The E Branch - Green Line

The Green Line

The "E" Line

A rainy afternoon at the Lechmere Terminal

The "E" Branch also known as the Arborway branch has roots that go back to 1859 built along Huntington Avenue from Brigham Circle west to Brookline as part of a branch from the original Jamaica Plain route. Around 1883 a cutoff was built via Huntington Avenue to allow the cars to run into Park Square via existing tracks on Boylston. The Huntington Avenue Line was electrified in 1894 with the streetcars likely moved to the new subway around the beginning of October, 1897. From that point on there is again a rather complex history of the predecessors to the "E" Branch.

The Huntington Avenue Subway opened on 16 February 1941 allowing the Huntington Avenue cars to use the Boylston Street Portal underground for a larger part of the route. The last two remaining lines, numbers 39 and 57 were redesignated as the "E" Branch by the MBTA in 1967. Over the years, due to shortages in cars particularly with the opening of the popular "D" Branch, sections of the line were replaced by bus service. The route number was always 39 When that happened the 39 would run to the Copley station with free transfers. The branch presently enters the Boylston subway with a same grade crossing near the Copley station.

From 1961 to the present the "E" branch, as in other Green Line branches has gone through a number of changes. While most of the changes dealt with the eastern terminal there were also some important changes at the other end. During this time Arborway was the southern terminal with "Short" runs going as far as Heath Street. On 28 December 1985 Arborway cars were "temporarily" replaced by the 39 bus and short turn cars also replaced for track reconstruction. As of this writing service has not been restored to Arborway despite binding agreements entered by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts over the years to restore service.

In 2000, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation and Construction entered into an Administrative Consent Order agreeing to additional legal commitments as environmental mitigation for the Central Artery/Tunnel Project and clarifying deadlines for the existing ones. The tracks remain unpaved over though the overhead has long since been removed. MBTA has had numerous excuses as to why these orders have not been carried out despite the fact that many residents in the area are actively pursuing the return of rail service. It should also be pointed out that of the branches of the Green Line this is the only segment that still has service in the street rather than on a private right of way or median. It is for that reason alone that MBTA has voiced objections.

The northern terminal has also changed during the years. Service to the present Lechmere Terminal became permanent on 20 June 1987. Service was cut back to North Station during the work on the Charles River Bridge which included eliminating the draw bridge over the river with a fixed span. As part of this work connected with the "Big Dig" there was considerable construction at the North Station. Prior to that time the tracks were elevated. After the project was completed the new station was underground with a direct connection to the Orange Line. As a result service was cut back to the new North Station during construction of the new tunnel connecting to the Charles River bridge. That project was completed on 12 November 2005 when service resumed to Lechmere.

At the present time the "E" branch is the only line that offers regular service to Lechmere. Future plans may include an extension at Lechmere to Somerville and eventually to Tufts University and Medford. There is a tentative completion date of 2014 though at this time that may also be flexible. The exact details of the extension is not known nor the route structure as to whether this will be an extension of present service or a new line altogether. That, plus additional LRV's will have to be ordered to cover the new service.

It was a misty day at Lechmere. The webmaster had traveled out to Riverside. Upon returning to Boston he departed from the subway to visit MBTA's fabulous Transportation Library located in their building. After that pictures were taken at the historical Boston Commons along with some pictures of the Silver Lines BRT buses on Tremont. At the Boylston station are two historic streetcars; a Class 5 conventional trolley and a Pullman built picture window PCC car. Both cars have been lovingly restored. After spending a few minutes talking to one of the supervisors I caught an "E" Branch train for Lechmere.

The Lechmere terminal looks much the same as it did when streetcars ran other than wiring changes and fare collection turnstiles. There is a modest storage yard where both Class 7 and 8 cars are stored. To go from one side to the other a walk is required to the underpass. Lechmere is also intermodal with regular bus service connecting with the LRV's. This would be the last afternoon for the webmaster in Boston. The following morning the trip back to the Twin Cities started with a stopover in Toledo and Oberlin College. The photo portion of this project was scheduled for last September, 2008/earlyOctober, 2008 but at the present time a return trip to cover more of the "T" will take place during Spring, 2009. In the mean time other pages will be added to the site with photos to be added at a later time.

To view each picture click on the thumbnail which will blow it up to full size. Simply use the back arrow to return to this page.

A class 7 car in original colors is behind a class 8 at Lechmere - check who designed the c ar.

A view of the rear of class 7 3699 waiting to leave Lechmere on the "E" branch. .

It's a misty day in Boston as the "E" Branch train goes into the Lechmere Terminal.

links to other pages
Home	Red	Blue	Roster	Orange	core	bus	tba

Unless otherwise noted all pictures are by Larry Mack and are copyrighted. These pictures may not be used for other web sites and/or commercial purposes without the express approval by the webmaster. The "T" and subway map are copyrighted and owned by the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority and are used on this site with their approval. This site is not officially affiliated with the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority.