier, opened on September 1, 1907.^[3] It was used as the station until 1959; in 1982, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places as Third Railroad Station.

Today, MBTA passengers board from a single platform behind the former freight house. Both buildings have been repurposed for commercial use.

Bus connections

Andover station is served by two MVRTA bus routes:

• 21 Andover Shuttle
• 32 Lawrence - Andover

References

1. "Ridership and Service Statistics" (PDF) (14 ed.). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 2014. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
2. Karr, Ronald Dale (1995). The Rail Lines of Southern New England. Branch Line Press. pp. 238–239. ISBN 0942147022.
3. Roy, John H. Jr. (2007). A Field Guide to Southern New England Railroad Depots and Freight Houses. Branch Line Press. p. 124. ISBN 9780942147087.

External links

• MBTA - Andover
• Station from Google Maps Street View