Blue Line (MBTA)

BLUE LINE (Bowdoin) - Government Center - Wonderland
A Blue Line train leaves the Airport Station in the direction of Wonderland
MBTA underground, light rail and tram lines
Gauge :	1435 mm ( standard gauge )
Stations:	12
Opening:	1904 (tram) 1924 (underground) 1952 (extension to Revere)
Type:	Subway
Place:	Boston , Massachusetts
Operator:	MBTA
Passengers (daily) :	66,933
Legend Red Line from Alewife Charles / MGH Blue Line planned Red Line to Ashmont / Braintree Bowdoin loop U Bowdoin only served on working days during the day Green Line from Lechmere Government Center Loop U Government Center Green Line to Boston College , Cleveland Circle, Riverside and Heath Street State Orange Line Aquarium Boston Harbor Maverick Airport Wood Island Orient Heights Orient Heights Yard Suffolk Downs Beachmont Revere Beach U Wonderland Wonderland sweeping system Lynn planned

The Blue Line is one of four subway lines of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) in the state of Massachusetts of the United States . The route begins at Bowdoin station in the Beacon Hill district of Boston and ends at Wonderland station in Revere. At the Government Center station you can change to the Green Line and at State Station you can change to the Orange Line . The Blue Line also runs to the Airport Station , from where a free shuttle transfer to Logan International Airport commutes.

history

Tunnel entrance near today's Aquarium Station , 1906

The East Boston Tunnel , opened in 1904, was the world's first rail line to run under part of an ocean . It was originally designed to transport light rail vehicles underground from Maverick to Court Street . In 1906, today's Aquarium Station opened , providing a connection to Atlantic Avenue Elevated . In 1916 the terminus was moved from Court Street to Bowdoin and the Government Center station opened.

In 1925, the underground section of the line was adjusted in platform height so that subway cars could commute between Bowdoin and Maverick . From 1952 to 1954, a surface extension was built that ran along the disused route of the Boston, Revere Beach and Lynn Railroad from Maverick to Wonderland . For this purpose, the old narrow-gauge railway was converted into a standard-gauge line.

The line, initially called the East Boston Tunnel & Revere Extension somewhat bulky by the MBTA, was renamed Blue Line on August 26, 1965 as part of a color-based restructuring . The color blue represents the water, as the line runs under Boston Harbor and later mostly along the water.

In the early 20th century, the Blue Line had a physical, albeit somewhat inconvenient, direct connection to the Red Line rails , even if the color designators had not yet been introduced. Today's Blue Line cars were able to come to the surface near Bowdoin Station via an incline between Joy Street and Russel Street and travel on the Cambridge Street rails to near today's Charles / MGH station. However, since the rails were de-energized, the wagons had to be towed over the road rails individually and during the night, when there were otherwise no trains. This connection was therefore never used in regular traffic , but exclusively for the transport of cars to the maintenance depot on Eliot Street . As soon as the Blue Line had its own maintenance depot, the track connection was cut and the ramp was completely closed in 1952.

As of 2011 there are plans to re-create this historical connection between the Blue Line and the Red Line with the aim of permanent exchange. This should be completely underground and not have a direct rail connection, i.e. H. passengers have to change trains at Charles / MGH station .

Renovation of stations

The modernization project for the Blue Line began in the late 1990s and included, among other things, the renovation of stations in order to increase the possible train length from four to six cars and to make the stations more accessible and visually appealing. On September 15, 2008, the first Blue Line train ran with six cars.

As of 2011, there is a special situation at the Bowdoin station that, due to the shape of the platform, which is located on the inside of a turning loop, passengers can get off all six cars, but can only get on four of them. It has not yet been decided whether a renovation or closure of the station as part of the planned connection to the Red Line is the appropriate solution.

Extension to Lynn

There are plans to expand the Blue Line north to Lynn . The land required for this has already been bought for the first expansion, which, however, could only be carried out as far as Revere due to a lack of budget. Alternative routes are a route of the former Boston and Maine Railroad along the East Boston – Portsmouth railway line and a route on the former route of the Boston, Revere Beach and Lynn Railroad along Revere Beach . Further possibilities exist in an improved connection to existing commuter trains or bus connections.

In 2005, Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healy estimated that construction on the extension could begin in 2017. In April 2008, the first funds were approved and 25 million US dollars provided in public funds. As early as 2004, US $ 246.5 million was promised if it were possible to contribute 50% from non-governmental funds.

Connection to the Red Line

As of 2011, the Green Line is the most convenient existing way to switch between the Blue Line and the Red Line , which leads to regular congestion - especially during rush hour - of the short section between Government Center and Park Street stations . This bottleneck, together with other factors, was a major cause of delays and overcrowding on the Green Line . A proposal made in the past for an underground pedestrian tunnel that connects both stations was rejected in favor of a direct connection between the Blue Line and the Red Line .

Another option is to take the Orange Line from State Station to the next Downtown Crossing stop , but this route requires a much longer and more complicated walk over many stairs and through passages of these two stations. The Red and Blue lines are the only underground lines in the MBTA system that have no direct connection to each other.

As part of a court settlement over the air quality affected by the Big Dig , the Commonwealth of Massachusetts agreed to create a direct link between the two lines by extending the Blue Line under Cambridge Street 450 m to Charles / MGH station on the Red Line . Since the wagons of the two lines have the same gauge , but are otherwise not compatible with each other, no direct track connection is provided. The transfer would no longer have to be made via the Green Line , and many passengers from the north coast in Boston could reach the area around Massachusetts General Hospital directly and without changing.

However, after nothing was done in this direction for more than ten years and the state of Massachusetts was faced with further legal proceedings, he finally agreed to begin detailed planning, which was still ongoing in 2011. The construction time is estimated at six years, but neither the start of construction nor the financing is certain.

Accessibility

Between 1998 and 2011, the MBTA rebuilt all Blue Line stations except for Government Center and Bowdoin so that they are now barrier-free and can accommodate trains with six cars each. Comprehensive new construction is planned for the Government Center , while the future of Bowdoin Station depends on the planned connection to the Red Line , which is currently being planned.

Rolling material

Above ground, the Blue Line trains use pantographs for energy supply.

600 series car at the Airport Station

700 series car at the Airport station

Like all MBTA railway lines , the Blue Line also runs on standard gauge tracks .

However, the Blue Line trains are unique among the Boston subway systems in that they use both a power rail and pantograph to provide power. The trains switch between the two operating modes at the Airport station , where they switch from a tunnel to an above-ground route. This maneuver was previously carried out underground at Maverick station , but the brief loss of energy and light during the transition is more pleasant for passengers above ground. The overhead line was installed in order to remain operational in winter despite the icing of the conductor rail. In the Blue Line tunnels , however, which are narrower than those of most modern underground railways, only the power rail is used.

Since the Blue Line stations and tunnels were originally designed for trams , the line's cars are narrower and shorter than those of the Orange Line .

The Blue Line fleet consists mainly of 94 wagons of the 700 series made of stainless steel by Siemens AG , each 48  ft (14.6  m ) long and 9.3  ft (2.8  m ) wide and with two double doors on each side. The cars have the same design as those that were also built by Siemens for Tren Urbano in San Juan . These new cars were in the 2000s to a contract value of 174 million US dollars supplied.

20 units of the older 600 series are also still in active service, but are only used as replacement vehicles as of June 2010. This series was built from 1978 to 1980 by Hawker Siddeley (now Bombardier Transportation ) in Thunder Bay , Canada . They are 48.1  ft (14.7  m ) long and 9.3  ft (2.8  m ) wide, have two double doors on each side and are rated for a top speed of 65  mph (104.6  km / h ). They are based on the PA3 model used by the Port Authority Trans-Hudson in New Jersey . Most of the original 70 Hawker cars had to be retired due to massive corrosion , which was mainly caused by the salty air due to the close proximity to the ocean. The cars with the numbers 622 and 623 are now in the Seashore Trolley Museum .

List of stops

Surname	district	Opening date	Passengers 1	Platforms	Connection connection (s)	Coordinates	Remarks
Map with all coordinates of the Blue Line stations: OSM | WikiMap
Wonderland	Revere	January 19, 1954 June 24, 1995 (new building) June 30, 2012 (new building)	5,520	2	MBTA bus	42 ° 24 ′ 49 ″ N, 70 ° 59 ′ 30 ″ W.	final destination
Revere Beach		January 19, 1954 June 24, 1995 (new building)	2,693	2	MBTA bus	42 ° 24 ′ 28 "N, 70 ° 59 ′ 33" W.
Beachmont		January 19, 1954 June 24, 1995 (new building)	1.936	2	MBTA bus	42 ° 23 ′ 51 ″ N, 70 ° 59 ′ 32 ″ W.
Suffolk Downs	East Boston	April 21, 1952 January 3, 1984 (new building) June 24, 1995 (new building)	794	2	no	42 ° 23 '25 "N, 70 ° 59' 49" W.
Orient Heights		1875 January 5, 1952 (new building)	4.121	2	MBTA bus	42 ° 23 ′ 14 "N, 71 ° 0 ′ 15" W.	Currently under construction (2012 to 2014)
Wood Island		5th January 1952	1,450	2	MBTA bus	42 ° 22 '47 "N, 71 ° 1' 23" W.
Airport		January 5, 1952 June 3, 2004 (new building)	6,901	2	MBTA bus, Massport Shuttle	42 ° 22 '28 "N, 71 ° 1' 49" W.	Station of the Urban Ring Project
Maverick		April 18, 1924 August 2009 (new building)	8,134	1	MBTA bus	42 ° 22 ′ 9 ″ N, 71 ° 2 ′ 22 ″ W.
Aquarium	Financial District , Boston	April 5, 1906 1924 (new building) 2004 (new building)	4,444	2	MBTA bus	42 ° 21 ′ 33 "N, 71 ° 3 ′ 11" W.	Bus connection only during rush hour
State	Boston	December 30, 1904 (Blue Line) November 30, 1908 (Orange Line) April 26, 2011 (new construction)	12,553	4th	Orange Line , MBTA bus	42 ° 21 '31 "N, 71 ° 3' 28" W.	The only remaining subway station in the East Boston Tunnel
Government Center	Government Center , Boston	September 3, 1898 (Green Line) March 18, 1916 (Blue Line)	11,317	2	Green Line (All branches)	42 ° 21 '34 "N, 71 ° 3' 34" W.	Terminal of the Blue Line at night, on weekends and public holidays
Bowdoin	Beacon Hill , Boston	March 18, 1916	1,454	1	no	42 ° 21 '41 "N, 71 ° 3' 44" W.	final destination
1 Daily average on weekdays, as of 2009

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c} MBTA Blue Line . In: NYCsubway.org . Retrieved February 21, 2008.
2. ^ As Another Ridership Record is Set, MBTA Adds More Service . In: MBTA . Retrieved September 4, 2008.
3. Jump up ↑ Bradley H. Clarke: The Boston Rapid Transit Album . In: Boston Street Railway Association Bulletin . No. 17, 1981, p. 13.
4. ↑ Kleespies, Gavin W .; MacDonald, Katie: Transportation History . Harvard Square Business Association. Archived from the original on May 4, 2012. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved October 4, 2011. 
5. ↑ ^{a b c} Brian J. Cudahy: Change at Park Street Under; the story of Boston's subways . S. Greene Press, Brattleboro, Vt. 1972, ISBN 978-0828901734 .
6. ↑ Red Line Blue Line Connector (map) (PDF; 1.8 MB) In: Mass.gov . Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved July 28, 2011. 
7. ↑ ^{a b c} Red Line Blue Line Connector . In: Mass.gov . Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Archived from the original on January 5, 2014. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved July 27, 2011. 
8. ↑ ^{a b} Red Line Blue Line Connector Factsheet (PDF; 3.8 MB) In: Mass.gov . Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved July 27, 2011. 
9. ^ Six-car trains to debut today on the Blue Line. In: Boston Globe . September 15, 2008, accessed February 13, 2012 . 
10. ^ Six-Car Trains on the Blue Line. In: MBTA. September 15, 2008, accessed February 13, 2012 . 
11. ↑ Chapter 5C System Expansion ( PDF ) In: MBTA Program for Mass Transportation . Archived from the original on February 6, 2012. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved October 14, 2007. 
12. ^ ^{A b} John Laidler: Plan for stretching Blue Line to Lynn gets state boost . In: The Boston Globe , December 13, 2007. 
13. ^ Thor Jourgensen: Blue Line Rolling into Lynn. In: Lynn Office of Economic and Community Development. March 10, 2005, archived from the original on October 25, 2005 ; Retrieved February 13, 2012 . 
14. ↑ CHAPTER 86. AN ACT FINANCING IMPROVEMENTS TO THE COMMONWEALTH'S TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM. In: 187th General Court of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 2008, accessed February 13, 2012 . 
15. ↑ Steven Rosenberg: Blue Line blues. Rapid transit extension to Lynn still on table, but funds are lacking. In: Boston Globe . April 6, 2008, accessed February 13, 2012 . 
16. ^ State agrees to design link between red and blue lines . In: The Boston Globe , November 30, 2006. Retrieved October 14, 2007. 
17. ↑ MBTA Blue Line . In: NYC Subway . Retrieved October 14, 2007.
18. ^ Bradley H. Clarke: The Boston rapid transit album . Boston Street Railway Association, Cambridge 1981, OCLC 8322652 .
19. ↑ We've Saved a Set of “Bluebells” By Acting Quickly. Now We Need Your Help to Pay For the Move. ( PDF ; 290 kB) (No longer available online.) In: Seashore Trolley Museum - The National Streetcar Museum in Lowell. New England Electric Railway Historical Society, archived from the original on March 19, 2012 ; accessed on February 14, 2012 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
20. ^ Ridership and Service Statistics. ( PDF ; 6.2 MB) Thirteenth Edition 2010. Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority , 2010, accessed January 8, 2013 . 

Web links

Commons : MBTA Blue Line  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Official MBTA website for the Blue Line
• The Blue Line at world.nycsubway.org