Green Line "B" Branch

GREEN LINE "B" BRANCH Commonwealth Avenue Line
AnsaldoBreda Type 8 #3840 waits at a red light on Commonwealth Avenue at Carlton Street.
Overview
Type	Light rail
System	Green Line
Locale	Greater Boston
Termini	Park Street Boston College
Stations	25
Daily ridership	26,310 (weekday average boardings from surface stops in 2010-2011)
Operation
Opened	October 23, 1932
Owner	MBTA
Operator(s)	MBTA
Character	Underground (Kenmore and eastward) Center median running (west of Kenmore)
Rolling stock	Kinki Sharyo Type 7 Ansaldobreda Type 8
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Route map "C", "D", and "E" branches Tremont Street Subway Park Street  Red  Orange  Silver  Boylston  Silver Line  Boylston Street Subway Arlington Copley Copley Junction "E" Branch Hynes Convention Center Kenmore "D" Branch "C" Branch Blandford Street Portal Blandford Street Boston University East Boston University Central Boston University West St. Paul Street Pleasant Street Babcock Street "A" Branch Packards Corner Fordham Road† Harvard Avenue Griggs Street / Long Avenue Allston Street Warren Street Summit Avenue† Washington Street Mount Hood Road† Sutherland Road Chiswick Road Chestnut Hill Avenue South Street Greycliff Road† Boston College † = closed in 2004

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 Green Line, the "B" Branch runs from Boston College station down the median of Commonwealth Avenue to Blandford Street. There, it enters Blandford Street Portal into Kenmore station, where it merges with the "C" and "D" branches. The combined services run into the Boylston Street Subway and Tremont Street Subway to downtown Boston. "B" Branch service currently terminates at Park Street; normally it runs to Government Center station which is undergoing renovations until 2016.

The Green Line Rivalry between Boston College and Boston University is named in reference to the "B" Branch, which runs to both universities.

History

In 1896, tracks were laid on Commonwealth Avenue from Chestnut Hill Avenue west to the Newton town line at Lake Street, and around the same time the Commonwealth Avenue Street Railway opened, extending the tracks through Newton to Norumbega Park; this later became part of the Middlesex and Boston Street Railway. Trains between Lake Street and downtown Boston used tracks on Beacon Street, now part of the "C" Branch. From Kenmore Square they continued east on Beacon Street, then turned south on Massachusetts Avenue and east on Boylston Street to Park Square. In 1900 tracks were installed on the rest of Commonwealth Avenue, from Chestnut Hill Avenue east to existing tracks at Packard's Corner, later part of the "A" Branch. This enabled trains to use Commonwealth Avenue between Lake Street and Kenmore Square. In 1909, the tracks were electrified.

1916 map showing the loop at Braves Field

The Tremont Street Subway opened on September 1, 1897 and then or soon after the Commonwealth Avenue line was rerouted to turn around at Park Street via the Boylston Street Incline at the Public Garden. The Boylston Street Subway opened on October 3, 1914, extending the underground portion to the Kenmore Incline just east of Kenmore Square. On October 23, 1932 the Blandford Street Incline opened along with the underground Kenmore station, giving the line its present configuration.

Until the 1920s, a streetcar line that has since become the 65 bus ran along Commonwealth Avenue from Boston College east to Chestnut Hill Avenue, then south on Chestnut Hill Avenue and east on Beacon Street from Cleveland Circle to Washington Square, turning southeast to Brookline Village. After this was replaced by bus service in the 1920s (along with a rerouting), no revenue service used the tracks on Chestnut Hill Avenue, but they have remained for "B" Branch trains to access the Reservoir Carhouse at Cleveland Circle on the "C" Branch.

A turnback loop at Boston University Field was present from 1915 to January 14, 1962. It was used for service to special events as well as to short-turn some rush hour trains.

From 1942 to 1967, the route was known by the map number of 62. In 1967, the lines were given colors and the Green Line branches were lettered. The Commonwealth Avenue Line became the "B" Branch.

Downtown terminal

Until 1931, the line always looped at Park Street. On February 7 of that year, the Commonwealth Avenue service was extended east through downtown to loop at Lechmere. Since then, the following changes in east terminal have been made:

• November 20, 1961: cut back to Park Street
• November 18, 1964: extended Monday-Saturday to Government Center
• January 1967: cut back to Park Street all times due to problems at the Government Center loop
• March 25, 1967: extended to North Station
• June 17, 1967: cut back to Government Center
• September 9, 1967: extended to North Station
• September 14, 1967: cut back to Government Center due to problems at the North Station loop
• March 21, 1970: extended to Haymarket, looped empty at North Station
• December 26, 1970: extended to North Station
• March 25, 1974: extended to Lechmere
• January 1, 1977: cut back to North Station weekdays only
• March 19, 1977: extended to Lechmere all times
• June 18, 1977: cut back to Government Center all times
• September 9, 1977: extended to Lechmere all times
• September 9, 1978: cut back to Government Center nights and Sundays
• March 24, 1979: cut back to Government Center middays and Saturdays, with only rush hour trips continuing to Lechmere
• March 21, 1980: cut back to Park Street all times
• April 4, 1981: extended to North Station (PCC cars looped at Government Center)
• July 30, 1983: cut back to Government Center
• June 25, 2004: extended to North Station
• January 1, 2005: cut back to Government Center
• March 22, 2014: cut back to Park Street due to Government Center closure

Speed

The B Branch is frequently criticized by riders for its slow service. It is markedly slower than the C branch, in part because of its greater density of stops and at-grade crossings. Like on its sister C branch, B branch streetcars must stop on traffic signals at street crossings. Both B and C line branches are slower than the D branch, which benefits from the lowest stop density and an exclusively dedicated right-of-way.

Mount Hood Road stop (outbound platform pictured) was closed in 2005

In late 2003, the MBTA proposed eliminating five stops along the B branch (Greycliff Road, Mount Hood Road, Summit Avenue, Fordham Road and Chiswick Road.) This was seen as a way to speed up service for riders, while also reducing the MBTA's maintenance costs. Many riders welcomed the change, noting the stops' low ridership and close proximity to more popular stops. Others felt that the change did not go far enough, noting that the total time savings would be small (a few minutes out of a 45-minute trip) and the B branch would still be the slowest Green Line branch by far. Many riders questioned why the MBTA did not propose closing any of the stops east of Packard's Corner, even though this would improve travel times for the largest number of riders and several of these stops are only several hundred feet apart.

In April 2004, four of the five stops (Greycliff Road, Mount Hood Road, Summit Avenue and Fordham Road) were closed in a pilot stop elimination program. The fifth (Chiswick Road) was spared, after elderly residents of the nearby Jewish Community Housing facility rallied to its defense. In 2005, after a survey showed that 73% of 1,142 riders surveyed approved of the closures, the MBTA announced that the four stops would be closed permanently.

In October 2014, the MBTA began holding meetings for a proposal to consolidate four stops - Boston University West, St. Paul Street, Pleasant Street, and Babcock Street - located near Boston University's West Campus. The four stops, which are not handicapped accessible, would be turned into two fully accessible stops as part of a planned redesign of Commonwealth Avenue between the BU Bridge and Packard's Corner.

Station listing

Trains on the "B" Branch only travel from Government Center to Boston College. The segment from Government Center to Kenmore is shared with the three other branches. There is no MBTA parking at any "B" Branch stations.

Boston University Central, one of the five handicapped accessible surface stations on the line

Sutherland Road, a typical non-accessible station on the line

Station	Location	Time to Park Street	Transfers and notes
Blandford Street	Commonwealth Avenue at Silber Way, Boston	16 minutes	MBTA Bus: 57
Boston University East	Commonwealth Avenue at Granby Street, Boston	18 minutes	MBTA Bus: 57
Boston University Central	Commonwealth Avenue at Marsh Chapel, Boston	19 minutes	MBTA Bus: 57
Boston University West	Commonwealth Avenue at Amory Street, Boston	22 minutes	MBTA Bus: 57
St. Paul Street	Commonwealth Avenue at Buick Street, Boston	23 minutes	MBTA Bus: 57
Pleasant Street	Commonwealth Avenue at Pleasant Street, Boston	24 minutes	MBTA Bus: 57
Babcock Street	Commonwealth Avenue at Babcock Street, Boston	25 minutes	MBTA Bus: 57
Packards Corner	Commonwealth Avenue at Brighton Avenue, Allston	26 minutes	MBTA Bus: 57
Fordham Road	Commonwealth Avenue at Fordham Road, Allston	-	Closed in 2005
Harvard Avenue	Commonwealth Avenue at Harvard Avenue, Allston	29 minutes	MBTA Bus: 66
Griggs Street/Long Avenue	Commonwealth Avenue at Griggs Street, Allston	31 minutes
Allston Street	Commonwealth Avenue at Allston Street, Allston	32 minutes
Warren Street	Commonwealth Avenue at Warren Street, Brighton	33 minutes
Summit Avenue	Commonwealth Avenue at Summit Avenue, Brighton	-	Closed in 2005
Washington Street	Commonwealth Avenue at Washington Street, Brighton	35 minutes	MBTA Bus: 65
Mount Hood Road	Commonwealth Avenue at Mount Hood Road, Brighton	-	Closed in 2005
Sutherland Street	Commonwealth Avenue at Sutherland Road, Brighton	37 minutes
Chiswick Road	Commonwealth Avenue at Chiswick Road, Brighton	39 minutes
Chestnut Hill Avenue	Commonwealth Avenue at Chestnut Hill Avenue, Brighton	41 minutes
South Street	Commonwealth Avenue at South Street, Brighton	42 minutes
Greycliff Road	Commonwealth Avenue at Greycliff Road, Brighton	-	Closed in 2005
Boston College	Commonwealth Avenue at Lake Street, Chestnut Hill, Boston	43 minutes

External links

• MBTA - Green Line "B" Branch