Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Predecessor | Bay State Street Railway |
| Founded | 1919 |
| Fate | Purchased by Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) |
| Successor | Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) |
| Headquarters | Boston , United States |
Area served | Northern and southern suburbs surrounding Boston, Massachusetts |
| Products | Streetcar and bus services |
The Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway (commonly known as Eastern Mass) operated as a streetcar and later bus service provider, connecting the northern and southern suburbs surrounding Boston, Massachusetts. In 1919, it incorporated its predecessor, the Bay State Street Railway. The company was ultimately purchased by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) in 1968, which still manages some of its original routes.
History
Initially, the Lynn and Boston Street Railway accessed downtown Boston by crossing the Chelsea Bridge and Warren Bridge, utilizing tracks owned by the Boston Elevated Railway (BERy) and its antecedents. Following the 1898 opening of the northern segment of the Tremont Street Subway, Lynn and Boston streetcars were redirected through the subway via the Canal Street Incline, completing a loop at Scollay Square station. This operational pattern persisted for 37 years under various entities: Boston and Northern Street Railway, Bay State Street Railway, and eventually Eastern Mass.
The year-long closure of the Chelsea Bridge in 1935 for refurbishment terminated streetcar access to the subway. On January 14, 1935, Eastern Mass discontinued all routes terminating at Chelsea Square due to the bridge shutdown. Subsequently, bus service was initiated between Chelsea Square and Haymarket Square, traveling over the Meridian Street Bridge and through the newly inaugurated Sumner Tunnel. This operation began under a permit granted merely two days before. Although the bridge reopened on December 23, 1935, it no longer featured streetcar tracks; Eastern Mass maintained bus services thereafter.
On August 10, 1935, Eastern Mass introduced a bus route linking Middleton, Salem, Lynn, and Boston via highways passing through Revere to access the Sumner Tunnel. This new route supplanted earlier streetcar lines. By October of that year, bus service replaced through operations north of Lynn extending to Chelsea after Revere granted necessary permits. Local streetcar operations persisted within Chelsea Division routes covering Chelsea and Revere, alongside local Chelsea–Lynn services.
Between March 1936 and November 1937, additional Lynn and Salem routes transitioned to bus operations. These included Lynn–Salem via Loring Avenue, Lynn–North Saugus, Salem–Marblehead, multiple Lynn local lines, Lynn–Swampscott, and Lynn–Saugus Center.
In September 1935, shareholders of Eastern Mass approved selling the Chelsea Division to BERy for $1.5 million; this transaction was finalized on June 10, 1936. Two routes serving Chelsea to Revere Beach were extended to , leading to cessation of Chelsea–Boston bus service. Chelsea–Lynn service was briefly operated jointly before being replaced with transfers between Boston–Lynn buses and BERy streetcars along Revere Street. Several lines were converted to trolleybus by BERy in 1937; three routes remained as streetcars until the opening of the Revere Extension in 1952. On April 5, 1937, Eastern Mass inaugurated a new bus terminal located at Haymarket Square.
Major cities served
Following its succession of the Bay State Street Railway, Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway offered direct or connecting interurban transit from Boston to prominent cities such as:
- Revere
- Lynn
- Salem
- Reading
- Lowell
- Lawrence
- Haverhill
- Brockton
- Taunton
- Fall River
- Nashua, New Hampshire (service discontinued in 1919)
- Newport, Rhode Island (service discontinued in 1919)
BERy connection points
The Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway established several junctions with the Boston Elevated Railway (BERy) network, enabling through running on BERy lines in certain locations:
- Neponset
- Milton Lower Mills
- Mattapan
- Forest Hills – Around 1930, the Hyde Park division was leased to BERy, merging routes but changing some connection sites
- Arlington Heights
- West Medford
- Middlesex Fells
- Malden Center
- Charlestown
- Chelsea – In 1936, the Chelsea division was sold to BERy, consolidating routes while altering connection points
- Suffolk Downs
- Fields Corner
Preserved cars
Car number 4387 from the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway, constructed in 1918 by the Laconia Car Company, is preserved and remains in working condition at the Seashore Trolley Museum located in Kennebunkport, Maine.