Middleborough/Lakeville (old) (MBTA/CapeFLYER)

(NOTE: this will be rendered obsolete when the new Middleborough station opens with the South Coast extension. That will be linked when it’s ready.)

Middleborough, Middleborough, Middleborough… What do you have as an end-of-line Commuter Rail station? Well…..

This has got to be, quite possibly, one of the longest station names on the entire Commuter Rail system to be printed in Helvetica Bold typeface. Maybe second to “Commuter Rail to Boston” heading Newtonville (is that inbound or outbound?). Well, whatever. The station is pretty standard. You have your shelter, a departure board with all trains signed for Track 1 (duh, there’s only one track), a copious amount of parking, and allegedly a GATRA bus connection. I mean, it exists in timetables and GTFS at least? There’s also some apartments nearby, though not to the same degree as Windsor Gardens. Lastly, there’s also the CapeFLYER during the summer, which if rumors are to be had, this station is expected to be orphaned to CapeFLYER-only status after South Coast Rail opens, and presumably with a rename to not cause confusion with new Middleborough? Maybe rename to “North Lakeville” or something? Location? It’s not really in Middleborough or near the town center. Eww.

The good: It’s got some bicycle racks, a lot of parking (maybe too much?), shelters and usual amenities to expect from a standard Commuter Rail station. It’s also got full level boarding (which will be a common theme with this section of the network) so yay.

The bad: It’s kinda in the middle of nowhere, far from anything…

Nearby points of interest: Not a lot. I mean, if you’re willing to walk a bit down a stroad, you have a Shell gas station and a local pizzeria!

Transit connections:
Commuter Rail (Middleborough)
CapeFLYER
GATRA (Downtown Middleborough Shuttle, Link 4)

Overall, it’s okay. It’s serviceable, but pretty generic and is largely park and ride hell.

Rating: 6/10