Ballardvale station

Ballardvale station is an MBTA Commuter Rail station on the Haverhill Line, located in the Ballardvale village of Andover, Massachusetts. The station has a single side platform serving a single track.

History
The Andover and Haverhill Railroad opened through Ballardvale in 1836. In 1849, the Boston and Maine Railroad moved the line about 0.5 miles west to its present alignment as part of a lengthy relocation to serve the growing mill city of Lawrence. The original depot was converted to a residence.

A two-story Italianate depot was built in 1849 at the Andover Street crossing to serve as the new Ballardvale station. A baggage room was added around 1893. In 1950, it was cut in half, moved 150 feet, and converted to a private residence. The baggage room was detached and served as the station shelter for some time.

In November 1974, North Andover and Andover declined to renew their subsidies. Service to North Andover station ended on November 15 that year. Days before, Andover commuters and businesses raised funds to continue service until April 1975. On April 7, 1975, town residents voted "overwhelmingly" to reimburse the commuters and subsidize service for an additional year. The town declined to subsidize further service, and the three Andover stops (Shawsheen, Andover, and Ballardvale) were dropped effective April 2, 1976. The round trip, by then stopping just at Lawrence, Bradford and Haverhill, was ended in June 1976. The MBTA bought all B&M commuter equipment and lines on December 27, 1976, including the Western Route from Wilmington Junction to the New Hampshire border.

Service to Haverhill, including the stop at Ballardvale, resumed on December 17, 1979. A mini-high platform for accessibility was added around 1992. Ballardvale station was left as single track after the 2010–2017 double-tracking project. However, the MBTA plans to reconstruct the station and add a second track.