The year-long closure of the Chelsea Bridge for repairs in 1935 eliminated the route to the subway (though early plans called for streetcar service to continue during repairs.)[6][7] On January 14, 1935, the Eastern Mass curtailed all routes to Chelsea Square as the bridge closed. Buses operated between Chelsea Square and Haymarket Square via the Meridian Street Bridge and the newly opened Sumner Tunnel under a permit issued just two days prior.[8] The bridge reopened on December 23, 1935, without streetcar tracks; the Eastern Mass continued its bus operations.[9][4]: 231
On August 10, 1935, the Eastern Mass began operation of a Middleton–Salem–Lynn–Boston bus route. The new route used the American Legion Highway, Lee Burbank Highway, and William McClellan Highway through Revere to reach the Sumner Tunnel, rather than the streetcar route on Broadway and Meridian Street.[10][4]: 78 That October, remaining through service from north of Lynn to Chelsea was replaced by buses after Revere approved the permit. (Routes longer than 20 miles, such as the Boston–Middleton route, could be approved by the state, but shorter routes required permits from all municipalities.)[11][4]: 229 Local streetcar service on Chelsea Division routes in Chelsea and Revere remained, as did Chelsea–Lynn local service.
The remaining Lynn and Salem routes were soon converted to bus: Lynn–Salem via Loring Avenue in March 1936, Lynn–North Saugus in April, Lynn–Salem via Eastern Avenue in September, Salem–Marblehead in February 1937, three Lynn local routes in March, Lynn–Swampscott on June 6, and finally Lynn–Saugus Center and Lynn–Cliftondale Square in November 1937.[4]: 230
In September 1935, Eastern Mass stockholders approved a deal to sell the Chelsea Division to the BERy.[12] The transfer took effect on June 10, 1936, at a cost to the BERy of $1.5 million.[6] The two Chelsea–Revere Beach routes were extended to Maverick, with Chelsea–Boston bus service discontinued.[13] Chelsea–Lynn service was jointly operated by the two companies for a short period, but soon discontinued in favor of a transfer between the Boston–Lynn bus route and BERy streetcar service on Revere Street.[14][15] Several of the lines were converted to trackless trolley by the BERy in 1937, while three remained as streetcar lines until the Revere Extension opened in 1952.[4]: 231 On April 5, 1937, the company opened its new bus terminal in Haymarket Square.[16]
Major cities served
The Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway, and previously the Bay State Street Railway, ran direct or indirect interurban services from Boston to these cities.[1]
^ abCarlson, Stephen P.; Harding, Thomas W. (May 1, 1990). From Boston to the Berkshires: a pictorial review of electric transportation in Massachusetts (1st ed.). from Newport to Nashua: The Bay State Street Railway Bay State/Eastern Mass. System: Boston Street Railway Association. pp. 42–65. ISBN093831503X.
^ abcdClarke, Bradley H.; Cummings, O.R. (1997). Tremont Street Subway: A Century of Public Service. Boston Street Railway Association. pp. 38, 39. ISBN0938315048.
