page_title: Ashmont–Mattapan High-Speed Line
section_title: Rapid transit conversion
hierarchical_section_title: Ashmont–Mattapan High-Speed Line / History / Rapid transit conversion
caption_attribution_description: English: An outbound car at Cedar Grove station on the first day of operations from Ashmont to Milton
context_page_description: The Ashmont–Mattapan High-Speed Line, also called the Mattapan trolley and M Line, is a partially grade-separated light rail line which forms part of the MBTA's Red Line rapid transit line. The line, which runs through Boston and Milton, Massachusetts, opened on August 26, 1929, as a conversion of a former commuter rail line. It exclusively uses historic PCC streetcars for rolling stock, supported by a maintenance team of blacksmiths and metalworkers who make livery parts. Passengers must transfer at Ashmont to access the rest of the Red Line, which uses heavy rail metro rolling stock.
  The trolley's 2.6-mile route is used only by streetcars and has just two public grade crossings. All stations have low platforms, but all except Valley Road have been retrofitted with wheelchair lifts or wooden ramps for handicapped accessibility. Unlike most heritage streetcar lines, it is an integral part of the modern MBTA transit system rather than a tourist attraction.
context_section_description: Although the Midland Branch served more populated areas, real estate deals along the Shawmut branch stood to benefit key state politicians. Construction of a rapid transit extension to Mattapan via the Shawmut branch was approved on March 23, 1923.
  Steam trains were discontinued in 1927 and the line was closed for two years while it was modified for streetcars. There was a debate at that time whether or not to continue subway trains from Boston to Ashmont onwards to Mattapan, but the cost of full-scale subway service was apparently too high for the Boston Elevated Railway which then operated it. The line opened from Ashmont to Milton on August 26, 1929, and from Milton to Mattapan on December 21, 1929.
  A new stop was opened at Capen Street in September 1930, and the Butler stop opened on October 7, 1931. In 1966, the Red Line designation was also applied to this line, which had been known as 28 Mattapan–Ashmont. On March 18, 1968, the Neponset River flooded the line at Milton station. Restoration work began at 6:00 am on March 21 as the waters receded; service was resumed by 4:30 pm.
  In January 1981, the MBTA proposed to close the Mattapan Line at all times beginning that March due to severe budget issues. The closure was cancelled, though the Mattapan line and the Ashmont branch were closed from June 20, 1981 to January 16, 1982 for track replacement and tunnel repairs.
  The line's longest shutdown started June 24, 2006, while the Ashmont and Mattapan stations were renovated and service was replaced by shuttle buses. Service was restored on December 22, 2007. Several of the stations have been renovated for better accessibility and modernization; all stations are now wheelchair-accessible except Valley Road, which is down a grade from the nearest road with no room for a ramp.
  Stations on the line had red signage up until the line's closure for renovation. When the line reopened in 2007, green signage was used at stations to indicate the line's light rail character, contrary to the MBTA's practice of color-coding signage to match the line. However, in 2008 the green signage was replaced with red signage to match the line's color.
caption: A streetcar at Cedar Grove station in 1929
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