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Lowell Regional Transit Authority
Encyclopedia
The Lowell Regional Transit Authority (LRTA) is a public, non-profit organization in Massachusetts
, charged with providing public transportation to the Greater Lowell
area. This primarily includes the city of Lowell
and the towns of Billerica
, Burlington, Dracut
, Chelmsford
, Tewksbury
, Tyngsborough
and Westford
. The LRTA provides fixed route bus
services and paratransit
services within this area, although some fixed lines do extend beyond these towns.
The LRTA was created in September 1974 under Chapter 161B of the Massachusetts General Laws
. Since 2004, operation of the LRTA has been subcontracted to First Transit
, a subsidiary of the United Kingdom
based FirstGroup.
The area served by the LRTA is within the commuter rail service area of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
(MBTA). At the Gallagher Transit Terminal
in Lowell, LRTA buses provide connection to each other, to trains on MBTA's Lowell Line
, and to various intercity bus routes.
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, charged with providing public transportation to the Greater Lowell
Greater Lowell
Greater Lowell is the name given to the city of Lowell, Massachusetts and its suburbs, mostly in Northern Middlesex County, Massachusetts and the Merrimack Valley....
area. This primarily includes the city of Lowell
Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 106,519. It is the fourth largest city in the state. Lowell and Cambridge are the county seats of Middlesex County...
and the towns of Billerica
Billerica, Massachusetts
Billerica is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 40,243 at the 2010 census. It is the only town named Billerica in the United States and borrows its name from the town of Billericay in Essex, England.- History :...
, Burlington, Dracut
Dracut, Massachusetts
Dracut is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 29,457. Dracut is primarily a suburban community, belonging to Greater Lowell and bordering southern New Hampshire...
, Chelmsford
Chelmsford, Massachusetts
Chelmsford is a suburban town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts in the Greater Boston area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town's population was 33,802. The Census Bureau's 2008 population estimate for the town was 34,409, ranking it 14th in population among the 54 municipalities in...
, Tewksbury
Tewksbury, Massachusetts
Tewksbury is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 28,961 at the 2010 census.- History :Tewksbury was first settled in 1637 and was officially incorporated in 1734 from Billerica. Like Tewksbury Township, New Jersey, it is named after the town of Tewkesbury,...
, Tyngsborough
Tyngsborough, Massachusetts
Tyngsborough is a town located in the northwest section of Middlesex County, Massachusetts. Composed of of land and surface water, Tyngsborough borders the towns of Dunstable, Groton, Westford, Chelmsford, Dracut, and the City of Lowell, as well as the New Hampshire communities of Hudson,...
and Westford
Westford, Massachusetts
Westford is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 21,951 at the 2010 census.-History:Originally a part of neighboring Chelmsford, West Chelmsford soon grew large enough to sustain its own governance, and was officially incorporated as Westford on September 23,...
. The LRTA provides fixed route 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...
services and paratransit
Paratransit
Paratransit is an alternative mode of flexible passenger transportation that does not follow fixed routes or schedules. Typically mini-buses are used to provide paratransit service, but also share taxis and jitneys are important providers....
services within this area, although some fixed lines do extend beyond these towns.
The LRTA was created in September 1974 under Chapter 161B of the Massachusetts General Laws
General Laws of Massachusetts
Massachusetts General Laws, also known as the General Laws of Massachusetts, is a codification of many of the statutes of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Commonwealth's laws are promulgated by an elected bicameral legislative body, the Massachusetts General Court...
. Since 2004, operation of the LRTA has been subcontracted to First Transit
First Transit
First Transit, a division of FirstGroup America, is a United States-based subsidiary of the United Kingdom-based FirstGroup. It provides contract public transit and paratransit services, transit management services and transit consulting throughout North America...
, a subsidiary of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
based FirstGroup.
The area served by the LRTA is within the commuter rail service area 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...
(MBTA). At the Gallagher Transit Terminal
Lowell (MBTA station)
Lowell is a rail station on the MBTA Commuter Rail system in Lowell, Massachusetts. The station forms part of the Charles A. Gallagher Transit Terminal, which also incorporates the Robert B. Kennedy Bus Transfer Center.- Terminal and services:...
in Lowell, LRTA buses provide connection to each other, to trains on MBTA's Lowell Line
Lowell Line
The Lowell Line is a railroad line of the MBTA Commuter Rail system, running north from Boston to Lowell, Massachusetts. Originally built as the Boston and Lowell Railroad, and later operated as part of the Boston and Maine Railroad's Southern Division, the line was one of the first railroads in...
, and to various intercity bus routes.
Routes
All of the routes serve Monday through Friday and most provide Saturday service.No | Name | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Christian Hill | ||
2 | Belvidere | ||
3 | South Lowell | ||
4 | Shaw/Stevens | ||
5 | Westford Street/Drum Hill | Market Basket, Drum Hill | |
6 | Broadway/UMass Lowell | University of Massachusetts Lowell University of Massachusetts Lowell The University of Massachusetts Lowell is a public university in Lowell, Massachusetts, and part of the University of Massachusetts system... South |
|
7 | Pawtucketville/UMass Lowell North | University of Massachusetts Lowell University of Massachusetts Lowell The University of Massachusetts Lowell is a public university in Lowell, Massachusetts, and part of the University of Massachusetts system... North |
|
8 | Centralville | ||
9 | Downtown Circulator | University of Massachusetts Lowell University of Massachusetts Lowell The University of Massachusetts Lowell is a public university in Lowell, Massachusetts, and part of the University of Massachusetts system... East |
|
10 | Dracut/Tyngsborough | ||
11 | IRS/Raytheon | via Rte. 133 - No Saturday Service | |
12 | Tewksbury | via Rte. 38 and Wilmington Train Station Wilmington (MBTA station) Wilmington station is located at 405 Main Street at its intersection with Church Street Wilmington, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston. The station serves trains on the MBTA's Lowell Line, and some trains from the Haverhill Line via the Wildcat Branch... |
|
13 | Billerica | via Edson | |
14 | Burlington/Lahey | Burlington Mall Burlington Mall (Massachusetts) The Burlington Mall is a large, two story, indoor shopping mall located off Route 3 and Route 128 in Burlington, Massachusetts. The mall is one of many shopping venues in the Middlesex County area, including Billerica Mall, Acton Plaza, and Middlesex Commons. The Burlington Mall has a gross... and Lahey Clinic Lahey Clinic The Lahey Clinic is a physician-led nonprofit teaching hospital of Tufts University School of Medicine based in Burlington, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1923 by surgeon Frank H... |
|
15 | Chelmsford/Westford | via Rte. 129/110 - No Saturday Service | |
16 | Chelmsford Center | Chelmsford via Chelmsford Street | |
17 | North Chelmsford | via Middlesex Street | |
18 | Pheasant Lane Mall | via Middlesex Street - During holiday season only | |
Downtown Shuttle | loop through downtown Lowell | ||