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Segment
Assabet River Rail Trail, shared with the MCRT
In 2023, Hudson opted to share this section of the ARRT with the MCRT-Wayside. The original Mass Central Railroad corridor crossed the Assabet River with a now-disused bridge slightly north.
Trails
The Assabet River Rail Trail (ARRT) is a partially-completed multi-use rail trail running through the cities and towns of Marlborough, Hudson, Stow, Maynard, and Acton. It is a conversion of the abandoned Marlborough Branch of the Fitchburg Railroad. The right-of-way parallels the Assabet River in the trail's midsection.
The MCRT Wayside Branch is a partly completed, 23-mile section of the Mass Central Rail Trail designed, built, and maintained by the DCR in partnership with local communities. In 2010, the DCR executed a lease with the MBTA for the corridor, which passes through Waltham, Weston, Wayland, Sudbury, Hudson, and Berlin, and with small pieces in Stow, Bolton and Marlborough.
The MCRT is a partly-complete 104-mile rail trail from Northampton to Boston along the former Mass Central Railroad route. Much of the trail, including the Norwottuck Branch Rail Trail and the Somerville Community Path, have been developed as separate projects but will serve as part of the complete Trail.
Timeline
January 2025
The Hudson Select Board unanimously endorses completing the 104 mile Mass Central Rail Trail, including design of a section in Downtown and West Hudson to connect to the forthcoming Eversource/DCR section in East Hudson. With reference to the connecting Assabet River Rail Trail in Hudson: “This is the town’s second adventure in rail trails, so it’s very exciting,” said Director of Planning and Community Development Kristina Johnson.
September 24, 2005
After many positive votes in Hudson, the Hudson section of the trail is open to the public. Only the Route 62 bridge over the Assabet River is unfinished, which will wait for a State project. This bridge opens on May 25, 2010, with the new ARRT bike lane now open. It closes what was a 100 yard gap in the trail.
1997
In 1995, the five communities commissioned a Feasibility Study (see Appendix) to be prepared by the State’s Central Transportation Planning Staff (CTPS) and organized an Advisory Committee to work with CTPS in the preparation of the Feasibility Study. Three public meetings were held (in Stow, Maynard and Hudson) attracting close to 200 people in total. The study was released in January 1997 and concluded that the ARRT project is feasible and worth pursuing. In the spring of 1998, all five towns (Marlborough, Hudson, Stow, Maynard and Acton) voted to start the first steps of the project.
1992
In 1992, several Hudson residents envisioned a rail trail linking the communities of Marlborough, Hudson, Stow, Maynard and Acton. Following the abandoned Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) rail bed known as the Boston and Maine (B+M) “Marlborough Branch,” a volunteer group consisting of individuals from each of the five communities organized to promote the Assabet River Rail Trail (ARRT) concept.