Bay Colony Rail Trail

(Redirected from Newton Upper Falls Greenway)

The Bay Colony Rail Trail (BCRT) is a partially completed rail trail in Newton, Needham, Dover, and Medfield, Massachusetts. It has 4 miles (6.4 km) open and when completed it will be 7 miles (11 km). It is made up of 4 rail trails, the Newton Upper Falls Greenway, the Needham Rail Trail, the Dover Greenway, and the Medfield Rail Trail. Named for the former Bay Colony Railroad, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) owns the right of way (ROW) and leases the trail to the municipalities. Most of the BCRT was once the Millis Branch, except the Upper Falls Greenway which was once the Charles River Branch Railroad that connected to the Highland Branch.[1][2] The Bay Colony Rail Trail Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to the dedicated to the development, maintenance and promotion of the BCRT.[3]

Bay Colony Rail Trail
The Newton Upper Falls Greenway passing by the former Newton Upper Falls Station.
Length4 miles (6.4 km) open, 7 miles (11 km) when completed
LocationNewton, Needham, Dover, Medfield
Established2016
UseWalking, hiking, bicycling
SurfaceCompacted stone dust
Right of wayMBTA
Maintained byNewton, Needham, Dover, Medfield
Websitewww.baycolonyrailtrail.org

History

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By 1958 the Highland Branch was abandoned, though freight service on the Upper Falls rail line of the Charles River Branch Railroad to Needham Junction and beyond continued until at least 1984.[1][4] The MTA, the predecessor of the MBTA, acquired the Highland Branch ROW and built what would become the Green Line D Branch. The acquisition also included the Upper Falls ROW, but a proposal to extend the D Branch never occurred, eventually making the Upper Falls Greenway possible.[5]

By 1967 commuter service on the MBTA's Millis Branch had ended.[6]: 374  In 1998, the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization completed a study which advised commuter rail reactivation between Needham Junction and Millis would not be cost effective. In 2008, the Bay Colony Railroad ceased operations on the section from Medfield to Newton, and formally abandoned it's lease, reverting control back to the MBTA.[7]: 2 [8]

Upper Falls Greenway

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The Newton Upper Falls Greenway is a 1 mile (1.6 km) compacted stone dust rail trail in Newton Upper Falls, connecting Newton Highlands to the Charles River. The ROW is owned by the MBTA with a long-term lease to the City of Newton. The trail was first proposed in 2011 by the former Friends of the Upper Falls Greenway, which organized volunteers to help build the trail.[9][8] Work began to build the Greenway in 2013 by Iron Horse Preservation, a national non-profit that converts rails to trails financed by selling the scrap rail tracks and ties.[10] However all progress had stalled by 2015, when the City of Newton picked up the work, and the trail was completed and dedicated in 2016.[1] The trail is maintained by the city.

In 2023, planning began for the Newton/Needham Community Way, to extend the Greenway into Needham.[11]

Needham Rail Trail

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Needham Rail Trail and railroad whistle post

The Needham Rail Trail is a 1.7 miles (2.7 km) mile compacted stone dust rail trail in Needham, Massachusetts. The trail runs through Needham Town Forest, connecting Needham Junction station to the Charles River. A former 501(c)(3) nonprofit Friends of the Needham Greenway was formed in 2012 to help build the trail.[12] Funded by a combination of State funds and private donations, construction began in 2015 and the trail opened in 2016.[13][14] The ROW is owned by the MBTA and leased to the Town for 99 years at no cost.[7]: 1  The trail is maintained by the Town.

Dover Greenway

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The Dover Greenway is a proposed 3 miles (4.8 km) compacted stone dust rail trail in Dover, Massachusetts. The MBTA right of way is parallel to Center Street, running from the Medfield Town line to the Charles River. In 2016 the Town voted in favor of signing a lease from the MBTA to build the trail, and in 2017 voted in favor of Dover-specific lease terms.[15][16] However, by 2022 talks with the MBTA had stalled. The Friends of the Dover Greenway, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit advocating for the Greenway, suggested the Town sign a standard lease agreement, similar to what the MBTA had signed with Medfield and Needham.[17] In June 2024, Dover was awarded a MassTrails grant for design of the trail.[18] The Town announced the rail trail project in October 2024, anticipating design completion in Fall 2025 with construction to follow.[19][20] The trail will be maintained by the Town.

Medfield Rail Trail

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Medfield Rail Trail sign

The Medfield Rail Trail is a 1.3 miles (2.1 km) compacted stone dust rail trail in Medfield, Massachusetts. The trail runs from Ice House Road to the Dover Town line. A lease for the ROW was signed with the MBTA in 2021.[8] The trail was funded by donations organized by the Friends of the Medfield Rail Trail, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and MassTrails State grants, and was completed in 2022.[21][22] The trail is maintained by the Town.

References

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  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Upper Falls Greenway". Newton Conservators. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
  2. ^ "Trail FAQs". Bay Colony Rail Trail Association. February 7, 2025. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
  3. ^ "Bay Colony Rail Trail". Bay Colony Rail Trail Association. February 7, 2025. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
  4. ^ Reilly, Jerry (April 4, 2012). "Dispatch From Upper Falls - Those Old Tracks". Newton, MA Patch. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
  5. ^ "D Branch". Boston Streetcars. February 7, 2025. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
  6. ^ Belcher, Jonathan (June 27, 2015). "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). NETransit. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b "The Bay Colony Rail Trail: Frequently Asked Questions". Town of Needham, Massachusetts. March 1, 2012. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b c Donner, Christian (February 26, 2022). "Progress on Medfield's Rail Trail -". Medfield Historical Society. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
  9. ^ Reilly, Jerry (March 4, 2021). "About us". Friends of the Upper Falls Greenway. Archived from the original on March 4, 2021. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  10. ^ Reilly, Jerry (October 26, 2011). "Dispatch From Upper Falls - The Upper Falls Greenway". Newton, MA Patch. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
  11. ^ "Planning for the Newton/Needham Community Way". Newton Conservators. August 30, 2023. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
  12. ^ Sherlock, Steve (September 1, 2012). "Friends of the Needham Rail Trail Greenway". Franklin Matters. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
  13. ^ Dame, Jonathan (April 30, 2015). "Rail Trail breaks ground". Needham Times. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
  14. ^ "Needham Trail Opening Event Details". Bay Colony Rail Trail, Needham. April 17, 2016. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
  15. ^ "FAQs". Friends of the Dover Greenway. February 6, 2025. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
  16. ^ "Thank You for Another Successful Vote". Friends of the Dover Greenway. May 16, 2017. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
  17. ^ "Moving Forward – An Update". Friends of the Dover Greenway. April 4, 2022. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
  18. ^ Cancell, Darlene (July 22, 2024). "$230K in MassTrail Grants to Fund 2 Local Projects: Dover Greenway and Canton's Wentworth Shared-Use Path Feasibility Study". Westwood Minute. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
  19. ^ Ghiloni, Mark (October 1, 2024). "Rail Trail Project". Town of Dover, Massachusetts. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
  20. ^ Cancell, Darlene (September 23, 2024). "Town of Dover Announces Planning Phases of a Dover Rail Trail Project". Westwood Minute. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
  21. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions". Friends of the Medfield Rail Trail. February 7, 2025. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
  22. ^ Lorentzen, Michelle (December 21, 2022). "Seven Sensational New Rail-Trails to Celebrate in 2022". Rails to Trails Conservancy. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
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