The 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 work
Winchester 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. On July 7, 2015, the Winchester Department of Public Works discovered a hole in the inbound platform, which prompted the closure of the northern of the platform and one ramp due to concrete deterioration. One ramp and the remaining section of the platform remained open for service. The MBTA planned to make temporary repairs before the end of the year. Further repairs were made in 2017 to support the platforms and ramps.
Planned renovations
The MBTA is planning renovations to the station which will repair water damage and make it fully accessible. The station design was advanced to 15% in December 2011; Jacobs Engineering was then chosen as the contractor for final design in June 2012. Funding issues prevented this design work from beginning until 2013. It was later determined that the mini-high platforms of the 15% design were not sufficient for state accessibility requirements, and that full-length high-level platforms would be required. The town objected to simply changing the design to accommodate these platforms. After several iterations, a new 15% design was reached in December 2015. The rebuilt station will have -long high-level platforms; although shorter than the MBTA standard, they will still be able to platform 9 cars. A gauntlet track may be installed to allow Pan Am Railwaysfreight trains to pass. A new interlocking may be built south of the station, which will allow greater flexibility during construction and allow the retirement of the former Woburn Branch interlocking north of the station after completion. Although early designs called for replacement of existing ramps, the new 15% design added two redundant elevators at the southern end of each platform. The 1957-built station will be demolished to make room for the elevators and staircases. The northern ramp to the outbound platform will be moved north of the adjacent rotary; the northern inbound ramp will be rebuilt at its present location south of the rotary, with the possibility of an additional ramp north of the rotary in the future. Design of the station was then expected to be completed by the end of 2016, with the $25.8 million construction beginning in 2017. By October 2016, bidding was expected to begin that December. The MBTA designated $34 million in funding in 2016, but the projected cost rose to $54 million by 2018., the MBTA expects to begin construction in fall 2020, with completion in spring 2023. The total project budget is $49.9 million: $7.3 million for design and $42.5 million for construction.
