Haverhill Line

MBTA Commuter Rail line

The Haverhill Line (formerly named the Haverhill/Reading Line) is a branch of the MBTA Commuter Rail system, running north from downtown Boston, Massachusetts through the cities and towns of
Malden, Melrose, Wakefield, Reading, Wilmington, Andover, North Andover, Lawrence, and Haverhill. The service operates on the Western Route of the former Boston and Maine Railroad, which extends north to Portland, Maine, though MBTA commuter rail service has not continued north of Massachusetts since 1967.

Until 1959, the Boston and Maine Railroad (B&M) operated commuter service along its Western Route from Haverhill and Reading to Boston. In 1959 the section from Reading to Wilmington Junction became freight only, and Haverhill commuter trains as well as intercity service from New Hampshire and Maine were rerouted over the Wildcat Branch and the lower Lowell Line. Salem Street stop on the Wildcat Branch opened to replace North Wilmington on the mainline. The MBTA was formed in August 1964 to consolidate and fund Boston's transit system. In December 1964, the MBTA signed a contract to subsidize B&M commuter service within the MBTA funding district. On January 4, the B&M discontinued most interstate service, with a single commuter oriented round trip to Dover, New Hampshire, the only such service remaining on the Western Route. Days before, Andover commuters and businesses raised funds to continue service until April 1975. On April 7, 1975, town residents voted "overwhelmingly" to reimburse the commuters and subsidize service for an additional year. The town declined to subsidize further service, and the three Andover stops (Shawsheen, , and ) were dropped effective April 2, 1976. The round trip, by then stopping just at , and , was ended in June 1976. Daily ridership on the line increased from 2,955 in 1991 to 4,970 in 2001. On December 14, 2001, Amtrak's Downeaster service began operating from Boston to Portland, Maine. In early 2009, the MBTA began planning the addition of double track between Reading and Ballardvale that summer. The double tracking will increase capacity on the section of the line shared with freight service, increasing reliability and allowing for possible travel time decreases for the Downeaster. Work started in April 2010; a groundbreaking was held in May 2010 with completion then estimated for February 2012. Due to funding issues and construction delays, the work was not finished in 2012. By late 2013, a 1300 feet (396 m) stone wall at Andover station had been replaced, along with a century old culvert, as part of drainage improvements. Construction of the track and crossovers was partially complete; the signal system was largely finished. After more delays, the project was completed around 2017. However, second platforms were not built at Andover and Ballardvale, limiting the usefulness of the second track for the MBTA. This second section of double track is largely for use by Downeaster trains but may benefit MBTA trains using the Wildcat Branch as well. The $26.0 million project (including a $5.2 million match from the MBTA) included 14,100 feet of new double main, rebuilt interlockings at Wilmington Junction and Lowell Junction, a maintenance of way siding at Wilmington Junction, preparing three grade crossings on the Wildcat Branch for future double tracking, and replacement of 5 miles of old track between Lawrence and Bradford. Work began in 2012 and was completed around 2017.

Several bridges on the line were in poor condition, including the twelve span, 1042 feet (318 m) long bridge over the Merrimack River between Bradford and Haverhill. In 1904–05, the bridge was raised at the south end and at the north end as part of a grade crossing elimination project. A temporary one track wooden trestle was constructed to the west of the bridge; the truss spans were jacked up at a time while the masonry piers were built up under them. The truss spans were replaced in 1919, again reusing the piers; the northern approach over Washington Street was replaced in 1928. In 2008, the MBTA began a $3 million project to repair the bridge. However, traffic on the bridge was still under heavy speed restrictions, with one freight train at or two passenger trains at allowed. In 2010, the state applied for $110.8 million in federal funding to replace the bridge, but the request was denied in May 2011. The MBTA awarded a $23.9 million contract for the first phase in early 2014, with construction expected to last from April 2014 to April 2017. By 2014, the total cost was expected to reach $100 million. Some off peak trains were substituted with buses during the repairs, and service was suspended on six weekends between September 2014 and November 2016. The second phase of bridge reconstruction repairs to the piers lasted from 2016 to 2019. Additional scour protection work was completed in 2021. Repairs were also made to two smaller arch bridges over the Shawsheen River in Andover, both dating to the line's opening in 1839. The historic bridges were no longer able to support modern train loads; instead, fill was removed from the arch and modern flat steel bridges placed inside them. The steel bridges carry the train loads so that the stone arches need merely support their own weight. The $10.9 million project began in September 2012, with substantial completion in September 2013 and full completion a year later.

Prior to 1987, when the system was operated by B&M successor Guilford Transportation Industries, trains were stored overnight on Guilford owned sidings north of Haverhill station in a largely industrial area. When the MBTA contracted with Amtrak in 1987 to operate the system, a new layover yard for the line was needed. The MBTA constructed a two track layover yard adjacent to a rebuilt Bradford station at a cost of $2.2 million. It was built without an environmental evaluation process in violation of state law; not until 1992 did complaints from residents prompt the MBTA to belatedly start the process. Because of its proximity to the Bradford residential neighborhood, the noise and diesel fumes from the layover have prompted continued complaint from residents. In 2008, Massachusetts entered negotiations to buy property in Plaistow, New Hampshire for a layover yard (to replace the undersized Bradford layover) and a new station. Funding was available, and Plaistow was potentially interested, but wanted to better understand the potential drawbacks of being the location of the layover station. By August 2010, both states said that they were close to reaching a deal that would allow trains to operate over the proposed expansion. Plaistow residents voted down one extension possibility in 2012, but the extension remained on the table. In August 2013, the New Hampshire Department of Transportation began another study of layover and station sites. A number of station and layover site options were presented in May 2014, and three final options were released in September 2014: a station and layover just past NH 125, a station there with the layover moved just south of the state line, and a station and layover near NH 121A. However, the Plaistow Board of Selectmen voted for the "no build" option to not extend commuter rail to the town in April 2015.

as of 2022, the MBTA plans to relocate and expand the layover facility in the mid to late 2020s.

The line was shut down on weekends in September through December 2017 for the installation of Positive Train Control equipment in order to meet a 2020 federal deadline. Continuous welded rail was installed on an section between Fells Interlocking in Malden and the Ipswich River in Wilmington from September to November 2021. Most off peak service between Reading and North Station was cancelled, with many Haverhill trains operating using the Wildcat Branch. In June 2022, the MBTA indicated plans to add a second track at Reading station by 2023, allowing 30 minute headways between Boston and Reading. Hourly service to Haverhill was also being studied. A second track and platform at Ballardvale is planned. as of February 2022, the line has 13 Boston–Haverhill round trips and 9 1/2 Boston–Reading round trips on weekdays, with two inbound and one outbound Haverhill train using the Wildcat Branch. Weekend service has eight Boston–Haverhill round trips. During the closure of the Orange Line from August 19 to September 18, 2022, all Haverhill Line trains stopped at Oak Grove. It was retained as a permanent Haverhill Line stop after the closure. By October 2022, the line had 5,806 daily riders; this represented 82% of pre COVID ridership, the second highest percentage on the system. In 2024, the town of North Andover began a planning study for a potentional infill station at the Osgood Landing development.

Mileages to the New Hampshire stations are via the Wildcat Branch and Wilmington – longer than the mainline through Reading – which was the route used at the time of discontinuance. StateMiles (km)Fare zoneLocationStationConnections and notesMA1ABoston Amtrak: MBTA Commuter Rail: Fitchburg, Lowell, and Newburyport/Rockport Lines MBTA subway: Orange Line, Green Line (D and E branches) MBTA bus: SomervilleCommuter Rail Maintenance FacilityFlag stop for MBTA employees onlyMalden MBTA subway: Orange Line MBTA bus: MBTA subway: Orange Line MBTA bus: 1Melrose MBTA bus: MBTA bus: 2Wakefield MBTA bus: Closed on January 18, 1965 MBTA bus: Reading MBTA bus: 3Wilmington4Andover 5 MVRTA: Closed April 27, 19806Lawrence MVRTA: Moved from location 0.4 mile (1 km) west in 2005North AndoverClosed in November 19747Haverhill Amtrak: Downeaster MVRTA: NHAtkinsonClosed June 30, 1967PlaistowClosed June 30, 1967NewtonClosed June 30, 1967East KingstonClosed June 30, 1967Closed June 30, 1967ExeterClosed June 30, 1967Served by Amtrak Downeaster service since 2001NewfieldsClosed June 30, 1967NewmarketClosed June 30, 1967DurhamClosed June 30, 1967Served by Amtrak Downeaster service since 2001DoverClosed June 30, 1967Served by Amtrak Downeaster service since 2001 Currently operating station