opened in 1847. Wellington station, located between 5th Street and 6th Street about to the south of Medford Junction, served as the connection between the mainline and the Medford branch. The station was originally located in Everett; the east tract of Wellington Farm, including the station area, was annexed to Medford in 1875. By the 1920s, Wellington station was a two-story wooden building located on the west side of the tracks. The station building was abandoned around 1943, along with Glenwood and Park Street on the branch, to reduce the B&M tax bill. The station served only Medford Branch local service by the 1940s; it closed with the end of passenger service on the branch on October 1, 1957. Modern station Unlike the Washington Street Elevated which was built at the same time with a similar design, the Charlestown El was located very near Boston Harbor and the Mystic River tidal estuary, and was thus continually exposed to accelerated corrosion caused by salt air. The elevated was also unpopular with many local residents, as it was noisy and blocked out sunlight to Main Street. In the 1960s, it was determined that a replacement elevated would not be wise to build, and that a full-length replacement tunnel would be too expensive. Instead, the Haymarket North Extension project consisted of a tunnel segment from Haymarket near Boston's downtown through a new underground stop at North Station, then under the Charles River to a portal near Community College. From there the extension was built along the Haverhill Line commuter rail right of way, lowering land acquisition difficulties. When planning the line in the mid-1960s, the MBTA decided that the 40-acre Wellington Dump site, located south of the previous station sites, was the best location for a rapid transit stop to serve the east part of Medford. The new site provided ample room for parking and bus transfer areas, as well as a maintenance depot to replace the Sullivan Square shops (which were being torn down with the Elevated), plus easy access to Route 16 and Route 28. Wellington Yard opened on July 15, 1975, followed by the station on September 6, as part of the second phase of the Haymarket North Extension. The building could hold three-and-a-half six-car trains. Wellington was the first station on the line to serve an area that had not previously had rapid transit, unlike Sullivan Square and Community