Swampscott station facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Swampscott
The 1868-built Swampscott station in 2008
Location	10 Railroad Avenue, Swampscott, Massachusetts
Owned by	MBTA
Line(s)	Eastern Route
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	2
Connections	MBTA bus: 441, 455
Construction
Parking	131 spaces ($4.00 fee)
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Fare zone	3
History
Opened	1836 (original station)
Rebuilt	1868 (current station) 1997 (renovation)
Traffic
Passengers (2018)	891 (weekday average boardings)
Services
Preceding station MBTA Following station Lynn toward North Station Newburyport/​Rockport Line Salem toward Newburyport or Rockport
Swampscott Railroad Depot
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	Swampscott, Massachusetts, USA
Built	1868
Architect	Cram, George W.; Eastern RR
Architectural style	Stick/Eastlake
NRHP reference No.	98001106
Added to NRHP	August 28, 1998

Swampscott station is a historic train stop in Swampscott, Massachusetts. It is located in the southwest part of Swampscott, near the Lynn border. This station serves the MBTA Commuter Rail Newburyport/Rockport Line, which is a train service for people traveling to and from work or school.

The old station building, built in 1868, has a special design called Stick/Eastlake style. Even though the old building is not used anymore, the location is still an active train stop. It is also a "park-and-ride" spot, meaning people can park their cars here and then take the train. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. This means it's recognized as an important historical place.

History of Swampscott Station

Swampscott station around 1900

The current station building was built in 1868. It was designed for the Eastern Railroad by a person named George W. Cram. He was a house builder from Boston.

Saving the Old Building

In the 1980s, some local people worked to save the old station building. They wanted to stop it from being torn down. This work was only a temporary fix. Later, in 1997, a town group raised $15,000 to fix the outside of the building. They wanted it to look like it did when it was first built. However, no work was done on the inside of the building at that time.

On August 28, 1998, the station was officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This made it a protected historical site.

Future Plans for the Station

In 2005, the town tried to sell the station to a company that develops properties. But the talks stopped in 2006. In 2010, the town again asked for ideas on how to use the building. However, because the inside of the station has not been fully fixed up, it has been hard to find a new use for it.

A town report in 2012 suggested that the station area could be used for different things, like shops and homes. It also suggested building a safe path for people to cross between the train platforms. In 2012, Swampscott Station was used in a movie! It was temporarily called "Stanton Station" for the 2013 film Grown Ups 2.

Rail Trail Project

In 2004, a town report suggested ways to make it easier for people to get to the station. This included improving paths for walking and biking from other parts of town. One idea was to build a path on an old train track route called the Swampscott Branch.

The Swampscott Branch train service stopped in 1959. This happened because the Boston and Maine Railroad company stopped using train lines that were not making money. A northern part of this old track, in Marblehead, was already turned into the Marblehead Rail Trail. This trail goes along another old track to South Salem.

In 2012, the town started a process to get part of the old track route near the station. This was from a company called National Grid. The company was okay with the idea of a trail but had strict rules for how it could be built.

Images for kids

• 

  The 1868-built Swampscott station in 2008