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Boston's light rail system (Green Line) is built in a very utilitarian, un-ostentatious way. The second it becomes feasible, the trains emerge from tunnels and
by thehappypm 7y ago
Boston's light rail system (Green Line) is built in a very utilitarian, un-ostentatious way. The second it becomes feasible, the trains emerge from tunnels and ride above ground. Many of the stops are nothing more than a painted stretch of pavement. I've always found it ugly, but perhaps there was wisdom in keeping it simple.
- leggomylibro 7y agoAww, come on - the green line can be really pretty. Go check out the Longwood stop and take a walk in the park along the tracks in the summer, it's almost surreal how beautifully the ironwork and old stone bridges and greenery mesh together.
- volkl48 7y agoThe D/Riverside Line of the Green Line is a recycled former heavy rail line, it was not originally built as a streetcar/light rail line. The ironwork, old stone bridges and stationhouses and such are very nice, but are thanks to the Boston and Albany RR in the late 1800s/early 1900s. It was bought by the government and converted over to a light rail line in the late 1950s.
- leggomylibro 7y agoFascinating, thanks for the history lesson - I guess that's part of Boston's charm. They say that cows and horses designed the street layout more than people did, although I'm sure that's not true anymore :)
- volkl48 7y agoFor a little more of a history lesson: Much of the core of Boston is artificial land added at various times throughout history. The seemingly crazy street layouts and orientations (especially in the Downtown/North End areas) make much more "sense" when you realize how the original landmass was shaped, which was a peninsula only connected to the mainland by a single very narrow road out to the south/southwest. You can find more detail and scope elsewhere, but here's a quick image that illustrates most of it: http://i.imgur.com/dWSGEjQ.jpg http://i.imgur.com/dWSGEjQ.jpg