TRANSIT SYSTEMS IN MASSACHUSETTS

BOSTON AREA (MBTA)

Provides comprehensive transit coverage throughout this large area.

Horse Car
1856-1887 - several companies
1887-1897 - West End Street Railway Co.
1889-1901 - horse cars replaced with electric streetcars

1897-1947 - Boston Elevated Railway Co.
1922 - buses introduced
1936 - trolleybuses introduced
1947-1964 - Metropolitan Transit Authority
STILL OPERATES TROLLEYBUSES
STILL OPERATES STREETCARS

Chelsea

Horse Car
1854-1880 - Boston & Chelsea Railroad
1857-1880 - Winnisimmet Railroad Co.

1880-1901 - Lynn & Boston Railroad Co.
1891-1892 - horse cars replaced with electric streetcars

1901-1911 - Boston & Northern Street Railway Co.
1911-1919 - Bay State Street Railway Co.
1919-1936 - Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway Co.
1936-1947 - Boston Elevated Railway Co.
1947-1964 - Metropolitan Transit Authority
1952 - streetcars discontinued

1952-1961 - operated trolleybuses

Horse Car
1854-1901 - Lynn & Boston Railroad Co.
1891-1892 - horse cars replaced with electric streetcars

Electric Streetcar
1890-1892 - Lynn Belt Line Street Railway Co.

1901-1911 - Boston & Northern Street Railway Co.
1911-1919 - Bay State Street Railway Co.
1919-1968 - Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway Co.
1937 - streetcars discontinued

Beverly

Battery Car
1889-1892 - Beverly & Danvers Street Railway Co.

Electric Streetcar
1896-1901 - Beverly & Danvers Street Railway Co.
1901-1911 - Boston & Northern Street Railway Co.
1911-1919 - Bay State Street Railway Co.
1919-1968 - Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway Co.
1923 - buses introduced
1937 - streetcars discontinued

Salem

Horse Car
1875-1892 - Naumkeag Street Railway Co.
1884-1887 - Salem & Danvers Street Railway Co.
1890-1891 - horse cars replaced with electric streetcars

Electric Streetcar
1890-1892 - Essex Electric Street Railway Co.

1892-1901 - Lynn & Boston Railroad Co.
1901-1911 - Boston & Northern Street Railway Co.
1911-1919 - Bay State Street Railway Co.
1919-1968 - Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway Co.
1937 - streetcars discontinued

Revere

1889-1890 - Revere Street Railway Co.
1890-1893 - Boston & Revere Electric Street Railway Co.
1893-1901 - Lynn & Boston Railroad Co.
1901-1911 - Boston & Northern Street Railway Co.
1911-1919 - Bay State Street Railway Co.
1919-1968 - Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway Co.
1923 - buses introduced
1937 - streetcars discontinued

Horse Car
1866-1886 - North Woburn Horse Railroad
1886-1897 - North Woburn Street Railway Co.
1896 - horse cars replaced with electric streetcars

1897-1901 - North Woburn Street Railroad Co.
1901-1911 - Boston & Northern Street Railway Co.
1911-1919 - Bay State Street Railway Co.
1919-1968 - Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway Co.
1923 - buses introduced
1946 - streetcars discontinued

Stoneham

Horse Car
1885-1887 - Stoneham Street Railroad Co.
1887-1893 - East Middlesex Street Railway Co.
1893-1901 - Lynn & Boston Railroad Co.
1894-1897 - horse cars replaced with electric streetcars

1901-1911 - Boston & Northern Street Railway Co.
1911-1919 - Bay State Street Railway Co.
1919-1968 - Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway Co.
1923 - buses introduced
1946 - streetcars discontinued

ADDITIONAL HISTORIC ELECTRIC RAILWAYS
(Most company names also describe the routes)
1892-1900 - Wakefield & Stoneham Street Railway Co. (Wakefield-Stoneham/Melrose/Lynn/Reading)
1900 to Lynn & Boston Railroad Co./above
1896-1899 - Mystic Valley Street Railway Co. (Stoneham-Winchester)
1899 to Wakefield & Stoneham Street Railway Co./above
1897-1898 - Arlington & Winchester Street Railway Co.
1898 to Mystic Valley Street Railway Co./above
1897-1901 - North Woburn Street Railroad Co. (Medford-Woburn-North Woburn)
above
1896-1899 - Woburn & Reading Street Railway Co.
1899 to Wakefield & Stoneham Street Railway Co./above
1895-1899 - Reading & Lowell Street Railway
1899 to Wakefield & Stoneham Street Railway Co./above
1898-1899 - Salem & Wakefield Street Railway Co.
1899 to Wakefield & Stoneham Street Railway Co./above

1896-1901 - West Roxbury & Roslindale Street Railway Co.
1901-1911 - Old Colony Street Railway Co.
1911-1919 - Bay State Street Railway Co.
1919-1930 - Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway Co.
1930-1947 - Boston Elevated Railway Co.
1947-1964 - Metropolitan Transit Authority
1952 - streetcars discontinued

1952-1958 - operated trolleybuses

Hyde Park

1889-1892 - Norfolk Street Railway Co.
1892-1899 - Norfolk Suburban Street Railway Co.
1899-1900 - West Roxbury & Roslindale Street Railway Co.
1900-1901 - Brockton Street Railway Co.
1901-1911 - Old Colony Street Railway Co.
1911-1919 - Bay State Street Railway Co.
1919-1930 - Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway Co.
1930-1947 - Boston Elevated Railway Co.
1947-1964 - Metropolitan Transit Authority
1953 - streetcars discontinued

1953-1958 - operated trolleybuses

Dedham

1896-1899 - Norfolk Central Street Railway Co.
1899-1900 - West Roxbury & Roslindale Street Railway Co.
1900-1901 - Brockton Street Railway Co.
1901-1911 - Old Colony Street Railway Co.
1911-1919 - Bay State Street Railway Co.
1919-1930 - Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway Co.
1930-1947 - Boston Elevated Railway Co.
1932 - streetcars discontinued

1947-1964 - Metropolitan Transit Authority

ADDITIONAL HISTORIC ELECTRIC RAILWAYS
1896-1901 - West Roxbury & Roslindale Street Railway Co. (above)
(Forest Hills-Roslindale-Dedham)
1892-1899 - Norfolk Suburban Street Railway Co. (above)
(Forest Hills-Hyde Park-Readville/Mattapan-Hyde Park-Dedham)
1896-1899 - Norfolk Central Street Railway Co. (above)
(Dedham-Norwood-East Walpole)
1899-1899 - Needham & Boston Street Railway Co.
(Roslindale-Needham)
1899 to West Roxbury & Roslindale Street Railway Co./above

INDEPENDENT HISTORIC ELECTRIC RAILWAY
1899-1920 - Blue Hill Street Railway Co. (Mattapan-Canton-Stoughton)

Replacement regional bus service initially operated by Canton & Blue Hill Bus Co.

INDEPENDENT HISTORIC ELECTRIC RAILWAY
1899-1905 - Norfolk Western Street Railway Co. (Dedham-Franklin)
1905-1912 - Dedham & Franklin Street Railway Co.

INDEPENDENT HISTORIC ELECTRIC RAILWAY
1899-1901 - Norfolk Southern Street Railway Co. (Norwood-Wrentham)
1901-1922 - Norfolk & Bristol Street Railway Co.

INDEPENDENT HISTORIC ELECTRIC RAILWAY
1901-1920 - Norwood Canton & Sharon Street Railway Co. (Norwood-Sharon)

1888-1897 - Quincy Street Railroad
1897-1900 - Quincy & Boston Street Railway Co.
1900-1901 - Brockton Street Railway Co.
1901-1911 - Old Colony Street Railway Co.
1911-1919 - Bay State Street Railway Co.
1919-1968 - Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway Co.
1948 - streetcars discontinued

Braintree/Randolph

1893-1897 - Braintree Street Railway Co.
1896-1897 - Randolph Street Railway Co.

1897-1900 - Quincy & Boston Street Railway Co.
1900-1901 - Brockton Street Railway Co.
1901-1911 - Old Colony Street Railway Co.
1911-1919 - Bay State Street Railway Co.
1919-1968 - Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway Co.
1935 - streetcars discontinued

Weymouth/Hanover/Nantasket/Hull/Hingham

1895-1899 - Braintree & Weymouth Street Railway Co. (Weymouth)
1896-1899 - Hanover Street Railway Co.

1895-1897 - Nantasket Electric Street Railway
1892-1898 - Hull Street Railway Co.
1895-1899 - Hingham Street Railway Co.

1899-1901 - South Shore & Boston Street Railway Co.
1901-1911 - Old Colony Street Railway Co.
1911-1919 - Bay State Street Railway Co.
1919-1932 - Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway Co.
1922 - buses introduced
1929 - streetcars discontinued

1932-1948 - Lovell Bus Lines
1948-1984 - Hudson Bus Lines
1984-1986 - Carey's Bus Lines
1986-1990 - Weybus

Horse Car
1868-1889 - Waltham & Newton Street Railway Co.
1889 - horse cars replaced with electric streetcars operated by new company

1889-1891 - Newton & Waltham Electric Railway

Electric Streetcar
1890-1909 - Newton Street Railway Co.
1903-1904 - Waltham Street Railway Co.

1909-1972 - Middlesex & Boston Street Railway Co.
1931 - streetcars discontinued

Natick

Horse Car
1886-1908 - Natick & Cochituate Street Railway Co.
1892 - horse cars replaced with electric streetcars

1891-1895 - Natick Electric Street Railway Co.

1896-1907 - South Middlesex Street Railway Co.
1907-1972 - Middlesex & Boston Street Railway Co.
1931 - streetcars discontinued

Needham

1919-1944 - Modern Bus Lines
1944-1950 - Boston Worcester & New York Street Railway Co.
1950-1958 - Dedham-Needham Transit Lines
1958-1976 - Needham Transit Co.
1976-1979 - Metropolitan Coach Service

ADDITIONAL HISTORIC ELECTRIC RAILWAYS
1895-1904 - Wellesley & Boston Street Railway Co.
(Newton-Newton Lower Falls)
1904 to Newton Street Railway Co./above
1895-1904 - Commonwealth Avenue Street Railway Co.
(Boston-Newton-Auburndale)
1904 to Newton Street Railway Co./above
1892-1909 - Newton & Boston Street Railway Co.
(Newton-Needham)
1909 to Middlesex & Boston Street Railway Co./above
1896-1900 - Newtonville & Watertown Street Railway Co.
(Newtonville-Watertown)
1900 to Newton & Boston Street Railway Co./above
1896-1907 - South Middlesex Street Railway Co. (above)
(South Natick-Natick-South Framingham-Hopkinton)
1886-1908 - Natick & Cochituate Street Railway Co. (above)
(Natick-Newton Lower Falls/Saxonville)
1900-1902 - Natick & Needham Street Railway Co.
(Needham-Natick-Framingham)
1902 to South Middlesex Street Railway Co./above
1900-1913 - Lexington & Boston Street Railway Co.
(Boston-Lexington-Bedford-Concord)
1913 to Middlesex & Boston Street Railway Co./above

Interurban railway service discontinued 1930

INDEPENDENT HISTORIC ELECTRIC RAILWAY
1901-1923 - Concord Maynard & Hudson Street Railway Co. (Concord-Hudson)

Historic suburban/interurban bus lines operated by several companies (mostly a 1952 sampling)