Living near the Green Line, a branch-by-branch guide to where to buy

The Green Line is really five lines in one. Four branches fan out west and southwest of Kenmore and Copley (B, C, D and E), all of them running through the same downtown tunnel to Government Center. North of downtown, the Green Line Extension now carries D trains to Union Square in Somerville and E trains to Medford/Tufts. If you are house hunting by commute, the first question is not “near the Green Line?” but “near which branch?”, because a B stop on Comm Ave and a D stop in Newton lead to very different housing.

Station lists below come from the MBTA’s own route data, checked October 8, 2026. We don’t quote trip times here; for a specific commute, use the MBTA’s schedules and trip planner at mbta.com.

The shared trunk downtown

Every branch stops at Government Center, Park Street, Boylston, Arlington and Copley. The B, C and D also share Hynes Convention Center and Kenmore. The E leaves the others after Copley and heads to Prudential. North of Government Center, D and E trains share Haymarket, North Station, Science Park/West End and Lechmere.

1. Government Center
2. Park Street
3. Boylston
4. Arlington
5. Copley
6. Hynes Convention Center
7. Kenmore

1. Government Center
2. Haymarket
3. North Station
4. Science Park/West End
5. Lechmere

That trunk means homes near these stops can reach every branch. It runs under or beside Back Bay (Arlington, Copley, Hynes, Prudential), Bay Village (Arlington, Boylston), Downtown, and the West End and North End near North Station and Haymarket. Housing here is mostly condos: brownstones in Back Bay, 1820s to 1840s brick rowhouses in Bay Village, brick tenement buildings in the North End, and high-rise towers in the West End and Downtown.

B branch: Commonwealth Avenue to Boston College

West of Kenmore the B runs in the median of Comm Ave, stopping at Blandford Street, Boston University East, Boston University Central, Amory Street, Babcock Street, Packard’s Corner, Harvard Avenue, Griggs Street, Allston Street, Warren Street, Washington Street, Sutherland Road, Chiswick Road, Chestnut Hill Avenue, South Street and Boston College.

1. Kenmore
2. Blandford Street
3. Boston University East
4. Boston University Central
5. Amory Street
6. Babcock Street
7. Packard's Corner
8. Harvard Avenue
9. Griggs Street
10. Allston Street
11. Warren Street
12. Washington Street
13. Sutherland Road
14. Chiswick Road
15. Chestnut Hill Avenue
16. South Street
17. Boston College

The B already went through one stop consolidation. In November 2021 the MBTA opened two new accessible stations, Amory Street (replacing Saint Paul Street and BU West) and Babcock Street (replacing Babcock and Pleasant Streets).

Who’s along it: Allston from Babcock Street to Warren Street, and Brighton from Washington Street out to Boston College. Both are Boston neighborhoods. Expect wood triple-deckers, two-families and brick apartment buildings on and just off Comm Ave in Allston, with many units converted to condos. In Brighton, the brick apartment buildings and condos continue along Comm Ave and Chestnut Hill Avenue, while the hillier streets around Oak Square and Brighton Center have Victorian single- and two-families.

C branch: Beacon Street through Brookline

From Kenmore the C turns onto Beacon Street, stopping at Saint Mary’s Street, Hawes Street, Kent Street, Saint Paul Street, Coolidge Corner, Summit Avenue, Brandon Hall, Fairbanks Street, Washington Square, Tappan Street, Dean Road, Englewood Avenue and Cleveland Circle.

1. Kenmore
2. Saint Mary's Street
3. Hawes Street
4. Kent Street
5. Saint Paul Street
6. Coolidge Corner
7. Summit Avenue
8. Brandon Hall
9. Fairbanks Street
10. Washington Square
11. Tappan Street
12. Dean Road
13. Englewood Avenue
14. Cleveland Circle

Nearly all of it is in Brookline, a separate town with its own property tax rate, schools and parking rules (including a long-standing ban on overnight street parking). Cleveland Circle, at the end, is in Brighton. Near Beacon Street, the housing is mostly condos in turn-of-the-century brick apartment buildings and brownstone rowhouses, plus converted Victorian two- and three-families on the side streets around Coolidge Corner and Washington Square.

D branch: Brookline and Newton to Riverside, and north to Union Square

The D leaves the trunk at Kenmore and runs on its own right-of-way: Fenway, Longwood, Brookline Village, Brookline Hills, Beaconsfield, Reservoir, Chestnut Hill, Newton Centre, Newton Highlands, Eliot, Waban, Woodland and Riverside.

1. Kenmore
2. Fenway
3. Longwood
4. Brookline Village
5. Brookline Hills
6. Beaconsfield
7. Reservoir
8. Chestnut Hill
9. Newton Centre
10. Newton Highlands
11. Eliot
12. Waban
13. Woodland
14. Riverside

The first stop, Fenway, serves the Fenway, where housing runs to brick walk-ups, early 1900s apartment buildings and newer high-rise condos. Longwood through Reservoir are in Brookline, near Brookline Village and the hills south of Beacon Street, where Victorian and Colonial Revival single-families mix with condo buildings. From Chestnut Hill to Riverside, the D is a Newton line, stopping in or near several of the city’s villages. Expect Victorian and Colonial Revival single-families and two-family houses near the village centers, with larger 20th-century houses around Waban and Chestnut Hill.

At the other end, D trains run past downtown through Lechmere in Cambridge to Union Square in Somerville.

1. Lechmere
2. Union Square

E branch: Huntington Avenue to Heath Street, and north to Medford/Tufts

The E splits off after Copley and runs along Huntington Avenue: Prudential, Symphony, Northeastern University, Museum of Fine Arts, Longwood Medical Area, Brigham Circle, Fenwood Road, Mission Park, Riverway, Back of the Hill and Heath Street.

1. Copley
2. Prudential
3. Symphony
4. Northeastern University
5. Museum of Fine Arts
6. Longwood Medical Area
7. Brigham Circle
8. Fenwood Road
9. Mission Park
10. Riverway
11. Back of the Hill
12. Heath Street

The inner E stops serve the edges of Back Bay and the Fenway. From Longwood Medical Area outbound, the line is the spine of Mission Hill, where Queen Anne triple-deckers, brick rowhouses and condo conversions climb a steep hillside. Heath Street, the end of the line, sits at the edge of Jamaica Plain.

North of downtown, E trains continue through Lechmere to East Somerville, Gilman Square, Magoun Square, Ball Square and Medford/Tufts.

1. Lechmere
2. East Somerville
3. Gilman Square
4. Magoun Square
5. Ball Square
6. Medford/Tufts

The Green Line Extension: Somerville and Medford

The MBTA opened the Union Square branch on March 21, 2022 and the Medford Branch on December 12, 2022. The project relocated Lechmere and added six stations: Union Square, East Somerville, Gilman Square, Magoun Square, Ball Square and Medford/Tufts. The GLX Community Path, a walking and biking route along the line, opened in mid-June 2023.

For buyers, this changed which Somerville streets have walking access to rail. Most of Somerville is triple-deckers, two-families and Victorian single-families, many split into condos, with newer buildings concentrated at Union Square and along the Green Line corridor. Ball Square sits right on the Somerville and Medford line (the MBTA lists it under Medford). Around Medford/Tufts, Medford has many early 20th-century two-family houses, often converted to condos.

What to weigh before you buy near a Green Line stop

If you are comparing other lines too, see our guides to the Red Line, the Orange Line and commuter rail towns.

Talk to us about a Green Line search

The Pettengill Group can help you narrow a search to a branch, then to the streets within walking distance of the stops that work for you. Start a home search or get in touch and we’ll share what’s been selling near the stations on your list.