Causeway Street elevated
| Company type | Elevated light rail line |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Founded | 1912 |
| Defunct | 2004 |
| Fate | Replaced by tunnel and underground station |
| Headquarters | Boston , United States |
Area served | Boston, Massachusetts |
| Products | Light rail transit service (MBTA Green Line) |
The Causeway Street elevated was an elevated portion of Boston's MBTA Green Line light rail system, situated near North Station. It operated from 1912 until 2004, after which it was supplanted by a newly constructed tunnel and an underground station aligned differently.
Description
Beginning at the Canal Street incline adjacent to the Charlestown Elevated tracks, the Causeway Street elevated branched off just south of Boston Garden, extending southwest above Causeway Street and including an elevated stop at North Station. The line then veered northwest over Lowell Street before linking with the Lechmere Viaduct at Leverett Circle. This two-track steel girder structure shared design characteristics with earlier Boston elevated lines such as the Charlestown Elevated, Atlantic Avenue Elevated, and Washington Street Elevated, all erected between 1901 and 1909.
As one of the last remaining elevated rail segments in Boston, the Causeway Street elevated was the final fully functioning section until its shutdown, except for a brief stretch near Lechmere.
Opening
Following the 1898 inauguration of the Tremont Street subway, surface streetcars from East Cambridge crossed Craigie's Bridge and continued along surface roads to reach the Canal Street incline, resulting in slow transit times and traffic congestion. Construction commenced on June 20, 1907, for a one-mile elevated track connecting the Canal Street incline to East Cambridge. The project’s highlight was the arched Lechmere Viaduct spanning the Charles River; other components included short elevated sections in East Cambridge and above Causeway Street linking to the Canal Street incline. This new route opened on June 1, 1912, cutting travel time between Lechmere Square and the subway from ten minutes down to three.
A single station was erected on Causeway Street opposite the Boston and Maine Railroad's terminal, known as North Union Station, facilitating transfers to it as well as to the Main Line Elevated station (which opened in 1901) and the Causeway Street streetcar terminal (opened in 1898). An additional platform accommodated Main Line shuttle trains running between North Union Station and South Station via the Atlantic Avenue Elevated. When North Union Station was replaced by North Station in 1928—constructed atop the new Boston Garden arena—minor modifications were made to the station.
Following the closure of the Atlantic Avenue Elevated in 1938 and its dismantling for scrap metal in 1942, its tracks were removed from this elevated station, though a disused stub trackbed remained part of the facility until it ceased operations.
Closure
In 1995, with Boston Garden replaced by the FleetCenter (later renamed TD Garden) situated further back from Causeway Street, the Elevated line was temporarily extended approximately eastward. The Causeway Street surface terminal closed on March 28, 1997, due to Big Dig construction necessitating maintenance buildings along its previous route. To address increased air pollution concerns linked to the Big Dig, the Causeway Street elevated was substituted by a tunnel beneath North Station, which also freed up land and diminished noise caused by trains navigating sharp curves on the elevated structure.
The newly built tunnel under North Station incorporates four tracks: outer tracks accommodate through trains while inner tracks serve for temporary storage of Green Line vehicles and reversing trains terminating at North Station. Additionally, a siding located south of North Station is used for storing construction machinery.
The permanent shutdown of the Causeway Street elevated occurred on June 25, 2004. After interim bus service north of Government Center, Green Line service commenced at the underground North Station "superstation" on June 28. During the 2004 Democratic National Convention, security personnel utilized the out-of-service Elevated as a staging area. Following about a year of bus replacement while connecting infrastructure to the Lechmere Viaduct was finalized, regular service to Lechmere resumed on November 12, 2005. The total cost of replacing the Causeway Street elevated amounted to $310 million (in 2005 dollars).