East Boston – Allston Railway

East Boston MA-Allston MA
Railway line near MIT in Cambridge.
Route length:	14 km
Gauge :	1435 mm ( standard gauge )
Dual track :	earlier: entire route
Society:	MBTA
Shared use:	CSX Transportation
Legend 0 East Boston MA Boston Subway ( Blue Line ) Connection to Portsmouth 4th East Boston – Portsmouth route Chelsea River Connection to Revere 5 Chelsea MA End of the route before 2nd Street Connection to Everett port railway 6½ Everett MA by Revere Mystic River from Wilmington Junction Boston Elevated Railway Interstate 93 9 East Somerville MA Connection to Mystic Junction / Lowell Connection between Mystic Junction and Massport Connection to Massport Boston Subway ( Orange Line ) to Boston North Station Connection of Mystic Junction / Lowell Boston – Lowell line Connection to Lowell from Boston North Station 10½ old Boston – Lowell line (originally at the same level) to Fitchburg 11½ East Cambridge MA Passage through the Picower Institute House drive through power plant 13 Massachusetts Avenue Charles River from Boston South Station Beacon Park (Güterbf.) 14½ Allston MA to Worcester

The railway line East Boston Allston is a railway line in Massachusetts ( United States ). It is 14 kilometers long and connects the railroad lines to the north and west of the city of Boston . The standard gauge line is owned by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), which does not operate any scheduled trains on the route. The main user is CSX Transportation , which has the right to use the route and carries freight trains over it. The East Boston to Everett section is closed. The bridge over the Mystic River , which was originally part of the line, has now merged into the Boston – Revere railway line , which also belongs to the MBTA.

history

In the 1840s, the Boston railroad network consisted of numerous lines leading into the city, each with its own terminus. In particular, the Eastern Railroad , which ran parallel to the coast in the direction of Maine from East Boston, was isolated from the rest of the rail network as it had no contact with other routes. The Grand Junction Railroad and Depot Company was therefore founded in 1847 to connect the Eastern Railroad to the rest of the railway lines leading north out of the city. Around 1852 the line from East Boston to East Somerville went into operation. The Grand Junction Railroad operated the route independently. At the same time, the Eastern Railroad used the route between Chelsea and East Somerville and was thus able to run its trains to the center of Boston from 1854. After just a few years, however, the Eastern built its own route between Chelsea and East Somerville parallel to the Grand Junction Railroad.

In 1853 the Union Railroad was founded as a subsidiary of the Grand Junction Railroad. It opened the remainder of the line to Allston in 1855, where it merged into the main line of the Boston and Worcester Railroad . However, the transport numbers did not meet expectations, so the Grand Junction Railroad went bankrupt and the section from East Somerville to Allston was temporarily closed again in 1857. The remaining section was still used by various railway companies. It was not until 1869 that Boston & Worcester merged with other companies to form the Boston and Albany Railroad that the line was taken over by this new company and reopened. It subsequently developed into an important freight connection between Boston & Albany and the ports in Charleston and Everett and the industrial area around Chelsea and East Boston, and it was expanded to include two tracks.

In 1900 the Boston & Albany was incorporated into the railway system of the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad (later New York Central Railroad), but remained operator of the line. The bridge over the Chelsea River had to be closed in 1955 because it could no longer carry the load of the freight trains. The trains were diverted via Revere. It was not until 1972 that the line from Chelsea to the branch of the Eastern main line was officially closed.

In 1968, Boston & Albany merged into the Penn Central system. From 1976 the successor company Conrail was the operator. In 1999, CSX Transportation took over the route, which has operated freight traffic ever since. Around 2000, freight traffic to East Boston ended and both the old Eastern Main Line and the route of the former Grand Junction Railroad in East Boston were shut down and dismantled. The track now ends in front of 2nd Street in East Everett. The second track was dismantled everywhere except in the area of ​​the branch points. In 2010, the route was sold to the state and incorporated into the route network of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority .

Route description

Amtrak train on ferry ride at Main Street level crossing in Cambridge. The passage through the Picower Institute begins on the right.

Bridge over the Charles River just before Allston, which crosses a road bridge.

The route originally began at the port facilities in East Boston. It ran alongside the Eastern main line and passed under it at the Cary Cut junction. A connecting track was installed around 1955, which enabled trains from Portsmouth to cross over to the East Boston line. The route turns north-west and crossed the Chelsea River on a lift bridge that has since been dismantled . There was a track triangle in Chelsea. The line now runs in a westerly direction right next to the Boston – Revere railway line . The main line is located from Everett and is used by freight trains in the city's extensive port facilities. It joins the Boston – Revere line at the former Everett station. The original bridge over the Mystic River has been torn down, and the trains run over a new bridge a few meters further north.

In Somerville the line joins the route of the Boston – Wilmington Junction railway line and turns west at the junction to the port of Massport to merge again with the line to Fitchburg . After crossing the old Boston – Lowell railway , to which there are also connecting tracks , the line turns to the south-west and runs through East Cambridge. Here, the railway line was built over by several buildings, so that two tunnels were created. The line then crosses the Charles River and joins the line to Worcester at Beacon Park freight yard or shortly before the former Allston passenger station .

Sources and further reading

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Article on thestreet.com

literature

• Ronald D. Karr: The Rail Lines of Southern New England. A Handbook of Railroad History. Branch Line Press, Pepperell, MA 1995. ISBN 0-942147-02-2
• Mike Walker: Comprehensive Railroad Atlas of North America. New England & Maritime Canada. (2nd edition) SPV-Verlag, Dunkirk (GB), 2010. ISBN 1-874745-12-9