Owned by MBTA Platforms 1 side platform Area 4 ha | Line(s) Haverhill Line Tracks 2 | |
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Location 17 Railroad Street
Andover, Massachusetts Parking 150 spaces ($4.00 daily)
4 accessible spaces Address Andover, MA 01810, United States Architectural style Shingle style architecture Similar Ballardvale, Bradford, Haverhill station, Worthen House, North Station | ||
Andover is a commuter rail station on the MBTA Commuter Rail Haverhill Line, located near the town center of Andover, Massachusetts. The station has one platform with a mini-high platform for handicapped accessibility serving one track, while the second track lacks a platform. The previous station building, used from 1907 to 1959, is still extant; it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982 as Third Railroad Station.
Contents
History
The Andover and Wilmington Railroad opened between its namesake cities in August 1836 as a branch line off the new Boston and Lowell Railroad (B&L). A small wooden Greek revival station was built near the center of Andover. The line was soon extended north, and in 1842 in merged into the Boston and Maine Railroad (B&M). After building its own route to Boston in 1845, the B&M looked to expand its passenger base to compete with the B&L. In 1848, the B&M relocated its main line from Ballardvale to North Andover to the west in order to serve the new mill town of Lawrence.
The line was moved several blocks west in Andover, away from the busy intersections of the town square. A small house was converted into a temporary station, which was soon replaced by a larger L-shaped station with a large train shed. A brick freight house was built sometime between then and 1875.
In 1906, the B&M began construction of a new station, as residents complained about the smoky conditions inside the train shed. The new station, a copy of Beverly Depot designed by Bradford Lee Gilbert a decade earlier, opened on September 1, 1907. It was used as the station until 1959; in 1982, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places as Third Railroad Station.
Today, MBTA passengers board from a single platform behind the former freight house. Both buildings have been repurposed for commercial use.
Bus connections
Andover station is served by two MVRTA bus routes: