Charlestown Elevated

Charlestown Elevated
City Square station
Overview
System	BERy Main Line / MBTA Orange Line
Termini	Canal Street Incline Everett station
Stations	5
Operation
Opening	1901
Closed	1975
Technical
No. of tracks	2
Route map Charlestown Elevated Everettopened 1919 Mystic River Sullivan Square Thompson Square City Square Charles River Atlantic Avenue Elevated (r) North Station Canal Street Incline | Battery Street Washington Street Subway (l) Friend-Union Milk-State | State Street(East Boston Tunnel) Rowes Wharf(BRB&L ferry) Summer | South Station(Dorcester Tunnel) Boylston-Essex Beach Street Washington Street Elevated Dover Northampton Dudley Square Egleston Green Street(opened 1912) Forest Hills

The Charlestown Elevated was a former segment of Boston's Orange Line rapid transit line that ran from the Canal Street Incline in parallel with the Causeway Street Elevated (near the old Boston Garden), splitting from the Causeway Elevated's right-of-way by running to the northeast around the Boston Garden, and then resuming its northwards run to the city of Everett through Charlestown. Building of the elevated began in 1899 and the first trains ran in June 1901,^[1] with the Atlantic Avenue Elevated tracks splitting off to the east between North Station and City Square from the northwards turn towards Everett until the Atlantic Avenue El's own closure in 1938.

The Orange Line was rerouted to Malden via an underground route and surface-level route - the Haymarket North Extension - in 1975, the first of two major realignments of the Orange Line. The second realignment occurred in 1987, with the closure and subsequent demolition of the Washington Street Elevated that extended south of the city center. The Charlestown Elevated closed on April 4, 1975, and the new extension opened on April 7.

The CHarlestown Elevated's infrastructure was demolished shortly after its closure; Sullivan Square was demolished in July 1975.^[2] Remains of the bridge over the Mystic River still exist just west of the Route 99 (Alford Street) bridge, and a line of angled stone remains of the Canal Street Incline. The elevated supports can also be seen in the center span of the Charlestown Bridge. Tower C, which was located at the split between the Charlestown Elevated and the Atlantic Avenue Elevated at the southern end of the Charlestown Bridge, was moved to the Seashore Trolley Museum.^[2]

Station listing

Gallery

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  Under construction, 1899

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  Elevated train on Canal Street Incline

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  North Station elevated stop in 1922, with parallel Causeway Street Elevated streetcar tracks at left

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  Sullivan Square, 1905

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  Charlestown Bridge, 1929

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  1967-69 MBTA map showing the Charlestown Elevated route

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  Remains of the Canal Street Incline

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  Elevated supports on Charlestown Bridge

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  Supports at Sullivan Square

• 

  Abutment of Mystic River bridge

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Charlestown Elevated.

External links

• Remains visible from Route 99 on Google Maps Street View
• Historic Charlestown photos

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