Boston’s street-level, light-rail, “Green Line” has B, C, D, and E Branches. Reader Kevin McCullough* asks: “Why is there no ‘A’ Branch,”
There was, originally. It ran to Watertown and incorporated some of the oldest street-transit lines in Boston, dating back to pre-electric, horse-drawn streetcars.
Today’s B Branch split off from it:
But the tracks were set right into the street surface; there was no island or curb or buffer to separate the tracks from traffic in any way.
This made trolly service slow, unpredictable, and dangerous for everyone — for passengers getting on or off in traffic; for pedestrians slipping on wet or frosty rails; for motorcyclists and bicyclists getting wheels caught in the track recesses or losing traction on the steel; for cars and trucks sharing space with trolleys and vice versa….
Rebuilding the line to modern standards was deemed too expensive and difficult, so the line was shut down in the late 1960’s; the tracks were removed and paved over.
The former A Line route is now mostly served by buses.
More:
Green Line “A” Branch – Wikipedia
TBT: When the T Was Color-Coded
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