View source for Green Line A branch

{{short description|Former streetcar line in Massachusetts, US}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2019}}
{{Infobox rail line
|name        = Green Line A branch
|color       = {{rcr|MBTA|Green|A}}
|image       = MBTA 3109 on Cambridge Street, September 1968.jpg
|image_width = 300px
|caption     = An A branch streetcar on Cambridge Street in 1968
|type        = [[Light rail]]
|system      = [[Green Line (MBTA)|Green Line]] ([[MBTA subway]])
|status      = Abandoned
|locale      = [[Boston]], [[Newton, Massachusetts|Newton]], and [[Watertown, Massachusetts|Watertown]]
|start       = {{bts|Park Street}}
|end         = {{bts|Watertown Yard}}
|stations    =
|open        = 
|close       = June 20, 1969
|operator    = [[Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority|MBTA]] (at time of closure)
|stock       = [[PCC streetcar]]s (at time of closure)
|linelength  = {{convert|7.3|miles}}
|tracks      = 2 
|gauge       = {{RailGauge|ussg}}
|map         = {{switcher
|{{maplink-road|from=Green Line A branch.map}}
|Show interactive map
|{{MBTA Green Line A}}
|Show route diagram map
}}
}}

The '''A branch''' or '''Watertown Line''' was a [[Tram|streetcar line]] in the [[Boston, Massachusetts]], area, operating as a branch of the [[Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority]] [[Green Line (MBTA)|Green Line]]. The line ran from [[Watertown, Massachusetts|Watertown]] through [[Newton Corner, Massachusetts|Newton Corner]], [[Brighton, Boston|Brighton]], and [[Allston, Boston|Allston]] to [[Kenmore Square]], then used the [[Boylston Street subway]] and [[Tremont Street subway]] to reach [[Park Street station (MBTA)|Park Street station]].

Portions of the route were built as [[horsecar]] lines between 1858 and 1880. The segment between {{bts|Union Square|Green|A}} and {{bts|Oak Square}} was electrified in 1889 as part of the [[Green Line C branch|Beacon Street line]]. By 1896, electric routes ran from Newton Corner (Nonantum Square) to downtown Boston via Brighton and via Watertown. Brighton service was extended to Watertown in 1912. The line was operated until 1969, when it was replaced by [[MBTA bus]] route 57, though it remained in service for non-revenue moves to Watertown Yard until 1994.

==History==
===Formation===
[[File:Green Line branches.jpg|thumb|left|1967 map of branches of the newly named Green Line, showing the "A" branch]]
Construction of the Brighton Horse Railroad, a [[horse car]] [[street railway]], began in 1858.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54565403/new-england-farmer/ |title=General Intelligence |newspaper=New England Farmer |date=January 23, 1858 |page=3 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref> The line began at [[Central Square (Cambridge)|Central Square]], [[Cambridge, Massachusetts|Cambridge]], and crossed the [[Charles River]] on the River Street bridge into [[Allston, Boston|Allston]]. It continued through Union Square along Cambridge Street and Washington Street to Oak Square in the center of [[Brighton, Boston|Brighton]]. The line was operated by the Union Street Railway, a holding company for the [[Cambridge Railroad]] system. After a dispute with the [[Boston and Worcester Railroad]] over [[Frog war|the right to cross their tracks]], the line opened on November 15, 1858.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54589674/new-england-farmer/ |title=Miscellaneous Items |newspaper=New England Farmer |date=September 18, 1858 |page=3 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref><ref name=century>{{cite book |title=Tremont Street Subway: A Century of Public Service |last1=Clarke |first1=Bradley H. |last2=Cummings |first2=O.R. |year=1997 |publisher=Boston Street Railway Association |isbn=0938315048 }}</ref>{{rp|48}} Service was doubled in April 1878, with cars operating every half hour.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54595119/the-boston-globe/ |title=Brighton District |newspaper=Boston Globe |date=April 30, 1878 |page=1 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref> In 1880, the company opened a second Brighton–Cambridge line via Market Street and Western Avenue.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54595242/the-boston-globe/ |title=The Union Street Railway |newspaper=Boston Globe |date=December 30, 1879 |page=4 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref> A planned extension that year from Oak Square to [[Newton Corner station|Nonantum Square]] was not built, though a line from Watertown to Nonantum Square was.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54595171/the-boston-globe/ |title=Newton |newspaper=Boston Globe |date=December 16, 1879 |page=4 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8BdbAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA3-PA96 |title=Eighteenth Annual Report of the City Engineer for the Year Ending December 31, 1898 |chapter=Street Railways |page=96 |year=1899 |publisher=Graphic Press |via=Google Books}}</ref>

In the late 1880s, the [[West End Street Railway]] consolidated the horse railroads, including the Cambridge Railroad, under its control. The West End opened [[Green Line C branch|its first electric streetcar line]] on January 3, 1889. The line ran between the Allston Carhouse (just north of Union Square) and [[Park Square (Boston)|Park Square]] via Harvard Street, Beacon Street, Massachusetts Avenue, and Boylston Street. Electric service was extended to Oak Square on January 13.<ref name=century />{{rp|48}} Electric service between Watertown and Mount Auburn began on December 12, 1893; the line was double-tracked later in the decade.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54606875/the-boston-globe/ |title=Joined By Electric Bands |newspaper=Boston Globe |date=December 12, 1893 |page=4 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54611055/the-boston-globe/ |title=To Widen Mt Auburn Street |newspaper=Boston Globe |date=December 10, 1894 |page=3 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54606976/the-boston-globe/ |title=Newton |newspaper=Boston Globe |date=June 1, 1896 |page=2 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref> On August 18, 1896, the Western Avenue line was double-tracked and electrified.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/stream/annualreporto18831921west#page/n225/mode/2up |title=Ninth Annual Report of the West End Street Railway Company for the Year Ending September 30, 1896 |page=7 |year=1896 |publisher=Walker, Young & Co |via=Internet Archive}}</ref> It was the last line that ran over the [[West Boston Bridge]] to be electrified; until then, its cars were hauled by horses to Central Square, then attached to electric cars from Allston for the remainder of the trip into Boston.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54626096/the-boston-globe/ |title=New Arrangements on the West End Road |newspaper=Boston Globe |date=December 26, 1894 |page=2 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54626088/the-boston-globe/ |title=New Electric Line |newspaper=Boston Globe |date=April 9, 1895 |page=7 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54626066/the-boston-globe/ |title=To Country and Beach |newspaper=Boston Globe |date=August 13, 1896 |page=2 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref>

On May 18, 1896, tracks opened from Union Square east along North Beacon Street and [[Commonwealth Avenue (Boston)|Commonwealth Avenue]] to [[Kenmore Square]], merging with the existing tracks on Beacon Street. On June 13, the western terminal was also extended to just shy of [[Newton Corner, Massachusetts|Newton Corner]] (Nonantum Square).<!-- with Newton Corner service beginning May 21, 1898.--> On November 8, 1897, Newton service via Commonwealth Avenue began running into the [[Tremont Street subway]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/53147218/the-boston-globe/ |title=Subway Notice |newspaper=Boston Globe |date=November 6, 1897 |page=2 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref> A lengthy Nonantum Square–{{bts|City Point}} route via Allston, Coolidge Corner, and Park Square opened on August 4, 1900.<ref name=new>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52811978/the-boston-globe/ |title=New Electric Car Routes |newspaper=Boston Globe |date=July 30, 1900 |page=12 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref> On December 9, 1912, service was extended north to [[Watertown, Massachusetts|Watertown]] on the existing Galen Street tracks.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54535763/the-boston-globe/ |title=To Watertown Car Barn |newspaper=Boston Globe |date=December 7, 1912 |page=5 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref> During the early part of the 20th century, the line was also used for freight service.<ref name=watertown>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020203204656/http://members.aol.com/netransit5/watertown/watertown.html |url=http://members.aol.com/netransit5/watertown/watertown.html |archive-date=February 3, 2002 |publisher=NETransit |title=The Watertown Line |author=Moore, Scott |access-date=September 10, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The Boylston Street subway was opened to an incline in [[Kenmore Square]] on October 3, 1914, with Watertown service via Brighton Center immediately routed into the new tunnel.<ref name=bss /> The first use of high-capacity center-entrance streetcars on the BERy system was as trailers on the Watertown Line in mid-1915.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54562639/the-boston-globe/ |title='Trailers' to Relieve Rush-Hour Jam |newspaper=Boston Globe |date=May 22, 1915 |page=4 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref> On February 23, 1922, Oak Square short turns were extended to Watertown in the evening peak hour.<ref name=feb23 /> The Blandford Street portal, on Commonwealth Avenue west of {{bts|Kenmore}}, opened October 23, 1932, marking the last change in the route of the service. In 1941, the line became the first line in Boston to have primary service with the new PCC streetcars, which replaced the Types 4 and 5 cars then in service.<ref name=watertown />

===North Beacon Street line===
[[File:Public Garden Incline 1910 postcard.jpg|thumb|left|A 1910 postcard of two streetcars at the [[Public Garden incline]]. The left car is bound for Watertown via North Beacon Street; the right is bound for Park Street from Union Square.]]
In June 1894, the West End applied for city permission to construct a line on North Beacon Street between Union Square and the Watertown border.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54611818/the-boston-globe/ |title=[Untitled] |newspaper=Boston Globe |date=June 9, 1894 |page=8 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref> The [[Newtonville and Watertown Street Railway]] soon secured position to build between {{bts|Watertown Square}} and Union Square, with the intention to use the West End tracks to reach downtown Boston. After approval by the [[Watertown Arsenal]] (which owned a section of North Beacon Street) in 1896 – despite the objection of the West End – the company constructed the line in 1898.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54606903/the-boston-globe/ |title=Single Track Location |newspaper=Boston Globe |date=August 25, 1896 |page=4 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54606948/the-boston-globe/ |title=New Link for Electrics |newspaper=Boston Globe |date=September 11, 1896 |page=12 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54557946/the-boston-globe/ |title=Brighton |newspaper=Boston Globe |date=June 20, 1898 |page=4 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref>

After further disagreements between its parent company [[Newton and Boston Street Railway]] and the BERy about operations, the line opened in 1900.<ref name=notdelay>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54563106/the-boston-globe/ |title=Watertown Will Not Delay |newspaper=Boston Globe |date=January 26, 1899 |page=4 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54563425/the-boston-globe/ |title=Watertown |newspaper=Boston Globe |date=May 12, 1900 |page=5 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref><ref name=busreport>{{Humphrey Bus Report|page=}}</ref>{{rp|195}} Through service on the line between Watertown and the Tremont Street subway, acting as a branch of the Newton-Brighton line, began on November 18, 1900.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54557902/the-boston-globe/ |title=New Line to Park St Station |newspaper=Boston Globe |date=November 17, 1900 |page=4 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref> The BERy took over the line from the Newton and Boston in 1907.<ref name=busreport />{{rp|195}} The portion west of Market Street was among the only BERy lines never to be double-tracked.<ref>{{citation |title=Map of Boston and Vicinity showing tracks operated by the Boston Elevated Railway Co., Surface Lines |title-link=:commons:File:1904 Boston Elevated Railway surface lines map.png |date=August 1904 |publisher=Boston Elevated Railway |via=Wikimedia Commons}}</ref><ref>{{citation |title=Tracks Operated by the Boston Elevated Railway Company |title-link=:commons:File:1914 BERy track map.png |date=January 1914 |publisher=Boston Elevated Railway |via=Wikimedia Commons}}</ref><ref>{{citation |title=Boston Elevated Railway Lines |title-link=:commons:File:1921 BERy system map.jpg |date=1921 |publisher=Boston Elevated Railway |via=Wikimedia Commons |first=W. I. |last=Mather}}</ref>

The [[Newton Street Railway]] (later the [[Middlesex and Boston Street Railway]]) began [[Waltham, Massachusetts|Waltham]]–Park Street service via the North Beacon Street line on February 23, 1903.<ref name=century />{{rp|39}} This service was rerouted to [[Central station (MBTA)|Central Square]] on April 27, 1912, running on Arsenal Street and Western Avenue rather than North Beacon Street. Oak Square–Boston service via Western Avenue was also cut to an Oak Square–Central Square route, and later to a Union Square–Central Square route. Watertown–Park Street service via North Beacon Street remained.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54538110/the-boston-globe/ |title=To Connect at Subway |newspaper=Boston Globe |date=April 25, 1912 |page=11 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref> Upon the opening of the Boylston Street subway in October 1914, North Beacon Street service was cut to a Watertown–Union Square shuttle.<ref name=bss>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54438602/the-boston-globe/ |title=Changes Made by New Subway |newspaper=Boston Globe |date=October 1, 1914 |page=3 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref> It was further cut to a North Beacon Street bridge (the Brighton/Watertown line) – Union Square shuttle on June 2, 1917.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/59404778/the-boston-globe/ |title=Changes in Service on Several Elevated Lines |newspaper=Boston Globe |date=June 3, 1917 |page=16 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref>

The North Beacon Street shuttle was replaced with a bus route on February 23, 1922.<ref name=feb23>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54545466/the-boston-globe/ |title=Extra "L" Service for Watertown and Newton |newspaper=Boston Globe |date=February 22, 1922 |page=3 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref> A Watertown–Arsenal Street bridge bus route, which ran on North Beacon between Watertown and School Street, was briefly run in 1925–26.<ref name=busreport />{{rp|50}} The Central Square–Union Square line was rerouted via Western Avenue and Soldiers Field Road on December 14, 1925, with a new bus route on River Street.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54550933/the-boston-globe/|title=Day and Night Cars Changes on Monday |newspaper=Boston Globe |date=December 10, 1925 |page=17 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref> The bus route was extended to Union Square on September 11, 1926, replacing the streetcar line.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54555585/the-boston-globe/ |title=Buses to Take Place of Allston-Central Sq Cars |newspaper=Boston Globe |date=September 10, 1926 |page=8 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref> The two bus routes were combined in February 1933 to eliminate the transfer; the route is now the [[64 (MBTA bus)|route 64 bus]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54557418/the-boston-globe/ |title=Brighton District |newspaper=Boston Globe |date=January 21, 1933 |page=11 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54557472/the-boston-globe/ |title=Brighton District |newspaper=Boston Globe |date=February 20, 1933 |page=9 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref>

===Closure===
[[File:MBTA 3137 boarding passengers at St. Elizabeth's Hospital, September 1968.jpg|thumb|left|The A branch ran in mixed traffic for much of its length, causing it to be slow and unreliable.]]
Prior to 1967, when the current letters were assigned to the [[Green Line (MBTA)|Green Line]]'s branches, the Watertown Line was route 69. (Route 57, the line's current number, was originally assigned to {{bts|Heath Street}} short-turn trips on the [[Green Line E branch|Huntington Avenue line]].) The line was assigned the letter "A" because it was the northernmost branch. Turnback loops existed at Union Square (via Cambridge Street and Harvard Avenue) and Oak Square, as well as the {{bts|Watertown}} terminal. Additionally, from 1915 to January 15, 1962, a loop existed at [[Braves Field]], for special events along the part of the line concurrent with the [[Green Line B branch|Commonwealth Avenue line]].<ref name=netransit />

The opening of the [[Green Line D branch|Riverside Line]] in 1959 caused streetcar lines in Cambridge running out of [[Harvard Square]] to be converted to [[trackless trolley]], and the newly freed [[PCC streetcar]]s were reassigned to the Riverside branch. However, the 1940s-era PCC fleet was aging, and maintaining five different types of PCCs complicated mechanical work.<ref name=crisis /> By the late 1960s, wear and tear and a lack of replacements caused a shortage of Green Line streetcars, and the MBTA announced the closure of the A branch on a "trial" basis.<ref name=crisis>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070222151636/http://members.aol.com/netransit/private/LRV.html |url=http://members.aol.com/netransit/private/LRV.html |title=Boston's Green Line Crisis |author=Moore, Scott |publisher=NETransit |access-date=September 10, 2011 |archive-date=February 22, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=metro />

The A branch was chosen for closure because much of its route consisted of [[street running]] sections from Watertown to Packards Corner, and in 1964 there had been objections to keeping the service past Newton Corner.<ref name=watertown /> Streetcars last ran on June 20, 1969, with the route 57 bus beginning the next day.
{{clear left}}

===Track removal===
[[File:Green Line A Branch, disconnected switch, September 2014.jpg|thumb|left|Former stub remains of A branch tracks at {{bts|Packards Corner}}. The switch was disconnected in 2014 and paved over in 2020.]]
The legacy tracks remained after 1969, being used for several decades to allow Green Line streetcars to reach the Watertown Carhouse for maintenance.  The last use of the line was in 1993, when the fleet of PCC streetcars used for the [[Mattapan Line|Ashmont–Mattapan High-Speed Line]] was refurbished at the Watertown carhouse.<ref name=watertown /> The electrified overhead wire was finally removed in March 1994.<ref name="netransit">{{NETransit}}</ref>

Additional overhead infrastructure, as well as the tracks themselves, were mainly removed by the end of the summer of 1996 as part of a resurfacing project on North Beacon Street. Remnants of the tracks are still visible today in the [[Watertown Yard bus terminal]] (no longer used for railcar maintenance), and formerly as a short stub track at [[Packard's Corner]], where the "A" branch used to diverge from the "B" branch. The stub, part of the former outbound track, was used for temporarily storing disabled trains until it was shorted to just a few feet long in the mid 2000s; the switch was not disconnected until 2014 and not paved over until 2020.

Restoration of the "A" branch was advocated to provide a one-seat ride to downtown Boston from the northern corridor (rather than requiring a transfer at Kenmore), but was ruled too costly and less safe compared to the replacement bus service.<ref name=metro>{{cite news|url=http://www.metro.us/us/article/2009/06/22/02/3545-72/index.xml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100503223140/http://www.metro.us/us/article/2009/06/22/02/3545-72/index.xml |archive-date=May 3, 2010 |title=Where did the 'A' Line go, anyway? |author=St. Martin, Greg |newspaper=Boston Metro |date=June 21, 2009 |access-date=September 10, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
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===Bus routes===
====Route 57====<!-- 57 (MBTA bus) and other articles link here-->
{{Anchor|Route 57A}}{{Anchor|Route 193}}
{{Infobox bus route
|number=57
|bgcolor=#{{rcr|MBTA|Bus}}
|image=MBTA_route_57_bus_at_Union_Square,_July_2021.jpg
|image_width=300px
|caption=A route 57 bus at [[Union Square station (Allston)|Union Square, Allston]], in July 2021
|image_alt=A white and yellow transit bus on an urban street
|system=[[MBTA bus]]
|locale=[[Boston]], [[Newton, Massachusetts|Newton]], and [[Watertown, Massachusetts]]
|length={{convert|5.8|miles}} eastbound<br />{{convert|5.4|miles}} westbound
|start=[[Watertown Yard]]
|end=[[Kenmore station]]
|dailyridership=10,560 (2018)<ref name=route57>{{cite web |url=https://cdn.mbta.com/sites/default/files/projects/betterbus/route-profiles/57.pdf |title=Route 57 |date=December 2018 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority}}</ref>
|garage=Albany Street Garage<ref name=bluebook>{{MBTA Bluebook 2014}}</ref>
}}

The '''57 Watertown Yard–Kenmore station''' bus was initiated in 1969 as replacement service for the A branch. The 57 follows the same routing from Watertown Yard to {{bts|Kenmore}} except for the Newton Corner rotary, where inbound buses follow traffic rather than operating in a counterflow lane as streetcars had. As a way to make the service more attractive, the MBTA originally had the 57 operate as a limited (boarding-only outbound and dropoff-only inbound) between Packards Corner and Kenmore, with the "B" branch providing local service along Commonwealth Avenue. In December 2006 the 57 began making local stops on Commonwealth.<ref name=netransit />

Since [[free transfer (public transit)|free transfers]] had been previously eliminated by the M.T.A. in October 1961, Watertown riders had to pay a double fare to continue downtown after the [[bustitution]]. This continued until January 1, 2007, when a new fare structure added free transfers when using a [[CharlieCard]].<ref>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070127064205/http://www.mbta.com/fares_and_passes/ |archive-date=January 27, 2007 |url=http://www.mbta.com/fares_and_passes/? |title=Fares & Passes (effective January 2007) |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Additional [[short turn]] trips between Oak Square and Kenmore at rush hour were cut in June 1971, and restored for mornings only in 1987. Morning-only Brighton Center–Kenmore trips were operated from September 1999 to June 2013.<ref name=netransit /> On September 1, 2008<!--service change on August 30, 57A began on Monday the 1st-->, due to overcrowding on the inner part of the route, the MBTA began operating the '''57A Oak Square–Kenmore station''' short turn of the 57 during weekday rush hours.<ref name=netransit /><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.wickedlocal.com/article/20080911/News/309119639/?Start=2 |title=Residents split on proposed bus route changes |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208201710/http://www.wickedlocal.com/article/20080911/News/309119639/?Start=2 |archive-date=December 8, 2015 |newspaper=Wicked Local |date=September 11, 2008 |last=Jacobi |first=Sara}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080909213400/http://mbta.com/schedules_and_maps/bus/routes/?route=57 |archive-date=September 9, 2008 |url=http://mbta.com/schedules_and_maps/bus/routes/?route=57 |title=Schedules and Maps: 57 – Watertown Yard–Kenmore Sta. via Newton Corner & Brighton Center... |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority}}</ref> Approximately every other trip operated as a 57A during rush hours; during off-peak hours and weekends all buses ran the full-length route. Oak Square short turn service was discontinued in December 2020 except for a small number of school-day trips; frequency on the full route was increased.<ref name=netransit />

Route 57 operates as a busy [[List of key MBTA bus routes|key bus route]], with headways between 10 and 12 minutes at all times (and equal headways on the 57A during peaks). {{As of|2012}}, the 57 and 57A combined were ninth-busiest route on the MBTA system, with 10,094 boardings on an average weekday.<ref name=bluebook>{{MBTA Bluebook 2014}}</ref> Route 57 is based at the Albany Street Bus Facility during weekday rush hours and midday service, and is based at the Cabot Garage for evening, weekend, and holiday service.<ref name=bluebook /> One early-morning round trip, intended for MBTA employees but open to the public, continues to {{bts|Haymarket}}. It was inaugurated along with [[List of MBTA bus routes#191–194|several other routes]] by the M.T.A. in September 1960, though they were not listed in public timetables until September 1999. The trip is internally called '''route 191''', but is shown on public timetables as a route 57 trip.<ref name=netransit />

A 2018–19 MBTA review of its bus system found that route 57 suffered from overcrowding at peak hours and poor reliability.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://cdn.mbta.com/sites/default/files/projects/betterbus/route-profiles/57.pdf |title=Route 57 |date=December 2018 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority}}</ref> No short-term changes were recommended.<ref name=proposals>{{cite web |url=https://cdn.mbta.com/sites/default/files/projects/betterbus/BBP_Proposals_Accessible_English_Jan2019.pdf |title=Better Bus Project Route Proposals |date=January 2019 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority |page=91}}</ref> 2022 MBTA proposals for its systemwide bus network redesign called for the 57 to have increased frequency to provide service every 15 minutes or better at all operating hours.<ref name=draftmap>{{cite web |url=https://cdn.mbta.com/sites/default/files/2022-05/2022-05-12-bnrd-proposed-regional-map.pdf|title=Draft Bus Network Redesign Map |date=May 2022 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority}}</ref><ref name=nov2022map>{{cite web |url=https://cdn.mbta.com/sites/default/files/2022-11/2022-11-3-bnrd-revised-bus-network-map-7-mb.pdf |title=Revised Bus Network Fall 2022 |date=November 3, 2022 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority}}</ref> 57A short turn service was reintroduced in December 2024 but dropped in April 2025.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mbta.com/service-changes/winter-2025-service-changes |title=Winter 2025 Service Changes |date=December 15, 2024 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.mbta.com/news/2025-03-27/mbta-announces-spring-schedules-increases-subway-and-bus-service-frequency |title=MBTA Announces Spring Schedules, Increases Subway and Bus Service Frequency |date=March 27, 2025 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority}}</ref>
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====Express buses====
{{multiple image
 | align = left
 | direction = vertical
 | width = 200
 | header = Express buses to Downtown Boston via Copley Square
 | image1 = (USA-Massachusetts) Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority 1727 MA-(T)1727 501 2024-06-06.jpg
 | caption1 = The 501 serves the Brighton neighborhood
 | image2 = (USA-Massachusetts) Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority 1870 MA-(T)1870 504 2024-06-06.jpg
 | caption2 = The 504 serves Watertown and Newton Corner
}}
{{anchor|1=Route 501|2=Route 502|3=Route 503|4=Route 504}}
The portion of the route west of Brighton Center is also served by two [[List of MBTA bus routes#501–558|express routes]], which operate to downtown Boston via [[Copley Square]]:
*'''501''' Brighton Center–Federal Street & Franklin Street
*'''504''' Watertown Yard–Federal Street & Franklin Street

Express bus service from Brighton and Watertown began even while the "A" branch was still running. The 61 Watertown/Newton Corner-Downtown Boston via Mass. Turnpike route began in July 1967, with Saturday service added in March 1968. In December 1967, the 61 was renumbered as 4, and a new route 61 running from Oak Square to downtown via Brighton Center and [[Union Square, Boston]] and the Turnpike was initiated.<ref name=netransit /> In September 1968, the 61 was changed to originate at Brighton Center, from where it ran through Oak Square and entered the Turnpike at Newton Corner. Route 62 Watertown-Copley was started at the same time.<ref name=netransit />

In June 1970, the routes were renumbered from 4, 61, and 62 to 304, 301, and 302 to reflect their express routings. (The 300-series numbers had been used by ex-[[Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway]] bus routes in Lawrence, briefly under MBTA control, in 1968).<ref name=netransit /> In March 1974, route 301 buses operating opposite the peak direction began using the pre-1968 routing on Cambridge Street. Inbound morning buses reverted to the Newton Corner routing in June 1974, but outbound afternoon buses continued to travel via Union Square. Some afternoon buses switched back to the Cambridge Street route in September 1976 and September 1978.<ref name=netransit />

All three routes had a number of minor changes to their downtown and Copley Square routings in the late 1970s and 1980s. Midday and Saturday service on the 302 began in January 1983; in December 1989, the midday and Saturday buses added a Copley Square stop as route 304 Watertown-Downtown via Copley.<ref name=netransit /> In September 1996, the routes were renumbered as the 501, 502, and 504.<ref name=netransit /> In January 2005, the 503 Brighton Center–Copley Square route was inaugurated. Inbound route 503 afternoon trips began operating via Cambridge Street in March 2014; route 501 followed suit in March 2019.<ref name=netransit />

The 2018–19 system review found that routes 501 and 503 had too-close stop spacing on the outer section of the route, inconsistent afternoon peak schedules, and poor reliability.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://cdn.mbta.com/sites/default/files/projects/betterbus/route-profiles/501.pdf |title=Route 501 |date=December 2018 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://cdn.mbta.com/sites/default/files/projects/betterbus/route-profiles/503.pdf |title=Route 503 |date=December 2018 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority}}</ref> No major issues were found with routes 502 and 504.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://cdn.mbta.com/sites/default/files/projects/betterbus/route-profiles/502-504.pdf |title=Route 502 and Route 504 |date=December 2018 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority}}</ref> The MBTA recommended that outbound route 502 and 504 buses operate directly to Galen Street, rather than looping the Newton Corner rotary to serve those stops.<ref name=proposals /> This was implemented on September 1, 2019; outbound route 501 and 503 buses began serving the Newton Corner stops at that time.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mbta.com/projects/better-bus-project/500s |title=Changes to Bus Routes 501/502/503/504 |date=September 1, 2019 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority}}</ref>

Most MBTA service began operating on Saturday schedules on March 17, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Weekday-only routes 502 and 503 were suspended, while routes 501 and 504 operated on reduced schedules. Route 504 began operating via Copley on most trips – operating on surface streets between Copley Square and downtown Boston – to replace route 502. It also resumed looping around Newton Corner on outbound trips.<ref name=netransit /><ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.mbta.com/news/2020-03-16/mbta-announces-schedule-revisions-take-effect-tuesday-march-17 |date=March 16, 2020 |title=MBTA Announces Schedule Revisions to Take Effect Tuesday, March 17 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority}}</ref> Route 501 was suspended from June 2020 to August 31, 2020; upon its return, it began serving Copley Square as well.<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.mbta.com/news/2020-06-10/bus-schedule-changes-summer-2020 |title=Bus Schedule Changes for Summer 2020 |date=June 10, 2020 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.mbta.com/service-changes/fall-2020-bus-service-changes |title=Fall 2020 Bus Service Changes |date=August 2020 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority}}</ref> The May 2022 network proposals called for the 2020 changes to be made permanent, and for routes 501 and 504 to only operate at weekday peak hours. A November 2022 revision re-added midday service on route 504.<ref name=nov2022changes>{{cite web |url=https://cdn.mbta.com/sites/default/files/2022-11/2022-11-7-bnrd-summary-of-changes-english-accessible.pdf |title=What we changed from the May 2022 Proposal |date=November 7, 2022 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority}}</ref><ref name=draftmap /><ref name=nov2022map />
{{clear}}

==Map==
[[File:Green Line A Branch map.svg|left|800px]]
{{clear}}

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
{{Commonscat}}
*{{cite news |url=https://www.boston.com/news/wickedpedia/2023/06/12/mbta-green-line-a-branch-history/ |title=Why doesn't the Green Line have an 'A' branch? |first=Heather |last=Alterisio |website=[[Boston.com]] |date=June 12, 2023 |accessdate=June 12, 2023}}

==External links==
{{Attached KML}}
*{{MBTA bus EL|57|text=MBTA – route 57}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130307014632/http://www.boston.com/yourtown/boston/allston_brighton/Gallery/allston_then_now/ Slideshow of Allston, showing some streetcar images with their modern-day counterparts along the route] from [[Boston.com]] via [[Wayback Machine]]

{{MBTA}}

[[Category:Green Line (MBTA)]]
[[Category:Railway lines opened in 1898]]
[[Category:Railway lines closed in 1969]]