Commuters in the Boston area celebrated the opening of a major extension of the region’s subway system Monday.
The project extends the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Green Line from downtown Boston to nearby Medford. The project faced schedule delays during construction, including changes to the original construction plan, delays caused by COVID-19, and unpredictable site conditions.
The Green Line extension was originally scheduled to open in December 2021.
Hundreds of excited passengers gathered in the pre-dawn hours to board the first train heading to Boston from Medford, cheering as the train approached.
CLOSURE OF THE BOSTON SUBWAY LINE FOR 30 DAYS WILL RESULT IN SUBSTANTIALLY IMPROVED SERVICE FOR PASSENGERS
The E train left the new College Avenue station, also known as Medford/Tufts, just before 5 a.m. Medford is the home of Tufts University.
The inauguration of the subway extension is welcome news for a beleaguered transit system that has been plagued by a host of problems due to runaway trains, smoke- and fire-spitting subway cars, fatal accidents and rush-hour trains that They work with weekend hours.
Tufts students cheer as they board the Medford branch train of the Green Line Extension on December 12, 2022. The $2.3 billion Green Line extension is anticipated to provide commuters to Tufts University with a easier commute to downtown Boston.
(David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via AP)
That list does not include a 30-day closure on the Orange Line in early fall that authorities say allowed crews to complete the equivalent of five years of work on the line.
MAINTENANCE OF THE BOSTON SUBWAY IS HALF COMPLETE
The opening is part of the nearly 5-mile $2.3 billion Green Line extension project that extends the northern terminus of the Green Line from Lechmere to Union Square in Somerville and College Avenue in Medford. The project includes six new train stations.
The goal of the project is to serve areas that have historically not had access to fast and reliable public transportation, while reducing vehicle emissions, according to state and transit officials. The project is expected to increase MBTA ridership by more than 50,000 trips per day.
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The project has progressed in fits and starts since 1990, when the state agreed to the Green Line extension as part of an environmental settlement that helped clear the way for Boston’s massive Big Dig highway project.
