Green Line "B" Branch

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Green Line "B" Branch
Commonwealth Avenue Branch
Ansaldobreda Type 8 #3840 waits at a red light on Commonwealth Avenue at Carlton Street.
Info
Type Light rail
System Green Line
Locale Greater Boston
Terminals Government Center
Boston College
No. of stations 25
Daily ridership 30,745 (1995 typical weekday, surface boardings only)[1]
Operation
Opened 1932 (in current form)
Owner MBTA
Operator(s) MBTA
Character Underground (Kenmore and eastward)
Street-running (west of Kenmore)
Rolling stock Kinki Sharyo Type 7
Ansaldobreda Type 8
Technical
Gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8½ in)

The "B" Branch, also called the Commonwealth Avenue Branch or Boston College Branch, is a branch of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Green Line in the Boston, Massachusetts area, along which light rail vehicles run on a surface right-of-way down the middle of Commonwealth Avenue. After going underground via the Blandford Street Incline, the tracks merge with the "C" and "D" Branches into Kenmore station. From there the Boylston Street Subway and Tremont Street Subway carry "B" cars to downtown Boston, with regular service turning around at Government Center as of November 2005.

Contents

[edit] History

In 1896, tracks were laid on Commonwealth Avenue from Chestnut Hill Avenue west to the Newton town line at Lake Street, and around the same time the Commonwealth Avenue Street Railway opened, extending the tracks through Newton to Norumbega Park; this later became part of the Middlesex and Boston Street Railway. Trains between Lake Street and downtown Boston used tracks on Beacon Street, now part of the "C" Branch. From Kenmore Square they continued east on Beacon Street, then turned south on Massachusetts Avenue and east on Boylston Street to Park Square. In 1900 tracks were installed on the rest of Commonwealth Avenue, from Chestnut Hill Avenue east to existing tracks at Packard's Corner, later part of the "A" Branch. This enabled trains to use Commonwealth Avenue between Lake Street and Kenmore Square. In 1909, the tracks were electrified.[2]

The Tremont Street Subway opened on September 1, 1897, and then or soon after the Commonwealth Avenue line was rerouted to turn around at Park Street via the Boylston Street Incline at the Public Gardens. The Boylston Street Subway opened on October 3, 1914, extending the underground portion to the Kenmore Incline just east of Kenmore Square. On October 23, 1932 the Blandford Street Incline opened along with the underground Kenmore station, giving the line its present configuration.

Until the 1920s, a streetcar line that has since become the 65 bus ran along Commonwealth Avenue from Boston College east to Chestnut Hill Avenue, then south on Chestnut Hill Avenue and east on Beacon Street from Cleveland Circle to Washington Square, turning southeast to Brookline Village. After this was replaced by bus service in the 1920s (along with a rerouting), no revenue service used the tracks on Chestnut Hill Avenue, but they have remained for "B" Branch trains to access the Reservoir Carhouse at Cleveland Circle on the "C" Branch.

From 1942 to 1967, the route was known by the map number of 62. Since then it has been the "B" Branch.

A turnback loop at Boston University Field was present from 1915 to January 14, 1962, and was used for service to special events.

On February 7, 1931, the Commonwealth Avenue service was extended east through downtown to loop at Lechmere rather than Park Street. Since then, the following changes in east terminal have been made:

In the past, the B branch has been heavily criticized by riders for its slow service. It is slower than the C branch, in part because of its greater density of stops, and both branches are slower then the D branch, which has the lowest stop density and a dedicated right-of-way.

In late 2003, the MBTA proposed eliminating five stops along the branch (Greycliff Road, Mount Hood Road, Summit Avenue, Fordham Road, and Chiswick Road.) This was seen as a way to speed up service for riders, while also reducing the MBTA's maintenance costs. Many riders welcomed the change, noting the stops' low ridership and close proximity to more popular stops. Others felt that the change did not go far enough, noting that the total time savings would be small (a few minutes out of a 45-minute trip) and the B branch would still be the slowest Green Line branch by far. Many riders questioned why the MBTA did not propose closing any of the stops east of Packard's Corner, even though this would improve travel times for a large number of riders and several of these stops were only a few hundred feet apart.

In early 2004, four of the five stops (Greycliff Road, Mount Hood Road, Summit Avenue, Fordham Road) were closed in a pilot stop elimination program. The fifth (Chiswick Road) was spared, after elderly residents of the nearby Jewish Community Housing facility rallied to its defense. In 2005, after a survey showed that 73% of 1,142 riders surveyed approved of the closures, the MBTA announced that the four stops would be closed permanently. [3]


[edit] Station listing

Station Location Time to Park Street[4] Transfers and notes
Blandford Street Commonwealth Avenue at Sherborn Street, Boston 16 minutes no MBTA parking
Handicapped/disabled access Boston University East Commonwealth Avenue at Granby Street, Boston 17 minutes the first station serving Boston University
Handicapped/disabled access Boston University Central Commonwealth Avenue at Marsh Chapel, Boston 18 minutes the second station serving Boston University
Boston University West Commonwealth Avenue at Amory Street, Boston 19 minutes the third station serving Boston University
St. Paul Street Commonwealth Avenue at Buick Street, Boston 20 minutes 57 Bus to Watertown Square
Pleasant Street Commonwealth Avenue at Pleasant Street, Boston 22 minutes no MBTA parking
Babcock Street Commonwealth Avenue at Babcock Street, Boston 24 minutes no MBTA parking
Brighton Avenue/Packard's Corner Packard's Corner at Brighton Avenue, Allston 26 minutes the "A" Branch formerly diverged here
Handicapped/disabled access Harvard Avenue Commonwealth Avenue at Harvard Avenue, Allston 28 minutes 66 Bus to Harvard Square
Griggs Street/Long Avenue Commonwealth Avenue at Griggs Street, Allston 30 minutes no MBTA parking
Allston Street Commonwealth Avenue at Allston Street, Allston 32 minutes no MBTA parking
Warren Street Commonwealth Avenue at Warren Street, Brighton 34 minutes no MBTA parking
Handicapped/disabled access Washington Street Commonwealth Avenue at Washington Street, Brighton 36 minutes 65 Bus to Kenmore Square
Sutherland Road Commonwealth Avenue at Sutherland Road, Brighton 38 minutes no MBTA parking
Chiswick Road Commonwealth Avenue at Chiswick Road, Brighton 40 minutes no MBTA parking
Chestnut Hill Avenue Commonwealth Avenue at Chestnut Hill Avenue, Chestnut Hill 41 minutes within easy walking distance of the C branch's Cleveland Circle station, and the D branch's Reservoir station
South Street Commonwealth Avenue at South Street, Chestnut Hill 42 minutes no MBTA parking
Handicapped/disabled access Boston College Commonwealth Avenue at Lake Street, Chestnut Hill, serving Boston College 43 minutes formerly Lake Street

[edit] External links

[edit] References

 The references in this article would be clearer with a different or consistent style of citation, footnoting, or external linking.
  1. ^ http://www.bostonmpo.org/bostonmpo/resources/CMS/Entrances.pdf
  2. ^ Cleveland Circle History
  3. ^ T drops 4 Green Line stops after results of rider survey, The Boston Globe March 16, 2005
  4. ^ Association for Public Transportation, Car-Free in Boston, A Guide for Locals and Visitors, 10th ed. (2003), p. 117.
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