Boston Subway
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Orange Line train near Ruggles station
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| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority |
| Locale | Boston, MA |
| Transit type | rapid transit: heavy rail, light rail, and bus rapid transit |
| Number of lines | 3 heavy rail (Red Line, Orange Line, Blue Line), 2 light rail (Green Line, Ashmont–Mattapan High Speed Line), 1 BRT (Silver Line) |
| Number of stations | 133; 6 new stations are being built as part of the Green Line Extension (GLX) project |
| Annual ridership | 352,519,591 (2014) |
| Website | mbta |
| Operation | |
| Began operation | September 1, 1897 (Tremont Street Subway) |
| Operator(s) | Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) |
| Train length | 6 cars (heavy rail) 1-2 cars (light rail) |
| Technical | |
| System length | 78 mi (126 km) |
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) operates heavy rail, light rail, and bus transit services in the Boston metropolitan area collectively referred to as the Rapid Transit or Subway system.
The colored rail trunk lines consist of 3 heavy rail lines (Red, Orange, and Blue), one branched light rail system (Green), and a short light rail line (the Ashmont-Mattapan High Speed Line, colored as part of the Red Line). All except the Ashmont-Mattapan Line operate in tunnels in the downtown area, but no route operates entirely underground. As a matter of fact, only 26 out of the system's 133 stations are actually underground. The four branches of the Silver Line bus are also shown as part of the rapid transit system. Two branches operate underground as bus rapid transit and charge rapid transit fares; two branches operate entirely on the surface and charge lower bus fares.
The section of the Tremont Street Subway between Park Street and Boylston Street stations on the Green Line opened in 1897, making it the oldest transit subway in the United States still in use. (Only the short-lived Beach Pneumatic Transit demonstration line was built before.)
Opened in September 1897, the four-track-wide segment of the Green Line tunnel between Park Street and Boylston stations was the first subway in the United States, and has been designated a National Historic Landmark. The downtown portions of what are now the Green, Orange, Blue, and Red line tunnels were all in service by 1912. Additions to the rapid transit network occurred in most decades of the 1900s, and continue in the 2000s with the addition of Silver Line bus rapid transit and planned Green Line expansion. (See MBTA History and MBTA Future plans sections.)
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Wikipedia