The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority offered a first look at the future of the Green Line during an Oct. 30 event at Boston City Hall Plaza, where MBTA leaders showcased a mockup of the new “Type 10” Green Line car. The new cars will fully hit the tracks by 2031, replacing the Type 7 and 8 cars that are currently used throughout the Green Line branch with the goal of modernizing the trains and making them more accessible.
“We are pleased that we could offer the opportunity for the public to come to Boston City Hall Plaza to see a full-scale mockup of the Green Line Type 10 vehicle,” Monica Tibbits-Nutt, Secretary and CEO of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, said in a press release.“The Green Line Type 10 is going to modernize the Green Line, resulting in service, which is more accessible, more comfortable, and much safer for our customers.”
The current fleet of Type 7 and Type 8 cars that are used throughout the Green Line have been in service since the 1990s and early 2000s, respectively. The MBTA has invested approximately $810 million in a fleet of 102 Type 10 Green Line “supercars,” which would each be approximately 114 feet long, or roughly 50% longer, than the current trolleys.
Along with wider doors to allow for quicker passenger flow, the new model features a range of accessibility features, including a low floor design, four priority areas for passengers using wheeled mobility devices and additional bridge-plate request buttons and passenger intercoms which riders can use to request help on board.
“These cars will be state of the art with CCTV security, wider doors, and real time information screens. They are 100% low floor designed, which eliminates the need to traverse steps, making accessing the trolley simpler than ever,” MBTA General Manager and CEO Phillip Eng said in the press release.
Sumeeta Srinivasan, senior lecturer of urban and environmental policy and planning, said that these accessibility improvements are “long overdue.”
“Climbing up into the current Green Line cars … I don’t know how somebody who’s somewhat older or not abled in some way is going to be able to do that. I’ve had my parents and my in-laws … complain about how hard it is to take a train or go anywhere,” she said.
The Type 10 cars will have more spacious interiors with increased seating and standing room, as well as real-time passenger information displays to keep riders informed about approaching stations. The cars will also include new safety features, including collision avoidance technology and operators’ cabs that have closed doors.
Shan Jiang, assistant professor of urban and environmental policy and planning, said that the new features of the Type 10 cars will improve regional transportation accessibility in Medford and Somerville and reduce crowding on the Green Line.
“The Type 10 [Light Rail Vehicles’] increased capacity will ease passengers’ overcrowding on the Green Line during peak hours. … Students, residents and workers here can now reach more destinations with ease than in the past. With GLX, Tufts students of the Medford campus can have more choices for housing and other destinations in the Greater Boston region,” Jiang wrote in an email to the Daily.
The MBTA is continuing to finalize the design of the new cars based on the feedback it received during its public showing of the mockup vehicle. The first “pilot” cars are expected to arrive in 2026 and begin service in spring 2027, with the full implementation of the cars expected to be complete by 2031.
