Green Line train in mixed traffic at Riverway Station. The new service will include station platforms for better safety and accessibility. Photo by Sean Sullivan.

Street Operations

The Arborway line runs along existing streets in Jamaica Plain. The streetcars will operate in mixed traffic, using the same lane as the cars. There is not sufficient room for creating a dedicated travel path on these streets.

The line will extend from the current Green Line terminus at South Huntington & Heath St, running along South Huntington to the five-way intersection with Centre, Moraine and Boylston. The line will then follow Centre St through the central business district to Monument Square, and turn onto South St, ending at Forest Hills station (Orange Line).

Over this region, there is one traffic lane in each direction, and one curbside lane dedicated to parking and MBTA bus stops. The traffic lane will serve both cars and Green Line trains, in a manner similar to the present situation between Brigham Circle and Heath Street (see photo on left). The curbside lane will still be used primarily for parking. At Green Line stations, passenger platforms will be constructed in the curbside lane. Streetcars will stop in the traffic lane to let passengers board and exit the train.

It is expected that bus stops will be removed from the corridor, and bus lines still serving Jamaica Plain (#31, #41, #48) will stop at the Green Line platforms. Note that #39, the frequent bus in this region, will cease operations when the Green Line resumes service to its route.

Construction of raised platform at Washington Square station (C Line). Photo by Sean Sullivan.

Station Design

The stations on the Arborway line will typically be built in the curbside lane, creating a waiting space that provides safe access to trains and does not obstruct the sidewalk. To support the use of two-car trains, and the use of all doors from these trains, platforms will extend over a length of 130 feet.

In accordance with federal regulations (ADA), all stations on the Arborway line will be accessible to persons with disabilities. The new "Type 8" Green Line vehicles, designed for accessibility, require station platforms that are raised 8 inches above the rails (street level). With slightly raised platforms constructed in the parking lane, the stations will be clearly demarcated relative to their surroundings.

ARRPAC has not yet discussed any details of station design, but it is probable that the platforms will be equipped with benches, MBTA and neighborhood maps, lighting, trash cans, and rain shelters. There is also an opportunity for artistic elements that give each station a distinctive flavor.

In some areas of the Arborway line, there are no 130-foot sections of unbroken curbside available for use as a station platform. Therefore, it may sometimes be necessary to build the platform in two segments, leaving space for an existing driveway. Since trains will stop at a defined place relative to the platform, these platform gaps will not interfere with safe Green Line operations.

Type 8 Green Line streetcar, on B line at Washington Street. These new vehicles, more accessible for persons with disabilities, will be used on the Arborway line. Photo by Sean Sullivan.

Green Line Trains

The MBTA intends to operate one-car and two-car trains on the Arborway line, depending on the time of day. To support ADA requirements for accessibility, at least one car in every train will be a "Type 8" -- one of the 100 new Green Line vehicles ordered from Breda. When running in two-car trains, the other car may be either another Type 8, or one of the "Type 7" vehicles in the current Green Line fleet.

The frequency of Green Line service has not yet been discussed. We anticipate that service levels will be similar to existing service on the Green Line: about every 10 minutes on nights and weekends, and more frequent during rush hour.

In very preliminary discussions with the MBTA, it appears that the E line trains may run between Forest Hills and Lechmere. However, no decisions have yet been made about operations on this line. Therefore, it is possible that the new E line may terminate downtown at Park St, Government Center or North Station. As a historical note, pre-1986 Arborway service only ran to Park Street station. In any case, it is evident that the Arborway line will provide one-stop rides between Jamaica Plain and downtown Boston.

5-minute walking zones around proposed stations (approximate). Click on map for full-size image.

Station Locations

In November 2002, ARRPAC completed a draft design recommendation regarding station locations on the Arborway line. These recommendations are provisional, pending community feedback and engineering design assessments. Major factors influencing the proposal included:

• A maximum distance of 1/4 mile between stations (passenger convenience);
• Minimizing the total number of stations (expedite Green Line travel);
• Stations near high-need facilities (e.g. hospitals, elderly and assisted housing);
• Proximity to major feeder cross-streets (access to neighborhoods);
• Integration with existing patterns of traffic flow (avoid creating gridlock);
• When possible, locations near traffic signals (pedestrian safety).

The station locations in this draft recommendation:

• VA HOSPITAL. The VA Hospital was considered a "high-need" facility, where a nearby station would have special value. Pedestrian travel from the existing station at Heath Street can be rather difficult, due to the distance and slight hill. The hospital's preferred point of access is at the traffic light on South Huntington at the facility; this traffic light was placed there for pedestrian safety. Therefore, a natural station location would be at the VA Hospital traffic light.

• BYNNER ST. The primary reason for this station is to "fill the gap" between the VA Hospital and Perkins St stations -- both considered important locations by ARRPAC, but far enough apart to need an intermediate stop. The exact location was selected for two reasons: proximity to the Mount Pleasant Home (considered a "high need" facility), and immediately adjacent to the Bynner St traffic light (for pedestrian safety).

• PERKINS ST. On existing #39 service, the stop at Perkins St has the 2nd-highest ridership along the Arborway line. This stop provides close access to the Hyde Square business district (one block east on Perkins), direct access to the MSPCA / Angell Memorial (24-hour animal hospital), a location with an existing traffic signal (pedestrian safety), and good access to surrounding neighborhoods via Perkins St.

• MORAINE ST. This stop is close to Perkins St, but also appears important for providing access to surrounding neighborhoods. With three cross-streets (Moraine to the west, Boylston to the east, and Centre to the north), a stop here can save walking time for passengers living in areas of Jamaica Plain that are not right along the Green Line. On existing #39 service, the stop here as the 3rd-highest ridership along the Arborway line.

• BEAUFORT RD. This stop "fills the gap" between the Moraine and JP Center station locations.

• JP CENTER. This stop would be located somewhere in the northern end of the central business district. The exact position has been left vague in the recommendation, due to the complexity of the region. The most probable placement would have an inbound stop near Burroughs St, and an outbound stop north of Green St. This outbound position would prevent the stop from blocking traffic turning left onto Centre from Green St. This would also be the closest stop to Jamaica Pond.

• MONUMENT. This stop serves the southern end of the Centre St business district. The neighborhoods west and northwest of this stop are relatively deep, with walking distances of up to 1/3 mile (7 minutes) from the Green Line route. Due to these distances, it is particularly important for a stop to be located near the main feeder streets (Centre and Eliot). The inbound platform would be located at Curtis Hall (south of Monument), while the outbound platform would be just north of Monument. (The curbside along the Monument itself is not long enough for a Green Line station platform.)

• CHILD/JAMAICA. This stop is intermediate on South St between the Monument and Forest Hills stations, and is located at the Farnsworth House, which was considered a "high need" facility.

For each stop on the #39 bus (being replaced by the Green Line), this table shows the daily ridership according to MBTA statistics. The relative intensity of demand for public transit along the Arborway corridor can be seen by reviewing these statistics.

Each value combines total daily passengers on & off the bus at a given stop. Except as noted, each stop represents the added values for an inbound stop and outbound stop.

Total ridership is 9,722. The five stops with ridership above 650 are marked in bold, and account for slightly over 50% of the total ridership.

1.	Heath St	341
2.	VA Hospital	482
3.	VA Parking	291
4.	Bynner St	518
5.	Perkins St	1,141
6.	Moraine St	848
7.	Kingsboro St	181	inbound only
8.	Robinwood Ave	782
9.	Lakeville Rd	620
10.	Pond St	163	outbound only
11.	Green/Lester	638
12.	Seaverns/Burroughs	1,369
13.	Monument	762
14.	Carolina Ave	502
15.	Child/Jamaica	609
16.	St Rose	268
17.	St Mark	207

Statistics were not available for #39 ridership at Forest Hills station.

We can use these values to estimate the relative intensity of demand at the new Green Line stations. The actual ridership is expected to vary because of the change in service, but this can give a rough sense of proportion:

1.	VA Hospital	482	Bus stop #2
2.	Bynner St	809	Bus stops #3, #4
3.	Perkins St	1,141	Bus stop #5
4.	Moraine St	1,029	Bus stops #6, #7
5.	Beaufort Rd	1,565	Bus stops #8, #9, #10
6.	JP Center	2,007	Bus stops #11, #12
7.	Monument	762	Bus stop #13
8.	Child St	1,379	Bus stops #14, #15, #16

... with the ridership at St Mark (Bus stop #17) rolling over to Forest Hills.

The MBTA has provided a set of detailed charts showing existing conditions along the Arborway corridor. These illustrations show the exact configuration of the streets, including intersections, crosswalks, parking spaces, bus stops, fire hydrants, etc. Possible site locations for the proposed stations are also indicated.

These are available as a series of 10 high-resolution images, each covering a portion of the corridor:

1. South Huntington (Heath St to VA Hospital)
2. South Huntington (VA Hospital to Castleton)
3. South Huntington (Castleton to Centre St)
4. Centre St (South Huntington to Pershing)
5. Centre St (Pershing to Lakeville Rd)
6. Centre St (Goodrich to Seaverns)
7. Centre St (Seaverns to Monument)
8. South St (Monument to Carolina)
9. South St (St Joseph to Rosemary)
10. South St (Spalding to Forest Hills)