example at that time of a government entity taking on the entire cost of what had been a private operation, and the only case of a commuter rail line converted to light rail. By 1960, the line was estimated to reduce rush hour congestion in downtown Boston by seven percent. Though successful, the conversion was cheaply constructed, and further upgrades were soon needed. From June 1960 to January 1961, the MTA enlarged Riverside Yard and added a maintenance facility, upgraded the power infrastructure, and improved the signalling system. In 1967, the MBTA (which had replaced the MTA in 1964) designated the line as the Green Line D branch as part of systemwide rebranding. Ridership on the surface section of the D branch has remained relatively constant since 1959 - a 2010-2011 count found 24,632 weekday boardings. Short sections of the Highland branch remained connection at both ends for freight service until the 1970s. The Lower Falls branch between Newton Lower Falls and Riverside was out of service after 1972, leaving just the short section at Riverside Yard; the branch was formally abandoned in 1976. Route The Highland branch diverged from the Boston and Albany main line at Brookline Junction, adjacent to Fenway Park. From there the branch continued southwest into Brookline. Shadowing the branch for this portion was the "Emerald Necklace", a partially-completed series of parks and waterways. At Brookline the line turned west and left the Muddy River behind. In Chestnut Hill the line passed south of the Chestnut Hill Reservoir, which opened in 1870. An even closer encounter took place in Newton Centre, where the line ran within a few feet of Crystal Lake. The grade crossing elimination project of 1905–1907 lowered the line in this area to above the lake's surface level. The B&A installed a drainage system to mitigate the heightened flood risk. At Newton Highlands the New York and New England Railroad diverged at Cook Street Junction for Woonsocket. The Highland branch turned back toward the B&A main line, running northwest through Waban. It rejoined the main line at Riverside Junction, from Boston. Stations The creation of the circuit service over the Highland branch coincided with a "major program of capital investment and improvements" by the Boston and Albany. Architect Henry Hobson Richardson, who had been involved with the B&A since 1867 and designed Auburndale station for the railroad in 1881, was commissioned to design