The Wakefield-Lynnfield Rail Trail is a proposed and currently under construction rail trail in the Towns of Wakefield and Lynnfield, Massachusetts. It follows the right-of-way of the former Newburyport Railroad, now owned by the MBTA and proposed to be leased to the towns.[1][2] When completed, the trail will run approximately 1.9 miles (3.1 km) in Wakefield and 2.5 miles (4.0 km) in Lynnfield.[3] The southwestern terminus is near Wakefield Station, and passes the Galvin Middle School, under Interstate 95 (128) into Lynnfield over the Reedy Meadow wetland, passes the Lynnfield Middle School, the Reedy Meadows Golf Course, and Lynnfield High School to the northeastern terminus at Nichols Lane in Peabody.[1] It will connect to the Peabody Independence Greenway and the greater Border to Boston Trail.[4]
The Town of Lynnfield's project is 2.8 miles (4.5 km) from Nichols Lane in Peabody, through Lynnfield, to Fosters Lane in Wakefield. In October 2024, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation approved the Town of Lynnfield's request to split construction, into two phases, so that Phase 1 can be accelerated.[2]
The remaining section in the Town of Wakefield would therefore be 1.6 miles (2.6 km). To date, Wakefield completed construction of approximately 0.91 miles (1.46 km) between Main Street and Salem Street in coordination with a National Grid Woburn to Wakefield underground electric transmission line installation within the MBTA ROW, which began in 2020.[7][8][9] The trail heads to access these sections are currently under construction.[7]