MBTA crosstown bus routes

Geographic map of MBTA crosstown bus routes. The CT1 is colored aqua, the CT2 navy, and the CT3 peach.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority operates three specially designated crosstown bus routes in the Boston, Massachusetts, United States area, called CT1, CT2 and CT3, and intended as limited-stop buses connecting major points. These crosstown buses are designated differently from older de facto crosstown routes, such as the #1 (Harvard/Holyoke Gate - Dudley Station via Massachusetts Avenue) and the #66 (Harvard Square - Dudley Station via Allston & Brookline Village). The bus services are very similar in equipment and fare structure, except that the CT routes have more-limited stops. Both types of routes suffer from frequent delays, unreliable service, and bus bunching caused by congestion in heavy mixed traffic.

The CT crosstown buses were envisioned as a first phase in a gradual improvement of circumferential service connecting the radial "spokes" of the Metro Boston rapid transit system, planned to culminate in the Urban Ring. The CT routes run weekdays only; all buses in this service have bicycle racks and are based out of the Albany Street garage. The routes were first introduced in September 1994 and have been modified since.^[1]

With the suspension of the Urban Ring project (due to lack of funding), the crosstown bus routes remain as an interim service to meet demand for circumferential routes that bypass the crowded subway stations in the hub of downtown Boston. As a symbolic indication of future service upgrade plans, bus stops on the CT routes are sometimes designated as "stations".

CT1

The CT1 Central Square, Cambridge - B.U. Medical Center/Boston Medical Center via M.I.T. (internally coded 701) runs between Central Square in Cambridge and the B.U. Medical Center/Boston Medical Center, mostly along Massachusetts Avenue. The majority of its route is a limited-stop version of the 1. Transfers to the 1 are possible at most of the stops. CT1 service has not been substantially modified since its 1994 inception.^[1]

Station listing

CT2

MBTA #0276 in Crosstown Bus branding on the CT2 line at Sullivan Square

The CT2 Sullivan Station - Ruggles Station via Kendall/MIT (internally coded 747) connects Sullivan Square in Charlestown with Ruggles in Roxbury via Kendall Square in Cambridge. The southern part of the route roughly parallels the 47.

The route was created as a Ruggles-Kendall route in September 1994. In September 2000, the route was extended to Sullivan via Union Square.^[1]

Station listing

CT3

The CT3 Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center - Andrew Station via B.U. Medical Center (internally coded 708) connects the Longwood Medical Area to Andrew Square and runs entirely within the city of Boston. The route roughly parallels the 8.

The CT3 route started as Beth Israel - Andrew, but it was extended to Logan Airport in December 1998. The extension (internally coded 709) was dropped due to low ridership in March 2002. A few early morning trips were kept as the 171, running from Dudley to Logan.^[1] In January 2005, some rush hour service was rerouted to serve Newmarket Square.^[1]

Station listing

See also

• List of MBTA bus routes
• List of key MBTA bus routes

References

External links

• CT1 schedule and map
• CT2 schedule and map
• CT3 schedule and map

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
Subway lines (List of stations)	Heavy rail      Blue      Orange      Red Light rail      Green "B" Branch "C" Branch "D" Branch "E" Branch      Ashmont–Mattapan Former lines      Arborway Line      Atlantic Avenue Elevated      Causeway Street Elevated      Charlestown Elevated      Green Line "A" Branch      Washington Street Elevated
Commuter Rail lines (List of stations)	North Station lines Fitchburg Haverhill (Wildcat Branch) Lowell Newburyport/Rockport South Station lines Fairmount Framingham/Worcester Franklin Greenbush Needham Old Colony (Kingston/Plymouth Middleborough/Lakeville      CapeFLYER) Providence/Stoughton Former lines Central Mass Branch Dedham Branch Lexington Branch Millis Branch Woburn Branch
Bus routes (List of routes)	Silver Line Crosstown routes Key routes Trackless trolleys Routes East Boston, Chelsea, Revere Melrose, Reading, Stoneham, Wakefield South Boston
Other services	Boat The Ride
Component parts of system lines	Boylston Street Subway      Haymarket North Extension      Lechmere Viaduct      Tremont Street Subway
Capital projects	Under construction      Blue Hill Avenue station      Boston Landing station           Forest Hills modifications      Green Line Extension      Haverhill Line upgrades           Silver Line Gateway / Chelsea station      South Coast Rail In planning / proposed      Buzzards Bay extension      Foxboro service      Hynes Convention Center renovation      Kingston R.I. extension      Nashua extension      Route 16 extension      Wollaston renovation Formerly proposed      Arborway Line restoration      Indigo Line (Fairmount Grand Junction Track 61)      Lexington extension      Lynn extension      North–South Rail Link      Plaistow extension      Reading extension           Red Line—Blue Line Connector Urban Ring Project
History	Predecessor companies Boston Elevated Railway Streetcar lines Boston and Maine Railroad Conrail New York Central Railroad New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Penn Central Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway Middlesex and Boston Street Railway Newton and Boston Street Railway Accidents and incidents      1990 Back Bay      2008 Waban/Woodland
Other	Accessibility Arts on the Line Bicycling CharlieCard Grand Junction Railroad "Charlie on the M.T.A." Nomenclature Police                Winter Street Concourse Yards and maintenance facilities