Defunct MBTA streetcar lines

As in many large cities, a large number of streetcar lines once existed in Boston, Massachusetts and its inner suburbs. Only a few remain, namely the four branches of the Green Line and the Ashmont-Mattapan High Speed Line, with only one (the Green Line E branch) running regular service on an undivided street.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) was formed on August 3, 1964, taking over operations from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). At that time, only the following streetcar and rapid transit lines still operated:

• 1 Harvard-Ashmont, renamed the Red Line on August 26, 1965
• 2 Everett-Forest Hills, renamed the Orange Line on August 26, 1965
• 3 Wonderland-Bowdoin, renamed the Blue Line on August 26, 1965
• 4 Riverside-Lechmere, renamed the Green Line D branch on August 26, 1965
• 28 Mattapan-Ashmont, renamed the Red Line Mattapan line on August 26, 1965
• 39 Arborway-Park Street, renamed the Green Line E branch on August 26, 1965
• 57 Heath Street-North Station, renamed the Green Line E branch (short-turn trips) on August 26, 1965
• 61 Cleveland Circle-North Station, renamed the Green Line C branch on August 26, 1965
• 62 Boston College-Government Center, renamed the Green Line B branch on August 26, 1965
• 69 Watertown-Park Street, renamed the Green Line A branch on August 26, 1965

Since then, Green Line E service to Arborway has been replaced by the 39 bus, and Green Line A service has been replaced by the 57 bus.

Older routes

Prior to that, the following streetcar lines existed; this list is only complete from 1953 on. All lines were connected via trackage to the Tremont Street Subway (Green Line), but only the 9 and 43 actually operated in the subway.

7

The 7 City Point-South Station via Summer Street ran along Summer Street from South Station into South Boston, continuing on L Street, East Fourth Street and P Street to the North Point Carhouse at East Second Street near City Point.

Streetcars were last operated June 19, 1953, and buses began the next day. Since then, minor changes have been made at the two ends, but the general route has stayed the same, now called 7 City Point-Downtown via Summer Street and South Station.

The City Point branch of the Silver Line bus rapid transit line provides a parallel service, inaugurated at the end of 2004.

9

The 9 North Station-City Point via Broadway was one of two routes to use the Pleasant Street Incline, the other being the 43. Its tracks ran east from the east tracks of the incline along Broadway, turned south for a block at L Street in South Boston, then turned east on East Fourth Street and north on P Street to the North Point Carhouse at East Second Street near City Point. Streetcars last ran on December 4, 1953, and the line was bustituted the next day (with buses only running to the Pleasant Street Portal).

The routing has since been modified at the South Boston end due to new one-way streets, and major changes have been made in downtown Boston, with the main change being a September 1975 extension to Copley. The route now operates as the 9 City Point-Copley via Broadway.

10

The 10 City Point-Dudley via Andrew streetcar line operated from the North Point Carhouse near City Point in South Boston, at East Second Street, south on P Street, west on East Fourth Street, north for a block on L Street and west on Broadway. Where Broadway turns northwest it went southwest on Dorchester Street to Andrew and then west on Southampton Street, northwest on Northampton Street and southwest on Washington Street to end at Dudley in Roxbury.

Streetcars last operated on December 4, 1953, and the line was bustituted the next day. Minor changes have since been made at the east end. In May 1987, the 10 was merged with the 68 Boston City Hospital-Copley, removing the section along Washington Street and extending the 10 to Copley. It now operates as 10 City Point-Copley via Boston Medical Center and Andrew.

29

The 29 Mattapan-Egleston via Blue Hill Avenue and Seaver Street ran from Mattapan north on Blue Hill Avenue and Seaver Street (both parts of Route 28) to Egleston. Streetcars last operated on September 9, 1955, and buses began the next day.

In May 1987, the Orange Line was relocated, and the 29 was extended from Egleston to Jackson Square; some off-peak service extends to Ruggles. The route is now the 29 Mattapan-Jackson Square via Blue Hill Avenue and Seaver Street, with extended service as the 29 Mattapan-Ruggles via Blue Hill Avenue, Seaver Street and Jackson Square.

30

The 30 Mattapan-Roslindale via Cummins Highway ran from Mattapan along Cummins Highway to Roslindale Square. Streetcars last operated on April 24, 1953, and buses began the next day.

Since 1995, the MBTA has been extending an increasing number of trips to Forest Hills; now only Sunday trips still end at Roslindale. Forest Hills trips are thus 30 Mattapan-Forest Hills via Roslindale Square and Cummins Highway.

40

The short 40 Arborway-Egleston via Washington Street ran under the Washington Street Elevated between Egleston and Forest Hills, with streetcars last running December 17, 1955 and buses beginning the next day. The route was discontinued in June 1971, and in April 1981 the 42 was extended to cover the former 40 route.

43

The 43 North Station-Egleston via Tremont Street was one of two routes to use the Pleasant Street Incline. Before December 5, 1953, when the 9 operated into the same incline, the 43 used the two west tracks. Afterwards, it was realigned to use the two east tracks, allowing for a larger bus transfer area to the west.

The 43 came out of the portal and used Tremont Street and Columbus Avenue to Egleston. The tracks south of the loop at Lenox Street were last used on June 14, 1956, and the next day Route 43 buses started running from Lenox Street south to Egleston. The rest of the surface tracks were last used November 17, 1961, and the bus route was extended to the portal, where a short-lived subway shuttle connected to Boylston. At the same time, the route was extended on the surface to Boylston.

In February 1966, the buses were removed from Boylston Street, but they were extended around the Boston Common in June 1972. In May 1987, the south end was truncated from Egleston to the new Ruggles station, forming the current 43 Ruggles Station-Park & Tremont via Tremont.

47

The 47 Massachusetts Station-Dudley was a short route, beginning at Massachusetts Avenue station (now Hynes/ICA) and running south along Massachusetts Avenue, southwest one block on Columbus Avenue, southeast on Northampton Street and southwest on Washington Street to Dudley. Streetcars last operated September 12, 1953, with buses running the next day.

In September 1962, the route was merged with the 76 Harvard-Massachusetts Station to form the 1 Harvard-Dudley via Massachusetts Avenue. The old 47 service has since been slightly rerouted.

71

The 71 Watertown-Harvard via Mount Auburn Street ran from Watertown via Mount Auburn Street to the Harvard Bus Tunnel. Streetcars last ran on September 4, 1958, and trackless trolleys began operation the next day.

72

The 72 Huron Avenue-Harvard via Concord Avenue ran from the intersection of Mount Auburn Street and Aberdeen Avenue north on Aberdeen Avenue and east on Huron Avenue and Concord Avenue to terminate in the Harvard Bus Tunnel. Streetcars last ran on April 1, 1938, and trackless trolleys have been running since then.

73

The 73 Waverly-Harvard via Trapelo Road and Mount Auburn Street ran from Waverly along Trapelo Road, Belmont Street and Mount Auburn Street to the Harvard Bus Tunnel. Streetcars last operated September 4, 1958, and trackless trolleys began the next day.

77

The 79 Arlington Heights-Harvard via Massachusetts Avenue ran between Arlington Heights and the Harvard Bus Tunnel via Massachusetts Avenue. Streetcars last ran November 18, 1955, buses began running the next day, and it was renumbered to the 77 Arlington Heights-Harvard via Massachusetts Avenue in the late 1960s.

77A

The 82 North Cambridge-Harvard via Massachusetts Avenue was a short-turn route of the 79, running along Massachusetts Avenue between the North Cambridge Carhouse and the Harvard Bus Tunnel. Streetcars last ran on September 4, 1958, with trackless trolleys beginning the next day. The 82 was renumbered as the 77A North Cambridge-Harvard via Massachusetts Avenue in the late 1960s.

92

The 92 Sullivan-Scollay Square via Main line ran from Sullivan south on Main Street under the Charlestown Elevated (using Park Street and Warren Street northbound near City Square), then over the Charlestown Bridge, west on Causeway Street, and into the Tremont Street Subway via the Causeway Street Incline, turning around at the Brattle Loop at Scollay. Streetcars last ran on April 2, 1948, but the tracks were kept until 1962 to access the 100 tracks and Everett Shops.

Bus service on the 92 Sullivan-Haymarket via Main began April 3, 1948, and has changed very little. Aside from a few realignments near City Square in Charlestown, and an extension to Assembly Square Mall in June 1982, the only real change has been the extension of early morning weekday service to Downtown Crossing in December 2002, operating as 92 Assembly Square Mall-Downtown via Main (normal service is 92 Assembly Square Mall-Haymarket via Sullivan and Main).

93

The 93 Sullivan-Scollay Square via Bunker Hill Street line was a variant of the 92, using Bunker Hill Street and Chelsea Street in Charlestown. Streetcars last ran July 1, 1949, and the 93 Sullivan-Haymarket via Bunker Hill Street bus route began operation the next day, using Washington Street between the Charlestown Bridge and Haymarket. Due to the construction of the Tobin Bridge, which opened in 1950, the route in Charlestown was immediately realigned. Not much has changed since then, except in June 2004, when early morning weekday trips were extended to Downtown Crossing as the 93 Sullivan-Downtown via Bunker Hill Street.

100

The 100 Elm Street-Sullivan via Fellsway streetcar line last operated on December 16, 1955, running between Elm Street on Fellsway West in Medford and Sullivan, and was bustituted the next day. When the new Wellington station opened in September 1975, the route was rerouted east on Revere Beach Parkway to terminate there; the 100 now operates as Elm Street-Wellington via Fellsway.

This streetcar line used to continue north on a private right-of-way west of Fellsway West through the Middlesex Fells Reservation, and then on through Stoneham and beyond. This part, north of Elm Street, was operated by the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway. That too was bustituted, and from 1968 to the end of its service in September 1971, it was numbered as the 100A Reading-Sullivan via Main Street and Fellsway.

Track connections to the rest of the system were provided by the otherwise unused streetcar tracks under the Charlestown Elevated from Sullivan south to the Causeway Street Incline, once used by the 92.

References

• Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA District 1964-Present (PDF)