[5]: 203  MBTA Commuter Rail service was extended west from Fitchburg to Gardner in January 1980 with no intermediate stations.

[5] 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 Wachusett Mountain range.

Because the Route 2 expressway is faster along the corridor than rail service would be, the station at Gardner would have attracted just 50 riders per day.

[20] On February 17, 2010, the US Department of Transportation awarded a $55.5M TIGER grant for the station in West Fitchburg and a new layover facility in the town of Westminster.

[22] The project officially began with a publicized groundbreaking on October 18, 2010, and was originally scheduled to be completed by the first quarter of 2012.

[28] Although the station itself was not the subject of significant controversy, the proposed layover facility 1.5 miles (2.4 km) to the west met with community opposition in Westminster over noise pollution effects.

[30] In March 2013, the town filed a complaint to the Inspector General of the US Department of Transportation, alleging that delays in the project were a result of the MBTA misleading town officials rather than ordinary construction delays, and asking the DOT to stop work on the project pending an investigation.

[33] The MBTA begin soliciting bids for pre-construction site preparation for the station and the associated layover yard in June 2012.

Bidding on a nominally-$27.592 million contract for the primary station and layover yard construction opened in February 2013.

[33] By October 2014, the planned completion date slipped to later in 2015, partially due to a bonding company taking over for the original contractor which went out of business.

[40] By the end of 2014, retaining walls for ramps to the platforms and concrete bases for light poles in the parking lot were in place.

The additional cost included replacement for several Pan Am Southern-owned bridges which were in poorer shape than originally thought, and night and weekend work to speed completion.

Service to the station had to begin by September 30, or the state risked a revocation of the $59.2 million in federal funds.

[44] During winter months a free shuttle bus is offered to the Wachusett Mountain Ski Area.