Former station When the
Boston and Lowell Railroad (B&L) opened in 1835, passenger service operated express between its two endpoints. Over the next several decades, a number of local stops were opened – often several in each town. On November 30, 1885, the
Woburn Branch was extended north from
Woburn to reconnect with the mainline at North Woburn Junction in South Wilmington. The B&L was acquired by the rival
Boston and Maine Railroad (B&M) in 1887. Mishawum station was a
flag stop served by just three northbound and five southbound trains by 1917. It was served by one northbound and three southbound trains in 1929; by that time, only a small wooden shelter was available for passengers. Service to Mishawum was further reduced to one trip in each direction by 1946, and the station was abandoned entirely by 1952.
MBTA station The northern part of the Woburn Loop, including North Woburn station, closed on June 14, 1959. Contamination from improperly dumped industrial waste was an issue
at many sites in Woburn; 187
55-gallon drums of
polyurethane resin were discovered at the station site during construction in 1979. The station appeared under several names on systems maps prior to opening: "Mishawum Park" in 1978, and "Mishawum Park-128" in 1980. Mishawum station ultimately opened on September 24, 1984 – the first new station on the system since
West Natick station, which opened in 1982. The station was not originally
accessible. With the pending passage of the
Americans with Disabilities Act, the MBTA announced a $1.1 million renovation of the station on September 29, 1989. The project, which included
mini-high platforms for accessibility and the 250-space parking lot expansion, was completed on May 17, 1991. On November 16, 1992,
Peter Pan Bus Lines began operating
Logan Express bus service from Mishawum to
Logan Airport via I-93 under contract to
Massport, following the success of similar services running from
Braintree and
Shopper's World in Framingham. A waiting room and expanded parking lot were soon built for Logan Express passengers. The route was taken over by Paul Revere Transportation in November 1995. In September 1998, the MBTA introduced route 355
MBTA bus service, with two daily round trips between Mishawum and downtown Boston. Built to serve MBTA Commuter Rail, Logan Express, and Amtrak
Downeaster service, the
Anderson Regional Transportation Center (RTC) had 2,400 parking spaces to replace the 600 at Mishawum. Located north of Mishawum, it had direct access to I-93 via the new interchange and a larger station building for bus and train passengers. Logan Express service shifted to Anderson RTC effective April 8, 2001; full commuter rail service followed on April 28. The MBTA originally intended to close Mishawum after Anderson RTC opened. However, Anderson RTC is further from the commercial and residential center of Woburn, and local officials and business owners desired to retain the stop. After pressure from local politicians, the MBTA agreed to keep Mishawum open as a limited-service
reverse commute stop for workers who live in Boston. A bill in the
state legislature to study reestablishing Mishawum as a full-time stop died
in committee in 2002 and 2003. During the
2004 Democratic National Convention held at the
Fleet Center, commuter rail service was not operated into
North Station due to security concerns about North Station's location under the arena. Lowell Line service operated only to , with bus service operated from several stations to downtown Boston The parking area at Mishawum was reopened for one week, with express buses (numbered as the normally unused route 53) running directly to
South Station.
Development and renovations The MBTA began planning for
transit-oriented development around Mishawum station even before its 1984 opening. In 2004, the MBTA proposed a mixed-use development on the former parking lot with a fire station, residential units, and a hotel, but zoning for the plan was rejected by Woburn City Council due to concerns about increased
density in the primarily suburban city. In July 2005, two developers bought the 7-acre site from the MBTA for $7.2 million. The Council approved a 210-apartment building and a 50,000 square foot office building with a below-ground garage in January 2007. Although local opinion favored a smaller residential building, 210 units was considered the minimum number to bring restoration of Mishawum as a full-time station into consideration. Construction of the office building also included a large ramp structure leading to the inbound platform to replace the old ramp. The office building, garage, and ramp were completed around 2010, but the apartment complex was delayed and ultimately never built. However, the outbound stairs and the south ends of the platform were never renovated and are closed off. The mini-high platform edges that were removed around 2007 to repair another station were not replaced, making the station no longer accessible. Bus route 355 was discontinued in July 2012 as part of general service cutbacks due to the MBTA's financial state, leaving Mishawum with no remaining bus connections. With just 32 boardings on an average weekday in 2018, Mishawum is one of the least busy stations on the commuter rail system. This was the same level of service the station had since 2001. Temporary reduced schedules based on existing Saturday schedules were in effect from March 16 to June 23, 2020. These schedules did not include Mishawum and five other limited-service stations not normally served on Saturdays. Temporary reduced schedules again went into effect on December 14, 2020, with Mishawum and four other stations not served. ==References==