Misplaced Pages

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37-753: The east part of the Fitchburg Cutoff opened in 1870, connecting the Lexington and Arlington Railroad (Lexington Branch) to the Boston and Lowell Railroad . Only used for Boston and Maine Railroad freight trains after 1926, the line was abandoned as far east as Cedar Street in 1979 to allow construction of the Red Line Northwest Extension . The Alewife Linear Park opened from Alewife to Davis in 1985. The Somerville Community Path opened 0.6 miles (0.97 km) from Davis Square to Cedar Street in 1994, with

74-573: A 1.9-mile (3.1 km), $ 39 million extension of the Community Path to East Cambridge would be built as part of the Green Line Extension (GLX) project. Beginning in 2015, the state began a major re-evaluation of the GLX project due to significantly increased costs. In May 2016, the state indicated that the Community Path would only be built as far as Washington Street in the revised plan to avoid

111-411: A 10-foot (3.0 m)-wide path, narrower than existing portions and the 12-foot width recommended in federal guidelines. Cycling advocates have raised concerns about safety of the narrowed path given the expected levels of bicycle traffic. The GLX and path extension were expected to be completed in late 2021; with was delayed to mid-2022, then November 2022. The 1,400-foot (430 m)-long bridge over

148-466: A costly bridge. In some sections, the path would be lowered to track level to eliminate costly retaining walls, resulting in fewer connections to cross streets than previously planned. A consortium called GLX Constructors was selected as the winner for re-bid project in November 2017. Their proposal reduced costs enough to add the full Community Path extension back into the plan. However, the plans call for

185-675: A small section of the path onto a protected on-street detour until October 18, 2023. The path extension is an example of rails with trails . Two proposed projects would connect to the extension: the Mystic to Charles Connector north to the Mystic Greenways network, and the Grand Junction Multi-use Path south to the Charles River Bike Path . Fitchburg Cutoff The Fitchburg Cutoff (also called

222-538: A stone dust surface was added in the 1990s. Construction of the paved Fitchburg Cutoff Path took place from September 2010 to August 2013, with a new bridge built over a stormwater management wetland at Alewife. The planned Belmont Community Path will extend west through Belmont parallel to the Fitchburg Line, connecting with existing sections of the Mass Central Rail Trail . In 1985–86, an access road

259-631: Is a paved rail trail in Somerville, Massachusetts , running 3.2 miles (5.1 km) from the Alewife Linear Park at the Cambridge/Somerville border to East Cambridge via Davis Square . The first portion opened in 1985 along part of the former Fitchburg Cutoff rail line. Extensions opened in 1994 and 2015. A further 1.9-mile (3.1 km) extension to East Cambridge opened in June 2023 as part of

296-612: The Fitchburg Line and Green Line reaches 50 feet (15 m) tall, with grades of 4.8% on the approaches. The Medford Branch opened in December 2022, but the path remained closed. Somerville signed a lease agreement with the MBTA in February 2023. The extension opened on June 10, 2023. A separate project constructing Reavis Field for Somerville High School moved a small section of the path onto

333-619: The Freight Cutoff ) was a rail line running 2.8 miles (4.5 km) from Brighton Street (Hills Crossing station) in Belmont, Massachusetts , to Somerville Junction in Somerville, Massachusetts . It was constructed in two segments in 1870 and 1881 to connect the Lexington Branch and Massachusetts Central Railroad to the Boston and Lowell Railroad . Passenger service lasted until 1927. Freight service ended in 1979–80 to allow construction of

370-422: The Green Line Extension project. It is a section of the partially completed Mass Central Rail Trail . The east part of the Fitchburg Cutoff opened in 1870, connecting the Lexington and Arlington Railroad (Lexington Branch) to the Boston and Lowell Railroad . Only used for Boston and Maine Railroad freight trains after 1926, the line was abandoned as far east as Cedar Street in 1979 to allow construction of

407-681: The Mass Central Rail Trail . The line was 2.8 miles (4.5 km) long, running approximately east–west. The west end connected to the Central Massachusetts Branch at Hill Crossing station at Brighton Street in Belmont , parallel to the Fitchburg Division main line (now the MBTA Fitchburg Line ). It crossed the Lexington Branch (after 1927) at grade in West Cambridge and crossed under Alewife Brook Parkway , with

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444-407: The Red Line Northwest Extension in the mid-1970s included a station at Davis Square , with the rapid transit tunnel running under a segment of the cutoff from Davis Square to east of Alewife station . In April 1980, the west half of the cutoff was abandoned to allow for construction of the extension. The eastern portion was used to haul dirt removed from the tunnel for reuse around the region; it

481-652: The Red Line Northwest Extension . The Alewife Linear Park opened from Alewife to Davis in 1985. The Somerville Community Path opened 0.6 miles (0.97 km) from Davis Square to Cedar Street in 1994, with the 0.4-mile (0.64 km) Cambridge/Somerville border–Davis Square segment of the Alewife Linear Park becoming part of the Community Path. In 2013, construction began on a 0.3-mile (0.48 km) extension to Lowell Street. The $ 2.2 million extension opened in mid-2015, with an official dedication ceremony on August 19. In April 2014, state officials announced that

518-580: The Red Line Northwest Extension ; the line was abandoned in three sections in 1979, 1983, and 2007. All of the right-of-way , except a short section near Alewife station , has been reused for three connecting rail trails : the Fitchburg Cutoff Path from Brighton Street to Alewife station, the Alewife Linear Park from Alewife to Massachusetts Avenue, and the Somerville Community Path east of Massachusetts Avenue. The paths are part of

555-422: The 0.4-mile (0.64 km) Cambridge/Somerville border–Davis Square segment of the Alewife Linear Park becoming part of the Community Path. In 2013, construction began on a 0.3-mile (0.48 km) extension to Lowell Street. The $ 2.2 million extension opened in mid-2015, with an official dedication ceremony on August 19. In April 2014, state officials announced that a 1.9-mile (3.1 km), $ 39 million extension of

592-516: The 0.4-mile (0.64 km) Cambridge/Somerville border–Davis Square segment of the Alewife Linear Park becoming part of the Community Path. Therefore today, the Alewife Linear Park is between the southwest corner of Russell Field to the Somerville/Cambridge border. The Minuteman Bikeway opened in 1993, connecting to the existing trail at Alewife station. The crossing of Massachusetts Avenue, which originally zig-zagged using existing crosswalks,

629-739: The 1930s called for rapid transit use of the cutoff; some called for it to be connected to the East Boston Tunnel (now the Blue Line ) rather than the Tremont Street subway (now the Green Line ). The 1945 and 1947 reports by the state Coolidge Commission called for extensions from Lechmere to Woburn over the Southern Division, and Harvard to Arlington over the Lexington Branch; the cutoff

666-460: The B&;L. In 1870, the B&L built a cutoff from Lake Street to Somerville Junction to connect the newly acquired branch to its mainline. (Early plans called for the cutoff to connect to the B&L further north at Willow Bridge station . ) Service began on December 1, 1870. In January 1876, William Robinson installed one of the first test applications of his track circuit signaling system on

703-543: The B&M acquired the Fitchburg Railroad as its Fitchburg Division. The city of Somerville proposed to eliminate the five grade crossings on the cutoff within its borders, including the pair of College Avenue and Holland Street at Davis Square, in the early 1900s. Most grade crossings on the Fitchburg Division mainline were eliminated over the next decade, but those on the cutoff were not. On January 31, 1915,

740-582: The Cambridge–Dorchester Line – now the Red Line – north from Harvard station was not considered likely. ) The Report on Improved Transportation Facilities , published by the Boston Division of Metropolitan Planning in 1926, proposed extension from Lechmere to North Cambridge via the Southern Division and the 1870-built cutoff. Among the potential further extensions in the report was extension of

777-581: The Community Path to East Cambridge would be built as part of the Green Line Extension (GLX) project. Beginning in 2015, the state began a major re-evaluation of the GLX project due to significantly increased costs. In May 2016, the state indicated that the Community Path would only be built as far as Washington Street in the revised plan to avoid a costly bridge. In some sections, the path would be lowered to track level to eliminate costly retaining walls, resulting in fewer connections to cross streets than previously planned. A consortium called GLX Constructors

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814-654: The MC was succeeded by the Central Massachusetts Railroad and service resumed in 1885. The B&L, which controlled the Central Massachusetts, was acquired by the Boston and Maine Railroad (B&M) in 1887. The B&L became the Southern Division mainline, while the Central Massachusetts became a branchline. The original Willow Avenue and Somerville Highlands stations were replaced by a new Somerville Highlands station at Highland Road around 1887. In 1900,

851-533: The North Cambridge line to Bedford via the Lexington Branch. In 1935, the city requested that the line be grade-separated as part of a Works Progress Administration -funded grade crossing elimination program. A proposal that year by a citizen's group called for a rapid transit extension to North Cambridge. A new highway was to run from the Northern Artery over the tracks at street level, then adjacent to

888-648: The West Somerville station building was moved west of Holland Street at the request of the mayor to improve conditions in Davis Square . In 1926–27, the B&M built two new sections of track in North Cambridge; these allowed the Lexington Branch and the Central Massachusetts Branch to use the Fitchburg mainline east of Alewife Brook Parkway . On April 24, 1927, passenger service from the two branches

925-717: The line between Elm Street and North Avenue. On June 14, 1876, Pedro II of Brazil , who was touring the United States, travelled to Elm Street station to view the system. The western section was built in 1881 by the Massachusetts Central Railroad (MC) (which paralleled the Fitchburg Railroad west of Brighton Street) to connect to the B&L for access to Boston. It connected to the existing Lexington Branch cutoff near Jackson Street, west of North Cambridge station, and had no stations between Hills Crossing and North Cambridge. Service began on October 1, 1881. By 1883

962-407: The line were North Cambridge (also called North Cambridge Junction and North Avenue) at Massachusetts Avenue , West Somerville (Elm Street) at Davis Square, and Somerville Highlands at Highland Road. The B&L acquired control of the Lexington and Arlington Railroad (Lexington Branch) in 1869, and purchased it in 1870, to prevent it from building to Lowell and thus becoming a competitor to

999-510: The pre-1927 connection to the Lexington Branch near Jackson Street. The line crossed Massachusetts Avenue and other streets at grade, then continued into Somerville, where it ran at grade through Davis Square with crossings of Holland Street and College Avenue. It crossed additional streets at grade, then passed under Lowell Street and joined the Southern Division (now the Lowell Line ) at Somerville Junction . After 1887, passenger stations on

1036-655: The routes laid out by the Coolidge Commission. Green Line service would be extended from Lechmere over the Southern Division, and Red Line service from Harvard (with various routings proposed to reach the Lexington Branch); the cutoff was not proposed for conversion. The B&M replaced the Somerville yard with smaller yards elsewhere in the system in the 1970s, ending regular use of the cutoff by "as many as two-dozen mile-long freight trains daily". The route chosen for

1073-500: The tracks on the lowered cutoff to connect to the existing Mohawk Trail expressway at Alewife Brook Parkway. Neither project was built, and the grade crossings were not eliminated; crashes and stalled freight trains continued to be a problem. Even decades after regular passenger service ended on the line, it was occasionally used as a detour route when the Fitchburg Route mainline was blocked in Somerville. Various proposals in

1110-623: Was abandoned in 1983 except for a short section serving an industrial customer at Somervile Junction. That segment was abandoned in 2007. As part of the Red Line extension, the Alewife Linear Park rail trail was constructed from Alewife to Davis, opening in 1985. At that time, the Park was 1.3-mile (2.1 km). Except for a short section near Alewife station, it follows the former railroad route. The Somerville Community Path opened 0.6 miles (0.97 km) from Davis Square to Cedar Street in 1992, with

1147-499: Was constructed from the Alewife station garage to the Route 2 / Alewife Brook Parkway intersection, following the cutoff alignment for about 750 feet (230 m). The Alewife Linear Park runs as a sidewalk along the access road for most of that length. [REDACTED] Media related to Fitchburg Cutoff at Wikimedia Commons Somerville Community Path The Somerville Community Path

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1184-461: Was delayed to mid-2022, then November 2022. The 1,400-foot (430 m)-long bridge over the Fitchburg Line and Green Line reaches 50 feet (15 m) tall, with grades of 4.8% on the approaches. The Medford Branch opened in December 2022, but the path remained closed. Somerville signed a lease agreement with the MBTA in February 2023. The extension opened on June 10, 2023. A separate project constructing Reavis Field for Somerville High School moved

1221-611: Was not proposed as a route. The 1962 North Terminal Area Study called for the Main Line (now the Orange Line ) to be relocated along the B&M Western Route . It was to have a branch via the Southern Division to Woburn or Arlington (the latter also using the cutoff). The 1966 Program for Mass Transportation , and subsequent reports by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), largely followed

1258-443: Was rebuilt with heavier rails to handle heavy freights headed to and from the new Somerville freight yard. In late 1927, an additional main track was built on the Southern Division from Somerville Junction to the yard to reduce the incidence of stopped freight trains blocking crossings on the cutoff. In the 1920s, the cutoff was considered the most likely route for rapid transit service to Somerville and North Cambridge. (Extension of

1295-429: Was rerouted over these new sections and the Fitchburg mainline; North Cambridge, West Somerville, and Somerville Highlands stations were closed. Although residents were opposed to the closures, the B&M wished to avoid the grade crossings on the line, which had seen 70 crashes in the previous six years. The old line from Brighton Street to Somerville Junction became the freight-only Freight Cutoff (Fitchburg Cutoff); it

1332-506: Was selected as the winner for re-bid project in November 2017. Their proposal reduced costs enough to add the full Community Path extension back into the plan. However, the plans call for a 10-foot (3.0 m)-wide path, narrower than existing portions and the 12-foot width recommended in federal guidelines. Cycling advocates have raised concerns about safety of the narrowed path given the expected levels of bicycle traffic. The GLX and path extension were expected to be completed in late 2021; with

1369-619: Was signalized as a direct crossing in 2011. A 0.3-mile (0.48 km) extension of the Community Path to Lowell Street opened in 2015; it was further extended along the Lowell Line in 2023, known as the Somerville Community Path Extension, as part of the Green Line Extension project. The 0.8-mile (1.3 km) segment west of Alewife station through the Alewife Brook Reservation was used as an unpaved trail;

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