Belmont Center station facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Belmont Center
Belmont Center station building, now the Belmont Lions Club
Location	Common Street at Concord Avenue Belmont, Massachusetts
Coordinates	42°23′45.3″N 71°10′34.3″W / 42.395917°N 71.176194°W / 42.395917; -71.176194
Line(s)	Fitchburg Route
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	2
Connections	MBTA bus: 74, 75
Construction
Parking	no spaces
Bicycle facilities	8 spaces
Other information
Fare zone	1
History
Opened	1852, March 4, 1974
Closed	1958
Rebuilt	c. 1879, c. 1908
Traffic
Passengers (2013)	159 (weekday average boardings)
Services
Preceding station MBTA Following station Waverley toward Wachusett Fitchburg Line Porter toward North Station
Belmont Railroad Station
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location in Massachusetts Show map of Massachusetts Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	1 Common Street Belmont, Massachusetts
Built	1908
Architectural style	Bungalow/Craftsman
NRHP reference No.	98001443
Added to NRHP	December 4, 1998

Belmont Center is a train station in Belmont, Massachusetts. It's a stop on the Fitchburg Line, which is a train route. You can find it right in the middle of Belmont's town center, where Common Street, Concord Avenue, and Leonard Street meet. It's one of two train stations in Belmont; the other is Waverley station.

The station you see today was built in 1908. This happened after a big project where the train tracks were lifted up onto a bridge. This made it safer by separating the tracks from the roads below. The station has two platforms, one on each side of the tracks. These platforms are low, meaning you step up into the train. Because the platforms are low and there are no ramps, it's not easy for everyone, like people using wheelchairs, to get on and off the trains. There isn't a place to buy tickets at the station, so passengers buy them on the train.

History of the Station

Early Train Days

The former Wellington Hill station building, now at the Belmont Historical Society

The first train stop here was called Wellington Hill. It opened in 1852. An old school building was moved to the spot to be the first station. Around 1879, a new two-story wooden station was built. The old school building was moved again and used as a summer house. Later, in 1975, it was given to the Belmont Historical Society. It was moved to its current spot across from the modern station in 1980.

Raising the Tracks

To make the area safer, the train tracks through Belmont Center were raised in 1907. This helped avoid busy crossings with cars and people. A large, two-story station building was then built in 1908. It was made from 365 tons of stone from Belmont Hill. All train service to Belmont Center and nearby Waverley stopped in 1958.

MBTA Era and Modern Use

Train service to Belmont Center and Waverley started again on March 4, 1974. At first, weekend service was stopped in 1981. But it was brought back on December 6, 1993.

The station building from 1908 is now owned by the Belmont Lions Club. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 4, 1998. This means it's an important historical building.

There have been talks about changing the station. Some ideas included closing Belmont Center and Waverley stations. Then, a new station would be built in between them. These ideas were discussed as early as 2005. However, plans for a new station were stopped in January 2016. As of August 2017, there are no plans to make Belmont Center station easier for everyone to use.

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Middlesex County, Massachusetts