MEDFORD, Mass. — The first train on the MBTA’s new extended Green Line route will leave its new station around 5 a.m. Monday.
The Massachusetts Transportation Bay Authority expects to accommodate 50,000 new passengers thanks to the extension.
The Green Line will now continue north past Lechmere Station with stops in East Somerville, Gilman Square by Somerville City Hall, Magoun and Ball Squares and ending in Medford at Tufts University. “Having a stop on campus is going to be life-changing,” said Tufts University freshman Kymberly Kuras. “I’ve probably spent $200 on Ubers thus far and I’ve only been here one semester.” Kuras said she won’t miss the inconvenience or the cost of getting into Boston.
“The walk is like 20 minutes to Davis and then you have to take the Red Line, switch to the Green Line, so like 40 minutes on the T,” said Kuras. “This is going to cut that in half probably, and the money is going to be, it’s going to be a lot cheaper, so it’s going to be great.”
Businesses along the new route are excited about the greater foot traffic the extension could bring.
The Green Line Extension Project started in July 2018 and was supposed to be completed by December 2021, but it was delayed due to the pandemic and other factors.
The MBTA said the project has remained on-budget.
“I feel very excited about it because I work at MIT, so I have to walk every day to Davis Square or take a bus to take the Red Line, but now I live very close by,” said Ayse Eren, who lives down the road from the new Ball Square Station in Somerville. “I will take this every day.”
Two celebrations are planned for Monday – one in Somerville and another in Medford.
Somerville Mayor Katjana Ballantyne and other city officials are hosting a rush hour celebration at Ball Square with a band and free opening day memorabilia.
In Medford, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, Governor Charlie Baker, Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito, Congresswoman and U.S. Assistant Speaker Katherine Clark, Rep. Christine Barber, MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak, Medford and Somerville Mayors Breanna Lugo-Koehn and Katjana Ballantyne, MassDOT Secretary and CEO Jamey Tesler and Tufts University President-elect Sunil Kumar are also hosting a celebration at 10 a.m. Monday at the Medford/Tufts station located at 177 College Ave.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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