Former service The
Fall River Railroad opened between
South Braintree and
Fall River in stages from June 1845 to December 1846.
Middleborough station was located at Courtland Street at the west edge of the downtown area. Haskins station (renamed Lakeville by 1854) was located on
Bedford Street. Middleborough became a major railroad junction, with lines in five directions to Boston,
Plymouth,
Cape Cod, Fall River, and
Taunton by 1892. The
New Haven Railroad leased the
Old Colony Railroad – which owned all lines meeting at Middleborough – in 1893. Rock and South Middleboro stations were closed on July 17, 1938, as part of a
massive station closure. Commuter service between Cape Cod and Boston via Middleborough ended on June 30, 1959. The lines north, west, and southeast from Middleborough remained in use for freight service: by the New Haven until 1969,
Penn Central to 1971,
Conrail to 1997, and
CSX since. Freight service southeast from Middleborough was taken over by the
Bay Colony Railroad shortline in 1982 and the
Massachusetts Coastal Railroad in 2007, interchanging with CSX at Middleborough Yard. A 1974 state analysis of restoring commuter rail service indicated that the Middleborough station could be reused. From 1984 to 1988,
Cape Cod and Hyannis Railroad seasonal commuter and excursion service stopped in Middleborough at the former station. The former station was demolished in the 1990s. In 1984, a state-directed
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) study found that restoration of commuter rail service would be feasible. A Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) was released in May 1990, followed by a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) in 1992. Both called for a Middleborough/Lakeville station off
Route 105 south of Middleborough on the
Lakeville border, rather than reusing the old station site.
MBTA Commuter Rail Middleborough/Lakeville Line service to Middleborough/Lakeville station began on September 29, 1997. The station opened with around 400 parking spaces, which was immediately insufficient due to commuters driving from areas to the south as well as from Middleborough and Lakeville. The lot was expanded to 864 spaces in 2000. A dirt lot was closed in November 2003 due to safety concerns and falling demand after the completion of the
Big Dig, reducing the station to 769 spaces. The station attracted
transit-oriented development in the form of adjacent apartment complexes.
South Coast Rail In 2017, the
South Coast Rail project was re-evaluated due to cost issues. The new proposal called for early service via Middleborough by 2022, followed by full service via by 2030. A new
Middleborough station was to replace the existing Middleborough/Lakeville station, which could not be served by South Coast Rail trains. Middleborough and Lakeville officials were critical of the possibility of abandoning Middleborough/Lakeville station or requiring its riders to take a shuttle train, as well as possible traffic issues from a downtown Middleborough station. The January 2018
Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Report considered three potential operational patterns: a reverse move to serve the existing station, shuttle service from the existing station to
Bridgewater station, or a new Middleborough station with a bus shuttle from the existing station. The latter was preferred because it had a shorter travel time than the reverse move, and would not require additional double track as the Bridgewater shuttle would. The new Middleborough station will be located in the wye (Pilgrim Junction) between the Middleborough Main Line and
Middleboro Secondary. The CapeFlyer would continue to use Middleborough/Lakeville station, as the new station does not have a platform on the Middleborough Main Line. However, the new station includes space for a future platform to serve shuttle trains to Cape Cod. South Coast Rail service began on March 24, 2025, as the
Fall River/New Bedford Line. Middleborough/Lakeville station was renamed Lakeville station at that time. ==References==