Mass Central Rail Trail—Wayside

The Mass Central Rail Trail—Wayside (MCRT—Wayside) is a partially completed, 23-mile (37 km) rail trail in Waltham, Weston, Wayland, Sudbury, Marlborough, Hudson, Stow, Bolton, and Berlin, Massachusetts. The trail is a Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) state park along the right-of-way (ROW) of the former Massachusetts Central Railroad and later, former MBTA Central Mass Branch.^[1] The MCRT—Wayside currently has 16 miles (26 km) open, and the remaining miles are in design. The MCRT—Wayside is part of the 104-mile (167 km) Mass Central Rail Trail between Boston and Northampton.

All 23 miles (37 km) of the MCRT—Wayside, once built, form a state park owned by the MBTA and maintained by the DCR, except for a 0.75-mile (1.21 km) section owned and maintained by the Town of Hudson, as it is shared with the Assabet River Rail Trail.^{[1][2]: 10–11} As of 2026, the MCRT—Wayside has 16 miles (26 km) open—representing 71% of the total route—while the remaining 29% is currently in design. All completed sections of the MCRT—Wayside are paved, and DCR plans to pave both all sections under construction and the only section that is currently stone dust in Wayland.^[3][4]: 45 While the MBTA ROW is 50 to 100 feet (15 to 30 m) wide, DCR leased trail sections are 19 feet (5.8 m) wide, known as the "Path Development Corridor", consisting of a paved path, typically 10 or 12 feet (3.0 or 3.7 m) wide, with grass shoulders, grading, and additional side clearance.^{[5]: 8 [6]: 5 [7]: 11–7, 11–8}

Status: Complete | Length: 2.75 miles (4.43 km) | Surface: Paved

In Waltham, the MCRT—Wayside begins at Beaver Street, at the location of the former Clemantis Brook Station, and this section is complete.^[8]: 3 Waltham funded the approximately $9 million cost of construction of its section from City revenues.^[9][10] Construction began in 2022 and was substantially complete by September 2023.^[11][12] The timber trestle bridge over Clemantis Brook was rehabilitated with new decking and timber bridge railings, stone abutments, and concrete piles. This section passes by Waltham Highlands station. From Beaver Street to the Linden Street bridge, it is an example of rails with trails with the MBTA Fitchburg Line.

Status: Complete | Length: 120 feet (37 m) | Surface: Paved

The Linden Street Bridge rehabilitation, in-between the Waltham section above, is complete.^[13] Waltham received matching MassTrails grants in 2022 and 2023 to fund construction, however DCR eventually funded reconstruction of the bridge.^{[14]: 9 [15]: 11 [1]} The bridge was built in 1894 and is a lattice truss bridge on granite abutments.^{[16]: 3–5} In 2002, the Wayside Rail Trail Committee held the Golden Spike 2002 event adjacent to the bridge, where statewide advocates unified on the Mass Central Rail Trail name for the greater project between Boston and Northampton.^[17] Construction began in December 2024 and completed in December 2025.^[18][19][20]

Status: Complete | Length: 0.3 miles (0.48 km) | Surface: Paved

This Waltham section from slightly east of Border Road to Hillside Road was the first completed section of the MCRT—Wayside. It was built in 2014 in partnership with the 1265 Main Street Phase 1 development.^[21]

Status: In Design | Length: 0.5 miles (0.80 km) | Surface: Unimproved

This Waltham section is unimproved. This section will rehabilitate the existing bridge over Rt. 128. The bridge was built in 1960 and is a two-span plate girder bridge on concrete abutments and pier.^{[16]: 6–7} This section is at 25% design.^[22] It is being designed in coordination with the 1265 Main Street Phase 2 mixed use development and roadway improvements project. The roadway improvement portion of the 1265 Main Phase 2 project will occur before the MCRT—Wayside project, and the timeline of both projects remains undetermined as of March 2026.^[1] The 1265 Main Phase 2 project will create a new shared use path on Route 117 and Green Street, prior to the more direct MCRT—Wayside over the Rt. 128 bridge rehabilitation.^[22][23] The 1265 Main Phase 2 project also considers relocating the Kendal Green MBTA commuter rail station to Jones Road to create a multi-modal center integrated with the trail.^{[24]: 9, 17}

Status: Complete | Length: 0.3 miles (0.48 km) | Surface: Paved

The section from Jones Road, Waltham to slightly west of the Stony Brook Bridge over the MBTA Fitchburg Line in Weston, is complete.^[22] This section rehabilitated the existing Stony Brook bridge over the MBTA Fitchburg Line.^[25] The Stony Brook bridge was built in 1896 and is a riveted lattice truss bridge on stone abutments.^{[16]: 8–9} The design of the bridge was based on the Norwottuck Rail Trail Bridge along with the Linden Street Bridge, and the three are the only remaining examples of riveted lattice truss bridges in Massachusetts.^[26][27] In December 2023, Governor Maura Healy announced leftover American Rescue Plan Act funding would be used for construction, and DCR issued a notice to proceed in 2024.^[28][29] Construction completed in August 2025.^[30][1]

Status: Complete | Length: 4.4 miles (7.1 km) | Surface: Paved

The section from slightly west of the Stony Brook Bridge in Weston to Cochituate Road, Wayland is complete. DCR paved the access road and installed safe road crossings in 2019, in partnership with Eversource and Weston.^{[31]: 28 [32][33]} This section passes by the historic Wayland Freight House and Weston Depot.^[34]

Status: Complete | Length: 0.5 miles (0.80 km) | Surface: Stone dust

This Wayland section is complete with a stone dust surface. It was installed as a stone dust trail by the Town of Wayland in 2017, and includes a historic railway turntable to be preserved.^{[31]: 56 [3]: 26} The surface is planned to be paved during the Wayland to Sudbury project, which is scheduled to begin construction in Winter 2027. This section passes by Wayland station.

Status: In Design | Length: 1.4 miles (2.3 km) | Surface: Unimproved

The section from Route 20 in Wayland to the Eversource Sudbury substation to is unimproved. This section received State funding for construction in 2021, and as of 2023 is at 25% design to construct a paved trail.^{[35][3]: 15} The ETA for the start of construction is Winter 2027.^{[3]: 36 [36]} DCR once hoped to move the date forward to better align with the Sudbury-Hudson section's construction and completion.^[37] There is a timber trestle bridge over the Sudbury River.^{[16]: 22–24} The trail will offer scenic views of the Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge including a planned timber lookout, but the Great Meadows hiking trails will not directly connect to the MCRT.^[3]: 23

Status: Complete | Length: 7.6 miles (12.2 km) | Surface: Paved

The section from the Eversource Sudbury substation to Wilkins Street in Hudson was completed in 2025, passing through Sudbury-Marlborough-Hudson-Stow-Hudson in east to west order.^[1] Eversource's buried power line construction, which included the pedestrian bridges and a gravel access road, was completed in November 2024. Bridge 127 in Sudbury was a riveted plate deck girder bridge, built in 1881. Over time, it had submerged into Hop Brook, damaging the piers and steel, and making it unsafe for the MCRT. Bridge 130 over Fort Meadow Brook in Hudson was a timber trestle bridge, destroyed by fire in 2019.^[38]: 4 Both bridges were replaced by prefabricated structural steel truss bridges in 2024. Bridge 128, also over Hop Brook in Sudbury, was built in 1881. It is a riveted plate deck girder bridge with granite abutments and timber piers.^{[16]: 10–14, 25–27} It received a new timber deck and railing, preserving the girders, piers, cross frames, and the majority of the abutments.^{[38]: 4–5} A new precast arch pedestrian tunnel was installed under Chestnut Street in Hudson.^[39] This section passes by South Sudbury station adjacent to the former railroad crossing, with tracks forming a diamond that was preserved inside a new trail roundabout, and the historic Sudbury Section Tool House.^[40][41] The Stow section is 327 feet (100 m) between Wilkins Street, Hudson and Chestnut Street, Hudson.^[8]: 2 The Marlborough section is several feet to the center of the trail, forming a tripoint with the Hudson and Sudbury borders. It is accessible from Marlborough by the Old Concord Road hiking path.^[42] The Wayside Inn Railroad Waiting Room was a B&M station at the Dutton Road crossing for which the MCRT—Wayside is named.^[43] DCR acquired American Rescue Plan Act funding for construction which began in February 2025 and paved the trail.^[44] While completed in 2025,^[1] additional roadway crossing improvements are estimated to be added in Spring 2026.^[45]

Status: Complete | Length: 0.75 miles (1.21 km) | Surface: Paved

This Hudson section was completed as part of the Assabet River Rail Trail (ARRT) built by 2005, except for the MA-62 bridge over the Assabet River which was rebuilt in 2010.^[46] Hudson designated this ARRT section to be shared with the MCRT—Wayside by 2023. This arrangement is a cost saving measure, including eliminating the cost of rehabilitating a timber trestle bridge over the Assabet River to the northwest of the section.^{[2]: 10–11 [16]: 19–21} The unimproved ROW, intersecting the completed trail at the former Gleason Junction, runs northwest and southeast.

Status: In Design | Length: 1 mile (1.6 km) | Surface: Unimproved

The downtown Hudson section is unimproved.^[2]: 10 This section includes a timber trestle bridge over Bruce's Pond used by pedestrians, despite the unimproved state.^{[16]: 17–18} In 2023 and 2025, MassTrails grants were awarded for design of this section and the west Hudson section.^{[15]: 6 [47][48]} In June 2025, Hudson announced full funding for 100% design of this section.^[49]

Status: In Design | Length: 1.6 miles (2.6 km) | Surface: Unimproved

The west Hudson section is unimproved.^[2]: 10 In 2023 and 2025, MassTrails grants were awarded for design of this section and the downtown Hudson section.^{[15]: 6 [47][48]} Design work for this section will proceed following design for the downtown Hudson section.^[49]

Status: In Design | Length: 2.3 miles (3.7 km) | Surface: Unimproved

This section from the Hudson/Bolton line to Coburn Road in Berlin is unimproved, overgrown, and is missing some original bridges. The brief Bolton section is just 100 feet (30 m).^[8]: 2 In 2024, a MassTrails grant for preliminary design of this MCRT—Wayside section was awarded, as well as a feasibility study for all of the MCRT in Berlin to the Clinton border.^[50]: 2 There is no known ETA for construction. An advocacy group, Berlin Trail Trust, is promoting the construction of the Mass Central Rail Trail in Berlin.^[51]

As a part of the Mass Central Rail Trail (MCRT) from Boston to Northampton, in design segments of the MCRT will connect to the MCRT—Wayside in both directions. Heading east, after a short unimproved section from Beaver Street to the Belmont border, the Belmont Community Path (BCP) is in design.^[52] After the BCP, the MCRT is complete to Boston through many paths and parks, including the Fitchburg Cutoff Path, the Cambridge Linear Park, and the Somerville Community Path. Heading west, the Berlin Rail Trail is in design,^[53] as is the MCRT in Clinton,^[54] before reaching completed MCRT sections starting with the Wachusett Dam Hike and the MCRT sections built by Wachusett Greenways.

In Hudson, the MCRT—Wayside connects with the Assabet River Rail Trail and the Marlborough-Sudbury State Forest/Goodale Lot hiking trails.^[55] In Sudbury, it connects with the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail Phase 2D, at the site of the Sudbury diamond. There are also many connections to hiking trails including the Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge, the City of Marlborough Desert Natural Area, the Town of Sudbury Hop Brook Marsh Conservation Land, and Sudbury Valley Trustees Memorial Forest.^[56] In Wayland, a portion of the trail is shared with the Bay Circuit Trail and the East Coast Greenway. In Weston, there are many connections to hiking trails including Jericho Town Forest and Sears Conservation Land.^[57] In Waltham, there is a connection to the hiking trails in Prospect Hill Park. The Western Greenway to MCRT connection received a 2023 MassTrails grant for design and permitting.^{[15]: 11 [58]}

By 1971, passenger service on the Central Mass Branch west of Waltham, subsidized by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) since 1964, had ended due to low ridership.^{[59]: 369–370, 373} In 1972, Governor Francis Sargent initiated a Commuter Rail Improvement Program which concluded that, while too early to restore service on the Central Mass Branch, acquisition from the Boston and Maine Railroad (B&M) to preserve the Central Mass Branch ROW and other ROWs would be prudent.^[60]: 143 In December 1976, the MBTA purchased from B&M 270 miles (430 km) of ROW across Massachusetts for $39.5 million, although 130 miles (210 km), including the Central Mass Branch, were not in commuter rail service.^[61] B&M retained various freight rail service obligations over the ROWs for several more years.^[62] By 1977, the MBTA had acquired title ownership of all of these ROWs in fee simple, a portion from the 1976 purchase and a portion by order of taking.^[63][64][65] By 1980, a permanent discontinuance of the B&M's freight obligations for the Central Mass Branch west of Waltham was approved. The final train on the Central Mass Branch ROW, freight in Waltham between Bacon Street and Clematis Brook, ran in 1994.^{[60]: 137–138} In 1996, the MBTA produced the "Central Mass. Commuter Rail Feasibility Study", which advised reactivation of the Central Mass Branch between Berlin and Waltham would not be cost effective.^[66]: 51 In 1997, a "Central Massachusetts Rail Trail Feasibility Study" was commissioned for $30k by the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, which found construction of a 25-mile (40 km) trail to be feasible.^{[67][68]: vii-viii} The proposed trail was quickly renamed the Wayside Rail Trail by the Wayside Rail Trail Committee, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, as the Wayside Inn / Wayside Inn Railroad Waiting Room was a B&M station at the crossing with Dutton Road.^[43][69] All seven municipalities from Berlin to Belmont (excepting Bolton, Stow, and Marlborough, as their shortest sections were expected to be bundled with their surrounding sections) initially approved the trail by large margins. However, a follow up Weston Special Town meeting voted 698 against and 410 in favor, which derailed progress on the Wayside Rail Trail for at least two decades.^{[31]: 23–24, 26 [70][71][72]} In 2006, theft of a section of rail was discovered in Berlin, which encouraged the MBTA to take a more active role maintaining the property.^[73] By 2010, the DCR executed a 99-year lease with the MBTA to build what was finally renamed the Mass Central Rail Trail—Wayside, combining the Wayside name with the future vision of the Mass Central Rail Trail from Boston to Northampton. The MCRT—Wayside lease is 23 miles (37 km) from Berlin to Waltham.^[31]: 6 Under the terms of the lease, the MBTA retains the right to reactivate commuter rail.^[74]: 4 This arrangement is not the Federal law known as railbanking because the MBTA neither began the required precondition of abandonment, nor consented to railbanking, which is optional.^[75]: 6 In 2014, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EOEEA) determined the trail did not require further Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act review, simplifying permitting.^{[31]: 6 [8]}

In 1951, the Boston Edison Company (BECo) acquired an easement along this section of the B&M's ROW and built overhead power lines.^[31]: 57 In 2016, BECo's successor, Eversource, filed permits to build a gravel access road for the power lines over what had become the MBTA's ROW. This included a trail section running from Cochituate Road in Wayland to slightly west of the Stony Brook Bridge over the MBTA Fitchburg Line in Weston.^{[31]: 27–28 [25]} This reduced construction costs of the trail by about $2 million, and in partnership, the DCR made the decision in January 2017 to build the trail by paving the access road and installing safe road crossings, which completed in 2019.^{[31]: 28 [76][77]} Eversource approached Weston for cooperation, sparking Weston's decision to participate, reversing the negative 1997 Town vote. Weston assisted construction by forming a Rail Trail Committee and providing recommendations, officially thanked DCR and Eversource for their contributions to the trail, and now supports the completion of the entire MCRT.^{[4]: 44–45 [78][79]} At Conant Road, the former wooden bridge built in 1937 was demolished and filled with dirt in 1988.^{[31]: 43–44} With public concern the original design lacked funding for a safe passing of Conant Road,^[31]: 44 Weston performed a feasibility study for the underpass in 2017, which was completed in partnership with DCR in 2019.^[33]

Based on a 2013 forecast, in 2015 ISO New England issued a Greater Boston area needs assessment, directing utility companies to investigate a series of transmission projects to improve electrical grid reliability, including a connection of the Eversource substation in Sudbury to Hudson Light & Power.^{[80]: 16–17} Beginning in January 2014, Eversource conducted meetings with federal, state, and municipal officials regarding routing the potential Sudbury to Hudson Transmission Reliability Project.^[80]: 70 In September 2014, Sudbury Town Meeting voted in strong support of advancing the MCRT, and in December 2014 voted in overwhelming support to make all reasonable efforts to secure funding for a paved surface MCRT.^{[80]: 160–161 [81]: 113–115} In January 2015, Sudbury officials noted a Eversource route along the MBTA ROW, either overhead or underground, was an opportunity for construction of the MCRT—Wayside at no cost to the town.^[82][83] With the news of a possibility to build the trail without local funding, Sudbury officials and a May 2015 Town vote decided against local funding efforts to accelerate a proposed trail build with a crushed stone surface first.^{[82][84]: 85 [80]: 161} By November 2015, Sudbury and Hudson officials had formally requested Eversource evaluate an underground design for the transmission lines along the MBTA ROW, which Eversource did by February 2016.^{[85][86]: 4, 6} By January 2017, the MBTA required this underground route as part of an option agreement with Eversource, at the cost of forgoing approximately $2 million compared to an overhead option. The MBTA also required Eversource to work with DCR to create a trail.^[87] In turn, in April 2017, when Eversource sought project approval from the Massachusetts Energy Facilities Siting Board (EFSB), Eversource preferred such an underground MBTA ROW route, though as part of the approval process, Eversource was required to evaluate alternative options. Only the preferred, underground MBTA ROW route was endorsed by the DCR.^[88] The underground transmission project benefited DCR by reducing trail construction costs in the range of $6 to $10 million, and required Eversource to make several bridge improvements the trail required.^{[80]: 160 [88]} The Town of Stow Conservation Commission unanimously endorsed the buried transmission project in 2017, in part because it would help build the MCRT.^{[89][80]: 162} The preferred underground MBTA ROW route was approved by the EFSB in 2019. The EFSB decision noted the associated benefits of the trail, but stated the EFSB's approval of the transmission project was independent of the trail benefits.^{[80]: 163–164} Designed and permitted in partnership with the DCR, the Eversource project built a gravel sub-base for the trail and grass shoulders, restored or rebuilt three trail bridges, and built a trail tunnel under Chestnut Street in Hudson. Restorative work included mechanical removal of 3.5 acres of invasive plants, the installation of over 2000 native woody plants, and existing vernal pool enhancements.^[90] Eversource originally expected to complete the buried power project in December 2019, however the start of construction was pushed to October 2022 and completed in November 2024, due to an unexpectedly lengthy permitting process.^[91][92] DCR acquired American Rescue Plan Act funding for construction, which began in February 2025 and paved the trail surface.^[44] DCR completed the trail segment in 2025, which included the restoration of selected historical railroad features.^[1][93][94]

From 2017 to 2022, many lawsuits and petitions were filed by the Town of Sudbury and various abutters alleging the overlapping and jointly permitted construction suffered from varied legal defects, including allegations that the MBTA-DCR trail easement was unlawful and void.^{[91][75]: 1 [95]: 4, 6} However, in every ruling, all judges determined all plaintiffs could not succeed with any claim.^{[96][91][97][98][65][99][100][75][95]} In 2022 and 2023, abutters sued the MBTA in Massachusetts Land Court twice alleging property rights over the MBTA's Central Mass Branch property in furtherance of such allegations, but withdrew both cases before a judicial ruling.^{[101][102][95]: 6} In 2024, Hudson Town meeting voters rejected four citizen petitions to sell or lease the MBTA's Central Mass Branch property. The Hudson Finance Committee stated this was an attempt to bring the town into "unnecessary and costly" conflict with the MBTA regarding the ownership of the parcel.^{[103][104]: 3, 27–28 [105]: 3} While the Towns of Sudbury and Hudson initially opposed construction of the trail at least as jointly permitted with the power reliability project, by 2025 both Town governments had officially endorsed the Sudbury-Hudson trail, and lobbied for the completion of the entire 104-mile (167 km) MCRT.^[106][107]

In Hudson, a 0.75-mile (1.21 km) section of the MCRT—Wayside is shared with the Assabet River Rail Trail along the former Marlborough Branch of the Fitchburg Railroad.^{[108][2]: 10–11} Like this trail section, the predecessor railroads also shared this ROW, as some B&M Central Mass passenger trains were run via the Marlborough Branch starting in 1902. This was reduced to Hudson station in 1958, and while subsidized by the MBTA starting in 1964, the final passenger train on the Marlborough Branch ran in 1965.^{[59]: 369–370 [60]: 161} The MBTA's 1976/1977 purchase/acquisition of various ROWs included the Marlborough Branch along with the Central Mass Branch.^{[59]: 375–376 [65]} B&M ran the final freight train to Hudson on the Marlborough Branch in 1980.^[60]: 137

• DCR's Mass Central Rail Trail—Wayside
• Mass Central Rail Trail Alliance's website
• MassTrailTracker map of MCRT—Wayside
• Waltham's Wayside Trail Project
• Weston's Mass Central Rail Trail
• Berlin Rail Trail