Alewife station Minuteman Bikeway, Cambridge Linear Park, and the Fitchburg Cutoff Path. Alewife opened on March 30, 1985. Originally only to be a temporary terminus during construction of the Arlington section of the Red Line, Alewife became the regular terminus when the further extension was canceled. The station is named after Alewife Brook, a nearby tributary of the Mystic River, which in turn is named after the alewife fish which inhabits the Mystic River system. Alewife features six pieces of public art which were built as part of the first stage of the Arts on the Line program. Boston transportation planners expected
Alewife Linear Park segment in Cambridge is also known as the "Cambridge Linear Park". The Somerville segment is signed as the "Somerville Community Path: Alewife Linear Park Segment". Along with the Somerville Community Path segment from Davis Square to Lowell Street, the combined distance is about 2.1 miles (3.4 km). From Somerville nearly to Alewife, the park follows a right-of-way first established in 1870 and used by a succession of railroad companies. This route was used for passenger service on the Lexington Branch between 1870 and 1927, and for freight operations on the Fitchburg Cutoff for several decades longer. The Massachusetts Highway Department