Lexington Depot


Lexington Depot, or Lexington station, is a former train station in Lexington, Massachusetts on the Lexington Branch.

History

It opened in 1846 as part of the Lexington and West Cambridge Railroad, and later became part of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Commuter Rail system. In January 1977, following a major snowstorm which temporarily shut down the Lexington Branch, the MBTA announced that service on the branch would not be restored; in the 1980s, the MBTA planned to extend the Red Line to Route 128 along the former path of the Lexington Branch as part of the Northwest Extension, including service to Lexington station, but fierce opposition from the residents of Arlington scuttled this plan, and the Northwest Extension was cut short to Alewife.
The building now serves as the headquarters of the Lexington Historical Society. The Minuteman Bikeway runs through the former trainshed adjacent to the former station platforms. It is one of only two station buildings to remain standing along the Lexington Branch; the other is the branch's former terminus at Bedford Depot.