Long Awaited Green Line Extension Opens Today North of Boston

The Green Line Extension project, in the works for decades, is now providing rail transit service from Boston north into Somerville.

1 minute read

March 21, 2022, 11:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


A map showing the route of a light rail transit line from Boston up through Somerville and Medford.

Commonwealth of Massachusetts / The Green Line Extension project map.

The Union Square Branch of the Green Line Extension Project, with service to Somerville, opens today in Massachusetts.

An article by Adrianna MacNeill previewed this milestone event for the decades-long Green Line Extension Project (GLX), noting the new access to transit offered to public transit by the new rail line's opening. MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo is quoted in the article saying: "When both branches of GLX are open, 80% of Somerville’s population will be within walking distance of a rail station. Today, that figure is only 20%."

The other branch Pesaturo is referring to is the Medford Branch, which is expected to open this summer. "In all, there will be six new stations, as well as a reconstructed and relocated Lechmere station. The new stations include Union Square on the first phase, plus East Somerville, Gilman Square, Magoun Square, Ball Square, and College Avenue stations as part of the second," reports MacNeill.

The source article, linked below, includes more detail on the long history of planning leading up to today's historic opening, as well as the most recent history of delays from the past several years. For more background, see also articles previewing the opening, published earlier this year by the Boston Globe and Boston.Com.  

Friday, March 18, 2022 in Boston.com

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Wastewater pouring out from a pipe.

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage

Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

April 13, 2025 - Inside Climate News

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Black and white photos of camp made up of small 'earthquake shacks' in Dolores Park in 1906 after the San Francisco earthquake.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees

More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

April 15, 2025 - Charles F. Bloszies

Entrance to subterranean Hollywood/Vine Metro station in Los Angeles, California surrounded by tall apartment buildings.

Opinion: California’s SB 79 Would Improve Housing Affordability and Transit Access

A proposed bill would legalize transit-oriented development statewide.

15 minutes ago - San Gabriel Valley Tribune

Yellow roadside sign with extreme heat warning: "Danger - Extreme Conditions! - STOP - Do not hike Jun-Sep - HEAT KILLS"

Record Temperatures Prompt Push for Environmental Justice Bills

Nevada legislators are proposing laws that would mandate heat mitigation measures to protect residents from the impacts of extreme heat.

1 hour ago - Nevada Current

View of downtown Pittsburgh, PA with river and bridge in foreground at dusk.

Downtown Pittsburgh Set to Gain 1,300 New Housing Units

Pittsburgh’s office buildings, many of which date back to the early 20th century, are prime candidates for conversion to housing.

2 hours ago - Axios