View source for MBTA subway

{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2022}}
{{short description|Boston region transit service}}
{{Infobox public transit
| name = MBTA subway
| image2 = Red Line train entering Alewife station (2), November 2019.jpg
| imagesize2 = 300px
| caption2 = Red Line train entering Alewife station in November 2019
| locale = [[Greater Boston]], [[Massachusetts]]
| lines = 3 [[heavy rail]] ([[Red Line (MBTA)|Red]], [[Orange Line (MBTA)|Orange]], [[Blue Line (MBTA)|Blue]])<br />2 [[light rail]] ([[Green Line (MBTA)|Green]], [[Ashmont–Mattapan High Speed Line|Ashmont–Mattapan]])<br />1 bus rapid transit ([[Silver Line (MBTA)|Silver]])
| stations = 155 ([[List of MBTA subway stations|list of stations]])
| annual_ridership = {{American transit ridership|MA Boston HR annual}}&nbsp;{{small|(heavy&nbsp;rail,&nbsp;{{American transit ridership|annualdate}})}}<br />
{{American transit ridership|MA Boston LR annual}}&nbsp;{{small|(light&nbsp;rail,&nbsp;{{American transit ridership|annualdate}})}}{{American transit ridership|annualcitation}}
| website = {{URL|mbta.com}}
| began_operation = September 1, 1897 ([[Tremont Street subway]])
| operator = [[Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority]] (MBTA)
| train_length = 6 cars (rapid transit)<br />1-3 cars (light rail)
| system_length = {{convert|68.7|mi|km|abbr=on}} – rail
| map = 
}}
The [[Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority]] (MBTA) operates [[rapid transit]] (heavy rail), [[light rail]], and [[bus rapid transit]] services in the [[Boston metropolitan area]], collectively referred to as the '''rapid transit''', '''subway''', or the '''T''' system.<ref name="bluebook">{{MBTA Bluebook 2014}}</ref>

The color-branded lines consist of three heavy rail lines ([[Red Line (MBTA)|Red]], [[Orange Line (MBTA)|Orange]], and [[Blue Line (MBTA)|Blue]]), one branched light rail system ([[Green Line (MBTA)|Green]]), and a short light rail line (the [[Ashmont–Mattapan High-Speed Line]], colored as part of the Red Line). All except the Ashmont–Mattapan line operate in tunnels in the downtown area, but no route operates entirely underground, and only 31 out of the system's 147 stations are located underground. The five branches of the [[Silver Line (MBTA)|Silver Line]] bus rapid transit network are also shown as part of the rapid transit system. [[Silver Line (MBTA)#Waterfront: SL1, SL2, SL3|Three branches]] operate underground and charge rapid transit fares; [[Silver Line (MBTA)#Washington Street: SL4 and SL5|two branches]] operate entirely on the surface and charge lower bus fares.

In {{American transit ridership|annualdate}}, the heavy rail lines had {{American transit ridership|MA Boston HR annual}} rides,{{American transit ridership|annualcitation}} or about {{American transit ridership|MA Boston HR daily}} per weekday{{American transit ridership|dailycitation}} in {{American transit ridership|dailydateasof}}, and comprised the [[List of United States rapid transit systems by ridership|fourth-busiest]] heavy rail system in the United States. In the same period, the light rail lines had {{American transit ridership|MA Boston LR annual}} rides, or about {{American transit ridership|MA Boston LR daily}} per weekday, and comprised the [[List of United States light rail systems by ridership|third-busiest]] light rail system in the United States.

The section of the [[Tremont Street subway]] between [[Park Street station (MBTA)|Park Street]] and [[Boylston (MBTA station)|Boylston Street]] stations, now on the Green Line, opened in 1897, making it the oldest transit subway in the United States still in use. (Only the short-lived [[Beach Pneumatic Transit]] demonstration line in New York City was built before.)

== History ==
[[File:First car into Tremont Street Subway, pictured at Allston carhouse.png|left|thumb|Streetcar number 1752, driven by the veteran motorman Jimmy Reed, is shown here after it became the first revenue car in the Boston subway system on September 1, 1897. This also marked the beginning of subway traffic in the United States.]]

{{See also|Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority#History}}
Opened in September 1897, the [[Tremont Street Subway|four-track-wide segment of the Green Line tunnel]] between Park Street and [[Boylston (MBTA station)|Boylston]] stations was the first subway in the United States, and has been designated a [[National Historic Landmark]]. The downtown portions of what are now the Green, Orange, Blue, and Red line tunnels were all in service by 1912. Additions to the rapid transit network occurred in most decades of the 1900s, and continued in the 2000s with the addition of Silver Line [[bus rapid transit]] and [[Green Line Extension]].{{citation needed|date=June 2013}} (See [[Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority#History|MBTA History]] and [[Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority#Future plans|MBTA Future plans]] sections.)

Streetcar congestion in downtown Boston led to the creation of underground [[Rapid transit|subways]] and [[elevated rail]], the former in 1897 and the latter in 1901. The [[Tremont Street subway]] was the first rapid transit tunnel in the United States. The [[grade-separated]] railways added transportation capacity while avoiding delays caused by intersections with cross streets.<ref name="Famous Firsts in MA">{{Cite web |title=Famous Firsts in Massachusetts |url=http://www.mass.gov/statehouse/firsts_1800.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070208001630/http://www.mass.gov/statehouse/firsts_1800.htm |archive-date=February 8, 2007 |access-date=January 21, 2015 |publisher=Commonwealth of Massachusetts}}</ref> The first elevated railway and the first rapid transit line in Boston were built three years before the [[Early history of the IRT subway|first underground line]] of the [[New York City Subway]], but 34 years after the first [[London Underground]] lines, and long after the [[IRT Ninth Avenue Line|first elevated railway in New York City]].<ref>[http://www.mta.info/news/2011/10/26/remembering-9th-avenue-el New York Subway's "Remembering the Ninth Avenue El" article]</ref>

Various extensions and branches were added to the subway lines at both ends, bypassing more surface tracks. As grade-separated lines were extended, [[street-running]] lines were cut back for faster downtown service. The last elevated heavy rail or "El" inter-station segments in Boston – with the exception of the [[Red Line (MBTA)|Red Line]]'s still-active elevated tracks, connecting [[Charles/MGH (MBTA station)|Charles/MGH station]] over [[Charles Circle (Boston)|Charles Circle]] to the [[Longfellow Bridge]] and the [[Red Line (MBTA)#Cambridge tunnel|Cambridge Tunnel]]'s northern portal – were at the extremities of the Orange Line: [[Charlestown Elevated|its northern end]] was relocated in 1975 from [[Everett (MBTA station)|Everett]] to [[Oak Grove (MBTA station)|Malden, MA]], and [[Washington Street Elevated|its southern end]] was relocated into the [[Southwest Corridor (Massachusetts)|Southwest Corridor]] in 1987. However, the Green Line's [[Causeway Street Elevated]] remained in service until 2004, when it was relocated into a tunnel with an incline to reconnect to the [[Lechmere Viaduct]].

The final section of elevated, between the Lechmere Viaduct and [[Lechmere station]], was closed in 2020 for construction of the [[Green Line Extension]]. The extension opened in two phases in 2022 with new branches from Lechmere to {{bts|Union Square|Green|D}} and {{bts|Medford/Tufts}} – the first rail expansion since 1987.

== System ==

=== Network map ===
{{Rapid transit OSM map|system_qid=Q15831678|frame-lat=42.32|frame-long=-71.10|frame-width=500|frame-height=500|zoom=11|length=yes}}

=== Lines ===
The rapid transit lines consist of 3 [[heavy rail]] (Metro) lines, 2 [[light rail]] lines, and a [[bus rapid transit]] line. The heavy rail Red Line has two southern branches, while the light rail Green Line has four services (B, C, D, and E) that use four western and two northern branches. The Silver Line has five bus rapid transit routes; two run on [[Washington Street (Boston)|Washington Street]] with different downtown terminals, while three run underground in the Seaport with surface branches.

{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="2" | Line
! Route
! Inauguration
! Route length
! Number of stations
|-
| style="text-align:center; color: white; background-color: #{{rcr|MBTA|Green}}" | || '''[[Green Line (MBTA)|Green Line]]''' || {{Unbulleted list|'''B''': {{bts|Government Center}} ↔ {{bts|Boston College}}|'''C''': Government Center ↔ {{bts|Cleveland Circle}}|'''D''': {{bts|Union Square|Green|E}} ↔ {{bts|Riverside}}|'''E''': {{bts|Medford/Tufts}} ↔ {{bts|Heath Street}}}} || 1897 || {{convert|26.7|mi|km|abbr=on}} || 70
|-
| style="text-align:center; color: white; background-color: #{{rcr|MBTA|Orange}}" | || '''[[Orange Line (MBTA)|Orange Line]]''' || {{bts|Oak Grove}} ↔ {{bts|Forest Hills}} || 1901 || {{convert|11|mi|km|abbr=on}} || 20
|-
| style="text-align:center; color: white; background-color: #{{rcr|MBTA|Blue}}" | || '''[[Blue Line (MBTA)|Blue Line]]''' || {{bts|Wonderland}} ↔ {{bts|Bowdoin}} || 1904 || {{convert|6|mi|km|abbr=on}} || 12
|-
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center; color: white; background-color: #{{rcr|MBTA|Red}}" | || '''[[Red Line (MBTA)|Red Line]]''' || {{Unbulleted list|{{bts|Alewife}} ↔ {{bts|Ashmont}}|Alewife ↔ {{bts|Braintree}}}} || 1912 || {{convert|22.5|mi|km|abbr=on}} || 22
|-
| '''[[Ashmont–Mattapan High-Speed Line]]''' || Ashmont ↔ {{bts|Mattapan}} || 1929 || {{convert|2.5|mi|km|abbr=on}} || 8
|-
| style="text-align:center; color: white; background-color: #{{rcr|MBTA|Silver}}" | || '''[[Silver Line (MBTA)|Silver Line]]''' || {{Unbulleted list|'''SL1''': {{bts|South Station|Silver}} ↔ [[Logan International Airport]]|'''SL2''': South Station ↔ Design Center/Drydock|'''SL3''': South Station ↔ {{bts|Chelsea}}|'''SL4''': South Station ↔ {{bts|Nubian Square}}|'''SL5''': {{bts|Downtown Crossing}} ↔ Nubian Square|'''SLW''': South Station ↔ Silver Line Way}}|| 2002 || {{n/a}} || 34
|-
|
| colspan="3" align="right" | ''Heavy rail subtotal'' || {{convert|39.5|mi|km|abbr=on}} || 54<ref group="Nb">This subtotal includes counting interchange stations multiple times for every line they utilize.</ref>
|-
|
| colspan="3" align="right" | ''Light rail subtotal'' || {{convert|29.2|mi|km|abbr=on}} || 78<ref group="Nb">This subtotal includes counting interchange stations multiple times for every line they utilize.</ref>
|-
|
| colspan="3" align="right" | '''Total''' || {{convert|68.7|mi|km|abbr=on}}|| 153<ref group="Nb">There are 12 stations which act as interchanges and use multiple lines, and were not counted more than once in this total: [[Tufts Medical Center station|Tufts Medical Center]], [[Chinatown station (MBTA)|Chinatown]], [[Boylston station|Boylston]], [[Park Street station (MBTA)|Park Street]], [[Downtown Crossing station|Downtown Crossing]], [[South Station (subway)|South Station]], [[State station|State]], [[Government Center station (MBTA)|Government Center]], [[Haymarket station (MBTA)|Haymarket]], [[North Station (subway)|North Station]], [[Airport station (MBTA)|Airport]], and [[Ashmont station|Ashmont]].</ref>
|}

==== Coverage ====
[[File:MBTA Subway Geographic Map (2022).svg|thumb|To-scale map of the Boston subway system from 2022]]
All four subway lines cross downtown, forming a [[quadrilateral]] configuration, and the Orange and Green Lines (which run approximately parallel in that district) also connect directly at two stations just north of downtown. The Red Line and Blue Line are the only pair of subway lines which do not have a direct transfer connection to each other. Because the various subway lines do not consistently run in any given [[compass direction]], it is customary to refer to [[Rail directions|line directions]] as "inbound" or "outbound".  Inbound trains travel towards the four downtown [[Interchange station|transfer stations]]–[[Park Street (MBTA station)|Park Street]], [[State station|State Street]], [[Government Center station (MBTA)|Government Center]] and [[Downtown Crossing station|Downtown Crossing]]–and outbound trains travel away from these hub stations.<ref name="Ferry">{{Cite news |last=Ferry |first=J. Amanda |date=May 20, 2003 |title=Boston's subway |work=Boston.com |url=http://www.boston.com/travel/boston/articles/2003/05/20/bostons_subway/ |access-date=February 27, 2016}}</ref>

==== Colors ====
Originally, transit lines in the region only used geographic names; though numbering was added to public maps in 1936. The three heavy rail lines were assigned numbers 1, 2, and 3; what is now the Green Line was assigned different numbers for each branch. However, riders generally continued to use the geographic names.<ref name="netransit">{{NETransit}}</ref> Colors were assigned on August 26, 1965, as part of a wider modernization under design standards developed by [[Cambridge Seven Associates]], and have served as the primary identifier for the lines since then.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cambridge Seven Associates Website |url=http://www.c7a.com/Portfolio/transportation/mbta_modernization.asp?pos=0# |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721180711/http://www.c7a.com/Portfolio/transportation/mbta_modernization.asp?pos=0%23 |archive-date=July 21, 2011 |publisher=C7a.com}}</ref> The numbers for the heavy rail lines and the Mattapan Line were retained in public information until 1966.<ref name="netransit" /> In 1967, the then-current five branches of the Green Line were lettered A through E.<ref name="netransit" />

Cambridge Seven originally intended to use red, yellow, green, and blue for the four lines. However, yellow proved unsuitable, since some patrons would have difficulty reading yellow text on a white background; orange was substituted, and yellow eventually was used for the [[MBTA bus]] service's visibility markings and signage.<ref name="111th">{{Cite news |last=Ba Tran |first=Andrew |date=June 2012 |title=MBTA Orange Line's 111th anniversary |work=Boston Globe |url=http://archive.boston.com/yourtown/boston/downtown/gallery/orange_line_111th_anniversary?pg=11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170721150920/http://archive.boston.com/yourtown/boston/downtown/gallery/orange_line_111th_anniversary?pg=11 |archive-date=July 21, 2017 |quote=The Everett-Forest Hills Main Line Elevated was renamed the Orange Line on August 25, 1965. The name comes from a section of Washington Street between Essex and Dover streets that had the name Orange Street until the early 19th century, said Clarke. However, according to architecture firm Cambridge Seven Associates, the Orange Line's color was a design choice after the yellow color option did not test well.}}</ref> When sketching design concepts, [[Peter Chermayeff]] labeled the subway-surface light rail routes as the Green Line because they run adjacent to parts of the [[Emerald Necklace]] park system. The East Boston Tunnel became the Blue Line because it runs under [[Boston Harbor]], and the Cambridge-Dorchester Tunnel became the Red Line because its northernmost terminus was then at [[Harvard University]], whose school color is [[crimson]]. According to Chermayeff, the Main Line El "ended up being orange for no particular reason beyond color balance."<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Byrnes |first=Mark |date=September 17, 2018 |title=How Boston Got Its 'T' |url=https://www.citylab.com/design/2018/09/how-boston-got-its-t/570004/ |magazine=[[CityLab (web magazine)|CityLab]] |quote=I remember sitting in my Cambridge office preparing for a meeting with the MBTA in which I would be proposing colored lines. I had markers in front of me and I chose red for the line that went to Harvard since it’s a well-known institution whose main color is crimson. One line went up the North Shore of Boston up to the coastal areas, so it seemed obvious to call that the Blue Line. The line that serves Olmsted’s Emerald Necklace was an obvious choice for green. And then the fourth line ended up being orange for no particular reason beyond color balance.}}</ref> The MBTA and transit historians later claimed that orange came from Orange Street, an early name for the street that ran southwards down the [[Boston Neck]] to connect the [[Shawmut Peninsula]] to the mainland, for what is now part of Washington Street.<ref name="chronicle">{{Cite book |last=Sanborn |first=George M. |url=http://web.mit.edu/cron/project/uncertainty/Dowd_Data/Baum_Snow/boston-history.txt |title=A Chronicle of the Boston Transit System |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority |year=1992 |access-date=September 17, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150818013323/http://web.mit.edu/cron/project/uncertainty/Dowd_Data/Baum_Snow/boston-history.txt |archive-date=August 18, 2015 |url-status=dead |via=MIT}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |year=2012 |title=Curiosity Carcards |url=https://cdn.mbta.com/uploadedfiles/Smart_Forms/News,_Events_and_Press_Releases/Curiosity_Carcard-opt9a-FINAL.pdf |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority}}</ref><ref name="111th" />

=== Stations ===
{{Main|List of MBTA subway stations}}
The MBTA rapid transit system consists of 147 stations, with the 5 most recent stations opening on December 12, 2022 as part of the Medford/Tufts branch of the [[Green Line Extension]] project in [[Somerville, Massachusetts|Somerville]].

=== Rolling stock ===
{{Main|Blue Line (MBTA)#Rolling stock|Green Line (MBTA)#Rolling stock|Orange Line (MBTA)#Rolling stock|Red Line (MBTA)#Rolling stock|Silver Line (MBTA)#Rolling stock}}
The MBTA is in the process of replacing its entire fleet of Red Line and Orange Line cars, which are over 40 years old, by 2023. The Blue Line cars were replaced in 2008. The Green Line has a variety of vehicles, some dating back to 1986, with the latest batch delivered in 2019.

All four transit lines use [[standard-gauge railway]] tracks ({{Track gauge|ussg|disp=s}}), but are otherwise incompatible, with varying [[loading gauge]]s, car lengths, platform heights, and power collection systems as detailed in the chart below:

:{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|+ MBTA subway car dimensions<ref name="onesize">{{Cite news |last=Robin Washington |date=February 25, 2015 |title=On the T, One Sized Doesn't Fit All |work=Boston Globe |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2015/02/25/one-size-doesn-fit-all-and-costs-more/kJg2qK2A0ZHjSLzG4UFCCM/story.html |access-date=January 21, 2019}}</ref>
|-
! colspan="2"  | Line
! scope="col" | Car length
! scope="col" | Car width
! scope="col" | Platform height
! scope="col" | Power
|-
|style="background-color:#{{rcr|MBTA|Red}}"| ||[[MBTA Red Line|Red]]|| {{cvt|69|ft|6|in|m|1}} || {{cvt|10|ft|m|2}} || {{cvt|49|in|m|2}} || Third rail
|-
|style="background-color:#{{rcr|MBTA|Orange}}"| ||[[MBTA Orange Line|Orange]]|| {{cvt|65|ft|m|1}} || {{cvt|9|ft|3|in|m|2}} || {{cvt|45|in|m|2}} || Third rail
|-
|style="background-color:#{{rcr|MBTA|Blue}}"| ||[[MBTA Blue Line|Blue]]|| {{cvt|48|ft|m|1}} || {{cvt|9|ft|3|in|m|2}} || {{cvt|41+1/2|in|m|2}} || Third rail, overhead line
|-
|style="background-color:#{{rcr|MBTA|Green}}"| ||[[MBTA Green Line|Green]]|| {{cvt|72-74|ft|m|1}} || {{cvt|8|ft|8|in|m|2}} || {{cvt|8|in|m|2}} || Overhead line
|}

There are no direct track connections between lines, except between the Red Line and Ashmont–Mattapan High Speed Line, but all except the Blue Line have little-used connections to the [[national rail network]], which have been used for deliveries of railcars and supplies.<ref>[http://groups-beta.google.com/group/ne.transportation/browse_frm/thread/eec051cb217f82b3/1b00f0e9d284a6e4 Discussion of rail intereconnections]. The Red Line connection is at [[JFK/UMass (MBTA station)|JFK/UMass]], the Orange Line at [[Wellington (MBTA station)|Wellington]] (last used ca. 1981), and the Green Line at [[Riverside (MBTA station)|Riverside]]. [[Semi-trailer truck|Tractor trailer trucks]] may also be used to deliver train cars from the manufacturer. http://groups-beta.google.com/group/ne.transportation/browse_frm/thread/e6ba611be5abb7a/6c500ca982d60b28</ref>

== Fares ==
{{See also|Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority#Fares and fare collection|CharlieCard}}
MBTA subway fares are $2.40 regardless of fare medium ([[CharlieCard]], paper ticket, or cash), with two transfers on [[MBTA bus]] local routes allowed. Daily, weekly, and monthly passes are also available, and [[MBTA Commuter Rail]] passes for these time periods are valid for subway fares.<ref name=fares>{{Cite web |url=https://www.mbta.com/fares/subway-fares |title=Subway Fares |access-date=March 29, 2023 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority}}</ref> Discounted fares are available for groups including adults over 65, people with disabilities, certain schoolchildren, and young adults with low incomes. Children under 11, legally blind people, and certain government workers are allowed to ride free of charge.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.mbta.com/fares/reduced |title=Reduced Fares |access-date=March 29, 2023 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority}}</ref>

All Blue, Orange, and Red Line stations are fare controlled with faregates, as are underground Green and Silver Line stations (plus the aboveground {{bts|Science Park}} and {{bts|Riverside}} stations). [[Green Line Extension]] stations require [[proof of payment]] verification at a fare machine. All other aboveground Green and Silver Line stations require payment when boarding the vehicle.<ref name=fares />

== See also ==
* [[List of metro systems]]
* [[List of United States rapid transit systems by ridership]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

=== Notes ===
{{reflist|group=note}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.mbta.com/schedules_and_maps/subway/ Interactive MBTA Subway Map/Interactive Street Map]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otrtkw9FuNU "Vanishing Underground's" YouTube video, graphically chronicling the MBTA subway's evolution, back to 1888 Boston streetcar lines of the West End Street Railway]
{{MBTA}}
{{MBTA Subway Stations}}

[[Category:Underground rapid transit in the United States]]
[[Category:Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority]]
[[Category:Public transportation in the Boston area]]
[[Category:Rapid transit in Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Rail transportation in Boston]]