Monday, July 11, 2022

A Glimpse into Boston’s Public Transit History

As you may know, the State Library is the official repository for Massachusetts State Publications. As such, we have publications from all departments and offices across the Commonwealth, including the MBTA. Home to America’s first subway system, Boston’s history of public transportation interests many and if you’re one of those people, the Library has resources that you’ll want to take a look at.

Portion of a stereograph showing
a horsecar on the Roxbury to 
Boston Line. Photo courtesy of
Historic New England.
Before the opening of Boston’s subway system, horsecar companies operated across the city, offering an easier--and much faster--way for people to get from one area of the city to another, as opposed to walking. By 1887 there were more than 20 horsecar companies with over 8,000 horses running services. This led to competition among the companies and increased fares for customers. As a result, the Massachusetts General Court passed an act that called for all horsecar companies to consolidate into the West End Street Railway. It then became one of the largest street rail systems in the country.

First electric streetcar in Boston. 
Photo courtesy of Historic New England.

Once horsecar travel was no longer meeting the needs of the city due to the dangers it imposed and its limitations, the West End Street Railway began looking into alternative transit options. This resulted in Boston’s first electric streetcar on January 1, 1889. It ran from the Allston Railroad Depot to Coolidge Corner and to Park Square. If you’re familiar with the MBTA, the C Branch of the Green Line still runs along this route today.

By the late 1890s, however, stalled streetcars and heavy foot traffic made Tremont Street crowded and congested. The city again needed a new system to meet its transit needs. The Rapid Transit Commission recommended that four elevated railway lines be created, plus a tunnel under Tremont St. for streetcars. The commission also authorized the creation of BERy (Boston Elevated Railway Company), which took over the West End Street Railway in 1897. BERy was later succeeded by the MTA, which was then succeeded by today’s MBTA.

Boston can be called the birthplace of public transportation with the opening of the first subway tunnel in 1897. The Tremont Street tunnel is still in use today and connects the Boylston, Park Street, and Government Center subway stations. Here you can see the construction of the Park Street station. If you’ve ever taken the Green Line to visit the State Library and got off at Park St then you’ve been in that tunnel. Things look just a little different today than they did when these photos were taken.

Construction of Park Street station.
Photo courtesy of Boston Public Library.

Construction of Park Street station.
Photo courtesy of Historic New England.










Once you walk up to the State House from Park St, you can turn around and see a view similar to this. While you can’t access the front of the State House due to construction, you can still walk up to the front fence and compare today’s view to what you see in this 1857 photo.

Photo from State Library collection.

If you’re curious about what the MBTA is up to these days, you can take a look at some of the resources the State Library has in DSpace, our digital repository. For updates on the Red, Green, and Orange Lines, take a look at these weekly review and lookahead documents:

If you’re someone who takes the bus regularly, you may be interested in these proposed bus network changes. There are proposals for cities and towns throughout the MBTA bus network.

You’ll find even more collections here. We also have materials that you can use in the Library, if you’d like to take the T to visit us. Some of these include:


Jessica Shrey
Reference Librarian


Posted by at