Atlantic Avenue Elevated
| Company type | Elevated railway line |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Founded | 1901 |
| Defunct | 1938 |
| Headquarters | Boston , United States |
Area served | Downtown Boston, Massachusetts |
| Products | Passenger rail service |
The Atlantic Avenue Elevated was an elevated railway that encircled the eastern perimeter of Downtown Boston, Massachusetts, functioning as an auxiliary route to the Boston Elevated Railway's Main Line Elevated (currently the MBTA's Orange Line) by circumventing the Washington Street tunnel. It operated from 1901 until 1938, when it was closed due to declining passenger numbers and subsequently dismantled.
History
The Atlantic Avenue El was envisioned in 1896 by the Boston Transit Commission as a component of a comprehensive mass transit strategy. It served to complement the already successful Tremont Street subway (now known as the Green Line) by offering two elevated routes: one via the Washington Street tunnel beneath Washington Street, and another entirely elevated along Atlantic Avenue. At that period, Atlantic Avenue was a center for Boston’s fishing industry, maritime commerce, and ferry operations. Both routes accommodated trains from the Main Line El.
Shortly after the Main Line began operation in August 1901, the Atlantic Avenue El commenced service, linking at Tower D—a three-way junction where the original Washington Street Elevated veered westward—then proceeding eastward between Motte Street and the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad tracks near South Station. The line continued north along Harrison Avenue to Beach Street station, then further north on Atlantic Avenue with stops including South Station (providing transfers to intercity rail services and, from 1916 onward, to the Cambridge–Dorchester tunnel now served by the Red Line), Rowes Wharf (offering connections to East Boston ferries), State Street (linked to the East Boston tunnel, presently the Blue Line, from 1904), and Battery Street station serving Boston's North End neighborhood.
At Keany Square, it intersected with the Charlestown Elevated, another segment of the Main Line, at Tower C—a full three-way junction connecting to Causeway Street subway and crossing over the Charlestown Bridge. The elevated line ran above the Union Freight Railroad, which transported freight between North and South Station terminals.
With the inauguration of the Washington Street tunnel in 1908, Main Line trains were rerouted through this new passageway, returning the Tremont Street subway exclusively to streetcar operations. Consequently, Tower D was reconfigured so that Main Line trains accessed the tunnel via an incline at Oak Street heading north along Washington Street.
Decline
Initially, service included through trains operating on the Main Line alongside additional Washington Street Elevated trains looping one way through the tunnel and returning via the El. On January 4, 1919, BERy increased train frequency in the tunnel from three-minute intervals to two-minute intervals. Service on Atlantic Avenue was curtailed to a shuttle running between North Station and South Station, resulting in Beach Street station’s closure. The 1919 Boston Molasses Disaster caused damage to the elevated structure north of Battery Street; shuttle service recommenced on March 29 of that year, with a brief addition of Sullivan–Dudley service.
Starting December 6, 1919, BERy introduced Dudley–South Station trains that ran through the Washington Street Tunnel to North Station before continuing over Atlantic Avenue Elevated to South Station. Additional North Station–South Station shuttle runs were added in January 1920. From 1920 through at least 1922, summer schedules included Sullivan–Dudley service catering to ferry passengers. From September 1922 onward, regular operations ran Dudley–North Station. On July 22, 1928, a northbound train derailed after exceeding safe speed limits and crashed into the disused Beach Street station; this accident resulted in two fatalities—the first deaths recorded on the Main Line Elevated. Normal service resumed two days later.
Throughout the twentieth century, Boston’s waterfront experienced a decline in significance. The opening of the East Boston tunnel in 1904 and later the Sumner Tunnel in 1934 caused ferry ridership to drop sharply while many maritime businesses relocated away from Atlantic Avenue. A state report from 1926 suggested converting the Atlantic Avenue Elevated into an elevated highway. Service ceased on September 30, 1938; after standing unused for several years, the structure was dismantled in 1942 to provide scrap metal during World War II. In subsequent decades, the Central Artery highway was constructed along Atlantic Avenue during the 1950s but was ultimately demolished in 2003 as part of the Big Dig project.