Millis Branch
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MILLIS BRANCH
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The former station building at Dover, as seen in 2014
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| Overview | |
| Type | Commuter rail |
| System | Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority |
| Status | Abandoned |
| Locale | Southeastern Massachusetts |
| Termini | Boston South Station Millis |
| Stations | 14[1] |
| Operation | |
| Opened | 1861 (Charles River Branch Railroad) |
| Closed | 21 April 1967[2] |
| Owner | New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad |
| Operator(s) | New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad |
| Character | Surface-level |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 22.1 miles[1] |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
The Millis Branch was a branch of what is now the MBTA Commuter Rail system. Branching off the still-operating Needham Line at Needham Junction, it ran through the towns of Dover, Medfield, Millis, and Medway. Due to lack of subsidies and poor ridership, the line was cut back to Millis station in April 1966, and all service ended on April 21, 1967.
History
The Charles River Branch Railroad was extended from Needham Center to Woonsocket, Rhode Island in stages between 1861 and 1863 under the New York & Boston Railroad, with service operating to Boston via the Highland Branch.[3] Ownership of the line passed through the Boston, Hartford and Erie Railroad, New York and New England Railroad, and finally to the New Haven Railroad as it consolidated southern Massachusetts rail lines under its umbrella. After the Needham Cutoff opened on November 4, 1906, service from Woonsocket and intermediate stops ran over the cutoff rather than via the Highland Branch.[3]
With the Franklin Line as the primary Woonsocket route for the New Haven Railroad, the Charles River Branch served as a minor branch line. All service beyond West Medway was cut in 1941. After 1955, service on the line was one single-car round trip to West Medway, which was combined with a longer Needham Heights train at Needham Junction.[2][3]
By the time the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) was founded in August 1964 to subsidize suburban commuter rail service, the West Medway line was moribund. Subsidies to the New Haven Railroad for the Needham, West Medway, Dedham, and Franklin lines began on April 24, 1966; out-of-district Medway declined to provide additional funding and the line was cut back to Millis as the Millis Branch.[2] The sole remaining round trips to Millis and Dedham were cut on April 21, 1967, due to extremely poor ridership.[3][2]
The former stations at Dover (now a cafe) and Millis (now town offices) are still extant; the other six stations west of Needham Junction have been demolished.
Station and junction listing
| Milepost[4][1] | City | Station/junction | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.00 | Boston | South Station | Still operating |
| Junction with Midland Branch (now MBTA Fairmount Line) | |||
| 1.2 | Back Bay | Still operating | |
| Junction with Framingham/Worcester Line | |||
| 5.0 | Junction with Providence/Stoughton Line, Franklin Line, and Dedham Branch | ||
| 6.4 | Roslindale Village | Still operating | |
| 7.2 | Bellevue | Still operating | |
| 7.6 | Highland | Still operating | |
| 8.0 | West Roxbury | Still operating | |
| 10.9 | Needham | Bird's Hill | Still operating |
| 12.0 | Needham Junction (station) | Still operating | |
| 12.1 | Needham Junction | Junction with Needham Line | |
| 13.8 | Charles River | Closed 21 April 1967 | |
| Former branch to Ridge Hill | |||
| 15.2 | Dover | Dover | Closed 21 April 1967; station building still survives as a café |
| 18.2 | Medfield | Farm Street | Closed 21 April 1967 |
| 19.3 | Medfield | Closed 21 April 1967 | |
| 21.5 | Millis | Clicquot | Mainly a freight station by the 1960s;[5] closed 21 April 1967 |
| 22.1 | Millis | Closed 21 April 1967; station building survives and is rented for commercial purposes | |
| 24.6 | Medway | Medway | Closed 24 April 1966 |
| 26.1 | West Medway | Closed 24 April 1966 | |
| 27.3 | Bellingham | Caryville | Closed 1941 |
| 28.2 | North Bellingham | Closed 1941 | |
| 30.5 | Bellingham Junction | Closed 1941 | |
| 34.7 | Blackstone | East Blackstone | Closed 1941 |
| 35.5 | Woonsocket Junction | Closed 1941 | |
| 36 | Woonsocket, RI | North Main Street Crossing | Closed 1941 |
| 37.1 | Woonsocket | Closed 1941; planned to be a stop on the future Boston Surface Railroad from Worcester to Providence |
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Millis Branch. |
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