Foxboro MBTA commuter rail station work rushing to be ready by FIFA games
The MBTA is asking town officials to fast-track permitting for a significant expansion of the commuter rail station at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough in order to accommodate crowds expected at seven FIFA World Cup soccer games in June 2026.
The proposed expansion involves replacing an existing train riser on the stadium side of the railroad tracks with a new 800-foot-long concrete platform, designed to accommodate a locomotive pulling eight passenger coaches.
A second, temporary platform would be erected on the opposite side of the tracks, just behind a town-owned water pumping facility at the end of Ashcroft Lane in Foxborough.
Read more: Boston's new women's soccer team moves to Gillette Stadium, for now (report)
That platform, just 600 feet long, would be removed and vegetation restored following the World Cup matches, according to Tess Paganelli, director of environmental review and permitting with the MBTA.
During a hearing Monday night before the town's conservation commission, Paganelli said the new elevated platforms would speed the loading and off-loading process, since passengers could exit onto the platform without climbing down steps off the train to reach ground level.
In addition, the recent upgrade to parallel tracks at the station site now allows for two trains to simultaneously offload.
Those seeking to depart from or return to trains on the Ashcroft Lane side will be required to cross the tracks at a pedestrian crossing staffed by security personnel during the World Cup matches.
Characterizing the proposed timetable as extremely tight, Paganelli admitted the MBTA is still contemplating how to best schedule construction while minimizing impacts on the New England Patriots home games and other stadium events — adding the temporary platform will likely be installed first.
'We have been working very hard trying to come up with a solution that would be as simple as possible to construct,' she said. 'I hope I can ask for understanding in the pressure we are under to deliver this.'
Paganelli was accompanied by land development and wetlands experts from Vanasse Hangen Brustlin (VHB), a national engineering firm with four offices in the Bay State.
Read more: Here's when 2026 FIFA World Cup will come to Gillette Stadium
According to Brittany Gesner, a civil engineer with VHB overseeing planning for the project, the existing station was constructed in the mid-1990s and has been used since then for event-day train service, with daily commuter rail service added in 2023.
Gesner likewise stressed the need for speed in permitting and constructing the proposed improvements.
'It's getting closer and closer by the day,' she said of the first World Cup match, scheduled for June 13, 2026.
Although Gillette Stadium was designed primarily with cars in mind, Gesner said the international fan base expected for World Cup matches would likely favor expanded public transit options.
'In order to have this be a successful event here in Foxborough we really need to increase the amount of people that we can get to and away from the stadium quickly, efficiently and safely using the train station,' she said.
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