Orange Line (MBTA)
The Orange Line is one of four subway lines of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority ( MBTA ) in the state of Massachusetts in the United States. The route begins at the Forest Hills Station in Boston's Jamaica Plain and ends at the Oak Grove station in Malden. At the station, Downtown Crossing is an interchange with the Red Line, at the station state can be changed to the Blue Line and at the stations Haymarket and North Station is the Green Line are available. A connection to Amtrak and commuter trains of the MBTA Commuter Rail is at the stations Back Bay and North Station, excluding commuter trains can be achieved in the stations Ruggles in Roxbury or Forest Hills. From 1901 to 1987, the Orange Line, the first elevated light rail in Boston. The last section of the route in 1987 demolished when the southern portion of the route was moved to the Southwest Corridor.
History
Designations
The current name Orange Line was assigned to the line in the 1960s and is derived from the Orange Street, which in turn is an old name for the Washington Street in downtown Boston, at which the line still runs through the Washington Street tunnel. Previously, all light rail were painted fully or partially orange in the system of the Boston network, which is today in the restored vehicles of the Ashmont - Mattapan High Speed Line visible. But this is not in a connection.
Many stations in 1967 and 1987, renamed by the name of the station is no longer the nearest intersection, but all nearby attractions or structural features of the city. For example, the station Boylston -Essex was renamed in Chinatown.
Streckenbau
The main line of the Boston Elevated Railway was opened electrified in several sections in 1901. It ran from Everett along the Charlestown Elevated to the ramp near the North Station. Due to the Tremont Street Subway, the line ran on today's Green Line section on underground and returned to the Pleasant Street near the present station Boylston back to the surface. In the meantime, there was a connection to the Washington Street Elevated, which ran in 1901 from this point on the Washington Street to Dudley Square. This section is now served by the Silver Line.
The Atlantic Avenue Elevated was opened also in 1901, the branched along Causeway Street to offer an alternative route through the Boston town center and along the coast line to the Washington Street Elevated can.
In 1908, the Washington Street tunnel was opened and joined the Charlestown Elevated with the lines Washington Street Elevated and Atlantic Avenue Elevated near Chinatown. The use of the Tremont Street Subway was again reserved exclusively for trams.
By 1909, the Washington Street Elevated was extended up to the Forest Hills station. Trains from Washington Street were passed through the new tunnel.
Closure of the Atlantic Elevated
As a result of an accident in 1928 in a tight corner on Beach Street, the southern connection between the South Station and Washington Street was closed, thereby disrupting the circuit. Around 1938 was already the entire Atlantic Avenue Elevated closed, so the tunnel was the only remaining route through the city center. Today, this is the section of the Orange Line between Haymarket and Chinatown.
The ownership of the tracks in 1947 transferred from the Boston Elevated Railway private sector to the public sector supported by the Metropolitan Transit Authority ( MTA), which was founded in 1964 as today's Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority new.
New routes
As part of the action taken in the 1970s planning process Boston Transportation Planning Review of the Orange Line extensions are proposed to the beltway Massachusetts Route 128 to end stations in Reading and Dedham. As a result of the procedure, the Charlestown Elevated, who served the district of Charlestown and the suburb of Everett, was demolished in 1975. The extension Haymarket North Extension led the Orange Line at a new track under the Charles River through. Charles Town was served by the Boston and Albany Railroad, which drove up to Malden. The connection to Everett was not replaced.
Closure of the Washington Street Elevated
After there had been local protests against the necessary demolition work, the construction of Interstate 95 to Boston's city center in 1972 has been canceled. In fact, large areas had already been bulldozed for the leading through Roxbury Southwest Corridor, so that the Orange Line was passed in the corridor instead of the planned highway. In 1987, the last remaining section of the former Washington Street Elevated was torn down in the wake of this new route.
Since May 4, 1987, the Orange Line uses the new route through the Southwest Corridor and runs along the old route of the Boston and Albany Railroad to the Back Bay Station. From there it follows the new rails up to Forest Hills. This section is also used by Amtrak as part of National Northeast Corridor.
Although the line so that more or less ends at the same destination, the route now runs much further west of Washington Street. The residents was therefore undertaken to provide an appropriate replacement. Original plans included the introduction of a new tram line from Washington Street to Dudley Square, and thence to Dorchester. In 2002, however, the Busway system of the Silver Line was extended to connect the Washington Street with the subways in the city center instead. However, this was controversial because many residents wanted the return of rail transport.
Renovations during the Big Dig
As part of the Big Dig, the stations Haymarket and North Station were in the 1990s and 2000s completely renovated. The physical connection of the Green Line to the Orange Line has been improved so that the transfer was facilitated between the lines, the ramp on Canal Street was finally closed and the Green Line passed through a new portal near the Leonard P. Zakim bunker Hill Memorial Bridge is located in the immediate vicinity of the river.
The new station Assembly Square
Along the Mystic River currently establishing the new district Assembly Row, "where the living is good, the working is easy, and the shopping is totally amazing ." In this context, the Orange Line to the Assembly Square station will be expanded, which is scheduled to open in 2014 as an additional breakpoint between stations Wellington and Sullivan Square.
Rolling stock
The trains of the Orange Line ride on tracks with standard gauge and are supplied by busbar with energy. The cars of the currently used 01200er series were built in the period 1980 to 1981 by Hawker Siddeley (now Bombardier Transportation) in the Canadian Thunder Bay. They are 65 ft ( 19.8 m) long, 111 in wide (2.8 m) and having at each side three double doors. They are based on the model PA3, which is used by the Port Authority Trans -Hudson in New Jersey. There are 120 car with the numbers 01200-01319. All trains of the Orange Line ride with a configuration of 6 cars.
In early 2009, it was announced that a planning process for the procurement of new cars for the Orange Line and the Red Line has begun. The goal is in the order of 146 new vehicles for the Orange Line to replace the entire fleet of 74 vehicles as well as for the Red Line to replace the 1500s and 1600s series. It is expected that the new cars 2013-2017 are used.
Track guide
The Orange Line has two tracks, so that for each direction of travel can be used own. Between the station and the Wellington portal Charles River, there is a third track, which is used in construction work on the tracks as an alternate route, and on the test newly arrived vehicles for the Orange Line and Blue Line.
Accessibility
All the Orange Line station are accessible. Work on the station state to make these from the Blue Line out to accessible, were completed in spring 2011.
List of stops
The Orange Line stops at the following stations: