B Fb F Nr P W G Nb Fr L Oc BL GL BL BL

Boston Historic “T” Expansion Track Map

To Lowell, Haverhill See Reading & Reading and Wakefield How to read this map Wakefield Breakout

READING The purpose of this map is to show the history of all official expansion plans for the MBTA subway system from its inception in 1897 until today. The R

map acts as a “choose your own adventure” where by each variant of every plan is drawn. The reader can pick and choose which lines they think High St could have been built and what the system might have looked like today if they had. To show the evolution of these plans over time this map contains different layers of proposals. The current system is drawn as is but proposed lines are drawn with a black outline. Pre-World War II plans are drawn in lighter colors while post-War plans are drawn in darker colors. Some lines show Main St two totally different services at the same time to indicate how service would have differed under alternative plans. WOBURN Greenwood BURLINGTON E R For the majority of proposals specific stations were outlined. Stations which have no official designation are indicated with an asterisk (*). Lines which 14 were proposed but not developed into actual plans, or alternative extensions to existing plans, are indicated with a grey dashed line. North Wakefield-Rt 128 Orange Line STONEHAM R Reading Extension Exact route labeling, if not evident by historical precedent or determined by track layout, is completely speculative and should be viewed as purely for *8 illustrative purposes. 7 Myrtle Ave Green Line Woburn Extension Woburn Highlands E 14 WAKEFIELD Orange Line Reading Extension

HARTWELL-RT 128 B Melrose Highlands R Wakefield R

North Ave

Belmont St Cross St WOBURN E Wakefield Junction R

Main St

Lynn Melrose/Cedar Park R To Newburyport LYNN & Rockport

MELROSE LYNN BL Winchester Berwick St Wyoming Hill E L R SAUGUS Lexington B

West Lynn WINCHESTER BL

Wedgemere E L 11 Blue Line Lynn Extension

*23

Mystic Valley Pkwy

OAK GROVE *33 LEXINGTON Washington St D R

10 MALDEN Red Line Red Line Note Northwest Extension Both the Arlington High-Speed Line and Northwest Extension would have used the Lexington Branch railroad right-of-way but would have North Shore Rd been completely separate projects. Both are drawn here: the Arlington Point-o-Pines High-Speed Line would have made all stops labeled “C” while the BL Northwest Extension would have only made the stops labeled “B”.

Malden Center Arlington Heights D R *33 B

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS C See Lynn breakout 10 Brattle Red Line C West Medford Arlington High-Speed Line E L

Commercial St

MEDFORD 11 Blue Line Lynn Extension

Edgeworth *21b D R Wonderland Yard ARLINGTONArlington Center B / C

*34 Wonderland Broadway BL

Medford Hillside REVERE

E Rivers Edge Drive Edge Rivers Main St EVERETT Revere Beach Medford/Tufts BL E 4 Ocean Ave Elevated Lines Everett Lines Lake St Wellington Carhouse C *39

Wellington *33 D R

Ball Sq E

BELMONT Chelsea Davis Nr Beachmont *35 CHELSEA A B BL Belmont NORTH Highland Ave CAMBRIDGE North Cambridge CHELSEA Fb Channing Rd Carhouse 77 Broadway 3 ALEWIFE Massachusetts Ave A B 7 Bellingham Sq *35 3 Green Line Lowell St West Medford Extension Box District *39a Bennington St E Assembly 3 D R 4 Suffolk Downs Elevated Lines BL *38 Chelsea-Revere Line WALTHAM *51 Pleasant St 10 Porter Fb Chelsea Bridge WAVERLEY SQ Red Line A B Eastern Ave Arlington High-Speed Line Orient Heights 73 Fb *52 Gilman Sq 3 BL Trapelo Rd Somerville AveSOMERVILLEE Orient Heights Yard *21a

Bennington St Sullivan Sq D R

*39

*37 Concord Ave 5

Massachusetts Ave Chelsea St Huron Ave Blue Line Wood Island Chelsea-East Boston Line BL Trapelo Rd East Somerville E

Aberdeen Ave UNION SQ D Belmont St New Vehicle MBTA Commuter Rail *37 Maintenance NorthernMaintenance Expy Facility

Mount Auburn Webster Ave Facility ABERDEEN AVE (Under Construction) C 72 Belmont St Waltham Mt Auburn St Harvard Airport Route 1 BL 3 Fb Mt Auburn St A B Community College *38 71727377 Cambridge St D R Chelsea St *20 *48 Lechmere *19 WATERTOWN 10 4 D E Mt Auburn St Red Line Elevated Lines Cambridge Branches East Watertown Chelsea St Terminal E Extension Charles River Dam 1 Massachusetts Ave 3 Maverick *43a North Station BL *43b Blue Line C D E D R Alternative *43c East Boston Tunnel *38 Fb L Nr G *39 *7 Terminal C Mt Auburn St Greenough Blvd CAMBRIDGECentral Science Park 1 EAST WATERTOWN 19 D E A C A B 12 Cambridge/Kendall Grand Junction Service WATERTOWN SQ Blue Line Atlantic Ave G Terminal A Red-Blue Connector *1 BL A 71 *38 1 Watertown Carhouse *2 Kendall/MIT River St Main St Haymarket A B Blackstone C D E D R Galen St BL *17 Longfellow Bridge Charles/MGH To Fitchburg Bowdoin Terminal B A B BL *3 1 BL Fb 8 Maple St Cambridge St Green Line Boyd St *4 State Watertown “A Branch” Line A 16 *5 BL C D E BL D R Restoration Brighton 5 Aquarium 19 Urban Ring Central Station Pearl St *6 State St Jefferson St D Boston Landing West Station & Blue Line BL A Faneuil W Grand Junction Service Vassar St East Boston-Brighton Line Newton D Allston POST 1 *46 LOGAN AIRPORT OFFICE SQ D D 15 Chestnut St Green Line West Station Park St Mass. Turnpike Silver Line A Post Office Sq Branch Elmwood St W A B C D E G A G Phase III Tunnel *45 Washington St Hibbard Rd A B / BL 17 Downtown Crossing Mass. Turnpike A 5 North-South Rail Link Waverly Ave Union Sq Loop 1 Boylston A B D R A A Blue Line Harvard A B C D E G Summer St East Boston-Brighton Line Union St Ave Green Line 6 Pembroke St Linden A St Chester Riverbank Subway 1 2 / BL North-South Rail Link Note A St Packards A A *12a Courthouse Green Line Saunders St Allston St A Corner Packards Corner Storrow Dr Newtonville Tremont St Cottage Farm Arlington Tremont St Seaport Blvd The true purpose of the North-South Rail Link is to merge commuter rail Newton Branch A A Brighton Ave A BL 1 2 3 D W Cufflin St D branches from the north with those in the south. The branches as we St. Lukes St Nickerson A B C D E / BL A Field Loop Chinatown Oak Sq Loop A Kenmore know them would be reimagined as full-length regional rail lines. Since no OAK SQ Dustin St St. Mary’s St *12b A Cambridge St Fordham Rd D R A 1 2 A BRIGHTON Harvard Ave Packards Babcock St BU Central BL A B C D Copley exact branch pairingTed Williams has Tunnel been proposed, and for purposes of simplicity, Tremont Pl B Corner A B Boylston St South Station Oak Sq Ave A B BU East BL C all through running lines are indicated with a solid purple bullet. A BL B B BU West A B C D E / BL *10a Langley Rd A B Blandford St A B 1 2 3 Tremont St Foster St Waldo Terrace Harvard Ave Pleasant St A B A Griggs St Broadway A A A A B Stuart St F Fr Oc Nb Ps W Washington St Allston St B BL BL Commonwealth Ave GL World Trade Center Washington St B Hynes / D G Tufts Medical West Newton Center Market St A Warren St *14 A B C D / BL 1 2 3 D W Brock St Chestnut Hill Ave Lake St B D R A Mass. Turnpike Mass. Turnpike Silver Line Way A Allston St *44 Commonwealth Ave Atlantic Ave 1 2 3 BL *10b Lansdowne Auburndale St. Marys St Prudential Back Bay Harbor St W BCEC 2 D W Mass. Turnpike Simmit Ave C Beacon St E GL / D G / D R Herald St F B Tide St Hawes St Fr Nb Ps W B 1 2 DESIGN CENTER 2 23 Dry Dock Ave C 2 2 Washington St Kent St Fenway B C D G Cabot Yard St. Paul St West Newton St Black Falcon Ave C Symphony East Berkeley St 18 5 GL 1 2 *13 2 E Track 61 Coolidge Corner Green Line Huntington Ave Broadway Sutherland Rd C Lechmere-Huntington Line A B B Mt. Hood Rd Beacon St Lake Street Carhouse Summit Ave Chiswick Rd C Longwood 4 Commonwealth Ave B D G Northeastern Massachusetts Ave Union Park St BOSTON Washington St Fairbanks St E 1 2 Elevated Lines South St C GL / D R COLLEGE C South Boston Branch Greycliff Rd B Brandon Hall B Tappan St C Museum of

C Dorchester Ave Chestnut Hill Ave Fine Arts RIVERSIDE NEWTON Dean Rd Huntington Ave B C E Newton St D 1 2 CLEVELAND *47 13 CIRCLE Beacon St Longwood Worcester Sq Medical Area Washington St C Englewood Ave 1 2 Orange Line Beaconsfield E Shawmut Ave Shawmut Ave Subway *16 C Kent St D G Brigham Ruggles Massachusetts Av Riverside Yard Circle D R Fr Nb Ps 1 2 Reservoir Carhouse E Lenox St Reservoir Fenwood Rd 1 2 D G Mission Park E Southampton St Yard Woodland E BRIGHAM D Brookline Village CIRCLE D G E Melnea Cass Blvd 1 2 Riverway E Roxbury Crossing Brookline Hills D R Andrew Newton Centre D G Amtrak Back-of-the-Hill BOSTON Southampton Yard A B D G E 5 NUBIAN 1 2 HEATH Green Line 16 Newmarket Lechmere-Huntington Line F E Urban Ring Abandoned Sections & Future Provisions Notes VA 1. Former North Station portal Waban E 2. Abandoned original Haymarket Sq Green Line Chestnut Hill Columbus Ave D D G station and central tracks

Bynner St 3. Former Joy St portal South Huntington Ave E 4. Unused Brattle Loop platform Perkins St Jackson Sq Newton Highlands E 5. Original Green Line tunnel to Adams Sq (demolished) D G BROOKLINE D R 6. Abandoned Court St terminal Moraine St 7. North Station tracks 11 and 12 provisions E 8. Former Stoneham Branch RR JFK/UMass Southeast Expy 10. Former Washington St Line a) portal b) supports for 8 Uphams Corner A B Oc tracks above Mass Pike Eliot Green Line Beaufort Rd F D Arborway “E Branch” Line E 12. Former portals at a) Public Garden and b) Boylston St Restoration Lamartine St 13. Broadway underground trolley station and portals Dudley St 14. Former Kenmore Sq portal Robinwood Ave Stony Brook A 16. Original Riverside terminal platform E D R 17. Gate where Red Line connected to street tracks for Lakeville Rd E access to former Eliot Yard 19. Abandoned tunnels and portal to Eliot Yard (demolished) Centre St Pond St E 2 20. Abandoned Airport station (original) foundations Red Line 21. Abandoned ROW of Boston, Revere Beach & Lynn RR Alternative Dorchester Routes a) Winthrop branch b) Lynn branch NEEDHAM Seaverns Ave E 23. Provisions for Orange Line extension to Reading 25. Provisions for Orange Line extension to Needham Armory St 15 Savin Hill 33. Abandoned ROW of the Saugus Branch RR, now Green St Columbia Rd A Northern Strand Trail, East Coast Bike Path D R Silver Line A Monument Mattapan and 34. Abandoned ROW of the Medford Branch RR 6 Newton Upper Falls E Ashmont Branches G 35. Abandoned ROW of the Fitchburg Cutoff RR, now Green Line Fitchburg, Alewife, and Somerville Paths Needham Branch Carolina Ave South St E 37. Abandoned ROW of the Central Massachusetts RR

Child St 38. Abandoned ROW of the Watertown Branch RR E Four Corners/ 39. Abandoned ROW of the Eastern RR, southern Geneva F section now East Boston Greenway a) Suffolk Downs branch St. Rose St 40. Abandoned ROW of the Neponset Branch RR, E now part of Neponset River Reservation 41. Abandoned ROW of the Nedham Branch RR Arborway Yard Loop Mt Bowdoin 42. Abandoned ROW of the Millis Branch RR A 43. Former East Boston Tunnel a) portal Forest Hills Fields Corner b) heavy rail loop c) streetcar loop D R Fr Nb E A 44. Abandoned streetcar transfer station (surface level) and pedestrian tunnel under Mass Ave 45. Former Allston Station (Boston & Albany RR)

Washington St *25 46. Former Brighton Station (Boston & Albany RR) 47. Abandoned northern section of Ruggles Commuter Rail platform 48. Abandoned Navy Yard service tracks 51. Track remnants of the former Boston Elevated Needham Heights Suffolk Downs branch G Talbot Ave 52. Former temporary Porter Sq commuter rail platform F Shawmut Talbot Ave A A

Needham Layover 13 Orange Line Highland Ave Dedham Branch Roslindale Village

Hyde Park Ave Bellevue D D Neponset Bridge Highland Belgrade Ave D

ASHMONT A M

Needham Center Atlantic G West Roxbury B D 13 Morton St A Codman Yard *40 Orange Line Morton St Hyde Park Branch Mt Hope* F Cedar Grove R M *41

*41 Hersey North Quincy Chestnut Ave B

NEEDHAM JUNCTION G 9 Newport Ave Blue Hill Ave Red Line *42 A South Shore Branch Hyde Park Ave Alternative Blue Hill Ave Butler F M This map is unofficial and is intended for non-commercial, educational, and Metropolitan Ave* R Milton Central Ave M entertainment purposes only and is not intended for sale, alteration, or distribution without written consent. Eliot St M MATTAPAN Capen St © vanshnookenraggen 2021 | v.1.0.3 | vanshnookenraggen.com M M Valley Rd M Wollaston 1: Green Line (1897-1920) 8: Green Line Watertown and Arborway Branches (1969-2005) Mattapan Yard B What we know today as the Green Line opened in 1897 as the first rapid transit subway in the US Beginning in the 1920s the streetcar lines of Boston were systematically converted to buses and and third in the world. The Green Line was designed to take in numerous streetcar lines originating the tracks ripped up. In 1962 the last lines ran through the Pleasant St Portal and the southern from all over the city and its suburbs and seamlessly terminate them under the streets of Boston. branch of the Tremont St Subway was abandoned. Unlike the B and C branches, most streetcars ran on narrow city streets and not in their own traffic-separated medians. Subways had been After the initial success of the Green Line plans were drawn up to expand the network. The two planned which were to replace the A, B and E branches but only the Huntington Ave Subway was most famous examples from this time period were the Riverbank Subway plan and the Post Office built for E trains. Square branch. In 1969 the A branch, from Watertown Sq to Packard’s Corner in Brighton was “temporarily” The Riverbank Subway was a mostly above ground line be built from Park St to Kenmore Sq along replaced with buses due to a shortage of streetcars. The overhead wires were removed in 1994 the banks of the Charles River. At that time Storrow Dr had not been built. The line was to act as and the tracks in 1996. Since then, there have been no serious proposals to bring the A branch an express bypass for streetcars coming from the suburbs of Brighton, Allston and Brookline. No back. stations were planned on the route and streetcars would have used a large new loop built next to the Park St station. The E branch runs in a dedicated median along Huntington Ave until Brigham Circle, after which it runs on tracks in the middle of traffic to a loop at Heath St and South Huntington Ave. Formerly the Boylston St was chosen instead as it was more centrally located. Provisions were added as part of line ran all the way to Forest Hills and was known as the Arborway Line. In 1985 the street-running the extension for a possible branch to Post Office Sq. This new branch would have taken pressure portion past Brigham Circle was replaced with buses as it was assumed that the soon to be open off Park St station which was going to be temporarily converted to heavy rail for the new elevated Orange Line Southwest Corridor line would serve Jamaica Plain better. lines, the future Orange Line before the Washington St Tunnel could be built. The plan was dropped as it was felt that the Washington St Tunnel would provide adequate service. As part of a law suit against the Commonwealth in the 1990s, service to Arborway was to be Fairmount Hyde Park F reinstituted as mitigation for the Big Dig. The City of Boston opposed streetcar service and began R Fr Nb Ps 2: Red Line (1912-1920) ripping the tracks up in 2005, ending any hopes of returning service on the line. 9: Red Line South Shore Branch (1945-1980) The Red Line was first conceived as an elevated line which would have run from Harvard Sq in Quincy Center Cambridge to Maverick Sq in East Boston. But a dispute between the Boston Elevated Railway B Oc (BERy), who were building and operating the lines, and the Boston Transit Commission split the line After World War II the South Shore saw massive suburban growth while at the same time the Old MILTON into two different subways. The Cambridge Tunnel opened to Park St Under in 1912. Beginning in Colony Railroad was going bankrupt. The Coolidge Commission proposed that the Old Colony 1915 the line was extended to South Station and by 1918 had been extended to Andrew station. tracks be bought and converted to one or more branches of the Red Line. Initially a branch was to run from Savin Hill to Braintree. A second proposal in the 1960s included extending the Ashmont South of Andrew BERy originally considered continuing the line as a traditional subway through branch across the Neponset River to Granite Ave in East Milton to build a large Park-and-Ride DEDHAM Uphams Corner and south along Washington St to Talbot Ave. Instead of building a new subway, terminal D BERy chose to purchase the Shawmut Branch Railroad from the NY, New Haven & Hartford Railroad (New Haven Railroad) and convert it to rapid transit. This became the Ashmont and As plans developed into the 1950s the branch connection was moved up to Andrew station as a Mattapan Branches. kind of bypass of Dorchester. An original station from the Old Colony Line at Atlantic (Quincy Shore Dr) was eventually dropped. Secondary branches off the Braintree extension were proposed with QUINCY At the time BERy considered continuing heavy rail through to Mattapan but residents opted for a one to Holbrook and one to South Weymouth. The South Shore extension was opened in phases, 15: Silver Line (2000-Present) high-speed trolley instead. BERy considered building a second branch of the Red Line which first to Quincy in 1971 and eventually to Braintree in 1980. The Washington St Silver Line opened in 2001 as a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line from Dudley Sq would run from Andrew station to a new line paralleling the Fairmount Branch railroad to Blue Hill 10: Red Line Northwest Extension (1945-1985) Ave where it would loop back via an ungraded Mattapan Line. With Mattapan staying as a (now Nubian) to Temple Place in downtown Boston. It was chosen over light rail to replace the demolished Washington St El after the Orange Line had been relocated to the Southwest Corridor. high-speed streetcar this plan was ultimately shelved. Two plans were conceived to extend the Red Line past Harvard station. The Red Line proper was

to be extended west from Harvard Sq to East Watertown along what is today Greenough Blvd. The Hyde Park Ave 3: Blue Line (1904) The second phase, using the new South Boston Piers Transitway, opened in 2004 with service to Lexington Branch railroad running through Arlington and Lexington was to be converted into a Logan Airport and City Point in South Boston. Other potential branches were hinted at but high-speed trolley (similar to the Mattapan Line) and would run to East Watertown via the The Blue Line opened in 1904 as the first rapid transit line to run under a body of water. The tunnel ultimately none were ever implemented and the City Point branch was cut back to the South Watertown Branch railroad through what is now Alewife. was used by streetcars but designed for heavy rail and ran from Court Sq, near Government Boston Design Center in 2009. Center, to Maverick Sq in East Boston. Since it was built for the same streetcars as the Green Line In 1947 a more sensible alternative was proposed which extended the Red Line north to Porter Sq Thomas E. Burgin Pkwy alternative plans were drawn up which would have built the tunnel under an alignment which would Phase 3 of the Silver Line was to be a complex tunnel below the Theatre District which would have Readville and then west along the Fitchburg Branch railroad to Alewife. As this plan was further developed have allowed East Boston cars to connect to the Green Line under Scollay Sq (now Government connected both sides of the line. The tunnel required buses to drive a convoluted route under R F Fr Nb Ps possible extensions to Waltham or Arlington were included and a station at Davis Sq was added. Center). This alternative alignment would have run through the heart of the North End and provided narrow streets and, in one version, completely rebuild the existing but unused Tremont St tunnel Readville Yard Scale of Miles two stations for residents. south of Boylston St. The costs and complexity killed the plan in 2009 and the MBTA shifted focus After Governor Francis Sargent suspended highway construction in the Boston area in 1972 former to the Green Line Extension through Somerville. As a result, the Washington St Silver Line was split 4: Orange Line (1901-1920) highway funds were available for subway expansion. The Red Line was formally proposed to be into two street running services, one to Temple Pl and the other to South Boston. Service Guide extended from Harvard to Arlington Heights as a first phase and a then to Route 128 in Lexington The Orange Line started as an elevated train network which featured branches from the South End as a future second. Arlington residents protested as they believed a “temporary” terminal in their Commuter Rail A southern extension of the Silver Line to Mattapan and Ashmont were proposed early on. This Heavy Rail Bus Rapid Transit (Dudley Sq, now Nubian), & Charlestown. Elevated lines through Dorchester, Cambridge, Everett, town would bring too much traffic. The Arlington section was cut and the extension to Alewife was would have converted the 28 and 22 or 23 bus lines to BRT under the Silver Line brand. In 2008 Chelsea, and South Boston were also proposed but dropped. Trains originally ran along the outer opened in 1985. Endicott Red Line Back Bay-South Boston Line tracks of the Green Line subway Pleasant St portal to North Station. A second branch ran along Federal funds were secured to build a BRT line, the 28X, along the route but was killed by local F Red Line Silver Line opposition that claimed the funds were secured without consulting residents beforehand. Quincy Adams Atlantic Ave to serve the seaport. In 1908 a permanent tunnel for the Orange Line was opened 11: Blue Line to Wonderland and Lynn (1945-Present) A Alewife to Ashmont B Alewife to Braintree B Back Bay to BCEC 1 Nubian Sq to Logan Airport Terminals B under Washington St and streetcar service was returned to the Green Line. 16: Urban Ring (1990s-Present) The Boston, Revere Beach & Lynn Railroad was a narrow-gauge railroad running from East Boston The Orange Line was soon extended to serve the growing suburbs. In 1909 it was extended from to Winthrop, Revere and Lynn serving mostly summer beach goers. It had been eyed for rapid The Urban Ring was a multi-phased proposal to create a new, circumferential transit way around Dudley Sq to Forest Hills. A decade later the northern end was extended from Sullivan Sq to transit conversion early on in the development of the subways and this was formally proposed as Red Line Red Line Fitchburg Line Silver Line the core of downtown Boston so that riders wouldn’t have to go all the way downtown to transfer. To Forge Park-495 Everett. The terminal in Everett was meant to be temporary and the extension planned to run north part of the Coolidge Commission (the branch to Winthrop was abandoned). along Main St to Malden Center. An elevated line was opposed and the plan was eventually The first phase was a reorganization of the crosstown bus lines and implementation of new A East Watertown to Ashmont B Hanscom-Rt 128 to Braintree Fb North Station to Wachusett 2 Nubian Sq to Design Center crosstown bus lines, mostly through Cambridge and into Boston. dropped. Between 1952 and 1954 the section from East Boston to Revere Beach was converted to the Blue Line. Due to lack of funds the further extension to Lynn was postponed indefinitely. Today the Dedham Corp Phase 2 was to encircle Boston with a series of Bus Rapid TransitCenter lines running in dedicated lanes 5: Green and Blue Lines to Heavy Rail (1920s-30s) former right-of-way has been allowed to be redeveloped so any potential extension to Lynn will Fairmount/Franklin Line and connecting to subway stations and major job centers. The projectedFr cost for these lanes was Orange Line Orange Line most likely run parallel to the Newburyport Line instead. Silver Line The Boylston St Subway was originally built to a portal east of Kenmore Sq but traffic in the square $2.2 billion in 2008. Phase 3 was to build a fixed rail line along a corridor from Sullivan Sq to MIT, to D Reading to Dedham Center R Reading to Westwood-Rt 128 F South Station to Forge Park/495 delayed streetcars so an underground station was soon proposed. As part of this project planners Kenmore Sq or just west of it, and through the Fenway and to Dudley Sq (now Nubian). This would 3 Alternatively, in the 1960s a proposal was floated to extend the Blue Line one station west to the South Station to Chelsea have either been light rail as a branch of the Green Line or a heavy rail branch of the Orange Line. Pilgrims Highway developed a proposal to convert the whole of the Green and Blue Lines from streetcars to heavy Salem Turnpike where a large Park-and-Ride terminal would be built. rail and create two new rapid transit lines. Trackless Trolley 12: Red-Blue Connector (1970s-Present) In 2018 a new branch of the Silver Line was opened from East Boston to Chelsea along part of the Blue Line Green Line Newburyport/Rockport Lines The first route would have run from Lechmere to Brigham Circle. By utilizing the eastern two tracks projected route of the Urban Ring. Running mostly along a dedicated right-of-way, this branch of at Park St the line would run south through Boylston to a new subway tunnel running from the In the latter half of the 20th Century as the tech and life science industry began to boom in the Silver Line is being considered as a first step towards a new Urban Ring with possible BL Bowdoin to Wonderland GL Brigham Circle to Lechmere Nr North Station to Newburyport, All Times Pleasant St portal to Back Bay station, then along the New Haven RR tracks before swinging west Cambridge, it was proposed to extend the Blue Line from its terminal at Bowdoin one stop to extensions west or north. To Greenbush Charles/MGH to create a new transfer point in the core of Boston. A connection once existed 71 Harvard to Watertown to Huntington Ave. The subway would ascend to the surface, as the E branch does today, and Rockport 17: North-South Rail Link (1890s-Present) have run southwest along Huntington Ave to a large loop terminal at Tremont St and Brigham between the two lines using streetcar tracks but this was only used for non-revenue moves to send Blue Line Blue Line Circle. Blue Line trains to the yard in Harvard (the portal at Joy St was covered up in the 1950s). The Lowell Line Red-Blue Connector as it’s known was included as a Big Dig mitigation project in the 1990s but Early steam railroads each had separateIslington terminals around the outskirts of downtown Boston. In the BL Charles/MGH to Lynn BL All Times 1890s two new terminals, North UnionFr Station and South Union Station, were built to simplify Brighton to East Boston The second route would have run from Brighton to East Boston. The Blue Line was to make a was ultimately dropped due to lack of funds. L North Station to Lowell operations. Since then, it has been a dream to connect the two via a tunnel under downtown large curve south from Scollay Sq or Bowdoin stations and connect to the western two tracks at 72 Harvard to Aberdeen Ave 13: Orange Line Southwest Corridor (1945-1987) Boston. Freight trains once ran between the two terminals via Atlantic Ave as they served the Light Rail Park St. From here the line would have run west along the existing Boylston St Subway to a new warehouses and shipping industries, but as these declined so too did the need for the rail service. station under Kenmore Sq. After Kenmore the subway was to continue west under Commonwealth After World War II planners saw the need to extend the Orange Line ever deeper into the suburbs. The Atlantic Ave El once connected riders from South Station to North Station but was demolished Providence Line Ave to Warren St where a large transfer terminal was to be built (today the Franciscan Children's Red Line Red Line South of the Forest Hills terminal the Needham and Dedham Branch railroads were to be in the 1930s due to declining ridership. All Times Hospital stands in this location). The streetcars from the A and B branches were to terminate here. converted to rapid transit with the Orange Line extending through West Roxbury and south to M Mattapan to Ashmont C Arlington Hghts to E. Watertown P South Station to Providence Dedham or west to Needham. When the Central Artery and Tunnel Project was first proposed in the 1980s it was the 73 Harvard to Waverley Sq In 1924 the Blue Line was converted to heavy rail but was not extended west. Kenmore station transit-friendly Governor Michael Dukakis who insisted that a North-South rail link be included. As was built so that the center two tracks were lower than the outer tracks for a “future conversion” to When the Federal Interstate Highway program was funded planners saw a way to take advantage the cost and scope of the project ballooned the rail link was soon dropped but the highway tunnels heavy rail. The portal for the B branch on Commonwealth Ave was built to be temporary for a Worcester Line of the new highways by designing the proposed Southwest Expressway with the Orange Line were designed so that a future rail tunnel could be built below them with no obstacle. Green Line Green Line Part Time future extension west. relocated down the median (as had been done in Chicago). An alternative subway along Shawmut W South Station to Worcester Ave to Dudley Sq was deemed too expensive. The Southwest Expressway was to replace much of The North-South Link has been studied as recently as 2018 as either a two-track or four-track A Watertown to Park St A Watertown to Post Office Sq Plans for a Huntington Ave subway evolved into the 1930s when a final plan for the subway as we 77 Harvard to North Cambridge the defunct New Haven Railroad (now the Northeast Corridor) with all remaining rail traffic being tunnel. Plans have called for up to three stations: at North Station, South Station, and a Central know it were finalized in 1933. Funds were provided by the WPA and the two new stations and moved to the Fairmount Line. Station near the Aquarium station on the Blue Line. portal at Gainsborough St were all built to allow for future conversion to heavy rail. The Huntington Grand Junction Line Map Key Ave subway opened in 1941. 18: Track 61 (2010s-Present) Green Line Green Line As part of the relocation the Orange Line was to be extended to Needham and also to Route 128 Braintree WESTWOOD/RT 128 West Station to North Station 6: Green Line to Newton and Needham ( 1945-1959) via Hyde Park. Much of the route through Roxbury was cleared for the highway as protests erupted B Boston College to Park St B Boston College to Brighton G Oc against the road. In 1972 Governor Francis Sargent canceled all new highways inside of Route In 2013 the MBTA and MassDOT proposed using a track, known as Track 61, for passenger R Fr Nb Ps Alternative service from Back Bay to serve the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center (BCEC). Track 61 The Boston & Albany Railroad ran west through Newton and featured a large loop line through the 128, including the Southwest Expressway, and transferred the funds to mass transit. The cleared Extension was once part of the Boston & NY Central Railroad which ran along the present-day Fairmount leafy suburbs known as the Riverside Line. In 1945 the Coolidge Commission proposed to convert land through Roxbury was reimagined as a transit and ribbon park corridor. The Orange Line was New Bedford Line Line to a terminal near South Station (crossing Fort Point Channel). Passenger service ceased in Station Name this loop, along with another branch to Needham, into rapid transit service and connect it to the relocated along the Southwest Corridor along with expanded commuter rail lines which were Green Line Green Line 1896 when it was moved to the new South Station, after which the track served only freight to the Harvard BRAINTREE Green Line through a new tunnel under South Cove to the Tremont St Subway. The section of the chosen by the more suburban residents of West Roxbury and Hyde Park over Orange Line service. Nb New Bedford to South Station Active Platform B warehouses along the waterfront. It’s the only rail connection to the South Boston Waterfront and C Cleveland Circle to North Station C Cleveland Circle to Kenmore Sq Green Line from Park St to Scollay Sq was to be expanded from two tracks to four. Line/Branch 14: Orange Line North (1945-1975) extends to Black Falcon Pier along the Reserve Channel. Lower level Platform A B In 1959 the Riverside Line was successfully incorporated into the Green Line as the D branch but New passenger service would run from Back Bay station to the Fort Point Channel, turn south to Fall River Line was connected to the network at Kenmore Sq rather than Boylston. The line proved so popular BERy had attempted to extend the Orange Line north in the 1920s but was stopped by local Green Line Green Line Caddigan Yard Widett Circle and loop back north. A new flyover track would need to be built above the MBCR Terminal that streetcars had to be transferred from other lines to serve the new branch. This ultimately led to opposition to elevated trains. In 1945 the Coolidge Commission proposed to convert the Reading and Red Line tracks. Alternatively, trains using the Fairmount Line would terminate at BCEC as well Fr Fall River to South Station Active Portal 71 the abandonment of many of the remaining streetcar lines in the system, including the A branch. Branch of the Boston & Maine Railroad to rapid transit as an extension of the Orange Line to Route D Riverside to Union Sq D Newton-Riverside to Union Sq 9 128. The extension would have begun at Haymarket station and run in a new tunnel to as South Station. Note Red Line 7: Green Line to West Medford and Woburn (1945-Present) Charlestown where it would come to the surface and run north. This allowed the elevated tracks *18a South Shore Branch from North Station to Everett to be demolished. Planning began in the 1960s and included the first New Diesel Multiple Unit trains were to be used on the extension as well as to convert the Fair- Green Line Green Line Old Colony Lines Alternative Ideas to extend the Green Line north of Lechmere station had existed since the 1920s but were express track in the system so that trains from Reading could bypass Charlestown. mount Line to rapid transit-like service. The order for these trains was canceled in 2015 and no funding has been found for either the new trains or service. Abandoned Revenue Track formalized in the Coolidge Commission which proposed extending it along the Lowell Line to E Arborway to Medford/Tufts E Arborway to Woburn Oc South Station to Greenbush, Track/ROW Woburn. In the 1990s the Commonwealth began to seriously look at extending the Green Line While construction was ongoing in the late 1960s and early 1970s, residents of Melrose, Wakefield 19: West Station and Grand Junction (2010s-Present)t Non-Revenue north through Somerville. Planning began in 2006 and ground was broken in 2012. and Reading objected to Orange Line service and fought for restoration of commuter rail. The Plymouth, Kingston, Abandoned Platform Track MBTA eventually gave in as they didn’t have the funding the extend the Orange Line north of Oak In 2013, as part of the development of the Beacon Park Yard and straightening of the Mass Pike Two branches were proposed: D trains would run to College Ave in Medford and E trains would run Green Line Green Line Grove in Malden. The third express track, partially built, was never used for revenue service and through the area, MassDOT proposed a new station along the existing Worcester Line in Allston Middleborough/Lakeville Lower level Track to Union Sq in Somerville. The original concept included two more stations at Medford Hillside and commuter rail service through Reading is limited to one track because of the confined right-of-way that would serve new development in the area. West Station, as it is known, would also serve trains Abandoned Portal West Medford but due to the extra costs involved with bridging the Mystic River these have been next to the Orange Line. A station at Edgeworth was dropped from the original plan. In 2014 an G Needham to Park St E Arborway to Brigham Circle To Plymouth and Kingston, using the Grand Junction Railroad through Cambridge to North Station. Current plans for the sta- Proposed extension To Stoughton, New Bedford, Fall River & Providence Middleborough/Lakeville deferred to a future phase. The extension is planned to open by the end of 2021. infill station at Assembly Sq was opened. tion have a completion date of 2040.