MEDFORD, Mass. — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority opened its Green Line light rail extension to Medford this morning (Monday, Dec. 12), completing a $2.3 billion project adding five stations.
The Boston Globe reports more than 200 people were gathered at the Medford/Tufts station by 4:37 a.m., with a packed first train departing at 4:52 a.m. a packed first train departed the Medford/Tufts station at 4:52 a.m.
The new branch is projected to generate more than 50,000 rides per day. It opens about a year late, having originally been projected to begin service in December 2021. Built adjacent to an existing MBTA commuter rail line, the project involved widening the right-of-way to make room for the light rail line. It is an all above-ground portion of the Green Line, some of which includes the oldest subway line in North America. WBUR Radio reports a trip from the Medford/Tufts station to downtown Boston will take about 26 minutes, and that trains will run every 7 to 8 minutes.
Big trouble is there is no parking garages or spaces at any of the new train stations. Most streets are posted to only allow locals that have an assigned parking permit to park on any streets. In fact most streets have lost half of their on street parking due to installation of dedicated bus lanes and dedicated bike lanes. The current end point in Medford is next to Tufts’s university so it’s for the college students. In other words if you want to drive to the nearest station you are out of luck. You are expected to take a local bus from a further out location where no parking exists to get to this station or ride a bike to this station. End result is I grew up not far from there but I can’t get to there in my truck to visit friends.
The Green Line extension was supposed to have been completed by 2004 as part of remediation fir the Big Dig. Since it wasn’t the Conservation Law group sued and won with settlement requiring completion by 2011. There was stall after stall and the MBTA tried to abandon the project but couldn’t. It’s actually 18 years late.
That many people want to take a train at 4:52AM on a Monday morning??????
Not normal. Foamers who want to ride the first trip.
Have a look, videographer Miles in Transit : https://youtu.be/CnPAg3GQtcQ
When living in Boston(Brookline), I rode the Cleveland Circle trains daily. At that time, t hey were three car PCC trains. Museum??, I thought it was cool as hell.
As to Red Line, heavy rail statdards, impossible; B,C,E run on street medians. BUT, light rail with a twist, as in LA, with high level platforms, etc., would be the ideal.
Now we can cram even more two car long light rail trains through America’s Oldest Subway. If I were God and could change history, my first act would be to build the Green Line to Red Line standards. Then it would be the star of urban transportation in USA instead of a substandard rolling museum.
Who needs a museum when you have the Green line.
In a certain way it seems the proper way to initiate a service, just a bunch of people and the aging equipment that will be riding and working the line day to day. No banner, no shiny new EMU, and no champagne corks.