MBTA buses in East Boston, Chelsea and Revere
Encyclopedia
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
(MBTA) operates local bus
es in East Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, connecting to the Blue Line
at Maverick
or Wood Island
. Additionally, the Silver Line
SL1 bus and (early morning only) serve Logan Airport, and the 424, 434, 441, 442, 448, 449, 450, 455 and 459 express buses pass through on Route 1A
on their way between North Shore points and downtown.
Some of these routes run through Chelsea. The 111 also serves Chelsea without entering East Boston. The 426 and 428 express buses pass through Chelsea on the Northeast Expressway
.
The 119 runs in neither city, only running in Revere, but is considered part of the same group.
The routes numbered from 111 to 119 were once run by the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway
as streetcar lines of their Chelsea Division. That division was taken over by the Boston Elevated Railway
(BERy, the MBTA's predecessor) on June 10, 1936. This was soon after the old Mystic River Bridge (since replaced by the Tobin Bridge
) was closed to streetcars, with those lines last running January 12, 1935 (into the subway at the Canal Street Portal and to the Brattle Loop). The next day, the lines were cut back to Chelsea Square and a bus route was instituted over the Mystic River Bridge between Chelsea Square and City Square, where transfer could be made to the Charlestown Elevated
.
The Logan Shuttle services, run by Massport, connect the Logan Airport terminals to each other, Airport
and various other points. Until June 1976, the MBTA operated a single shuttle as the bus.
, running along Washington Street North and over the Charlestown Bridge
to City Square. It takes the ramps onto the Tobin Bridge
into Chelsea, exiting and running through downtown Chelsea before heading north to end at Woodlawn, just over the Everett border. Some trips continue east on Park Avenue to end at Broadway in Revere.
When the BERy 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 - Chelsea Square bus. The line was extended in April 1975 to Haymarket, with the closure of the Charlestown Elevated; the partial extension beyond Woodlawn was done in January 2001.
north over the Chelsea Street Bridge into Chelsea and west through downtown Chelsea (serving the Chelsea
Commuter Rail station), and via Everett Square in Everett to end at Wellington
. Large diversions are made to serve Quigley Hospital and Admiral's Hill in Chelsea; some trips bypass the Mystic Mall in the morning before it opens.
The 112 streetcar line was replaced by trackless trolleys soon after being taken over by the BERy. At the time, the route went between Malden Square and Chelsea Square via Everett Square, running north from Everett Square on Broadway and northwest on Ferry Street to Malden Square. The supplemented the route, bypassing Everett Square via Ferry Street.
The 113 last ran December 8, 1960, and bus
es replaced trackless trolleys June 24, 1961 on the 112. This allowed the route to be extended October 1961 from Chelsea Square to City Square, Charlestown via the Tobin Bridge
. The Charlestown Elevated
(serving City Square) closed April 1975, and the 112 was rerouted to Maverick on the Blue Line
via the Meridian Street Bridge. In June 1976 the 112 was truncated at its north end to Everett Square.
After a period of closure, the Chelsea Street Bridge reopened, and in December 1977 the 112 was rerouted to use it and end at Wood Island
. A June 1985 extension took it west to Wellington. Also, between December 1982 and June 1998 the route was moved back to Maverick due to another bridge closure. Again in 1998 the route was moved again to Wood Island to alleviate traffic on Meridian Street.
The previously-unnumbered summer-only route between Wonderland
and Malden Square via Ferry Street was numbered 113 by 1962; it had run with trackless trolleys in 1954, 1955 and 1956. Service did not operate in 1981, but it was brought back in 1982 and last ran in 1987.
In 2006 it was announced that this route would return as a new route between Bellingham Square in Chelsea and Kendall Square in Cambridge. The route would service Community College
, Lechmere, and Kendall Square however no date has been set for the start of the new route.
to supplement the and , which continue north from Bellingham Square (Chelsea) to Wonderland
. Middays the 114 continues north to Mystic Mall.
The 114 was a BERy service; in its final days as a streetcar line it only ran from Maverick to the south end of the Meridian Street Bridge due to its closure. Streetcars last ran on January 4, 1952, replaced by trackless trolleys, which last ran March 30, 1961. The bridge reopened in 1954 and the line was extended not only to Chelsea but north to Woodlawn in Everett. When buses replaced trackless trolleys, the 114 was cut back to Bellingham Square, where it has run since.
In September 1975, the and were rerouted to use the Meridian Street Bridge to Maverick, and the redundant 114 was removed. In September 1999 it was brought back as a supplement to the 116/117.
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, often referred to as the MBTA or simply The T, is the public operator of most bus, subway, commuter rail and ferry systems in the greater Boston, Massachusetts, area. Officially a "body politic and corporate, and a political subdivision" of the...
(MBTA) operates local bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
es in East Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, connecting to the Blue Line
Blue Line (MBTA)
The Blue Line is one of four subway lines of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority serving Downtown, East Boston and the North Shore. It runs from northeast to southwest, extending from Wonderland station in Revere, Massachusetts to Bowdoin station near Beacon Hill in Boston...
at Maverick
Maverick (MBTA station)
Maverick is a subway station on the Blue Line at Maverick Square in East Boston, Massachusetts, USA. It is the easternmost underground station on the Blue Line, and a transfer point to various buses. One center island platform provides access to the surface in the middle of Maverick Square...
or Wood Island
Wood Island (MBTA station)
Wood Island is a grade-level, open-air rapid transit bus and train station on the MBTA Blue Line and is on the part of the Blue Line that uses overhead lines instead of third rail. Located on Bennington Street in the neighborhood of East Boston, the station's primary patrons are residents of the...
. Additionally, the Silver Line
Silver Line (MBTA)
The Silver Line is the only bus rapid transit line currently operated by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority . It operates in two sections; the first runs from Dudley Square in Roxbury to downtown Boston, Massachusetts and South Station, mostly via Washington Street, with buses...
SL1 bus and (early morning only) serve Logan Airport, and the 424, 434, 441, 442, 448, 449, 450, 455 and 459 express buses pass through on Route 1A
Massachusetts Route 1A
Route 1A is a south–north state highway in Massachusetts. It is an alternate route to U.S. 1 with three signed sections and two unsigned sections where the highway is concurrent with its parent...
on their way between North Shore points and downtown.
Some of these routes run through Chelsea. The 111 also serves Chelsea without entering East Boston. The 426 and 428 express buses pass through Chelsea on the Northeast Expressway
Northeast Expressway (Boston)
The Northeast Expressway consists of the elevated expressway from the junction of Interstate 93 and U.S. Route 1 in Charlestown, through Charlestown, crossing the Mystic River, through Chelsea, Revere. The highway becomes a surface expressway in northern Chelsea. It terminates at the Revere-Saugus...
.
The 119 runs in neither city, only running in Revere, but is considered part of the same group.
The routes numbered from 111 to 119 were once run by the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway
Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway
The Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway was a streetcar and later bus company in eastern Massachusetts, serving most suburbs of Boston, Massachusetts...
as streetcar lines of their Chelsea Division. That division was taken over by the Boston Elevated Railway
Boston Elevated Railway
The Boston Elevated Railway was a precursor first to the Metropolitan Transit Authority in Massachusetts, now the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, operating rapid transit, streetcars and buses in the Boston, Massachusetts area. It was formerly known as the West End Street Railway.The...
(BERy, the MBTA's predecessor) on June 10, 1936. This was soon after the old Mystic River Bridge (since replaced by the Tobin Bridge
Tobin Bridge
The Maurice J. Tobin Memorial Bridge is a cantilever truss bridge that spans more than two miles from Charlestown to Chelsea over the Mystic River in Massachusetts. The bridge is the largest in New England...
) was closed to streetcars, with those lines last running January 12, 1935 (into the subway at the Canal Street Portal and to the Brattle Loop). The next day, the lines were cut back to Chelsea Square and a bus route was instituted over the Mystic River Bridge between Chelsea Square and City Square, where transfer could be made to the Charlestown Elevated
Charlestown Elevated
The Charlestown Elevated was a former link of Boston's Orange Line rapid transit line that ran from a portal at North Station, near the old Boston Garden, to the city of Everett, Massachusetts...
.
The Logan Shuttle services, run by Massport, connect the Logan Airport terminals to each other, Airport
Airport (MBTA station)
Airport Station is a subway station on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's Blue Line. It serves as a mass transit connection to the nearby Logan International Airport...
and various other points. Until June 1976, the MBTA operated a single shuttle as the bus.
111
The 111 Woodlawn or Broadway & Park Ave. - Haymarket Station via Mystic River/Tobin Bridge provides a route between downtown Boston and parts of Chelsea. It begins at HaymarketHaymarket (MBTA station)
Haymarket is a MBTA station on the Green and Orange lines, located at the corner of Congress and New Sudbury Street. Transfer between the Green and Orange Lines is possible here, although the adjacent North Station may be more convenient for some cross-platform transfers.Originally, the Orange...
, running along Washington Street North and over the Charlestown Bridge
Charlestown Bridge
The Charlestown Bridge is the easternmost bridge on the Charles River in Boston, Massachusetts. The bridge formerly carried the southernmost stretch of Massachusetts Route 99, which now ends at Chelsea Street in Charlestown. It connects to Joe Tecce Way to the south and to Rutherford Avenue to the...
to City Square. It takes the ramps onto the Tobin Bridge
Tobin Bridge
The Maurice J. Tobin Memorial Bridge is a cantilever truss bridge that spans more than two miles from Charlestown to Chelsea over the Mystic River in Massachusetts. The bridge is the largest in New England...
into Chelsea, exiting and running through downtown Chelsea before heading north to end at Woodlawn, just over the Everett border. Some trips continue east on Park Avenue to end at Broadway in Revere.
When the BERy 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 - Chelsea Square bus. The line was extended in April 1975 to Haymarket, with the closure of the Charlestown Elevated; the partial extension beyond Woodlawn was done in January 2001.
112
The 112 Wellington Sta. - Wood Island Sta. via Central Ave., Mystic Mall & Admiral's Hill runs from Wood IslandWood Island (MBTA station)
Wood Island is a grade-level, open-air rapid transit bus and train station on the MBTA Blue Line and is on the part of the Blue Line that uses overhead lines instead of third rail. Located on Bennington Street in the neighborhood of East Boston, the station's primary patrons are residents of the...
north over the Chelsea Street Bridge into Chelsea and west through downtown Chelsea (serving the Chelsea
Chelsea (MBTA station)
Chelsea is a station on the MBTA Commuter Rail. It is located in Chelsea, Massachusetts, between North Station and River Works on the Newburyport/Rockport Line.Chelsea Station opened Nov. 29, 1985, after the city had been without train service since 1958....
Commuter Rail station), and via Everett Square in Everett to end at Wellington
Wellington (MBTA station)
Wellington is a MBTA station on the Orange Line, located in Medford, Massachusetts, USA on the Revere Beach Parkway slightly east of its intersection with Route 28....
. Large diversions are made to serve Quigley Hospital and Admiral's Hill in Chelsea; some trips bypass the Mystic Mall in the morning before it opens.
The 112 streetcar line was replaced by trackless trolleys soon after being taken over by the BERy. At the time, the route went between Malden Square and Chelsea Square via Everett Square, running north from Everett Square on Broadway and northwest on Ferry Street to Malden Square. The supplemented the route, bypassing Everett Square via Ferry Street.
The 113 last ran December 8, 1960, and bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
es replaced trackless trolleys June 24, 1961 on the 112. This allowed the route to be extended October 1961 from Chelsea Square to City Square, Charlestown via the Tobin Bridge
Tobin Bridge
The Maurice J. Tobin Memorial Bridge is a cantilever truss bridge that spans more than two miles from Charlestown to Chelsea over the Mystic River in Massachusetts. The bridge is the largest in New England...
. The Charlestown Elevated
Charlestown Elevated
The Charlestown Elevated was a former link of Boston's Orange Line rapid transit line that ran from a portal at North Station, near the old Boston Garden, to the city of Everett, Massachusetts...
(serving City Square) closed April 1975, and the 112 was rerouted to Maverick on the Blue Line
Blue Line (MBTA)
The Blue Line is one of four subway lines of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority serving Downtown, East Boston and the North Shore. It runs from northeast to southwest, extending from Wonderland station in Revere, Massachusetts to Bowdoin station near Beacon Hill in Boston...
via the Meridian Street Bridge. In June 1976 the 112 was truncated at its north end to Everett Square.
After a period of closure, the Chelsea Street Bridge reopened, and in December 1977 the 112 was rerouted to use it and end at Wood Island
Wood Island (MBTA station)
Wood Island is a grade-level, open-air rapid transit bus and train station on the MBTA Blue Line and is on the part of the Blue Line that uses overhead lines instead of third rail. Located on Bennington Street in the neighborhood of East Boston, the station's primary patrons are residents of the...
. A June 1985 extension took it west to Wellington. Also, between December 1982 and June 1998 the route was moved back to Maverick due to another bridge closure. Again in 1998 the route was moved again to Wood Island to alleviate traffic on Meridian Street.
113 (defunct)
The first 113 ran between Malden Square and Chelsea Square, and last ran December 8, 1960 (see above).The previously-unnumbered summer-only route between Wonderland
Wonderland (MBTA station)
Wonderland is the northern terminus of the Blue Line in the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority mass transit system serving greater Boston. The station is located near the site of the now-closed Wonderland Greyhound Park in Revere, Massachusetts, and is handicapped accessible. See MBTA...
and Malden Square via Ferry Street was numbered 113 by 1962; it had run with trackless trolleys in 1954, 1955 and 1956. Service did not operate in 1981, but it was brought back in 1982 and last ran in 1987.
In 2006 it was announced that this route would return as a new route between Bellingham Square in Chelsea and Kendall Square in Cambridge. The route would service Community College
Community College (MBTA station)
Community College Station is an MBTA station on the Orange Line, located in Charlestown, Massachusetts near the intersection of Rutherford Avenue and Austin Street...
, Lechmere, and Kendall Square however no date has been set for the start of the new route.
114
The 114 Bellingham Square - Maverick Station provides extra morning rush hour and midday service between Chelsea and MaverickMaverick (MBTA station)
Maverick is a subway station on the Blue Line at Maverick Square in East Boston, Massachusetts, USA. It is the easternmost underground station on the Blue Line, and a transfer point to various buses. One center island platform provides access to the surface in the middle of Maverick Square...
to supplement the and , which continue north from Bellingham Square (Chelsea) to Wonderland
Wonderland (MBTA station)
Wonderland is the northern terminus of the Blue Line in the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority mass transit system serving greater Boston. The station is located near the site of the now-closed Wonderland Greyhound Park in Revere, Massachusetts, and is handicapped accessible. See MBTA...
. Middays the 114 continues north to Mystic Mall.
The 114 was a BERy service; in its final days as a streetcar line it only ran from Maverick to the south end of the Meridian Street Bridge due to its closure. Streetcars last ran on January 4, 1952, replaced by trackless trolleys, which last ran March 30, 1961. The bridge reopened in 1954 and the line was extended not only to Chelsea but north to Woodlawn in Everett. When buses replaced trackless trolleys, the 114 was cut back to Bellingham Square, where it has run since.
In September 1975, the and were rerouted to use the Meridian Street Bridge to Maverick, and the redundant 114 was removed. In September 1999 it was brought back as a supplement to the 116/117.
External links
- MBTA - 111 Woodlawn or Broadway & Park Ave. - Haymarket Station via Mystic River/Tobin Bridge
- MBTA - 112 Wellington Sta. - Wood Island Sta. via Central Ave., Mystic Mall & Admiral's Hill
- MBTA - 114 - Bellingham Square - Maverick Station
- MBTA - 116 - Wonderland Station - Maverick Station via Revere Street
- MBTA - 117 - Wonderland Station - Maverick Station via Beach St.
- MBTA - 119 - Northgate - Beachmont Station via Revere Center & Cooledge Housing
- MBTA - 120 - Orient Heights Station - Maverick Station via Bennington St., Jeffries Point & Waldemar Loop
- MBTA - 121 - Wood Island Station - Maverick Station via Lexington Street