Pleasant Street incline
| Company type | Transit infrastructure |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Founded | 1897 |
| Defunct | 1962 |
| Headquarters | Boston, Massachusetts , United States |
| Products | Streetcar and elevated train tunnel portal |
The Pleasant Street incline, also known as the Pleasant Street portal, served as the southern entrance to the Tremont Street subway in Boston, Massachusetts. After its closure, it became part of the Green Line system. From 1897 until 1901, the portal and its connecting tunnel to Boylston accommodated streetcar traffic. Between 1901 and 1908, it was used by Main Line Elevated trains before reverting to streetcars until 1962. Although currently abandoned, there have been occasional proposals to find new uses for the incline.
Initial Operations
The incline opened on October 1, 1897, shortly after the Tremont Street subway began service. It provided streetcar routes from neighborhoods such as Roxbury, Dorchester, and other southern suburbs with direct subway access to downtown Boston. The tunnel stretched southward from Boylston station beneath Tremont Street, terminating at a four-track portal situated within a triangular area bordered by Tremont Street, Pleasant Street (later renamed Broadway), and Shawmut Avenue. Inside the tunnel were two tracks that divided into four at a flying junction near the portal—the northbound (western) track crossed over the southbound (eastern) track. The western tracks proceeded down Tremont Street, while the eastern tracks veered east along Pleasant Street/Broadway toward City Point in South Boston.
Streetcar operations through the portal ended on June 10, 1901, when the Washington Street Elevated—which later became part of the Orange Line—connected to the two outermost tracks. Elevated trains exited through the portal, stopped at a newly constructed open-cut Pleasant Street station featuring a center island platform, passed beneath Pleasant Street, and then ascended onto elevated tracks. Numerous surface streetcar routes were shortened to , serving as the new elevated line terminus, a situation that lasted until late November 1909.
Following the inauguration of the Washington Street Tunnel on November 30, 1908, elevated trains were redirected through this new tunnel. Consequently, streetcars resumed their original routes via the Pleasant Street incline, leading to the closure of Pleasant Street station.
Period of Decline
The City Point streetcar line was discontinued on March 2, 1953, replaced by the 9 bus route. Tracks formerly connected to Tremont Street’s western portal tracks were realigned to link with the eastern tracks to facilitate a bus transfer facility on what had been the western track area. The Tremont Street streetcar service was replaced by bus route 43 on November 20, 1961. A brief streetcar shuttle operated between Boylston and the portal until its closure on April 6, 1962.
Today, Elliot Norton Park occupies the site of the Pleasant Street portal at the intersection of Tremont Street, Shawmut Avenue, and Oak Street West.
Proposals for Reuse
There was consideration given to utilizing part of this tunnel for Silver Line Phase III, but this plan was abandoned because the narrow tunnel could not accommodate Silver Line buses, which differ from trolleys in that they do not run on fixed guideways. Subsequently, plans shifted westward before being ultimately canceled due to concerns about financial viability.
The 2003 Program for Mass Transportation explored converting the Washington Street segment of the Silver Line—from Dudley Square—to light rail service using this disused southern subway section to connect with the central subway at Boylston. However, recommendations favored maintaining bus service and proceeding with Phase III tunnel construction instead. In 2012, the Roxbury-Dorchester-Mattapan Transit Needs Study supported light rail conversion and tunnel reuse as a long-term objective, potentially extending along Blue Hill Avenue toward Mattapan via route #.
References
- rtspcc, Inquiries Regarding the Origins of Boston's Subways and Elevated Lines, ne.transportation May 2–3, 2005
- NETransit: A Century of the Tremont Street Subway