Needham Junction is a commuter rail station on the MBTA Commuter Rail Needham Line, located on Junction Street near Chestnut Street in the southwestern part of Needham, Massachusetts. It opened in 1906 when the New Haven Railroad built the Needham Cutoff to connect the Charles River Railroad to its main line. The station is fully handicapped accessible.HistoryCharles River RailroadOn June 1, 1853, the Charles River Branch Railroad was extended from Newton Upper Falls into Needham as the first stage of a line to Dover and beyond. The railroad was not able to follow its original plan to go through the East Village, Needham's historical center, because one landowner refused to sell; instead, it was routed to Great Plain station in Great Plain Village further to the east. The line was extended to Medway on November 18, 1861 and to Woonsocket on November 16, 1863.Needham CutoffThe New Haven Railroad opened its Needham Cutoff from West Roxbury to Needham Junction on November 4, 1906, allowing trains from the former Charles River Branch Railroad to reach Boston without needing to use the rival Boston and Albany Railroad's Highland Branch. A wye was constructed at Needham Junction, allowing trains from Needham to use the cutoff as well. West Street station opened with the cutoff on November 4, 1906; it is positioned east of the junction, so as to only serve trains running on the cutoff. No station had previously been located in the area. A large granolithic platform with a canopy over much of its length was completed in 1911, by which point it was known as Needham Junction.
