Taunton station (Old Colony Railroad)

TAUNTON
The historic Old Colony Railroad Station building. A new MBTA platform would be built just to the north.
Location	Off Dean Street Taunton, Massachusetts
Coordinates	41°54′16″N 71°4′56″W / 41.90444°N 71.08222°W / 41.90444; -71.08222Coordinates: 41°54′16″N 71°4′56″W / 41.90444°N 71.08222°W / 41.90444; -71.08222
Owned by	Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
Line(s)	Dean Street Industrial Track
Platforms	1 side platform (proposed)
Tracks	1 (current) 2 (proposed)
Construction
Parking	209 (proposed)
Bicycle facilities	8 spaces (Proposed)
Disabled access	Yes
History
Opened	1866
Opening	2030 (proposed)
Closed	1897
Rebuilt	1876
Previous names	Dean Street
Services
Preceding station   MBTA   Following station East Taunton toward Battleship Cove or Whale's Tooth South Coast Rail 2030 (proposed) Raynham Park toward South Station
Old Colony Railroad Station
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
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Location	Taunton, Massachusetts
Built	1876
Architectural style	Italianate
MPS	Taunton MRA
NRHP reference #	84002192
Added to NRHP	July 5, 1984

84002192

Old Colony Railroad Station is an historic Italianate train station located off Dean Street (US Route 44) in Taunton, Massachusetts. The historic station, also known as Dean Street, is proposed to be joined by the modern Taunton station around 2030 as part of Phase 2 of the South Coast Rail project.

The first Taunton station was constructed in 1866 when the Dighton and Somerset Railroad (owned by the Old Colony & Newport Railway) was opened. Originally to be called Taunton, it was renamed as Dean Street in 1865 (before the station even opened) because of the completion of Taunton Central station across town.

The 1876 building, a distinctive brick Italianate structure, is the only surviving railroad station in the city. It has a main hip roof with modillioned eave and corbelled cornice, and a steeply pitched central gable section. At the track level a second roof is supported by large wooden brackets. The building's corners are articulated by stone quoining. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places as Old Colony Railroad Station in 1984.

Around 1882, the Old Colony began consolidating service at Taunton Central, beginning with through services. By 1895, only the Boat Train still served Dean Street. All service to the station ended around 1897 (though the station appeared on local maps for some time afterwards), and the line was abandoned from Dean Street to Raynham in 1932.

A new MBTA Commuter Rail station, Taunton, is proposed to be built at the site by 2030 as part of the second phase of the South Coast Rail project. An 800-foot-long high-level platform would be constructed just north of the historic building to serve a single passenger track; a freight passing track would also be added. The passing track was not present in original designs, but was added because the original one-track design would have prevented some wide freight trains from using the line.