The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is the public agency responsible for operating most public transportation services in Greater Boston,Massachusetts. The MBTA transit network includes the MBTA subway with three metro lines,two light rail lines,and a five-line bus rapid transit system;MBTA bus local and express service;the twelve-line MBTA Commuter Rail system,and several ferry routes. In 2022,the system had a ridership of 216,329,500,or about 757,000 per weekday as of the second quarter of 2023,of which the rapid transit lines averaged 274,700 and the light rail lines 100,000,making it the fourth-busiest rapid transit system and the third-busiest light rail system in the United States. As of the second quarter of 2023,average weekday ridership of the commuter rail system was 90,500,making it the fifth-busiest commuter rail system in the U.S.
The Massachusetts Turnpike is a toll highway in the US state of Massachusetts that is maintained by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT). The turnpike begins at the New York state line in West Stockbridge,linking with the Berkshire Connector portion of the New York State Thruway. Spanning 138 miles (222 km) along an east–west axis,the turnpike constitutes the Massachusetts section of Interstate 90 (I-90). The turnpike is the longest Interstate Highway in Massachusetts,while I-90,in full,is the longest Interstate Highway in the United States.
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 137,700 in 2019,it is the third most heavily used light rail system 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 Silver Line is a system of bus routes in Boston and Chelsea,Massachusetts,operated by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). It is operated as part of the MBTA bus system,but branded as bus rapid transit (BRT) as part of the MBTA subway system. Six routes are operated as part of two disconnected corridors. As of 2019,weekday ridership on the Silver Line was 39,000.
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 2022,the system had a ridership of 83,623,600,or about 283,900 per weekday as of the second quarter of 2023.
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.
Riverside station is a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Green Line light rail station located in the Auburndale village of Newton,Massachusetts. It is the western terminal of the Green Line D branch service. The station is located near the interchange of Interstate 95 and the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90) and serves as a regional park and ride station. West of the station is Riverside Yard,the main maintenance facility and largest storage yard for the Green Line. The station is fully accessible.
Ruggles station is an intermodal transfer station in Boston,Massachusetts. It serves Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) rapid transit,bus,and commuter rail services and is located at the intersection of Ruggles and Tremont streets,where the Roxbury,Fenway–Kenmore,and Mission Hill neighborhoods meet. It is surrounded by the campus of Northeastern University. Ruggles is a station stop for the Orange Line subway,as well as the Providence/Stoughton Line,Franklin/Foxboro Line,and Needham Line of the MBTA Commuter Rail system. Thirteen MBTA bus routes stop at Ruggles.
The Framingham/Worcester Line of the MBTA Commuter Rail system runs west from Boston,Massachusetts to Worcester,Massachusetts through the MetroWest region,serving 17 station stops in Boston,Newton,Wellesley,Natick,Framingham,Ashland,Southborough,Westborough,Grafton,and Worcester. It is the third longest and third busiest line in the MBTA Commuter Rail system. Service on the line is a mix of local and express trains serving Worcester plus short-turn Framingham locals.
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) oversees roads,public transit,aeronautics,and transportation licensing and registration in the US state of Massachusetts. It was created on November 1,2009,by the 186th Session of the Massachusetts General Court upon enactment of the 2009 Transportation Reform Act.
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.
The Green Line Extension (GLX) was a construction project to extend the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Green Line light rail system northwest into Somerville and Medford,two inner suburbs of Boston,Massachusetts. The project opened in two phases in 2022 at a total cost of $2.28 billion. Total ridership on the 4.3-mile (6.9 km) extension is estimated to reach 45,000 one-way trips per day in 2030.
South Coast Rail is a project to build a new southern line of the MBTA Commuter Rail system along several abandoned and freight-only rail lines. The line has been planned to restore passenger rail service between Boston and the cities of Taunton,Fall River,and New Bedford,via the towns of Berkley,and Freetown,on the south coast of Massachusetts. It would restore passenger service to some of the southern lines of the former Old Colony Railroad and the New York,New Haven and Hartford Railroad.
South Station is a transfer station on the MBTA rapid transit Red Line and bus rapid transit Silver Line,located at Summer Street and Atlantic Avenue in downtown Boston,Massachusetts. It is a part of the South Station complex,the second busiest transportation center in New England. Eight MBTA Commuter Rail and three Amtrak intercity rail services terminate at South Station;many of those passengers then transfer to the rapid transit lines to reach other destinations in the city. With 24,639 daily boardings in 2019,South Station is the busiest station on the MBTA rapid transit system.
Assembly station is a rapid transit station in Somerville,Massachusetts. It serves the MBTA's Orange Line. It is an infill station,located on a section of the Orange Line that has been active since 1975. The station,which opened on September 2,2014,was the first new rail station on the MBTA subway system since 1987. Assembly station is meant to provide convenient access to Assembly Square - a major retail and residential development located on the site of a former Ford assembly plant - and the adjacent Assembly Square Marketplace.
Union Square station is a light rail station on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Green Line located in the Union Square neighborhood of southeastern Somerville,Massachusetts. The accessible terminal station has a single island platform serving the two tracks of the Union Square Branch,which parallels the Fitchburg Line. It opened on March 21,2022,as part of the Green Line Extension (GLX),which added two northern branches to the Green Line.
The CapeFlyer is a passenger rail service in Massachusetts between Boston and Cape Cod that began in 2013. It is operated by the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority (CCRTA) in collaboration with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT). The service runs on the weekends,beginning Friday evenings and including holidays,between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend.
The Connecticut River Line is a railroad line owned by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT),running between Springfield and East Northfield,Massachusetts.
The COVID-19 pandemic in Boston is part of an ongoing viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the Massachusetts city of Boston. The first confirmed case was reported on February 1,2020,and the number of cases began to increase rapidly by March 8. Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker declared a state of emergency on March 10. Mayor Marty Walsh declared a public health emergency on March 15. By March 21,more than a hundred people in Boston had tested positive for COVID-19. Most early cases were traceable to a company meeting held in late February by the biotechnology firm Biogen in Boston.
The following is a timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in Massachusetts.
