That's what I thought too, after looking at some of the structure. Adams Sq. station was said to be demolished. It looks like there could be actually two segments of the abandoned northbound tunnel (?) between Govt. Center (Scollay Sq) and Haymarket. The original northbound tunnel, if you're standing at GC northbound platform, curved off to the right (today's tunnel continues almost straight ahead to Haymarket) under Brattle/Cornhill Sts. following it's incline, which you can walk down today on the surface, from the Steaming Kettle down to Congress St. in front of Faneuil Hall, roughly the location of the former Adams Sq. and the station beneath it. At the bottom of the hill, the tunnel then took a sharp curve left north under Washington St. (now Congress St.) to the Haymarket station. It was just north of this curve where the Adams Sq. station was located. The segment that curved sharp right from the GC station, and continued north down under the inclined Brattle/Cornhiill Sts. is the one that is known and that I walked on a lunch hour during the 1980s. At one end of the tunnel is a cement wall behind it the active tracks of GC where you can hear the trains. at the other end is where you enter. The entrance is in one corner of the underground parking lot under City Hall. When you follow the tunnel back to where you enter, it follows the incline of Brattle St. and then ends under City hall - tunnel accessible from the underground parking lot. The tunnel continued down the incline turning north at location of Adams Sq. station, since the tunnel was downhill, where you enter from the parking lot, you are almost at the original ceiling of the original tunnel. When I walked this, around 1985-86 with a City Hall employee, I saw no evidence of Adams Sq. station, which, as mentioned would have been beyond the abandoned tunnel's end (at the underground parking lot) and a little north under Congress St. (probably approximate to the location of the great staircase, down one side of City Hall). I also saw no sign posted on a wall that stated 'Stand behind the white line' All the tunnel walls in this segment were visible to me. The only thing I can think of, is that the section the tour entered, and the station remains (Adams Sq.) that were discovered, were in the what remained of the other tunnel segment immediately south of Haymarket station. This segment followed along under Washington St. to originally curve (at the Adams Sq. station location) and then meet the other segment that I walked through. The connecting section between the two was probably the section demolished for the City Hall parking lot underground. When you take a southbound trolley out of Haymarket station, you can see the remains of the original tunnel curving off to the left. How much of this other tunnel segment along under Washington St. (now Congress St.) that remained, I was never able to find out. Always wanted to arrange to walk through it, when I lived in Boston * but never did. So, I'm wondering if this tour entered the segment south of Haymarket, and walked west along it under Congress St. (then Washington St.). And if my assumption is correct, this other tunnel segment goes for quite a distance under Congress, and at or near the other end of it, is the abandoned Adams Sq. station remains, which it seems may not have been demolished after all during the Scollay sq. - Government Center construction in the early to mid 1960s.Below are some URL's to track/ tunnel diagrams of the area to help with understanding.URL below: Plan of the original Scollay Sq. station (Now Govt. centerr)The pair of tracks on the left hand side, are the ones that continue north under Brattle/ Conhill Sts. This is the tunnel segment, walled off from Govt. Center, that I walked through. Today's northbound tracks, bear right off the original tunnel continuing almost straight ahead to Haymarket station.s3.amazonaws.com/nycsubway.org/images/articles/boston-1898-19.jpg------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- URL below: Track plan of the Adams Sq. station s3.amazonaws.com/nycsubway.org/images/articles/boston-1898-25.jpg Tracks under Cornhill St. coming down from Scollay Square - GC (other diagram) are on the left. This is the bottom of the curve where Adams Sq. station is in this diagram. Tracks on the right continue on under Washington St. (Congress St.) to Haymarket station. These tracks would be the other remaining tunnel segment that if correct, was the one these people walked through.Note: I'm a railfa who lived in Boston for many years, but moved back home to New York - and, yes I am a Red Sox fan
There's also a turnaround track at Government Center that the T might want to use in the future to maximize the number of trains to Union Square Somerville and Medford.
While an MIT student, I explored this tunnel. I didn't know that it was forgotten it was part of the old station. Seems a bit of an exaggeration; I'm sure every construction worker who built Gov Center station was well aware! I and others explored the entire green line tunnel system, including the abandoned tunnels. It seemed every abandonment was a downgrade, as the green line became less and less functional. I've had dreams 50 years later of trying to get from point A to point B only to find that part of the green line closed. (A very alien dream-green line, to be sure, but the imagery inspired my explorations of the tunnels, as I looked for trains to board anywhere. Of course, no trains were running during my explorations!)
That is actually a section of old Adams station. I remember riding this line as a kid. Thank you.
That's what I thought too, after looking at some of the structure. Adams Sq. station was said to be demolished. It looks like there could be actually two segments of the abandoned northbound tunnel (?) between Govt. Center (Scollay Sq) and Haymarket. The original northbound tunnel, if you're standing at GC northbound platform, curved off to the right (today's tunnel continues almost straight ahead to Haymarket) under Brattle/Cornhill Sts. following it's incline, which you can walk down today on the surface, from the Steaming Kettle down to Congress St. in front of Faneuil Hall, roughly the location of the former Adams Sq. and the station beneath it. At the bottom of the hill, the tunnel then took a sharp curve left north under Washington St. (now Congress St.) to the Haymarket station. It was just north of this curve where the Adams Sq. station was located. The segment that curved sharp right from the GC station, and continued north down under the inclined Brattle/Cornhiill Sts. is the one that is known and that I walked on a lunch hour during the 1980s. At one end of the tunnel is a cement wall behind it the active tracks of GC where you can hear the trains. at the other end is where you enter. The entrance is in one corner of the underground parking lot under City Hall. When you follow the tunnel back to where you enter, it follows the incline of Brattle St. and then ends under City hall - tunnel accessible from the underground parking lot. The tunnel continued down the incline turning north at location of Adams Sq. station, since the tunnel was downhill, where you enter from the parking lot, you are almost at the original ceiling of the original tunnel.
When I walked this, around 1985-86 with a City Hall employee, I saw no evidence of Adams Sq. station, which, as mentioned would have been beyond the abandoned tunnel's end (at the underground parking lot) and a little north under Congress St. (probably approximate to the location of the great staircase, down one side of City Hall). I also saw no sign posted on a wall that stated 'Stand behind the white line' All the tunnel walls in this segment were visible to me.
The only thing I can think of, is that the section the tour entered, and the station remains (Adams Sq.) that were discovered, were in the what remained of the other tunnel segment immediately south of Haymarket station. This segment followed along under Washington St. to originally curve (at the Adams Sq. station location) and then meet the other segment that I walked through. The connecting section between the two was probably the section demolished for the City Hall parking lot underground.
When you take a southbound trolley out of Haymarket station, you can see the remains of the original tunnel curving off to the left. How much of this other tunnel segment along under Washington St. (now Congress St.) that remained, I was never able to find out. Always wanted to arrange to walk through it, when I lived in Boston * but never did. So, I'm wondering if this tour entered the segment south of Haymarket, and walked west along it under Congress St. (then Washington St.). And if my assumption is correct, this other tunnel segment goes for quite a distance under Congress, and at or near the other end of it, is the abandoned Adams Sq. station remains, which it seems may not have been demolished after all during the Scollay sq. - Government Center construction in the early to mid 1960s.Below are some URL's to track/ tunnel diagrams of the area to help with understanding.URL below: Plan of the original Scollay Sq. station (Now Govt. centerr)The pair of tracks on the left hand side, are the ones that continue north under Brattle/ Conhill Sts. This is the tunnel segment, walled off from Govt. Center, that I walked through. Today's northbound tracks, bear right off the original tunnel continuing almost straight ahead to Haymarket station.s3.amazonaws.com/nycsubway.org/images/articles/boston-1898-19.jpg-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
URL below: Track plan of the Adams Sq. station
s3.amazonaws.com/nycsubway.org/images/articles/boston-1898-25.jpg
Tracks under Cornhill St. coming down from Scollay Square - GC (other diagram) are on the left. This is the bottom of the curve where Adams Sq. station is in this diagram. Tracks on the right continue on under Washington St. (Congress St.) to Haymarket station. These tracks would be the other remaining tunnel segment that if correct, was the one these people walked through.Note: I'm a railfa who lived in Boston for many years, but moved back home to New York - and, yes I am a Red Sox fan
I bet it gets open to the public real soon. People might want to think about cleaning it up and get some ventilation working.
Thank you so much for sharing this :)
There's also a turnaround track at Government Center that the T might want to use in the future to maximize the number of trains to Union Square Somerville and Medford.
That is too easy. Notice how transit loses to useless bloated govt.
this aged well (for now)
While an MIT student, I explored this tunnel. I didn't know that it was forgotten it was part of the old station. Seems a bit of an exaggeration; I'm sure every construction worker who built Gov Center station was well aware! I and others explored the entire green line tunnel system, including the abandoned tunnels. It seemed every abandonment was a downgrade, as the green line became less and less functional. I've had dreams 50 years later of trying to get from point A to point B only to find that part of the green line closed. (A very alien dream-green line, to be sure, but the imagery inspired my explorations of the tunnels, as I looked for trains to board anywhere. Of course, no trains were running during my explorations!)
When it will be reopen? it was so Awesome in the tunnel long time.