MBTA riders fill Medford-Tufts MBTA station as Green Line extension opens

MEDFORD - The first train on the new Green Line extension rolled out of the new Medford-Tufts MBTA station early Monday morning. The train left the station at 4:45 a.m., packed predominantly with students. 

It's the final stage of the extension project that adds service to Medford and Somerville.

The northern end of the Green line now extends from Lechmere to Union Square in Somerville and College Avenue in Medford, which is now part of the E line branch.

Now that the line is complete, trains should arrive every seven to eight minutes, the MBTA said.

"It's going to make a difference because it's going to give access to so many people here in Somerville and into the region. It's a huge driver for our economy, not just locally but for the region," said Somerville Mayor Katjana Ballantyne.   

"It's great that it's opening. You can see the interest in the people that are out here and their desire to find another mode into Boston," one rider said. 

Governor Charlie Baker, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, and transportation officials gathered outside the station for a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

"This will be a tremendous asset to this community and to the surrounding communities and to the Greater Boston region forever. I don't need to go through all the benefits that are associated with it because they are all ones you are quite familiar with," Baker said. 

The $2.3 billion project had been under construction for four years. About 50,000 people are expected to ride it every day.

"Extending the Green Line is great but we need a lot more extensions," said Warren. "And we can't wait two decades for every single one of them to come online." 

Not far from the ribbon-cutting ceremony, a group stood and held signs protesting the impact they believe the station will have on affordable rent in the area. 

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