A trolley service was introduced at Adams National Historical Park (NHP)in 1993 in order to improve visitor access to the park's major sites which are spread throughout downtown Quincy, MA—an urban city with complex road patterns and limited parking. The park expanded the successful trolley service as a pilot during the 2005 and 2006 seasons to include connections to ferry service at Fore River, Marina Bay, and two local hotels. Ridership on the expanded routes was low compared with the internal park route but was most likely due to poor marketing.

Many of the partners in that effort and new partners are interested in supporting an expanded trolley service because of the lack of transportation connections between natural and cultural attractions in the area. Adams Landing at Squantum Point Park in Quincy has been identified as a potential hub for a future transportation system linking destinations. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is rehabilitating the landing to become a functioning ferry terminal, the city of Quincy is investing in improved signage and landscaping, and the Massachusetts Cultural Coast is investing in a marketing campaign.

To support transportation partnerships in the area, Adams NHP entered into agreement with Volpe to complete a comprehensive study of the alternative transportation opportunities in the area, specifically how the park's existing trolley service can be expanded to be effectively used in an expanded system. The resulting study explores opportunities for using the historic replica trolley vehicles that Adams NHP owns to expand the current internal park route to serve Squantum Point Park, Marina Bay, and ferry services at Adams Landing that would connect to other regional destinations. The study consists of several components including an assessment of partnership opportunities, evaluation, and analysis of service options.

Final Report, December 2009
Adams National Historical Park: Expanded Transit Service Evaluation (PDF, 4.1MB)