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The Boston Subway network (the 'T') consists of three colour-coded full metro lines (red, orange and blue) plus a light rail line (green line), similar to San Francisco's Muni Metro, with four branches which runs underground in Central Boston (actually America's oldest subway opened in 1897) and on street level with level crossings along its surface sections. All three full metro lines are partly underground in the city centre but elevated or at grade in outer areas using former railway alignments. Like the Green Line, also the Red Line crosses the Charles River on a bridge (Longfellow Bridge) towards Cambridge (Harvard University) whereas the Blue line runs under the Boston Harbour to the Airport station (shuttle bus to the terminals) and further east to Wonderland. From the Red Line's southern terminus at Ashmont, a tram line continues to Mattapan. The subway is operated by MBTA (Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority) and has a total length of 101.5 km:

Orange Line - 18 km (3 km underground, 7.5 elevated) - 19 stations - 33 minutes

Blue Line - 9.5 km (3.4 km underground) - 12 stations - 23 minutes

Photos © Bob Barrows

Red Line - 33 km (14 km underground) - 22 stations - 37 minutes to Ashmont and 46 min to Braintree.
- Light rail service from Ashmont to Mattapan (4.7 km, 8 stops)

Photos © Charles Sarjeant (1,2), Robert Schwandl (3)

Green Line - 41 km (8 km underground, 2.1 km elevated) - 70 stations/stops:
B Branch, from Boston College to Kenmore: 6.7 km
C Branch, from Cleveland Circle to Kenmore: 4.6 km
D Branch, from Riverside to Kenmore: 15.6 km
E Branch, from Heath Street to Copley: 4 km
Distance from Kenmore to Lechmere: 6.2 km; from Copley to Lechmere: 4.6km

Photos © Charles Sarjeant

In spring 2000, the construction of the MBTA Silver Line began, this is an innovative rubber-tired rapid transit service which will ultimately link the Washington Street Corridor and the South Boston Piers Transitway together providing a direct link to Logan Airport. This new system consists of a reserved bus lane plus a 1-mile tunnel between South Station and the piers with 3 underground stops.

Completed in June 2004, at North Station the Green Line and the Orange Line were relocated into a joint station allowing cross-platform transfer on inbound trains and easier access to commuter trains.

1 Sept 1897 - underground tram tunnel along Tremont street now still used by the Green Line (Park St and Boylston stations)

10 June 1901 - elevated Orange Line sharing Tremont street tunnel (outer tracks)(Sullivan Sq - Dudley St)
30 Dec 1904 - Blue Line - tram tunnel downtown - Maverick under Boston Harbour
1 Sept 1908 - Washington street tunnel for Orange Line (parallel to Tremont street)

23 March 1912 - Red Line (Cambridge - Dorchester Line): Harvard - Park Street
4 April 1915 - Red Line to Washington (now Downtown Crossing)
3 Dec 1916 - Red Line to South Station
15 Dec 1917 - Red Line to Broadway
29 June 1918 - Red Line to Andrew

21 April 1924 - Blue Line (East Boston Line) changed to subway operation
2 Nov 1927 - Red Line: Andrew - Fields Corner
1 Sept 1928 - Red Line: Fields Corner - Ashmont (Dorchester branch finished)

4 Feb 1932 - Red Line: Charles station finished

5 Jan 1952 - Blue Line to Orient Heights, 21 April to Suffolk Downs
19 June 1954 - Blue Line reaches Wonderland
4 July 1959 - Green Line changed from streetcar (tram) to light rail

1 Sept 1971 - Red Line Andrew - Quincy Center
1975 - Orange Line northern elevated structure demolished and put underground to Community College and at grade to Wellington
19 March 1979 - Orange Line to Oak Grove

22 March 1980 - Red Line Quincy Center - Braintree
10 Sept 1983 - Red Line Quincy Adams station opened
1983 - 1987 - Orange Line relocation of southern section between Chinatown and Forest Hills and demolition of original elevated structure
1985 - Red Line: northern extension to Alewife with new station at Harvard (1983)
1985 - Light rail operation with ex-Green Line PCC cars on Ashmont - Mattapan Line (built in 1929)

June 2004 - Green Line relocated into new underground station at North Station

 Projects

Currently platforms are lengthened on the Blue Line, which could later be extended north from Wonderland to Lynn along a disused rail alignment, and from Bowdoin to Charles station to create a connection to the Red Line.

Also, serious thought is being given to expanding the Green Line from Lechmere, its current northern terminus, to West Medford via Somerville and Tufts University, along a suburban rail right-of-way.

- Operation

5:00 - 0:45 - every 3-4 minutes rush hours, every 5-10 minutes daytime

- Fares (2009)

Basic fare for a single journey is $1.70 if paid with CharlieCard (incl. free transfer to buses), else $2.00

1-Day-LinkPass $9.00,
7-Day-LinkPass $15.00

LinkPasses allow unlimited travel on Subway, Local Bus, Commuter Rail Zone 1A, and Inner-Harbor Ferry.

MBTA - Official Page

MBTA Subway at Wikipedia

Boston Transit at nysubway.org

Boston MBTA by Bob Pickering

Remnants of Abandoned Stations, Tunnels, and Station Entrances found on the MBTA by Jonathan Belcher

Geographical map incl. commuter rail lines (PDF)

Boston Metropolitan Planning Organisation (MPO)