Dudley Square (MBTA station)
Encyclopedia
Dudley Square is a ground-level bus depot
in Dudley Square
, Roxbury
, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
, served by local buses of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
and their Silver Line
bus rapid transit
service. In addition to the Silver Line it serves the 1, 8, 14, 15, 19, 23, 25, 28, 41, 42, 44, 45, 47, 66, 170, and 171 bus
lines.
trains on the Washington Street Elevated
, with two elevated streetcar loops and additional service on the ground level.
The Boston Elevated Railway
opened the Washington Street Elevated on June 10, 1901, terminating at Dudley. Many streetcar routes that had operated to downtown, some into the Tremont Street Subway
, now terminated at the loops at Dudley, where cross-platform transfers were available to elevated trains.
The el was extended south on November 22, 1909, reaching its maximum distance, Forest Hills
. The loop allowing trains to return downtown from Dudley was kept, and a new southbound platform was added (as both original platforms were on the northbound track).
Over the years, streetcar service to Dudley was replaced with bus
es.
Trains last ran to Dudley on April 30, 1987, and the relocated Orange Line opened on May 4, 1987. The old station sat untouched for a while, but was partially torn down and replaced with a simpler surface-level station which was made partly with new structures (platforms D, E, and F facing east-west, also known as the "Harvard side") and the preexisting el structure (platforms A, B, and C facing north-south, also known as the "Allston side"). The Silver Line
, the MBTA's replacement service for the Washington Street Elevated, officially replaced the 49 bus route on July 20, 2002, and runs between Dudley and Downtown Crossing
. On October 13, 2009, this service was re-designated the SL5 and a new SL 4 service was added that runs between Dudley and South Station
, sharing most of the same route.
. The Urban Ring will be a Bus Rapid Transit
(BRT) Line designed to connect the current MBTA Lines to reduce strain on the downtown stations.
Bus station
A bus station is a structure where city or intercity buses stop to pick up and drop off passengers. It is larger than a bus stop, which is usually simply a place on the roadside, where buses can stop...
in Dudley Square
Dudley Square
Dudley Square is the primary commercial center of the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, located at the intersection of Dudley Street and Washington Street...
, Roxbury
Roxbury, Massachusetts
Roxbury is a dissolved municipality and current neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was one of the first towns founded in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630, and became a city in 1846 until annexed to Boston on January 5, 1868...
, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, served by local buses of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, often referred to as the MBTA or simply The T, is the public operator of most bus, subway, commuter rail and ferry systems in the greater Boston, Massachusetts, area. Officially a "body politic and corporate, and a political subdivision" of the...
and their Silver Line
Silver Line (MBTA)
The Silver Line is the only bus rapid transit line currently operated by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority . It operates in two sections; the first runs from Dudley Square in Roxbury to downtown Boston, Massachusetts and South Station, mostly via Washington Street, with buses...
bus rapid transit
Bus rapid transit
Bus rapid transit is a term applied to a variety of public transportation systems using buses to provide faster, more efficient service than an ordinary bus line. Often this is achieved by making improvements to existing infrastructure, vehicles and scheduling...
service. In addition to the Silver Line it serves the 1, 8, 14, 15, 19, 23, 25, 28, 41, 42, 44, 45, 47, 66, 170, and 171 bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
lines.
History
Dudley Station formerly served Orange LineOrange Line (MBTA)
The Orange Line is one of the four subway lines of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. It extends from Forest Hills in Jamaica Plain, Boston in the south to Oak Grove in Malden, Massachusetts in the north. It meets the Red Line at Downtown Crossing, the Blue Line at State, and the Green...
trains on the Washington Street Elevated
Washington Street Elevated
The Washington Street Elevated was an elevated segment of Boston's Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority subway system, comprising the southern stretch of the Orange Line . It ran from Chinatown through the South End and Roxbury, ending in Forest Hills in Jamaica Plain...
, with two elevated streetcar loops and additional service on the ground level.
The Boston Elevated Railway
Boston Elevated Railway
The Boston Elevated Railway was a precursor first to the Metropolitan Transit Authority in Massachusetts, now the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, operating rapid transit, streetcars and buses in the Boston, Massachusetts area. It was formerly known as the West End Street Railway.The...
opened the Washington Street Elevated on June 10, 1901, terminating at Dudley. Many streetcar routes that had operated to downtown, some into the Tremont Street Subway
Tremont Street Subway
The Tremont Street Subway is a tunnel in Boston's subway system, and is the oldest subway tunnel in North America, opening on September 1, 1897. It was originally built as a tunnel to get streetcar lines off the streets, rather than a rapid transit line...
, now terminated at the loops at Dudley, where cross-platform transfers were available to elevated trains.
The el was extended south on November 22, 1909, reaching its maximum distance, Forest Hills
Forest Hills (MBTA station)
Forest Hills Station is a station on the MBTA Orange Line, located in Forest Hills in the southern part of the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts at the intersections of Washington Street, Hyde Park Avenue, South Street, The Arborway and Morton Street.Forest Hills is the southern...
. The loop allowing trains to return downtown from Dudley was kept, and a new southbound platform was added (as both original platforms were on the northbound track).
Over the years, streetcar service to Dudley was replaced with bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
es.
Trains last ran to Dudley on April 30, 1987, and the relocated Orange Line opened on May 4, 1987. The old station sat untouched for a while, but was partially torn down and replaced with a simpler surface-level station which was made partly with new structures (platforms D, E, and F facing east-west, also known as the "Harvard side") and the preexisting el structure (platforms A, B, and C facing north-south, also known as the "Allston side"). The Silver Line
Silver Line (MBTA)
The Silver Line is the only bus rapid transit line currently operated by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority . It operates in two sections; the first runs from Dudley Square in Roxbury to downtown Boston, Massachusetts and South Station, mostly via Washington Street, with buses...
, the MBTA's replacement service for the Washington Street Elevated, officially replaced the 49 bus route on July 20, 2002, and runs between Dudley and Downtown Crossing
Downtown Crossing
Downtown Crossing is a shopping district in Boston, Massachusetts, located due east of Boston Common and west of the Financial District. It features large department stores as well as restaurants, music stores, souvenir sellers, general retail establishments, and many street vendors...
. On October 13, 2009, this service was re-designated the SL5 and a new SL 4 service was added that runs between Dudley and South Station
South Station
South Station, New England's second-largest transportation center , located at the intersection of Atlantic Avenue and Summer Street in Dewey Square, Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest train station and intercity bus terminal in Greater Boston, a prominent train station in the northeastern...
, sharing most of the same route.
Future plans
Dudley Square Station is a proposed stop on the MBTA's planned Urban Ring ProjectUrban Ring Project (MBTA)
The Urban Ring is a project of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, to develop new public transportation line that would provide improved circumferential connections among many existing transit lines that project radially from downtown...
. The Urban Ring will be a Bus Rapid Transit
Bus rapid transit
Bus rapid transit is a term applied to a variety of public transportation systems using buses to provide faster, more efficient service than an ordinary bus line. Often this is achieved by making improvements to existing infrastructure, vehicles and scheduling...
(BRT) Line designed to connect the current MBTA Lines to reduce strain on the downtown stations.