For most of Somerville's history, "on the T" meant the Red Line, and the Red Line only touches the western edge of the city at Davis and Porter. Everything east and north of that ran on buses.
That changed with the Green Line Extension. Five Somerville neighborhoods now have their own rail station, and the line continues one stop further into Medford. If you are looking in Somerville and working from an older mental map of what is transit-served, that map is out of date.
What actually changed
The Green Line Extension added stations on two new branches, both running out of a rebuilt Lechmere station in Cambridge.
The Union Branch opened first, on March 21, 2022, running to Union Square. The Medford Branch followed on December 12, 2022, running north through Somerville to Medford/Tufts.
Two branches, one junction at Lechmere
Both branches originate at the relocated Lechmere station, which is where they join the rest of the Green Line. From any of the new stations you stay on the same train through Lechmere and continue into the downtown subway, rather than riding a bus to a subway stop and changing.
The MBTA built the extension along existing Lowell and Fitchburg Commuter Rail right-of-way, which is why the stations sit where they do — following an old rail corridor through what the MBTA describes as previously underserved communities.
Five stations, not six
This is the detail almost every article about the Green Line Extension gets wrong, and it matters if you are searching by neighborhood.
In Somerville (5): Union Square, East Somerville, Gilman Square, Magoun Square, Ball Square.
In Medford (1): Medford/Tufts.
You will frequently see the extension described as "six new stations in Somerville." Per the MBTA's own station listings, it isn't. Medford/Tufts is in Medford.
Ball Square is the genuinely tricky one. The MBTA addresses the station at 646 Boston Ave, Somerville, and both entrances are on the Somerville side, but the platform itself crosses the line into Medford. The Ball Square neighborhood straddles both cities, so you will find listings on both sides describing themselves as Ball Square. If city matters to you, for parking permits, schools, or municipal services, check the actual address rather than the neighborhood name in the listing.
The stations, and what each serves
The table below compares what you can verify before signing about each station: where it is, what it puts you near, how you get downtown, and what the buildings around it are generally like.
| Station | City | Area it serves | Getting downtown | Housing stock nearby |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union Square | Somerville | Union Square | Union Branch through Lechmere, no change of train | Mix of older two- and three-family houses with substantial newer development around the square |
| East Somerville | Somerville | East Somerville, toward Sullivan Square | Medford Branch through Lechmere | Predominantly older two- and three-family housing |
| Gilman Square | Somerville | Gilman Square, edge of Winter Hill | Medford Branch through Lechmere | Older housing stock, largely two- and three-family |
| Magoun Square | Somerville | Magoun Square, Winter Hill | Medford Branch through Lechmere | Older two- and three-family houses, some newer infill |
| Ball Square | Somerville (platform in Medford) | Ball Square, straddling both cities | Medford Branch through Lechmere | Older housing on both sides of the city line |
| Medford/Tufts | Medford | Near Tufts, north Medford | Medford Branch terminus | Mixed older housing plus newer rental development near campus |
Two honest caveats.
No commute times appear in that table. The MBTA's Green Line Extension project page does not publish route-level journey times, and estimating them would be inventing precision we do not have. Use the MBTA's trip planner for your specific origin and the time of day you would actually travel.
Housing stock is characteristic, not surveyed. Somerville is overwhelmingly a city of older two- and three-family houses, and that is true near most of these stations. Newer construction is concentrated around Union Square and toward Cambridge Crossing. Individual streets vary, and the only reliable check is looking.
What this does to a commute
The practical change is the removal of a transfer.
Before the extension, most of central and northern Somerville reached the subway by bus — to Sullivan Square, to Lechmere, or west to Davis. That meant a bus leg, a wait, and a change, with all three subject to traffic. From the new stations you board a train and stay on it.
That matters most if you are comparing two apartments a few streets apart. Walking distance to a station is the variable worth optimizing, because it is the part of the journey you control and the part that does not vary with traffic. A ten-minute walk to Magoun Square and a twenty-five-minute walk to the same station are different commutes every single day.
It is also worth checking what your specific trip looks like rather than assuming. "On the Green Line" covers a wide range depending on where you are going, and the trip planner will tell you in a minute what a map will not.
Green Line or Red Line?
If you are choosing between western Somerville near Davis and the newer Green Line stops, the honest answer is that they serve different trips.
The Red Line at Davis and Porter runs into Harvard, Central, Kendall and on to South Station and the Financial District. If your destination is Cambridge or the south side of downtown, it is usually the more direct route.
The Green Line from the new stations runs through Lechmere into North Station, Haymarket and Government Center. If you are heading to the north side of downtown, the West End, or connecting toward the Orange Line at North Station, the new stations are competitive in a way that nothing in that part of Somerville was before.
Rent tends to sit higher near Davis than near the newer stops, which is the trade you are actually making. Spot Easy listing data puts the median two-bedroom near Davis Square at about $3,400 a month, against roughly $3,200 near the Green Line Extension stops in Somerville. Our comparison of Cambridge and Somerville rents covers the wider price picture, and comparing Somerville to other expensive areas in Massachusetts puts it in state context.
The Community Path
The Green Line Extension also added the Community Path, a walking and cycling route that gets far less attention than the rail line but is genuinely useful if you walk or bike.
The Community Path Extension runs from the previous terminus at Lowell Street, through Somerville Junction Park, and along the south side of the rail corridor to Cambridge Crossing. Per the City of Somerville, it sits on MBTA-owned right-of-way but is operated and maintained by the City under a lease agreement.
For a renter, the practical effect is a continuous off-street walking and cycling route running roughly parallel to the new rail line. If you are looking near Gilman Square, Magoun Square or Ball Square, it is worth checking how close a given address is to the path as well as to the station — for some trips it is the faster option, and it does not run on a timetable.
How walkable Somerville already is, separately from the new rail, is covered in our guide to walkability in Somerville.
What to check before renting near a station
Four things that are easy to verify and that listings rarely state.
Actual walking distance, not neighborhood name. A listing describing itself as "steps from Magoun Square" may be a fifteen-minute walk from the station. Measure it.
Which city you are in. Especially around Ball Square. City determines parking permits and municipal services.
Whether the building predates the station. Much of the housing near these stops is older two- and three-family stock that has been there far longer than the rail line. That is not a drawback, but it does mean windows, insulation and layout are what they are.
What your actual trip looks like. Run it in the trip planner before you decide the station solves your commute.
If a station is what is driving your search, it is worth filtering by transit access rather than by neighborhood name — walking distance to a stop varies a lot within a single square. Spot Easy lists Boston-area apartments by proximity to the T, with no broker fee on partner units.
Frequently asked questions
Which Somerville neighborhoods have a Green Line station?
Union Square, East Somerville, Gilman Square, Magoun Square and Ball Square. Medford/Tufts, the last stop on the Medford Branch, is in Medford.
When did the Green Line Extension open?
The Union Branch opened March 21, 2022, and the Medford Branch opened December 12, 2022.
Do I have to change trains to get downtown?
No. Both branches run through the rebuilt Lechmere station and continue into the downtown subway on the same train.
Is Ball Square in Somerville or Medford?
The MBTA addresses Ball Square station in Somerville and both entrances are on the Somerville side, but the platform crosses into Medford. The neighborhood straddles both cities, so listings on both sides use the name. Check the address.
Is the Green Line or the Red Line better from Somerville?
They serve different destinations. The Red Line at Davis and Porter is more direct for Cambridge and the south side of downtown; the new Green Line stops are stronger for North Station and the north side.
How long does it take to get downtown from Magoun Square?
It depends on your destination and time of day, and the MBTA does not publish route-level times on its project page. Use the MBTA trip planner for your specific trip.
What is the Community Path?
An off-street walking and cycling route running from Lowell Street through Somerville Junction Park to Cambridge Crossing, alongside the new rail corridor.
Sources, and when this was current
Written August 2026.
Branch structure, opening dates, the Lechmere junction, and the use of existing Lowell and Fitchburg Commuter Rail right-of-way are from the MBTA's Green Line Extension project page. The Community Path Extension route and the City's operating arrangement are from the City of Somerville's Green Line Extension page. Individual station locations and city addresses are from the MBTA's own station page for each stop.
What is deliberately not stated here: service frequencies, travel-time savings, and the share of residents now within walking distance of a station. Those figures circulate widely, but the MBTA's own project page does not publish them and we could not retrieve a primary source, so they are omitted rather than repeated. The MBTA's ridership figure of more than 50,000 trips per day is a project projection rather than a measurement, which is why it is not used as one.
Service patterns change. Check the MBTA for current schedules before making a decision that depends on them.