Mass Central Rail Trail

Mass Central Rail Trail
Mass Central Rail Trail with stele thanking benefactors in Wachusett Greenways section, Oakdale, West Boylston
Length60 miles (97 km) open, 94.5 miles (152.1 km) protected, 104 miles (167 km) when complete
LocationUnion Station (Northampton) to North Station (Boston)
Began construction1985 Alewife Linear Park, 1993 Norwottuck Rail Trail, 1997 Wachusett Greenways MCRT
UseHiking, bicycling, inline skating, wheelchairs, strollers, cross-country skiing, horseback riding
DifficultyEasy
SeasonYear-round
SurfaceStone dust, paved, dirt, unimproved
Right of wayFormer Massachusetts Central Railroad, former Central Massachusetts Railroad, former Marlborough Branch of Fitchburg Railroad, Fitchburg Line, former Fitchburg Cutoff, Green Line Extension
Maintained byDepartment of Conservation and Recreation, Wachusett Greenways, East Quabbin Land Trust, Clinton Greenway Conservation Trust, Northampton, Belchertown, Ware, Hardwick, West Boylston, Hudson, Cambridge, Somerville
Websitemasscentralrailtrail.org
finishtherailtrail.org
Trail map
Map
Planned route of the trail

The Mass Central Rail Trail (MCRT) is a partially completed rail trail between Northampton, Massachusetts and Boston along the right-of-way (ROW) of the former Massachusetts Central Railroad and former Central Massachusetts Railroad. It currently has over 60 miles (97 km) open, and 94.5 miles (152.1 km) are open or protected for trail development. When complete, it will be 104 miles (167 km) long through Central Massachusetts and Greater Boston, forming the longest rail trail in New England.[1] Many sections of the trail, including the Norwottuck Branch of the Mass Central Rail Trail and the Somerville Community Path, have been developed as separate projects but serve as part of the complete Mass Central Rail Trail. The Norwottuck Network, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that supports the build and operation of the MCRT, maintains an interactive map of the MCRT and other Massachusetts trails.[2][3]

History

[edit]

The Massachusetts Central Railroad was formed in 1869 and envisioned a 104 miles (167 km) railroad from Boston to Northampton. By 1882 it was providing passenger service from Boston 48 miles (77 km) to Jefferson, but went bankrupt in 1883.[4]: 12  It was succeeded by the Central Massachusetts Railroad, which was leased by the Boston and Maine Railroad in 1887, naming it the Central Massachusetts Branch. Later that year, the route was completed from Boston to Northampton.[4]: 16–17  The railroad faced various challenges over its history, including a fatal blow to the complete route by the Hurricane of 1938 which severed the middle 24 miles (39 km) from Oakdale to Wheelright.[4]: 53, 66, 159  This reduced the Central Mass Branch to the eastern side and created the Wheelright Branch to the west, and over time both branches continued to reduce service. In 1964, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) was created, partly to subsidize struggling commuter rail routes including the Central Mass Branch. However, ridership continued to decline and the MBTA closed the Central Mass Branch in 1971, although freight rail continued for a few more years.[4]: 62 

The first attempt to convert the former Central Massachusetts Railroad into a rail trail occurred in 1980 when the Commonwealth of Massachusetts acquired the westernmost 8.5 miles (13.7 km) of the Wheelright Branch, and developed it into what was then known as the Norwottuck Rail Trail in 1993.[5] In 1995, community leaders and volunteers formed the Wachusett Greenways, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit formed to create trails and greenways in the communities between Barre and Sterling, and began to build a hard packed stone dust trail over the rail ROW, naming it the Massachusetts Central Rail Trail to promote the idea of a state-wide trail network.[6] In 1996, the first plans to build out the MCRT from Berlin to Belmont on the MBTA's ROW emerged, but stalled until 2010, when the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) executed a lease with the MBTA to build the Mass Central Rail Trail—Wayside from Berlin to Waltham.[7][8] This work inspired other communities and land trusts to begin to build out their own sections of the MCRT.[9]

Efforts to complete the MCRT

[edit]

In 1999, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Management produced "Commonwealth Connections, A Greenway Vision for Massachusetts", including a call for a cross state multi-use trail reaching from Boston to the Berkshires.[10] Since 1999, Wachusett Greenways, the Wayside Rail Trail Committee, or the Norwottuck Network have held Golden Spike conferences during various years to promote the MCRT and other regional trails. By 2002, every community along the corridor agreed to the unified Mass Central Rail Trail name to promote the idea of a state-wide trail.[11] Since 2017, the Norwottuck Network has been issuing a monthly newsletter regarding MCRT development, as well as trail development in the region.[12] In 2021, MassTrails produced "Shared Use Path Benefits Primer", which featured the Norwottuck Branch of the Mass Central Rail Trail as one of the case studies.[13] In 2021, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation produced a feasibility study of the 68.5 miles (110.2 km) mid-state section of the MCRT between Belchertown and Berlin.[14] In 2023, MassTrails produced an interactive Priority Trails Network vision map for current and future shared-use path projects throughout the Commonwealth that will be prioritized, including all 104 miles (167 km) of the MCRT.[15] In 2023, the Norwottuck Network produced "Envisioning a Statewide Connection Massachusetts Central Rail Trail Benefits Study", a report highlighting the benefits of completing all 104 miles (167 km) of the MCRT.[9]

Trail sections

[edit]

Northampton and Norwottuck Branch of the Mass Central Rail Trail

[edit]
Northampton, Hadley, Amherst, Belchertown
See also: Norwottuck Branch of the Mass Central Rail Trail

Norwottuck details

[edit]
Norwottuck Rail Trail Bridge, Northampton

The trail is fully complete and paved through Northampton, Hadley, Amherst, and a short section in Belchertown.

The Mass Central Rail Trail's western terminus is at Northampton Union Station, maintained by the City of Northampton.[16] It continues 0.9 miles (1.4 km) parallel with the Connecticut River Line, an example of rails with trails, to Woodmont Road. Next, the Norwottuck Branch of the Mass Central Rail Trail runs 11 miles (18 km) from downtown Northampton through Hadley and Amherst going 1,300 feet (400 m) into Belchertown; it is a state park maintained by the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR).[17] The connection from Northampton to Hadley is made by the Norwottuck Rail Trail Bridge, a 1,492 feet (455 m), 8 span, steel lattice truss bridge first built over the Connecticut River in 1887. The trail was built in 1993, first known as the Norwottuck Rail Trail, and was one of the last US formal paved bikeways at 8 feet (2.4 m) wide; in 2015 the trail was widened to 10 feet (3.0 m) in line with newer MassDOT guidance for minimum shared use path width.[5][18]: 11–7 

Norwottuck connecting trails

[edit]

The 5-mile (8.0 km) section west of downtown, known as the Northwest Leg (Look Park Segment) of the Northampton Rail Trail System to Williamsburg, also known as the Francis P. Ryan Bikeway, is maintained by the City of Northampton.[16][19] It was formerly the New Haven & Northampton Company Williamsburg Branch, not part of the Central Massachusetts Railroad, and is not included in the 104 miles (167 km) tally.[20] Additional connecting trails in this section include the Arthur R. Swift Amherst/UMass Bike Connector, and the New Haven Northampton Canal Line and Manhan Rail Trail, which are both part of the greater New Haven and Northampton Canal Greenway.[21][22]

Belchertown Greenway

[edit]
Belchertown

Belchertown history

[edit]

By 1983, the Boston and Maine Railroad had taken up all tracks of the Wheelright Branch in Belchertown.[4]: 140  In 1997, Belchertown held an unofficial straw poll against further study of the trail.[23] At that time, Massachusetts was the only state that required paving of trails if using federal funds, which was cited as a concern. Over the following years, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation generated updated guidelines allowing for non-paved surfaces on shared use paths and greenways.[18]: 11–23  Other sections of the MCRT were built with a hard packed stone dust surface, such as the Wachussett Greenways sections. From 2000 to 2017, the Belchertown Land Trust, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, purchased 6.8 miles (10.9 km) (72%) of the former ROW land as it became available and donated it to the Town of Belchertown for public use and to protect from development.[24][5][25] In 2017 the Friends of the Belchertown Greenway was formed with the goal of building and maintaining the trail.[5][26]

Belchertown details

[edit]
Belchertown Greenway timber trestle bridge over Jabish Brook
Belchertown Greenway parallel to New England Central Railroad

The rail ROW heads roughly southeast through Belchertown. Most sections are cleared but unimproved but protected and used by pedestrians and snowmobiles.

From Warren Wright Road in Belchertown to Federal Street, the rail ROW is privately owned and has been largely obliterated by development. From Federal Street to Route 181, the trail ROW is owned by the Town of Belchertown and is open for pedestrians and snowmobiles. The sections north of the US 202 overpass are more overgrown, with the southern sections clearer and better maintained.[27] There is a timber trestle bridge over Jabish Brook in this section, and a report by the Friends of the Belchertown Greenway was commissioned as a first step before rehabilitation of the bridge.[28] The trail just after Station Road in Amherst to after North Washington Street in Belchertown section runs parallel with the New England Central Railroad, an example of rails with trails. From Route 181 to the Palmer Town line, the rail ROW is privately owned and not accessible to the public.

Belchertown connecting trails

[edit]

The New England National Scenic Trail follows Federal Street and therefore connects with the MCRT. Additionally, there is a short on-road connection from the MCRT at Route 181 to the Chickadee Trail, with the southern terminus at Depot Street, a 2.3 miles (3.7 km) hiking trail following the rail ROW of the former Boston and Albany Railroad Athol Branch, roughly following the Swift River north.[29]

Quabbin Valley and East Quabbin Land Trust

[edit]
Palmer, Ware, Hardwick, New Braintree, Barre

From the Belchertown border in Palmer, the rail ROW continues roughly southeast until reaching the Ware River, then continues through the Quabbin Valley to New Braintree and Barre roughly following the Ware River northeast. All improved sections are a hard packed stone dust surface suitable for bikes and walkers.

The bridge over the Swift River was demolished after rail service was discontinued and there is no river crossing available. The rail ROW starting in Bondsville, Palmer is unused and overgrown, but still owned by Massachusetts Central Railroad (MCER), the current shortline railroad, not the former railroad of the same name.[30] Old rails and ties are still in place, as is the bridge over the Ware River, and no trail development has taken place. Continuing into Ware, the rail ROW is still in use by MCER. The bridge over the Ware River is missing, making the ROW between the river and the Gibbs Crossing shopping plaza unusable.

Gibbs Crossing, bridge over Flat Brook, Ware

Two sections are open in Ware. From Gibbs Crossing to Robbins Road, a 1.56 miles (2.51 km) section is known as the Gibbs Crossing segment of the Mass Central Rail Trail. This section was opened in 2023 and is owned and maintained by the Town of Ware.[31] Past Robbins Road to the upper Ware River crossing, two river bridges are missing and the MCER rail yard on the east side of the river is still active, blocking the trail ROW.

EQLT Expansion and kiosk at Church Street, Ware

After the Ware River crossing, though Frohloff Farm and Accessible Rail Trail, through Upper Church Street, almost to the Ware–Hardwick Covered Bridge, a 2.7 miles (4.3 km) section is known as the Mass Central Rail Trail Expansion. The East Quabbin Land Trust (EQLT), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, purchased Frohloff Farm in 2018 and completed the Expansion in 2022.[32][33][34][5] The remaining section to the covered bridge is unimproved and not open to the public.

A 1 mile (1.6 km) section through the village of Gilbertville, Hardwick is known as the Ware River Park in Gilbertville section of the Mass Central Rail Trail. It is owned by the Town of Hardwick, running from just after the covered bridge to the Saint Aloysius Cemetery. A portion of this section is known as the Gilbertville Fitness Trail, built in 2014.[35] In 2022, the Town was awarded $133,000 in state funds to improve the section to MCRT standards, and it opened in 2023.[36]: 4 [37] The rail ROW paralleling Route 32 from Gilbertville to Creamery Road is no longer intact and has been lost to development and private ownership. In addition, the bridge over the active rail ROW is missing. This stretch is not open to public use.

EQLT lattice truss bridge over Ware river entering New Braintree
EQLT pony truss bridge over Ware river entering Wheelwright

From Creamery Road in Hardwick, through a lattice truss bridge over the Ware river to New Braintree, and through a pony truss bridge over the Ware river to Maple Street in Wheelwright, Hardwick, a 3.2 miles (5.1 km) section is known as the Mass Central Rail Trail, New Braintree and Hardwick. It is owned and maintained by the East Quabbin Land Trust, has a hard packed gravel surface, and is open to all non-motorized use.[38] In 2005 this rail ROW was listed for sale, and the Central Highlands Conservancy LLC was established in 2005. It purchased the land, giving the East Quabbin Land Trust two years to run a capital campaign to purchase the land at cost.[39] This preserved the trail section, including three historic bridges that would otherwise would have been scrapped.[40] The two largest bridges with steel superstructures received a 2023 MassTrails grant to replace the timber decking.[41]: 5  From Maple Street, into New Braintree again, to the Barre Town line, the trail ROW is obstructed by a missing bridge and the Tanner-Hiller Airport and is not open to the public.

Wachusett Greenways

[edit]
Barre, Oakham, Rutland, Holden, West Boylston, Sterling

Wachusett Greenways details

[edit]

Wachusett Greenways has completed about 20 miles (32 km) of the planned 30 miles (48 km) of the MCRT through the towns of Barre to Sterling, including eight bridges. All of the improved sections are a hard packed stone dust surface suitable for bikes or walkers, which helped accelerate construction dates forward compared to paving. The first section of trail opened in 1997 in West Boylston.[42][5][43]

From the New Braintree Town line to Barre Depot Road, the ROW in Barre is either obstructed by private development (south of Route 67) or part of an active section of the MCER (north of Route 67). East of Barre Depot Road, the rail ROW is obliterated by development. The trail departs the Ware River in Barre as it continues east to Boston.

White Valley bridge over Ware River, Barre
B = Boston 58 miles (93 km) marker. The opposite side will read N 46. Original paint. Oakham
N = Northampton 49 miles (79 km) marker. The opposite side will read B 55. Rutland
Charnock Cut, Rutland

An 8.8 miles (14.2 km) section from Barre, though Oakham, to Glenwood Road in Rutland, is complete and open. It includes the Charnock Tunnel installed in 2006, the Pommogussett Tunnel installed in 2011, the White Valley Bridge over the Ware River installed in 2013, and a culvert after Miles Road installed in 2024.[44][45][46][47] It also includes the Charnock Cut, which the railroad cut through significant rock ledge, now forming the highest point of the MCRT.[11] This section includes a 0.1 miles (0.16 km) on-road route on Miles Road in Rutland. The section between Glenwood Road and Wachusett Street is a privately owned section of the ROW, and not currently open to the public.

A 1.2 miles (1.9 km) section continues from Wachusett Street in Muschopauge, Rutland to the Holden Town line, however the final 0.1 miles (0.16 km) are unimproved. These trail sections are owned by the DCR and maintained by Wachusett Greenways.[48] From the Rutland/Holden Town line to Princeton Street, after the Providence and Worcester Railroad, the rail ROW is privately owned and lost to development. An on-road route is being used to fill the gap.

From Princeton Street to Mill Street, a 1.84 miles (2.96 km) section is open, and is a subsection of what is also named the Mill Street Rail Trail.[49] The ROW is the northern semicircle of the trail system, and trail detours on the east and west ends were built to complete the MCRT here. This section is owned by the DCR, and was created by a 2019 MassTrails award for the first phase of construction.[50]: 5 

The ROW from Quinapoxet Street to River Street is privately owned and lost to development. Instead, after a short on-road route north on Mill Street, a 2.2 miles (3.5 km) detour route from Mill Street, crossing Manning Street, to River Street, using trail along the Wachusett Aqueduct, has been developed to bypass this section, sometimes known as the Holden Connector. A MassTrails award in 2023 funded improvements from Mill Street at Wachusett Street to Manning Street, and construction began September 8, 2023.[41]: 6 [51] A 2024 MassTrails grant was awarded to complete this construction.[52]: 4  From River Street to Thomas Street in the village of Oakdale, West Boylston, a 3 miles (4.8 km) ROW is complete and open, roughly following the Quinapoxet River. The detour and trail ROW combined in Holden are both maintained by the DCR and are labeled "Mass Central Rail Trail" on the DCR's Wachusett Watershed Bike Routes map.[53] The trail in West Boylston is owned and managed by the Town.[48]

From Thomas Street in West Boylston, through Sterling, to Clinton, an on-road route is used. The ROW remains in service as the Worcester Main Line of CSX Transportation.


Wachusett Greenways connecting trails

[edit]
MCRT Sterling Spur bridge between West Lake Waushacum and The Quag in 2021. It was replaced by a prefabricated steel bridge in 2022.[54]

A connection to the Ware River Rail Trail, a 15 miles (24 km) trail following the ROW of the former Ware River Railroad, is available by an on-road connection, roughly following the Burnshirt River. The southern terminus is on Route 122, 0.25 miles (0.40 km) from the beginning of the Wachusett Greenways section at the Ware river.[55] There is a significant network of interconnecting shorter trails in the Ware River Watershed.[56] There is a connection in Rutland to the Midstate Hiking Trail, a 92 miles (148 km) scenic footpath, between the two crossings of Whitehall Road. The Sterling Rail Trail, also known as the Mass Central Rail Trail Sterling Spur, is a 1.7 miles (2.7 km) trail located between Sterling Junction and Sterling Center. It is available by an on-road connection to the Gates Road southern terminus. It uses the former ROW of the Fitchburg and Worcester Railroad, so it was never part of the Massachusetts Central Railroad or Central Massachusetts Railroad and is not included in the 104 miles (167 km) tally. This trail is owned by the DCR and maintained by Wachusett Greenways.[57]

Wachusett Dam and Clinton Greenway

[edit]
Clinton
Boston 36 miles (58 km) marker on DCR spillway before Wachusett Dam, Clinton
Clinton Train Tunnel, unimproved

The Wachusett Reservoir section of the trail is DCR property. From the yellow DCR gate numbered 39 on Route 110 and S Meadow Road in Clinton, the 1.1 miles (1.8 km) former railroad ROW, including a railroad rock cut, to north of the Wachusett Reservoir Dam is open to public use.[58] In 1974, the trail lost the possibility to convert the 917 feet (280 m) Clinton Viaduct over the reservoir, which was demolished by the Metropolitan District Commission. One potential alternative, the top of the dam itself, is only open to public use two days a year.[59] However, there is a 0.9 miles (1.4 km) detour following a steep gravel path along the Stillwater River, and then River Road east of the South Nashua River, to the yellow DCR gate numbered 43 at Boylston Street and Cameron Street.

East of Boylston Street to the Berlin Town line the rail ROW is still unimproved. The Clinton Greenway Conservation Trust, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, helped to acquire the ROW from Boston & Maine Railroad, including the 1,100 feet (340 m) railroad tunnel under Wilson Hill between Boylston Street and Clamshell Road, once the longest in Massachusetts.[60][61] In July 2020, the state awarded $112,000 for purchase of this section, which completed in December 2020.[62]: 3  The trail will connect two Town owned parcels, the Maffei Conservation Area and the Rauscher Farm, and pass through the open space around the Woodlands Development.[63][64][65][66] A further $397,000 MassTrails grant in 2022 will complete planning for the tunnel, and begin planning for the remainder of the trail east to the Berlin Town line.[36]: 3  A further $162,400 MassTrails grant was awarded in 2023 to purchase a parcel of land off Berlin Street with trail access and a parking area.[41]: 4  A 2024 MassTrails grant was awarded to construct Phase 1, access points at Rauscher Farm and 447 Berlin Street, and trail development between these two locations.[52]: 2 

Berlin Rail Trail

[edit]
Berlin

Berlin details

[edit]

In Berlin the rail ROW is unimproved. It is partially owned by the Town of Berlin, CSX Transportation, and the MBTA. An advocacy group Friends of the Berlin Rail Trail is working to build the Mass Central Rail Trail in Berlin.[67] This group has proposed a 3 Phase construction, where Phase 1 would be the Mass Central Rail Trail—Wayside, and Phase 2 and Phase 3 are central and western Berlin, respectively.[68] In 2024, a MassTrails grant for a feasibility study for all sections in Berlin was awarded.[52]: 2 

Berlin connecting trails

[edit]

A connection to the existing Lester G. Ross Dam, Wachusett Aqueduct Trail, and proposed Boston Worcester Air Line Trail (BWALT) will occur with Phase 2 in Berlin.[69][68]

Mass Central Rail Trail—Wayside

[edit]
Berlin, Bolton, Hudson, Stow, Marlborough, Sudbury, Wayland, Weston, Waltham
Mass Central Rail Trail—Wayside
Mass Central Rail Trail—Wayside where Eversource Phase 1 construction was complete at former East Sudbury station site, October 2024
Length8.4 miles (13.5 km) open, 23 miles (37 km) when complete
LocationWaltham, Massachusetts to Berlin, Massachusetts
Began construction2005 shared Assabet River Rail Trail section built, 2010 DCR lease for construction signed, 2014 first MCRT—Wayside section built
UseHiking, bicycling, inline skating, wheelchairs, strollers, cross-country skiing, horseback riding
DifficultyEasy
SeasonYear-round
SurfacePaved, stone dust (to be paved), unimproved
Right of wayMBTA owned, former Massachusetts Central Railroad and later Central Mass Branch, former Marlborough Branch of Fitchburg Railroad
Maintained byDepartment of Conservation and Recreation, Hudson
Websitemass.gov/info-details/mass-central-rail-trail-wayside
finishtherailtrail.org
Trail map
Map
DCR's Mass Central Rail Trail—Wayside in progress
🟣 In design
🟠 Construction
🟢 Complete

Wayside history

[edit]

By 1971, passenger service on the Central Mass Branch west of Waltham, subsidized by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) since 1964, had ended due to low ridership.[70]: 369–370, 373  In 1972, Governor Francis Sargent initiated a Commuter Rail Improvement Program which concluded that, while too early to restore service on the Central Mass Branch, acquisition from the Boston and Maine Railroad (B&M) to preserve the Central Mass Branch ROW and other ROWs would be prudent.[4]: 143  In 1976, the MBTA purchased from B&M various ROWs across Massachusetts, including the Central Mass Branch. B&M retained various freight rail service obligations over the ROWs for several more years.[71] By 1977, the MBTA had acquired title ownership of all of these ROWs in fee simple, a portion from the 1976 purchase and a portion by order of taking.[72][73] By 1980, a permanent discontinuance of the B&M's freight obligations for the Central Mass Branch west of Waltham was approved. The final train on the Central Mass Branch ROW, freight in Waltham between Bacon Street and Clematis Brook, ran in 1994.[4]: 137–138  In 1996, the MBTA produced the "Central Mass. Commuter Rail Feasibility Study", which advised reactivation of the Central Mass Branch between Berlin and Waltham would not be cost effective.[74] In 1997, a "Central Massachusetts Rail Trail Feasibility Study" was commissioned by the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, which found construction of a 25 miles (40 km) trail to be feasible.[7] The proposed trail was quickly renamed the Wayside Rail Trail by the Wayside Rail Trail Committee, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, as the Wayside Inn / Wayside Inn Railroad Waiting Room was a B&M station at the crossing with Dutton Road.[75] All seven municipalities from Berlin to Belmont (excepting Bolton, Stow, and Marlborough, as their shortest sections were expected to be bundled with their surrounding sections) initially approved the trail by large margins. However, a follow up Weston Special Town meeting voted 698 against and 410 in favor, which derailed progress on the Wayside Rail Trail for at least two decades.[76][77]: 23–24 [78][79] In 2006, theft of a section of rail was discovered in Berlin, which encouraged the MBTA to take a more active role maintaining the property.[5] By 2010, the DCR executed a 99-year lease with the MBTA to build what was finally renamed the Mass Central Rail Trail—Wayside, combining the Wayside name with the future vision of a trail from Boston to Northampton. The MCRT—Wayside lease is 23 miles (37 km) from Berlin to Waltham.[77]: 6  Under the terms of the lease, the MBTA retains the right to reactivate commuter rail.[8]: 4  This arrangement is not the Federal law known as railbanking because the MBTA neither began the required precondition of abandonment, nor consented to railbanking, which is optional.[80]: 6  In 2014, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EOEEA) determined the trail did not require further Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act review, simplifying permitting.[81]

In Wayland and Weston, by 1952, the Boston Edison Company (BECo) acquired an easement along this section of the B&M's ROW and built overhead power lines.[82]: 3  In 2016, BECo's successor, Eversource, filed permits to build a gravel access road for the power lines over what had become the MBTA's ROW. This included a trail section running from Cochituate Road in Wayland to before the bridge over the MBTA Fitchburg Line in Weston.[77]: 27–28  This significantly reduced construction costs of the trail, and in partnership, the DCR made the decision in January 2017 to build the trail by paving the access road and installing safe road crossings, which completed in 2019.[83][84] Eversource approached Weston for cooperation, sparking Weston's decision to participate, reversing the negative 1997 Town vote. Weston assisted by forming a Rail Trail Committee and made recommendations, constructed the Conant Road underpass not included with DCR's funding, officially stated thanks to DCR and Eversource for their contributions to the trail, and now supports the completion of the entire MCRT.[85]: 44–45 [86][87]

In Hudson, Stow, Marlborough, and Sudbury, in 2015 ISO New England issued a Greater Boston area needs assessment, directing utility companies to investigate a series of transmission projects to improve electrical grid reliability, including a connection of the Eversource substation in Sudbury to Hudson Light & Power.[88]: 16  In January 2015, Sudbury officials noted the potential Sudbury to Hudson Transmission Reliability Project was an opportunity for construction of the MCRT—Wayside at no cost to the town, as the MBTA ROW was the most direct route between the substations.[89] Prior efforts for a locally funded trail had already lost momentum, and with the news of a possibility to build the trail without local funding, Sudbury officials and a Town vote decided against continuing local funding efforts to accelerate a proposed trail build with a crushed stone surface first.[90][91]: 85  By November 2015, Sudbury and Hudson officials requested Eversource consider undergrounding the transmission lines along the MBTA ROW. By February 2016, Eversource identified an underground design under the MBTA ROW and under Hudson roads.[92]: 4, 6  By January 2017, the MBTA negotiated an options agreement with Eversource for this underground route only, at the cost of forgoing approximately $2 million compared to an overhead option, and requiring Eversource to work with DCR to create a trail.[93] In turn, in April 2017, when Eversource sought project approval from the Massachusetts Energy Facilities Siting Board (EFSB), Eversource preferred such an underground MBTA ROW route, though as part of the approval process, Eversource was required to evaluate alternative options. Only the preferred, underground MBTA ROW route was endorsed by the DCR, as the transmission project had the benefit of substantially reducing trail construction costs, and the underground route required Eversource to make several bridge improvements the trail required.[94] The preferred underground MBTA ROW route was approved by the EFSB in 2019. The EFSB decision noted the associated benefits of the trail, but stated the EFSB's approval of the transmission project was independent of the trail benefits.[88]: 163–164  Designed and permitted in partnership with the DCR, the project built a gravel sub-base for the future trail and grass shoulders, restored or rebuilt three trail bridges, built a trail tunnel under Chestnut Street in Hudson, and completed various restorative works such as mechanical removal of all invasive plants, thousands of native plantings, and wetland replication on the MBTA property at a 2:1 ratio of wetland located in the construction area. Buried power line construction was originally expected to complete in December 2019, however the start of construction was pushed to October 2022 and completed in November 2024, due to an unexpectedly lengthy permitting process.[95][96] In December 2024, the DCR put out a construction bid to pave the trail surface, install safe road crossings, add signage, and restore selected historical railroad features. This construction is estimated to begin Spring 2025.[97][98][99]

From 2017 to 2022, many lawsuits and petitions were filed by the Town of Sudbury and various abutters alleging the overlapping and jointly permitted construction suffered from varied legal defects, including allegations that the MBTA-DCR trail easement was unlawful and void.[80]: 1 [100]: 4, 6  However, in every ruling, all judges determined all plaintiffs could not succeed with any claim.[101][102][72][103][104][80][100] In 2022 and 2023, abutters sued the MBTA in Massachusetts Land Court twice alleging property rights over the MBTA's Central Mass Branch property in furtherance of such allegations, but withdrew both cases before a judicial ruling.[100]: 6 [105][106] In 2024, Hudson Town meeting voters rejected four citizen petitions to sell or lease the MBTA's Central Mass Branch property.[107]: 3, 27–28 [108]: 3 

In Hudson, a 0.75 miles (1.21 km) section of the MCRT—Wayside is shared with the Assabet River Rail Trail along the former Marlborough Branch of the Fitchburg Railroad.[109] Like this trail section, the predecessor railroads also shared this ROW, as some B&M Central Mass passenger trains were run via the Marlborough Branch starting in 1902. This was reduced to Hudson station in 1958, and while subsidized by the MBTA starting in 1964, the final passenger train on the Marlborough Branch ran in 1965.[70]: 369–370 [4]: 161  The MBTA's 1976/1977 purchase/acquisition of various ROWs included the Marlborough Branch along with the Central Mass Branch.[110]: 375–376 [72] B&M ran the final freight train to Hudson on the Marlborough Branch in 1980.[4]: 137 

Wayside details

[edit]

All 23 miles (37 km) of the Wayside trail, once built, form a state park maintained by the DCR, except a section shared with the Assabet River Rail Trail, which is maintained by the Town of Hudson.[97][85]: 9  All completed sections of the Wayside trail are paved, and DCR plans to pave both all sections under construction and the only section that is currently stone dust in Wayland.[111][85]: 45  While the MBTA ROW is 50 to 100 feet (15 to 30 m) wide, DCR leased trail sections are 19 feet (5.8 m) wide, known as the "Path Development Corridor", consisting of a paved path, typically 10 or 12 feet (3.0 or 3.7 m) wide, with grass shoulders, grading, and additional side clearance.[112]: 8 [113]: 5 [18]: 11–7, 11–8 

Sections are marked 🟣 in design (29%), 🟠 construction (34%), or 🟢 complete (37%).

🟣 2.3 miles (3.7 km) from Coburn Road, Berlin to the Bolton/Hudson Town line remains unimproved and overgrown with some missing bridges. In 2024, a MassTrails grant for preliminary design of the MCRT—Wayside from Colburn Road Berlin, through Bolton, to the Hudson border was awarded, as well as a feasibility study for all of the MCRT in Berlin to the Clinton border.[52]: 2  The Bolton section is 100 feet (30 m).[81]: 2  There is no known ETA for construction.

🟣 2.6 miles (4.2 km) from the Bolton/Hudson Town line to Priest Street, Hudson is unimproved.[114]: 10  A 2023 MassTrails grant was awarded for design of this section.[41]: 6  This section includes a timber trestle bridge over Bruce's Pond used by pedestrians but unimproved.[115]: 17–18 

MCRT—Wayside & Assabet River Rail Trail at the former location of Gleason Junction station, Hudson

🟢 0.75 miles (1.21 km) from Priest Street, Hudson to Wilkins Street, Hudson, is complete and shared with the Assabet River Rail Trail (ARRT). This section of the ARRT opened in 2005 and is maintained by the Town of Hudson. The trail sharing arraignment is a cost saving measure for the build of the MCRT—Wayside, including eliminating the cost of rehabilitating a timber trestle bridge over the Assabet River to the northwest of the section.[114]: 11 [115]: 19–21  The unimproved ROW, intersecting the completed trail at the former Gleason Junction, runs northwest and southeast.

MCRT—Wayside Phase 1 and Bruce Freeman Rail Trail Phase 2D during construction, Sudbury

🟠 7.6 miles (12.2 km) from Wilkins Street, Hudson to the Sudbury Substation are under construction, passing thought the towns in the order Hudson-Stow-Hudson-Marlborough-Sudbury. Eversource's buried power line construction, which included the pedestrian bridges and a gravel access road, was completed in November 2024. Bridge 127 in Sudbury was a riveted plate deck girder bridge, built in 1881. Over time, it had submerged into Hop Brook, damaging the piers and steel. Bridge 130 over Fort Meadow Brook in Hudson was a timber trestle bridge, destroyed by fire in 2019. Both bridges were replaced by prefabricated structural steel truss bridges in 2024. Bridge 128, also over Hop Brook in Sudbury, was built in 1881. It is a riveted plate deck girder bridge with granite abutments and timber piers.[115]: 10–14, 25–27  It received a new timber deck and railing, preserving the girders, piers, cross frames, and the majority of the abutments.[116]: 4–5  A new precast arch pedestrian tunnel was installed under Chestnut Street in Hudson.[117] This section passes by South Sudbury station adjacent to the former railroad crossing, with tracks forming a diamond to be preserved inside a new trail rotary, and the historic Sudbury Section Tool House.[118][119] The Stow section is 327 feet (100 m) between Wilkins St Hudson and Chestnut St Hudson.[81]: 2  The Marlborough section is several feet to the center of the trail, forming a tripoint with the Hudson and Sudbury borders. It is accessible from Marlborough by the Old Concord Road hiking path.[120] The Wayside Inn Railroad Waiting Room was a B&M station at the Dutton Road crossing for which the MCRT—Wayside is named.[75] DCR put out a construction bid in December 2024, which is estimated to begin Spring 2025.[97]

🟣 1.4 miles (2.3 km) from the Sudbury substation to Route 20, Wayland are unimproved. This section is currently at 25% design and funded to construct a paved trail.[111]: 15  The ETA for the start of construction is Spring 2027, though in 2023 the DCR stated it hoped to move the project forward to better align with the Sudbury-Hudson section's construction and completion.[121][122] There is a timber trestle bridge over the Sudbury River in Great Meadows Wildlife Refuge.[115]: 22–24 

Wayland Station

🟢 0.5 miles (0.80 km) from Route 20, Wayland to Cochituate Road, Wayland is complete with a stone dust surface. It was installed as a stone dust trail by the Town of Wayland in 2017, and includes a historic railway turntable to be preserved.[77]: 56 [111]: 26  It will be improved in the Spring 2027 Sudbury-Wayland construction project with paving. This section passes by Wayland station.

The Town of Weston built the Conant Road underpass in 2019

🟢 4.4 miles (7.1 km) from Cochituate Road, Wayland to before the bridge over MBTA Fitchburg Line, Weston are complete. DCR paved the access road and installed safe road crossings in 2019, except for the Conant Road underpass installed by Weston.[123][86] This section passes by the historic Wayland Freight House and Weston station.[9]

Lattice truss bridge over Fitchburg Line in Weston, unimproved

🟠 0.3 miles (0.48 km) from before the bridge over MBTA Fitchburg Line, Weston to Jones Road, Waltham is under construction, known as Mass Central Rail Trail Waltham-Weston, Phase 1. This section will rehabilitate the existing bridge over the MBTA Fitchburg Line. The bridge was built in 1896 and is a riveted lattice truss bridge on stone abutments.[124] Construction funding was announced in 2023 and DCR issued a notice to proceed with construction in 2024.[125][126] Construction is estimated to complete summer 2025.[97]

🟣 0.5 miles (0.80 km) from Jones Road, Waltham to Hillside Road, Waltham is unimproved, known as Mass Central Rail Trail Waltham-Weston, Phase 2. This section will rehabilitate the existing bridge over Rt. 128. The bridge was built in 1960 and is a two-span plate girder bridge on concrete abutments and pier.[115]: 6–7  This section is at 25% design.[124] It will be designed in coordination with the 1265 Main Street Phase 2 mixed use development and roadway improvements project. The roadway improvement portion of the 1265 Main project will occur first, is planned for 2025, and will create a new shared use path on Route 117 and Green Street. DCR notes this roadwork will establish the first connection between the neighboring MCRT sections, prior to the more direct 128 Bridge rehabilitation route.[124][127] The 1265 Main project also considers relocating the Kendal Green MBTA commuter rail station to Jones Road to create a multi-modal center integrated with the trail.[128]: 9, 17  Construction is estimated to start in 2024 for the Green Street / 117 shared use path, with the 128 Bridge work to be determined, to follow MCRT Waltham-Weston, Phase 1.[129]: 124 [127]

🟢 0.3 miles (0.48 km) from Hillside Road, Waltham to after Border Street, Waltham, is the first completed section of the Wayside trail. It was built in 2014 in partnership with the 1265 Main Street Phase 1 development.[130]

🟢 2.75 miles (4.43 km) from after Border Street, Waltham to Beaver Street, Waltham, at the location of the former Clemantis Brook Station location, is complete.[81]: 3  Waltham funded the approximately $9 million cost of construction of its section from City revenues.[131] Construction began in 2022 and was substantially complete by September 2023.[132][133] However, the Linden Street bridge rehabilitation has not begun, and therefore the two completed sections are not continuous. The timber trestle bridge over Clemantis Brook was rehabilitated with new decking and timber bridge railings, stone abutments, and concrete piles. This section passes by Waltham Highlands station. Past Linden Street, it is an example of rails with trails with the MBTA Fitchburg Line.

🟠 120 feet (37 m) of the Linden Street bridge rehabilitation in-between the completed main Waltham section has not begun. Waltham received matching MassTrails grants in 2022 and 2023 to fund construction, however DCR eventually decided to reconstruct the bridge.[36]: 9 [41]: 11 [97] It was built in 1894 and is a riveted lattice truss bridge on granite abutments. The Linden Street bridge project also includes sidewalk and railroad crossing improvements at Beaver Street. Construction bid was awarded, and construction is estimated to begin in spring 2025.[97]

Wayside connecting trails

[edit]

In Hudson, the MCRT—Wayside connects with the Assabet River Rail Trail in Hudson. In Sudbury, it connects with the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail Phase 2D which is under construction, and the two trails will connect at the site of the Sudbury "diamond". There are also many connections to hiking trails including the Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge, the City of Marlborough Desert Natural Area, the Town of Sudbury Hop Brook Marsh Conservation Land, and Sudbury Valley Trustees Memorial Forest.[134] In Wayland, a portion of the trail is shared with the Bay Circuit Trail and the East Coast Greenway. In Weston, there are many connections to hiking trails including Jericho Town Forest and Sears Conservation Land.[135] In Waltham, there is a connection to the hiking trails in Prospect Hill Park. The Western Greenway to MCRT connection received a 2023 MassTrails grant for design and permitting.[41]: 11 [136]

Greater Boston paths and parks

[edit]
Waltham, Belmont, Cambridge, Somerville, Boston
See also: Fitchburg Cutoff Path, Alewife Linear Park, and Somerville Community Path
Fitchburg Cutoff Path, Cambridge
Alewife Linear Park, Cambridge

All sections from east Waltham to Boston were, or will be, developed as separate projects but serve as part of the complete Mass Central Rail Trail. All completed sections are paved. The section of Waltham east of Beaver Street and the Belmont Community Path were once included in the 1997 Central Massachusetts Rail Trail Feasibility Study and the former Wayside Rail Trail proposal, but are now separate projects from the DCR's Mass Central Rail Trail—Wayside.[81]: 2–3 [7]: 12 [79]

Greater Boston details

[edit]

Sections are marked ⚪ unimproved, 🟣 in design, or 🟢 complete.

⚪ 0.72 miles (1.16 km) from Beaver Street, Waltham to the Waltham / Belmont Town Line are unimproved. A Metropolitan Area Planning Council 2012 Belmont/Waltham Community Trail Alignment Study considered design options for this section.[137]: 5–6  There is no known ETA for construction. A 2025 oil spill cleanup project may relieve an impediment to progress on this section.[127]

🟣 1 mile (1.6 km) from the Waltham / Belmont Town Line to Clark Street, Belmont is the Belmont Community Path (Phase 2). Design is underway.[138][139] There is no commitment for construction funding yet.[140] It will become an example of rails with trails with the MBTA Fitchburg Line. Construction may begin in 2026-2027 if the project is accepted for TIP funding.[140]

🟣 1.1 miles (1.8 km) from Clark Street, Belmont to Brighton Street, Belmont is the Belmont Community Path (Phase 1). It has been in development for over two decades, including a 2008 land purchase for trail development by the Belmont Citizens Forum, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.[79] Design is underway, and the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) has committed to pay for the construction cost.[141] In 2024, a MassTrails grant for right of way acquisition was awarded.[52]: 2  It will become an example of rails with trails with the MBTA Fitchburg Line. The project includes a new tunnel under the MBTA Fitchburg Line tracks connecting Belmont High School to Alexander Avenue, a safety feature first officially considered in 1983 following a student death.[79] Construction is estimated to start in 2026.[142]

🟢 0.8 miles (1.3 km) from Brighton Street, Belmont to the Alewife T Station Access Road, Cambridge is the Fitchburg Cutoff Path, which opened in 2013.

🟢 0.3 miles (0.48 km) from the Alewife T Station Access Road, Cambridge to the southwest corner of Russell Field, Cambridge is the Minuteman/Linear Park Connector. This section runs along the north and east sides of the main Alewife station, then between Jerry's Pond and the Russell Field entrance to Alewife station.

🟢 0.7 miles (1.1 km) from the southwest corner of Russell Field, Cambridge to just east of the red-brick marked Cambridge/Somerville border is the Alewife Linear Park, which opened in 1985.[143] A project to study and redesign the 35 year old Linear Park began in 2021.[144]

Somerville Community Path, Somerville
Somerville Community Path Extension viaduct, over GLX and Lowell Line tracks.

🟢 3.2 miles (5.1 km) from just east of the red-brick marked Cambridge/Somerville border to N First Street, Cambridge is the Somerville Community Path. This path opened in sections between 1994 and 2015, and the Somerville Community Path Extension in 2023 as part of the Green Line Extension (GLX) project, making it an example of rails with trails. The extension includes a 1,400 feet (430 m) viaduct over the Fitchburg Line and GLX, reaching 50 feet (15 m) tall.[145]

The western end of the North Bank Bridge with Zakim Bridge in background, Cambridge

🟢 0.9 miles (1.4 km) from N First Street, Cambridge to Charles River Dam, Charlestown, Boston, the trail is complete. It runs through the North Point Development Cambridge Crossing, North Point Park, over the North Bank Bridge, and Paul Revere Park. It was hoped the planned pedestrian path of the North Station Draw One Bridge replacement to North Station would be incorporated, but the pedestrian path was removed from the project.[146][147] The most direct pedestrian path to access North Station is the Gridley Locks Footpath over the Charles River Dam, however bikes must be walked on the footpath.


Greater Boston connecting trails

[edit]

Alewife Station is a trail hub, connecting with the Minuteman Bikeway, as well as the Alewife Brook Greenway and the greater Mystic Greenways network. Sequential connections heading south include the Alewife Brook Parkway Path, the Fresh Pond Bikeway, the Watertown-Cambridge Greenway, the Watertown Branch Rail Trail, and the Charles River Bike Path. In Somerville, the MCRT will link to the proposed Mystic to Charles Connector if built, and in turn, if the bridge over the Mystic River is built, will link to the Northern Strand Community Trail.[148][149] East of Cambridge Crossing and into Boston, the MCRT is shared with the East Coast Greenway. In Boston, the Charles River Bike Path is accessible by bike lanes across Charles River Dam Road. The Boston Harborwalk includes the Charles River Dam.

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[edit]
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Further reading

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Envisioned Mass Central Rail Trail Route
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