SAUGUS — Before it ceased operating in 1958, the Saugus Branch Railroad provided easy transportation between Boston and the municipalities north of the city.
The path of the Northern Strand Community Trail, which was built in 2013, was once used for the Saugus Branch Railroad. This is no secret to most Saugonians, as it is colloquially known as the “rail trail” throughout town.
Rail travel was handled privately by companies and individuals before the founding of the Metropolitan Transit Authority, now known as the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, in 1947.
Railways serviced the Boston area in this way until these companies were broken up due to monopoly laws, with underground railway travel eventually replacing the above-ground electric streetcar trolleys and horse-drawn carriages.
Opening for service on Feb. 1, 1853, the branch only serviced a handful of communities, with stops in Lynn, Malden, East Saugus, Saugus Center, Cliftondale, East Malden, and Maplewood (also in Malden).
By the next year, the line was extended to cover South Malden (now part of Everett) and West Lynn. This extension made it easier for commuters from north of Boston to reach the city by using a connection.
The usage of the branch grew steadily after it opened for service, reaching a peak of 36 trips per day in 1893.
Early in the 20th century, likely due to the increased availability of the automobile, the line’s usage began to decrease. By 1919, the number of trips had fallen to only 16 a day, less than half of the amount from 1893.
Due to the rationing of materials like gasoline in World War II, people began to once again ride the line. Its resurgence, however, lasted only as long as the war, and afterward it quickly fell out of favor with the public.
As usage continued to decline, the operator of the line, Boston and Maine Railroad, petitioned the Department of Public Utilities to close the line.
At the time of the petition, 300 riders were still utilizing the line’s two daily trips. A hearing was held in December 1957, and ultimately, a decision was rendered to grant the operator’s request. The line’s last passenger train ran on May 16, 1958.
In 1976, the MBTA purchased the assets for the Saugus Branch Railroad. While it had plans to reactivate the line in the 2000s, the path was instead converted to the Northern Strand Community Trail.
