Lexington and West Cambridge Railroad

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Boston and Lowell Railroad in 1887, just before the merger into the Boston and Maine Railroad.

The Lexington and West Cambridge Railroad was chartered in 1845 and opened in 1846.^[1]

Double tracks connected Lexington Center to the Fitchburg Railroad (now the MBTA Fitchburg Line) via West Cambridge (near the modern Alewife Station. The city of West Cambridge changed its name to Arlington in 1867, so the railroad was also renamed to the Lexington and Arlington Railroad.^[1] to Lexington.

The Boston and Lowell Railroad leased or purchased^{[citation needed]} the line in 1870 and built a new connection (the Fitchburg Freight Cutoff?) to their main line at Somerville Junction. It created a subsidiary, the Middlesex Central Railroad to build an extension from Lexington to Bedford and then Concord Center (Lowell Road), which opened in 1873.^[1] A 2.5 mile extension from Concord Center to Concord Prison (Reformatory Station on Elm Street) would give the name Reformatory Branch to the Bedford-Concord segment in 1879.^[1]

The independent Billerica and Bedford Railroad built a connecting narrow gauge line in 1877, but went bankrupt the next year.^[2] In 1885, the Middlesex Central purchased the right-of-way and used it to build a standard gauge extension to North Billerica from Bedford. The North Billerica-Boston segment was known as the Lexington Branch.^[1]

The Boston and Maine Railroad purchased all of the Boston and Lowell in 1887.

At one time 19 trains a day stopped in Lexington. On April 24, 1926, passenger service ended on the Reformatory Branch, and on February 5, 1927, abandoned the remaining freight service on the short segment between Concord Center and Reformatory Station. On December 31, 1931, passenger service on the outer Lexington Branch from Bedford and North Billerica was discontinued. Remaining services were converted from steam to diesel trains in 1956.^[1]

In 1962, the Boston and Maine abandoned both segments north and west of Bedford. It was noted at the time that the Bedford-Concord Section had only seen 19 cars in 19 years.^{[citation needed]} The town of Bedford purchased the rights of way within its boundaries in 1963.^[1]

By 1965, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority was subsidizing passenger service between Boston and Bedford.^[1] On December 26, 1976, the MBTA purchased the rights of way and passenger equipment from the Boston and Maine (which retained freight trackage rights). Operation of MBTA Commuter Rail is contracted to the Boston and Maine until later being awarded to other private companies.

Beginning on January 10, 1977, a snowstorm blocks the line for a few days, after which the MBTA announces it will not resume passenger service.

In 1979 the Interstate Commerce Commission gave permission for the Boston and Maine Railroad to stop running freights on the line. Common power on the branch during that time was SW # 1227. Despite permission the B&M continued to operate service until 1981. The last train to ply the line was hauled by a GP9 and 23 cars.^{[citations needed]}

In 1980, a federal judge ruled that the Lexington Branch must be restored after construction of the parking garage at Alewife Station, over the right of way. In 1981, the MBTA and the town of Arlington signed an agreement allowing the line to be abandoned and town land to be used temporarily for construction access, in return for support for bikeway conversion.

The right of way was railbanked in 1991, and the Minuteman Bikeway opened on it in 1993. A former Boston and Maine diesel car was purchased and placed at the west end of the trail in Bedford Depot Park.