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Sullivan Square is a station on the MBTA rapid transit Orange Line, and a major bus transfer point. It was also a major transfer point on the old Charlestown Elevated, with two streetcar loops (one at elevated level and one at surface level) for free transfers, later converted for trackless trolleys and buses.
The first Sullivan Square station was located on the Charlestown Elevated, which last ran on April 4, 1975. It was replaced with the Haymarket North Extension which opened April 7, including a new Sullivan Square Station, several blocks west of the old el station.
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Sullivan is handicapped accessible; see MBTA accessibility.
The original elevated station, which opened on June 10, 1901, was considered the crown jewel of the Boston Elevated Railway system which had just been completed. Surface streetcars ran up to the level of the elevated stations, allowing cross-platform transfer underneath an expansive trainshed.
The station was designed as a major transfer point, with many streetcar lines that had gone downtown truncated to Sullivan. However, the station quickly reached capacity, and an extension to Everett opened on March 15, 1919, with routes through Everett being moved to the new terminal. However, beginning on March 30, 1963, Everett was closed nights and Sundays, and the truncated routes (now all buses) were extended back to Sullivan Square at those times.
Over time, deferred maintenance on the Sullivan Square station took its toll, and by the time the Charlestown Elevated came down, the once-magnificent transportation hub was considered by some to be beyond saving. After the current Sullivan Square station was opened as part of the Haymarket North Extension project, there was some discussion of possible re-use of the older structure, but this was preempted by a catastrophic fire of unknown origin, and the original station was demolished shortly thereafter.
Sullivan Square Station is a proposed stop on the MBTA's planned Urban Ring Project.[1] The Urban Ring would be a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Line designed to connect the current MBTA Lines to reduce strain on the downtown stations.