MEDFORD, MASS. (WHDH) - The MBTA Green Line Extension’s long-awaited Medford Branch is officially up and running.
The $2.3 billion project, which opened to the public at 4:45 a.m. Monday, extends the northern end of the Green Line to Union Square in Somerville and College Avenue in Medford.
A ribbon cutting ceremony with Gov. Charlie Baker, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and other leaders was held at 10 a.m. to celebrate the opening.
“We are so excited this day has finally come,” Medford Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn said. “It’s been a long time coming, it’s been decades of planning, and our residents are going to benefit from this tremendously.”
The project faced major delays, but now that it is complete, there are five additional stops, including East Somerville, Gilman Square, Magoun Square, Ball Square, and Medford/Tufts College Ave Station.
“I remember people talking about this project in the 1980s – like, I personally remember people talking about it in the 1980s,” said Gov. Charlie Baker joked during the ribbon cutting. “And then in the 1990s, and the 2000s and the 2010s.”
Some have raised concerns that the new Green Line branch could cause housing prices to soar, something city officials said they are trying to get ahead of. Protesters could be seen in the area on Monday, holding signs that read “Transit Justice = Housing Justice” and “DEVELOPMENT WITHOUT DISPLACEMENT!”
It was a matter U.S. Senator Ed Markey touched on during the ceremony, stating that steps need to be taken to ensure that lower and middle income residents are not pushed out.
“We have to ensure that the people who live here now can stay here, because the T is clearly going to be an incredible jolt for the economic prosperity of the community, but we cannot leave people behind,” Markey said on Monday.
“My administration has already taken steps to mitigate the expected gentrification around the newly open T stops,” Somerville Mayor Katjana Ballantyne said.
With an expected 50,000 riders a day, local businesses are counting on a boost.
“This is also great for our business community,” Lungo-Koehn said. “Not only are we going to see our businesses hopefully thrive, we are going to retain new business.”
MBTA officials have said riders can expect trains to arrive every 7 to 13 minutes at the extension stops.
(Copyright (c) 2025 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)