MBTA buses in East Boston, Chelsea, and Revere

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) operates local buses in East Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, connecting to the Blue Line at Maverick or Wood Island. Additionally, the Silver Line airport shuttle (Sunday only) and MBTABus|171 (early morning only) serve Logan Airport, and the 424, 434, 441, 442, 448, 449, 450, 455 and 459 express buses pass through on Route 1A on their way between North Shore points and downtown.

Some of these routes run through Chelsea. The 111 also serves Chelsea without entering East Boston. The 426 and 428 express buses pass through Chelsea on the Northeast Expressway.

The 119 runs in neither city, only running in Revere, but is considered part of the same group.

The routes numbered from 111 to 119 were once run by the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway as streetcar lines of their Chelsea Division. That division was taken over by the Boston Elevated Railway (BERy, the MBTA's predecessor) on June 10, 1936. This was soon after the old Mystic River Bridge (since replaced by the Tobin Bridge) was closed to streetcars, with those lines last running January 12, 1935 (into the subway at the Canal Street Portal and to the Brattle Loop). The next day, the lines were cut back to Chelsea Square and a bus route was instituted over the Mystic River Bridge between Chelsea Square and City Square, where transfer could be made to the Charlestown Elevated.

The Logan Shuttle services, run by Massport, connect the Logan Airport terminals to each other, Airport and various other points. Until June 1976, the MBTA operated a single shuttle as the MBTABus|98 bus.

111

The 111 Woodlawn or Broadway & Park Ave. - Haymarket Station via Mystic River/Tobin Bridge provides a route between downtown Boston and parts of Chelsea. It begins at Haymarket, running along Washington Street North and over the Charlestown Bridge to City Square. It takes the ramps onto the Tobin Bridge into Chelsea, exiting and running through downtown Chelsea before heading north to end at Woodlawn, just over the Everett border. Some trips continue east on Park Avenue to end at Broadway in Revere.

When the BERy bought the route in 1936, it ran as streetcars between Chelsea Square and Woodlawn. On October 10, 1936, the line was replaced by an extension of the City Square - Chelsea Square bus. The line was extended in April 1975 to Haymarket, with the closure of the Charlestown Elevated; the partial extension beyond Woodlawn was done in January 2001.

112

The 112 Wellington Sta. - Wood Island Sta. via Central Ave., Mystic Mall & Admiral's Hill runs from Wood Island north over the Chelsea Street Bridge into Chelsea and west through downtown Chelsea (serving the Chelsea Commuter Rail station), and via Everett Square in Everett to end at Wellington. Large diversions are made to serve Quigley Hospital and Admiral's Hill in Chelsea; some trips bypass the Mystic Mall in the morning before it opens.

The 112 streetcar line was replaced by trackless trolleys soon after being taken over by the BERy. At the time, the route went between Malden Square and Chelsea Square via Everett Square, running north from Everett Square on Broadway and northwest on Ferry Street to Malden Square. The MBTABus|113 supplemented the route, bypassing Everett Square via Ferry Street.

The 113 last ran December 8, 1960, and buses replaced trackless trolleys June 24, 1961 on the 112. This allowed the route to be extended October 1961 from Chelsea Square to City Square, Charlestown via the Tobin Bridge. The Charlestown Elevated (serving City Square) closed April 1975, and the 112 was rerouted to Maverick on the Blue Line via the Meridian Street Bridge. In June 1976 the 112 was truncated at its north end to Everett Square.

After a period of closure, the Chelsea Street Bridge reopened, and in December 1977 the 112 was rerouted to use it and end at Wood Island. A June 1985 extension took it west to Wellington. Also, between December 1982 and June 1998 the route was moved back to Maverick due to another bridge closure. Again in 1998 the route was moved again to Wood Island to alleviate traffic on Meridian Street.

113 (defunct)

The first 113 ran between Malden Square and Chelsea Square, and last ran December 8, 1960 (see above).

The previously-unnumbered summer-only route between Wonderland and Malden Square via Ferry Street was numbered 113 by 1962; it had run with trackless trolleys in 1954, 1955 and 1956. Service did not operate in 1981, but it was brought back in 1982 and last ran in 1987.

In 2006 it was announced that this route would return as a new route between Bellingham Square in Chelsea and Kendall Square in Cambridge. The route would service Community College, Lechmere, and Kendall Square however no date has been set for the start of the new route.

114

The 114 Bellingham Square - Maverick Station provides extra morning rush hour and midday service between Chelsea and Maverick to supplement the MBTABus|116 and MBTABus|117, which continue north from Bellingham Square (Chelsea) to Wonderland. Middays the 114 continues north to Mystic Mall.

The 114 was a BERy service; in its final days as a streetcar line it only ran from Maverick to the south end of the Meridian Street Bridge due to its closure. Streetcars last ran on January 4, 1952, replaced by trackless trolleys, which last ran March 30, 1961. The bridge reopened in 1954 and the line was extended not only to Chelsea but north to Woodlawn in Everett. When buses replaced trackless trolleys, the 114 was cut back to Bellingham Square, where it has run since.

In September 1975, the MBTABus|116 and MBTABus|117 were rerouted to use the Meridian Street Bridge to Maverick, and the redundant 114 was removed. In September 1999 it was brought back as a supplement to the 116/117.

115 (defunct)

116

117

118 (defunct)

119

120

Maverick - Wood Island -Orient Heights

121

122 (defunct)

External links

* [http://www.mbta.com/traveling_t/schedules_buses_findbus.asp?routenumber=111&imageField2.x=50&imageField2.y=2 MBTA - 111 Woodlawn or Broadway & Park Ave. - Haymarket Station via Mystic River/Tobin Bridge]
* [http://www.mbta.com/traveling_t/schedules_buses_findbus.asp?routenumber=112&imageField2.x=99&imageField2.y=9 MBTA - 112 Wellington Sta. - Wood Island Sta. via Central Ave., Mystic Mall & Admiral's Hill]
* [http://www.mbta.com/traveling_t/schedules_buses_findbus.asp?routenumber=114%2F116%2F117&imageField2.x=78&imageField2.y=4 MBTA - 114/116/117 Wonderland Station - Maverick Station via Revere Street or Beach St.]
* [http://www.mbta.com/traveling_t/schedules_buses_findbus.asp?routenumber=119&imageField2.x=54&imageField2.y=5 MBTA - 119 Northgate - Beachmont Station via Revere Center & Cooledge Housing]
* [http://www.mbta.com/traveling_t/schedules_buses_findbus.asp?routenumber=120&imageField2.x=73&imageField2.y=6 MBTA - 120 Orient Heights Station - Maverick Station via Bennington St., Jeffries Point & Waldemar Loop]
* [http://www.mbta.com/traveling_t/schedules_buses_findbus.asp?routenumber=121&imageField2.x=55&imageField2.y=5 MBTA - 121 Wood Island Station - Maverick Station via Lexington Street]

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