about the trail
The Boston Providence Rail Road Line created a rail spur to Dedham Center in 1835. The tracks and trains ran from Readville to a beautiful granite train station that was located in Dedham Square - where the parking lot is now. With the increased shift to cars, usage of this spur declined and the trains stopped in 1967.
Did you know Dedham Square's Keystone Lot used to look like this?
In 1882, Boston Providence Railroad hired Sturgis & Brigham of Boston to design the new depot for Dedham Center. It was an elegant structure built of Dedham granite. In 1898 as many as 60 trains a day where stopping in Dedham. The station was abandoned in 1933 and torn down in 1951.
Like so many rail corridors that were once bustling, the Dedham corridor sat abandoned and became a magnet for illegal dumping and unsavory activity. In the 1970s and onward, towns began to convert these neglected corridors into multi-use paths for bikes, pedestrians, and people of all abilities. Because train corridors are often so level, they are ideal for ADA compliant recreation paths.
The Fairhaven Rail Trail and Minuteman Bikeway were two of the early success stories. But those projects, and many rail trail projects often face stiff opposition when they are first proposed. Both the Fairhaven and Minuteman took 25 years to come to be. Once they were built, they became gems of the State and beloved community assets. This is the same story repeated in the 75+ Massachusetts towns that have transformed their corridors.
In 1999, the Town of Dedham purchased the abandoned rail corridor and in 2002 the corridor was capped in the first step in a “rails to trails” conversion - according to the town application to the State Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The capping was done but the project was not finished. It is time to complete this important project.
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is investing heavily in these projects and the goal would be to apply for funding from the State programs, to construct the trail.
The trail would involve construction of one bridge over River Street and a switchback or tunnel at Mt. Vernon Street in order to reconnect pieces of the formerly continuous rail corridor. MassDOT pays for this type of construction. It would not cost any town tax dollars to design or build.
See map below for details on key areas.
Click for larger view.