Winchester Center

Winchester Center is a passenger rail station on the MBTA Commuter Rail Lowell Line, located on a viaduct in the downtown area of Winchester, Massachusetts. It is served by all Lowell Line trains, as well as a limited number of Haverhill Line trains which run via the Wildcat Branch.Winchester Center station is not handicapped accessible, but the MBTA plans to renovate the station and add accessible high-level platforms beginning in 2017.HistoryThe Boston and Lowell Railroad opened between its namesake cities in 1835; local stops including Winchester were added soon after. By the 1840s, service on the line was suitable for commuting to Boston.In 1955, the Boston and Maine Railroad began a project to raise the tracks of the New Hampshire Main and the southern end of the Woburn Branch for a mile through Winchester, eliminating troublesome grade crossings in the downtown area. Boxy two-story brick stations were opened at Wedgemere and Winchester Center in 1957.Until 1981, the Woburn Branch diverged from the main line just north of the Winchester Center platforms. A short stub is still in place.Repair workWinchester Center station has not been substantially renovated since the viaduct was completed in 1957. In September 2008, the MBTA approved $1.4 million in platform and ramps repairs, as well as electrical and lighting work, at the station. The work was completed in 2010; the MBTA intended to renovate the station before the 5-year life of the platform patches was reached.