As with many large cities, a large number of Boston-area streetcar lines once existed, and many continued operating into the 1950s. However, only a few now 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 first streetcar line in the Boston area was a horse-drawn line from Central Square, Cambridge to Bowdoin Square, Boston opened by the Cambridge Railroad on March 26, 1856.[1] Over the following decade a large number of horsecar lines were built by different companies, including the Metropolitan Railroad, Middlesex Railroad, and South Boston Railroad; these companies competed with each other while also sharing tracks in many locations. By the mid-1860s horsecar lines reached to Lynn, Arlington, Watertown, Newton, West Roxbury, and Milton.[2] In 1887 the various Boston-area horsecar companies (except for the Lynn and Boston Railroad) were all consolidated into the West End Street Railway.
In 1889 the West End Street Railway experimented with electric power for its streetcars; the results were so promising that it abandoned a cable car project already under construction.[3] Several lines were electrified in 1889 and by 1895 almost the entire system had been electrified. The last horsecar line was abandoned in 1900.[4]
In 1897 the recently-formed Boston Elevated Railway (BERy) took over the West End Street Railway in order to make the streetcar lines part of its planned rapid transit system. In 1897 the Tremont Street Subway opened and many streetcar routes that had previously used surface tracks in downtown Boston were rerouted into the subway. Over the following decades the opening elevated and underground rapid transit lines (which became today's Orange Line and Red Line), as well as extensions of the Tremont Street subway (which became the Green Line), allowed progressively more streetcar lines to be removed from the congested streets downtown and rerouted to rapid transit stations further out. Passengers could transfer for free between streetcars and rapid transit lines to complete their journeys to or from downtown. In 1904 the East Boston Tunnel opened and was initially used to allow streetcars from East Boston to reach downtown, but in 1924 it was converted into another rapid transit line (part of today's Blue Line) operated with free transfers to and from streetcars at Maverick station.
In the 1920s as competition from cars increased and bus technology improved, the BERy began replacing some of its streetcar lines with buses. These conversions accelerated in the 1930s, with some routes also converted to trolleybuses (locally referred to as 'trackless trolleys'). Bus conversions paused during World War II when gasoline and rubber were in limited supply, but resumed in the late 1940s.
In 1947 the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) was formed to take over the streetcar, bus, and rapid transit operations of the Boston Elevated Railway. It continued to convert lines from streetcar (and trackless trolley) to bus. In 1964 the MTA's operations were in turn taken over by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), which also took over other bus systems running to suburban towns outside the MTA area. By this point the only remaining streetcar lines were five routes running into the Tremont Street Subway and one route on private right-of-way between Mattapan and Ashmont at the end of the Red Line. These were respectively designated as the Green Line branches A thru E and as part of the Red Line. The Green Line "A" branch was subsequently abandoned in 1969 and the "E" branch south of Heath Street abandoned in 1985.
In 1936, the BERy assigned numbers to its routes for map use, but route numbers were not used on buses until the late 1960s (when the colors were assigned to the remaining rail lines).[5] Additionally, the numbers were only kept the same on and after the 1942 revision of the map; before that they were changed with each new version. A few routes were renumbered around 1967, but most routes have kept their original numbers even through conversions from streetcar to trackless trolley to bus. Routes were numbered roughly clockwise from South Boston to East Boston.
This is a table of when each streetcar line was converted to trackless trolley or bus. Only information post-1940 is complete.
| Routes: |
|---|
| Last day of streetcars | Route | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Still operational | 4 Riverside–subway | Renamed Green Line D branch ca. 1967 |
| 28 Mattapan–Ashmont High Speed Line | Number dropped and considered part of Red Line ca. 1967 Still runs 1940s-era PCC streetcars | |
| 57 Heath Street–subway | Renamed Green Line E branch (short-turn) ca. 1967 | |
| 61 Cleveland Circle–subway | Renamed Green Line C branch ca. 1967 | |
| 62 Boston College–subway | Renamed Green Line B branch ca. 1967 | |
| December 27, 1985 | 39 Arborway–subway | Renamed Green Line E branch ca. 1967, reverted to when replaced by bus |
| June 20, 1969 | 69 Watertown–subway | Renamed Green Line A branch ca. 1967, reverted to when replaced by bus |
| October 28, 1963 | bgcolor=dfffdf colspan=2 | New northbound subway routing from Government Center to Haymarket opens, ending service to Adams Square station |
| April 5, 1962 | Shuttle Pleasant Street–Boylston | Last service to the Pleasant Street incline |
| November 17, 1961 | Lenox Street–subway | Had been cut back from Egleston to Lenox Street June 14, 1956 |
| July 4, 1959 | bgcolor=dfffdf colspan=2 | 4 Riverside–subway (Highland branch) opens |
| September 4, 1958 | Watertown–Harvard | Trackless trolley until March 13, 2022 |
| Waverly–Harvard | Trackless trolley until March 13, 2022 | |
| 82 North Cambridge–Harvard | Replacement trackless trolley route renumbered ca. 1967 Trackless trolley until March 13, 2022 (after January 2005 ran only to move trackless trolleys between routes 71/72/73 and North Cambridge carhouse) | |
| June 14, 1956 | Egleston–subway | Cut back to Lenox Street |
| December 16, 1955 | 40 Arborway–Egleston | |
| Elm Street–Sullivan | ||
| November 18, 1955 | 79 Arlington Heights–Harvard | Replacement bus route renumbered ca. 1967 |
| September 9, 1955 | Mattapan–Egleston | |
| December 4, 1953 | City Point–subway | |
| City Point–Dudley | ||
| September 12, 1953 | 47 Massachusetts station–Dudley | Replacement bus route renumbered ca. 1967 |
| June 19, 1953 | City Point–South Station via Summer Street | |
| April 24, 1953 | Mattapan–Arborway | |
| Cleary Square–Arborway | Trackless trolley until September 30, 1958 | |
| November 21, 1952 | Dedham Line–Arborway | Trackless trolley until September 5, 1958 |
| June 20, 1952 | 33 Roslindale–Arborway via Hyde Park Avenue | |
| January 4, 1952 | Meridian Street–Maverick | Turned around at the south end of the closed Meridian Street Bridge since June 12, 1950 Trackless trolley after the Meridian Street Bridge reopened ca. 1954 until March 30, 1961 (Woodlawn–Maverick) |
| 115 Chelsea Square–Maverick[6] | Short-turn of 116/117 Trackless trolley until ca. 1954 (Woodlawn–Wood Island)[7] | |
| Revere Beach Loop–Maverick via Revere Street | Had run into the subway via the Mystic River Bridge and North Station until 1934 Trackless trolley until September 8, 1961 (Wonderland–Wood Island) | |
| Revere Beach Loop–Maverick via Beach Street | Had run into the subway via the Mystic River Bridge and North Station until 1934 Trackless trolley until September 8, 1961 (Wonderland–Wood Island) | |
| 118 Revere carhouse–Maverick via Ocean Avenue and Bennington Street | Trackless trolley until June 18, 1955 (Wonderland–Orient Heights)[8] | |
| Gladstone–Maverick | Short-turn of 118 Trackless trolley until September 8, 1961 (Orient Heights–Maverick) | |
| Eagle Street–Maverick via Lexington Street | Trackless trolley until March 30, 1961 (Wood Island–Maverick) | |
| September 28, 1951 | Charles River Loop–Arborway | Trackless trolley until September 5, 1958 |
| June 16, 1950 | Watertown–Central | Trackless trolley until March 30, 1963 |
| June 12, 1950 | Meridian Street Bridge closes for construction; 114 cut back to south end of bridge, 116 and 117 rerouted via Chelsea Street Bridge | |
| December 9, 1949 | Franklin Park–Andrew | Trackless trolley until April 5, 1962 |
| September 18, 1949 | 76 Harvard–Massachusetts station | Route 76 ran only Harvard Square–MIT from September 12 to 18, after which route 70 was extended from Central Square to MIT[9] until November 9 Trackless trolley from April 22, 1950 until March 30, 1961[10] |
| September 16, 1949 | Egleston–Dudley | |
| July 1, 1949 | Sullivan–subway via Bunker Hill Street | |
| June 7, 1949 | Jamaica Plain–Dudley | |
| April 22, 1949 | 123 Jefferies Point–Maverick[11] | |
| February 11, 1949 | Fields Corner–Andrew via Meeting House Hill | Trackless trolley until April 5, 1962 |
| January 28, 1949 | Seaver–Dudley | Trackless trolley until March 30, 1961 |
| January 7, 1949 | Fields Corner–Dudley via Geneva Avenue | Trackless trolley until April 5, 1962 |
| Ashmont-Dudley via Talbot Avenue | Trackless trolley until April 5, 1962 | |
| Ashmont-Dudley via Washington Street, Dorchester | Trackless trolley until April 6, 1962 | |
| December 24, 1948 | Uphams Corner–Dudley | Trackless trolley until April 5, 1962 (Kane Square–Dudley) |
| Grove Hall–Dudley via Blue Hill Avenue | Trackless trolley until April 5, 1962 | |
| Dudley–subway late night service | Daytime streetcar service had ended March 4, 1938 | |
| June 18, 1948 | 20 Fields Corner–Neponset | Trackless trolley from December 10, 1949 until March 31, 1961 |
| May 1, 1948 | Quincy Point–Fields Corner | Operated by Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway |
| April 2, 1948 | Sullivan–subway via Main Street | |
| April 18, 1947 | Salem Street–Sullivan via Winter Hill | Trackless trolley until March 13, 1959 |
| April 3, 1947 | 8 City Point–South Station via Dorchester Avenue | Had been split into two segments since the Dorchester Avenue Bridge closed for reconstruction on December 2, 1946 |
| December 6, 1946 | Clarendon Hill–Sullivan | Trackless trolley until March 29, 1963 |
| July 27, 1946 | 99 Stoneham–Sullivan | Operated by Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway north of Spot Pond |
| June 29, 1946 | Houghs Neck–Fields Corner | Operated by Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway |
| November 7, 1941 | Clarendon Hill–Lechmere via Somerville Avenue | Had run into the subway via Lechmere until July 9, 1922 Trackless trolley until March 29, 1963 |
| Clarendon Hill–Lechmere via Highland Avenue | Had run into the subway via Lechmere until July 9, 1922 Trackless trolley until March 29, 1963 | |
| February 16, 1941 | bgcolor=dfffdf colspan=2 | Huntington Avenue subway opens and routes 39 and 57 are rerouted to use it, ending surface-running via eastern Huntington Avenue, Boylston Street and the Public Gardens incline |
| September 8, 1939 | Davis Square–Sullivan via Highland Avenue | Trackless trolley from September 13, 1947 until December 14, 1956 |
| December 30, 1938 | 103 Malden Square–Everett via Main Street | Short-turn of 106 Trackless trolley until April 1962 |
| Lebanon Street–Everett via Malden Square | Trackless trolley until March 29, 1963 | |
| September 9, 1938 | Allston–Dudley[12] | |
| Brookline Village–subway via Huntington Ave | Rush-hour only since ca. 1932 | |
| March 4, 1938 | 48 Dudley–subway[13] | Remained in use for late night service until December 24, 1948 |
| December 10, 1937 | Everett Square–Chelsea Square | Trackless trolley until June 23, 1961 (Malden Square–Chelsea Square via Everett Square) |
| 113 Malden Square–Chelsea Square via Ferry Street | Trackless trolley until June 23, 1961 | |
| October 1937 | Aberdeen Avenue–Harvard via Huron Avenue | Trackless trolley from April 2, 1938 until March 2013 |
| September 10, 1937 | Malden–Everett via Ferry Street and Broadway | Trackless trolley until March 30, 1963 |
| June 18, 1937 | Woodlawn–Everett | Trackless trolley until March 30, 1963 (Revere–Everett after September 8, 1940) |
| May 7, 1937 | Woodlawn–Chelsea Square[14] | Had run into the subway via the Mystic River Bridge and North Station until 1934 |
| March 1937 | Local lines in Lynn | Operated by Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway |
| February 1937 | Lynn–Chelsea Square | Operated by Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway Had run into the subway via the Mystic River Bridge and North Station until 1934 |
| January 8, 1937 | Everett carhouse–Everett via Broadway | Had been cut back from Linden to Everett carhouse (at Broadway and Cameron Street) September 16, 1933 Trackless trolley until March 30, 1963 (Linden–Everett) |
| October 9, 1936 | Beachmont–Day Square via Broadway and Chelsea Street Bridge[15] | Had run into the subway via the Mystic River Bridge and North Station until 1934 |
| June 10, 1936 | EMSR Chelsea division routes (111–113 and 116–119) acquired by BERy with several rerouted to East Boston; some of these had run into the subway via the Mystic River Bridge and North Station until 1934 | |
| April 10, 1936 | 77 Harvard–Lechmere via Cambridge Street | Had run into the subway via Lechmere until July 9, 1922 Trackless trolley until March 30, 1963 (first trackless trolley route) Replacement bus route renumbered ca. 1967 |
| October 1935 | Salem–Chelsea Square | Operated by Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway Had run into the subway via the Mystic River Bridge and North Station until 1934 |
| July 13, 1934 | Brookline Avenue–Massachusetts station | Had been cut back from Brookline Village to Brookline Avenue & Boylston Street 1933 Had run into the subway via the Public Gardens incline before the 1920s |
| January 13, 1934 | bgcolor=dfffdf colspan=2 | Mystic River Bridge (between Chelsea and Charlestown) closes for construction;[16] EMSR routes from Woodlawn, Beachmont, Revere, Lynn and Salem cut back from the subway to Chelsea |
| December 1933 | 58 Cypress Street–subway via Huntington Avenue | |
| September 16, 1933 | Linden–Everett via Broadway | Cut back to Everett carhouse (at Broadway and Cameron Street) Trackless trolley from November 28, 1936 until March 30, 1963 |
| May 24, 1933 | Pierce Square–Ashmont | |
| November 4, 1932 | Chestnut Hill–subway via Huntington Avenue | |
| October 23, 1932 | bgcolor=dfffdf colspan=2 | Kenmore station opens, extending the Boylston Street subway to a new portal on Beacon Street used by route 61 and a new portal on Commonwealth Avenue used by routes 62 and 69 |
| July 8, 1932 | Arlington Center–Sullivan via Medford Hillside | Trackless trolley from September 12, 1953 until March 30, 1963 (Arlington Center–Lechmere) |
| June 10, 1932 | Framingham Center–Boston Park Square | Operated by Boston and Worcester Street Railway Had been cut back from Worcester to Framingham January 15, 1931 |
| April 1930 | Norumbega Park–Boston College via Commonwealth Avenue | Operated by Middlesex and Boston Street Railway |
| 1930 | Dorchester Avenue | |
| December 21, 1929 | bgcolor=ffdfdf colspan=2 | 28 (Ashmont–Mattapan High Speed Line) opens to Mattapan |
| August 26, 1929 | bgcolor=ffdfdf colspan=2 | 28 (Ashmont–Mattapan High Speed Line) opens to Milton |
| January 18 1929 | Broadway?–Bay View[17] | |
| November 22, 1929 | Norfolk Street–Dudley[18] | |
| September 1929 | Framingham–Newton Corner via Natick and Wellesley | Operated by Middlesex and Boston Street Railway |
| late 1928 | 25 Andrew–Washington & Fairmount Streets Dorchester | |
| 1926-1928 | Local lines in Newton and Waltham | Operated by Middlesex and Boston Street Railway |
| April 23, 1926 | Boston College–Brookline Village[19] | Had run into the subway via the Public Gardens incline before the 1920s |
| July 18, 1925 | 81 Arlington Center–Clarendon Hill | Trackless trolley from September 12, 1953 to March 30, 1963 |
| May 9, 1925 | Fields Corner–Adams Street | |
| December 20, 1924 | 102 Faulkner–Malden | Trackless trolley from June 17, 1939 until March 30, 1963 |
| Faulkner–Everett | Trackless trolley from June 17, 1939 until March 30, 1963 | |
| April 17, 1924 | bgcolor=dfdfff colspan=2 | Last day of streetcars through the East Boston Tunnel, which had included routes to Chelsea (114), Orient Heights (120), Lexington Street (121), Jeffries Point (123), and Kendall Square[20] |
| July 9, 1922 | bgcolor=dfffdf colspan=2 | Last day of surface lines (77, 87, 88) entering the subway via Lechmere |
As of early 1953 the Metropolitan Transit Authority operated the following streetcar routes. All lines were connected via trackage to the Tremont Street subway (Green Line), but only the 9, 39, 43, 57, 61, 62 and 69 actually operated in the subway.
The Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway (EMSR) operated lines between Boston and towns north and south of the Boston area, including Lynn, Salem, Reading, Lowell, Lawrence, Quincy, Hingham, and Brockton. It also operated local streetcar service within those towns. The company was formed in 1919 to take over the lines of the bankrupt Bay State Street Railway, which advertised itself as "the world's largest street railway system" in the 1910s.[8] Between 1931 and 1937, EMSR replaced almost all of its streetcar routes with bus service. Only three streetcar lines were left by the end of 1937, all linking Boston to nearby towns.
This streetcar line ran between Sullivan Square#Elevated station and Stoneham, Massachusetts. It left Sullivan operated by a Boston Elevated Railway driver and ran via the tracks of BERy's 100 line. It continued beyond from the north end of the 100 through the Middlesex Fells on a privateright-of-way west of Fellsway West. At a stop called "Sheepfold" near Spot Pond in Middlesex Fells, the operator was replaced by an EMSR employee who drove the streetcar the rest of the way into Stoneham and alongside Main Street to the terminal at Farm Hill Station of the Boston and Maine Railroad Stoneham Branch.
The line was bustituted in 1946. In 1968 the MBTA took the bus service over as the 430, and from March 1969 to the end of its service in September 1971, it was part of the 100A Reading–Sullivan via Main Street and Fellsway.
Two Quincy routes left Fields Corner station, running to Quincy center and then splitting. One line continued to Hough's Neck, and the other to Quincy Point and the Fore River Shipyard. The lines were bustituted in 1946 and 1948 respectively. The bus routes that replaced them eventually became MBTA routes,, and /.
