MBTA buses in South Boston

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority operates a number of buses in South Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, most of them connecting to the Red Line at Andrew, Broadway or South Station. Additionally, since December 2004, The Silver Line bus rapid transit system has served South Boston.

All of these routes terminate at City Point at East First Street and O Street, which is also the end of the Silver Line SL3. They approach it via East First and a one-way pair on P Street (south/west bound) and Farragut Road (north/east bound). All buses but the 11 turn west onto East Fourth Street (westbound) and East Broadway (eastbound), with westbound buses running north a block on L Street to rejoin eastbound buses at L Street and East Broadway.

Until Spring 1982, buses used East Fourth and P in both directions to the old North Point Carhouse at East Second Street. This was inherited from the path of the old streetcar tracks.

The waterfront area is also served by the MBTABus|4 North Station - World Trade Center via Federal Courthouse & South Station, as well as the MBTABus|448, MBTABus|449 and MBTABus|459 express buses to the Lynn area, and the very-limited service early morning MBTABus|171 between Dudley and Logan Airport (which may not stop in South Boston).

5

The 5 City Point - McCormack Housing via Andrew Station leaves the City Point area via East Broadway and Dorchester Street to Andrew. After passing through the Andrew busway, 5 buses run east on Preble Street and south on Old Colony Avenue, ending at McCormack Housing.

The number 5 was assigned to the Fish Pier (Northern Ave.)-South Station via Summer St. route until June 1968, when it was combined into the MBTABus|6 and MBTABus|7 due to the closure of the Summer Street overpass. The current route was started in 1977, after a 1975 experimental route between Broadway and Copley (replaced by an extension of the MBTABus|9). The current 5 was originally known as 10A, being the same as MBTABus|10 east of Andrew.

7

The 7 City Point - Otis & Summer Streets via Summer Street & South Station leaves the City Point area by heading north on L Street, which becomes Summer Street to South Station. Past South Station, it turns around in a loop via Otis Street, Franklin Street, Federal Street and High Street. Some trips use East First Street and Pappas Way instead of Summer Street over the Reserved Channel to serve the Harbor Industrial Park.

Streetcars last ran on the 7 on June 19, 1953, between City Point and South Station. Very few changes have been made to the route since then, most related to closures in Summer Street.

9

The 9 City Point - Copley Square via Broadway Station runs west from City Point on East Broadway and West Broadway to Broadway station, where it splits into a one-way pair - westbound/northbound via West Fourth Street and Berkeley Street, and eastbound/southbound via the New Broadway Bridge, Albany Street, Herald Street and Arlington Street. The route then turns west to serve Copley Square and Copley station, running westbound on St. James Avenue and Huntington Avenue and eastbound on Boylston Street to a turnaround in the Prudential Center.

The 9 was originally a streetcar line, running into the Tremont Street Subway via the Pleasant Street Incline. It came out of the incline onto Pleasant Street (now Broadway) and continued via Broadway to City Point, using the surface station at Broadway station.

The Broadway Bridge was closed July 11, 1952, and the line was cut back to Broadway station - City Point. The bridge reopened and service resumed on a single track August 9, but service was ended March 1, 1953, and replaced by buses. Shuttles continued to run in the subway from the Pleasant Street Incline until December 4, 1953; the MBTABus|43 (itself later a shuttle) continued to the portal until April 5, 1962.

The 9 was extended to Copley in September 1975, replacing experimental route MBTABus|5; since then changes have been made in routing (specifically due to Broadway being closed).

10

The 10 City Point - Copley Square via Andrew Station & B.U. Medical Area leaves City Point via East Broadway and Dorchester Street to Andrew. After passing through the Andrew busway, the 10 continues west on Southampton Street, making a diversion via Newmarket Square (some buses via South Bay Center) to Massachusetts Avenue and then running to the Boston Medical Center and B.U. Medical Center. It continues north mainly via Dedham Street and Dartmouth Street to loop at Copley.

Streetcars last ran on the 10 City Point-Dudley via Andrew on December 4, 1953. This route went west from Andrew on Southampton Street and Northampton Street, turning south on Washington Street to Dudley. The 10 was merged with the MBTABus|68 Boston City Hospital-Copley in May 1987, with the opening of the new Orange Line. Only minor changes have been made since then.

11

The 11 City Point - Downtown Bayview Route runs south from City Point on P Street southbound and Farragut Road northbound, turning west on William J. Day Boulevard and Eighth Street. It goes east on Dorchester Street and west on West Seventh Street (with westbound buses using West Sixth Street to D Street, and then heads north to Broadway station. From there it runs to South Station and downtown, inbound service operating west then north via Chinatown, and outbound service returning east then south via the South Boston waterfront.

Streetcars last served the 11 on January 18, 1929, running between City Point and Broadway station. [http://groups-beta.google.com/group/ne.transportation/browse_frm/thread/6f18544af28bb4c4/2bdcda5d1782d1b9] As a streetcar line, the 11 originally left City Point on P Street, turning west on East Sixth Street, south on K Street and west on Eighth Street, from which it continued across Dorchester Street to turn north on E Street, west on Sixth Street, north on C Street and west on Fourth Street to Dorchester Avenue (with possibly a different route in the other direction). When the Broadway underground streetcar level opened in 1917, streetcars were rerouted into there. Andrew opened in 1918, truncating most lines that had run to Broadway, and only the 11 was left, resulting in the closure of the level in 1919 after only two years of use. From then on, 11 cars terminated on the surface, and by 1925 the separate tracks beyond Dorchester Street were gone due to clearance issues with new cars, with the 11 rerouted to turn east on Dorchester Street and west on Broadway. [http://groups-beta.google.com/group/ne.transportation/browse_frm/thread/4fd85c1cf852ba2a/20b049b8389ff62e]

Various changes have been made since then, mostly relating to the extension downtown, which was made before 1964.

External links

* [http://www.mbta.com/traveling_t/schedules_buses_findbus.asp?routenumber=5&imageField2.x=47&imageField2.y=2 MBTA - Route 5 City Point - McCormack Housing via Andrew Station]
* [http://www.mbta.com/traveling_t/schedules_buses_findbus.asp?routenumber=7&imageField2.x=73&imageField2.y=4 MBTA - Route 7 City Point - Otis & Summer Streets via Summer Street & South Station]
* [http://www.mbta.com/traveling_t/schedules_buses_findbus.asp?routenumber=9&imageField2.x=45&imageField2.y=8 MBTA - Route 9 City Point - Copley Square via Broadway Station]
* [http://www.mbta.com/traveling_t/schedules_buses_findbus.asp?routenumber=10&imageField2.x=38&imageField2.y=11 MBTA - Route 10 City Point - Copley Square via Andrew Station & B.U. Medical Area]
* [http://www.mbta.com/traveling_t/schedules_buses_findbus.asp?routenumber=11&imageField2.x=81&imageField2.y=4 MBTA - Route 11 City Point - Downtown Bayview Route]

References

* [http://members.aol.com/eddanamta/busfiles/contents.pdf Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district] (PDF)
*Ron Newman, [http://groups-beta.google.com/group/misc.transport.urban-transit/msg/85c7e0d89f6d90e5 MBTA Green Line - how many branches did it once have?] , misc.transport.urban-transit January 28, 1997