The Boston and Worcester Street Railway was chartered November 16, 1901. Service between Boston and Framingham Junction began on May 5, 1903. Service between Worcester and Chestnut Hill began on July 1, 1903; Worcester–Boston service began five days later. Running time between the terminal was two hours and fifteen minutes; this was slower than Boston and Albany Railroad trains, but the B&W cost 40 cents versus the railroad's one-dollar fare. Service operated every half-hour, with short turn cars providing fifteen-minute frequency east of Framingham. Boston and Worcester Electric Companies was incorporated December 29, 1902 to serve as a holding company. The B&W arranged control of several connecting roads in 1899 and purchased them in 1903–04:
The Framingham Union Street Railway ran local service within Framingham. It operated a Framingham Center–South Framingham that connected to the B&W mainline at the former point, and a Saxonville–South Framingham line that intersected the B&W at Framingham Junction.
The B&W opened a short branch to Natick Center in 1909. In 1925–26, the B&W attempted to replace its service with busses, but was rebuffed by Brookline. The B&W also attempted to run a bus line via the Post Road. The line was cut back to Framingham in 1931 as paving of the turnpike progressed eastward, with buses replacing the western half. On June 11, 1932, the eastern half of the line was replaced with buses as well.
Lines
The main line ran along the old Boston and Worcester Turnpike except in the following places:
Just east of the bridge over Lake Quinsigamond, the tracks split. One pair followed the south-east shore of the lake along a private right-of-way to a dead end. The main tracks ran slightly south of Route 9 until they crossed the turnpike at South Shrewsbury and then continued on the north side until they merged with the turnpike at the Northborough/Westborough border.
North of Westborough center, at the crossing with current Route 135, the tracks split to the south, rejoining the turnpike at Breakneck Hill Road in Southborough. Breakneck Hill Road is where the older tracks of the Framingham, Southboro and Marlborough Street Railway split to head north to Marlborough and Hudson.
At the Boston end, the line ran to the end of Huntington Avenue, the old turnpike, and continued on to Park Square.
The section in Worcester was on trackage rights from the Worcester Consolidated Street Railway, and in Boston it used the tracks of the Boston Elevated Railway. At Framingham Junction, the crossing with current Route 126 in Framingham, many cars from Boston turned south to end at downtown Framingham. This junction was at the crossing of the older Framingham Union Street Railway line to Saxonville. The other lines were as follows:
Splitting from the main line at Fayville and heading north via Southborough and Marlborough to Hudson, originally owned by the Framingham, Southboro and Marlborough Street Railway.
Downtown Framingham northeast to Saxonville, roughly if not fully via current Route 126. This was originally owned by the Framingham Union Street Railway, and crossed the main line at Framingham Junction.
Downtown Framingham northwest to Framingham Center via Union Avenue, originally part of the Framingham Union Street Railway. Before the consolidation into the B&W, an interchange with the Framingham, Southboro and Marlborough Street Railway existed at Framingham Center.
Other local routes may have existed. The following interchange points with other companies were provided:
Worcester Consolidated Street Railway in Worcester
Worcester Consolidated Street Railway just east of Worcester
Worcester Consolidated Street Railway at Wessonville
Marlborough and Westborough Street Railway east of Wessonville
