Littleton station The
Fitchburg Railroad was extended westward from Cambridge between 1843 and 1845, reaching Littleton around November 1844. The long building included separate rooms for passengers and freight, and a living area for the station master. In 1879, the Fitchburg replaced it with a Victorian-style depot building a few feet to the east. The old station was moved south on Taylor Street and served as an apartment building for some time thereafter. The B&M began to sharply cut back passenger service in the early 1960s, but in 1964 the newly formed
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) began to subsidize their northside commuter services. The depot building was closed in 1970, leaving passengers to wait at the crossing. The building was occupied for a time by McElroy Manfucturing Corporation (a telegraph producer) then later that year by Learning Things (an educational product developer). In 1976, it was bought and restored to original condition by David Erikson, who operates Erikson's Antique Stoves from the building. In December 1973, state subsidies for towns outside the MBTA funding district were halved, resulting in the MBTA needing to renegotiate subsidies from 14 municipalities. Littleton, with just 21 daily commuters, refused to pay its $12,300 bill in 1974;
Ayer also failed to reach an agreement. On March 1, 1975, the line was cut back to
South Acton, dropping the stops at
Ayer, Littleton, and
West Acton.
Littleton/Route 495 On December 27, 1976, the MBTA bought the B&M's northside commuter rail assets, including the entire length of the Fitchburg Line. A small canopy shelter was added in 2003. From 1981 until the 1990s, Littleton was the turnback point for a limited number of trains. The Route 2 site was rejected because of nearby protected wetlands, but considered again later in the decade. Construction work on the new platform started in early 2012; the platform was in place by mid-summer, and the main span of the pedestrian bridge was lifted into place in early November. The new station and bridge opened on June 3, 2013; a ceremony was held with public officials later that month. The 1980-built platform was demolished soon after the new station opened. South Acton was previously the
short turn terminus of some trains; however, those trains were extended to Littleton effective August 4, 2014. The completion of the new two-track station allows local such terminating trains to board on one track while another train passes on the other track; the design of the station with an
island platform (instead of two
side platforms) eliminates confusion as to which platform such terminating trains would serve. File:Littleton station construction May 2012.JPG|New platform supports under construction in May 2012 File:Littleton 1980 and 2013 stations in 2012.JPG|New platform installed and pedestrian overpass under construction behind the old station in August 2012 File:Littleton Foster Street crossing November 2012.JPG|Second track through the Foster Street crossing and new interlocking installed in 2012 File:Littleton station bridge construction November 2012.JPG|Pedestrian bridge under construction in November 2012
Parking plans Expanded service and parking at Littleton was expected to mitigate the existing parking lot overcrowding at South Acton. To replace the 44-space lot at Littleton that was removed for construction access, the MBTA bought a nearby private lot nearby in 2011, expanded it to 195 spaces, and added an off-street drop-off area. The additional parking proved so popular that in 2014, Littleton town officials considered the construction of a 200-space garage. A September 2014 parking study recommended adding parking on adjacent properties, implementing a shuttle service from residential areas, and adding bicycle storage areas and sidewalks to increase bicycle and pedestrian arrivals. In late 2015, the MBTA added 24 parking spaces off Grimes Lane as an interim measure. In April 2017, the MBTA announced $1.5 million in funding to expand parking at the station, with between 43 and 109 additional spaces. , the MBTA planned for an increase of 60 spaces.
Other Littleton stations Several other railroad stations, now closed, were located in or served Littleton.
North Littleton station was located on the 1858-opened
Stony Brook Railroad at Great Road (
Route 119). It was served by all three daily round trips in 1917, but only a single westbound trip stopped by 1929, and it was no longer served by the 1940s. It remained in use until local passenger service ended in April 1953. The line remained open for freight use. The
Nashua, Acton and Boston Railroad, which ran from Concord to Nashua, ran through Westford with two stations near the eastern part of Littleton. Passenger service on the line ran from 1876 to 1924; it was abandoned entirely in 1925.
East Littleton station was located at Littleton Road (
MA 110), about a mile east of Littleton Common. It received frequent shipments of coal and grain for the Conant and Company store nearby.
Pine Ridge station (also known as
Westford) was located at Forge Village Road.The former station building has been converted to a private residence; the former freight house and
section house are used as outbuildings. ==References==