page_title: Green Line E branch
section_title: Later changes
hierarchical_section_title: Green Line E branch / History / Later changes
caption_attribution_description: English: The reconstruction project on the MBTA Green Line "E" Branch in 2006. This view is from Huntington Avenue at Frawley Street and looks east (inbound).
context_page_description: The E branch is a light rail line in Boston, Massachusetts, operating as part of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Green Line. The line runs in mixed traffic on South Huntington Avenue and Huntington Avenue between Heath Street and Brigham Circle, in the median of Huntington Avenue to Northeastern University, then into the Huntington Avenue subway. The line merges into the Boylston Street subway just west of Copley, running to North Station via the Tremont Street subway.
  Horsecar service on Centre and South streets in Jamaica Plain began in 1857, followed by service on Tremont Street to Brookline Village in 1859 and on the east part of Huntington Avenue in 1881–84. Jamaica Plain service was electrified in 1891, and Huntington Avenue service in 1894. Several branches of the Huntington Avenue line were opened west of Brookline Village between 1894 and 1900; both Huntington Avenue and Jamaica Plain service began using the new Tremont Street subway in 1897. A connector on South Huntington Avenue opened in 1903, allowing service to Jamaica Plain via Huntington Avenue.
context_section_description: On October 20, 1996, the Muddy River flooded the central subway. The E branch was replaced by buses; service was restored to Northeastern on October 25, Brigham Circle on November 9, and Heath Street on December 7. From July 24 to December 17, 2000, the line was cut back to Brigham Circle for track work on South Huntington Avenue, with route 39 supplemented by express service.
  In the early 2000s, the MBTA modified key surface stops with raised platforms for accessibility as part of the Light Rail Accessibility Program. Portable lifts were installed at Heath Street and Museum of Fine Arts around 2000 as a temporary measure. For much of mid-2002, buses replaced weekend service to allow for the station construction. The accessible platforms at Northeastern, Museum of Fine Arts, Longwood, Brigham Circle, and Heath Street - part of a $32 million modification of thirteen B, C, and E branch stations - were completed in 2003.
  From June 28, 2004, to November 12, 2005, E branch service was cut back to North Station as the Causeway Street elevated was replaced by a new tunnel. Track work again caused the line to be cut to Brigham Circle from September 2 to December 30, 2006. Three-car trains were operated on the line for a brief period beginning on March 21, 2011. Service was cut to North Station from April 30 to November 4, 2011 as Science Park was renovated.
  As part of a series of service reductions due to a budget crisis, weekend service was cut to Brigham Circle on July 1, 2012. The cutback was unpopular with local residents, who considered it an unnecessary inconvenience. On October 13, 2012, the cut was quietly reversed by reducing frequency on the branch slightly, thus allowing the same equipment to cover the full line at no additional cost. This was made official with the December 29, 2012 timetable.
  On May 24, 2020, service was cut back from Lechmere to North Station to allow the old Lechmere Elevated to be demolished and the Lechmere Viaduct connected to the Green Line Extension viaduct. Service will resume to the replacement elevated Lechmere station, with an extension to the new Union Square station, in 2021.
caption: Reconstruction of the E branch along Huntington Avenue in November 2006
exif: {}