Green Line Chugs Into Somerville With New Ticketing Process

SOMERVILLE, MA — Riders climbed aboard the first of two Green Line Extension branches on Monday, marking a historic moment for the long-delayed project.

The two-stop Union Square branch includes the new Lechmere station and Union Square, and is the shorter of the two lines. The longer, five-stop branch, which extends into Medford and ends at Tufts University, remains tentatively scheduled to open this summer.

Along with the opening came a new ticketing process, which the MBTA said will be temporary as it upgrades the fare collection process on its trolleys. The agency tweeted a video Monday explaining the fare validation process, which involves stopping at a fare vending machine and acquiring a paper receipt as proof of payment.

Starting Monday, Government Center will be the end of the line for Green Line B and C Branch trains, D Branch trains will end at North Station and E Branch trains will terminate at Union Square. Union Square will switch to the Green Line D Branch when testing begins on the new Medford line.

The $2.3 billion Green Line Extension project, which got underway in earnest in 2017 after budgetary concerns landed it on the chopping block, faced last-minute delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The MBTA postponed the opening of the Union Square branch twice last year, and delayed the opening of the Medford branch by five months, citing supply chain issues.

See a map of the GLX below: