![MBTA route 1 bus at MIT, December 2016](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/13/MBTA_route_1_bus_at_MIT%2C_December_2016.JPG)
Key bus routes of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (
MBTA
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (abbreviated MBTA and known colloquially as "the T") is the public agency responsible for operating most public transportation services in Greater Boston, Massachusetts. The MBTA transit network in ...
) system are 15 routes that have high ridership and higher frequency standards than other bus lines, according to the 2004 MBTA Service Policy.
Together, they account for roughly 40% of the MBTA's total bus ridership.
These key bus routes ensure basic geographic coverage with frequent service in the
densest areas of
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, and connect to other MBTA services to give access to other areas throughout the region.
In recognition of their function as part of the backbone MBTA service, the key bus routes have been added to newer basic route maps installed in subway stations and other public locations. These schematic route maps show the rail rapid transit routes, bus rapid transit routes, commuter rail services, and key bus routes. The key routes have been treated as a distinct category for the purpose of service improvement, such as trial runs of late-night service, and due to the high volume of passenger traffic they carry, both individual routes and the category as a whole have been the subjects of
urban planning
Urban planning, also known as town planning, city planning, regional planning, or rural planning, is a technical and political process that is focused on the development and design of land use and the built environment, including air, water, ...
and
transportation engineering
Transportation engineering or transport engineering is the application of technology and scientific principles to the planning, functional design, operation and management of facilities for any mode of transportation in order to provide for th ...
studies.
History
![2013 unofficial MBTA subway map by Michael Kvrivishvili](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/db/2013_unofficial_MBTA_subway_map_by_Michael_Kvrivishvili.png)
In November 2006, the MBTA launched a concerted effort to improve service quality on key bus routes.
The 2008 Service Plan recommended improvements for various lines, including upgrading the 31 bus to key route standards.
A second round of upgrades, entitled the Key Routes Improvement Project and costing $10 million in all, was supported by the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) (), nicknamed the Recovery Act, was a stimulus package enacted by the 111th U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama in February 2009. Developed in response to the Gr ...
.
The
Silver Line services were originally considered part of this program, but were later split off into a separate enhancement project. The initial Key Routes Improvement Project was concluded in 2013, with some planned upgrades not being made. Due to these changes, the reliability of service (as measured by adherence to posted service frequencies) has been found to be greater on the Key Routes than on others, with 75% versus 61% respectively in June 2017.
A 2012 statistical analysis found that proximity to key bus routes was inversely correlated to
taxicab
A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice ...
trip generation, whereas taxicab trip generation actually increased with proximity to bus routes overall, suggesting that only the routes with highest frequency were able to compete with taxi service among customers with the option to choose.
In April 2014, extended late-night service on the key bus routes and rapid transit routes was announced, to be operated on a one-year trial basis with service continuation depending on late-night ridership and on corporate sponsorship.
, late-night service was cut back from 2:30am to 2:00am, and extended hours were dropped from 5 of the 15 key bus routes.
Late-night service was discontinued altogether in March 2016.
The category of key bus routes figured into Boston mayor
Marty Walsh
Martin Joseph Walsh (born April 10, 1967) is an American politician and former union official. He has been the 29th United States Secretary of Labor since March 23, 2021. A Democrat, he previously served as the 54th mayor of Boston from 2014, ...
's "Go Boston 2030" initiative, which included the goal of having "every Boston household" within a 10-minute walk from a
T station or a bus stop on a key route. In addition, a new key route was proposed to connect the
Longwood Medical and Academic Area
The Longwood Medical and Academic Area (also known as Longwood Medical Area, LMA, or simply Longwood) is a medical campus in Boston, Massachusetts. Flanking Longwood Avenue, LMA is adjacent to the Fenway–Kenmore, Audubon Circle, and Mission H ...
with
JFK/UMass station via
Roxbury.
In May 2022, the MBTA released a draft plan for a bus network redesign, which included potential changes to most of the key routes. A number of other routes would be upgraded to key bus route frequency, forming a high-frequency bus network complementing the rapid transit network.
Key routes criteria
The MBTA's Service Delivery Policy uses five criteria when determining if a route is part of the Key Bus Routes program.
* High ridership demand
* Connectivity within the system
* Geographic coverage
* Accommodation of major new development
* Operation as
bus rapid transit
Bus rapid transit (BRT), also called a busway or transitway, is a bus-based public transport system designed to have much more capacity, reliability and other quality features than a conventional bus system. Typically, a BRT system includes ...
Policy standards
A bus route that has been identified as a key route must adhere to two policy standards: Span of service and frequency of service, both of which mandate service levels well above a standard local route.
The following tables outline these standards as compared to standard local routes.
Route list
There are 15 key routes within the MBTA system: 1, 15, 22, 23, 28, 32, 39, 57, 66, 71, 73, 77, 111, 116, and 117.
Elected officials and members of the public have asked the MBTA for limited-stop or express service along all of these routes.
1
The 1 Harvard Square–Nubian Station, which connects
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...
with
Roxbury,
was formed in September 1962 when two routes, split at
Massachusetts Avenue Massachusetts Avenue may refer to:
* Massachusetts Avenue (metropolitan Boston), Massachusetts
** Massachusetts Avenue (MBTA Orange Line station), a subway station on the MBTA Orange Line
** Massachusetts Avenue (MBTA Silver Line station), a stati ...
(now Hynes Convention Center), were merged – the 76 Harvard–Massachusetts station and the
47 Massachusetts station–Dudley. In May 1987, the route was realigned from its former alignment on
Washington Street southeast several blocks onto Albany Street and
Melnea Cass Boulevard to serve
Boston Medical Center
Boston Medical Center (BMC) is a non-profit 514-bed academic medical center in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest safety-net hospital and Level I trauma center in New England.
BMC employs 1,466 physicians—including 711 residents and f ...
. The route now runs mostly along
Massachusetts Avenue Massachusetts Avenue may refer to:
* Massachusetts Avenue (metropolitan Boston), Massachusetts
** Massachusetts Avenue (MBTA Orange Line station), a subway station on the MBTA Orange Line
** Massachusetts Avenue (MBTA Silver Line station), a stati ...
,
from
Harvard
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
, past the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...
, over the
Charles River
The Charles River ( Massachusett: ''Quinobequin)'' (sometimes called the River Charles or simply the Charles) is an river in eastern Massachusetts. It flows northeast from Hopkinton to Boston along a highly meandering route, that doubles b ...
via the
Harvard Bridge
The Harvard Bridge (also known locally as the MIT Bridge, the Massachusetts Avenue Bridge, and the "Mass. Ave." Bridge) is a steel haunched girder bridge carrying Massachusetts Avenue ( Route 2A) over the Charles River and connecting Back Bay, ...
into Boston, past the
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...
to Boston Medical Center, then southwest to
Nubian station
Nubian station (variously known by its former name Dudley Square, Dudley, or Dudley Street Terminal) is a ground-level bus station located in Nubian Square (formerly Dudley Square) in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United Sta ...
via Albany Street and
Melnea Cass Boulevard.
, the city of Cambridge planned to install
signal priority on the #1 route at some intersections. No changes to the route were proposed in the May 2022 draft network plan.
15
![MBTA route 15 bus leaving Dudley station, October 2019](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c6/MBTA_route_15_bus_leaving_Dudley_station%2C_October_2019.jpg)
The 15 Fields Corner Station or Kane Square–Ruggles Station route runs from Kane Square, several blocks west of
Savin Hill
Savin Hill is a section of Dorchester, the largest neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States.
Named after the geographic feature it covers and surrounds, Savin Hill is about one square mile in area, and has a population of about 1 ...
, west on Hancock Street and Dudley Street past
Uphams Corner
Uphams Corner, or Upham's Corner, is a commercial center in Dorchester, the largest neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. The intersection of Dudley Street/Stoughton Street and Columbia Road is the heart of Uphams Corner, and one of Dorches ...
to
Nubian station
Nubian station (variously known by its former name Dudley Square, Dudley, or Dudley Street Terminal) is a ground-level bus station located in Nubian Square (formerly Dudley Square) in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United Sta ...
, continuing west on Malcolm X Boulevard to
Roxbury Crossing and north on
Tremont Street
Tremont Street is a major thoroughfare in Boston, Massachusetts.
Tremont Street begins at Government Center in Boston's city center as a continuation of Cambridge Street, and forms the eastern edge of Boston Common. Continuing in a roughly so ...
to
Ruggles station
Ruggles station is an intermodal transfer station in Boston, Massachusetts. It serves Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) rapid transit, bus, and commuter rail services and is located at the intersection of Ruggles and Tremont str ...
. Buses started running on the 15 Kane Square–Dudley via Uphams Corner and Dudley Street route on April 6, 1962, replacing
trackless trolley
A trolleybus (also known as trolley bus, trolley coach, trackless trolley, trackless tramin the 1910s and 1920sJoyce, J.; King, J. S.; and Newman, A. G. (1986). ''British Trolleybus Systems'', pp. 9, 12. London: Ian Allan Publishing. .or troll ...
s. With the relocation of the
Orange Line to the
Southwest Corridor in May 1987, the route was extended to Ruggles.
The May 2022 draft network plan proposed an extension westward to
Oak Square (taking over route ), forming an Oak Square–Fields Corner route.
22
The 22 Ashmont Station–Ruggles Station via Talbot Ave begins at
Ashmont and runs on a northwesterly route to the former site of
Egleston station. From there it continues north on
Columbus Avenue and
Tremont Street
Tremont Street is a major thoroughfare in Boston, Massachusetts.
Tremont Street begins at Government Center in Boston's city center as a continuation of Cambridge Street, and forms the eastern edge of Boston Common. Continuing in a roughly so ...
along the course of the
Orange Line before ending at
Ruggles.
Buses replaced
trackless trolley
A trolleybus (also known as trolley bus, trolley coach, trackless trolley, trackless tramin the 1910s and 1920sJoyce, J.; King, J. S.; and Newman, A. G. (1986). ''British Trolleybus Systems'', pp. 9, 12. London: Ian Allan Publishing. .or troll ...
s on the 22 on April 6, 1962, running as the 22 Ashmont–Dudley via Talbot and Warren. This route, rather than turning off Blue Hill Avenue onto Seaver Street, continued north a bit further and then went north on Warren Street to end at . It was extended to Ruggles in May 1987 along with the relocation of the
Orange Line to the
Southwest Corridor.
The May 2022 draft network plan proposed an extension from Ruggles to the Longwood Medical Area.
23
The 23 Ashmont Station–Ruggles Station via Washington Street has the same endpoints as the 22, but uses a mostly different route. It starts out of
Ashmont on Talbot Avenue, but turns north on
Washington Street, following that onto Warren Street to
Nubian station
Nubian station (variously known by its former name Dudley Square, Dudley, or Dudley Street Terminal) is a ground-level bus station located in Nubian Square (formerly Dudley Square) in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United Sta ...
. From Nubian, the 23 heads west on Malcolm X Boulevard to
Roxbury Crossing and north on
Tremont Street
Tremont Street is a major thoroughfare in Boston, Massachusetts.
Tremont Street begins at Government Center in Boston's city center as a continuation of Cambridge Street, and forms the eastern edge of Boston Common. Continuing in a roughly so ...
to
Ruggles station
Ruggles station is an intermodal transfer station in Boston, Massachusetts. It serves Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) rapid transit, bus, and commuter rail services and is located at the intersection of Ruggles and Tremont str ...
.
Buses replaced
trackless trolley
A trolleybus (also known as trolley bus, trolley coach, trackless trolley, trackless tramin the 1910s and 1920sJoyce, J.; King, J. S.; and Newman, A. G. (1986). ''British Trolleybus Systems'', pp. 9, 12. London: Ian Allan Publishing. .or troll ...
s on April 7, 1962 on the 22 Ashmont–Dudley via Washington Street and Warren. It was extended to Ruggles in May 1987 along with the relocation of the
Orange Line to the
Southwest Corridor.
A 2017 study of fare-card and vehicle-location data suggested that the 23 and 28 routes were overcrowded, and that this could be ameliorated by extending the 29 route and increasing its service frequency. A city-funded program includes fare-free service on routes 23, 28, and 29 from March 1, 2022 to February 29, 2024.
No changes to the route were proposed in the May 2022 draft network plan.
28
![MBTA route 28 bus on Blue Hill Avenue, September 2012](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/MBTA_route_28_bus_on_Blue_Hill_Avenue%2C_September_2012.jpg)
The 28 Mattapan Station–Ruggles Station route provides service through the Grove Hall and Mattapan neighborhoods on
Blue Hill Avenue, a major radial arterial. Blue Hill Avenue has long been a busy trunk route; in 1945, route 29 Mattapan–
Egleston peaked at 1.5 minute headways during the morning rush hour.
Streetcars formerly had a dedicated right-of-way on Blue Hill Avenue; streetcars were moved into mixed traffic in stages between 1940 and 1950, and replaced with buses in 1955.
With the May 1987 changes to the bus network, route 28 was established to supplement route 29 service; both ran from Mattapan to Ruggles via different routings. In December 1989, route 28 became the dominant service on Blue Hill Avenue, and route 29 was relegated to a rush-hour-only route running only to Jackson Square.
Shelters were added at some stops in 2001. From December 2006 to June 2010,
short turn
In public transport, a short turn, short working or turn-back is an earlier terminus on a bus or rail line that is used on some scheduled trips that do not operate along the full length of the route.
Short turns are practical in scheduling when t ...
service between Franklin Park and Dudley (Ruggles after March 2007) was operated in the morning peak as route 25.
A number of
Silver Line expansion corridors were considered in the 2003 Program for Mass Transportation (PMT); most were given brief consideration but not acted upon. One, a
bus rapid transit
Bus rapid transit (BRT), also called a busway or transitway, is a bus-based public transport system designed to have much more capacity, reliability and other quality features than a conventional bus system. Typically, a BRT system includes ...
(BRT) express overlay for the 28, was briefly revived in 2006 as part of
Silver Line Phase III plans. In 2009, the state proposed to add a limited-stop BRT line called the 28X on the corridor, which was then the busiest bus corridor in New England. The plan called for dedicated bus lanes on Blue Hill Avenue and queue jumps on Warren Avenue. The project was expected to cost $114 million. Construction was to begin in April 2010, with initial service at the beginning of 2012.
However, the proposal quickly drew opposition: it had been announced at a press conference by state officials without local officials having even been informed of the project, leading to accusations that the plan was rushed to qualify for
TIGER grant funding without community input. Residents also objected because the dedicated bus lanes would require removing parking spots and the median strip, and the construction process would disrupt traffic on Blue Hill Avenue for over a year. The state withdrew the proposal in late 2009. In June 2010, the MBTA replaced 40-foot buses on the route with 60-foot buses; although the swap added capacity on the busy route, residents objected to the removal of some bus stops in hilly Grove Hall to accommodate the longer vehicles. In 2012, the Roxbury–Dorchester–Mattapan Transit Needs Study recommended the 28X bus to be implemented with no new infrastructure as an express bus adding additional trips to the corridor.
In August 2020, the MBTA and the city applied for $15 million in federal funds for a planned $30 million construction of Blue Hill Avenue. The project would include center-running bus lanes and be completed by the end of 2021. The federal government rejected the funding request in September 2020. A second $25 million application was submitted in July 2021. A pilot program of
free fares and all-door boarding on route 28 is running from August 29, 2021, to February 28, 2022. The $500,000 pilot, funded by the city using
American Rescue Plan
The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, also called the COVID-19 Stimulus Package or American Rescue Plan, is a economic stimulus bill passed by the 117th United States Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden on March 11, 2021, to s ...
monies, intends to reduce travel times on the frequently-late route. A city-funded program includes fare-free service on routes 23, 28, and 29 from March 1, 2022 to February 29, 2024.
In November 2021, the city was awarded a $15 million federal grant (out of $39.5 million project cost) for the Blue Hill Avenue reconstruction.
The May 2022 draft network plan proposed that route 28 be extended from Roxbury Crossing to via the Longwood Medical Area; the Roxbury Crossing–Ruggles segment would be discontinued.
32
The 32 Wolcott or Cleary Square–Forest Hills Station route runs along Hyde Park Avenue from Forest Hills to Readville, serving Jamaica Plain, Roslindale, and Hyde Park. It parallels the commuter rail tracks from Forest Hills to Readville for its entire route.
Up until 1953, Route 32 was a full-service trolley route from Forest Hills to Cleary Square, until it converted to trackless trolleys. In 1958, all trackless trolley services south of Forest Hills were discontinued and replaced by diesel buses. (The trolleys ended in the middle of Hyde Park Ave; however, a loop for the trackless trolleys to turn around was placed on Hyde Park Avenue and Pine St.)
In 1981, the former Route 31 bus route between Mattapan Square and Wolcott Square was consolidated with Route 32 at Cleary Square to become Route 32 Forest Hills–Wolcott Square. Route 50, which served Cleary Square and Forest Hills via Roslindale, was rerouted onto River St, Gordon Avenue, Summer St (inbound) and Austin St (outbound) to serve the Summer St Elderly Housing Area (aka Malone Elderly Housing). No changes to the route were proposed in the May 2022 draft network plan.
39
The 39 Forest Hills Station–Back Bay Station route is the replacement (described as "temporary" from 1985 until 2011) for
Green Line E branch
The E branch (also referred to as the Huntington Avenue branch, or formerly as the Arborway Line) is a light rail line in Boston, Cambridge, Medford, and Somerville, Massachusetts, operating as part of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Aut ...
service from Heath Street to Arborway which has run since December 1985.
Aside from paralleling the Green Line from Heath Street to Copley, there are connections to the
Orange Line and
commuter rail
Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Generally commuter rail systems are con ...
at both ends (and
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
at the
latter). Route 39 was the first MBTA route to regularly use
articulated bus
An articulated bus, also referred to as a banana bus, bendy bus, tandem bus, vestibule bus, wiggle wagon, stretch bus, or an accordion bus, (either a motor bus or trolleybus) is an articulated vehicle used in public transportation. It is usua ...
es, which were later introduced to several other routes (including the #28) in late 2005. , the 39 was the second most heavily used bus line in the city. The high ridership of the 39 was one motivation for expanding the Forest Hills station during the
Casey Arborway overhaul.
The May 2022 draft network plan proposed that route 39 be extended to via and , taking over portions of routes , , and . The portion from Longwood Avenue to Back Bay would be discontinued.
57
The 57 Watertown Yard–Kenmore Station route passes through Boston, Newton and Watertown.
It is the replacement for the
Green Line A branch
The A branch or Watertown Line was a streetcar line in the Boston, Massachusetts, area, operating as a branch of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Green Line. The line ran from Watertown through Newton Corner, Brighton, and Allst ...
service which was discontinued in 1969.
Route 57 was formerly one of the few routes that ran limited-stop service in the Boston city limits (no pickups were made on
Commonwealth Avenue between
Packard's Corner
Packard's Corner is located in Boston, Massachusetts at the intersection of Commonwealth Avenue and Brighton Avenue. Packard's Corner is serviced by the Packards Corner stop on the B branch of the MBTA's Green Line, a light rail line that r ...
and
Kenmore), but this practice was discontinued in December 2006. No changes to the route were proposed in the May 2022 draft network plan.
66
The 66 Harvard Square–Nubian Station route, formerly a trolley line, begins at Nubian Square in Roxbury, and crosses the
Southwest Corridor Park
Southwest Corridor Park is a linear urban park in Boston, Massachusetts, part of the Metropolitan Park System of Greater Boston and managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). It extends from the South End and ...
at Roxbury Crossing. The route follows Route 39 and the Green Line E branch on a short segment from Brigham Circle to the Boston city limits. Traveling via Harvard Street, this bus serves Brookline and Allston, diverting to Union Square (Allston) before following Cambridge Street and North Harvard Street and terminating at Harvard Square, Cambridge. It connects
Nubian station
Nubian station (variously known by its former name Dudley Square, Dudley, or Dudley Street Terminal) is a ground-level bus station located in Nubian Square (formerly Dudley Square) in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United Sta ...
on the
Silver Line to
Roxbury Crossing on the
Orange Line; as well as
Fenwood Rd,
Mission Park, and
Riverway
Riverway, also referred to as "the Riverway," is a parkway in Boston, Massachusetts. The parkway is a link in the Emerald Necklace system of parks and parkways designed by Frederick Law Olmsted in the 1890s. Starting at the Landmark Center end ...
on the
Green Line E branch
The E branch (also referred to as the Huntington Avenue branch, or formerly as the Arborway Line) is a light rail line in Boston, Cambridge, Medford, and Somerville, Massachusetts, operating as part of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Aut ...
;
Brookline Village
Brookline Village is one of the major commercial and retail centers of the town of Brookline, Massachusetts. Located just north of Massachusetts Route 9 and west of the Muddy River, it is the historic center of the town and includes its major c ...
on the
Green Line D branch
The Green Line D branch (also referred to as the Highland branch or Riverside Line) is a light rail line in Newton, Brookline, and Boston, Massachusetts, operating as part of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Green Line. The ...
;
Coolidge Corner
Coolidge Corner is a neighborhood of Brookline, Massachusetts, centered on the intersection of Beacon Street and Harvard Street. The neighborhood takes its name from the Coolidge & Brother general store that opened in 1857 at that intersecti ...
on the
Green Line C branch
The C branch, also called the Beacon Street Line or Cleveland Circle Line, is one of four branches of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's Green Line (MBTA), Green Line light rail system in the Boston, Massachusetts metropolitan area. ...
;
Harvard Ave on the
Green Line B branch
The B branch, also called the Commonwealth Avenue branch or Boston College branch, is a branch of the MBTA Green Line light rail system which operates on Commonwealth Avenue west of downtown Boston, Massachusetts. One of four branches of the G ...
; and
Harvard
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
on the
Red Line. No changes to the route were proposed in the May 2022 draft network plan.
71
![MBTA route 71 trolleybuses at Watertown Square, November 2016](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7d/MBTA_route_71_trolleybuses_at_Watertown_Square%2C_November_2016.jpg)
The 71 Watertown Square–Harvard station begins at the
Harvard bus tunnel lower level and leaves via the south exit onto Mount Auburn Street. It heads west into
Watertown Watertown may refer to:
Places in China
In China, a water town is a type of ancient scenic town known for its waterways.
Places in the United States
*Watertown, Connecticut, a New England town
**Watertown (CDP), Connecticut, the central village ...
, ending at
Watertown Square
Watertown Square is the main square of Watertown, Massachusetts, located at the confluence of North Beacon Street and Main Street ( US-20), Mt. Auburn Street ( MA-16), Pleasant Street, Arsenal Street, and Charles River Road. The Armenian Library ...
.
At the Harvard end, to turn around, the bus exits the tunnel and makes a hard left onto Massachusetts Avenue and a right on Garden Street, and then turns right on Waterhouse Street and right on Massachusetts Avenue to return to the tunnel. The Watertown end has a loop on private
right-of-way
Right of way is the legal right, established by grant from a landowner or long usage (i.e. by prescription), to pass along a specific route through property belonging to another.
A similar ''right of access'' also exists on land held by a gov ...
for turning around and picking up/dropping off passengers.
September 4, 1958, was the last day of streetcar service on the 71. Trackless trolleys ran from then until March 13, 2022.
In 2017, the 71 and 73 were selected for a
bus rapid transit
Bus rapid transit (BRT), also called a busway or transitway, is a bus-based public transport system designed to have much more capacity, reliability and other quality features than a conventional bus system. Typically, a BRT system includes ...
pilot program.
Routes 71 and 73, along with the adjacent routes and , ran with
trolleybuses
A trolleybus (also known as trolley bus, trolley coach, trackless trolley, trackless tramin the 1910s and 1920sJoyce, J.; King, J. S.; and Newman, A. G. (1986). ''British Trolleybus Systems'', pp. 9, 12. London: Ian Allan Publishing. .or trol ...
(locally referred to as "trackless trolleys") for decades after all such other routes in the MBTA system had been eliminated, representing some of the last vestiges of Boston's once-extensive
trackless trolley
A trolleybus (also known as trolley bus, trolley coach, trackless trolley, trackless tramin the 1910s and 1920sJoyce, J.; King, J. S.; and Newman, A. G. (1986). ''British Trolleybus Systems'', pp. 9, 12. London: Ian Allan Publishing. .or troll ...
network. They were finally converted to diesel bus operation on March 13, 2022.
[
No changes to route 71 were proposed in the May 2022 draft network plan.]
73
The 73 Waverley Square–Harvard Station begins in the Harvard bus tunnel and runs concurrent with the 71 bus along Mount Auburn Street in Cambridge and Watertown. It leaves Mount Auburn Street to follow Belmont Street, which forms a border between Belmont and Watertown Watertown may refer to:
Places in China
In China, a water town is a type of ancient scenic town known for its waterways.
Places in the United States
*Watertown, Connecticut, a New England town
**Watertown (CDP), Connecticut, the central village ...
, then continues on Trapelo Road in Belmont to end at Waverley Square, looping at the Waverley commuter rail station on the Fitchburg Line
The Fitchburg Line is a branch of the MBTA Commuter Rail system which runs from Boston's North Station to Wachusett station in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. The line is along the tracks of the former Fitchburg Railroad, which was built across norther ...
.
Until the 1950s, streetcars served this route. Starting in 1957, trackless trolleys provided short-turn service from Harvard to Benton Square, and the entirety of Route 73 was converted from streetcars to trackless trolleys in 1958. Trackless trolleys ran from then until March 13, 2022.[ No changes to the route were proposed in the May 2022 draft network plan.]
77
The 77 Arlington Heights–Harvard Station route provides service between the town of Arlington and Harvard
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
station along Massachusetts Avenue Massachusetts Avenue may refer to:
* Massachusetts Avenue (metropolitan Boston), Massachusetts
** Massachusetts Avenue (MBTA Orange Line station), a subway station on the MBTA Orange Line
** Massachusetts Avenue (MBTA Silver Line station), a stati ...
.
Until the Red Line Northwest Extension
The Red Line is a rapid transit line operated by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) as part of the MBTA subway system. The line runs south and east underground from Alewife station in North Cambridge, Massachusetts, North Cambr ...
opened in the 1980s, routes 77/77A provided the bulk of transit service northwest of Harvard, with combined streetcar headways under one minute during rush hours in 1945. Route 77 was converted to diesel bus in 1955; route 77A (Harvard– North Cambridge carhouse short-turn service) was converted to trolleybus in 1958 to free up streetcars for the upcoming Highland branch conversion, and so that boarding islands on Massachusetts Avenue could be removed to benefit automobiles. Route 77A formerly provided all local service south of the carhouse, with route 77 making limited stops on that segment; however, it was largely replaced by route 77 service in stages from 1998 to 2005, and eliminated entirely in 2022. In 2017, Arlington applied for a private grant to add signal priority, queue jumps, and possibly bus lanes on their section of the route. No changes to the route were proposed in the May 2022 draft network plan.
111
The 111 Woodlawn–Haymarket Station provides a route between downtown Boston and parts of Chelsea, via the Charlestown Bridge
The Charlestown Bridge, officially named the North Washington Street Bridge, is located in Boston and spans the Charles River. As the river's easternmost crossing, the bridge connects the neighborhoods of Charlestown and the North End. Comple ...
and the Tobin Bridge
The Maurice J. Tobin Memorial Bridge (formerly the Mystic River Bridge) is a cantilever truss bridge that spans more than two miles (3 km) from Boston to Chelsea over the Mystic River in Massachusetts. The bridge is the largest in New Eng ...
. (Some trips formerly continued east as far as Revere.) When the Boston Elevated Railway
The Boston Elevated Railway (BERy) was a streetcar and rapid transit railroad operated on, above, and below, the streets of Boston, Massachusetts and surrounding communities. Founded in 1894, it eventually acquired the West End Street Railwa ...
bought the route in 1936, it ran as streetcars between Chelsea Square and Woodlawn. On October 10, 1936, the line was replaced by an extension of the City Square
A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true geometric square, used for community gatherings. ...
–Chelsea Square bus route. The line was extended in April 1975 to Haymarket after the closure of the Charlestown Elevated
The Charlestown Elevated was a segment of the MBTA Orange Line rapid transit line that ran from the Canal Street Incline in downtown Boston, Massachusetts through Charlestown to a terminal in Everett, Massachusetts. It opened in June 1901 and ...
; the partial extension beyond Woodlawn was done in January 2001. Service past Woodlawn was discontinued in September 2019, while Cary Square short turns were replaced by Woodlawn trips in December 2021.
The 111 is among the most frequent numbered MBTA bus routes, with service running every 5 minutes during rush hour. No changes to the route were proposed in the May 2022 draft network plan.
116/117
The 116 Wonderland Station–Maverick Station via Revere Street and 117 Wonderland station–Maverick station via Beach Street serve East Boston, and the cities of Chelsea and Revere. The 116 and 117 share most of their routes through East Boston and Revere, differing only on the northern end near Wonderland. They operate on 20-minute headways during peak hours, for an effective 10-minute combined headway on the shared segment on Meridian Street and Broadway.
The May 2022 draft network plan proposed to discontinue route 117. The segment between Broadway and Wonderland station would become an extension of route at key bus route frequency.
See also
* List of MBTA bus routes
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority bus division operates bus routes in the Boston, Massachusetts metropolitan area. All routes connect to MBTA subway, MBTA Commuter Rail, and/or other MBTA bus services. Many routes are descendants o ...
* MBTA crosstown bus routes
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) operates two specially designated crosstown bus routes in the Boston, Massachusetts, United States area, called CT2 and CT3, and intended as limited-stop buses connecting major points. The tw ...
* MBTA Silver Line
The Silver Line is a system of bus routes in Boston and Chelsea, Massachusetts, operated by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). It is operated as part of the MBTA bus system, but branded as bus rapid transit (BRT) as part ...
(formerly considered part of the key routes)
References
External links
MBTA - Key Bus Route Improvement Program
MBTA Bus schedule and maps
Dropping Bus Service: An analysis of transit reliability in the Boston metro area
{{MBTA
MBTA bus routes
MBTA bus routes
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (abbreviated MBTA and known colloquially as "the T") is the public agency responsible for operating most public transportation services in Greater Boston, Massachusetts. The MBTA transit network in ...
MBTA
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (abbreviated MBTA and known colloquially as "the T") is the public agency responsible for operating most public transportation services in Greater Boston, Massachusetts. The MBTA transit network in ...
MBTA
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (abbreviated MBTA and known colloquially as "the T") is the public agency responsible for operating most public transportation services in Greater Boston, Massachusetts. The MBTA transit network in ...