Ashland

  Southborough

Framingham  

 

Ashland was the last of the four new intermediate Park & Ride infill stations between Framingham and Worcester to open. The station opened on August 24, 2002, two months after its sister stations in Southborough and Westborough. The station contains two low-level side platforms with mini-high platforms at their western ends. These mini-high platforms are designed to retract their platform edges to allow freight trains to pass through un-impeded. These mini-high platforms are each directly connected to the switchbacking ramp/staircase structures (complete with an intermediate level to switch between ramp and staircase) up to the stations pedestrian bridge that connects the two platforms. The platforms also have single-car long canopy structures in the middle of each platform.

Each station platform has its own parking lot, these each have a similar number of spaces with the station having a total of 693 parking spaces. Although the road bridge of High Street is just west of the station, there is only a steep emergency access road (blocked by gates) between the inbound platform side’s parking lot and High Street. This means that it is an over 2-mile drive by car via a grade-crossing at Cherry Street east of the station near what feels like the town center of Ashland to drive between the station’s two parking lots. Therefore, each platform has its own pedestrian pick-up and drop-off area along the low-level platforms just west of the pedestrian bridge.

The entrance to the Inbound platform, named South Parking on signs is via Memorial Drive that enters from the south (passing a newer apartment complex just south of the station, although trees separate it from the railroad).

The Outbound platform's North Parking, has its entrance via parallel Pleasant Street (that meets up with High Street north of the station) just west of the end of its parking lot. There is more development on this side of the station including a pub that could share (although trees separate them) its parking lot with the commuter rail parking lot.
Photos 1-57 taken on June 19, 2024

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The pick-up and drop-off area on the Inbound platform as an Inbound train stops in the station

A conductor looks out of the train as it slowly departs Ashland

F40 #1056 pushes a five car Boston-bound train out of the station

F40 #1056 pushes a Boston-bound train out of the station with a cloud of smoke

F40 #1056 continues out of the station

The countdown clocks for Worcester on Track 2 to Boston

A bench/sign on Track 2

The little painted pull off as the Inbound platform pick-up/drop-off area

The shelter for Ashland along the platform drop-off area

Platform side of the ramps up to the pedestrian bridge with some advertisements

Pay Station for the parking spaces on this side of the station, the former boxes to put your money in are covered in instructions how to pay digitally

The start of the ramp from street-level (up to the mini-high platform on the ramp structure up to the connecting pedestrian bridge

Stepping back to a view of the Inbound platform parking lot

The gated off access Road to the High Street bridge, not a parking lot exit

Looking Down Track 2

The long (with a sidewalk) actual access road to the Inbound platform via Memorial Drive

The drop off areas on each platform are parallel to each other

Sign for the ramps to Track 2

Looking across to the ramp/mini-high platform in the middle of the staircase/ramp structure to the pedestrian bridge

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Last Updated: October 10, 2024 This website is not affiliated with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Their official website is here This Website is maintained and copyright © 2011, Jeremiah Cox. Please do not remote link images or copy them from this website without permission.