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Mattapan Line
The Mattapan Line (alternatively the Mattapan Trolley and historically the Ashmont–Mattapan High-Speed Line) is a partially grade-separated light rail line which forms part of the MBTA's Red Line rapid transit line. The line, which runs through Boston and Milton, Massachusetts, opened on August 26, 1929, as a conversion of a former commuter rail line. It exclusively uses PCC streetcars built in the 1940s. Passengers must transfer at Ashmont to access the rest of the Red Line, which uses heavy rail metro rolling stock.
The trolley's 2.6-mile (4.2 km) route is used only by streetcars and has just two public grade crossings. All stations have low platforms, but all except Valley Road have been retrofitted with wheelchair lifts or wooden ramps for accessibility. Unlike most heritage streetcar lines, it is an integral part of the modern MBTA transit system rather than a tourist attraction. A rebuild of the line for modern light rail vehicles is planned.
The Dorchester and Milton Branch Railroad opened in December 1847 from Neponset on the Old Colony Railroad main line to Mattapan station in Dorchester via Milton Mills (later Milton Lower Mills, then simply Milton). The line was immediately leased by the Old Colony as its Milton branch. The Old Colony built the Shawmut Branch Railroad from Harrison Square on the main line to Milton Lower Mills via Peabody Square in 1872. Most Mattapan passenger service switched to use the new branch east of Milton, as it ran through dense urban neighborhoods rather than swamps. The Old Colony Railroad and its branches were acquired by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad in 1893.
When the Boston Elevated Railway (BERy) was first constructing its rapid transit Cambridge–Dorchester line in the early 1910s, plans called for the line to be extended south from Andrew to Codman Square via Edward Everett Square, Columbia Square, and Mount Bowdoin. The route would have paralleled the New Haven's Shawmut branch and Midland Division. By the end of that decade, however, passenger traffic on both New Haven-owned lines had been decimated by the BERy's network of electrified streetcar lines, which connected to rapid transit trains at Forest Hills, Egleston, Dudley Square, and Andrew. Around 1920, BERy reached an agreement with the New Haven and the Boston Transit Commission to pursue the Dorchester Circuit Plan. Under that plan, a bidirectional rapid transit loop would run south from Andrew along the Old Colony main line, take over the Shawmut Branch and Milton branch to Mattapan, cut over to the Midland Division on a tunnel, and return to Andrew via the Midland Division right-of-way and another tunnel segment.
Although the Midland Branch served more populated areas, real estate deals along the Shawmut branch stood to benefit key state politicians. Construction of a rapid transit extension to Mattapan via the Shawmut branch was approved on March 23, 1923.
Steam trains were discontinued in 1927 and the line was closed for two years while it was modified for streetcars. There was a debate at that time whether or not to continue subway trains from Boston to Ashmont onwards to Mattapan, but the cost of full-scale subway service was apparently too high for the Boston Elevated Railway which then operated it. The line opened from Ashmont to Milton on August 26, 1929, and from Milton to Mattapan on December 21, 1929. Infill stations were opened at Capen Street in September 1930 and Butler on October 7, 1931.
In 1966, the Red Line designation was also applied to the line, which had been known as 28 Mattapan–Ashmont. On March 18, 1968, the Neponset River flooded the line at Milton. Restoration work began at 6:00 am on March 21 as the waters receded; service was resumed by 4:30 pm. In January 1981, the MBTA proposed to close the Mattapan Line at all times beginning that March due to severe budget issues. The closure was cancelled, though the Mattapan line and the Ashmont branch were closed from June 20, 1981, to January 16, 1982, for track replacement and tunnel repairs.
The line's longest shutdown took place from June 24, 2006, to December 22, 2007, with shuttle buses replacing streetcar service. A new elevated loop was built at Ashmont – part of a major reconstruction of the station – and the aging canopy at Mattapan was replaced. The intermediate stations were also rebuilt; all stations except Valley Road were made accessible. Buses again replaced service on the line from October 14–29, 2023, to allow for track work.
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Mattapan Line
The Mattapan Line (alternatively the Mattapan Trolley and historically the Ashmont–Mattapan High-Speed Line) is a partially grade-separated light rail line which forms part of the MBTA's Red Line rapid transit line. The line, which runs through Boston and Milton, Massachusetts, opened on August 26, 1929, as a conversion of a former commuter rail line. It exclusively uses PCC streetcars built in the 1940s. Passengers must transfer at Ashmont to access the rest of the Red Line, which uses heavy rail metro rolling stock.
The trolley's 2.6-mile (4.2 km) route is used only by streetcars and has just two public grade crossings. All stations have low platforms, but all except Valley Road have been retrofitted with wheelchair lifts or wooden ramps for accessibility. Unlike most heritage streetcar lines, it is an integral part of the modern MBTA transit system rather than a tourist attraction. A rebuild of the line for modern light rail vehicles is planned.
The Dorchester and Milton Branch Railroad opened in December 1847 from Neponset on the Old Colony Railroad main line to Mattapan station in Dorchester via Milton Mills (later Milton Lower Mills, then simply Milton). The line was immediately leased by the Old Colony as its Milton branch. The Old Colony built the Shawmut Branch Railroad from Harrison Square on the main line to Milton Lower Mills via Peabody Square in 1872. Most Mattapan passenger service switched to use the new branch east of Milton, as it ran through dense urban neighborhoods rather than swamps. The Old Colony Railroad and its branches were acquired by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad in 1893.
When the Boston Elevated Railway (BERy) was first constructing its rapid transit Cambridge–Dorchester line in the early 1910s, plans called for the line to be extended south from Andrew to Codman Square via Edward Everett Square, Columbia Square, and Mount Bowdoin. The route would have paralleled the New Haven's Shawmut branch and Midland Division. By the end of that decade, however, passenger traffic on both New Haven-owned lines had been decimated by the BERy's network of electrified streetcar lines, which connected to rapid transit trains at Forest Hills, Egleston, Dudley Square, and Andrew. Around 1920, BERy reached an agreement with the New Haven and the Boston Transit Commission to pursue the Dorchester Circuit Plan. Under that plan, a bidirectional rapid transit loop would run south from Andrew along the Old Colony main line, take over the Shawmut Branch and Milton branch to Mattapan, cut over to the Midland Division on a tunnel, and return to Andrew via the Midland Division right-of-way and another tunnel segment.
Although the Midland Branch served more populated areas, real estate deals along the Shawmut branch stood to benefit key state politicians. Construction of a rapid transit extension to Mattapan via the Shawmut branch was approved on March 23, 1923.
Steam trains were discontinued in 1927 and the line was closed for two years while it was modified for streetcars. There was a debate at that time whether or not to continue subway trains from Boston to Ashmont onwards to Mattapan, but the cost of full-scale subway service was apparently too high for the Boston Elevated Railway which then operated it. The line opened from Ashmont to Milton on August 26, 1929, and from Milton to Mattapan on December 21, 1929. Infill stations were opened at Capen Street in September 1930 and Butler on October 7, 1931.
In 1966, the Red Line designation was also applied to the line, which had been known as 28 Mattapan–Ashmont. On March 18, 1968, the Neponset River flooded the line at Milton. Restoration work began at 6:00 am on March 21 as the waters receded; service was resumed by 4:30 pm. In January 1981, the MBTA proposed to close the Mattapan Line at all times beginning that March due to severe budget issues. The closure was cancelled, though the Mattapan line and the Ashmont branch were closed from June 20, 1981, to January 16, 1982, for track replacement and tunnel repairs.
The line's longest shutdown took place from June 24, 2006, to December 22, 2007, with shuttle buses replacing streetcar service. A new elevated loop was built at Ashmont – part of a major reconstruction of the station – and the aging canopy at Mattapan was replaced. The intermediate stations were also rebuilt; all stations except Valley Road were made accessible. Buses again replaced service on the line from October 14–29, 2023, to allow for track work.