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Lechmere (MBTA station)
Encyclopedia
Lechmere is the northern terminus of the MBTA Green Line
. It is located in Lechmere Square
in East Cambridge, Massachusetts
, near the intersection of Cambridge Street and Monsignor O'Brien Highway (Route 28). The tracks make a loop at Lechmere, with a small yard
. The station will be replaced by 2015 by a new facility located on the east side of the O'Brien Highway, with a direct connection to the Somerville Community Path
.
The station has two platforms; the outbound terminus is on the northeast side of the loop and the inbound platform is on the southwest side. The platforms are not connected within fare control, but they are connected outside by a small foot tunnel under the tracks.
Lechmere station is near the former site of a well known Lechmere Department Store
by the same name. The store has been replaced by a large shopping mall, the CambridgeSide Galleria
. The MBTA is working on a proposal to extend the Green Line northwest through Somerville, Massachusetts
and into Medford, Massachusetts
, called the "Green Line Extension Project", next to the Lowell
and Fitchburg Line
s of the Commuter Rail
.
Lechmere station was closed from April 30 to November 2011 due to construction at Science Park station; shuttle bus service is available between Lechmere and North Station. The station was reopened and regular service between Lechmere and North Station resumed on 5 November 2011.
Lechmere Viaduct
leading up to the station opened on June 1, 1912. At the Lechmere end, there was no station, but track connections to existing streetcar
lines on Cambridge Street and Bridge Street (now O'Brien Highway), which had continued downtown via the Charles River Dam Bridge. Due to schedule problems caused by delays on the surface propagating into the subway, a new prepayment station opened on July 10, 1922, and the existing loop was built to turn subway cars, while surface cars also looped on a separate track. As most if not all existing subway service from the south and west looped at Park Street
, a new service was inaugurated between Lechmere and the Pleasant Street Incline
. Beginning January 2, 1923, this was changed to loop at Kenmore
(a surface station at the time), and some trips were extended along the Beacon Street Line to loop at Washington Square. On February 7, 1931, Commonwealth Avenue and Beacon Street service was extended from Park Street to Lechmere, and this separate service was removed.
On February 11, 1983, a Lechmere-Government Center
shuttle was brought back during rush hours and middays, due to the "E" Branch, which had been the only service to Lechmere at those times, being closed by a snowstorm. This shuttle stayed even once the "E" Branch reopened, last running over 14 years later, on June 21, 1997. From December 28, 1985 to July 25, 1986, additional shuttle service ran between Lechmere and Kenmore
.
Lechmere was planned for closure June 18, 2004, but fire alarm systems at North Station had to be tested more. Lechmere closed one week later, in the evening of June 25, and the Green Line Bus Shuttle to Government Center began operating. The "D" Branch was cut back to Government Center at that time, but "E" trains continued operating to Lechmere, with additional shuttle service added to Government Center. The new alignment opened November 12, 2005, returning streetcar service to Lechmere.
The (renumbered 69 ca. 1967) streetcar to Harvard
became the first trackless trolley
in the Boston area on April 11, 1936. The 87 and streetcar routes were replaced with trackless trolleys on November 8, 1941, and with buses March 30, 1963; the 77 became a bus route on March 31. The 80 ran to Sullivan Square
as a streetcar, and was replaced with a bus to Lechmere on July 9, 1932. It later too became a trackless trolley route before reverting back to bus on March 29, 1963.
.
The moved Lechmere station is a proposed stop on the MBTA's planned Urban Ring Project
. The Urban Ring will be a Bus Rapid Transit
(BRT) Line designed to connect the current radial MBTA Lines to reduce strain on the downtown stations.
via Cambridge St. Arlington Center via Medford Hillside Arlington Center or Clarendon Hill via Somerville Ave. Clarendon Hill via Highland Avenue
stop for visiting the Museum of Science, Boston
. See MBTA accessibility
.
Green Line (MBTA)
The Green Line is a streetcar system run by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority in the Boston, Massachusetts area of the United States. It is the oldest line of Boston's subway, which is known locally as the 'T'. The Green Line runs underground downtown and on the surface in outlying...
. It is located in Lechmere Square
Lechmere Square
Lechmere Square is located at the intersection of Cambridge Street and First Street in East Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was originally named for the Colonial-era landowner Richard Lechmere, a Loyalist who returned to England at the beginning of the American Revolution. His lands were later seized...
in East Cambridge, Massachusetts
East Cambridge, Massachusetts
East Cambridge is a neighborhood of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Referred to as Area 1, East Cambridge is bounded by the Charles River on the East, the Somerville border on the North, Broadway and Main Street on the South, and the railroad tracks on the West...
, near the intersection of Cambridge Street and Monsignor O'Brien Highway (Route 28). The tracks make a loop at Lechmere, with a small yard
Rail yard
A rail yard, or railroad yard, is a complex series of railroad tracks for storing, sorting, or loading/unloading, railroad cars and/or locomotives. Railroad yards have many tracks in parallel for keeping rolling stock stored off the mainline, so that they do not obstruct the flow of traffic....
. The station will be replaced by 2015 by a new facility located on the east side of the O'Brien Highway, with a direct connection to the Somerville Community Path
Somerville Community Path
The Somerville Community Path is a project to build a mixed-use path in Somerville, Massachusetts, from the Cambridge border near Davis Square to the Cambridge border near Lechmere Square. Roughly 0.8 miles of the path is finished and in use...
.
The station has two platforms; the outbound terminus is on the northeast side of the loop and the inbound platform is on the southwest side. The platforms are not connected within fare control, but they are connected outside by a small foot tunnel under the tracks.
Lechmere station is near the former site of a well known Lechmere Department Store
Lechmere
Lechmere was a retail store chain in New England, which closed in 1997.-History:Lechmere Inc. was a retailer of electronics, appliances, and other goods, with 24 stores located throughout New England and New York. The company was founded in the early twentieth century and expanded during the...
by the same name. The store has been replaced by a large shopping mall, the CambridgeSide Galleria
CambridgeSide Galleria
The CambridgeSide Galleria is a mall located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that opened in 1990. The original anchor stores were Sears, Filene's and Lechmere. Lechmere closed in 1997 and it was divided into what is now Best Buy and Borders, with a portion later used by Filene's for their housewares...
. The MBTA is working on a proposal to extend the Green Line northwest through Somerville, Massachusetts
Somerville, Massachusetts
Somerville is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, located just north of Boston. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 75,754 and was the most densely populated municipality in New England. It is also the 17th most densely populated incorporated place in...
and into Medford, Massachusetts
Medford, Massachusetts
Medford is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States, on the Mystic River, five miles northwest of downtown Boston. In the 2010 U.S. Census, Medford's population was 56,173...
, called the "Green Line Extension Project", next to the Lowell
Lowell Line
The Lowell Line is a railroad line of the MBTA Commuter Rail system, running north from Boston to Lowell, Massachusetts. Originally built as the Boston and Lowell Railroad, and later operated as part of the Boston and Maine Railroad's Southern Division, the line was one of the first railroads in...
and Fitchburg Line
Fitchburg Line
The Fitchburg Line is an MBTA line that runs from Boston's North Station to Fitchburg, Massachusetts. The line is along the tracks of the former Fitchburg Railroad, which was a railroad line across northern Massachusetts, United States, leading to and through the Hoosac Tunnel. It is one of the...
s of the Commuter Rail
MBTA Commuter Rail
The MBTA Commuter Rail serves as the regional rail arm of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, in the United States. It is operated under contract by the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Company a joint partnership of Veolia Transportation, Bombardier Transportation and Alternate...
.
Lechmere station was closed from April 30 to November 2011 due to construction at Science Park station; shuttle bus service is available between Lechmere and North Station. The station was reopened and regular service between Lechmere and North Station resumed on 5 November 2011.
History
The concreteConcrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
Lechmere Viaduct
Lechmere Viaduct
The Lechmere Viaduct is the last remaining elevated portion of the MBTA's Green Line in Boston, Massachusetts. Opened June 1, 1912, the Viaduct connects the Lechmere stop to the Science Park Station at Leverett Circle. Currently, the Green Line descends into a tunnel just east of Science Park...
leading up to the station opened on June 1, 1912. At the Lechmere end, there was no station, but track connections to existing streetcar
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
lines on Cambridge Street and Bridge Street (now O'Brien Highway), which had continued downtown via the Charles River Dam Bridge. Due to schedule problems caused by delays on the surface propagating into the subway, a new prepayment station opened on July 10, 1922, and the existing loop was built to turn subway cars, while surface cars also looped on a separate track. As most if not all existing subway service from the south and west looped at Park Street
Park Street (MBTA station)
Park Street is a rapid transit and light rail station of the MBTA subway system in Downtown Boston. One of the four subway hub stations, Park Street is a transfer point between the Green and Red Lines. Park Street is the fourth-busiest station in the MBTA network, with an average of 19,836 entries...
, a new service was inaugurated between Lechmere and the Pleasant Street Incline
Pleasant Street Incline
The Pleasant Street Incline or Pleasant Street Portal was the southern access point for the Tremont Street Subway in Boston, Massachusetts, which later became part of the Green Line .-History:...
. Beginning January 2, 1923, this was changed to loop at Kenmore
Kenmore (MBTA station)
Kenmore is an MBTA light rail station in the Kenmore Square area of Boston, Massachusetts, and serves the Green Line B, C, and D branches...
(a surface station at the time), and some trips were extended along the Beacon Street Line to loop at Washington Square. On February 7, 1931, Commonwealth Avenue and Beacon Street service was extended from Park Street to Lechmere, and this separate service was removed.
On February 11, 1983, a Lechmere-Government Center
Government Center (MBTA station)
Government Center is an MBTA subway station and a transfer point between the Green Line and the Blue Line. It is located at the intersection of Tremont, Court and Cambridge Streets in the Government Center area of Boston.-History:...
shuttle was brought back during rush hours and middays, due to the "E" Branch, which had been the only service to Lechmere at those times, being closed by a snowstorm. This shuttle stayed even once the "E" Branch reopened, last running over 14 years later, on June 21, 1997. From December 28, 1985 to July 25, 1986, additional shuttle service ran between Lechmere and Kenmore
Kenmore (MBTA station)
Kenmore is an MBTA light rail station in the Kenmore Square area of Boston, Massachusetts, and serves the Green Line B, C, and D branches...
.
Lechmere was planned for closure June 18, 2004, but fire alarm systems at North Station had to be tested more. Lechmere closed one week later, in the evening of June 25, and the Green Line Bus Shuttle to Government Center began operating. The "D" Branch was cut back to Government Center at that time, but "E" trains continued operating to Lechmere, with additional shuttle service added to Government Center. The new alignment opened November 12, 2005, returning streetcar service to Lechmere.
The (renumbered 69 ca. 1967) streetcar to Harvard
Harvard (MBTA station)
Harvard is a station on the Red Line of the MBTA subway system in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The third-busiest MBTA subway station, Harvard saw 21,868 entries each weekday in 2010, with only Downtown Crossing and South Station being busier...
became the first trackless trolley
Trolleybus
A trolleybus is an electric bus that draws its electricity from overhead wires using spring-loaded trolley poles. Two wires and poles are required to complete the electrical circuit...
in the Boston area on April 11, 1936. The 87 and streetcar routes were replaced with trackless trolleys on November 8, 1941, and with buses March 30, 1963; the 77 became a bus route on March 31. The 80 ran to Sullivan Square
Sullivan Square (MBTA station)
Sullivan Square is a station on the MBTA rapid transit Orange Line, and a major bus transfer point. It was also a major transfer point on the old Charlestown Elevated, with two streetcar loops for free transfers, later converted for trackless trolleys and buses.The first Sullivan Square station...
as a streetcar, and was replaced with a bus to Lechmere on July 9, 1932. It later too became a trackless trolley route before reverting back to bus on March 29, 1963.
Future plans
The MBTA has broken ground on construction of a new Lechmere station, located on the opposite side of McGrath/O'Brien Highway in North Point Park as part of the Green Line Extension. Planned to open by 2015, the relocated station will connect with the associated Somerville Community PathSomerville Community Path
The Somerville Community Path is a project to build a mixed-use path in Somerville, Massachusetts, from the Cambridge border near Davis Square to the Cambridge border near Lechmere Square. Roughly 0.8 miles of the path is finished and in use...
.
The moved Lechmere station is a proposed stop on the MBTA's planned Urban Ring Project
Urban Ring Project (MBTA)
The Urban Ring is a project of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, to develop new public transportation line that would provide improved circumferential connections among many existing transit lines that project radially from downtown...
. The Urban Ring will be a Bus Rapid Transit
Bus rapid transit
Bus rapid transit is a term applied to a variety of public transportation systems using buses to provide faster, more efficient service than an ordinary bus line. Often this is achieved by making improvements to existing infrastructure, vehicles and scheduling...
(BRT) Line designed to connect the current radial MBTA Lines to reduce strain on the downtown stations.
Timeline
This timeline shows which services extended through to Lechmere at which times (before 1922, surface routes simply entered the viaduct at Lechmere).Bus connections
The outbound terminus platform is connected to a busway on the Monsignor O'Brien Highway, which serves several MBTA bus routes: Harvard/Holyoke GateHarvard (MBTA station)
Harvard is a station on the Red Line of the MBTA subway system in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The third-busiest MBTA subway station, Harvard saw 21,868 entries each weekday in 2010, with only Downtown Crossing and South Station being busier...
via Cambridge St. Arlington Center via Medford Hillside Arlington Center or Clarendon Hill via Somerville Ave. Clarendon Hill via Highland Avenue
- EZRideEZRideThe EZRide shuttle is a bus run by the Charles River Transportation Management Association. It operates from North Station in Boston, Massachusetts to Fort Washington/Cambridgeport.- Major stops :...
Cambridge - North Station
Accessibility
The station is accessible when served by the MBTA's newer low-floor light rail vehicles. It is an alternative to the non-accessible Science ParkScience Park (MBTA station)
Science Park, signed as Science Park/West End, is a station on the MBTA Green Line and is located at the Boston end of the Old Charles River Dam at Leverett Circle, near the intersection of Nashua Street and Charles Street . The station is located on the elevated Lechmere Viaduct, which connects...
stop for visiting the Museum of Science, Boston
Museum of Science, Boston
The Museum of Science is a Boston, Massachusetts landmark, located in Science Park, a plot of land spanning the Charles River. Along with over 500 interactive exhibits, the Museum features a number of live presentations throughout the building every day, along with shows at the Charles Hayden...
. See MBTA accessibility
MBTA accessibility
Physical accessibility on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority system is incomplete but improving, with accessibility on all buses , all Orange Line stations, all but 2 Red Line stations, and all but 2 Blue Line stations...
.