Forge Park/495

Story

Forge Park/495 is a commuter rail station and terminal of the MBTA Commuter Rail Franklin Line. The station is located in Franklin, Massachusetts near I-495 and Route 140; it serves as a park-and-ride station for Franklin and other communities southwest of Boston.The station has two side platforms serving a single track - a layout unique on the MBTA system. This allows passengers to access trains from the parking lots on both sides of the track. A mini-high platform on the south platform makes the station handicapped accessible.HistoryThe station opened on June 2, 1988 as a 2.8mile extension of the Franklin Line from Franklin/Dean College station. It is located not on the former Norfolk County Railroad mainline (which became the Franklin Line), but on the Milford and Woonsocket Railroad which splits from the mainline south of downtown Franklin. Although still an active freight line, the branch had not seen passenger traffic since 1940. The MBTA leased the branch from Conrail for the extension, with the possibility of future purchase. The developer of the adjacent Forge Park industrial park donated of land to build parking lots for the station.Bus connectionsThe station is served by two GATRA feeder bus routes: North Bellingham T ShuttleSouth Bellingham T Shuttle