Chelsea (MBTA station)

CHELSEA
Platforms at Chelsea station, looking north, in February 2010
Location	Arlington Street & 6th Street Chelsea, Massachusetts
Coordinates	42°23′45″N 71°02′03″W / 42.3957°N 71.0342°W / 42.3957; -71.0342Coordinates: 42°23′45″N 71°02′03″W / 42.3957°N 71.0342°W / 42.3957; -71.0342
Line(s)	Newburyport/Rockport Line
Platforms	1 side platform
Tracks	2
Connections	MBTA Bus: 111, 112, 114, 116, 117
Other information
Fare zone	1A
History
Opened	November 29, 1985
Rebuilt	2017 (planned)
Traffic
Passengers (2013)	179 (weekday inbound average)
Services
Preceding station   MBTA   Following station North Station Terminus Newburyport/Rockport Line River Works toward Newburyport or Rockport   Future services   Bellingham Square toward South Station Silver Line SL6 Opening 2017 Terminus

Chelsea is a passenger rail station on the MBTA Commuter Rail Newburyport/Rockport Line, located near Bellingham Square slightly north of downtown Chelsea, Massachusetts. It is one of the more lightly-used stops on the line, with 179 daily boardings by a 2013 count; most residents commuting to downtown Boston use bus routes including the high-frequency route 111 bus instead. Unlike all other stations on the line save limited-service River Works and Prides Crossing, Chelsea is not handicapped accessible. However, the stop is planned to be moved to a new accessible station in late 2017 in conjunction with a new branch of the Silver Line bus rapid transit service.

After the opening of the Charlestown Bridge in 1901 and the East Boston Tunnel in 1904, Boston and Maine railroad stations in Everett and Chelsea lost ridership to slower but more frequent streetcar service. On April 18, 1958, the Boston and Maine Railroad received permission from the Public Utilities Commission to drastically curtail its suburban commuter service, including abandoning branches, closing stations, and cutting trains. Among the approved cuts was the closure of all Eastern Division service south of Lynn, including the entirety of the Saugus Branch, plus mainline stations at East Somerville, Everett, Chelsea, and Forbes. These areas were largely within the Metropolitan Transit Authority bus service area, acquired from the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway in 1936. The Saugus Branch and mainline stations were closed on May 16, 1958.