Green Line Extension

The Green Line Extension extended MBTA Green Line service to Union Square in Somerville and to Tufts University in Medford. The MBTA also moved Lechmere Green Line station to a new location on North First Street. The MBTA is also building an extension of the Somerville Community Path to North Point.

To access the new Lechmere Station, people walking can cross O'Brien Highway at Water Street. At Water Street, there is an enhanced pedestrian crossing with new audible pedestrian signals and median refuge. After crossing O’Brien Highway, people walking have two choices. Pedestrians can enter the new Lechmere Station by walking on Water Street to the bus loop. Pedestrians can also walk along O’Brien Highway and enter from North First Street.

You can find more information on the Green Line Extension on the MBTA and Department of Transportation (MassDOT) project webpages.

Click here to visit the MassDOT project page

Click here to visit the MBTA project page


February 2023

The MBTA announced that the Somerville Community Path extension to North Point will open in spring 2023. 

December 2022

The MBTA opened the Green Line Medford branch Monday, December 12, 2022. This completed the Green Line parts of the extension project. The MBTA and their contractors will work into 2023 on remaining project tasks. This includes the Somerville Community Path extension to North Point.

In 2023, Divco West, the developer of Cambridge Crossing in North Point, will build a new street at First Street connecting Cambridge Street and O’Brien Highway. This new street will make it easier to get to new Lechmere station. Click here to see the designs for this new street.

From the Green Line Extension project web site, benefits will include:

  • Provide new and better opportunities for residents and visitors to travel within their communities and within the region, address long-standing transportation inequities.
  • Result in fewer automobiles on local roads and help combat greenhouse gas emissions and other components of air pollution.
  • Support municipal plans for sustainable growth and development.
  • Provide residents of environmental justice communities with faster rides to work and other destinations.

See the Green Line Extension web page for further details and to sign up for the project contact list. 

At the same time, the relocation of Lechmere Station across O'Brien Highway is being coordinated with the build out of North Point by DIVCO.  DIVCO is responsible for the reconstruction of O'Brien Highway and is working closely with the City of Cambridge and the state to improve existing crossings, and to create new crossings to make the new station readily accessible to the East Cambridge neighborhood.

In 2015, Green Line Extension Project was put on hold due to cost overruns, so that the MBTA could modify the project to reduce costs and rebid the project with an estimated completion date of 2021. The new project was expected to cost up to $1.3 billion, not including the cost of various additive options, including station canopies, an art program, additional elevators (including at Lechmere), full path connections (including from Washington Street to Lechmere), and an enhanced maintenance facility as proposed in the original project. On November 17, 2017, the MBTA opened price proposals for the bidders, and recommended a team, GLX Constructors. The winning bid was less than $1.1 billion and included all additive options. Click here for the presentation to the FMCB about the selection of the bidder and additive options.

Click here for the GLX presentation from October 23, 2017 with updates for the GLX project rebidding and upcoming schedule.

Green Line Extension to Mystic Valley Parkway / Route 16

On October 17, 2017, the MBTA filed a Notice of Project Change (NPC) for the Green Line Extension Project with the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA). The NPC presents a preliminary proposal for a one-mile extension of the Green Line along the MBTA Lowell Line commuter rail right-of-way from the currently planned terminus at College Avenue in Medford to Mystic Valley Parkway (Route 16) in Medford and Somerville. The NPC was noticed in the November 8, 2017 edition of the Environmental Monitor and a public meeting was scheduled for November 20, 2017. No funding source or timeline for project construction has been established yet.

 

2022

August to September 2022 The MBTA temporarily closed the Green Line Extension to install necessary equipment for the opening of the Green Line Medford branch. The MBTA reopened the Green Line between Union Square, Lechmere, and Government Center on September 19.

June 2022 The MBTA transferred the old Lechmere station to DivcoWest. DivcoWest demolished the old station, bus shed, and rail infrastructure. After demolition, they are constructing a new street connecting First Street and North First Street between Cambridge Street and O’Brien Highway. Click here to see the designs for this new street.

March 21 The MBTA opened the Green Line Extension Union Square branch. The MBTA opened the new Lechmere and Union Square stations and reopened Science Park/West End station.

January The MBTA began running out-of-service test trains from North Station to Union Square station.

2021

December The MBTA began running test trains on the new GLX rail line.

October 24 The MBTA adjusted the downtown terminals for Green Line trains. The new terminals in Downtown Boston are:

  • B/Boston College - Government Center
  • C/Cleveland Circle - Government Center
  • D/Riverside - North Station
  • E/Heath Street - North Station

October 21 The MBTA announced that the Green Line Extension (GLX) to Union and Lechmere stations will open in March 2022.

2020

December 9 MBTA's GLX Community Working Group met with MBTA and Green Line Extension staff.

December 1 MBTA's GLX Community Working Group met with MBTA and Green Line Extension staff.

November 3 MBTA's GLX Community Working Group met with MBTA and Green Line Extension staff.

October 6 MBTA's GLX Community Working Group met with MBTA and Green Line Extension staff.

September 1 MBTA's GLX Community Working Group met with MBTA and Green Line Extension staff.

August 28 Weekend closure of Monseignor O'Brien Highway

August 7 Weekend closure of Monseignor O'Brien Highway

August 4MBTA's GLX Community Working Group met with MBTA and Green Line Extension staff.

July 27 Green Line Transformation began a series of weekday closures of Museum Way between 7AM and 5PM. 

July 24 Weekend closure of Monseignor O'Brien Highway

July 17 Weekend closure of Monseignor O'Brien Highway

July 10 Weekend closure of Monseignor O'Brien Highway

July 10 Weekend closure of Monseignor O'Brien Highway

July 7 MBTA's GLX Community Working Group met with MBTA and Green Line Extension staff. Click here to see the presentation and meeting minutes.

June 24 MBTA GLX team hosted a public meeting to update the public on the progress of the project and expected future construction locations. Click here to see presentation.

June 2 MBTA's GLX Community Working Group met with MBTA and Green Line Extension staff. Click here to see the presentation and meeting minutes.

Early June MBTA GLX team reopened Washington Street and Broadway in Somerville

May 24 MBTA began running a Green Line-replacement bus shuttle between Lechmere and North Station, using temporary exclusive bus lanes on Route 28.

May 23 MBTA closed the Green Line between Lechmere and North Station

Spring MBTA announced that the project schedule was under pressure, but, remained confident in opening the entire GLX by December 2021. GLX project team also confirmed that Green Line service would return to Lechmere and new service to Union Square would begin as early as May 2021.

2019

Early April The Green Line Extension project has closed two streets in Somerville that affect driving and bus routes to/from Cambridge. 

2018

After some re-design and cost cutting measures to bring the project in line with the budget, and a successful re-bidding of the project, Green Line Extension began construction in phases. MBTA announced that service on the entire GLX was expected in late 2021.

2017

November 17, MBTA opened price proposals for the bidders, and recommended GLX Constructors for constructing the project. The winning bid was less than $1.1 billion and included all additive options: station canopies, art, additional elevators, full multi-use path connections, and an enhanced maintenance facility.

October 17, the MBTA filed a Notice of Project Change (NPC) for the one-mile extension of the Green Line along the MBTA Lowell Line commuter rail right-of-way from the currently planned terminus at College Avenue in Medford to Mystic Valley Parkway (Route 16) in Medford and Somerville. The NPC was noticed in the November 8, 2017 edition of the Environmental Monitor and a public meeting was scheduled for November 20, 2017. No funding source or timeline for project construction has been established yet.

2015

The MBTA put the Green Line Extension project on hold due to cost overruns

 

For more information, contact Andrew Reker at areker@cambridgema.gov or 617/349-6959.