It had been a few years since I last visited the old Boston & Maine station on the Fitchburg Line at South Acton, Massachusetts.
Pat Yough and I stopped in on Sunday, just a day or so after MBTA’s Grand Opening.
The new facility features long high-level platforms, a massive footbridge, and modern signaling.
A young woman waiting for a train to Leominster told me that she was very excited about the new station but found the signage confusing. “It’s traumatic when the train comes in on the other platform and you miss it!”
Pat and I waited for an outbound MBTA train destined for Fitchburg. High clouds made for diffused lighting that was ideal to show the new station at South Acton.
Last time I’d visited South Acton, there was a ‘blue- bird’ GP9 with a caboose working a local freight. Didn’t see that on Sunday!
Photos exposed with my FujiFilm X-T1 digital camera.
There’s lots of work underway for a much expanded service to Fitchburg. MBTA has already double-tracked to the Willows (junction east of Ayer with the Stonybrook Line), and there’s active plans to add a third track from the Willows to Ayer. A new storage facility is being built near Wachusett (on the grade west of Fitchburg) and new signaling is being installed along the relevant sections. Hopefully improved parking will be part of the plan. BS
We had a teacher in high school named “Acton” – but we did call him “Action.”
Quite the new station there. Hope continue to run the turn-around trains to Littleton – that is a handy stop for us when visiting my wife’s family in the area.
🙁
Don’t ya just HATE AUTOCORRECT when it changes “Acton” to “Action?”
Technology 1, People 0 !
Argh !!!