The US government has issued a $996 million federal grant to fund the extension of Boston’s Green Line to Somerville and Medford.
MBTA plans to extend the light rail line by 7.6 kilometres from a relocated northern terminus at Lechmere station in East Cambridge to Union Square and College Avenue.
The $2.3 billion project includes the construction of six new stations and will see 24 new trams ordered.
United States Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx announced the Department of Transportation’s contribution earlier this week.
Preliminary works began in 2013 and the extension will be completed in phases by 2020.