How Boston’s transit system helped shape a nation at 250

BOSTON — As commuters hurry onto MBTA buses and trains, it may be easy to take the public transit system for granted.

But as the nation celebrates its 250th birthday, we can’t overlook how Massachusetts’ transit system shaped that nation.

“We were the first, what you would call, a public transit subway. So, underground transportation for public transit vehicles, we were the first in North America,” said MBTA historian Steven Beaucher.

Beaucher is the author of “Boston in Transit: Mapping the History of Public Transportation in The Hub”, a book that covers nearly 400 years of public transit history in and around Boston.

Beaucher explained that history begins in the 1630s, when the early colonists established Boston on the Shawmut Peninsula. “They basically say, hey, we need a little ferry to run between basically the North End over to Charlestown. And the next year, our first form of public transportation, the Charlestown Ferry, opened.”

Beaucher said after the Revolution, the focus shifted to travel by horse and stagecoach. But it wasn’t long before a new mode of transit was picking up steam.

“In the 1820s, steam locomotion was perfected in Europe. We bring it over here. By the end of the 1830s, we had all of our major, we now think of them as commuter rail lines, but the line out to Fitchburg, the line out to Worcester, the line down to Plymouth.”

The lines connected people then, and now.

“All of those are in place; it’s one of the things we should be proud of as we celebrate the 250th. We still have those. We can still use them.”

It would be a long time before the subway as commuters now know it, actually came to be. But it also started right in Boston. The oldest subway tunnel in North America, for the oldest subway in North America, was built in 1897. At first, it only ran from Boylston Street to Park Street before it expanded in phases.

As Beaucher explained, “We built a tunnel for streetcars. It was 1.3 miles long. Went from North Station over to the Back Bay. And that’s still the Green Line today.” Public funding transformed the state’s transit system in the mid-20th century, from the MTA to the MBTA.

The system continued to grow to several subway and commuter rail lines, and dozens of bus routes.

All of it serves as a model for other cities. “Boston has always been looked to be at the forefront,” said Beaucher. He admits the process wasn’t always with growing pains.

But Massachusetts’ transit system remains a dynamic piece of history, as it continues its mission today.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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