Green Line "B" Branch

GREEN LINE "B" BRANCH Commonwealth Avenue Line
AnsaldoBreda Type 8 #3840 waits at a red light on Commonwealth Avenue at Carlton Street.
Overview
Type	Light rail
System	Green Line
Locale	Greater Boston
Termini	Park Street Boston College
Stations	25
Daily ridership	26,310 (weekday average boardings from surface stops only in 2010-2011)[1]
Operation
Opened	1894 (Kenmore to Cottage Farm Bridge) 1895 (Cottage Farm Bridge to Packards Corner) 1896 (Lake Street to Chestnut Hill Avenue) 1900 (Packards Corner to Chestnut Hill Avenue)[2]
Owner	MBTA
Operator(s)	MBTA
Character	Underground (Kenmore and eastward) Center median running (west of Kenmore)
Rolling stock	Kinki Sharyo Type 7 Ansaldobreda Type 8
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Route map "C", "D", and "E" branches Tremont Street Subway Park Street  Red  Orange  Silver  Boylston  Silver Line  Boylston Street Subway Arlington Copley Copley Junction "E" Branch Hynes Convention Center Kenmore "D" Branch "C" Branch Blandford Street Portal Blandford Street Boston University East Boston University Central Boston University West St. Paul Street Pleasant Street Babcock Street "A" Branch Packards Corner Fordham Road† Harvard Avenue Griggs Street / Long Avenue Allston Street Warren Street Summit Avenue† Washington Street Mount Hood Road† Sutherland Road Chiswick Road Chestnut Hill Avenue South Street Greycliff Road† Boston College † = closed in 2004

The "B" Branch, also called the Commonwealth Avenue Branch or Boston College Branch, is a branch of the MBTA Green Line light rail system which operates on Commonwealth Avenue west of downtown Boston, Massachusetts. One of four branches of the Green Line, the "B" Branch runs from Boston College station down the median of Commonwealth Avenue to Blandford Street. There, it enters Blandford Street Portal into Kenmore station, where it merges with the "C" and "D" branches. The combined services run into the Boylston Street Subway and Tremont Street Subway to downtown Boston. As of 2017, "B" Branch service terminates at Park Street.

The Green Line Rivalry between Boston College and Boston University is named in reference to the "B" Branch, which runs to both universities.

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.^[3]

1916 map showing the loop at Braves Field

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 Garden. 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.

A turnback loop at Boston University Field was present from 1915 to January 14, 1962. It was used for service to special events as well as to short-turn some rush hour trains.

From 1942 to 1967, the route was known by the map number of 62. In 1967, the lines were given colors and the Green Line branches were lettered. The Commonwealth Avenue Line became the "B" Branch.

Downtown terminal

Until 1931, the line always looped at Park Street. On February 7 of that year, the Commonwealth Avenue service was extended east through downtown to loop at Lechmere. Since then, the following changes in east terminal have been made:^[4]

• November 20, 1961: cut back to Park Street
• November 18, 1964: extended Monday-Saturday to Government Center
• January 1967: cut back to Park Street all times due to problems at the Government Center loop
• March 25, 1967: extended to North Station
• June 17, 1967: cut back to Government Center
• September 9, 1967: extended to North Station
• September 14, 1967: cut back to Government Center due to problems at the North Station loop
• March 21, 1970: extended to Haymarket, looped empty at North Station
• December 26, 1970: extended to North Station
• March 25, 1974: extended to Lechmere
• January 1, 1977: cut back to North Station weekdays only
• March 19, 1977: extended to Lechmere all times
• June 18, 1977: cut back to Government Center all times
• September 9, 1977: extended to Lechmere all times
• September 9, 1978: cut back to Government Center nights and Sundays
• March 24, 1979: cut back to Government Center middays and Saturdays, with only rush hour trips continuing to Lechmere
• March 21, 1980: cut back to Park Street all times
• April 4, 1981: extended to North Station (PCC cars looped at Government Center)
• July 30, 1983: cut back to Government Center
• June 25, 2004: extended to North Station
• January 1, 2005: cut back to Government Center
• March 22, 2014: cut back to Park Street due to Government Center closure; the branch terminus stayed at Park Street when the station was reopened in 2016

Stop consolidation

Mount Hood Road stop (outbound platform pictured) was closed in 2004

The "B" Branch is frequently criticized by riders for its slow service, which is largely a result of a high number of stops and level crossings. The line has 27 level crossings and 18 stops on the surface section.

In late 2003, the MBTA proposed eliminating five surface stops (Greycliff Road, Chiswick Road, Mount Hood Road, Summit Avenue, and Fordham Road) as part of a project to improve the line. The five stops were chosen because they had low ridership and were located very close to other stations.^[5] No stops east of Packards Corner were chosen, although they would affect the largest number of riders; despite their close spacing, they have higher ridership, and their proximity to traffic lights lowers the travel time savings from elimination. After a public comment period, Chiswick Road was removed from the proposal, as it serves a nearby elderly housing community.^[5] On April 20, 2004, the other four stops were closed as a 6-to-8-month pilot program.^[6] On March 15, 2005, after a survey showed that 73% of 1,142 riders surveyed approved of the closures, the MBTA board voted to make the closures permanent.^[5]

In October 2014, the MBTA began holding meetings for a proposal to consolidate four stops - Boston University West, St. Paul Street, Pleasant Street, and Babcock Street - located near Boston University's West Campus. The four stops, which are not handicapped-accessible, would be turned into two fully accessible stops as part of a planned redesign of Commonwealth Avenue between the BU Bridge and Packard's Corner.^[7][8]

Station listing

Trains on the "B" Branch only travel from Park Street to Boston College. The segment from Park Street to Kenmore is shared with the three other branches. There is no MBTA parking at any "B" Branch stations.

Boston University Central, one of the five handicapped-accessible surface stations on the line

Chestnut Hill Avenue, a typical non-accessible station on the line

Station	Location	Transfers and notes
Blandford Street	Commonwealth Avenue at Silber Way, Boston	MBTA Bus: 57
Boston University East	Commonwealth Avenue at Granby Street, Boston	MBTA Bus: 57
Boston University Central	Commonwealth Avenue at Marsh Chapel, Boston	MBTA Bus: CT2, 47, 57
Boston University West	Commonwealth Avenue at Amory Street, Boston	MBTA Bus: 57
St. Paul Street	Commonwealth Avenue at Buick Street, Boston	MBTA Bus: 57
Pleasant Street	Commonwealth Avenue at Pleasant Street, Boston	MBTA Bus: 57
Babcock Street	Commonwealth Avenue at Babcock Street, Boston	MBTA Bus: 57
Packards Corner	Commonwealth Avenue at Brighton Avenue, Allston	MBTA Bus: 57
Fordham Road	Commonwealth Avenue at Fordham Road, Allston	Closed in 2004
Harvard Avenue	Commonwealth Avenue at Harvard Avenue, Allston	MBTA Bus: 66
Griggs Street/Long Avenue	Commonwealth Avenue at Griggs Street, Allston
Allston Street	Commonwealth Avenue at Allston Street, Allston
Warren Street	Commonwealth Avenue at Warren Street, Brighton
Summit Avenue	Commonwealth Avenue at Summit Avenue, Brighton	Closed in 2004
Washington Street	Commonwealth Avenue at Washington Street, Brighton	MBTA Bus: 65
Mount Hood Road	Commonwealth Avenue at Mount Hood Road, Brighton	Closed in 2004
Sutherland Road	Commonwealth Avenue at Sutherland Road, Brighton
Chiswick Road	Commonwealth Avenue at Chiswick Road, Brighton
Chestnut Hill Avenue	Commonwealth Avenue at Chestnut Hill Avenue, Brighton	MBTA Bus: 86
South Street	Commonwealth Avenue at South Street, Brighton
Greycliff Road	Commonwealth Avenue at Greycliff Road, Brighton	Closed in 2004
Boston College	Commonwealth Avenue at Lake Street, Chestnut Hill, Boston

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Green Line "B" Branch.

• MBTA - Green Line "B" Branch