MBTA subway

MBTA subway
Red Line train entering Alewife station in April 2024
Red Line train entering Alewife station in April 2024
Overview
LocaleGreater Boston, Massachusetts
Number of lines3 heavy rail (Red, Orange, Blue)
2 light rail (Green, Ashmont–Mattapan)
1 bus rapid transit (Silver)
Number of stations153 (list of stations)
Annual ridership85,397,200 (heavy rail, 2023)
34,581,000 (light rail, 2023)[1]
Websitembta.com
Operation
Began operationSeptember 1, 1897 (Tremont Street subway)
Operator(s)Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA)
Train length6 cars (rapid transit)
1-3 cars (light rail)
Technical
System length68.7 mi (110.6 km) – rail

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) operates rapid transit (heavy rail), light rail, and bus rapid transit services in the Boston metropolitan area, collectively referred to as the rapid transit, subway, the T system, or simply the T.[2]

The color-branded lines consist of three heavy rail lines (Red, Orange, and Blue), one branched light rail system (Green), and a short light rail line (the Ashmont–Mattapan High-Speed Line, colored as part of the Red Line). All except the Ashmont–Mattapan line operate in tunnels in the downtown area, but no route operates entirely underground, and only 31 out of the system's 153 stations are located underground. The five branches of the Silver Line bus network are also shown as part of the rapid transit system. Three branches operate underground and charge rapid transit fares; two branches operate entirely on the surface and charge lower bus fares.

In 2023, the heavy rail lines had 85,397,200 rides,[1] or about 265,900 per weekday[3] in the second quarter of 2024, and comprised the fourth-busiest heavy rail system in the United States. In the same period, the light rail lines had 34,581,000 rides, or about 95,900 per weekday, and comprised the third-busiest light rail system in the United States.

The section of the Tremont Street subway between Park Street and Boylston Street stations, now on the Green Line, opened in 1897, making it the oldest transit subway in North America still in use (only the short-lived Beach Pneumatic Transit demonstration line in New York City was built before).

  1. ^ a b "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2023" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. March 4, 2024. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
  2. ^ "Ridership and Service Statistics" (PDF) (14th ed.). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 2014.
  3. ^ "Transit Ridership Report Second Quarter 2024" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. September 3, 2024. Retrieved September 5, 2024.