172-711: Magoun Square station is a light rail station on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Green Line located at Lowell Street south of Magoun Square in Somerville, Massachusetts . The accessible station has a single island platform serving the two tracks of the Medford Branch. It opened on December 12, 2022, as part of the Green Line Extension (GLX), which added two northern branches to
344-724: A "light rail" vehicle (it is a heavy rail vehicle), and is only included for comparison purposes. Low-floor LRVs have the advantage of a low-floor design, allowing them to load passengers directly from low-rise platforms that can be little more than raised curbs. High-floor light rail systems also exist, featuring larger stations. Historically, the track gauge has had considerable variations, with narrow gauge common in many early systems. However, most light rail systems are now standard gauge . Older standard-gauge vehicles could not negotiate sharp turns as easily as narrow-gauge ones, but modern light rail systems achieve tighter turning radii by using articulated cars . An important advantage of
516-694: A 1,110-foot (340 m)-long tunnel. The western portal of the tunnel opened onto a 917-foot viaduct near the site of the Wachusett Dam that passed over Route 70 and the Nashua River before connecting with the WN&;P Division main line at Clinton Junction. Traffic over the Central Massachusetts Branch followed the WN&P Division main line through Sterling into Oakdale where a redesigned junction routed it back onto
688-581: A brief upswing in traffic between World War I and the early 1920s but the Great Depression and increased competition from automobiles and trucks began to take their toll in the latter half of the decade. By 1928 no freights and only one passenger train ran the length of the line from Boston to Northampton. The struggling economy and reduction in business forced the B&;M to take austerity measures and cut back on less profitable lines including
860-458: A bus, there will be even more capacity when there is a combination of cars and light rail. Table 3 shows an example of peak passenger capacity. The cost of light rail construction varies widely, largely depending on the amount of tunneling and elevated structures required. A survey of North American light rail projects shows that costs of most LRT systems range from $ 15 million to over $ 100 million per mile. Seattle's new light rail system
1032-403: A chaotic breakdown inflow and a dramatic drop in speed (a traffic jam ) if they exceed about 2,000 vehicles per hour per lane (each car roughly two seconds behind another). Since most people who drive to work or on business trips do so alone, studies show that the average car occupancy on many roads carrying commuters is only about 1.5 people per car during the high-demand rush hour periods of
1204-1142: A common right-of-way (however, Link converted to full separation in 2019). Some systems, such as the AirTrain JFK in New York City, the DLR in London, and Kelana Jaya Line in Kuala Lumpur , have dispensed with the need for an operator. The Vancouver SkyTrain was an early adopter of driverless vehicles, while the Toronto Scarborough rapid transit operated the same trains as Vancouver, but used drivers. In most discussions and comparisons, these specialized systems are generally not considered light rail but as light metro systems. Around Karlsruhe , Kassel , and Saarbrücken in Germany, dual-voltage light rail trains partly use mainline railroad tracks, sharing these tracks with heavy rail trains. In
1376-481: A concerted effort from private landowners who had taken over the long-abandoned property. In 2006 the western end of the trail was extended to N. O. Tower. In West Boylston, Holden, and Rutland a volunteer organization called Wachusett Greenways began to convert the roughly 30 miles of property between Oakdale and Rutland to the Mass Central Rail Trail . The Mass Central Rail Trail currently includes
1548-650: A connection in Gleasondale from Gleason Junction on the Central Massachusetts Branch to C. M. Junction on the Marlborough Branch to enable passenger service into Marlborough . While traffic into Marlborough flourished, traffic along the connection in Jefferson languished, and in 1909 the B&M took up that track. On June 5, 1895 the General Court of Massachusetts authorized the damming of
1720-681: A connection with the Somerville Community Path. However, northwest of the bridge was chosen to avoid a curved platform and the need to take adjacent property. The DEIR, released in October 2009, concurred with the northwest site. Preliminary plans in the DEIR called for the station to have a single island platform. A headhouse with stairs, an escalator, and two elevators would connect to the Lowell Street bridge. Construction of
1892-651: A feasibility study anyway estimating that restoring service to the route as far as Berlin would cost in excess of $ 103 million and that any benefit gained was unlikely to outweigh the costs. In 1999 Evans, now the Director of Planning for the MBTA, proposed converting the Central Massachusetts right of way into a busway but the state rejected this proposal as well. As of 2024, most of the tracks between Clemantis Brook and Berlin have been removed, and most of
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#17327940828692064-691: A hearing before the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) regarding his questionable business practices. He abruptly resigned from the presidencies of both the NYNH&;H and B&M on July 9 leaving the Hampden a bridge between two suddenly competing railroads. Despite one more tour by B&M officials in November 1914 neither they nor the NYNH&H wished to lease the line, which was shut down for good in 1925. The failure of
2236-416: A light rail train may have three to four cars of much larger capacity in one train under the control of one driver, or no driver at all in fully automated systems, increasing the labor costs of BRT systems compared to LRT systems. BRT systems are also usually less fuel-efficient as they use non-electrified vehicles. The peak passenger capacity per lane per hour depends on which types of vehicles are allowed on
2408-435: A live rail. In outer areas, the trams switch to conventional overhead wires . The Bordeaux power system costs about three times as much as a conventional overhead wire system and took 24 months to achieve acceptable levels of reliability, requiring the replacement of all the main cables and power supplies. Operating and maintenance costs of the innovative power system still remain high. However, despite numerous service outages,
2580-543: A longer distance. Light rail cars are often coupled into multiple units of two to four cars. Light rail systems may also exhibit attributes of heavy rail systems, including having downtown subways, as in San Francisco and Seattle . Light rail is designed to address a gap in interurban transportation between heavy rail and bus services, carrying high passenger numbers more quickly than local buses and more cheaply than heavy rail. It serves corridors in which heavy rail
2752-570: A lower capacity and speed than a long heavy rail passenger train or rapid transit system. Narrowly defined, light rail transit uses rolling stock that is similar to that of a traditional tram, while operating at a higher capacity and speed, often on an exclusive right-of-way. In broader use, it includes tram-like operations mostly on streets. A few light rail networks have characteristics closer to rapid transit or even commuter rail , yet only when these systems are fully grade-separated are they referred to as light metros . The term light rail
2924-642: A more diverse range of design characteristics than LRT, depending on the demand and constraints that exist, and BRT using dedicated lanes can have a theoretical capacity of over 30,000 passengers per hour per direction (for example, the Guangzhou Bus Rapid Transit system operates up to 350 buses per hour per direction). For the effective operation of a bus or BRT system, buses must have priority at traffic lights and have their dedicated lanes, especially as bus frequencies exceed 30 buses per hour per direction. The higher theoretical of BRT relates to
3096-625: A petition requesting that the new railroad extend further west to Northampton. On May 10, 1869 the General Court chartered the Massachusetts Central Railroad and united it with the Wayland and Sudbury Branch. The Massachusetts Central Railroad was organized on September 2, 1869 with James M. Stone of Charlestown elected as its first president. Construction began the following fall despite difficulty in raising capital. The company hired contractor Norman Munson to build
3268-580: A portion of the former Fitchburg and Worcester Railroad in Sterling between Sterling Junction and Sterling Center; however this route was never a part of the Central Massachusetts Branch and does not connect with the rest of the trail since the former WN&P Division main line tracks remain in service as the Worcester Main Line of Pan Am Railways . The Massachusetts Central Railroad operated five locomotives between 1881 and 1883. These were
3440-407: A result, has many of the operating characteristics of a metro system rather than a light rail system. A capacity of 1,350 passengers per train is more similar to the heavy rail than light rail. Bus rapid transit (BRT) is an alternative to LRT and many planning studies undertake a comparison of each mode when considering appropriate investments in transit corridor development. BRT systems can exhibit
3612-599: A second branching from the Boylston Street subway to run under Huntington Avenue , and a third extending from Lechmere Square northwest through Somerville. The Report on Improved Transportation Facilities , published by the Boston Division of Metropolitan Planning in 1926, proposed extension from Lechmere to North Cambridge via the Southern Division and the 1870-built cutoff. Consideration
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#17327940828693784-713: A short extension from Lechmere to Washington Street as an immediate priority, with a second phase reaching to Mystic Valley Parkway (Route 16) or West Medford. The 1972 final report of the Boston Transportation Planning Review listed a Green Line extension from Lechmere to Ball Square as a lower priority, as did several subsequent planning documents. In 1980, the MBTA began a study of the "Green Line Northwest Corridor" (from Haymarket to Medford), with extension past Lechmere one of its three topic areas. Extensions to Tufts University or Union Square were considered. A 1991 agreement between
3956-534: A top speed of 55–71.5 miles per hour (88.51–115.1 km/h) depending on the system, while the trains on the all-underground Montreal Metro can only reach a top speed of 72 kilometres per hour (44.74 mph). LACMTA light rail vehicles have higher top and average speeds than Montreal Metro or New York City Subway trains. Many light rail systems—even fairly old ones—have a combination of both on- and off-road sections. In some countries (especially in Europe), only
4128-481: A tramway, a light metro, and, in a narrow sense, rapid transit. This is especially common in the United States, where there is not a popularly perceived distinction between these different types of urban rail systems. The development of technology for low-floor and catenary-free trams facilitates the construction of such mixed systems with only short and shallow underground sections below critical intersections as
4300-476: A variety of light rail, bus rapid transit , and commuter rail extensions, all of which included a Lowell Street station about 1,200 feet (370 m) northwest of the former Somerville Junction station site. The highest-rated alternatives all included an extension to West Medford with Lowell Street as one of the intermediate stations. The Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation and Public Works submitted an Expanded Environmental Notification Form (EENF) to
4472-565: Is a form of passenger urban rail transit that uses rolling stock derived from tram technology while also having some features from heavy rapid transit . The term was coined in 1972 in the United States as an English equivalent for the German word Stadtbahn , meaning "city railway". Different definitions exist in some countries, but in the United States, light rail operates primarily along exclusive rights-of-way and uses either individual tramcars or multiple units coupled together, with
4644-470: Is a generic international English phrase for types of rail systems using modern streetcars/trams, which means more or less the same thing throughout the English-speaking world . Light rail systems can range from trams runnig in streets along with other traffic, to semi-metro systems having portions of grade separated track. People movers are even "lighter", in terms of capacity. Monorail
4816-575: Is a separate technology that has been more successful in specialized services than in a commuter transit role. The use of the generic term light rail avoids some serious incompatibilities between British and American English . The word tram , for instance, is generally used in the UK and many former British colonies to refer to what is known in North America as a streetcar , but in North America tram can instead refer to an aerial tramway , or, in
4988-602: Is a significant amount of overlap between the technologies; similar rolling stock may be used for either, and it is common to classify streetcars or trams as a subcategory of light rail rather than as a distinct type of transportation. However, some distinctions can be made, though systems may combine elements of both. Low-floor light rail lines tend to follow a reserved right-of-way and with trains receiving priority at intersections, and tend not to operate in mixed traffic, enabling higher operating speeds. Light rail lines tend to have less frequent stops than tramways, and operate over
5160-453: Is also provisioned for future extension to 300-foot (91 m) length. The tracks and platform are located below street level. The platform is located northwest of Lowell Street, with a sloped footbridge connecting Lowell Street to the station headhouse . The headhouse has stairs and two elevators for accessibility . A 36-space " Pedal and Park " bike cage and 16 bike racks are located on the footbridge next to Lowell Street. An emergency exit
5332-563: Is by far the most expensive in the US, at $ 179 million per mile, since it includes extensive tunneling in poor soil conditions, elevated sections, and stations as deep as 180 feet (55 m) below ground level. This results in costs more typical of subways or rapid transit systems than light rail. At the other end of the scale, four systems (Baltimore, Maryland; Camden, New Jersey; Sacramento, California; and Salt Lake City, Utah) incurred construction costs of less than $ 20 million per mile. Over
Magoun Square station - Misplaced Pages Continue
5504-426: Is especially important for wheelchair access, as narrower gauges (e.g. metre gauge) can make it challenging or impossible to pass the tram's wheels. Furthermore, standard-gauge rolling stock can be switched between networks either temporarily or permanently, and both newly built and used standard-gauge rolling stock tends to be cheaper to buy, as more companies offer such vehicles. Overhead lines supply electricity to
5676-502: Is expensive. Similarly, the most expensive US highway expansion project was the " Big Dig " in Boston, Massachusetts, which cost $ 200 million per lane mile for a total cost of $ 14.6 billion. A light rail track can carry up to 20,000 people per hour as compared with 2,000–2,200 vehicles per hour for one freeway lane. For example, in Boston and San Francisco, light rail lines carry 9,600 and 13,100 passengers per hour, respectively, in
5848-575: Is hard to distinguish between what is called light rail, and other forms of urban and commuter rail. A system described as a light rail in one city may be considered to be a streetcar or tram system in another. Conversely, some lines that are called "light rail" are very similar to rapid transit ; in recent years, new terms such as light metro have been used to describe these medium-capacity systems. Some "light rail" systems, such as Sprinter , bear little similarity to urban rail, and could alternatively be classified as commuter rail or even inter-city rail. In
6020-559: Is impractical. Light metro systems are essentially hybrids of light rail and rapid transit. Metro trains are larger and faster than light rail trains, with stops being further apart. Many systems have mixed characteristics. Indeed, with proper engineering, a rail line could run along a street, then go underground, and then run along an elevated viaduct. For example, the Los Angeles Metro Rail 's A Line "light rail" has sections that could alternatively be described as
6192-505: Is located at the northwest end of the platform. Public art at the station includes Unfolding Light by Aaron Stephen – sculptural lighting over the footbridge – as well as graffiti-style murals on panels on station signs. The Somerville Community Path crosses under Lowell Street and joins the Medford Branch southeast of the station. The Boston and Lowell Railroad (B&L) opened between its namesake cities in 1835; local stops were added after several years. By 1850, Taylor's Ledge station
6364-484: Is one of the highest capacity ones, having been upgraded in a series of expansions to handle 40,000 passengers per hour per direction, and having carried as many as 582,989 passengers in a single day on its Line 1 . It achieves this volume by running four-car trains with a capacity of up to 1,350 passengers each at a frequency of up to 30 trains per hour. However, the Manila light rail system has full grade separation and as
6536-649: The Assabet River Rail Trail . In Boston the former Central Massachusetts Branch section of the Hill Crossing Freight Cutoff between Hill Crossing and North Cambridge Junction became the Fitchburg Cutoff Path . The towns along the former Wheelwright Branch exhibited similar enthusiasm for recreational trails along the property. In March 1985 with support from the local governments and regional planning agency
6708-674: The Boston and Lowell Railroad (B&L) mainline at Willow Bridge . However, this was later changed to join the cutoff at North Cambridge Junction, west of North Avenue (now Massachusetts Avenue). Other amendments included a branch from Amherst to a connection with the Troy and Greenfield Railroad in West Deerfield and approval to connect with and build over the route of the never-constructed Holyoke and Belchertown Railroad through Granby and South Hadley . With its new connection in
6880-542: The Cádiz TramBahia , where trams share track with commuter and long-distance trains from the main terminus in the city and curve off to serve cities without a railway connection. Some of the issues involved in such schemes are: There is a history of what would now be considered light rail vehicles operating on heavy rail rapid transit tracks in the US, especially in the case of interurban streetcars . Notable examples are Lehigh Valley Transit trains running on
7052-532: The Fitchburg Railroad , generated confusion between the different Somerville stations. The station was renamed Somerville Junction around 1894. A new station building with a long canopy was opened in December 1898. A pair of bridges carrying Lowell Street over the Southern Division mainline and the cutoff were built in 1910. This reestablished Lowell Street as a thoroughfare, as it had dead-ended at
Magoun Square station - Misplaced Pages Continue
7224-664: The Gothic -inspired Victorian style of architecture popular during the 1870s. The name of the architect responsible for their design has been lost to time. Cost restrictions played heavily into the station designs though the railroad added decorations such as painted wainscotting and gables for aesthetics. All of the stations were wooden and based on one of two basic plans for smaller or larger communities. Individual stations were often tailored to their location, including additions such as attached or separate freight houses and milk sheds which were similarly decorated to appear presentable to
7396-745: The Hampden Railroad with the intent to lease the new route upon its completion. The Massachusetts General Court incorporated the Hampden in July 1910. It started at Hampden Junction on the Central Massachusetts Branch about two miles east of Bondsville and continued 14.82 miles southwest through Belchertown, Ludlow , and Chicopee to the B&A main line at Athol Junction about two miles east of Springfield. Construction finished by May 9, 1913 with service between New York and Boston scheduled to commence on June 23. Just days before its grand opening operations were suspended indefinitely as Mellen faced
7568-664: The Linden Street Bridge that DCR will begin restoration in 2025. As of 2019, DCR moved forward in Weston and Wayland and opened a 4.5 mile paved section of the trail from the bridge over the MBTA Fitchburg line at the Waltham-Weston border as far west as Wayland Station near the intersection of Route 126 and US 20. A crushed stone continuation connects the fully paved portion with the shopping center at
7740-758: The London Underground and the New York City Subway . Conventional rail technologies including high-speed , freight, commuter , and rapid transit urban transit systems are considered "heavy rail". The main difference between light rail and heavy rail rapid transit is the ability for a light rail vehicle to operate in mixed traffic if the routing requires it. The world's first electric tram operated in Sestroretsk near Saint Petersburg , Russia , invented and operated on an experimental basis by Fyodor Pirotsky in 1880. The first tramway
7912-609: The Massachusetts DCR executed a 99-year lease with the MBTA to build what was renamed the Mass Central Rail Trail—Wayside , 23 miles from Berlin to Waltham. However, construction took significantly longer and is still planned or ongoing in various sections, as DCR funding was limited and various funding sources were identified . Waltham eventually completed the main Waltham section in 2023, except for
8084-504: The Massachusetts Department of Transportation and MBTA boards approved a modified project that had undergone value engineering to reduce its cost. Stations were simplified to resemble D branch surface stations rather than full rapid transit stations, with canopies, faregates, escalators, and some elevators removed. Lowell Street station, previously planned to have two elevators, was reduced to one. In December 2016,
8256-645: The Metropolitan Water and Sewerage Board reached an agreement with the B&M to reroute the Central Massachusetts Branch according to the latter plan. The new portion of the Central Massachusetts Branch started just west of West Berlin Junction in Berlin where the Central Massachusetts Branch connected with the Fitchburg Line of the NYNH&H. From there it ran northwest into Clinton through
8428-637: The Netherlands , this concept was first applied on the RijnGouweLijn . This allows commuters to ride directly into the city center, rather than taking a mainline train only as far as a central station and then having to change to a tram. In France, similar tram-trains are planned for Paris, Mulhouse , and Strasbourg ; further projects exist. In some cases, tram trains use previously abandoned or lightly used heavy rail lines in addition to or instead of still in use mainline tracks. In 2022, Spain opened
8600-595: The New York and New England Railroad to fulfill his plan, electing himself president of the B&M on October 26. Early in 1893 the P&;R went bankrupt and McLeod lost stock control of the B&M, resigning as president on May 23. With relatively stable local control restored the B&M was able to lease one of its major competitors, the Fitchburg Railroad, in 1900. Two years later, on February 20, 1902,
8772-874: The O-Train Trillium Line in Ottawa, Ontario , Canada, the River Line in New Jersey , United States, and the Sprinter in California , United States, which use diesel multiple unit (DMU) cars. Light rail is different from the British English term light railway , long-used to distinguish railway operations carried out under a less rigorous set of regulations using lighter equipment at lower speeds from mainline railways. Light rail
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#17327940828698944-703: The Philadelphia and Western Railroad high-speed third rail line (now the Norristown High-Speed Line ). Such arrangements are almost impossible now, due to the Federal Railroad Administration refusing (for crash safety reasons) to allow non-FRA compliant railcars (i.e., subway and light rail vehicles) to run on the same tracks at the same times as compliant railcars, which includes locomotives and standard railroad passenger and freight equipment. Notable exceptions in
9116-753: The Poughkeepsie Bridge over the Hudson River at Poughkeepsie, New York completed the Poughkeepsie Bridge Route , the first all-rail route between New England and points south of New York City. Trains such as the Philadelphia and Washington Express and the Harrisburg Express traveled over the several railroads that composed the route, including the Central Massachusetts Branch of the B&M. With
9288-415: The Worcester, Nashua, and Portland Division (WN&P) main line. The next improvement was at Jefferson where the B&M rehabilitated a connecting track that split off of the Central Massachusetts Branch at Holden Junction and connected with the Worcester and Hillsboro Branch at Carr Junction to allow passenger service into Princeton , Hubbardston , Gardner , and Winchendon . Finally the B&M built
9460-530: The medians of roads . If run in streets , trains are usually limited by city block lengths to about four 180-passenger vehicles (720 passengers). Operating on two-minute headways using traffic signal progression, a well-designed two-track system can handle up to 30 trains per hour per track, achieving peak rates of over 20,000 passengers per hour in each direction. More advanced systems with separate rights-of-way using moving block signaling can exceed 25,000 passengers per hour per track. Most light rail systems in
9632-631: The steam locomotive operations for scheduled passenger revenue service on the B&M took place between Boston and Clinton on the Central Massachusetts Branch. On May 5, 1956 the last steam-powered train on the line departed Clinton for Boston and shortly thereafter the railroad closed the engine house in Clinton and began using Budd self-propelled railcars for passenger service along the route. By 1958, freight and passenger business between Clinton and Boston dwindled to nearly nothing. The B&M cut all service west of Berlin early that year with only two weekday passenger trains running as far as Hudson on
9804-569: The 1970s was proven to have been a technical failure by the following decade. After World War II, the Germans retained many of their streetcar networks and evolved them into model light rail systems ( Stadtbahnen ). With the exception of Hamburg , all large and most medium-sized German cities maintain light rail networks. The concept of a "limited tramway" was proposed by American transport planner H. Dean Quinby in 1962. Quinby distinguished this new concept in rail transportation from historic streetcar or tram systems as: The term light rail transit
9976-408: The 4-4-0 locomotives continued to provide the bulk of the power for passenger service with class B-14 and B-15 2-6-0 , class L-1 4-8-0 , and class A-41-f 4-4-0 locomotives mixed in for longer and freight trips. During WWII K-8-b and K-8-c class 2-8-0 locomotives worked the larger ammunition trains on the eastern end of the line. J-1 class 4-4-2 locomotives generally handled passenger service during
10148-401: The B&A Ware River Branch between Creamery and Barre Junction. The ICC approved the abandonments on November 7 and then the discontinuance of service on the Ware River Branch a month later on December 17. With the line officially cloven in two the B&M renamed the line between Northampton and Wheelwright as the Wheelwright Branch and retained the Central Massachusetts Branch moniker for
10320-451: The B&L built a new cutoff from West Cambridge through West Somerville to near Somerville Centre, allowing Lexington Branch trains to enter Boston over the B&L mainline. A new station building was constructed in 1872. The name was shortened to Somerville around 1879, though "Somerville Centre" was still commonly used. The Massachusetts Central Railroad (later the Central Massachusetts Railroad ) began service in 1881, also using
10492-669: The B&L on April 1, 1887, renaming the Central Massachusetts line as the Central Massachusetts Branch . The tracks reached Ware on June 27, 1887 and before the end of that year construction finished with the completion of the bridge over the Connecticut River . The first train to traverse the entire route, led by locomotive No. 238, Hudson , left Boston at 8:30 A. M. on December 12 and arrived in Northampton at 12:30 P. M. Revenue service commenced on December 19 with three daily passenger round trips between Boston and Northampton, two between Boston and Hudson, three between Boston and Wayland, and two between Ware and Northampton. Although
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#173279408286910664-434: The B&M outright purchased the Central Massachusetts Railroad and dissolved its corporate entity . With the Central Massachusetts Branch now a part of its system the B&M set about improving the connections between the line and the rest of its network. The first change was in Oakdale where on March 30, 1902 the railroad shut down the accident-prone yard where the Central Massachusetts Branch crossed at grade over
10836-409: The B&M suddenly such an important link into New England Archibald Angus McLeod , president of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad (P&R), sought to use the line as part of his bid to control the coal mining traffic between eastern Pennsylvania and New England independent of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad (NYNH&H). In 1892 McLeod took stock control of the B&M and of
11008-517: The B&M to route all of its trains over the Southern Division and abandon the parallel Central Massachusetts Branch tracks. The railroad pulled off a similar maneuver in January 1933, obtaining trackage rights to the Ware River Branch of the B&A. In order to maintain service to customers in Gilbertville and Wheelwright the B&M build three connections to the Ware River Branch at Barre Junction in Barre, Forest Lake Junction in Palmer, and Creamery in Hardwick. The railroad routed trains on
11180-402: The B&M took this segment of the Marlborough Branch out of service in 1974. On December 27, 1976 the B&M sold the Central Massachusetts Branch as well as its Budd RDC fleet and several other lines to the MBTA but retained the rights to freight service. Business continued to decline however, and by 1977 the B&M had to reduce service to runs as needed. That same year the railroad removed
11352-407: The B&M took up both. As of 2006 the last remaining portion of the Central Massachusetts Railroad still in revenue service is in Ware where the Massachusetts Central uses what remains of the yard in that town as well as a small section that provides access to a paper plant customer. In 1939 the B&M ended passenger service to Marlborough leaving the four daily trains between Boston and Clinton
11524-407: The Central Massachusetts Branch along the Ware River Branch and made the sections from Creamery to Gilbertville and Wheelwright spurs , taking the tracks south of Gilbertville to Forest Lake and north of Wheelwright to Barre Junction out of service. The ICC approved the abandonments in 1941 and the B&M took up all of the abandoned tracks. To further cut costs the B&M also reduced service on
11696-416: The Central Massachusetts Branch and away from the Boston and Albany Railroad (B&A), which was controlled by William H. Vanderbilt ’s New York Central Railroad (NYC). Legal proceedings brought against Mellen by Louis D. Brandeis to break up his monopoly meant Mellen could not build the route himself so he befriended a railroad contractor from Westfield named Ralph D. Gillett and made him president of
11868-478: The Central Massachusetts Branch as well as NYNH&H traffic heading between Worcester and Fitchburg along the tracks of the original Fitchburg and Worcester Railroad . In 1907 Charles Sanger Mellen , the president of the NYNH&H and protégé of J. P. Morgan , gained control of the B&M to form a near monopoly on all rail traffic in southern New England. Mellen sought to build a direct route through Springfield that would funnel traffic into Boston along
12040-465: The Central Massachusetts Branch track between Hill Crossing and North Cambridge Junction to make room for the MBTA's Red Line . In 1983 Guilford Rail System purchased the B&M and began to transfer all operations to the B&M subsidiary Springfield Terminal Railway . The Springfield Terminal took over operations on the last piece of the Central Massachusetts Branch between Clematis Brook and Bacon Street in Waltham in 1987 and continued them until
12212-425: The Central Massachusetts Branch, discontinuing passenger service to Northampton on April 23, 1932. In 1943 the B&M abandoned the Marlborough Branch between its original connection with the Fitchburg Division in South Acton through Maynard and Stow to Gleason Junction, making the Central Massachusetts Branch the exclusive route into Marlborough. By 1938 most of the traffic on the Central Massachusetts Branch
12384-602: The Central Massachusetts Branch. To keep the line open but defray some of the operation and maintenance costs the B&M obtained trackage rights to the Central Vermont Railway 's Southern Division in 1931, which ran parallel to the Central Massachusetts Branch for several miles between Belchertown and Amherst. Connections at Canal Junction in Belchertown and at Norwottuck Junction in Amherst allowed
12556-630: The Central Massachusetts Railroad changed many times over the line's history thanks to leases, ownership changes, and rerouting. The list below is from the 1920 Boston and Maine Southern Division employees' timetable. The listings with grayed-out backgrounds are the stations between West Berlin Junction and Oakdale that the railroad abandoned during the construction of the Wachusett Reservoir. The italicized mileage numbers for these stations indicate their position on
12728-541: The Central Massachusetts Railroad never grew beyond Northampton as its early backers had hoped it nonetheless became an integral link for the B&M to points west and south . This was primarily due to the fact that no rail bridges spanned the North River in New York City , separating New England from major metropolitan areas such as Philadelphia , Baltimore , and Washington, D. C. In 1889 construction of
12900-500: The Central Massachusetts route in the fall of 1885 with service resuming from Boston to Hudson on September 28 and to Jefferson on December 14. The new schedule included seven daily round trips from Boston to Jefferson and another ten to Waltham. The B&L formally leased the Central Massachusetts on December 7, 1886, resuming work on the route to Northampton but abandoning any plans for branches to Holyoke or West Deerfield. Though considerable grading work had already been done along
13072-495: The French city of Bordeaux , the tramway network is powered by a third rail in the city center, where the tracks are not always segregated from pedestrians and cars. The third rail (actually two closely spaced rails) is placed in the middle of the track and divided into eight-metre sections, each of which is powered only while it is completely covered by a tram. This minimizes the risk of a person or animal coming into contact with
13244-649: The GLX in 2008. Cost increases triggered a wholesale reevaluation of the GLX project in 2015. A scaled-down station design was released in 2016, with the station renamed Magoun Square. A design and construction contract was issued in 2017. Construction of Magoun Square station began in early 2020 and was largely completed by late 2021. Magoun Square station is located off Lowell Street near Vernon Street in Somerville, about 1,500 feet (460 m) south of Magoun Square . The Lowell Line runs roughly northwest–southeast through
13416-586: The Green Line Extension (GLX). A Lowell Street commuter rail station had been considered in the Beyond Lechmere commuter rail alternatives, but analysis of one was not included in the certificate. Planned station sites were announced in May 2008. Locations on both sides of the Lowell Street bridge were considered for Lowell Street station; southeast of the bridge was locally preferred to allow
13588-474: The Green Line, and is served by the E branch . The location was previously served by railroad stations. The Boston and Lowell Railroad (B&L) opened Taylor's Ledge station at Central Street by the early 1850s. It was rebuilt in 1854 and renamed Somerville Centre around that time. A cutoff from West Cambridge to Somerville Centre was built in 1870, and a new station building was constructed in 1872. It
13760-482: The Hampden and Mellen's empire marked the beginning of the downturn of the Central Massachusetts Branch. Much of the traffic routed through Northampton under Mellen's empire vanished or was rerouted by the B&M along the parallel Fitchburg Division via Mechanicville . In August 1917 the B&M discontinued passenger service between Ware and Northampton and downsized the terminal in Ware significantly. The line enjoyed
13932-437: The Lowell Street bridge was moved in 2020 to provide space for the Green Line tracks; unlike with several other bridges along the corridor, this did not require a closure of the bridge to traffic. The foundation for the platform was built in July and August 2020, with concrete pouring under way by November 2020. The platform itself was poured in early 2021, with the steelwork for the canopy erected by April. The first elevator shaft
14104-586: The MBTA announced a new planned opening date of 2021 for the extension. Lowell Street station was renamed Magoun Square after the nearby Magoun Square neighborhood . A design-build contract for the GLX was awarded in November 2017. The winning proposal included six additive options – elements removed during value engineering – including full-length canopies at all stations and a second elevator at Lowell Street. Station design advanced from 0% in March 2018 to 44% that December and to 80% in October 2019. One abutment of
14276-497: The MBTA disclosed that project costs had increased substantially, triggered a wholesale re-evaluation of the GLX project . In December 2015, the MBTA ended its contracts with four firms. Construction work in progress continued, but no new contracts were awarded. At that time, cancellation of the project was considered possible, as were elimination of the Union Square Branch and other cost reduction measures. In May 2016,
14448-555: The MBTA indicated an additional delay, under which the station was expected to open in May 2022. In February 2022, the MBTA announced that the Medford Branch would open in "late summer". Train testing on the Medford Branch began in May 2022. In August 2022, the planned opening was delayed to November 2022. The Medford Branch, including Magoun Square station, opened on December 12, 2022. [REDACTED] Media related to Magoun Square station at Wikimedia Commons Light rail Light rail (or light rail transit , abbreviated to LRT )
14620-637: The Marlborough Branch. On August 11 the railroad removed all track between Berlin and Clinton Junction, including East Switch, from service. The viaduct in Clinton remained in place until 1974 when the Metropolitan District Commission removed it. On June 14, 1959, the B&M further cut passenger service to Hudson back to one daily round trip, after attempting to abandon all service on the line. In 1959,
14792-637: The Massachusetts Central Railroad. In 1887 the locomotive became B&L No. 65, Marlboro , and later that year it became B&M No. 365, Marlboro . Manchester Locomotive Works rebuilt the locomotive in 1904 and the B&M renumbered it No. 683 in 1911, scrapping it before 1923. Prior to its time with the Massachusetts Central Railroad Locomotive No. 5 was No. 11, N. C. Munson , of the N. C. Munson Construction Company (incidentally
14964-544: The Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs in October 2006. The EENF identified a Green Line extension with Medford and Union Square branches as the preferred alternative. That December, the Secretary of Environmental Affairs issued a certificate that required analysis of Lowell Line stations at Tufts University and Gilman Square in the draft environmental impact report (DEIR) for
15136-650: The Massachusetts General Court amended the railroad's charter to allow for several new expansions. The most significant was an extension east through Waltham and Belmont, which eliminated the connection with the Fitchburg at Stony Brook. From Beaver Brook to Hill Crossing, the line ran alongside the Fitchburg. Original plans called for the route to briefly parallel the Lexington Branch cutoff through North Cambridge and terminate at
15308-604: The Maxwell's Green transit oriented development on a former industrial site next to the planned station began in 2011. Updated plans shown in June 2011 expanded the street-level entrance plaza and added an emergency exit from the northwest end of the platform. Plans presented in February 2012 modified the entrance plaza and added a bike cage. By late 2012, the portion of the Medford Branch from Gilman Square station to College Avenue
15480-527: The NYNH&H discontinued passenger service on its lines in the former Old Colony Railroad network, triggering calls for state intervention. In response, the Mass Transportation Commission tested fare and service levels throughout the NYNH&H and B&M systems, concluding that commuter rail service was important enough to warrant continued operation, but was unlikely to be financially self-sustaining. Based on this conclusion,
15652-643: The Southern Division, again with Somerville Junction as an intermediate stop, though without use of the Fitchburg Cutoff. The 1962 North Terminal Area Study recommended that the elevated Lechmere–North Station segment be abandoned. The Main Line (now the Orange Line ) was to be relocated along the B&M Western Route ; it would have a branch following the Southern Division to Arlington or Woburn. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA)
15824-662: The US are the NJ Transit River Line from Camden to Trenton and Austin's Capital MetroRail , which have received exemptions to the provision that light rail operations occur only during daytime hours and Conrail freight service only at night, with several hours separating one operation from the other. The O-Train Trillium Line in Ottawa also has freight service at certain hours. With its mix of right-of-way types and train control technologies, LRT offers
15996-455: The US as a whole, excluding Seattle, new light rail construction costs average about $ 35 million per mile. By comparison, a freeway lane expansion typically costs $ 1.0 million to $ 8.5 million per lane mile for two directions, with an average of $ 2.3 million. However, freeways are frequently built in suburbs or rural areas, whereas light rail tends to be concentrated in urban areas, where right of way and property acquisition
16168-666: The United States and in North America . In Britain, modern light rail systems began to appear in the 1980s, starting with the Tyne and Wear Metro from 1980 and followed by the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) in London in 1987, continuing into the 1990s including the establishment of the Manchester Metrolink in 1992 and the Sheffield Supertram from 1994. Due to varying definitions, it
16340-590: The United States are limited by demand rather than capacity (by and large, most American LRT systems carry fewer than 4,000 persons per hour per direction), but Boston's and San Francisco's light rail lines carry 9,600 and 13,100 passengers per hour per track during rush hour. Elsewhere in North America, the Calgary C-Train and Monterrey Metro have higher light rail ridership than Boston or San Francisco. Systems outside North America often have much higher passenger volumes. The Manila Light Rail Transit System
16512-472: The United States, "light rail" has become a catch-all term to describe a wide variety of passenger rail systems. Light rail corridors may constitute a fully segregated corridor, a dedicated right-of-way on a street, an on-street corridor shared with other traffic, a corridor shared with other public transport, or a corridor shared with pedestrians. The most difficult distinction to draw is that between low-floor light rail and streetcar or tram systems. There
16684-415: The ability of buses to travel closer to each other than rail vehicles and their ability to overtake each other at designated locations allowing express services to bypass those that have stopped at stations. However, to achieve capacities this high, BRT station footprints need to be significantly larger than a typical LRT station. In terms of cost of operation, each bus vehicle requires a single driver, whereas
16856-562: The bridges have been restored or are funded for restoration as part of the Mass Central Rail Trail—Wayside . In 1996 the towns along the eastern portion of the Central Massachusetts Branch requested permission to convert the route between Clematis Brook and Berlin into what was then proposed as the Wayside Rail Trail . The MBTA agreed to lease the property for the project with the stipulation that it would retain
17028-489: The bunker with inbound ammunition from Boston being dropped in a yard just north of Mirror Lake Junction and outbound ammunition being brought to the NYNH&H in South Sudbury. This business ended with the war as the government repurposed the facility and removed the yard and connection to the Central Massachusetts Branch. Further east the B&M worked with the state and other railroads to modernize and streamline
17200-866: The case of the Disney amusement parks , even a land train . (The usual British term for an aerial tramway is cable car , which in the US usually refers to a ground-level car pulled along by subterranean cables .) The word trolley is often used as a synonym for streetcar in the United States but is usually taken to mean a cart, particularly a shopping cart, in the UK and elsewhere. Many North American transportation planners reserve streetcar for traditional vehicles that operate exclusively in mixed traffic on city streets, while they use light rail to refer to more modern vehicles operating mostly in exclusive rights of way, since they may operate both side-by-side targeted at different passenger groups. The difference between British English and American English terminology arose in
17372-421: The closure of Glasgow Corporation Tramways (one of the largest in Europe) in 1962. Although some traditional trolley or tram systems continued to exist in San Francisco and elsewhere, the term "light rail" has come to mean a different type of rail system as modern light rail technology has primarily post-WWII West German origins. An attempt by Boeing Vertol to introduce a new American light rail vehicle in
17544-444: The cutoff and the B&L to reach Boston. By 1885, the junction between the cutoff and the B&L mainline was known as Somerville Junction. In 1887, the B&L was leased by the Boston and Maine Railroad (B&M) as its Southern Division. The stone arch bridge carrying Central Street was replaced by a steel truss bridge in 1889. The 1893–94 opening of North Union Station , with ticket sellers serving three B&M divisions plus
17716-415: The day. This combination of factors limits roads carrying only automobile commuters to a maximum observed capacity of about 3,000 passengers per hour per lane. The problem can be mitigated by introducing high-occupancy vehicle ( HOV ) lanes and ride-sharing programs, but in most cases, policymakers have chosen to add more lanes to the roads, despite a small risk that in unfavorable situations an extension of
17888-755: The direct translation, which is city rail (the Norwegian term, by bane , means the same). However, UMTA finally adopted the term light rail instead. Light in this context is used in the sense of "intended for light loads and fast movement", rather than referring to physical weight. The infrastructure investment is also usually lighter than would be found for a heavy rail system. The American Public Transportation Association (APTA), in its Glossary of Transit Terminology, defines light rail as: ...a mode of transit service (also called streetcar, tramway, or trolley) operating passenger rail cars singly (or in short, usually two-car or three-car, trains) on fixed rails in
18060-543: The early 1930s, though some Southern Division trains still stopped. The B&M received permission to close the stop in 1939, though some service lasted into the 1940s. The west portion of the cutoff was abandoned in April 1980 for construction of the Red Line Northwest Extension , followed by the east portion in 1983. A short segment remained to serve an industrial customer near Somerville Junction; it
18232-566: The east the stockholders approved a 25-year lease of the Massachusetts Central to the B&L on March 21, 1880 pending its completion within two years. The first rails were finally laid in October that same year at the junction with the Framingham and Lowell Railroad in South Sudbury. The route from Cambridge to Hudson was complete by August 20, 1881 and inspected by state and company officials on September 21. Satisfied with
18404-646: The eastern half of the line between Boston and Oakdale. On the Wheelwright Branch freight service continued between Northampton and Wheelwright at least three times per week until 1973 when the paper mill in Wheelwright closed. In April 1974 the B&M cut freight service to once per week, took the tracks between Creamery and Wheelwright out of service, and embargoed all traffic on the line east of Bondsville. With only one customer in Bondsville
18576-429: The final plan called for rapid transit the full distance to North Cambridge. Somerville Junction was to be the site of an intermediate station in this plan, as well as subsequent variants. In 1945, a preliminary report from the state Coolidge Commission recommended nine suburban rapid transit extensions – most similar to the 1926 plan – along existing railroad lines. These included an extension from Lechmere to Woburn over
18748-469: The increase in traffic the railroad took up the tracks of the Central Massachusetts Branch tracks between Clematis Brook and Hill Crossing. The remaining track between Hill Crossing and North Cambridge Junction became a part of the Freight Cutoff to the yards in Boston. Around the same time the B&M also modernized its motive power, adopting diesel locomotives throughout its system. The last of
18920-423: The intersection of US 20 and Andrew Ave in Wayland. In Sudbury and Hudson, a 7.6 mile paved section is under construction in partnership between DCR and Eversource's buried power line project, with an estimated completion in 2026. Efforts to convert the property to recreational trails also found success elsewhere along the route. The portion of the Marlborough Branch between Gleason Junction and Marlborough became
19092-436: The last customer shut down in 1994. In 1996 State Representative Nancy Evans of Wayland proposed restoring commuter service on the Central Massachusetts Branch between Interstate 495 in Berlin and Boston to alleviate traffic on Route 20 but was met with substantial backlash from residents of new homes built along the dormant line in the time since its operations had ceased. The Executive Office of Transportation carried out
19264-674: The last of the passenger service on the Central Massachusetts Branch. Freight service, however, continued to all three communities and saw a major uptick as World War II intensified. In 1942 the United States Government built the Fort Devens-Sudbury Training Annex which connected to the Central Massachusetts Branch at Mirror Lake Junction just east of Ordway station in Hudson. B&M trains transported huge quantities of ammunition to and from
19436-604: The late 1860s citizens in the towns of Sudbury, Wayland, and Weston petitioned the General Court of Massachusetts to build a railroad through their towns. On February 21, 1868 the state chartered the Wayland and Sudbury Branch Railroad to run 6.75 miles from Mill Village in Sudbury through Wayland to a connection with the Fitchburg Railroad at Stony Brook in Weston. Later that year another group of citizens submitted
19608-458: The late 19th century when Americans adopted the term "street railway", rather than "tramway", with the vehicles being called "streetcars" rather than "trams". Some have suggested that the Americans' preference for the term "street railway" at that time was influenced by German emigrants to the United States (who were more numerous than British immigrants in the industrialized Northeast), as it is
19780-524: The latter is described as light rail. In those places, trams running on mixed rights-of-way are not regarded as a light rail but considered distinctly as streetcars or trams. However, the requirement for saying that a rail line is "separated" can be quite low—sometimes just with concrete "buttons" to discourage automobile drivers from getting onto the tracks. Some systems such as Seattle's Link had on-road mixed sections but were closed to regular road traffic, with light rail vehicles and buses both operating along
19952-462: The light rail concept was the "Shaker Heights Rapid Transit" which started in the 1920s, was renovated in 1980-81 and is now part of RTA Rapid Transit . Many original tram and streetcar systems in the United Kingdom , United States , and elsewhere were decommissioned starting in the 1950s as subsidies for the car increased. Britain abandoned its tram systems, except for Blackpool , with
20124-531: The line at Coldbrook and knocked out a bridge in Gilbertville. The B&M could not justify the cost to make repairs to an area it was hardly using and so on January 30, 1939 the railroad formally submitted a request to the ICC to abandon the Central Massachusetts Branch tracks between Oakdale and Barre Junction, abandon the B&A Ware River tracks between Creamery and Gilbertville, and discontinue operations on
20296-579: The locomotive in 1881 then sold it to the St. Johnsbury and Lake Champlain Railroad (SJ&LC) in 1883 where it became No. 11, Col. Jewett . The locomotive became a part of the B&L following its merger with the SJ&;LC in 1885. The B&L renumbered it as No. 163, Highgate . The locomotive returned to the SJ&LC 1887 when the B&M leased the B&L and became No. 8, Highgate . The SJ&LC scrapped
20468-561: The locomotive in 1895, renumbering it as No. 629 and then No. 555 on February 29, 1904. The B&M scrapped the locomotive on March 20, 1907. Schenectady Locomotive Works built locomotive No. 3 for the Massachusetts Central Railroad. In 1887 the locomotive became B&L No. 10, Woburn , and later that year it became B&M No. 310, Woburn . The B&M rebuilt the locomotive in 1898 and renumbered it No. 680 in 1911 before scrapping it in August 1920. Schenectady built locomotive No. 4 for
20640-593: The locomotive in May 1892. Rogers built locomotive No. 2 for the IB&;W as their No. 71. In 1880 the IB&W returned the locomotive to Rogers which sold it to the Housatonic as their No. 22. The Massachusetts Central Railroad purchased the locomotive in 1881 then sold it to the SJ&LC in 1883 where it became No. 12, Col. Fairbanks . The locomotive became a part of the B&L in 1887, which renumbered it as No. 164, Col. Fairbanks . The B&M took possession of
20812-477: The new route emerged. The first proposal called for a connection to the defunct Lancaster Railroad in Hudson that would route traffic through Bolton to a connection with the WN&P Division main line in South Lancaster and leave Berlin at the end of a four-mile branch . The second proposal would build a new route through Clinton and connect with the WN&P Division main line there. On April 3, 1902
20984-420: The northeast railroads into Conrail . The ICC approved the plan and operations east of Amherst ceased by August and on the rest of the line by November. On February 14, 1980 the B&M officially took line from Northampton to Norwottuck out of service. Later that month the Massachusetts Central assumed responsibility for the customer in Bondsville but had to stop after about a year due to the poor condition of
21156-465: The old and new systems. Since the 1980s, Portland, Oregon , has built all three types of system: a high-capacity light rail system in dedicated lanes and rights-of-way, a low-capacity streetcar system integrated with street traffic, and an aerial tram system . The opposite phrase heavy rail , used for higher-capacity, higher-speed systems, also avoids some incompatibilities in terminology between British and American English, for instance in comparing
21328-405: The old track was officially removed from through service on June 15 but remained in place and used during the remainder of the reservoir construction, some of it being re-gauged to 3' to allow construction trains to utilize it. Under this arrangement the WN&P main line between Oakdale and Sterling Junction became exceptionally busy as it accommodated B&M traffic from the WN&P Division and
21500-552: The only five locomotives that the company ever owned with other railroads providing motive power later in the line's history. Rogers Locomotive and Machine Works built locomotive No. 1 for the Indiana, Bloomington and Western Railway (IB&W) as their No. 70. In 1880 the IB&W returned the locomotive to Rogers which sold it to the Housatonic Railroad as their No. 21. The Massachusetts Central Railroad purchased
21672-413: The original Central Massachusetts Branch. Just before Clinton Junction an additional connection branched off at Reservoir Switch leading to East Switch on the WN&P Division to allow traffic to approach the Central Massachusetts Branch from the north or continue from the Central Massachusetts Branch north along the WN&P Division main line. The first train passed over the new route on June 2, 1903 while
21844-500: The original contractor for the Massachusetts Central Railroad). It was sold to the Massachusetts Central around 1882 and sold at auction in 1886. In addition to the above locomotives the Massachusetts Central Railroad would on occasion lease power from the B&L. Small 4-4-0, 4-6-0 , and 0-4-0 locomotives predominated through 1900 partially due to weight restrictions over the line's bridges. After 1900
22016-787: The original planned route in Hardwick , Greenwich , and Enfield the railroad's leadership decided to redirect the route through an easier terrain in the Ware River Valley, taking the line into Palmer and reconnecting with the original route in Belchertown. This turned out to be a fortuitous decision given that much of the disused portion of the line was flooded in the 1930s to construct the Quabbin Reservoir . Tracks were installed through Muschopauge in Rutland by November. The Boston and Maine Railroad (B&M) leased
22188-620: The peak direction during rush hour. Massachusetts Central Railroad (former) The Central Massachusetts Railroad was a railroad in Massachusetts . The eastern terminus of the line was at North Cambridge Junction where it split off from the Middlesex Central Branch of the Boston and Lowell Railroad in North Cambridge and through which it had access to North Station in Boston . From there,
22360-480: The possibility of restoring passenger service to the line in 1972 and again in 1975, but neither study led to the resumption of passenger service. Despite the end of passenger service on the Central Massachusetts Branch freight service continued well into the 1970s. Trains ran to South Sudbury 3–4 times each week and traveled as far as Hudson when needed, usually 1–2 times per week. With no business in Marlborough
22532-435: The public. Other structures such as engine houses , water towers, section houses , and crossing shanties were not decorated. To create the illusion of variety the railroad never used the same design on two consecutive stations except at Waverly and Belmont where the consistent design helped passengers distinguish the Central Massachusetts Railroad stations from those of the parallel Fitchburg Railroad. The station listing on
22704-548: The rail infrastructure in and around Boston between 1951 and 1952. Rather than have the Central Massachusetts Branch and Fitchburg Division run parallel to one another from Clematis Brook to their connection at Fens in Cambridge, the B&M decided to connect the two lines at Clematis Brook and route all Central Massachusetts Branch traffic onto the Fitchburg Division. After upgrading the Fitchburg Division to handle
22876-456: The railroad in April 1871, but two years later the Panic of 1873 forced Munson into bankruptcy and halted construction. The railroad stagnated until June 5, 1878 when new president Silas Seymour called a stockholders meeting. The stockholders elected a new Board of Directors which appointed George S. Boutwell president in 1879 and rehired Munson to resume construction. That same year,
23048-476: The railroad petitioned the ICC to abandon the remainder of the Wheelwright Branch in June 1979, reasoning that that business could be better served by the new Massachusetts Central Railroad which the General Court had chartered on October 16, 1975 to run along the Ware River Secondary of the bankrupt Penn Central Railroad after that line was to be excluded from the government's reorganization of
23220-556: The required clearance height can be reduced significantly compared to conventional light rail vehicles. Reference speed from major light rail systems, including station stop time, is shown below. However, low top speed is not always a differentiating characteristic between light rail and other systems. For example, the Siemens S70 LRVs used in the Houston METRORail and other North American LRT systems have
23392-467: The right to revert it to a commuter rail line and that the trail would be policed and maintained by the communities themselves. Every town along the route except for Weston accepted the terms but without unanimous approval the trail took a while to come to fruition. Waltham moved ahead to convert the property in their city anyway reasoning that even if service were restored it would start from a new connection at Stony Brook west of their city limits. In 2010,
23564-432: The right-of-way that is often separated from other traffic for part or much of the way. Light rail vehicles are typically driven electrically with power being drawn from an overhead electric line via a trolley [pole] or a pantograph ; driven by an operator onboard the vehicle; and may have either high platform loading or low-level boarding using steps." However, some diesel-powered transit is designated light rail, such as
23736-415: The road network might lead to increased travel times ( Downs–Thomson paradox , Braess's paradox ). By contrast, light rail vehicles can travel in multi-car trains carrying a theoretical ridership up to 20,000 passengers per hour in much narrower rights-of-way , not much more than two car lanes wide for a double track system. They can often be run through existing city streets and parks , or placed in
23908-401: The roads. Typically roadways have 1,900 passenger cars per lane per hour (pcplph). If only cars are allowed, the capacity will be less and will not increase when the traffic volume increases. When there is a bus driving on this route, the capacity of the lane will be higher and will increase when the traffic level increases. And because the capacity of a light rail system is higher than that of
24080-549: The route ran 98.77 miles west through the modern-day towns of Belmont , Waltham , Weston , Wayland , Sudbury , Hudson , Bolton , Berlin , Clinton , West Boylston , Holden , Rutland , Oakham , Barre , New Braintree , Hardwick , Ware , Palmer , Belchertown , Amherst , and Hadley to its western terminal junction at N. O. Tower in Northampton with the Connecticut River Railroad . In
24252-618: The same as the German term for the mode, Straßenbahn (meaning "street railway"). A further difference arose because, while Britain abandoned all of its trams after World War II except in Blackpool , eight major North American cities ( Toronto , Boston , Philadelphia , San Francisco , Pittsburgh , Newark , Cleveland , and New Orleans ) continued to operate large streetcar systems. When these cities upgraded to new technology, they called it light rail to differentiate it from their existing streetcars since some continued to operate both
24424-517: The selling agents for the company's bonds, Boston-based Charles A. Sweet and Co., declared bankruptcy. The railroad ceased operations and construction on May 16 and remained in limbo for the next 29 months. To restore service to the line the Central Massachusetts Railroad was formed out of the failed Massachusetts Central Railroad Company on November 10, 1883. The directors contracted with the B&L to operate trains over
24596-427: The single train along the route was too inconvenient for commuters and so on October 1 the MBTA announced that it would temporarily schedule more trains to determine whether the line was still viable. After two months, the MBTA concluded that the modest increase in ridership was not sufficient to warrant continued funding; on November 26, all passenger service ended on the Central Massachusetts Branch. The MBTA examined
24768-545: The south branch of the Nashua River for the construction of the Wachusett Reservoir , flooding roughly 4,000 acres (1,600 ha) of land in the towns of Clinton, Boylston , and West Boylston. The Central Massachusetts Branch needed to be rerouted as the new reservoir would cover 7.01 miles (11.28 km) of track as well as the stations at South Clinton, Boylston, and West Boylston. Two proposals for
24940-408: The standard gauge is that standard railway maintenance equipment can be used on it, rather than custom-built machinery. Using standard gauges also allows light rail vehicles to be conveniently moved around using the same tracks as freight railways. Additionally, wider gauges (e.g. standard gauge) provide more floor clearance on low-floor trams that have constricted pedestrian areas at the wheels, which
25112-551: The state and the Conservation Law Foundation , which settled a lawsuit over auto emissions from the Big Dig , committed to the construction of a " Green Line Extension To Ball Square/Tufts University". No progress was made until an updated agreement was signed in 2005. The Beyond Lechmere Northwest Corridor Study , a Major Investment Study / alternatives analysis , was published in 2005. The analysis studied
25284-491: The state created the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) on August 3, 1964 and merged it with the existing Metropolitan Transportation Authority to serve a larger part of the state and subsidize commuter rail service. The MBTA immediately set to work optimizing the commuter rail networks of the NYNH&H, NYC, and B&M. On the Central Massachusetts Branch, this included cutting passenger service back to South Sudbury starting on January 18, 1965. In spite of
25456-620: The state purchased 10 miles of the line between the west end of the Connecticut River Bridge in Northampton and Amherst with the intent to convert it into a rail trail. Work began in 1992 and on July 29, 1993 the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Management officially opened the Norwottuck Branch Rail Trail . By 1997 the trail extended as far as Belchertown where progress halted due to
25628-511: The station area, with the two-track Medford Branch of the Green Line on the south side of the Lowell Line tracks. The station has a single island platform , 225 feet (69 m) long and 22.5 feet (6.9 m) wide, between the Green Line tracks. A canopy covers the full length of the platform. The platform is 8 inches (200 mm) high for accessible boarding on current light rail vehicles (LRVs), and can be raised to 14 inches (360 mm) for future level boarding with Type 9 and Type 10 LRVs. It
25800-427: The subsidies, ridership continued to decline on the Central Massachusetts Branch, and by 1969 the MBTA recommended an end to all service on the line. Devoted riders managed to briefly delay the decision, but in December 1970 the B&M filed for bankruptcy. On July 30, 1971, the state renewed the B&M's annual subsidy but without funding for the Central Massachusetts Branch. A group of citizens from Wayland argued that
25972-551: The system was a success with the public, gaining up to 190,000 passengers per day. Automatic train operation is employed on light rail networks, tracking the position and speed of a train and hence adjusting its movement for safety and efficiency. One line of light rail (requires 7.6 m, 25' right of way) has a theoretical capacity of up to 8 times more than one 3.7 m (12 foot) lane on a freeway, excluding busses, during peak times. Roads have ultimate capacity limits that can be determined by traffic engineering , and usually experience
26144-428: The track between Berlin and Hudson from service as it had deteriorated to the point of being unsafe. In August 1979 the B&M petitioned the ICC to abandon the Central Massachusetts Branch between Berlin and Waltham North Station and the remaining segment of the Marlborough Branch. The last train to Hudson ran on June 19, 1980 and the last train west of Waltham about a month later on August 14. The B&M officially took
26316-421: The track west of Bacon Street in Waltham out of service on September 11 and the United States District Court overseeing the B&M's bankruptcy instead approved a permanent discontinuance in October. Around the same time the B&M and MBTA increased vertical height clearances along the New Hampshire Route main line. This made the Hill Crossing Freight Cutoff obsolete and in 1980 the B&M and MBTA took up
26488-413: The tracks since the 1870s. Laurin A. Woodward was station agent from 1871 to the 1920s; in 1921, his 50 years of such work were believed to be the longest in New England . Passenger service from the Lexington Branch and the Central Mass Branch was rerouted over the Fitchburg Division on April 24, 1927, with the cutoff becoming a freight-only line. The Somerville Junction station building was abandoned by
26660-412: The tracks. The ICC finally approved the abandonment of the Wheelwright Branch in 1982 and the B&M took up the tracks between Northampton and Norwottuck later that year. This left only two sections of B&M-owned track on the Wheelwright Branch: between Canal Junction and Bondsville and between Creamery and Wheelwright. The Massachusetts Central could not afford to acquire either property and so in 1983
26832-450: The trams, making it safe on city streets. Several systems in Europe and a few recently opened systems in North America use diesel -powered trains. When electric streetcars were introduced in the late 19th century, conduit current collection was one of the first ways of supplying power, but it proved to be much more expensive, complicated, and trouble-prone than overhead wires . When electric street railways became ubiquitous, conduit power
27004-405: The vast majority of light rail systems. This avoids the danger potentially presented by an electrified third rail . The Docklands Light Railway uses an inverted third rail for its electrical power, which allows the electrified rail to be covered and the power drawn from the underside. Trams in Bordeaux , France, use a special third-rail configuration where the power is only switched on beneath
27176-547: The war and into the 1950s. Diesel power arrived in the mid-1950s with EMD SW9 switchers regularly assigned to the Marlborough local freight starting in June 1953. Road switchers equipped with steam generators took over passenger service on the Central Massachusetts Branch starting in 1956. Budd Rail Diesel Cars quickly replaced the road switchers for passenger service beginning in the late 1950s and continued service in that capacity until passenger service ceased in 1971. The Central Massachusetts Railroad built its stations in
27348-434: The widest range of latitude of any rail system in the design, engineering, and operating practices. The challenge in designing light rail systems is to realize the potential of LRT to provide fast, comfortable service while avoiding the tendency to overdesign that results in excessive capital costs beyond what is necessary to meet the public's needs. The BART railcar in the following chart is not generally considered to be
27520-455: The work the officials set the railroad's grand opening for October 1, 1881. The company appointed Munson as general manager and purchased five locomotives. The first schedule included four passenger round trips from Boston to Hudson, four passenger round trips from Boston to Waltham, and a daily freight from Boston to Hudson and back. Meanwhile, westward construction continued with tracks reaching Oakdale and Jefferson by June 1882. In 1883
27692-438: Was abandoned in 2007. The Lowell Street bridge was closed in 2000 and rebuilt in 2005–06. The Boston Elevated Railway (BERy) opened Lechmere station in 1922 as a terminal for streetcar service in the Tremont Street subway . That year, with the downtown subway network and several radial lines in service, the BERy indicated plans to build three additional radial subways: one paralleling the Midland Branch through Dorchester ,
27864-440: Was also given to extension past North Cambridge over the Lexington Branch, and to a branch following the Southern Division from Somerville Junction to Woburn . Somerville Junction was initially planned to be the location of the rapid transit terminal and yard, with streetcars from Massachusetts Avenue and Davis Square running over the cutoff to the terminal. The land planned for the terminal was purchased and developed in 1925, and so
28036-408: Was coined in 1972 by the U.S. Urban Mass Transportation Administration (UMTA; the precursor to the Federal Transit Administration ) to describe new streetcar transformations that were taking place in Europe and the United States. In Germany, the term Stadtbahn (to be distinguished from S-Bahn , which stands for Stadtschnellbahn ) was used to describe the concept, and many in UMTA wanted to adopt
28208-442: Was east of Clinton. The only business on the western end of the line was local freight service between Northampton and Rutland. Since no trains passed over the middle of the route the B&M took the tracks between Oakdale and Muschopauge out of service on June 1, 1938. Later that year on September 21 the Hurricane of 1938 badly damaged the tracks, particularly near the Quinapoxet , Ware, and Swift Rivers where washouts severed
28380-410: Was expected to be completed by June 2019. A further update in June 2013 relocated the bike cage and removed a mechanical penthouse from the headhouse. Design was then paused while Phase 2/2A stations ( Lechmere , Union Square , and East Somerville ) were prioritized, as they were scheduled to open sooner than the rest of the GLX. Design resumed in fall 2014 and reached 90% by June 2015. In August 2015,
28552-411: Was formed in 1964 as an expansion of the Metropolitan Transit Authority to subsidize suburban commuter rail service , as well as to construct rapid transit extensions to replace some commuter rail lines. In 1965, as part of systemwide rebranding, the Tremont Street subway and its connecting lines became the Green Line . The 1966 Program for Mass Transportation , the MBTA's first long-range plan, listed
28724-544: Was introduced in North America in 1972 to describe this new concept of rail transportation. Prior to that time the abbreviation "LRT" was used for " Light Rapid Transit " and " Light Rail Rapid Transit ". The first of the new light rail systems in North America began operation in 1978 when the Canadian city of Edmonton, Alberta , adopted the German Siemens-Duewag U2 system, followed three years later by Calgary, Alberta , and San Diego, California . The concept proved popular, with there now being numerous light rail systems in
28896-419: Was located west of Central Street in Somerville. It was named for a nearby slate ledge opened when the railroad was built. In April 1852, the station building was the target of an attempted arson. A new station building was built in 1854; soon after, the station was renamed Somerville Centre at the request of nearby residents. The bridge carrying Central Street over the tracks was widened in 1868. In 1870,
29068-405: Was placed on April 10, 2021, followed soon after by the second. The footbridge between Lowell Street and the headhouse was placed on June 19, 2021. Original plans called for the D branch to be extended to Medford/Tufts. In April 2021, the MBTA indicated that the Medford branch would instead be served by the E branch . By March 2021, the station was expected to open in December 2021. In June 2021,
29240-409: Was renamed Somerville Junction in the 1890s, and rebuilt again in 1898. The station was served by the Boston and Maine Railroad , successor to the B&L, until the 1940s. Extensions to the Green Line were proposed throughout the 20th century, most with Somerville Junction as one of the intermediate stations. A Lowell Street station to the northwest of the former station site was officially chosen for
29412-400: Was the Gross-Lichterfelde tramway in Lichterfelde near Berlin in Germany, which opened in 1881. It was built by Werner von Siemens who contacted Pirotsky. It initially drew current from the rails, with overhead wire being installed in 1883. The first interurban to emerge in the United States was the Newark and Granville Street Railway in Ohio, which opened in 1889. An early example of
29584-417: Was used in those cities that did not permit overhead wires. In Europe, it was used in London, Paris, Berlin, Marseille, Budapest, and Prague. In the United States, it was used in parts of New York City and Washington, D.C. Third rail technology was investigated for use on the Gold Coast of Australia for the G:link light rail, though power from overhead lines was ultimately utilized for that system. In
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