A station at
Unionville (later Ashland, after the town separated from Hopkinton in 1846) was in use by 1838. Improvements to the station were made around 1846. Passenger service to the old
Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge–built downtown station ended on April 24, 1960, when
Boston and Albany Railroad service west of
Framingham was cut to stops at ,
Palmer, , and only. Service to Worcester ended entirely in 1975, but resumed in 1994. However, they were delayed by several factors, including a debate on whether to build full-length high-level platforms. Those were ruled out because they interfere with freight traffic; instead, smaller "mini-high" platforms plus long low platforms were built. and opened on June 22, 2002, followed by Ashland on August 24. Construction of the station cost $7.4 million. Although the town originally insisted on no more than 450 parking spaces in an attempt to limit traffic on
Route 135, officials later agreed to the MBTA's plans for a 700-space lot. The new station was built to the west of the town center, where land was available for large parking lots. The downtown station still stands, and is currently used as a doctor's office. A $2.5 million renovation including restoration of the footbridge and resurfacing of the platforms took place in 2023. The station was temporarily closed on August 26 from to December 23, 2023. ==References==