Planned for wheelchair riders
Blue and Green Line trains stop here, under City Hall Plaza. Elevators take you through the rebuilt transfer station. Then a short trip outside takes you to Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market.
Written for riders who need working elevators to reach Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market.
Station place-gover
Why this stop exists
Government Center · Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market doors
The platforms are underground below City Hall Plaza. You need the elevator until you reach the street near Congress Street.
Disability & mobility
Government Center is the Blue and Green Line station for Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market. If the elevators are out, Park Street and State stations are not easy substitutes for reaching the market halls.
Faneuil
A short trip outside once you reach the street. The National Park Service and City of Boston pages cover access to the historic hall. The subway only gets you to the edge of the plaza.
Accessibility page for Faneuil Hall
Best for Faneuil Hall
Quincy
The same market area, with indoor food halls. Aisles and door thresholds vary by stall. You still go outside from the station to get there.
Best for Quincy Market · indoor halls
At this stop, “accessible” only holds when the elevators are working. Not every aisle in the market halls is step-free.
If the Government Center elevators are out, check our live map before you assume the route from State or Aquarium station is just as short. Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) elevator status: mbta.com/elevators.
On the ground
Three steps: the elevator, the plaza, the market door.
01
This is a rebuilt transfer between the Blue and Green Lines. The elevators decide whether you can make the trip.
02
At street level you are on City Hall Plaza, near Congress Street. It is open, windy, and crowded.
03
Pick where you’re going before you leave the elevator.
Why this stop feels like this
Government Center exists for market trips. Whether you can make one depends on the elevators.
The stop sits under City Hall Plaza so Blue and Green Line riders can reach Faneuil Hall without a long route through downtown. You still need the elevators to get between the platform and the street.
Before you board, decide where you’re heading (Faneuil Hall or Quincy Market). If an elevator is out, change plans; don’t treat it as a small delay.
On the street
Government Center station
City Hall Plaza · Cambridge Street
Boston, Massachusetts
Government Center elevators · outside to Faneuil Hall / Quincy Market
Blue Line · Green Line
Nearby when the elevators work: Faneuil Hall, Quincy Market, City Hall Plaza. When they don’t: State or Aquarium stations mean a different route outside, so compare before you ride.
Open Government Center on the live mapLive elevator status at Government CenterAfter the elevator
Sorted shortest first. Times are hand-set for a chair or stroller pace after you clear the elevators — not live routing.
At the venue
We copied these by hand from each venue’s own pages. They may be out of date or wrong, so confirm on the venue’s page before you go.
Source: National Park Service
Last look
Four things to check before you go.
You need the elevators to get between the platform and the street. Make sure they are working before you count on reaching the market.
Faneuil Hall or the Quincy Market halls. Decide before you leave the platform.
State station may still work, but the trip outside to the market is longer.
Each venue’s website covers historic thresholds and stall aisles. Our map covers the station elevators. Check both.
About this guide. We put these guides together by hand. Travel times are our own estimates, and venue details are copied from their websites, so either can be wrong or out of date. Check the venue’s page before you go. For elevators, trust the live map and the transit agency.