Posted on Monday, September 1, 2025
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by The Association of Mature American Citizens
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On September 1st, 1897, Boston’s Tremont Street Subway opened, and holds the distinction of being the oldest subway tunnel in North America and the first true subway in the U.S..
Built under the guidance of chief engineer Howard A. Carson, the tunnel sought to address the mounting congestion caused by horse-drawn and electric trolleys clogging downtown streets. Rather than a full-fledged rapid transit system, it was conceived primarily to relieve street-level traffic by routing streetcar lines underground.
Construction began around 1895, and the initial section launched between Public Garden and Park Street, with additional service via the Pleasant Street portal following shortly after. On opening day, thousands of Bostonians gathered to watch streetcars emerge from the tunnel—a striking sign of a new era in urban transit.
The subway initially featured several stations—Boylston, Park Street, Scollay Square, Adams Square, and Haymarket—with branching portals serving different directions. The southern branch, via the Pleasant Street incline, served streetcar lines toward South Boston and beyond until its closure in 1962, after which it was sealed and even converted into park space, though parts of the tunnel remain intact underground.
Over time, the Tremont Street Subway evolved beyond a mere congestion solution into a vital piece of Boston’s rapid transit network. From 1901 to 1908, heavy rail “elevated” trains (from what would become the Orange Line) ran through the subway’s outer tracks before being moved to a separate Washington Street Tunnel. Today, the surviving portions of the tunnel form the central spine of the MBTA Green Line, still carrying passengers daily with modern electric trolley cars.
Recognized for its historic significance, the Tremont Street Subway was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.
Boston’s Tremont Street Subway wasn’t just the nation’s first subway—it was a technical and urban planning milestone that has endured as a dynamic centerpiece of public transit for more than a century.
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