Fitchburg Cutoff Path
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The Fitchburg Cutoff Path is a short, unpaved 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 bikeway connects with two other bike paths - the Minuteman Bikeway 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 heads are marked by small signs: on the east end, across the street from the Alewife station passenger pickup "kiss and ride" area, and, on the west end, 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.
[edit] History
The path follows the right of way of an abandoned rail line known as the Fitchburg Cutoff or B&M Freight Cutoff (reflecting its acquisition by the Boston and Maine Railroad). The freight line linked the Fitchburg Railroad main line (now the MBTA Fitchburg Line) with the Boston and Lowell Railroad main line (now the MBTA Lowell Line) via Somerville. It also crossed the Lexington and Arlington Railroad at what is now Alewife Station (MBTA). The right of way between Alewife and Davis Square became the underground Red Line (MBTA) extension in the 1980s. The surface portions between Alewife and the Lowell Line are being or have been turned into the Cambridge Linear Park and the Somerville Community Path.
