Owned by MBTA Tracks 1 Fare zone Special Address Foxborough, MA 02035, USA Platforms in use 1 | Line(s) Framingham Secondary Disabled access Yes Passengers (2005–2006) 1,567 (per event) Opened 1971 | |
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Similar Walpole, T F Green Airport, Dedham Corporate Center, Providence station, Wickford Junction | ||
Foxboro station on the MBTA Commuter Rail system is currently only used for special events, such as New England Patriots football games, at nearby Gillette Stadium. It lies on a freight line between Mansfield and Framingham, known as the Framingham Secondary. The line was part of the Boston, Clinton, Fitchburg and New Bedford Railroad, Old Colony Railroad, New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad, and, finally, Conrail, until 1999, when it passed to CSX. The line connects to the MBTA's Franklin Line at Walpole and the Providence/Stoughton Line at Mansfield.
Trains come from Boston's South Station via the Franklin Line and from T. F. Green Airport station in Warwick, Rhode Island via the Providence/Stoughton Line. Franklin Line trains make stops at Back Bay, Dedham Corporate Center/128, and Norwood Central. Providence/Stoughton Line trains make stops at Providence, South Attleboro, Attleboro, and Mansfield. The service started with the opening of Foxboro Stadium in August 1971; Providence service ended soon but was brought back in 1994.
Expansion plans
In September 2010, the MBTA completed a study to determine the feasibility of extending full-time commuter rail service to Foxboro via the Franklin Line. The study looked at extending some Fairmount Line service to Foxboro, running shuttle trains from Foxboro to Walpole, or a combination of both. No determination was made as to if or when this service would begin.
A proposal for the MBTA to purchase the track and restore service met with some local opposition, although the state purchased the line in June 2015. Passenger service gained new momentum when the owner of Gillette Stadium agreed to help subsidize the costs of a pilot program, up to $200,000/year.