The Boston and Lowell Railroad originally had no intermediate stations, but Wilmington petitioned for a stop as early as 1836.[1] An early station building was constructed either for the Andover and Wilmington Railroad in 1835 or 1836, or for the B&L and B&M a decade later.[3][1] It was replaced by a small wooden structure around 1887.[1] Both structures are still extant; the earlier structure was moved east on Church Street in the 1890s and reused as a house.[3][1] The newer structure remains next to the tracks; it was converted to a pizza restaurant by 1977.[4][1]
The platforms are staggered; the southbound platform is entirely to the north of the Route 62 overpass, while over half of the northbound platform is south of the bridge. A pedestrian crossing between the two platforms is located just north of the bridge; until a path from an adjacent apartment complex opened in 2015, this was the only access to the southbound platform.
The station formerly had a single small side platform and no MBTA parking lot. In 1998, the MBTA began planning a $5.2 million renovation which included longer accessible platforms and a 227-space parking lot.[5] The project was completed in 2003 at a total cost of $13 million.[1][6]
The Wildcat Branch, used by AmtrakDowneaster trains and some Haverhill Line express trains, connects with the Lowell Line at Wilmington station. The single-track branch splits from the northbound track just north of the platform. Until December 2020, the small number of Haverhill Line trains using the Wildcat Branch made intermediate stops on the inner Lowell Line. Northbound trains using this routing stopped at Wilmington; southbound trains did not, as the southbound platform cannot be reached from the Wildcat Branch.[7][8][9] This routing was resumed in April 2021, with the trains no longer making the intermediate stops.[10][11]
References
^ abcdefgRoy, John H. Jr. (2007). A Field Guide to Southern New England Railroad Depots and Freight Houses. Branch Line Press. pp. 272–273. ISBN9780942147087.
