The transportation system of the city of Boston comprises a combination of bothrapid transit and surface lines operated under a single fare arrangement with transferprivileges permitting a continuous ride in one general direction from one end tothe other of the system. The elevated lines and the Tremont St. Subway were originallybuilt by the railway company in 1901. Today the total transportation system includesmore than 500 miles of line of which37 miles are subway and elevatedtracks. The population served in thedistrict of more than 92 square milesis considerably over a million peopleand the number of revenue passengerscarried, approximates 350,000,000 peryear. Statistics are not available asto the passengers carried on theRapid Transit lines.

Exterior of Main Power Station at South Boston

The original elevated structureoperated between Sullivan Sq.,Charlestown, and Dudley Street,with two branches through the city,one by subway under Tremont St. andthe other by the way of Atlantic Ave.and South Station. In 1908-9 theelevated structure was extended tothe present terminal at Forest Hillsand the Washington St. Subway wascompleted through the business partof the city. The Cambridge Subwaywas placed in operation in 1912. Recent extensions include an elevated line from SullivanSquare to Everett and reconstruction of the tunnel to East Boston.

Since July 1, 1919, the system has been operated by the Board of Trustees of theCommonwealth. Under the direction of this board are included not only the details ofoperation and management, but also the decisions as to fares to be charged independent ofthe State Department of Public Utilities.

Under the direction of the present management a continuous program of improvementshas been inaugurated which has necessitated the re-routing of trains to handle thetraffic to the best advantage.