View source for Red Line (MBTA)

{{short description|Rapid transit line in Massachusetts, US}}
{{Infobox rail line
| name                            = Red Line
| color                           = {{rcr|MBTA|Red}}
| logo                            = File:Icon-red-line-default.svg
| image                           = Charles MGH Northbound MBTA Red Line Platform (1), January 2025.jpg
| image_width                     = 300px
| caption                         = A northbound Red Line train at [[Charles/MGH station]] in 2025
| type                            = [[Rapid transit]]
| system                          = [[MBTA subway]]
| locale                          = [[Boston]], [[Cambridge, Massachusetts|Cambridge]], [[Somerville, Massachusetts|Somerville]], [[Braintree, Massachusetts|Braintree]] and [[Quincy, Massachusetts]]
| start                           = {{bts|Alewife}} (north)
| end                             = {{bts|Ashmont}} and {{bts|Braintree}} (south)
| stations                        = 22
| linelength                      = {{cvt|11.5|mi|km}} Alewife–Ashmont<br />{{cvt|17.5|mi|km}} Alewife–Braintree<br />{{cvt|22.5|mi|km}} total
| routes                          = 2
| daily_ridership                 = 119,000 (2023)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://cdn.mbta.com/sites/default/files/2024-08/7.%20History%20of%20Funding%20Updated%20V16%208.21.24.pdf |date=August 22, 2024 |first1=Mary Ann |last1=O'Hara |first2=Pat |last2=Turners |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority |page=2 |title=History of Funding Update}}</ref>
| open                            = March 23, 1912
| owner                           = [[Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority]]
| stock                           = 1500, 1600, 1700, 1800, 1900-series
| gauge                           = {{track gauge|ussg|allk=on}}
| electrification                 = {{600 V DC|conductor=third rail}}
| map                             = {{switcher
|{{maplink-road|from=Red Line (MBTA).map}}
|Show interactive map
|[[File:MBTA Red Line.svg|250px]]
|Show static map
|{{MBTA Red Line|inline=1}}
|Show route diagram map
}}
| map_state                       = 
}}

The '''Red Line''' is a [[rapid transit]] line operated by the [[Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority]] (MBTA) as part of the [[MBTA subway]] system. The line runs south and east underground from [[Alewife station]] in [[North Cambridge, Massachusetts|North Cambridge]] through [[Somerville, Massachusetts|Somerville]] and [[Cambridge, Massachusetts|Cambridge]], surfacing to cross the [[Longfellow Bridge]] then returning to tunnels under [[Downtown Boston]]. It continues underground through [[South Boston]], splitting into two branches on the surface at [[JFK/UMass station]]. The Ashmont branch runs southwest through [[Dorchester, Boston|Dorchester]] to [[Ashmont station]], where the connecting [[light rail]] [[Mattapan Line]] (shown as part of the Red Line on maps, but operated separately) continues to [[Mattapan station]]. The Braintree branch runs southeast through [[Quincy, Massachusetts|Quincy]] and [[Braintree, Massachusetts|Braintree]] to [[Braintree station (MBTA)|Braintree station]].

The Red Line operates during normal MBTA service hours (all times except late nights) with six-car trains. The 218-car active fleet consists of three orders of cars built in 1969–70, 1987–89, and 1993–94. A 252-car order from [[CRRC]] is being built from 2019 to 2024. The Red Line is fully [[Grade separation|grade-separated]]; trains are driven by operators with [[automatic train control]] for safety. Cabot Yard in South Boston is used for heavy maintenance and storage; yards at Alewife, Ashmont, and Braintree are also used for storage. All 22 Red Line stations are fully [[MBTA accessibility|accessible]]. Averaging 119,000 weekday passengers in 2023, the Red Line has the highest ridership of the MBTA subway lines.

The [[Boston Elevated Railway]] opened its Cambridge tunnel between {{bts|Harvard}} and {{bts|Park Street}} in 1912. It was extended south as the Dorchester Tunnel to Washington (now {{bts|Downtown Crossing}}) in 1915, {{bts|South Station|Red}} in 1916, {{bts|Broadway}} in 1917, and {{bts|Andrew}} in 1918. The Dorchester extension added three stops to {{bts|Fields Corner}} in 1927 and two more stops to Ashmont in 1928. Charles (now {{bts|Charles/MGH}}) was added as an [[infill station]] in 1932. The newly formed MBTA assigned colors to its subway lines in 1965, with the Cambridge–Dorchester line becoming the Red Line. The MBTA added the three-station South Shore Line to {{bts|Quincy Center}} in 1971; it was extended to Braintree in 1980, with {{bts|Quincy Adams}} added as an infill in 1983. The Red Line Northwest Extension, originally planned to run to [[Arlington Heights, Massachusetts|Arlington Heights]] or [[Massachusetts Route 128|Route 128]], opened to {{bts|Davis}} in 1984 and Alewife in 1985.

==History==
===Cambridge Tunnel===
[[File:Cambridge Bridge postcard.jpg|thumb|left|The new Cambridge (now [[Longfellow Bridge|Longfellow]]) Bridge pre-1912, viewed from the Boston end, with an unfinished heavy rail right-of-way down its center. Tracks visible at the sides are for streetcars.]]
What is now the Red Line was the last of the four original Boston subway lines to open. The [[Tremont Street subway]] (now part of [[Green Line (MBTA)|Green Line]]) opened in 1897, the Main Line Elevated (later part of the [[Orange Line (MBTA)|Orange Line]]) opened in 1901, and the [[East Boston Tunnel]] (now part of the [[Blue Line (MBTA)|Blue Line]]) opened in 1904.

Construction of the '''Cambridge Tunnel''' (also called '''Cambridge Subway'''), connecting [[Harvard Square]] to Boston, was delayed by a dispute over the number of intermediate stations to be built along the new line.  Cambridge residents, led by Mayor Wardwell, wanted at least five stations built along the line, while suburbanites interested in faster through travel argued for only a single intermediate station, at Central Square.  The contending groups finally compromised on two intermediate stations, at Central and Kendall Squares, allowing construction to start in 1909.<ref name="Cudahy">{{cite book|last1=Cudahy|first1=Brian J.|title=Change at Park Street Under: The Story of Boston's Subways|date=1972|publisher=Stephen Greene Press|location=Brattleboro, Vermont, US|isbn=0-8289-0173-2|url=https://archive.org/details/changeatparkstre00cuda}}</ref>{{rp|41}}

The section from [[Harvard (MBTA station)|Harvard]] (and new maintenance facilities at [[Eliot Yard]]) to [[Park Street station (MBTA)|Park Street]] was opened by the [[Boston Elevated Railway]] (BERy) on March 23, 1912.  At Harvard, a [[prepayment station]] provided easy transfer to streetcars routed through what is now the [[Harvard bus tunnel]].  From Harvard, the Cambridge tunnel traveled beneath [[Massachusetts Avenue (metropolitan Boston)|Massachusetts Avenue]] to [[Central (MBTA station)|Central Square station]].  It then continued under Mass. Ave until [[Main Street (Cambridge)|Main Street]], which it followed to reach [[Kendall/MIT (MBTA station)|Kendall]] station.  The underground line then rose onto the [[Longfellow Bridge]], using a central right-of-way which had been reserved during the bridge's 1900–1906 construction.  On the Boston side, the line briefly became an [[Rapid transit|elevated railway]], as vehicle lanes descended beneath it to [[Charles Circle (Boston)|Charles Circle]]; the tracks then immediately entered a tunnel beneath [[Beacon Hill, Boston|Beacon Hill]], leading to new lower-level platforms at Park Street Under. Charles Station (now [[Charles/MGH (MBTA station)|Charles/MGH]]) was added above the traffic circle in 1932.

===Dorchester Tunnel and extension===
[[File:Southerly view of easterly side of Columbia Station, August 1927.jpg|thumb|left|Columbia station (later JFK/UMass) on the Dorchester extension under construction in 1927]]
Work soon began on extension to the south.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Recent Improvements on the Boston Elevated System |journal=Electric Railway Journal |date=1 March 1913 |volume=XLI |issue=9 |page=358 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zqZMAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA358 |accessdate=11 October 2020}}</ref> The '''Dorchester Tunnel''' to [[Downtown Crossing (MBTA station)|Washington Street]] and South Station Under opened on April 4, 1915 and December 3, 1916, with transfers to the [[Washington Street Tunnel (Boston)|Washington Street Tunnel]] and [[Atlantic Avenue Elevated]], respectively.  Further extensions opened to [[Broadway (MBTA station)|Broadway]] on December 15, 1917 and [[Andrew (MBTA station)|Andrew]] on June 29, 1918, both [[prepayment station]]s for streetcar transfer.  The Broadway station included [[Broadway (MBTA station)#Streetcar tunnel|an upper level with its own tunnel for streetcars]], which was soon abandoned in 1919 due to most lines being truncated to Andrew.  The upper level at Broadway was later incorporated into the [[Mezzanine (architecture)|mezzanine]].

Next came the '''Dorchester extension''' (now the '''Ashmont Branch'''), following a [[Right-of-way (railroad)|rail right-of-way]] created in 1870 by the '''Shawmut Branch Railroad'''.  In 1872, the right-of-way was acquired by the [[Old Colony Railroad]] to connect their main line at [[Harrison Square (Boston)|Harrison Square]] with the [[Dorchester and Milton Branch Railroad]], running from the Old Colony at [[Neponset, Boston|Neponset]], west to what is now [[Mattapan (MBTA station)|Mattapan station]].  The [[New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad]] succeeded the Old Colony in operating the branch, but passenger service ceased on September 4, 1926, in anticipation of the construction of the BERy's Dorchester extension.<ref>[http://world.nycsubway.org/us/boston/red.html End of service on Old Colony's Shawmut Branch]</ref>

The BERy opened the first phase of the Dorchester extension, to [[Fields Corner station]], on November 5, 1927, south from [[Andrew (MBTA station)|Andrew]], then southeast to the surface and along the west side of the Old Colony mainline in a depressed right-of-way. [[JFK/UMass station|Columbia]] and [[Savin Hill station|Savin Hill]] stations were built on the surface at the sites of former Old Colony stations.  The remainder of the extension opened to [[Ashmont (MBTA station)|Ashmont]] and [[Codman Yard]] on September 1, 1928, and included [[Shawmut (MBTA station)|Shawmut station]], where there had been a surface Old Colony station, but where the new rapid transit station was placed underground.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/56417978/the-boston-globe/ |title=Rapid transit extension to Ashmont is opened |newspaper=Boston Globe |date=September 1, 1928 |page=12 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> The first phase of the [[Mattapan Line]] opened on August 26, 1929, using the rest of the Shawmut Branch right-of-way, including [[Cedar Grove station]], and part of the Dorchester and Milton Branch.

On January 13, 1961, the MTA began operating "[[Skip-stop|modified express service]]" on the line during the morning rush hour, following the introduction of similar service on the Forest Hills–Everett line the month before. Every other train bypassed Shawmut, Savin Hill, Columbia, and Charles stations.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-boston-globe/137738689/ |title=MTA Boosts Service For New Year's Eve |newspaper=The Boston Globe |date=December 29, 1960 |page=8 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> This was discontinued in September 1961 to reduce wait times at the skipped stations, most of which were outdoors.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-boston-globe/137738740/ |title=M.T.A. Dropping Morning Express |newspaper=The Boston Globe |date=September 27, 1961 |page=10 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

Charles was renamed Charles/MGH in December 1973, and Kendall was renamed Kendall/MIT on August 7, 1978.<ref name="netransit" /> In January 1981, the MBTA proposed to close the Ashmont branch on Sundays – and the Mattapan Line at all times – beginning that March due to severe budget issues.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/38328446/the_boston_globe/ |title=Public Hearing Notice  |date=January 28, 1981 |author=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority |newspaper=Boston Globe |page=65 |via=Newspapers.com}}{{open access}}</ref> The closure was cancelled, though the lines were closed from June 20, 1981, to January 16, 1982, for track replacement and tunnel repairs.<ref name=netransit />

===MBTA era and branding===
[[File:Tichnor Brothers Harvard Square postcard, circa 1930s.jpg|thumb|right|The station entrance in Harvard Square]]
The line was sometimes referred to as the '''Cambridge–Dorchester line'''<ref>{{cite journal |title=Developed at Boston |journal=Transit Journal |date=December 1932 |volume=76 |issue=12 |page=512 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=620TAAAAIAAJ&q=%22Cambridge%E2%80%93Dorchester+line%22}}</ref> and the '''Cambridge–Dorchester subway'''.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Horace Nathaniel Gilbert |author2=Charles Insco Gragg |title=An Introduction to Business: A Case Book |date=1929 |publisher=McGraw-Hill |page=313}}</ref> It was marked on maps as "Route 1".<ref>{{cite map |title=System Route Map |date=1966 |title-link=:commons:File:1966 MBTA system map.png |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority |first=Richard F. |last=Lufkin |via=Wikimedia Commons}}</ref> After taking over operations in August 1964, the MBTA began rebranding many elements of Boston's public transportation network. Colors were assigned to the rail lines on August 26, 1965 as part of a wider modernization developed by [[Cambridge Seven Associates]], with the Cambridge–Dorchester line becoming the '''Red Line'''.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/56546635/the-boston-globe/ |title=...Meanwhile, Back on the Circle-T |newspaper=Boston Globe |first=Robert B. |last=Hanron |date=August 26, 1965 |page=10 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref> [[Peter Chermayeff]] claims to have assigned red to the line because of Harvard's association with [[crimson]].<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.citylab.com/design/2018/09/how-boston-got-its-t/570004/ |title=How Boston Got Its 'T' |magazine=[[CityLab (web magazine)|CityLab]] |quote=I remember sitting in my Cambridge office preparing for a meeting with the MBTA in which I would be proposing colored lines. I had markers in front of me and I chose red for the line that went to Harvard since it’s a well-known institution whose main color is crimson. |date=September 17, 2018 |first=Mark |last=Byrnes}}</ref>
<!--In 1968, letters were assigned to the south branches, "A" for Quincy (planned to extend to South Braintree) and "C" for Ashmont. "B" was probably reserved for a planned branch from Braintree to [[Brockton, Massachusetts|Brockton]]. As new [[rollsign]]s were made, this lettering was phased out. In 1994, new electronic signs included a different labeling, "A" for Ashmont, "B" for Braintree, and "C" for Alewife.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://groups-beta.google.com/group/misc.transport.urban-transit/browse_frm/thread/a39e96e4ecc836ca/a9a23545f09a35c6 |title=misc.transport.urban-transit &#124; Google Groups |work=Groups-beta.google.com |access-date=2012-06-10}}</ref>-->

===South Shore line===
[[File:And the Red Line wins the race April 2025.jpg|thumb|left|The Braintree branch runs alongside the Old Colony Main Line from South Boston to Braintree.]]
On July 28, 1965, the MBTA signed an agreement with the [[New Haven Railroad]] to purchase {{convert|11|miles}} of the former Old Colony mainline from [[Fort Point Channel]] to South Braintree in order to construct a new rapid transit line along the corridor. The line was expected to be completed within two years. The agreement also provided for the MBTA to subsidize commuter service on the railroad's remaining commuter rail lines for $1.2 million annually.<ref name=netransit /><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/38297699/the_boston_globe/ |title=MBTA Buys Old Colony Line For a South Shore Express |newspaper=Boston Globe |date=July 29, 1965 |first=Robert |last=Carr |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> Original plans called for the South Shore line to be largely independent of the existing Red Line, with either a northern terminus at the surface level at South Station or a tunnel leading to a stub-end terminal between [[Post Office Square (Boston)|Post Office Square]] and State Street.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/38297773/the_boston_globe/ |title=MBTA Plans Downtown Tunnel |newspaper=Boston Globe |page=4 |date=November 20, 1965 |via=Newspapers.com}}{{open access}}</ref> However, it was later decided to have the line be a new southern branch of the Red Line.

The first section of the South Shore line, under construction since 1966, opened on September 1, 1971, branching from the original Red Line at a [[flying junction]] north of Columbia (now [[JFK/UMass (MBTA station)|JFK/UMass]]). It ran along the west side of the Old Colony rail right-of-way (which has since been reduced to one track), crossing to the east side north of Savin Hill. The northernmost station was [[North Quincy (MBTA station)|North Quincy]], with others at [[Wollaston (MBTA station)|Wollaston]] and [[Quincy Center (MBTA station)|Quincy Center]]. Service began alternating between Ashmont and Quincy. Ashmont service operated with 1400-series cars, while the Quincy branch only had 1500- and 1600-series cars because they had cab signaling.<ref name="netransit" />

In December 1969, the MBTA purchased [[Penn Central]]'s Dover Street Yards for $7 million.<ref name=chronicle>{{cite book |url=http://web.mit.edu/cron/project/uncertainty/Dowd_Data/Baum_Snow/boston-history.txt |title=A Chronicle of the Boston Transit System |year=1992 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority |via=MIT |last=Sanborn |first=George M. |access-date=2016-01-19 |archive-date=2019-04-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190416214442/http://web.mit.edu/cron/project/uncertainty/Dowd_Data/Baum_Snow/boston-history.txt |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=rollsign1972>{{cite magazine |magazine=Rollsign |title=MBTA South Bay Maintenance Center Contract |volume=9 |issue=8/9 |date=August–September 1972 |publisher=Boston Street Railway Association}} Via [https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63793905 Tremont Street Subway NHL documentation].</ref> The site was used for the South Bay Maintenance Center (later Cabot Yard), which included Red Line shops (to replace Eliot Yard) and an adjacent bus garage. A $7.8 million construction contract was awarded in 1972, with groundbreaking on September 16.<ref name=chronicle /><ref name=rollsign1972 /> The facility was dedicated on June 24, 1974; on December 28, Bartlett Street garage in Roxbury was closed.<ref name=chronicle />

Three southbound trains collided inside the Beacon Hill tunnel on August 1, 1975, injuring 132 passengers.<ref>{{cite book |last=Clarke |first=Bradley H. |title=The Boston Rapid Transit Album |publisher=Boston Street Railway Association |year=1981 |location=Cambridge, Mass. |page=16}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/43833787/the_boston_globe/ |title=132 hurt in rush-hour crash of 3 MBTA trains |newspaper=Boston Globe |date=August 2, 1975 |page=1 |first1=Charles E. |last1=Claffey |first2=David |last2=Richwine |via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref>

====Braintree extension====
[[File:Quincy Adams garage facing northeast, January 2016.JPG|thumb|left|Quincy Adams (pictured) and Braintree stations include massive parking garages to accommodate suburban commuters.]]
Beyond Quincy Center, the '''Braintree extension''' runs southward to [[Braintree (MBTA station)|Braintree]], opened on March 22, 1980, via an intermediate stop at [[Quincy Adams (MBTA station)|Quincy Adams]] which opened on September 10, 1983 due to delays.<ref name="netransit" /> The extension was part of the massive 1965 extension plan, although it was delayed due to questions over station siting in Braintree.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/38302568/the_boston_globe/ |title=MBTA to Unveil Master Plan Soon For 75-mph Service to Far Points |newspaper=Boston Globe |page=48 |date=November 7, 1965 |first=Robert |last=Hanron |via=Newspapers.com}}{{open access}}</ref> The [[Boston Transportation Planning Review]], published in 1969, proposed North Braintree and South Braintree stations following the [[Quincy Center (MBTA station)|Quincy Center]] station.

Several outlying sections of the MBTA subway system, including Quincy Adams and Braintree, originally charged a double fare to account for the additional costs of running service far from downtown. Passengers paid two fares to enter at the stations, and an [[exit fare]] when leaving the station. Double fares on the Braintree extension, the last on the system, were discontinued in 2007 as part of a wider fare restructuring.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mbta.com/fares_and_passes/charlie/?id=10132 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930014518/http://www.mbta.com/fares_and_passes/charlie/?id=10132 |archive-date=September 30, 2007 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority |title=Frequently Asked Questions on the Fare Restructuring and Increase}}</ref>

===Northwest extension===
[[File:Davis station under construction, 1983.jpg|thumb|right|Davis station under construction in 1983]]
By 1922, the BERy believed that Harvard would be the permanent terminus; the heavy ridership from the north was expected to be handled by [[Green Line Extension#History|extending rapid transit from Lechmere Square]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52404512/the-boston-globe/ |title=Three New Subways Planned |newspaper=Boston Globe |date=June 25, 1922 |page=71 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref> The 1926 ''Report on Improved Transportation Facilities in the Boston Metropolitan District'' proposed an extension from Lechmere to North Cambridge via the [[Lowell Line|Southern Division]] and the [[Fitchburg Cutoff]], with a possible further extension along the [[Lexington Branch]]. An extension of the Cambridge–Dorchester Line under Mount Auburn Street to Watertown, and thence along the [[Watertown Branch]] to Waltham, was also raised as a possibility.<ref name=1926report >{{cite book |title=Report on Improved Transportation Facilities in Boston |date=December 1926 |publisher=Division of Metropolitan Planning |hdl = 2027/mdp.39015049422689}}</ref> A northwards extension from Harvard to the North Cambridge/Arlington border was proposed by Cambridge mayor [[John D. Lynch]] in 1933 and by then-freshmen state representative [[Tip O'Neill]] in 1936, but was not pursued.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/56476134/the-boston-globe/ |title=T puts last link in Red Line extension |newspaper=Boston Globe |date=March 31, 1985 |page=34 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref>

The 1945 Coolidge Commission report – the first major transit planning initiative in the region since 1926 – recommended an extension from Harvard to Arlington Heights via East Watertown.<ref>{{citation |title=[[:commons:File:1945 BERy extensions map.jpg|Air View: Present Rapid Transit System – Boston Elevated Railway and Proposed Extensions of Rapid Transit into Suburban Boston]] |date=April 1945 |author1=Boston Elevated Railway |author2=Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities |via=Wikimedia Commons}}</ref><ref name=transplan>{{cite web |url=http://ntl.bts.gov/DOCS/boston.html |title=The Transportation Plan for the Boston Region – Volume 2 |date=November 15, 1993 |publisher=National Transportation Library |author=Central Transportation Planning Staff |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150703024654/http://ntl.bts.gov/DOCS/boston.html |archive-date=July 3, 2015}}</ref> The 1947 revision recommended an extension north to Porter Square instead, with branches along the [[Fitchburg Railroad|Fitchburg Division]] to Waltham and the Lexington Branch to Lexington.<ref name=transplan /><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/42959374/the_boston_globe/ |title=10 Electric-Train Lines Proposed by Board in Report to Legislature |first=Gene R. |last=Casey |newspaper=Boston Globe |date=April 6, 1947 |pages=1, 28 |via=Newspapers.com}} ([https://www.newspapers.com/clip/42959392/the_boston_globe/ second section], [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/42959409/the_boston_globe/ third page]) {{open access}}</ref> The 1966 ''Program for Mass Transportation'' by the 1964-created [[MBTA]] called for an immediate extension to Alewife Brook Parkway via Porter Square, with possible future extensions to Arlington or Waltham.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/comprehensivedev00mass/page/n83/mode/2up |title=A Comprehensive Development Program for Public Transportation in the Massachusetts Bay Area |year=1966 |pages=V-16 to V-19 |via=Internet Archive |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority}}</ref> Original plans called for a subway under Massachusetts Avenue to Porter Square, then a surface route along the Fitchburg Route to Alewife.<ref name=NWEIS />{{rp|I-3}} In the late 1960s, the project was expanded to follow the Lexington Branch to a terminal at [[Massachusetts Route 128|Route 128]].<ref name=NWEIS />{{rp|I-5}}

In 1970, Cambridge began advocating for the project, and for the consideration of an all-subway route under Garden Street.<ref name=NWEIS />{{rp|I-4}} That October, then-governor [[Francis Sargent]] suspended most highway construction inside Route 128 and created the Boston Transportation Planning Review, which focused on the implementation of new transit routes.<ref name=NWEIS />{{rp|I-4}} In 1972, a new all-subway route via Porter Square and Davis Square was considered (and ultimately chosen).<ref>{{cite magazine |magazine=Rollsign |title=Harvard-Alewife Extension |volume=9 |issue=8/9 |date=August–September 1972 |publisher=Boston Street Railway Association}} Via [https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63793905 Tremont Street Subway NHL documentation].</ref> By the mid-1970s, the project was split into two phases: an all-subway extension to Arlington Heights via Alewife, with a later extension to Route 128.<ref name=NWEIS>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/redlineextension01mass |title=Final Environmental Impact Statement: Red Line Extension – Harvard Square to Arlington Heights |year=1977 |volume=1 |publisher=Urban Mass Transportation Administration |via=Internet Archive}}</ref>{{rp|I-5}}

In the midst of the [[Boston desegregation busing crisis]], the grassroots organization Arlington Red Line Action Movement (ALARM) led local opposition to the extension of the Red Line into Arlington.<ref>{{cite magazine | last=Doherty | first=Tim | title=Boston's Red Line | magazine=[[Railfan & Railroad]] | date=September 2025 | volume=44 | issue=9 | pages=46–55}}</ref>{{rp|53}}<ref>{{Cite book | last=Geismer |first=Lily | title=Don't Blame Us: Suburban Liberals and the Transformation of the Democratic Party | date=2017 | publisher=[[Princeton University Press]] | url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Don_t_Blame_Us/4jFRDwAAQBAJ | isbn=978-0-691-17623-9}}</ref>{{rp|117–118}} A state law prohibiting a station in Arlington Center (specifically, near Arlington Catholic High School) was passed in 1976, and this was not repealed until 2024.<ref>{{cite web |date=December 19, 2024 |url=https://extendtheredline.org/2024/12/19/victory-h4236-passes/ |title=Victory: H4236 Passes! |website=Extend the Red Line!}}</ref> Arlington did not wish for Arlington Heights to be even a temporary terminal.<ref name=NWEIS />{{rp|I-5}} In March 1977, Arlington voters rejected the project in a nonbinding referendum, citing fears of increased taxes and congestion.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/42960537/the_boston_globe/ |title=MBTA weighs Arlington Red Line 'no' vote |newspaper=Boston Globe |date=March 7, 1977 |page=3 |first=Jerry |last=Taylor |via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref> A May 1977 state bill prohibiting extension into Arlington was vetoed by then-governor [[Michael Dukakis]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/42960552/the_boston_globe/ |title=Arlington MBTA ban loses |newspaper=Boston Globe |first=Robert L. |last=Turner |date=May 5, 1977 |page=24 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref> The [[Environmental Impact Statement]], released in August 1977, primarily evaluated the Arlington Heights terminus but also provided for a shorter Alewife extension.<ref name=NWEIS /><ref name=dont /> By the time the northwest extension began construction in 1978, opposition in Arlington and reductions in federal funding had caused the MBTA to choose the shorter Alewife alternative.<ref name=dont>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/42960549/the_boston_globe/ |title=Don't halt MBTA job, judge advised |newspaper=Boston Globe |date=June 16, 1979 |page=15 |author=David McKay Wilson |via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref> 

The Red Line was extended temporarily to Harvard–Brattle over former yard and storage tracks on March 24, 1979. This allowed for bus transfers to be provided. The Harvard bus tunnel was closed temporarily at the time. On January 31, 1981, the original [[Harvard (MBTA station)|Harvard]] station was permanently closed, as its demolition was required. To replace it, a temporary station at Harvard–Holyoke was built across the tracks. The two temporary stations were closed on September 2, 1983 in preparation for the opening of the new Harvard station. On September 6, 1983, the new station at Harvard opened, with trains changing direction at Davis Square without carrying passengers.<ref name="netransit" /> Eliot Yard was demolished; [[Harvard Kennedy School]] now sits inside its retaining walls.

The line was extended to [[Davis (MBTA station)|Davis]] with a station at [[Porter (MBTA station)|Porter]] on December 8, 1984. The line was extended to its current terminus at [[Alewife (MBTA station)|Alewife]] on March 30, 1985. At the time, all off-peak trains terminated there, but due to the incomplete construction of a yard at Alewife, only Ashmont trains ran to Alewife during rush hours. Davis was the terminal for rush hour Braintree trains. These trains were finally extended to Alewife during rush hours on December 26, 1985, with the completion of the yard at Alewife.<ref name="netransit" /> During the expansion, the MBTA pioneered an investment in the "[[Arts on the Line]]" [[public art]] program. Fill from the tunnel excavation was used to create [[Danehy Park]] on the former site of the Cambridge City Dump, and to restore Russell Field in Cambridge and Magnolia Park in Arlington.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/42548935/the_boston_globe/ |title=T dedicates new Harvard station |date=March 3, 1985 |newspaper=Boston Globe |first1=Douglas S. |last1=Crocket |first2=Paul |last2=Hirshon |via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1993/10/13/dump-succeeds-as-park-pthe-city/ |title=Dump Succeeds As Park |newspaper=Harvard Crimson |date=October 13, 1993 |first=Terry H. |last=Lanson}}</ref>

===Station renovations===
[[File:Wollaston station construction from Beale Street, August 2018.JPG|thumb|left|Reconstruction of {{bts|Wollaston}} in 2018]]
A 1979 renovation of {{bts|Park Street}} added two elevators, making it the first [[accessible]] station on the Red Line.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/annualreportmas1979mass_0 |title=1979 Annual Report |year=1979 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority |page=[https://archive.org/details/annualreportmas1979mass_0/page/27 27] |via=Internet Archive}}</ref> In the early 1980s, the MBTA began extending platforms for six-car trains: {{bts|Ashmont}} and {{bts|Shawmut}} in 1981, {{bts|Charles/MGH}} in 1982, and {{bts|Fields Corner}} and {{bts|Savin Hill}} in the mid-1980s.<ref name=netransit /><ref>{{cite web |url=https://cdn.mbta.com/sites/default/files/fmcb-meeting-docs/2019/04-april/2019-04-29-fmcb-P-longfellow-contract.pdf |title=MBTA Contract No. B43PS02: Longfellow Approach Architecture and Engineering Services |date=April 29, 2019 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority}}</ref> (The Northwest and South Shore extensions had been built for longer trains, while {{bts|JFK/UMass}} had been modified in 1970.)<ref name=netransit /> In the mid-1980s, the MBTA spent $80 million to extend the platforms of seven underground Red Line stations ({{bts|Central}}, {{bts|Kendall/MIT}}, Park Street, [[Downtown Crossing station|Washington]], {{bts|South Station Under}}, {{bts|Broadway}}, and {{bts|Andrew}}) and three Orange Line stations.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/annualreportmas1985mass_0 |title=1985 Annual Report |year=1985 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority |page=[https://archive.org/details/annualreportmas1985mass_0/page/13 13] |via=Internet Archive}}</ref> Six-car trains entered service on January 21, 1988.<ref name=netransit />

Central, Kendall/MIT, Park Street, and Downtown Crossing (renamed from Washington in 1987) were completed in 1988.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/annualreportmas1987mass_0 |title=1985 Annual Report |year=1987 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority |page=[https://archive.org/details/annualreportmas1987mass_0/page/19 19] |via=Internet Archive}}</ref> A major reconstruction of JFK/UMass added a platform for the Braintree branch, which opened on December 14, 1988.<ref name=chronicle /><ref name=netransit /> Renovations to Broadway were completed in October 1989.<ref name=chronicle/> {{bts|Quincy Adams}} and {{bts|Braintree}} were accessible by 1989, if not from their original construction.<ref name=2007doc>{{cite web |url=https://old.mbta.com/uploadedFiles/Accessibility/final%20report%20082407%20on%20CD.pdf |title=Evaluation of MBTA Paratransit and Accessible Fixed Route Transit Services: Final Report |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority |author=Tran Systems and Planners Collaborative |date=August 24, 2007}}</ref><ref name=bluebook1990>{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/ridershipservice990mass |edition=3 |title=Ridership and Service Statistics |date=November 1990 |pages=1–4 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority |author=Operations Directorate Planning Division |via=Internet Archive}}</ref><ref name="netransit" /> South Station was completed around 1992, followed by Andrew in 1994.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/stream/mbtaaccessguidet00mass#page/14/mode/2up |title=MBTA : ACCESS; The Guide to Accessible Services and Facilities |page=15 |date=June 1992 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority |via=Internet Archive}}</ref><ref name=2007doc /><ref name=netransit />

The 1990 passage of the [[Americans with Disabilities Act]] spurred the renovation of additional stations. {{bts|Quincy Center}} was modified in 1991, followed by {{bts|North Quincy}} in 1998.<ref name=2007doc /><ref name=chronicle /> Charles/MGH was rebuilt from 2003 to 2007.<ref name=mbtaproject>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080406022956/http://www.mbta.com/about_the_mbta/t_projects/?id=982 |archive-date=April 6, 2008 |title=Charles MGH Renovation |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority |url=http://www.mbta.com/about_the_mbta/t_projects/?id=982}}</ref><ref name=opens>{{cite press release |url=https://www.mbta.com/news/2007-03-27/new-charlesmgh-station-opens |title=New Charles/MGH Station Opens |date=March 27, 2007 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority}}</ref> The agency began design for the four Ashmont branch stations in 2001.<ref name=audit>{{cite report |title=Official Audit Report – Issued June 16, 2014: Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, For the period January 1, 2005 through December 31, 2012 |date=June 16, 2014 |url=https://www.mass.gov/files/documents/2016/08/ww/201305833a.pdf |publisher=Auditor of the Commonwealth}}</ref>{{rp|33}} Savin Hill was closed from May 2004 to July 31, 2005 for reconstruction.<ref name=netransit /> It was followed by the completion of the rebuilt Fields Corner station in 2008, the modified Shawmut in 2009, and the rebuilt Ashmont in 2011.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://blog.mass.gov/transportation/mbta/governor-patrick-celebrates-ashmont-station-completion/ |title=Governor Patrick Celebrates Ashmont Station Completion |date=October 21, 2011 |publisher=Massachusetts Department of Transportation |access-date=October 19, 2015 |archive-date=October 25, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151025022129/http://blog.mass.gov/transportation/mbta/governor-patrick-celebrates-ashmont-station-completion/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite press release |url=https://mbta.com/news/2008-09-23/governor-patrick-mayor-menino-celebrate-completion-fields-corner-station |title=Governor Patrick, Mayor Menino Celebrate Completion of Fields Corner Station |date=September 23, 2008 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority}}</ref> The final Red Line station to be modified for accessibility was {{bts|Wollaston}}, which was closed from January 2018 to August 2019 for a complete reconstruction.<ref name=netransit />
{{clear left}}

===2010s and 2020s===
{{anchor|Longfellow Bridge rehabilitation project}} A $255 million project, which started in Spring 2013, replaced structural elements of the [[Longfellow Bridge]], which carries the line across the Charles River between the [[Charles/MGH (MBTA station)|Charles/MGH]] and [[Kendall/MIT (MBTA station)|Kendall/MIT]] stations.  The project required at least 25 weekend shutdowns, including temporary relocation of the tracks and a substitute bus shuttle service.  All outbound roadway traffic was detoured from the bridge for the three years of construction.  The bridge finished construction in May 2018.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/07/28/longfellow-bridge-construction-delayed-two-years/9m7OpQrAIpV6B2IF9mlegL/story.html|title = Longfellow Bridge construction extended until late 2018 - the Boston Globe|website = [[The Boston Globe]]}}</ref><ref name=Powers>{{cite news|last=Powers|first=Martine|title=Longfellow Bridge repairs, disruption to start in summer|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2013/02/28/longfellow-bridge-construction-begin-this-summer-with-major-traffic-diversions/gPqPYiWt2KmmWpxB5vmOaM/story.html|access-date=2 March 2013|newspaper=Boston Globe|date=February 28, 2013}}</ref><ref name=MassDOT>{{cite web|last=MassDOT|title=Longfellow Bridge|url=http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/charlesriverbridges/LongfellowBridge.aspx|work=Accelerated Bridge Program|publisher=Commonwealth of Massachusetts|access-date=2 March 2013|archive-date=28 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130328060558/http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/charlesriverbridges/LongfellowBridge.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[File:Bus Bridge at JFK-UMass Station, August 2015.jpg|thumb|right|Buses forming a "bus bridge" linking JFK/UMass and North Quincy in August 2015, during winter resiliency work]]
During the [[2014–15 North American winter#Northeastern United States|unusually frigid and snowy winter of 2014–15]], almost the entire MBTA rail system was shut down on several occasions by heavy snowfalls. The aboveground sections of the Orange and Red lines were particularly vulnerable due to their exposed [[third rail]] power feed, which iced over during storms. If a single train were stopped due to power loss, other trains behind it soon had to stop as well; without continually running trains pushing snow off the rails, the lines would become quickly blocked by heavy snowfalls. (Because the Blue Line was built with [[Overhead line|overhead catenary]] on its surface section due to its exposure to corrosive [[salt air]], it was not as easily disabled by the icing conditions.)

During 2015, the MBTA implemented its $83.7 million Winter Resiliency Program, much of which focused on preventing similar vulnerabilities with the Orange and Red lines. The section of the Braintree branch between JFK/UMass and Wollaston had old infrastructure and was largely built on an embankment, rendering it more vulnerable. New third rail with heaters and a different metal composition to reduce wear was installed, along with [[snow fence]]s and [[Railroad switch#Cold conditions|switch heaters]].<ref name=winteriscoming>{{cite news |url=http://www.boston.com/business/news/2015/09/23/how-the-mbta-getting-winter-ready/SeTjLsOSUUZ1nGlIAc5p3N/story.html |title=Winter is coming, and the MBTA is getting ready |newspaper=Boston Globe |last=Vaccaro |first=Adam |date=23 September 2015 |access-date=4 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926022659/http://www.boston.com/business/news/2015/09/23/how-the-mbta-getting-winter-ready/SeTjLsOSUUZ1nGlIAc5p3N/story.html |archive-date=26 September 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.mbta.com/about_the_mbta/news_events/?id=6442454500&month=&year |title=Gov. Baker Announces $83.7 Million MBTA Winter Resiliency Plan |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority |date=4 June 2015}}</ref> The work required [[bustitution]] of the line from JFK/UMass to [[North Quincy (MBTA station)|North Quincy]] on many weeknights.<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.mbta.com/about_the_mbta/news_events/?id=6442454945&month=&year= |title=Winter Resiliency Work Continues on the Red Line: WEEKEND TRAIN SERVICE BETWEEN JFK/UMASS AND QUINCY CENTER SUSPENDED |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority |date=9 September 2015}}</ref> This program did not include work south of Wollaston.<ref name=winteriscoming />

In July 2016, the MBTA Fiscal and Management Control Board approved a $18.5 million contract to complete work along the remainder of the southern branches. The project included all remaining third rail replacement, track work between Fields Corner and Savin Hill, signal system work between North Quincy and Braintree, and track replacement at Quincy Center, Quincy Adams, and Braintree. The work was completed in the second half of 2016.<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://blog.mass.gov/transportation/mbta/mbta-next-phase-of-red-line-winter-resiliency-improvements-approved/ |title=MBTA: Next Phase of Red Line Winter Resiliency Improvements Approved |publisher=Massachusetts Department of Transportation |date=25 July 2016 |work=MassDOT Blog |access-date=26 July 2016 |archive-date=26 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126200558/http://blog.mass.gov/transportation/mbta/mbta-next-phase-of-red-line-winter-resiliency-improvements-approved/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

On December 10, 2015, a Red Line train in revenue service traveled from {{bts|Braintree}} to {{bts|North Quincy}} without an operator in the cab before it was stopped by cutting power to the [[third rail]]. The MBTA initially said that the train appeared to have been tampered with and the incident was not an accident, but later determined operator error to have been the cause.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/12/10/red-line-train-leaves-station-without-operator/L5NzTcDEX8dMQCQLvC7UBN/story.html |title=Red Line train leaves station without operator |newspaper=Boston Globe |date=10 December 2015 |last1=Rosen |first1=Andy |last2=Dungca |first2=Nicole |access-date=11 December 2015}}</ref>

On February 21, 2018, a Red Line train motor failed on approach to [[Andrew station]] causing the train to derail.<ref>{{cite web|last1=McDonald|first1=Danny|last2=Levene|first2=Alana|title=Red Line service resumes between Broadway and JFK stations – The Boston Globe|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/02/21/red-line-problems-redux-buses-now-shuttling-passengers-between-dorchester-and-south-boston/KTSx9UlAZelUHbYgl98rbM/story.html|website=BostonGlobe.com|publisher=[[Boston Globe]]|access-date=23 February 2018}}</ref> On June 11, 2019, a Red Line train derailed just north of JFK/UMass station, damaging three sheds of signal equipment that control the complex interlockings around the station. The Red Line was limited to 10 trains per hour (instead of the usual 13-14) for several months while repairs were made.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mbta.com/news/2019-06-21/plans-accelerate-red-line-signal-repairs |title=Plans to Accelerate Red Line Signal Repairs |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority |date=June 21, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2019/06/21/step-pace-red-line-signal-repairs/yGTeOs234uGab9gdcni6EJ/story.html |title=T says Red Line reduced schedule to last through summer |newspaper=Boston Globe |date=June 21, 2019 |first1=Matt |last1=Stout |first2=Diamond Naga |last2=Siu}}</ref> The derailment was caused by a broken axle, which had been made brittle by sparks from a faulty grounding component on a motor.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2019/09/16/attributes-red-line-derailment-broken-subway-axle/SlnOglTe0kZ6jSqWC8YnII/story.html |title=T attributes Red Line derailment to broken subway axle |date=September 16, 2019 |newspaper=Boston Globe |first=Michael |last=Levenson}}</ref><ref name=restored /> Full service resumed on September 25, 2019.<ref name=restored>{{cite press release |url=https://mbta.com/news/2019-09-25/completion-red-line-signal-repairs |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority |date=September 25, 2019 |title=Completion of Red Line Signal Repairs}}</ref>

Speed restrictions were placed on much of the MBTA subway system in March 2023 due to deteriorated track conditions.<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.mbta.com/news/2023-03-12/mbta-reminds-riders-allow-extra-time |title=MBTA Reminds Riders to Allow for Extra Time |date=March 12, 2023 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority}}</ref> Portions of the line were shut down for several periods in 2023–2024 to allow for track work to remove the speed restrictions.<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.mbta.com/news/2023-11-09/mbta-announces-ambitious-track-improvement-program-eliminate-all-speed-restrictions |title=MBTA Announces Ambitious Track Improvement Program to Eliminate All Speed Restrictions by End of 2024 |date=November 9, 2023 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority}}</ref> A shutdown of the Braintree branch from September 6–29, 2024, was intended to "lay the groundwork" for a future speed increase as well as removing speed restrictions. The branch had been restricted to {{convert|40|mph}} for several decades, but the MBTA intended to eventually increase some portions to {{convert|50|mph}}.<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.mbta.com/news/2024-07-18/major-red-line-braintree-branch-improvement-work-take-place-september-6-29-mbta |title=Major Red Line Braintree Branch Improvement Work to Take Place September 6 – 29, MBTA to Remove 20+ Speed Restrictions |date=July 18, 2024 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.wbur.org/news/2024/07/19/mbta-red-line-closure-braintree-branch-50-mph-trains-newsletter |title=MBTA to close part of Red Line for 24 days this September — with plans for future 50 mph trains |date=July 19, 2024 |first=Nik |last=DeCosta-Klipa |newspaper=WBUR |access-date=July 23, 2024}}</ref> This would save up to 3 minutes per round trip.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://cdn.mbta.com/sites/default/files/2024-12/GM%20Report%20to%20the%20Board%2012.19.2024%20v12A.pdf |title=GM’s Report to the Board |page=12 |first=Phil |last=Eng |date=December 19, 2024 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority}}</ref> {{As of|2025|1|27|df=US}}, the increase was expected to occur within several days.<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.mbta.com/news/2025-01-27/icymi-red-line-hit-major-milestone-speeds-increase-50-mph |title=ICYMI: Red Line to Hit Major Milestone as Speeds Increase to 50 MPH |date=January 27, 2025 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority}}</ref>

== Operations and signaling ==
[[File:Red Line tunnel looking north from South Station Feb 2025.jpg|thumb|Reverse curve in the Boston Red Line tunnel between South Station and Downtown Crossing, looking northwards from South Station, showing the emergency crossover.]]
{{As of|February 2023}}, both branches were scheduled to operate on 12–13-minute headways during weekday peak hours (with a combined 6-minute headway between Alewife and JFK/UMass) and 12 to 16 minute headways at other times. Fleet utilization ranged from 16 trains (96 cars) on weekends to 20 trains (120 cars) at peak hours.<ref name=roster2023>{{cite magazine |magazine=Rollsign |publisher=[[Boston Street Railway Association]] |date=January–February 2023 |issue=1–2 |volume=60 |title=MBTA Vehicle Inventory as of February 28, 2023 |first=Jonathan |last=Belcher |page=7}}</ref> However, rolling stock availability and longer trip times due to [[slow zone]]s reduced service. By July 2023, headways were 18 minutes on each branch on weekdays and every 22 minutes on weekends.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://cdn.mbta.com/sites/default/files/media/route_pdfs/batch_6559/SUBWAY-S3-P4.pdf |title=Rapid Transit |date=July 2, 2023 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority}}</ref> This was improved to 14–16 minute weekday headways and 20–22 minute weekend headways on August 27, 2023.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mbta.com/service-changes/fall-2023-service-changes |title=Fall 2023 Service Changes |date=August 2023 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority}}</ref>

The Ashmont and Harvard branches were both built with [[automatic block signaling]] and [[Train stop|trip-stop train protection]], while the Braintree and Alewife extensions of the 1980s were constructed with [[Automatic Train Control]] (ATC) using audio frequency [[cab signaling]]. In 1985 the entire Red Line was converted to the new cab signal standard with any remaining [[interlocking tower]]s being closed with a relay based [[centralized traffic control]] machine being installed in a dispatch office at 45 High Street.  This in turn was replaced in the late 1990s with a software-controlled Automatic Train Supervision product by [[Union Switch & Signal]], subcontracted to Syseca Inc. (now ARINC), in a new control room. Subsequent revisions to the system were made internally at the MBTA.{{citation needed|date=August 2015}}

Scheduled [[headway]]s were as low as 2 minutes after the 1928 extension to Ashmont.<ref name=1928report>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/annualreport1928trans |title=Report of the Transit Department for the Year ending December 31, 1928 |year=1929 |publisher=City of Boston |author=Boston Transit Department |page=[https://archive.org/details/annualreport1928trans/page/40 40] |via=Internet Archive}}</ref> When [[Harvard station#Stadium station|Stadium station]] was in use for Harvard football games, headways as low as 1{{frac|3|4}} minutes were used.<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://archive.org/stream/electricrailway411913newy#page/410/mode/2up |title=Recent Improvements of the Boston Elevated System |pages=411–413 |via=Internet Archive |date=March 8, 1913 |journal=[[Electric Railway Journal]]|volume=41 |issue=10 |publisher=Mcgraw Publishing}}</ref> Ridership peaked around 1947, when passenger counters logged over 850 people per four-car train during peak periods. After the conversion to ATC, throughput in the downtown corridor was 13 trains per hour or a little less than 5 minute headway which gives a maximum capacity of 20,280 passengers per hour.<ref name="MBTA-Study">{{cite web|title=Red Line Customer Capacity Update|url=https://willbrownsberger.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Red-Line-Capacity-Constraints-Sept-19-update-3.pdf|access-date=2019-11-12}}</ref>

In October 2018, the MBTA awarded a $218 million improved signal contract for the Red and Orange Lines, which will allow 3-minute headways between JFK/UMass and Alewife beginning in 2022.<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://blog.mass.gov/transportation/mbta/mbta-awards-signal-upgrade-contract-for-red-and-orange-lines/ |title=MBTA Awards Signal Upgrade Contract for Red and Orange Lines |publisher=Massachusetts Department of Transportation |date=October 2, 2018 |first=Klark |last=Jessen |access-date=October 2, 2018 |archive-date=October 10, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181010185351/http://blog.mass.gov/transportation/mbta/mbta-awards-signal-upgrade-contract-for-red-and-orange-lines/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>  The decreased headway will be achieved through increased vehicle performance, an upgrade of the existing ATC system to use higher performance digital components and a reduction in the length of signaling blocks to 500 feet.<ref name="MBTA-Study"/>

During snowstorms, the MBTA runs an empty train during non-service hours to keep the tracks and third rail clear.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.boston.com/yourtown/boston/downtown/gallery/mbta_red_line_turns_100?pg=35 |title=MBTA Red Line's 100th anniversary |author=Ba Tran, Andrew |newspaper=Boston Globe |date=23 March 2012 |access-date=29 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120325135903/http://www.boston.com/yourtown/boston/downtown/gallery/mbta_red_line_turns_100?pg=35 |archive-date=25 March 2012}}</ref> The Red Line experienced major service disruptions in the winter of 2014–15 due to frozen-over third rails, leaving unpowered trains stranded between stations with passengers on board.{{citation needed|date=August 2015}}

{{anchor|Equipment}}

==Rolling stock==
{| class="wikitable" |
|-
! Series #
! Year built
! Manufacturer
! Car<br />Length
! Car<br />Width
! Photo
! Fleet numbers<br /><small>(Total ordered)</small>
! Number in service<ref>{{cite web |url=http://roster.transithistory.org/ |title=Home |website=roster.transithistory.org}}</ref>
|-bo,
! rowspan="2"| #1
| rowspan="2"| 1969–1970
| rowspan="2"| [[Pullman-Standard]]
| rowspan="4" | {{convert|69|ft|6|in|m|2}}
| rowspan="2"| {{convert|10|ft|2|in|m|2}} 
| [[File:Red Line 1500s train at Park Street Feb 2025 (cropped).jpg|100px]]
| 
* 1500-1523<br /><small>(24 total)</small>
| align=center | 14
|-
| [[File:MBTA Red Line Pullman Charles MGH (51977148858) (cropped).jpg|100px]]
| 
* 1600-1651<br /><small>(52 total)</small>
| align=center | 4
|-
! #2
| 1987–1989
| [[Urban Transportation Development Corporation|UTDC]]
| rowspan="3" | {{convert|10|ft|m|2}}
| [[File:Inbound Red Line train at Central Oct 2024 2.jpg|100px]]
| 
* 1700–1757<br /><small>(58 total)</small>
| align=center | 46
|-
! #3
| 1993–1994
| [[Bombardier Transportation|Bombardier]]
| [[File:Outbound train at Charles MGH station, May 2006.jpg|100px]]
| 
* 1800–1885<br /><small>(86 total)</small>
| align=center | 82
|-
! #4
| 2021–2025
| [[CRRC]] / [[CRRC Massachusetts]]
|{{convert|69|ft|9.75|in|m|2}}<ref>{{Cite web|title=Red Line transit vehicle for Boston's MBTA|url=https://www.crrcma.com/product/red-line-transit-vehicle-for-bostons-mbta/|access-date=2021-08-22|website=CRRC|language=en-US}}</ref>
| [[File:MBTA Red Line number 4 cars entering Central Square station.jpg|100px]]
| 
* 1900–2151<br /><small>(252 in total)</small>
| align=center | 52
|-
|}

The Red Line is [[standard gauge]] [[heavy rail]]. Trains consist of mated pairs of [[Multiple unit|electric multiple unit]] cars powered from a [[List of current systems for electric rail traction|600 V]] [[direct current|DC]] [[third rail]]. All trains run in six-car sets. All cars are roughly {{convert|69 - 70|ft|m|1|}} long, {{Convert|10|ft|m}} wide, and have a platform height of {{Convert|49|in|cm}} above the top of rail.

Rolling stock is maintained at the Cabot Yard in [[South Boston]]. Yard leads connect to the mainline at Columbia Junction, just north of [[JFK/UMass station]]. Trains are also stored at Braintree (Caddigan Yard), Ashmont (Codman Yard), and Alewife.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://world.nycsubway.org/us/boston/red.html |title=MBTA Red Line |publisher=nycsubway.org |author=O'Regan, Gerry |access-date=29 September 2011}}</ref> Eliot Yard, on the surface near [[Harvard Square]], served [[East Boston Tunnel]] cars for a short time and Red Line cars until it was demolished in the 1970s. (East Boston Tunnel cars accessed the yard through the now-closed Joy Street portal near [[Bowdoin station]] and a track connection on the [[Longfellow Bridge]]).

===1912 Cambridge subway and 1928 Dorchester cars===
[[File:Harvard station 1912.jpg|thumb|left|1912 cars at the original Harvard station]]
The Cambridge subway began service in 1912 with 40&nbsp;all-steel motor cars built by the [[Standard Steel Car Company]], and 20 cars from the [[Laconia Car Company]]. They had a novel design as a result of studies about Boston's existing lines, with a then-extraordinary length of {{convert|69|ft|6|in|m}} over buffers, and a large standee capacity, while weighing only {{convert|85,900|lb|kg|sigfig=5}}. They had an all-new door arrangement: three single sliding doors per side evenly distributed along the car's length so that the maximum distance to a door was around {{convert|9|ft|cm}}. Upon their debut, the new subway cars were the largest in the world; they remained so until the Toronto [[M series (Toronto subway)|M1 cars]] were built in 1962.<ref name=Fischler>{{cite book|last1=Fischler|first1=Stanley I.|title=Moving millions : an inside look at mass transit|date=1979|publisher=Harper & Row|location=New York|isbn=0-06-011272-7|edition=1st|url=https://archive.org/details/movingmillions00stan}}</ref>{{rp|127}}<ref>{{cite book |last1=Carlson |first1=Stephen P. |last2=Harding |first2=Thomas W. |title=From Boston to the Berkshires: a pictorial review of electric transportation in Massachusetts |year=1990 |publisher=Boston Street Railway Association |isbn=093831503X |page=40}}</ref><!--Carlson & Harding incorrectly say H-1, but correctly give 1962 as the date--> A similar configuration was later adopted by the [[Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation|BMT]]'s [[BMT Standard|Standard cars]] in New York and the [[Broad Street Line#Rolling stock|Broad Street Subway cars]] in Philadelphia.

About {{convert|20|ft|m}} of the Boston car was separated by a bulkhead for a [[smoking]] compartment. In contrast to the elevated lines, passenger flowthrough was not intended, and every door was used as both entrance and exit.<ref>''Steel Cars for the Cambridge Subway'' In: Electric Railway Journal, Vol&nbsp;XXXIX, No.&nbsp;2, p.&nbsp;58.</ref> Thirty-five cars of similar design were added in 1919 from the [[Pressed Steel Car Company]], followed by 60 more in 1928 from the [[Osgood Bradley Car Company|Bradley Car Company]] for the Cambridge–Dorchester subway.<ref name=roster>{{cite web |url=http://www.transithistory.org/roster/ |title=The MBTA Vehicle Inventory Page |publisher=NETransit |date=April 3, 2025 |access-date=April 25, 2025}}</ref>

=== 1963 Pullman cars ===
[[File:Red Line train on the Longfellow Bridge, circa 1970s.jpg|thumb|right|1400-series cars on the Longfellow Bridge|alt=A metro train on an urban bridge. The cars are dark blue with a white stripe over the windows.]]
The 1912–1928 Cambridge–Dorchester fleet remained in service until 1963, when it was replaced all at once by 92 married-pair cars from [[Pullman-Standard]] numbered 01400–01491.<ref>New Cars Cut Costs for Boston Transit ''[[Railway Age]]'' March 4, 1963 pages 16/17</ref> These carbon-steel cars were originally delivered in a blue, white and gold paint scheme (the state colors of the [[Massachusetts|Commonwealth of Massachusetts]], which funded their purchase),<ref>{{cite book|last=Clarke|first=Bradley H.|title=The Boston Rapid Transit Album|year=1981|publisher=Boston Street Railway Association|location=Cambridge, Massachusetts|page=11}}</ref>  and retained that color scheme into the early 1980s when most were finally repainted into Red Line colors for the opening of the Alewife Extension. The 01400s (or 1400s) were the last pre-MBTA transit cars and also the last ones built without [[air conditioning]]. With delivery of the 1800-series, all cars were retired from passenger service by 1994 due to mechanical and electrical equipment not being able to operate with six-car trains.

Cars 01450 and 01455 were sent to the [[Seashore Trolley Museum]] in [[Kennebunkport, Maine]] for preservation. Four other cars - 01470/01471 and 01480/01481 - remained as Red Line work equipment, but were sidelined after some time and are awaiting disposal.<ref name=roster />

===Aluminum-bodied cars===
[[File:Ashmont-bound train on the Longfellow Bridge, November 2019.jpg|thumb|left|A train of 1700-series cars on the Longfellow Bridge]]
Three series of older [[aluminum]]-bodied cars were built: the 1500 and 1600 series by [[Pullman-Standard]] 1969–1970 (known as the "No. 1" fleet), and 1700–57 by [[Urban Transportation Development Corporation|UTDC]] in 1988 ("No. 2" fleet). These cars seat 62 to 64 each and approximately 132 cars are in active service {{as of|2015|lc=y}}, including some of the oldest cars still in regular revenue service on the MBTA system. All cars are painted white with red trim, with manually operated exterior [[roll sign]]s. Before their overhauls, the 1500 and 1600 series had a brushed aluminum livery with a thin red stripe and were usually called "Silverbird" cars from their natural metal finish.

All these cars use traditional [[Direct current|DC]] [[traction motor]]s with [[electromechanical]] controls manufactured by [[Westinghouse Electric Corporation|Westinghouse]] and can interoperate. The 1500 and 1700 series cars could operate as singles, but in practice are always operated as married pairs. The 1600 series could only operate as married pairs. Originally, the 1500s were double-ended and had two cabs, but were converted to single ended during their midlife overhaul.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.trolleymuseum.org/documents/fundraiser-EastBoston4.pdf |title=New England Electric Railway Historical Society Seashore Trolley Museum – The National Streetcar Museum in Lowell |access-date=2012-02-14 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120319192246/http://www.trolleymuseum.org/documents/fundraiser-EastBoston4.pdf |archive-date=2012-03-19 }}</ref> Headlights are still present on the non-cab ends on the 1500s. The 1700s also have headlights on their non-cab end, but they were built with only one cab.

===Stainless steel–bodied cars===
[[File:MBTA Red Line Bombardier Charles MGH Station (51976063347) (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|A train of 1800-series cars on the Longfellow Bridge]]
The 1800–85 series of [[stainless steel]]–bodied cars was built in 1993–94 by [[Bombardier Transportation|Bombardier]] from components manufactured in [[Canada]] and assembled in [[Barre, Vermont (city)|Barre, Vermont]]. (This is known as the "No. 3" fleet.) These cars seat 50, and all 86 cars are in active service.  An automated stop announcement system provides station announcements synchronized with visual announcements in red [[light-emitting diode|LED]] signs ceiling-mounted in each car. These cars are stainless steel with red trim, and use yellow [[Liquid crystal display|LCD]] exterior signs. These cars originally had red cloth seats (in contrast to the black leather seats of other cars), but in the early 21st century the cloth seats were replaced with black leather seats. More recently the black leather seats were replaced with vandalism-proof reinforced carpet type seats containing multi-colored patterns, as with the other Red Line stock.

They have modern [[Alternating current|AC]] traction motors with [[solid state (electronics)|solid state]] controls manufactured by [[General Electric]], very similar to the [[Breda A650]] for the [[Los Angeles Metro Rail]], the [[R110B (New York City Subway car)|Bombardier R110B]] prototype for the [[New York City Subway]], and the [[Washington Metro]] [[Washington Metro rolling stock#1000-series|1000 series]]. They can operate only as mated pairs and can partially interoperate with older cars in emergencies or non-revenue equipment moves, but not in revenue service.

In December 2008, the MBTA began running a pair of modified 1800 series cars without seats, in order to increase train capacity. The MBTA became the first transit operator in the United States with heavy rail operations to run cars modified for this purpose. These cars, set 1802–1803, have been designated as "Big Red" cars, denoted by large stickers adjacent to the doors. Automated service announcements at stations alert passengers to the arrival of these high-capacity trains.<ref>[http://www.wickedlocal.com/cambridge/news/x1720679869/MBTA-introduces-new-high-capacity-cars MBTA strips out the seats from some Red Line trains] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108010518/http://www.wickedlocal.com/cambridge/news/x1720679869/MBTA-introduces-new-high-capacity-cars |date=2012-11-08 }}</ref> As of 2018, both Big Red cars have been retrofitted with seats, about half as many as the standard 01800 series cars.

Cars 01816 and 01817, out of service since 2004, were donated to the US Coast Guard in November 2021. They were relocated to [[Otis Air Force Base]] for training use.<ref name=roster2022>{{cite magazine |magazine=Rollsign |publisher=[[Boston Street Railway Association]] |date=January–February 2022 |issue=1–2 |volume=59 |title=MBTA Vehicle Inventory as of February 28, 2022 |first=Jonathan |last=Belcher |page=6}}</ref>

===CRRC cars and upgraded signal system===
[[File:MBTA Red Line 1904.jpg|thumb|left|A train of 1900-series cars at [[Charles/MGH station]]]]
[[File:MBTA Red Line 1906 Interior, August 2024.jpg|thumb|right|Interior of a #4 CRRC car]]
In October 2013, MassDOT announced plans for a $1.3 billion subway car order for the Orange and Red Lines, which would provide 74 new cars to replace the 1500/1600-series cars, with an option to increase the number to 132 to replace the 1700-series cars.<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.mbta.com/about_the_mbta/news_events/?id=27773&month=&year= |title=Governor Patrick Announces Major Transportation Funding Investments |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority |date=October 22, 2013}}</ref>

On October 22, 2014, the MassDOT Board awarded a $567 million contract to build 132 replacement railcars for the Red Line, as well as additional cars for the Orange Line to a [[China]] based manufacturer [[China CNR|CNR]] (which became part of [[CRRC]] the following year). CRRC will build the new cars at a new manufacturing plant in [[Springfield, Massachusetts|Springfield]] at the site of the former [[New England Westinghouse Company]], with initial deliveries of Red Line cars expected in 2020 (Orange Line deliveries began a year earlier) and all cars required to be in service by 2023. The Board forwent federal funding to allow the contract to specify the cars be built in Massachusetts, to create a local railcar manufacturing industry.<ref>[https://www.masslive.com/business/2019/12/mbta-orange-line-problems-not-linked-to-springfield-built-cars.html MBTA: Orange Line problems not linked to Springfield-built cars]</ref> In conjunction with the new rolling stock, the remainder of the $1.3 billion allocated for the project will pay for testing, signal improvements and expanded maintenance facilities, as well as other related expenses.<ref name="chinese">{{cite news |url=http://www.wbur.org/2014/10/22/chinese-company-mbta-contract |title=Chinese Company Hopes MBTA Contract Will Be U.S. Launching Pad |publisher=WBUR |date=October 22, 2014 |access-date=December 13, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160826104513/http://www.wbur.org/news/2014/10/22/chinese-company-mbta-contract |url-status=live |archive-date=August 26, 2016}}</ref> Sixty percent of the car's components are sourced from the United States.<ref>{{cite news|title=MBTA Orange Line Cars Pulled From Service: Report|first=William C. |last=Vantuono|date=October 1, 2019|publisher=Railway Age|url=https://www.railwayage.com/passenger/rapid-transit/mbta-orange-line-cars-pulled-from-service-report/}}</ref> The new cars will hold 15 additional passengers, will have four wheelchair parking areas per car, and will be equipped with on-board [[video surveillance]]. The cars will have wider doors to allow faster boarding at busy stations, and can allow wheelchair access even if one of a pair of door panels fails to open.<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://archives.lib.state.ma.us/bitstream/handle/2452/214486/ocn795183245-2014-10-21.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y |title=GOVERNOR PATRICK ANNOUNCES MBTA'S RECOMMENDED COMPANY TO BUILD NEW SUBWAY CARS IN MASSACHUSETTS |publisher=Office of Governor Deval L. Patrick |date=October 21, 2014 |via=State Library of Massachusetts}}</ref> The MBTA rebuilt [[Track 61 (Boston)|Track 61]] to serve as a test track for the new Red Line cars.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mbta.com/projects/red-line-improvement-program|title = Red Line Transformation Program &#124; Projects &#124; MBTA}}</ref>

In December 2016, the MBTA opted to purchase additional identical cars from CRRC, allowing replacement rather than costly refurbishment of the 01800 series cars. The second order is for 120 cars costing $277 million, with an option for 14 additional cars. Combined, the 2014 and 2016 orders will provide a single common fleet for the entire Red Line, with enough cars to eventually run 3-minute headways at peak.<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.mbta.com/news/2016-12-12/mbta-purchases-additional-120-new-red-line-cars |title=MBTA purchases an additional 120 new Red Line cars |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority |date=December 12, 2016}}</ref> Replacement of the signal system is expected to be complete by 2021 on the Red Line; the total cost is $218 million for both the Red and Orange Lines.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/10/01/signal-problem-mbta-takes-aim-prime-cause-delays-with-new-signal-system/LcrvW47h5jCAZZBNe9oFcO/story.html |title=Signal problem? MBTA takes aim at prime cause of delays with new signal system |first=Adam |last=Vaccaro |date=October 1, 2018 |newspaper=Boston Globe}}</ref> The first trainset of new cars entered revenue service on December 30, 2020.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2020/12/30/new-mbta-red-line-train |title=The first new Red Line train hit the tracks Wednesday. Here's what it looked like. |newspaper=Boston Globe |date=December 30, 2020 |first=Nik |last=DeCosta-Klipa |access-date=December 31, 2020}}</ref> The cars were taken out of service on March 16, 2021 after a CRRC car on the Orange Line derailed.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-03-17|title=All new MBTA trains pulled from service after new Orange Line train derails|url=https://www.wcvb.com/article/mbta-orange-line-train-derails-in-work-zone-at-wellington-station/35853192|access-date=2021-03-18|website=WCVB|language=en}}</ref> After investigations were completed, they returned to service in January 2022,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2022/01/05/mbta-new-red-line-train-is-back/|title = The MBTA's new Red Line train is slowly returning to passenger service}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bostonherald.com/2021/12/11/new-mbta-red-line-cars-to-return-to-tracks-by-the-end-of-the-month/|title = New MBTA Red Line cars to return to tracks by the end of the month|date = 11 December 2021}}</ref> at which point an increased number of deliveries was expected during 2022.<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.mbta.com/news/2022-01-05/test-track-and-vehicle-testing-facility-be-used-new-red-line-cars |title=Test Track and Vehicle Testing Facility to Be Used for New Red Line Cars |date=January 5, 2022 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority}}</ref> The cars were pulled from service again in June 2022 after a battery failure;<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.wcvb.com/article/mbta-orange-red-line-trains-out-of-service-dead-battery-june-21/40367458# | title=New Orange, Red line trains taken back out of service by MBTA | date=21 June 2022 }}</ref> they returned in July 2022.

Production delays became apparent in 2019, and then factory shutdowns and staffing limitations caused by the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] delayed projected final delivery to 2024,<ref>[https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2020/10/06/mbta-red-line-orange-line-car-delays/ The new Orange and Red Line cars are going to arrive at least a year late]</ref> with subsequent issues with staffing, supply chain, and delaying expected completion to summer 2025.<ref name="more">[https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2022/09/30/mbta-red-line-orange-line-new-trains-delays/ More new T cars? Not so fast. New Red, Orange Line trains face more delays.]</ref> The CRRC contract specifies a penalty of $500 per car per day of delay after September 2023; as of February 14th 2025, 36 of the red line cars have been delivered with 24 of them in service.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-02-15 |title=MBTA to shrink some Red Line trains to retire older cars, improve service, officials say |url=https://www.boston25news.com/news/local/mbta-shrink-some-red-line-trains-retire-older-cars-improve-service-officials-say/WITFYKXVORFAXCYWUU6PWJ7EXI/ |access-date=2025-02-15 |website=Boston 25 News |language=en}}</ref>
{{clear}}

==Art and architecture==
{{see also|Arts on the Line}}

The MBTA pioneered a "percentage for art" [[public art]] program called [[Arts on the Line]] during its Northwest Extension of the Red Line in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Arts on the Line was the first program of its kind in the United States and became the model for similar programs for art across the country.

The [[Kendall/MIT (MBTA station)|Kendall/MIT]] station features an interactive public art installation by [[Paul Matisse]] called the ''[[Kendall Band]]'', which allows the public to activate three sound-producing machines utilizing levers on the wall of the station. Above the tracks at [[Alewife (MBTA station)|Alewife]] hangs a series of [[Neon art|red neon tubes]] called ''[[The End of the Red Line]]'', by the Boston artists Alejandro and Moira Sina.  Many stations built or renovated in the past three decades now feature public art.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Boston Public Library|title=Boston Inspires Public Art|pages=5, 6|year=2003|url=http://www.bpl.org/kids/publicartguide.pdf|access-date=2008-09-01|quote=the MBTA collaborated with the... Cambridge Arts Council... to acquire art for the Red Line Northwest Extension Project. The result was the beginning of a world-class public art program and collection that has grown to include over seventy pieces on six transit lines.|archive-date=2006-10-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061003095935/http://www.bpl.org/kids/publicartguide.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The MBTA maintains an online catalog of the over 90 artworks installed along its six major transit lines.  Each downloadable guide is illustrated with full-color photographs, titles, artists, locations, and descriptions of individual artworks.<ref name=MBTAPubArt>{{cite web|title=Public Art in Transit: Over the Years|url=http://www.mbta.com/about_the_mbta/art_collection/|website=mbta.com|publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority|access-date=2014-06-23|archive-date=2014-06-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140625094038/http://mbta.com/about_the_mbta/art_collection/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Newer aboveground stations (particularly Alewife, Braintree, and Quincy Adams, which all have large [[parking garage]]s) are excellent examples of [[brutalist architecture]].

==Station listing==
[[File:Alewife tracks.jpg|thumb|right|The platform at Alewife station, the line's northern terminus]]
[[File:Park Street Northbound MBTA Red Line Platform, September 2024.jpg|thumb|right|Red Line platforms at Park Street station]]
[[File:Braintree-bound MBTA Red Line train entering JFK UMass Station (2), October 2025.jpg|thumb|right|Braintree branch train entering JFK/UMass Station]]
[[File:Inbound train at Shawmut station, July 2021.jpg|thumb|right|Ashmont branch train at Shawmut station]]
[[File:Red Line trains at Braintree station (2), August 2018.JPG|thumb|right|Two trains at Braintree station, one of the line's two southern termini]]
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Location
!Station
! scope="col" width="120" |Opened<ref name=netransit>{{NETransit}}</ref>
!Notes and connections
|-
|[[Cambridge, Massachusetts|Cambridge]]
|{{access icon}} {{bts|Alewife}}
|March 30, 1985
|{{ric|MBTA|Bus|name=y}}: {{MBTA bus links|Alewife}}<br />{{bus icon}} 128 Business Council: {{MBTA other buses|Alewife 128BC}}
|-
|[[Somerville, Massachusetts|Somerville]]
|{{access icon}} {{bts|Davis}}
|rowspan=2|December 8, 1984
|{{ric|MBTA|Bus|name=y}}: {{MBTA bus links|Davis}}
|-
|rowspan=7|Cambridge
|{{access icon}} {{bts|Porter}}
|{{ric|MBTA|Commuter Rail|name=y}}: [[Fitchburg Line]]<br />{{ric|MBTA|Bus|name=y}}: {{MBTA bus links|Porter}}
|-
|bgcolor=lightgray|{{bts|Stadium}}
|bgcolor=lightgray|October 26, 1912
|bgcolor=lightgray|Closed November 18, 1967; used only for games at [[Harvard Stadium]].
|-
|bgcolor=lightgray|{{bts|Harvard/Brattle}}
|bgcolor=lightgray|March 24, 1979
|bgcolor=lightgray|Closed September 1, 1983; temporary station during Harvard reconstruction.
|-
|{{access icon}} {{bts|Harvard}}
|September 6, 1983
|Original station slightly to the southeast was open from March 23, 1912 to January 30, 1981.<br />{{ric|MBTA|Bus|name=y}}: {{MBTA bus links|Harvard}}
|-
|bgcolor=lightgray|{{bts|Harvard/Holyoke}}
|bgcolor=lightgray|January 31, 1981
|bgcolor=lightgray|Closed September 1, 1983; temporary station during Harvard reconstruction.
|-
|{{access icon}} {{bts|Central}}
|rowspan=2|March 23, 1912
|{{ric|MBTA|Bus|name=y}}: {{MBTA bus links|Central}} 
|-
|{{access icon}} {{bts|Kendall/MIT}}
|{{ric|MBTA|Bus|name=y}}: {{MBTA bus links|Kendall/MIT}}<br />{{bus icon}} {{MBTA other buses|Kendall}}
|-
|[[West End, Boston]]
|{{access icon}} {{bts|Charles/MGH}}
|February 27, 1932
|
|-
|rowspan=3|[[Downtown Boston]]
|{{access icon}} {{bts|Park Street}}
|March 23, 1912
|{{ric|MBTA|Subway|name=y}}: {{ric|MBTA|Green|name=y}}<br />{{ric|MBTA|Bus|name=y}}: {{MBTA bus links|Park Street}}
|-
|{{access icon}} {{bts|Downtown Crossing}}
|April 4, 1915
|{{ric|MBTA|Subway|name=y}}: {{ric|MBTA|Orange|name=y}} {{ric|MBTA|Silver|name=y}} ({{MBTABus|SL5}})<br />{{ric|MBTA|Bus|name=y}}: {{MBTA bus links|Downtown Crossing}}
|-
|{{access icon}} {{bts|South Station Under}}
|December 3, 1916
|{{ric|MBTA|Subway|name=y}}: {{ric|MBTA|Silver|name=y}} ({{MBTABus|SL1|SL2|SL3|SL4|SLW}})<br />{{ric|MBTA|Commuter Rail|name=y}}: [[Fairmount Line]], [[Fall River/New Bedford Line]], [[Framingham/Worcester Line]], [[Franklin/Foxboro Line]], [[Greenbush Line]], [[Kingston Line]], [[Needham Line]], [[Providence/Stoughton Line]]; ''[[CapeFLYER]]'' (seasonal)<br />{{ric|MBTA|Bus|name=y}}: {{MBTA bus links|South Station}}<br />{{rint|us|Amtrak}} [[Amtrak]]: {{lnl|Amtrak|Acela}}, {{lnl|Amtrak|Lake Shore Limited}}, {{lnl|Amtrak|Northeast Regional}}<br />{{bus icon}} Intercity buses at [[South Station Bus Terminal]]
|-
|rowspan=2|[[South Boston]]
|{{access icon}} {{bts|Broadway}}
|December 15, 1917
|{{ric|MBTA|Bus|name=y}}: {{MBTA bus links|Broadway}}
|-
|{{access icon}} {{bts|Andrew}}
|June 29, 1918
|{{ric|MBTA|Bus|name=y}}: {{MBTA bus links|Andrew}}
|-
|[[Dorchester, Boston]]
|{{access icon}} {{bts|JFK/UMass}}
|November 5, 1927
|{{ric|MBTA|Commuter Rail|name=y}}: Fall River/New Bedford Line, Greenbush Line, Kingston Line<br />{{ric|MBTA|Bus|name=y}}: {{MBTA bus links|JFK/UMass}}<br />{{bus icon}} {{MBTA other buses|JFK/UMass}}
|-
| align=center colspan=4 bgcolor=eaecf0 | '''Ashmont branch'''
|-
|rowspan=4|Dorchester, Boston
|{{access icon}} {{bts|Savin Hill}}
|rowspan=2|November 5, 1927
|
|-
|{{access icon}} {{bts|Fields Corner}}
|{{ric|MBTA|Bus|name=y}}: {{MBTA bus links|Fields Corner}}
|-
|{{access icon}} {{bts|Shawmut}}
|rowspan=2|September 1, 1928
|
|-
|{{access icon}} {{bts|Ashmont}}
|{{ric|MBTA|Subway|name=y}}: {{ric|MBTA|Mattapan|name=y}}<br />{{ric|MBTA|Bus|name=y}}: {{MBTA bus links|Ashmont}}<br />{{bus icon}} [[Brockton Area Transit Authority|BAT]]: {{MBTA other buses|Ashmont BAT}}
|-
| align=center colspan=4 bgcolor=eaecf0 | '''Braintree branch'''
|-
|rowspan=4|[[Quincy, Massachusetts|Quincy]]
|{{access icon}} {{bts|North Quincy}}
|rowspan=3|September 1, 1971
|{{ric|MBTA|Bus|name=y}}: {{MBTA bus links|North Quincy}}
|-
|{{access icon}} {{bts|Wollaston}}
|{{ric|MBTA|Bus|name=y}}: {{MBTA bus links|Wollaston}}
|-
|{{access icon}} {{bts|Quincy Center}}
|{{ric|MBTA|Commuter Rail|name=y}}: Fall River/New Bedford Line, Greenbush Line, Kingston Line<br />{{ric|MBTA|Bus|name=y}}: {{MBTA bus links|Quincy Center}} 
|-
|{{access icon}} {{bts|Quincy Adams}}
|September 10, 1983
|{{ric|MBTA|Bus|name=y}}: {{MBTA bus links|Quincy Adams}}
|-
|[[Braintree, Massachusetts|Braintree]]
|{{access icon}} {{bts|Braintree}}
|March 22, 1980
|{{ric|MBTA|Commuter Rail|name=y}}: Fall River/New Bedford Line, Kingston Line<br />{{ric|MBTA|Bus|name=y}}: {{MBTA bus links|Braintree}}
|-
| colspan="4" align="center" |''{{color box|lightgray}} Closed station''
|}
{{clear}}

== See also ==
* [[Charles Ufford]], father of the [[Dorchester Tunnel]] plan

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* Cheney, Frank. (2002) [https://books.google.com/books?id=YIW6bOW98-EC ''Boston's Red Line: Bridging the Charles from Alewife to Braintree''], Arcadia Publishing. {{ISBN|9780738510477}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Attached KML}}
*[http://www.mbta.com/schedules_and_maps/subway/lines/?route=RED MBTA – Red Line]
*[https://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/MBTA_Red_Line nycsubway.org – MBTA Red Line]

{{MBTA}}
{{USSubway}}
{{Crossings navbox
|structure        = Crossings
|place            = [[Fort Point Channel]]
|bridge           = Red Line tunnel
|bridge signs     = {{rint|boston|red|icon}}
|upstream         = [[Fort Point Channel tunnel]]
|upstream signs   = [[Image:I-90.svg|20px]]
|downstream       = [[Summer Street Bridge]]
|downstream signs = 
}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Red Line (Mbta)}}
[[Category:Red Line (MBTA)| ]]
[[Category:Standard-gauge railways in the United States]]
[[Category:600 V DC railway electrification]]