On December 27, 1976, the MBTA bought the Boston and Maine Railroad's northside commuter rail assets, including the entire length of the Fitchburg Line.

[2][4] Trains did not stop at the former Union Station site, but instead at a narrow asphalt platform in the freight yard just to the west off Main Street.

In 2000, the Massachusetts State Legislature passed a bill that directed the MBTA to "conduct a feasibility study regarding the reestablishment of the commuter rail line to the cities of Gardner and Athol on the existing Fitchburg/Gardner/Athol spur line" as one of many expansion and improvement projects.

[2] The line between Fitchburg and Gardner would cost $104.2 million to double track, and speeds are limited due to the grades going through the Mount Wachusett range.

Because the Route 2 expressway is faster along the corridor than rail service would be, the expansion was projected to attract just 50 riders per day.

)[1] Instead, it was decided to extend the Fitchburg Line 4.5 miles to a new station at Wachusett, which opened in September 2016 with a park-and-ride lot off Route 2 expected to attract 400 riders per day.