Transportation in Medford

Medford has excellent public transportation, thanks to its close proximity to Boston. The east side of the city is served by the Orange Line subway; the west side by commuter rail. In addition, the city is served by 20 MBTA and private bus routes. It is also bisected by Interstate 93, one of the main north-south arteries in and out of Boston.

Commuter rail

West Medford Station, 481 High St. in West Medford Square, is Medford's lone commuter rail station. It is on the MBTA's Lowell Line, one of the oldest rail lines in the US, which dates back to the 1830s, when West Medford was mostly farmland. The stop was initially called "Medford Gates" and it gave birth to West Medford Square and, eventually, to the surrounding residential neighborhoods. A depot structure built in 1880 was destroyed by a fire in 1950. The finial from the roof of the station now resides today at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan.

West Medford Station is primarily used by commuters, and the average trip to Boston's North Station is about 12 minutes. West Medford Station has very limited parking, but is served by three bus lines, routes 94, 95, and 326.

Orange Line subway

*Wellington Station, on Revere Beach Parkway just east of Route 28, serves Medford's east side. It is on the MBTA's Orange Line, and a trip to Boston's Downtown Crossing takes about 11 minutes. While there are some restaurants and stores nearby, Wellington primarily serves as a park-and-ride station, and as a bus hub. It connects to nine MBTA bus routes, 90, 97, 99, 100, 106, 108, 110, 112, and 134.

The station features a large parking lot and a nearby parking garage connected to the station by an above-ground walkway, for a total of 1,316 spaces. The Orange Line's main yard and shop is located at Wellington Station.

Discussion of bringing the Green Line into Medford, as is mandated by environmental mitigation provisions of the Big Dig project, is ongoing. In February 2009 the state formally endorsed extending the Green Line through Medford, terminating near the intersection of Boston Avenue and Mystic Valley Parkway. As proposed, the terminus would not have parking facilities. The extension would serve an additional 10,000 potential Green Line riders.

Bus lines

Nineteen MBTA bus lines serve Medford. They are:

• Route 80: Arlington Center - Lechmere Station via Medford Hillside
• Route 90: Davis Square - Wellington Station via Sullivan Square Station and Assembly Mall
• Route 94: Medford Square - Davis Square Station via West Medford and Medford Hillside
• Route 95: West Medford - Sullivan Square Station via Mystic Avenue
• Route 96: Medford Square - Harvard Station via George Street and Davis Square Station
• Route 97: Malden Center Station - Wellington Station via Commercial and Hancock streets.
• Route 99: Boston Regional Medical Center - Wellington Station via Main Street and Malden Center Station
• Route 100: Elm Street - Wellington Station via Fellsway
• Route 101: Malden Center Station - Sullivan Square Station via Salem Street, Main Street and Broadway
• Route 106: Lebanon Street, Malden - Wellington Station via Main Street
• Route 108: Linden Square - Wellington Station via Malden Center Station and Highland Avenue
• Route 110: Wonderland or Broadway and Park Avenue - Wellington Station via Park Avenue, and Woodlawn
• Route 112: Wellington Station - Wood Island Station via Central Avenue, Mystic Mall and Admiral's Hill
• Route 134: North Woburn - Wellington Station via Woburn Square, Winchester Center, Winthrop Street, Medford Square, Riverside Avenue and Meadow Glen Mall
• Route 325: Elm Street, Medford - Haymarket Station via Fellsway West, Salem Street and I-93
• Route 326: West Medford - Haymarket Station via Playstead Rd., High Street, Medford and I-93
• Route 354: Woburn Express - Boston via Woburn Square and I-93
• Route 355: Mishawum Station - Boston via West Cummings Park and I-93

Joseph's Limousine and Transportation, located in Medford, runs a bus route (710) through the city, and also picks up passengers going to other parts of Greater Boston or out of state.

Highways

Interstate 93 travels roughly north-south through the city. State routes passing through Medford include 16, 28, 38, and 60.

Sources: Wikipedia, the MBTA, and the City of Medford.