Fitchburg Cutoff

The Fitchburg Cutoff Path is a short multi-use rail trail located in suburban Boston, Massachusetts.

The 0.8 mile (1.2 km) path runs from Brighton Street in Belmont, Massachusetts to the Alewife station at the northern end of the MBTA Red Line in Cambridge. At its Cambridge terminus, the trail connects with three other multi-use paths—the Minuteman Bikeway, the Alewife Brook path and the Cambridge Linear Park, which, in turn, leads to the Somerville Community Path.

The Fitchburg Cutoff Path largely runs through Alewife Brook Reservation, with several side paths through the reservation leading to the Little River and a nearby industrial park. The trail starts at a new pedestrian bridge just northwest of the Alewife station, across the street from the south end of the Minuteman Path. The western trail head is marked by small signs, just north of where the MBTA rail line crosses Brighton Street. The west end is served by the MBTA #78 bus, with a stop just south of the railroad tracks.

The path underwent a $4.67M upgrade for the path, including a new pedestrian bridge at Alewife. The path was temporarily closed for construction on September 1, 2010. The new bridge and the eastern part of the path reopened on August 23, 2013 after the construction of a storm water management wetland near Alewife Station.

The proposed Mass Central Rail-Trail would represent an extension to Northampton, Massachusetts.

In April 2014, state officials announced that the Somerville Community Path will be extended alongside the Green Line Extension, which would have created a continuous route from the Fitchburg Cutoff Path via the Alewife Linear Park to Boston’s Charles River Bike Path. As a result of budget over runs, the community path will now terminate at Washington Street, Somerville. South of Washington Street, bike commuters will have to use city streets to reach the Charles River Bike Path network and downtown Boston.

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