As with many large cities, a large number of Boston-area streetcar lines once existed, and many continued operating into the 1950s. However, only a few now remain, namely the four branches of the Green Line and the Mattapan Line, with only one (the Green Line E branch) running regular service on an undivided street.
The first streetcar line in the Boston area was a horse-drawn line from Central Square, Cambridge to Bowdoin Square, Boston opened by the Cambridge Railroad on March 26, 1856. [1] Over the following decade a large number of horsecar lines were built by different companies, including the Metropolitan Railroad, Middlesex Railroad, and South Boston Railroad; these companies competed with each other while also sharing tracks in many locations. By the mid-1860s horsecar lines reached to Lynn, Arlington, Watertown, Newton, West Roxbury, and Milton. [2] In 1887 the various Boston-area horsecar companies (except for the Lynn and Boston Railroad) were all consolidated into the West End Street Railway.
In 1889 the West End Street Railway experimented with electric power for its streetcars; the results were so promising that it abandoned a cable car project already under construction. [3] Several lines were electrified in 1889 and by 1895 almost the entire system had been electrified. The last horsecar line was abandoned in 1900. [4]
In 1897 the recently-formed Boston Elevated Railway (BERy) took over the West End Street Railway in order to make the streetcar lines part of its planned rapid transit system. In 1897 the Tremont Street Subway opened and many streetcar routes that had previously used surface tracks in downtown Boston were rerouted into the subway. Over the following decades the opening elevated and underground rapid transit lines (which became today's Orange Line and Red Line), as well as extensions of the Tremont Street subway (which became the Green Line), allowed progressively more streetcar lines to be removed from the congested streets downtown and rerouted to rapid transit stations further out. Passengers could transfer for free between streetcars and rapid transit lines to complete their journeys to or from downtown. [5] : 127 In 1904 the East Boston Tunnel opened and was initially used to allow streetcars from East Boston to reach downtown, but in 1924 it was converted into another rapid transit line (part of today's Blue Line) operated with free transfers to and from streetcars at Maverick station.
In the 1920s as competition from cars increased and bus technology improved, the BERy began replacing some of its streetcar lines with buses. These conversions accelerated in the 1930s, with some routes also converted to trolleybuses (locally referred to as 'trackless trolleys'). Bus conversions paused during World War II when gasoline and rubber were in limited supply, but resumed in the late 1940s.
In 1947 the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) was formed to take over the streetcar, bus, and rapid transit operations of the Boston Elevated Railway. It continued to convert lines from streetcar (and trackless trolley) to bus. In 1964 the MTA's operations were in turn taken over by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), which also took over other bus systems running to suburban towns outside the MTA area. By this point the only remaining streetcar lines were five routes running into the Tremont Street Subway and one route on private right-of-way between Mattapan and Ashmont at the end of the Red Line. These were respectively designated as the Green Line branches A thru E and as part of the Red Line. The Green Line "A" branch was subsequently abandoned in 1969 and the "E" branch south of Heath Street abandoned in 1985.
In 1936, the BERy assigned numbers to its routes for map use, but route numbers were not used on buses until the late 1960s (when the colors were assigned to the remaining rail lines). [6] Additionally, the numbers were only kept the same on and after the 1942 revision of the map; before that they were changed with each new version. A few routes were renumbered around 1967, but most routes have kept their original numbers even through conversions from streetcar to trackless trolley to bus. [7] Routes were numbered roughly clockwise from South Boston to East Boston.
This is a table of when each streetcar line was converted to trackless trolley or bus. Only information post-1940 is complete.
| Routes: | 4/Green Line "D" 7 8 9 10 11 15 16 17 19 20 21 22 23 25 26 27 28/Red Line Mattapan 29 30 32 33 34 36 39/Green Line "E" (Arborway) 40 41 42 43 44 45 47 48 55 57/Green Line "E" (Heath) 58 60 61/Green Line "C" 62/Green Line "B" 65 66 69/Green Line "A" 70 71 72 73 76 77 79 80 81 82 87 88 89 90 92 93 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 123 |
|---|
| Last day of streetcars | Route | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Still operational | 4 Riverside–subway | Renamed Green Line D branch ca. 1967 |
| 28 Mattapan–Ashmont High Speed Line | Number dropped and considered part of Red Line ca. 1967 Still runs 1940s-era PCC streetcars | |
| 57 Heath Street–subway | Renamed Green Line E branch (short-turn) ca. 1967 | |
| 61 Cleveland Circle–subway | Renamed Green Line C branch ca. 1967 | |
| 62 Boston College–subway | Renamed Green Line B branch ca. 1967 | |
| December 27, 1985 | 39 Arborway–subway | Renamed Green Line E branch ca. 1967, reverted to 39 when replaced by bus |
| June 20, 1969 | 69 Watertown–subway | Renamed Green Line A branch ca. 1967, reverted to 57 when replaced by bus |
| October 28, 1963 | New northbound subway routing from Government Center to Haymarket opens, ending service to Adams Square station | |
| April 5, 1962 | Shuttle Pleasant Street–Boylston | Last service to the Pleasant Street incline |
| November 17, 1961 | 43 Lenox Street–subway | Had been cut back from Egleston to Lenox Street June 14, 1956 |
| July 4, 1959 | 4 Riverside–subway (Highland branch) opens | |
| September 4, 1958 | 71 Watertown–Harvard | Trackless trolley until March 13, 2022 |
| 73 Waverly–Harvard | Trackless trolley until March 13, 2022 | |
| 82 North Cambridge–Harvard | Replacement trackless trolley route renumbered 77A ca. 1967 Trackless trolley until March 13, 2022 (after January 2005 ran only to move trackless trolleys between routes 71/72/73 and North Cambridge carhouse) [7] | |
| June 14, 1956 | 43 Egleston–subway | Cut back to Lenox Street |
| December 16, 1955 | 40 Arborway–Egleston | |
| 100 Elm Street–Sullivan | ||
| November 18, 1955 | 79 Arlington Heights–Harvard | Replacement bus route renumbered 77 ca. 1967 |
| September 9, 1955 | 29 Mattapan–Egleston | |
| December 4, 1953 | 9 City Point–subway [8] [9] : 212 | |
| 10 City Point–Dudley | ||
| September 12, 1953 | 47 Massachusetts station–Dudley | Replacement bus route renumbered 1 ca. 1967 |
| June 19, 1953 | 7 City Point–South Station via Summer Street | |
| April 24, 1953 | 30 Mattapan–Arborway | |
| 32 Cleary Square–Arborway | Trackless trolley until September 30, 1958 | |
| November 21, 1952 | 34 Dedham Line–Arborway | Trackless trolley until September 5, 1958 |
| June 20, 1952 | 33 Roslindale–Arborway via Hyde Park Avenue [10] [9] : 211 | |
| January 4, 1952 | 114 Meridian Street–Maverick | Turned around at the south end of the closed Meridian Street Bridge since June 12, 1950 Trackless trolley after the Meridian Street Bridge reopened ca. 1954 until March 30, 1961 (Woodlawn–Maverick) |
| 115 Chelsea Square–Maverick [11] | Short-turn of 116/117 Trackless trolley until ca. 1954 (Woodlawn–Wood Island) [12] | |
| 116 Revere Beach Loop–Maverick via Revere Street | Had run into the subway via the Mystic River Bridge and North Station until 1934 Trackless trolley until September 8, 1961 (Wonderland–Wood Island) | |
| 117 Revere Beach Loop–Maverick via Beach Street | Had run into the subway via the Mystic River Bridge and North Station until 1934 Trackless trolley until September 8, 1961 (Wonderland–Wood Island) | |
| 118 Revere carhouse–Maverick via Ocean Avenue and Bennington Street | Trackless trolley until June 18, 1955 (Wonderland–Orient Heights) [9] : 231 | |
| 120 Gladstone–Maverick | Short-turn of 118 Trackless trolley until September 8, 1961 (Orient Heights–Maverick) | |
| 121 Eagle Street–Maverick via Lexington Street | Trackless trolley until March 30, 1961 (Wood Island–Maverick) | |
| September 28, 1951 | 36 Charles River Loop–Arborway | Trackless trolley until September 5, 1958 |
| June 16, 1950 | 70 Watertown–Central | Trackless trolley until March 30, 1963 |
| June 12, 1950 | Meridian Street Bridge closes for construction; 114 cut back to south end of bridge, 116 and 117 rerouted via Chelsea Street Bridge [13] : 168 | |
| December 9, 1949 | 16 Franklin Park–Andrew | Trackless trolley until April 5, 1962 |
| September 18, 1949 | 76 Harvard–Massachusetts station | Route 76 ran only Harvard Square–MIT from September 12 to 18, after which route 70 was extended from Central Square to MIT [13] : 28 until November 9 [9] : 209 Trackless trolley from April 22, 1950 until March 30, 1961 [14] |
| September 16, 1949 | 42 Egleston–Dudley | |
| July 1, 1949 | 93 Sullivan–subway via Bunker Hill Street | |
| June 7, 1949 | 41 Jamaica Plain–Dudley | |
| April 22, 1949 | 123 Jefferies Point–Maverick [9] : 208 [10] | |
| February 11, 1949 | 17 Fields Corner–Andrew via Meeting House Hill | Trackless trolley until April 5, 1962 |
| January 28, 1949 | 44 Seaver–Dudley | Trackless trolley until March 30, 1961 |
| January 7, 1949 | 19 Fields Corner–Dudley via Geneva Avenue | Trackless trolley until April 5, 1962 |
| 22 Ashmont-Dudley via Talbot Avenue | Trackless trolley until April 5, 1962 | |
| 23 Ashmont-Dudley via Washington Street, Dorchester | Trackless trolley until April 6, 1962 | |
| December 24, 1948 | 15 Uphams Corner–Dudley | Trackless trolley until April 5, 1962 (Kane Square–Dudley) |
| 45 Grove Hall–Dudley via Blue Hill Avenue | Trackless trolley until April 5, 1962 | |
| Dudley–subway late night service [9] : 206 | Daytime streetcar service had ended March 4, 1938 | |
| June 18, 1948 | 20 Fields Corner–Neponset | Trackless trolley from December 10, 1949 until March 31, 1961 [9] : 206 |
| May 1, 1948 | Quincy Point–Fields Corner | Operated by Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway |
| April 2, 1948 | 92 Sullivan–subway via Main Street | |
| April 18, 1947 | 101 Salem Street–Sullivan via Winter Hill | Trackless trolley until March 13, 1959 |
| April 3, 1947 | 8 City Point–South Station via Dorchester Avenue | Had been split into two segments since the Dorchester Avenue Bridge closed for reconstruction on December 2, 1946 [13] : 53 |
| December 6, 1946 | 89 Clarendon Hill–Sullivan | Trackless trolley until March 29, 1963 |
| July 27, 1946 | 99 Stoneham–Sullivan [10] [9] : 243 | Operated by Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway north of Spot Pond |
| June 29, 1946 | Houghs Neck–Fields Corner | Operated by Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway |
| November 7, 1941 | 87 Clarendon Hill–Lechmere via Somerville Avenue | Had run into the subway via Lechmere until July 9, 1922 Trackless trolley until March 29, 1963 |
| 88 Clarendon Hill–Lechmere via Highland Avenue | Had run into the subway via Lechmere until July 9, 1922 Trackless trolley until March 29, 1963 | |
| February 16, 1941 | Huntington Avenue subway opens and routes 39 and 57 are rerouted to use it, ending surface-running via eastern Huntington Avenue, Boylston Street and the Public Gardens incline | |
| September 8, 1939 | 90 Davis Square–Sullivan via Highland Avenue | Trackless trolley from September 13, 1947 until December 14, 1956 [9] : 205 |
| December 30, 1938 | 103 Malden Square–Everett via Main Street | Short-turn of 106 Trackless trolley until April 1962 [7] |
| 106 Lebanon Street–Everett via Malden Square | Trackless trolley until March 29, 1963 | |
| September 9, 1938 | 66 Allston–Dudley [8] | |
| Brookline Village–subway via Huntington Ave [8] | Rush-hour only since ca. 1932 | |
| March 4, 1938 | 48 Dudley–subway [15] | Remained in use for late night service until December 24, 1948 [9] : 206 |
| December 10, 1937 | 112 Everett Square–Chelsea Square [9] : 203 | Trackless trolley until June 23, 1961 (Malden Square–Chelsea Square via Everett Square) |
| 113 Malden Square–Chelsea Square via Ferry Street [9] : 203 | Trackless trolley until June 23, 1961 | |
| October 1937 | 72 Aberdeen Avenue–Harvard via Huron Avenue [9] : 203 | Trackless trolley from April 2, 1938 until March 2013 [7] |
| September 10, 1937 | 104 Malden–Everett via Ferry Street and Broadway [9] : 203 | Trackless trolley until March 30, 1963 |
| June 18, 1937 | 110 Woodlawn–Everett | Trackless trolley until March 30, 1963 (Revere–Everett after September 8, 1940) [9] : 203 |
| May 7, 1937 | 111 Woodlawn–Chelsea Square [16] [8] | Had run into the subway via the Mystic River Bridge and North Station until 1934 |
| March 1937 | Local lines in Lynn [9] : 230 | Operated by Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway |
| February 1937 | Lynn–Chelsea Square | Operated by Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway Had run into the subway via the Mystic River Bridge and North Station until 1934 |
| January 8, 1937 | 109 Everett carhouse–Everett via Broadway | Had been cut back from Linden to Everett carhouse (at Broadway and Cameron Street) September 16, 1933 [9] : 202 Trackless trolley until March 30, 1963 (Linden–Everett) |
| October 9, 1936 | 119 Beachmont–Day Square via Broadway and Chelsea Street Bridge [8] [17] | Had run into the subway via the Mystic River Bridge and North Station until 1934 |
| June 10, 1936 | EMSR Chelsea division routes (111–113 and 116–119) acquired by BERy with several rerouted to East Boston; some of these had run into the subway via the Mystic River Bridge and North Station until 1934 [8] | |
| April 10, 1936 | 77 Harvard–Lechmere via Cambridge Street [8] | Had run into the subway via Lechmere until July 9, 1922 Trackless trolley until March 30, 1963 (first trackless trolley route) Replacement bus route renumbered 69 ca. 1967 |
| October 1935 | Salem–Chelsea Square [9] : 229 | Operated by Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway Had run into the subway via the Mystic River Bridge and North Station until 1934 |
| July 13, 1934 | 55 Brookline Avenue–Massachusetts station | Had been cut back from Brookline Village to Brookline Avenue & Boylston Street 1933 Had run into the subway via the Public Gardens incline before the 1920s [5] : 206 |
| January 13, 1934 | Mystic River Bridge (between Chelsea and Charlestown) closes for construction; [18] EMSR routes from Woodlawn, Beachmont, Revere, Lynn and Salem cut back from the subway to Chelsea | |
| December 1933 | 58 Cypress Street–subway via Huntington Avenue [8] [9] : 201 | |
| September 16, 1933 | 109 Linden–Everett via Broadway | Cut back to Everett carhouse (at Broadway and Cameron Street) [9] : 202 Trackless trolley from November 28, 1936 until March 30, 1963 |
| May 24, 1933 | 27 Pierce Square–Ashmont [9] : 202 | |
| November 4, 1932 | 60 Chestnut Hill–subway via Huntington Avenue [8] [9] : 201 | |
| October 23, 1932 | Kenmore station opens, extending the Boylston Street subway to a new portal on Beacon Street used by route 61 and a new portal on Commonwealth Avenue used by routes 62 and 69 | |
| July 8, 1932 | 80 Arlington Center–Sullivan via Medford Hillside [8] | Trackless trolley from September 12, 1953 until March 30, 1963 (Arlington Center–Lechmere) [9] : 201 |
| June 10, 1932 | Framingham Center–Boston Park Square [9] : 156 | Operated by Boston and Worcester Street Railway Had been cut back from Worcester to Framingham January 15, 1931 |
| April 1930 | Norumbega Park–Boston College via Commonwealth Avenue [9] : 252 | Operated by Middlesex and Boston Street Railway |
| 1930 | Dorchester Avenue [19] | |
| December 21, 1929 | 28 (Ashmont–Mattapan High Speed Line) opens to Mattapan | |
| August 26, 1929 | 28 (Ashmont–Mattapan High Speed Line) opens to Milton | |
| January 18 1929 | 11 Broadway?–Bay View [20] | |
| November 22, 1929 | 26 Norfolk Street–Dudley [19] [9] : 199 | |
| September 1929 | Framingham–Newton Corner via Natick and Wellesley [9] : 252 | Operated by Middlesex and Boston Street Railway |
| late 1928 | 25 Andrew–Washington & Fairmount Streets Dorchester [19] | |
| 1926-1928 | Local lines in Newton and Waltham [9] : 251 | Operated by Middlesex and Boston Street Railway |
| April 23, 1926 | 65 Boston College–Brookline Village [21] [9] : 197 | Had run into the subway via the Public Gardens incline before the 1920s [5] : 214 |
| July 18, 1925 | 81 Arlington Center–Clarendon Hill [9] : 197 | Trackless trolley from September 12, 1953 to March 30, 1963 |
| May 9, 1925 | 21 Fields Corner–Adams Street [9] : 196 | |
| December 20, 1924 | 102 Faulkner–Malden [9] : 196 | Trackless trolley from June 17, 1939 until March 30, 1963 |
| 105 Faulkner–Everett [9] : 196 | Trackless trolley from June 17, 1939 until March 30, 1963 | |
| April 17, 1924 | Last day of streetcars through the East Boston Tunnel, which had included routes to Chelsea (114), Orient Heights (120), Lexington Street (121), Jeffries Point (123), and Kendall Square [5] : 236 | |
| July 9, 1922 | Last day of surface lines (77, 87, 88) entering the subway via Lechmere | |
As of early 1953 the Metropolitan Transit Authority operated the following streetcar routes. All lines were connected via trackage to the Tremont Street subway (Green Line), but only the 9, 39, 43, 57, 61, 62 and 69 actually operated in the subway.
The Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway (EMSR) operated lines between Boston and towns north and south of the Boston area, including Lynn, Salem, Reading, Lowell, Lawrence, Quincy, Hingham, and Brockton. It also operated local streetcar service within those towns. The company was formed in 1919 to take over the lines of the bankrupt Bay State Street Railway, which advertised itself as "the world's largest street railway system" in the 1910s. [9] : 72 Between 1931 and 1937, EMSR replaced almost all of its streetcar routes with bus service. Only three streetcar lines were left by the end of 1937, all linking Boston to nearby towns.
This streetcar line ran between Sullivan Square#Elevated station and Stoneham, Massachusetts. It left Sullivan operated by a Boston Elevated Railway driver and ran via the tracks of BERy's 100 line. It continued beyond from the north end of the 100 through the Middlesex Fells on a privateright-of-way west of Fellsway West. At a stop called "Sheepfold" near Spot Pond in Middlesex Fells, the operator was replaced by an EMSR employee who drove the streetcar the rest of the way into Stoneham and alongside Main Street to the terminal at Farm Hill Station of the Boston and Maine Railroad Stoneham Branch.
The line was bustituted in 1946. In 1968 the MBTA took the bus service over as the 430, and from March 1969 to the end of its service in September 1971, it was part of the 100A Reading–Sullivan via Main Street and Fellsway.
Two Quincy routes left Fields Corner station, running to Quincy center and then splitting. One line continued to Hough's Neck, and the other to Quincy Point and the Fore River Shipyard. The lines were bustituted in 1946 and 1948 respectively. The bus routes that replaced them eventually became MBTA routes 210, 216, and 220/222.
The Green Line is a semi-metro system run by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) in the Boston, Massachusetts, metropolitan area. It is the oldest MBTA subway line, and with tunnel sections dating from 1897, the oldest subway in North America. It runs underground through downtown Boston, and on the surface into inner suburbs via six branches on radial boulevards and grade-separated alignments. With an average daily weekday ridership of 101,000 in 2023, it is among the most heavily used light rail systems in the country. The line was assigned the green color in 1967 during a systemwide rebranding because several branches pass through sections of the Emerald Necklace of Boston.
The Mattapan Line is a partially grade-separated light rail line which forms part of the MBTA's Red Line rapid transit line. The line, which runs through Boston and Milton, Massachusetts, opened on August 26, 1929, as a conversion of a former commuter rail line. It exclusively uses PCC streetcars built in the 1940s. Passengers must transfer at Ashmont to access the rest of the Red Line, which uses heavy rail metro rolling stock.
Harvard station is a rapid transit and bus transfer station in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Located at Harvard Square, it serves the MBTA's Red Line subway system as well as MBTA buses. Harvard averaged 18,528 entries each weekday in FY2019, making it the third-busiest MBTA station after Downtown Crossing and South Station.
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) operates 152 bus routes in the Greater Boston area. The MBTA has a policy objective to provide transit service within walking distance for all residents living in areas with population densities greater than 5,000 inhabitants per square mile (1,900/km2) within the MBTA's service district. Much of this service is provided by bus. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 91,459,700, or about 322,600 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2024.
Lechmere station is a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Green Line light rail station in Lechmere Square in East Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is located on the east side of Monsignor O'Brien Highway near First Street, adjacent to the NorthPoint development. The accessible elevated station has a single island platform, with headhouses at both ends. It opened on March 21, 2022, as part of the Green Line Extension (GLX). Lechmere station is served by Green Line D branch and E branch service.
Hynes Convention Center station is an underground light rail station on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Green Line. It is located at the intersection of Newbury Street and Massachusetts Avenue near the western end of the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. The station is named for the Hynes Convention Center, which is located about 700 feet (210 m) to the east along Boylston Street. It has two side platforms serving the two tracks of the Boylston Street subway, which are used by the Green Line B branch, C branch, and D branch. The main entrance to the station from Massachusetts Avenue leads to a fare lobby under the 360 Newbury Street building.
The Boston Elevated Railway (BERy) was a streetcar and rapid transit railroad operated on, above, and below, the streets of Boston, Massachusetts and surrounding communities. Founded in 1894, it eventually acquired the West End Street Railway via lease and merger to become the city's primary mass transit provider. Its modern successor is the state-run Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), which continues to operate in part on infrastructure developed by BERy and its predecessors.
The Pleasant Street incline or Pleasant Street portal was the southern access point for the Tremont Street subway in Boston, Massachusetts, which became part of the Green Line after the incline was closed. The portal and the section of tunnel connecting it to Boylston served streetcars from 1897 to 1901, Main Line Elevated trains from 1901 to 1908, and streetcars again from 1908 to 1962. The Pleasant Street incline is now abandoned, but plans have been floated at various times to reuse it.
Route 43 is a local bus route in Boston, Massachusetts, operated by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) as part of MBTA bus service. The route runs southwest from downtown Boston along Tremont Street, ending at the Ruggles bus terminal and Orange Line transfer point. It is notable as the last streetcar service to use the since-covered-over Pleasant Street incline before its bustitution; until the new Southwest Corridor relocation of the southern Orange Line opened in May 1987, the route continued down Tremont Street and Columbus Avenue to Egleston.
Key bus routes of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) system were the 15 routes that had high ridership and higher frequency standards than other bus lines, according to the 2004 MBTA Service Policy. Together, they accounted for roughly 40% of the MBTA's total bus ridership. These key bus routes ensured basic geographic coverage with frequent service in the densest areas of Boston, and connected to other MBTA services to give access to other areas throughout the region.
Nubian station is a ground-level Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) bus station located in Nubian Square in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is a transfer point between MBTA bus routes, including two Silver Line bus rapid transit lines and 14 local routes. Like all MBTA bus stops, Nubian is fully accessible.
The E branch is a light rail line in Boston, Cambridge, Medford, and Somerville, Massachusetts, operating as part of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Green Line. The line runs in mixed traffic on South Huntington Avenue and Huntington Avenue between Heath Street and Brigham Circle, in the median of Huntington Avenue to Northeastern University, then into the Huntington Avenue subway. The line merges into the Boylston Street subway just west of Copley, running to North Station via the Tremont Street subway. It then follows the Lechmere Viaduct to Lechmere, then the Medford Branch to Medford/Tufts. As of February 2023, service operates on eight-minute headways at weekday peak hours and eight to nine-minute headways at other times, using 13 to 17 trains.
The B branch, also called the Commonwealth Avenue branch or Boston College branch, is a branch of the MBTA Green Line light rail system which operates on Commonwealth Avenue west of downtown Boston, Massachusetts. One of four branches of the Green Line, the B branch runs from Boston College station down the median of Commonwealth Avenue to Blandford Street. There, it enters Blandford Street portal into Kenmore station, where it merges with the C and D branches. The combined services run into the Boylston Street subway and Tremont Street subway to downtown Boston. B branch service has terminated at Government Center since October 2021. Unlike the other branches, B branch service runs solely through the city limits of Boston. The Green Line Rivalry between Boston College and Boston University is named in reference to the B branch, which runs to both universities.
The A branch or Watertown Line was a streetcar line in the Boston, Massachusetts, area, operating as a branch of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Green Line. The line ran from Watertown through Newton Corner, Brighton, and Allston to Kenmore Square, then used the Boylston Street subway and Tremont Street subway to reach Park Street station.
The Boston-area trolleybus system formed part of the public transportation network serving Greater Boston in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. It opened on April 11, 1936, with a large network operating for the next quarter-century. Measured by fleet size, the Boston-area system was the second-largest trolleybus system in the United States at its peak, with only the Chicago system having more trolleybuses than Boston's 463. After 1963, the only remaining portion was a four-route cluster operating from the Harvard bus tunnel at Harvard station, running through Cambridge, Belmont, and Watertown. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority took over the routes in 1964.
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) maintains a large public transit system in the Boston, Massachusetts area, and uses various methods to name and number their services for the convenience of users.
The Washington Street Elevated was an elevated segment of Boston's Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority subway system, comprising the southern stretch of the Orange Line. It ran from Chinatown through the South End and Roxbury, ending in Forest Hills in Jamaica Plain, Boston.
The Tremont Street subway in Boston's MBTA subway system is the oldest subway tunnel in North America and the third-oldest still in use worldwide to exclusively use electric traction, opening on September 1, 1897. It was originally built, under the supervision of Howard A. Carson as chief engineer, to get streetcar lines off the traffic-clogged streets, instead of as a true rapid transit line. It now forms the central part of the Green Line, connecting Boylston Street to Park Street and Government Center stations.
The history of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) and its predecessors spans two centuries, starting with one of the oldest railroads in the United States. Development of mass transportation both followed existing economic and population patterns, and helped shape those patterns.
Egleston was a rapid transit station in Boston, Massachusetts. It served the Washington Street Elevated, part of the MBTA's Orange Line. It was located over Egleston Square at the intersection of Washington Street and Columbus Avenue in the Roxbury neighborhood. The station opened in November 1909, and closed in April 1987 when the Orange Line was rerouted to the west along the Southwest Corridor.
