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Wikipedia

Silver Line (MBTA)

April 12, 2024

The Silver Line is a system of bus routes in Boston and Chelsea, Massachusetts, operated by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). It is operated as part of the MBTA bus system, but branded as bus rapid transit (BRT) as part of the MBTA subway system. Six routes are operated as part of two disconnected corridors. As of 2019, weekday ridership on the Silver Line was 39,000.

MBTA Silver Line
A Silver Line bus at South Station in 2023
ParentMassachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
FoundedJuly 20, 2002 (Washington Street)
December 17, 2004 (Waterfront)
LocaleBoston and Chelsea, Massachusetts, US
Service typeBus rapid transit (disputed)
Routes6
Stops15 (Washington Street)
20 (Waterfront)
HubsSouth Station, Nubian
Fleet21 (Washington Street)
50 (Waterfront)
Daily ridership39,000 (Q2 2019)[1]
Fuel typeDiesel hybrid
WebsiteMBTA – Bus

The four Waterfront routes operate out of an underground terminal at South Station and run through the South Boston Piers Transitway – a dedicated bus tunnel through the Seaport District with stations at Courthouse and World Trade Center. At Silver Line Way, they fan out on the surface: the SL1 to Logan International Airport, the SL2 to Dry Dock Avenue, and the SL3 to Chelsea via East Boston. An additional short turn route, SLW, runs only at peak hours between South Station and Silver Line Way. The Waterfront routes use mostly articulated diesel hybrid buses with extended battery range. Two routes operate on Washington Street between Nubian station (at Nubian Square in Roxbury) and Downtown Boston. The SL5 terminates at Downtown Crossing and the SL4 on the surface at South Station. The Washington Street routes use articulated diesel hybrid buses.

The Washington Street corridor was built to replace the Washington Street Elevated, which was used by the Orange Line rapid transit line until 1987. Initial plans called for a light rail branch of the Green Line, but trolleybuses and later CNG buses were substituted. Planning began in 1987 for mass transit to serve the growing Seaport; a new transit tunnel called the South Boston Piers Transitway was chosen in 1989. It was to run from Boylston to World Trade Center via Chinatown and South Station, though the Boylston–South Station section was later deferred as a separate phase. In 1999, the MBTA designated the Washington Street and Transitway projects as the Silver Line, and planned for the Boylston tunnel extension to include a portal to Washington Street for through-running. Service improvements on Washington Street began in 2001. After years of delays, service through the $624 million Transitway began on December 17, 2004.

The connecting tunnel (Phase III) was cancelled in 2010 due to rising costs; a surface route (SL4) was introduced the previous year. The original SL3 route to City Point was discontinued on March 20, 2009. A separate SL3 route to Chelsea – originally planned as part of the cancelled Urban Ring Project – began service on April 21, 2018. Extension of the SL3 route to Sullivan Square is planned. Several other Silver Line extensions have been proposed, as has a conversion of the Washington Street corridor to light rail, but most have not been pursued. The Silver Line has been the target of criticism by riders and transportation planners. Much of the system is missing BRT Standard features such as enforced dedicated lanes, off-vehicle fare collection, sheltered stations, and transit signal priority.

Routes edit

Waterfront: SL1, SL2, SL3 edit

Waterfront routes
Legend
  Terminal B Stop 2
 
 
 Terminal B Stop 1  
  Terminal C
 
 
 Terminal A  
 SL1 
  Terminal E
 
 
 
 
 
 
 SL3   
Chelsea
 
 
 
 
 Design Center
 SL2 
Bellingham Square
 
 
 
 
Drydock Avenue &
Black Falcon Avenue
Box District
 
 
 
 
 27 Drydock Avenue
Eastern Avenue
 
 
 
 
 23 Drydock Avenue
Chelsea Street Bridge
 
 
 
 
Day Square (planned)
 
 
 
 Tide Street
 
 Airport
 
 
 
 Harbor Street
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Silver Line Way
 SLW 
 
 World Trade Center
 
 Courthouse
 
 
 South Station
       
 
 SL1   SL2   SL3   SLW 

Three Silver Line services operate from South Station in a dedicated tunnel, the South Boston Piers Transitway, serving the underground Courthouse and World Trade Center stations in the Seaport District then splitting at the Silver Line Way surface station:[2]

  • SL1 Logan Airport–South Station
  • SL2 Drydock–South Station
  • SL3 Chelsea–South Station

During rush hours, additional short turns (designated SLW) are run between South Station and Silver Line Way to increase frequency in the Transitway.[2]

Route SL2 runs on Northern Avenue, then on a one-way loop on Drydock Avenue and Black Falcon Avenue with multiple stops serving the Raymond L. Flynn Marine Park and the Flynn Cruiseport Boston. Buses run clockwise around the loop, with a layover at 23 Drydock Avenue. From Silver Line Way, route SL1 and SL3 buses loop backwards on Haul Road, then cross under Boston Harbor in the Ted Williams Tunnel to East Boston. Route SL1 loops around the Logan International Airport terminals, with stops at the arrivals level of each terminal (including two separate stops at lengthy Terminal B). Route SL3 serves Airport station, follows the Coughlin Bypass Road, and crosses Chelsea Creek on the Chelsea Street Bridge. It then follows a dedicated busway to Chelsea, with intermediate stops at Eastern Avenue, Box District, and Bellingham Square.[2][3] The three Transitway stops are full rapid transit stations; the Chelsea busway stations have large concrete shelters, while most other surface stops have small shelters.[4]: 10 

The Waterfront routes have regular rapid transit fares.[5]: 13  Passengers enter through faregates at the three Transitway stations, and pay at the on-board farebox at all other stops.[4]: 12  Fares are free when boarding at the Logan Airport stops.[5]: 31  Transfer is possible to the Red Line within fare control at South Station. Normal transfers to other routes are available with a CharlieCard; transfers to/from the Blue Line at Airport and the Washington Street routes are available with a CharlieTicket.[5]: 27 

The Waterfront routes use 60-foot (18 m) articulated buses with three doors, which provide greater capacity than standard 40-foot (12 m) transit buses.[6] The buses are low-floor and fully accessible, with kneeling bus technology and a wheelchair ramp at the front door. The main Waterfront fleet consists of 45 diesel hybrid buses with extended battery range – sufficient to run through the Transitway on battery power – which were delivered in 2022–2023. A similar extended-battery-range hybrid bus built in 2018 and five battery electric buses built in 2019 are also used. All Silver Line buses are maintained at Southampton Street Garage.[6][7]: 2.8 

The Waterfront routes previously used dual-mode buses which operated as electric trolleybuses between South Station and Silver Line Way, and as conventional diesel buses on the surface branches. The 32 dual-mode buses, built by Neoplan USA, were delivered in 2004–05 and overhauled from 2014 to 2018.[4]: 11 [8] Eight of the buses were funded by Massport and included luggage racks for airport passengers.[4]: 11  The dual-mode buses (and overhead lines in the Transitway) proved difficult to maintain and required a time-consuming switch between modes at Silver Line Way.[9][10] In 2018–19, the MBTA obtained several buses to test alternate options for Waterfront service. A single New Flyer diesel hybrid bus with extended battery range was obtained as an option on a separate order; it entered testing in September 2018 and revenue service in December.[11][12] On July 31, 2019, the MBTA began using five New Flyer battery electric buses on both Waterfront and Washington Street routes.[13] In November 2020, the MBTA exercised a contract option for 45 additional 60-foot hybrid buses with extended battery range (similar to test bus #1294) to replace the dual-mode Silver Line fleet.[14] The final dual-mode buses were retired in July 2023, ending trolleybus operations in the Boston area.[6]

Station listing edit

 
The power changeover at Silver Line Way
 
An SL1 bus at Logan Airport Terminal E
 
An SL2 bus on Black Falcon Avenue
 
An SL3 bus at Airport station
Neighborhood Station Services Service began Transfers and notes
SL1 SL2 SL3 SLW
Financial District South Station ● ● ● ● December 17, 2004   Amtrak: Acela, Lake Shore Limited, Northeast Regional
  MBTA Commuter Rail: Fairmount, Framingham/Worcester, Franklin/Foxboro, Greenbush, Needham, Old Colony, Providence/Stoughton, CapeFLYER (seasonal)
  MBTA subway:  Red   Silver  (SL4)
  MBTA bus: 4, 7, 11
  Intercity buses at South Station Bus Terminal
Seaport District Courthouse ● ● ● ●   MBTA bus: 4
World Trade Center ● ● ● ●
Silver Line Way ● ● ● ●
East Boston Terminal A ● June 1, 2005   MBTA bus: 171
  Massport: 11, 22, 55, 66, 88
  Intercity buses and Logan Express
Terminal B Stop 1 ●   MBTA bus: 171
  Massport: 11, 22, 55, 66, 88
  Intercity buses and Logan Express
Terminal B Stop 2 ●   MBTA bus: 171
  Massport: 11, 22, 55, 66, 88
  Intercity buses and Logan Express
Terminal C ●   MBTA bus: 171
  Massport: 11, 33, 55, 66, 88
  Intercity buses and Logan Express
Terminal E ●   MBTA bus: 171
  Massport: 11, 33, 55, 66, 88
  Intercity buses and Logan Express
Airport ● April 21, 2018   MBTA subway:  Blue 
  MBTA bus: 171
  Massport: 22, 33, 55, 66, 88
Chelsea Eastern Avenue ●   MBTA bus: 112
Box District ●
Bellingham Square ●   MBTA bus: 111, 112, 114, 116, 117
Chelsea ●   MBTA bus: 112, 114
  MBTA Commuter Rail: Newburyport/Rockport
South Boston Northern Avenue & Harbor Street ● December 31, 2004   MBTA bus: 4
Northern Avenue & Tide Street ●   MBTA bus: 4
23 Drydock Avenue ● c. 2006[15][16] Relocated from 21 Drydock Avenue in 2016[17]
27 Drydock Avenue ● December 31, 2004 Former stop at 25 Drydock Avenue closed in January 2016, relocated stop opened 2018[18][19][20]
Drydock Avenue & Black Falcon Avenue ● Replacement stop for 88 Black Falcon Avenue during nights and poor weather until January 2016; official stop since 2018[19][20]
Design Center ●   MBTA bus: 4

Former stops edit

Neighborhood Station Served by Service began Service ended Notes
South Boston 88 Black Falcon Avenue SL2 December 31, 2004 April 2019 Temporarily closed in April 2019 due to pier repair; permanent closure effective March 13, 2022.[21][3][22] Service was planned to resume on June 19, 2022, but this was cancelled.[23][24]
Black Falcon Avenue & Design Center Place SL2 2014
Summer Street & Powerhouse Street SL3 March 20, 2009 Discontinued due to low ridership[3]
East 1st Street & M Street SL3 Discontinued due to low ridership[3]
City Point SL3 Discontinued due to low ridership[3]
Farragut Road SL3 April 9, 2005[3] August 20, 2005 Rerouted due to noise complaints[25]

Washington Street: SL4 and SL5 edit

Washington Street routes
Legend

  All stops are accessible

 
 Orange Line  to Oak Grove
 
 
 
 
 Green Line  toward Government Center
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Downtown Crossing
       SL5 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 South Station
         SL4 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Boylston
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Chinatown  │Chinatown Gate
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Green Line  toward Copley
 
 
 
 Tufts Medical Center
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Orange Line  to Forest Hills
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Northeast Corridor
 
 Herald Street
 
 East Berkeley Street
 
 Union Park Street
 
 Newton Street
 
 Worcester Square
 
 Massachusetts Avenue
 
 Lenox Street
 
 Melnea Cass Boulevard
 
 
 
 
 
 Nubian
 SL4   SL5 
 
 

Two Silver Line routes run between Nubian station (at Nubian Square in Roxbury) and Downtown Boston along Washington Street:[2]

  • SL4 Nubian station–South Station
  • SL5 Nubian station–Downtown Crossing

These two routes share most of their routing on Washington Street between Nubian Square and Tufts Medical Center, with dedicated lanes for most of the corridor and eight intermediate stops. North of Kneeland Street, the routes run on separate one-way loops. The SL5 runs north on Washington Street to Template Place (between Downtown Crossing and Park Street, with an intermediate stop at Chinatown. It returns south on Tremont Street, with a southbound stop at Boylston. The SL4 runs north on Washington Street to Chinatown, then east on Essex Street (with a dedicated lane) to a surface stop at South Station. It returns south on Surface Road and Kneeland Street.[2] Most stops have a canopy shelter with seating, maps, and a real-time arrival information display.[7]: 2.5 

The two routes have the same fare as local bus services (lower than rapid transit), with normal transfers with a CharlieCard.[5]: 14  In recognition of their role as replacement for the Orange Line, transfers are also available with a paper CharlieTicket (which normally does not allow transfers).[5]: 27  This was inherited from the previous route 49 bus, which had free transfers (with the flat token fare) to and from the Orange Line only at New England Medical Center.[7]: 2.9 

The Washington Street routes use 60-foot (18 m) diesel hybrid articulated buses with three doors.[6] The buses are low-floor and fully accessible, with kneeling bus technology and a wheelchair ramp at the front door. The routes use 21 New Flyer buses delivered in 2016–17 (part of a 44-bus order also used on routes 28 and 39), which replaced the original compressed natural gas (CNG) buses, plus three similar hybrid buses delivered in 2010.[6][26] All Silver Line buses are maintained at Southampton Street Garage.[6][7]: 2.8 

Station listing edit

 
An SL5 bus near Herald Street
 
Melnea Cass Boulevard, a typical Washington Street stop
Neighborhood Station Services Service began Transfers and notes
SL4 SL5
Roxbury Nubian ● ● July 20, 2002[3]   MBTA bus: 1, 8, 14, 15, 19, 23, 29, 41, 42, 44, 45, 47, 66, 171
Melnea Cass Boulevard ● ●   MBTA bus: 1, 8, 19, 47, 171, CT3
South End Lenox Street ● ●   MBTA bus: 8
Massachusetts Avenue ● ●   MBTA bus: 1, 8
Worcester Square ● ● November 30, 2002[27]   MBTA bus: 8
Newton Street ● ● July 20, 2002[3]   MBTA bus: 8, 10
Union Park Street ● ●   MBTA bus: 8, 10
East Berkeley Street ● ●   MBTA bus: 9, 11
Herald Street ● ●   MBTA bus: 9, 11
Chinatown Tufts Medical Center ● ●   MBTA subway:  Orange 
  MBTA bus: 11, 43
Chinatown ● ●   MBTA subway:  Orange 
  MBTA bus: 11
Downtown Boston Downtown Crossing ●   MBTA subway:  Green   Orange   Red 
  MBTA bus: 43
Boylston ●   MBTA subway:  Green 
  MBTA bus: 43
South Station ● October 13, 2009[3]   Amtrak: Acela, Lake Shore Limited, Northeast Regional
  MBTA Commuter Rail: Fairmount, Framingham/Worcester, Franklin/Foxboro, Greenbush, Needham, Old Colony, Providence/Stoughton, CapeFLYER (seasonal)
  MBTA subway:  Red   Silver  (SL1, SL2, SL3)
  MBTA bus: 4, 7, 11
  Intercity buses at South Station Bus Terminal
Chinatown Chinatown Gate ● August 19, 2022[28][29]   MBTA bus: 501, 504, 505

History edit

Washington Street development edit

 
Removal of the Elevated in 1987

The 1947 state act that created the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) from the Boston Elevated Railway established four immediate projects for the new agency: extension of rapid transit to Braintree, expansion of the Tremont Street Subway to four tracks, replacement of the existing elevated lines (Charlestown Elevated, Causeway Street Elevated, and Washington Street Elevated) with subways, and an extension of the Cambridge–Dorchester line northwest from Harvard.[30] In 1948, the legislature authorized the city to issue $19 million in bonds (equivalent to $193 million in 2023) to construct an extension of the Washington Street Tunnel under Shawmut Street, connecting with the existing elevated south of Dudley Square.[31] Although none of the proposals were built immediately, it established a precedent of replacing the elevated lines. In 1972, protests led to cancellation of the planned Southwest Expressway. Instead, the alignment was used for a combined corridor for intercity rail, commuter rail, and the Orange Line – replacing the Washington Street Elevated of the latter.[7]: 3.1 

The northern part of the new corridor was about 1⁄2 mile (0.80 km) west of Washington Street, so the MBTA (which had replaced the MTA in 1964) began planning in 1978 for a replacement service between Dudley Square and Downtown Boston.[7]: 3.1 [32] By 1985, the MBTA favored bus or light rail service on Washington Street; the latter would have been a branch of the Green Line, operated through the 1962-abandoned southern branch.[33] The Orange Line was rerouted in 1987; that year, the Urban Mass Transportation Administration rejected the MBTA's funding request to create a light rail line on the corridor.[7]: 3.1  Local opinion favored the temporary retention of the northern portion of the Elevated until a permanent replacement could be built.[34] However, the MBTA closed the Elevated and instead upgraded the route 49 bus from a feeder route to a more frequent trunk route.[7]: 3.1 

 
The MBTA used this logo to advertise the Silver Line

In 1989, the MBTA announced that trolleybuses would be used on Washington Street, operating on 4-minute headways at peak hours.[7]: 3.1  By 1990, the MBTA expected service to begin in 1993, with an underground connection to Boylston station and the proposed South Boston Piers tunnel in a future phase.[35] After several more years of studies, the MBTA decided in 1996–97 to build the route as a bus rapid transit line using compressed natural gas (CNG) buses to avoid the visual impact of overhead wires.[7]: 3.2  Environmental documentation was filed in 1998, and construction began in 2001.[7]: 3.2  The project cost $27.3 million, with major elements including $10.9 million for the 17 new buses, $10.9 million for road work, and $2.6 million for shelters.[7]: 2.14  Planning and construction were combined with a necessary repaving of Washington Street, reducing costs.[7]: 5.8  Intended for the route to equal the service quality of light rail, the MBTA branded it as the "Silver Line" and designated it equally to the existing MBTA subway lines on maps.[7]: 4.11  The Silver Line name was introduced in 1996.[36][37]

The Silver Line followed largely the same route between Dudley Square and Downtown Boston as route 49; the primary change was the consolidation of stops.[3] Although the MBTA considered other stop locations, most of the final stops were at existing route 49 stops.[7]: 3.3  The conversion to the Silver Line occurred in several steps. In December 2001, the MBTA opened a contraflow bus-only lane on Washington Street between Marginal Road and East Berkeley Street, allowing southbound buses to use Washington Street. This eliminated a longer outbound routing via Surface Road, and allowed an extension to a new downtown terminal at Temple Place (between Park Street and Downtown Crossing stations). Service frequency was also increased at that time.[7]: 1.2  On July 20, 2002, new Silver Line-branded CNG buses began operation – the first low-floor buses to operate in Boston – and the 20 stops were reduced to 11.[7]: 1.2, 4.11  In November 2002, a twelfth stop at Worcester Square was restored.[7]: 2.5  The 40-foot (12 m) were replaced by 60-foot (18 m) buses in August 2003, and service frequency was again increased.[7]: 1.2  On January 31, 2005, the route was the first MBTA bus route to receive new automated fare collection equipment.[7]: 2.9  By 2005, ridership was double that of route 49, but early decreases in travel time were cancelled out by longer dwell times.[7]: 4.4, 5.1 

In February 2020, the MBTA agreed to change the name of Dudley Square station to Nubian, following the December 2019 renaming of the square itself.[38] The station renaming took effect in June 2020.[3] In May 2022, the MBTA released a draft plan for a systemwide network redesign. The draft called for the SL4 and SL5 to be combined into a single Nubian–South Station route to provide simpler and more consistent downtown service.[39][40] The November 2022 draft network plan kept the same proposal.[41][42] An additional SL4 stop (Chinatown Gate) on Surface Artery at Kneeland Street in Chinatown was added on August 19, 2022, while the Orange Line was closed for maintenance work; it was retained after the closure.[28][29]

Waterfront development edit

 
A 40-foot Silver Line trolleybus at Courthouse station in 2005. These buses were briefly used until the dual-mode buses entered service.
 
Silver Line service plans as of 2005, showing the SL3 (discontinued in 2009) and the original SL4 and Phase III (never implemented)

For most of the 20th century, the Seaport District was an industrial area occupied by rail yards and wharves; the South Boston Army Base and South Boston Naval Annex were served by short bus routes that connected with the Red Line at South Station.[43] After the military bases closed in 1974 and the rail yards were no longer needed, the Seaport was designated for commercial development, with accompanying need for expanded transit.[44]: 1.1  The MBTA conducted a feasibility study in 1987 and released a Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) in 1989.[4]: 23 [45] The DEIR selected an underground "transitway" over alternatives including a surface light rail line, an elevated people mover, a commuter rail shuttle, and a relocation of the Red Line. The transitway was to use trolleybuses or dual-mode buses, rather than the light rail and people mover possibilities considered; it would connect with the Red Line at South Station, the Orange Line at Chinatown, and the Green Line at Boylston. Costs could be reduced by combining its construction with the upcoming Central Artery/Tunnel Project ("Big Dig"). Service from the transitway could be extended to serve Logan International Airport, to form part of a proposed circumferential transit line, and to connect with the planned Washington Street service.[44]: iii 

The South Boston Piers Transitway alignment was refined by the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIR) in 1992.[44]: V  The Final Environmental Impact Statement/Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIS/FEIR) was approved in December 1993.[4]: 24  The South Station–Seaport segment was to open in 2000, with the Boylston segment opening in 2006.[44]: 2.81  The stations at World Trade Center, Courthouse, South Station, Chinatown, and Boylston would each have island platforms, and the tunnel could be later converted to light rail as a Green Line branch if needed.[46][47] Daily ridership was expected to be between 24,200 and 37,200 for the first phase, and between 34,800 and 69,800 for the full build, depending on the rate of commercial development.[44]: 4.26  In November 1994, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) agreed to fund $331 million (80%) of the $413 million first phase, which was to be completed in December 2000.[48]: 1  The environmental approval process was completed in April 1995.[4]: 24 

In 1997, with construction on the transitway already under way, Massport cancelled a planned people mover at Logan Airport in favor of dual-mode buses operating from the transitway and through the newly-opened Ted Williams Tunnel.[4]: 24–25 [49]: 2.1 [note 1] A connector road was to extend the transitway from D Street to Haul Road. These changes were approved in February 1998.[4]: 25  In May 1999, the MBTA indicated plans to through-route the transitway with the planned Washington Street service as the "Silver Line", with the Washington Street service as Phase I, the initial Transitway build as Phase II, and the Boylston extension as Phase III.[4]: 25 

Initial construction of the Transitway was divided into four main sections: South Station and turnaround loop plus 1,550 feet (470 m) of tunnel ($96 million), Russia Wharf and Fort Point Channel tunnel ($128 million), Courthouse station plus 1,450 feet (440 m) of tunnel ($110 million), and World Trade Center station plus 1,200 feet (370 m) of tunnel ($43 million).[4]: 15  The Russia Wharf section, using the New Austrian tunnelling method, was the most technically complex; ground freezing was required to support the historic Russia Wharf Buildings.[48]: 5 [51] It also included an immersed tube under the Fort Point Channel.[51] The discovery of a massive boulder under the Channel delayed the project by a year.[4]: 15  By late 2000, the project was three years behind schedule and almost $200 million over budget; the MBTA diverted $150 million of other federal grants and $50 million of contingency funds to cover the costs.[48]: 4  The Transitway was ultimately completed in 2004, with a final cost to the MBTA of $624 million.[4]: 16 [note 2] Although some projects like the new federal courthouse and the new convention center had been built, commercial development had lagged early plans; the MBTA adjusted its 2006 daily ridership projections from 45,000 to 14,000 shortly before opening.[52]

The Transitway opened on December 17, 2004, with the Waterfront shuttle route between South Station and Silver Line operated by a mix of new dual-mode buses and 40-foot (12 m) trolleybuses borrowed from the Harvard-based routes.[3][4]: 26  It was only the third "urban trolleybus subway" (tunnel with stations) in the world, after the Harvard bus tunnel and the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel (in which trolleybus service ended in 2005).[53] Original plans called for a single South Boston route running to City Point via D Street, Broadway, Summer Street, and E 1st Street. After concerns from residents over reduction of legal parking spaces and impacts to the "local custom" of double parking, this was split into two routes: one running to Andrew via D Street, and one to City Point via D Street and E 1st Street.[54]

On December 31, 2004, service began on routes SL2 to the Boston Marine Industrial Park and route SL3 to City Point – the latter running via Northern Avenue, Drydock Avenue, and Summer Street rather than D Street. Two days later, a Sunday-only Silver Line Way-Logan Airport shuttle service called "Silver Line Connector" began operation to meet a legal commitment to begin airport service that month.[3] The existing surface routes in the Seaport were discontinued or rerouted in January.[4]: 5–7  Due to a lack of available dual-mode buses, CNG shuttles operated on the surface sections of the SL2 and SL3 routes from January 5 to March 14, 2005. On March 26, the two routes were combined on nights and weekends.[3] On April 9, weekday SL3 service was extended from City Point to a loop on Farragut Road.[3] On May 28, 2005, the two routes were combined at all times as the SL2/3. This freed up buses for SL1 service to Logan Airport, which began on June 1.[3] As more buses entered service, the SL2 and SL3 were re-split into separate routes (except nights and weekends) on August 20, and the Farragut Road loop was cut due to noise complaints from residents.[25] On October 15, City Point service was cut on nights and weekends.[3] The planned SL4 route to Andrew, expected to begin service in 2005, was never implemented.[55][3]

As enough dual-mode buses became available, the borrowed 40-foot trolleybuses were phased out; they were last used on February 12, 2006.[53] By 2006, the Silver Line had doubled transit ridership to the Seaport, and increased transit ridership to Logan by 24%.[4]: 42, 44  The SL3 service was never successful, as the parallel route 7 had a more direct routing, lower fares, and better downtown connections. By 2008, the SL3 averaged less than one passenger per trip on the segment not shared with the SL2.[25] On March 20, 2009, SL3 service was cut, with SL2 service increased in its stead.[3] In October 2009, the SL2 terminus was renamed "Design Center" with no changes in service.[3]

Until 2019, SL2 buses served the Design Center loop in two different patterns. Before noon, outbound buses proceeded around the whole loop, laid over at the Design Center stop, then proceeded inbound. After noon, outbound buses made a shorter western loop, laid over at Design Center, then proceeded inbound via the main loop.[56] On December 22, 2019, the route was changed so that buses proceeded around the whole loop before the layover at all times.[57][3] On March 15, 2020, afternoon service began laying over at 23 Dry Dock Avenue before making the loop.[58][3]

In January 2021, Massport approved a ground lease agreement for air rights development over Silver Line Way station, which will include improvements to the stop.[59]: 99  On March 13, 2022, all SL2 buses began laying over at 23 Dry Dock Avenue. The stop at 88 Black Falcon Avenue, closed since April 2019 due to pier repairs, was permanently cut at that time.[21][3][22] An improved stop on the east side of 27 Drydock Avenue (at Black Falcon Avenue) is planned by 2025 as part of redevelopment of 88 Black Falcon Avenue.[59]: 73  The May 2022 draft network plan called for routes SL1 and SL3 to use D Street to more directly access the Ted Williams Tunnel, with only route SL2 plus SLW shuttles serving Silver Line Way.[40][60] The November 2022 revised proposal kept this change, with SL2 enhanced to higher frequency service all days.[41][42]

Phase III plans edit

 
Silver Line Phase III alternatives, showing the original 4 alignments plus the Charles Street Modified (CSM) alignment. The preferred route at the time of the project's cancellation was the CSM alignment (pink) feeding into the core tunnel (green).

The Boylston extension, as planned in 1993, would have run west from South Station under Essex Street, Avenue de Lafayette, and Avery Street. The Chinatown platform would have been under Hayward Place east of Washington Street, and the Boylston platform under the existing Green Line station, with a turnaround loop under Boylston Street and the Central Burying Ground.[49]: 2.5–6  The 1999 decision to combine the Waterfront and Washington Street projects as the Silver Line resulted in the addition of a southern segment, likely using the same abandoned streetcar tunnel as had been proposed a decade before. A new underground station would have been built under Tremont Street, connecting to the existing New England Medical Center (NEMC) station, with a portal to Washington Street just north of Oak Street.[49]: 2.5–7  In April 2000, the MBTA adjusted the alignment to use Boylston Street instead of Avenue de Lafayette and Avery Street, with side platforms at the stations. The new alignment would conflict less with development, provide a straighter route, avoid the need for a pedestrian crossing and a lengthy pedestrian tunnel at Chinatown, and move the Boylston loop away from the Burying Ground.[49]: 2.8 

In January 2002, the MBTA began seeking federal funding for 60% of the project cost. The FTA approved the project for further planning that July.[4]: 27  The Boston Regional Metropolitan Planning Organization rated the project as "high priority" in its May 2003 Program for Mass Transportation, citing its high estimated ridership, low operating cost and service to environmental justice neighborhoods.[61] In 2003, the preferred portal location was moved slightly north to avoid the need to demolish the YMCA building, and the NEMC station was removed.[49]: 2.10–15  A proposal to consolidate the Chinatown and Boylston stations was rejected due to steep grades required and lack of cost savings, and a proposal to eliminate the loop was rejected because of the need to short turn most buses at Boylston.[49]: 2.15–22  Further changes in 2003–04 were caused by the need to add a second platform at Boylston due to high expected ridership, and to reduce impacts to the historic Boston Common from the loop. One alternative placed the station and loop under Tremont Street south of Boylston Street; the other enlarged them under the Common.[49]: 2.22–25 

Continued concerns about the Common, concerns from Bay Village residents about impacts to Eliot Norton Park, and desires to add Back Bay service resulted in further changes in 2004–05. The platforms at Boylston were to be aligned east–west under Boylston Street west of Tremont Street, with the loop further to the west at Charles Street. New portal alignments were considered, including one on Columbus Avenue to the southwest.[49]: 2.23–28  Capital cost was originally estimated at $768–812 million depending on the portal location; completion was moved from 2010 to 2013.[49]: 3.38, 6.1  Daily ridership for the completed Silver Line system was estimated to reach 160,000 by 2025.[49]: 3.33  In August 2005, the MBTA put the Phase III project "on hold" in order to build community consensus on a locally preferred routing.[62]

In February 2006, State Transportation Secretary John Cogliano proposed a $94 million plan that would eliminate most of the tunneling and cost of the original proposal while still connecting the two phases of the service.[63] Under Cogliano's plan, the Silver Line would run on the surface via Kneeland Street and Surface Road to a new tunnel portal on Essex Street near South Station. A fare-controlled shelter would be added at Downtown Crossing for routes still terminating there. The plan also included expansion of surface Silver Line service, with a new branch running from Copley Square into the Essex Street portal to provide a one-seat ride from the Back Bay area. The southern branch would be extended from Dudley to the Red Line stations at Mattapan via Blue Hill Avenue (replacing route 28) and Ashmont via Washington Street (replacing route 23)[63] The plan was popular with Bay Village residents who had been worried about the full-length tunnel, but attracted criticism because it would not substantially speed travel times to downtown.[63]

 
Shelter at South Station for route SL4

A revised tunnel plan was put forward in March 2006, with support from most transportation leaders including Cogliano. The plan involved a variation of the Charles Street tunnel alignment, with the portal moved southwest onto Tremont Street near Marginal Road.[64][65][66] This "Charles Street Modified" alignment remained the preferred alternative for the remainder of the project. Contra-flow dedicated bus lanes, already in place on Washington Street, were to be extended onto Marginal Road and Herald Street to allow buses to reach the portal from the surface section.[67] On December 12, 2006, the FTA approved the project to re-enter its funding process.[4]: 27  By mid-2008, environmental review and preliminary engineering were expected to be completed by the end of the year, with federal funding sought in 2010 and construction lasting from 2011 to a 2016 opening.[68][69]

However, the estimated price of the tunnel plan, dubbed the "Little Dig", had risen to $2.1 billion by May 2009.[70] The FTA assigned it a Medium Low overall rating, making it ineligible to move into the final design phase for federal New Starts funding. The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization removed Phase III from the list of recommended projects in its long range plan because of funding limitations. Concluding that it could not successfully compete for more than one New Starts grant, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) informed the FTA that it was no longer seeking New Starts money for Phase III. All New Starts funds available would instead be directed to the legally mandated Green Line Extension project. In a July 2010 report, the MBTA declared that Phase III was on indefinite hold and no further funds would be spent on the project.[71]

A partial solution that did not require a new tunnel opened on October 13, 2009, after expedited construction using federal stimulus money. The new route, SL4, covered much of the same alignment as the proposed Phase III, with a dedicated bus lane on Essex Street and a South Station stop west of Atlantic Avenue. The existing Downtown Crossing-Dudley route was renamed SL5 at that time.[72]

Extension to Chelsea edit

 
Chelsea station in July 2018

The Urban Ring Project was a planned circumferential surface BRT line. It would have shared the Silver Line berths at Dudley Square, and have had a surface stop outside World Trade Center station, but otherwise would have been separate from the Silver Line.[73][74] The project was cancelled in 2010 due to high cost, but planning for several smaller sections continued.[75] The Chelsea–South Boston section was given high priority because Chelsea was densely populated yet underserved by transit.[75] MassDOT had also purchased the Grand Junction Branch – including abandoned sections in Chelsea and East Boston – from CSX Transportation in 2010, meaning that a potential right-of-way (which the Urban Ring had proposed to use) was available.[75] A state study in 2011 analyzed potential Chelsea services, including a Silver Line branch to Bellingham Square or the Chelsea commuter rail station, or improvements to the route 112 bus.[75][76]

In 2013, MassDOT began public planning of the Silver Line Gateway project. In addition to serving Chelsea, the proposed line would provide Blue Line riders a direct connection to the Seaport and South Station. Three possible alignments were studied. All used the Transitway and the Ted Williams Tunnel to reach Airport station, then the 2012-opened Coughlin Bypass Road to the Chelsea Street Bridge. The first alignment was to run entirely on a new busway on the Grand Junction right-of-way in Chelsea, with stops at Eastern Avenue, Box District, Bellingham Square at the Chelsea commuter rail station, and Mystic Mall. The second alignment option would have followed the Grand Junction to just short of the commuter rail station, then diverge onto surface roads to Bellingham Square, while the third alignment would have run entirely on surface streets, serving two stops on Central Avenue and four stops along a loop serving Chelsea station and the MGH Chelsea healthcare center.[77]

In September 2013, the MBTA indicated that it would pursue the first alternative, with an estimated daily ridership of 8,700, despite potential issues with bridge clearances and rebuilding the commuter rail station.[78] On October 30, 2013, MassDOT announced $82.5 million in state funding for the new Silver Line route to Chelsea, with completion expected in 2015. The announcement also included the relocation of the commuter rail station to Chelsea (Mystic Mall) and a $3 million, 3⁄4-mile (1.2 km) multi-use path from Eastern Avenue to Washington Street.[79] The Environmental Impact Report was issued in March 2014.[80] MassDOT awarded a $33.8 million construction contract for the first phase of the project on September 17, 2014. That phase included the 1.3-mile (2.1 km)-long busway, the four Silver Line stations, replacement of the Washington Street bridge, and the Chelsea Greenway.[81]

Silver Line service to Chelsea (route SL3) began on April 21, 2018.[82] By October, daily ridership reached 6,200.[83] The second phase of the project includes the relocated Chelsea commuter rail station plus transit signal priority upgrades for the SL3. Construction began in August 2019; the new station opened on November 15, 2021.[84][85] As of January 2024, the MBTA and the City of Boston plan to reconfigure Day Square in East Boston in late 2024. The project would include bus lanes on Chelsea Street and a bus-only street through Day Square, with a Day Square station for use by the SL3 and local bus routes.[86][87]

Sullivan Square extension edit

In March 2019, state and local officials indicated plans to extend service from Chelsea on two routes to Kendall Square and to North Station, both via Sullivan Square. The routes would primarily use dedicated busways and bus lanes, although it was not decided whether they would be under the Silver Line brand.[88] In January 2021, the MBTA and MassDOT began work on the Silver Line Extension (SLX), which would look into route alternatives from Chelsea into Everett, Somerville, Cambridge, and Boston.[89] Six potential corridors were identified by September 2021: to Wellington, to Sullivan, to Malden Center, to downtown Boston via Sullivan, to Kendall Square via Sullivan, and to Kendall Square via Wellington. Some corridors could be operated as new routes independent from the SL3, with Chelsea or Airport as potential termini rather than South Station.[90]

Alternatives were presented in September 2022. Three potential SL3 extensions would run to Malden Center, Wellington, or Sullivan – all via Everett Square, with varying amounts of dedicated bus lanes on the western portion. Four potential SL6 routes were identified: Everett (Glendale Square)–Kendall via McGrath Highway, Everett–Kendall via the Gilmore Bridge, Everett–Haymarket via Rutherford Avenue, and Eastern Avenue–Kendall via Everett Square. All of the potential SL6 routes would operate primarily in dedicated lanes.[91] A SL3 extension to Sullivan was announced as the preferred alternative in March 2024; the study recommended that SL6 planning be deferred pending related planning efforts for Sullivan Square, Rutherford Avenue, the Gilmore Bridge, and Kendall Square, as well as implementation of the planned bus network redesign.[92][93]

The proposed SL3 extension would run in an off-street busway west to 2nd Street, mixed traffic (possibly later dedicated lanes) on 2nd Street and Spring Street, and dedicated lanes on Chelsea Street and most of Broadway. South of Sweetser Circle, a dedicated busway would be built on Lower Broadway. New stops would be located on 2nd Street at Boston Street and Spring Street; on Broadway at Chelsea Street (Everett Square), Beacham Street, and Horizon Way; and at Sullivan Square station. The extension add 6.36 miles (10.24 km) of round trip distance, with 5.18 miles (8.34 km) – 80% – in dedicated bus lanes. It was estimated to increase SL3 ridership by 15,000 daily boardings by 2040, with a capital cost of $95 million.[92][93]

Other proposed corridors edit

 
Southern branch of the Tremont Street subway near the former Pleasant Street portal. This tunnel was briefly considered for use in the Phase III tunnel and is the likely connecting route for a proposed conversion of the Washington Street section of the Silver Line to a branch of the Green Line.

Several other bus rapid transit and express bus projects have been proposed in Boston, many under the Silver Line banner. The first two phases of the 2010-cancelled Urban Ring Project were to be BRT, with light or heavy rail for the final phase. The Urban Ring was considered a separate project, although it would have shared the SL1 route between Silver Line Way and Logan Airport.[61]

A number of Silver Line expansion corridors were considered in the 2003 Program for Mass Transportation (PMT); most were given brief consideration but not acted upon. One, a BRT express overlay for the route 28 bus (which runs between Ruggles station and Mattapan via Nubian), was revived in 2006 as part of the Phase III plans. In 2009, the state proposed to replace the 28 bus entirely with a BRT route called 28X, including the installation of dedicated bus lanes, bus signal priority, and on-platform fare collection.[94] However, the proposal was withdrawn in 2010 due to local opposition, both to the design of the route and because the plan had been made without consulting local officials.[95] Subsequent planning for bus improvements on Blue Hill Avenue has occurred without Silver Line branding.[96][97]

Several other corridors were considered in the 2003 PMT. These included a Dudley–Ashmont route replacing the route 23 bus (also revived in 2006 in Phase III planning, but not during the 28X proposal), as well as a new BRT tunnel to Kenmore with surface branches to the Longwood Medical Area via Brookline Avenue and Allston via Commonwealth Avenue, the Mass Pike, and Cambridge Street.[61][98] The City of Boston proposed an alternate western Silver Line branch using buses along the Mass Pike without a new tunnel, similar to existing express buses.[98]

The 2003 PMT included the possibility of converting the Washington Street section of the Silver Line to light rail (as had originally been promised) using the abandoned southern section of the Tremont Street Subway. The project was estimated to cost $374 million; ridership was estimated to be 34,000 daily riders almost entirely diverted from the Silver Line service. The project was given low priority, with the Phase III tunnel recommended instead.[98] In 2012, the Roxbury–Dorchester–Mattapan Transit Needs Study recommended the conversion to light rail as a long-term project, with the additional possibility of extending the line down Blue Hill Avenue to Mattapan along the route 28 bus corridor.[99]

Service edit

Frequency and ridership edit

 
The SLW was one of three MBTA bus routes to show a net profit in a 2012 study.

The Silver Line routes are among the most frequent MBTA bus routes. All routes (except for the SLW shuttle) run at least every 15 minutes during all service hours, save for late evening and weekend service on the SL4. At peak hours, combined frequency on the trunk sections is about 30 buses per hour (2 minute headways) in each direction in the Transitway, and 12 buses per hour (5 minute headways) on Washington Street.[100] The routes have high ridership (though lower than many key bus routes) and low costs per rider compared to other bus routes in the MBTA system. In 2012, three routes (SL1, SL5, SLW) were the only MBTA bus routes to show a profit; the median net cost (after fares) on all MBTA bus routes was $2.13 per passenger.[101] In 2019, combined weekday ridership on Silver Line routes was 39,000.[1]

In addition to the public route name, the Silver Line and crosstown routes have internal route numbers in the 700 series. The SL5 is designated 749 after the 49 bus it replaced, while the other routes have similar numbers.[102]

Route # Rush hour headways[100] Midday headways[100] Weekend headways[100] Weekday ridership (2018)[103]
SL1 741 10–12 minutes 12 minutes 8–12 minutes 8,132
SL2 742 5–8 minutes 15 minutes 15 minutes 6,420
SL3 743 10 minutes 15 minutes 12–15 minutes 6,200[83]
SLW 746 8 minutes — Limited service (not available)
SL4 751 12 minutes 14 minutes 16–17 minutes 5,800
SL5 749 8–9 minutes 8–11 minutes 8–9 minutes 10,300

Criticism edit

Mode choice edit

This is not bus rapid transit. All they did was take a diesel bus, change the engine, paint it silver and run it down the street through traffic.

Roxbury activist Bob Terrell[104]

When the Washington Street Elevated was replaced with the Southwest Corridor, MBTA promised "equal or better" surface transit on Washington Street to replace the Elevated.[63] Riders supported light rail; the decision to instead run buses was viewed as a broken promise and intentional disinvestment.[9][104] The Silver Line is substantially slower than the Elevated, with travel time from Nubian Square to Downtown Boston increased from 8 minutes to 20 minutes.[63] The Washington Street corridor population is poorer and less educated than the Southwest Corridor, and has a larger Black population; advocates including state representative Gloria Fox have called the poor service on the Silver Line "discrimination against people of color".[104][105] Because of the poor service and the perception that the bus service was an inferior substitute for the originally-planned light rail line, advocates nicknamed the Washington Street service as the "Silver Lie".[104][106]

Two theoretical advantages of BRT compared to light rail are low cost and speedy implementation.[9]: 6  However, Silver Line service did not begin on Washington Street until 15 years after the Elevated came down; the first phase of the Transitway opened 15 years after the DEIR, and the second phase was never completed. The Transitway was built at "enormous cost"; it was the most expensive single BRT project in the world by a 2007 report.[9][107] Like the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel (which was later converted to light rail), the Transitway had comparable construction cost to light rail, but a lower level of service.[108] At the time of its cancellation, Phase III was expected to cost $2.1 billion - more than three times that of the Transitway.[70] Although transit ridership in the Seaport doubled after the introduction of the Silver Line, that growth is due partially to commercial development rather than the service quality.[9][106]

BRT quality edit

 
Red-painted bus lanes on an uncongested section of Washington Street
 
An SL1 bus waiting at the D Street light

Key features of bus rapid transit include dedicated lanes, frequent service, off-vehicle fare collection, sheltered stations, and intelligent transportation systems features such as transit signal priority.[109]: 99  A 2011 study by the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) determined that the Silver Line was best classified as "Not BRT" because it lacked many of these BRT Standard features.[9]

Off-board fare collection is only present at the three underground stops.[4]: 12  A significant portion of delays on the surface sections are caused by long dwell times, as passengers only board through the front door to pay at the single farebox. On June 6, 2012, Massport began funding a three-month pilot of free fares from the five Logan Airport stops as an effort to decrease traffic congestion at the airport terminals.[110][111] Within the first month, average dwell time dropped by 20 seconds per stop.[112] Massport later extended the pilot until January 2013, then made free fares from Logan permanent.[5]: 31 [113][114] Stops on the Washington Street routes with more than fifteen passengers have an average dwell time of over one minute, which affects both running time and reliability.[115] A two-week pilot program in 2017 tested all-door boarding on these routes, with free fares funded by a nonprofit. The pilot halved dwell times at busy stops, reduced overall average dwell time from 24 to 19 seconds, and increased reliability.[115][116] All-door boarding will be permanently implemented on all routes in the 2020s as part of the AFC 2.0 fare system.[117]

The Washington Street routes have dedicated bus lanes between Herald Street and Melnea Cass Boulevard, as well as on Essex Street.[7]: 2.1 [72] However, these lanes are not physically separated from general traffic lanes and are designated as right-turn lanes at many intersections.[106][118] A lack of loading zones causes many vehicles to double-park in the bus lanes, and violations of the exclusive lanes are rarely prosecuted.[9][118] In the most congested parts of the corridor – Nubian Square and Downtown Crossing – no dedicated lanes are present.[106] Transit signal priority (TSP) was only planned for four locations on Washington Street. Due to conflicts between the MBTA, the contractors, and the city, the TSP equipment was not activated until 2006.[7]: 2.10 [119] Due to the lack of BRT elements, running times on the corridor show significant variability. Peak-hour times were as much as 1.7 times that of uncontested periods in 2006, indicating that the limited BRT elements on Washington Street were ineffective at actually speeding travel during congested periods.[106] Headway reliability is poor, largely due to operators failing to depart Nubian on time.[109]: 136  Additional enforced downtown bus lanes, plus traffic restrictions on Temple Place and new loading zones in Chinatown, were added by the city in 2020.[120]

Although the Transitway is a dedicated bus tunnel without interference from automobile traffic, Waterfront service is no faster than the on-street buses it replaced.[9] The tunnel was built for a maximum speed of 25 miles per hour (40 km/h); the narrow lanes without guided buses limit actual speeds to 15 miles per hour (24 km/h).[4]: 31 [121] Water leakage and poor drainage has damaged the concrete floor of the tunnel, leading to "poor ride quality".[10] The switch between electric and diesel power at Silver Line Way also represents a "significant delay".[9] Because the original Transitway design ended at D Street, buses must cross the street at a traffic light. A 2003 study indicated extending the Transitway tunnel under D Street ("T under D") for grade separation was feasible, with a cost around $75 million.[122] The light has attracted criticism from riders due to the delays it causes. A 2013 study found a median delay of 1.5 minutes per round trip at the light.[106][123]: 136  In early 2016, the Boston Transportation Department modified the traffic light to use a fixed cycle, rather than relying on the detection of buses (only done during part of the cycle) to give a green light for the Transitway. However, the BTD's modifications did not modify the unusually-long 100-second cycle length nor actively prioritize buses, leading to criticism from transportation planners that the solution was inadequate.[124] Proposed air rights development over the station is required not to preclude later grade separation of D Street.[125] A gate and movable bollard near the light, which are used to prevent private vehicles from entering the Transitway, also cause delays to buses.[123]: 141 [126]

Although stop spacing varies widely between BRT systems, distances from 0.5 miles (0.80 km) to 1.0 mile (1.6 km) are typically recommended.[127] Even after dropping half the stops, the Washington Street corridor averages only 0.25 miles (0.40 km) between stops, with several stop spacings as low as 0.10 miles (0.16 km).[7]: 2.5 [109]: 102  The Washington Street stops were built with open canopies; protected shelters were not added until 2010.[7]: 5.8 [128] A small traditional glass shelter is available at Temple Place; Boylston, Chinatown, and Tufts Medical Center have no shelters at all.[7]: 3.2  Silver Line Way and the SL2 surface stops have glass shelters or none at all; the SL3 surface stops have canopies without shelters.[4]: 10 

Indirect routing edit

 
The disputed ramp in 2017

Because the Transitway was not originally designed for service to Logan Airport or Chelsea, it does not have a direct connection to the Ted Williams Tunnel. Outbound SL1 and SL3 buses must travel 0.5 miles (0.80 km) west on Haul Road from Silver Line Way to access an eastbound ramp west of B Street, then travel east on a frequently-congested section of I-90. Inbound buses must exit I-90 at B Street and travel 0.3 miles (0.48 km) east on Congress Street to reach Silver Line Way.[2] An eastbound entrance ramp near Silver Line Way, normally restricted for use by Massachusetts State Police vehicles and MassDOT maintenance vehicles from an adjacent operations center, can shorten the outbound routing by about 0.7 miles (1.1 km). MassDOT claims the ramp was not designed for buses, though Big Dig planner Fred Salvucci has claimed it was.[129] Outbound buses were temporarily allowed to use the ramp in 2006 after the Big Dig ceiling collapse, when there was no regular eastbound traffic through the tunnel.[130][4]: 14  The Urban Ring was also proposed to use the ramp.[74] A 2010 study indicated that the ramp was safe for use by the Silver Line.[123]: 163 

Transit advocates have since pushed to allow use of the ramp by Silver Line buses ("Free the ramp"), though MassDOT claims the ramp is not safe to use when highway traffic is freely flowing.[131] The MBTA hired a consultant in 2018 to study potential use of the ramp.[129] In May 2019, MassDOT agreed to a limited test of ramp use, though advocates criticized MassDOT for limiting the test to only the evening peak hour, and only when highway speeds did not exceed 30 miles per hour (48 km/h).[132] The three-day test in August 2019 resulting in average time savings of 3–8 minutes per bus, with significantly larger time savings at the most congested times. After these results, MassDOT agreed to make modifications to the ramp entrance to eventually allow use of the ramp whenever traffic speeds are below 30 mph.[131]

Silver Line buses were again allowed to use the ramp during a 2023 closure of the Sumner Tunnel.[133]

Other issues edit

The SL3 route is subject to frequent delays due to the opening of the Chelsea Street Bridge – as many as ten times per day – for ships serving the upstream oil terminals. Each bridge opening causes a delay of up to 20 minutes, and the only alternate route involves a lengthy detour on Route 1A. Federal regulations give priority to marine traffic.[134] In December 2018, MassDOT officials sought to create a six-month pilot program to reduce peak-hour openings of the bridge, as well as the nearby Meridian Street Bridge used by the busy 116 and 117 bus routes.[83][135]

The CNG buses bought for the Washington Street service caused disruptive 35 Hz vibrations in nearby residential buildings.[136] It took a year to retrofit the fleet with new mufflers; during that time, older buses which did not have that problem were used at night.[7]: 3.5 

See also edit

References edit

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  2. ^ a b c d e f "System Map". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w Belcher, Jonathan. "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). Boston Street Railway Association.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w Schimek, Paul; Watkins, Kari; Chase, David; Smith, Karl; Gazillo, Stephen (June 1, 2007). Silver Line Waterfront Bus Rapid Transit (BRT): 2007 Evaluation (PDF) (Report). Federal Transit Administration.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "MBTA Tariff and Statement of Fare and Transfer Rules" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. July 1, 2019.
  6. ^ a b c d e f "The MBTA Vehicle Inventory Page". NETransit. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa Schimek, Paul; Darido, Georges; Schneck, Donald (September 2005). Boston Silver Line Washington Street Bus Rapid Transit (BRT): Demonstration Project Evaluation (PDF) (Report). Federal Transit Administration.
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  10. ^ a b "State of the System: Bus" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. December 2015. pp. 28, 39–40.
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Notes edit

  1. ^ Such use of the third harbor tunnel to run express bus service to the airport had been proposed as early as 1968.[50]
  2. ^ That figure includes the higher-than-expected cost of dual-mode buses, and part of the cost of the Southampton maintenance facility, but subtracts reimbursements from other projects.[4]: 16 

External links edit

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  • MBTA: SL1, SL2, SL3, SL4, SL5
  • Silver Line Extension (SLX) Alternatives Analysis

April 12, 2024
silver, line, mbta, silver, line, system, routes, boston, chelsea, massachusetts, operated, massachusetts, transportation, authority, mbta, operated, part, mbta, system, branded, rapid, transit, part, mbta, subway, system, routes, operated, part, disconnected,. The Silver Line is a system of bus routes in Boston and Chelsea Massachusetts operated by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority MBTA It is operated as part of the MBTA bus system but branded as bus rapid transit BRT as part of the MBTA subway system Six routes are operated as part of two disconnected corridors As of 2019 update weekday ridership on the Silver Line was 39 000 MBTA Silver LineA Silver Line bus at South Station in 2023ParentMassachusetts Bay Transportation AuthorityFoundedJuly 20 2002 Washington Street December 17 2004 Waterfront LocaleBoston and Chelsea Massachusetts USService typeBus rapid transit disputed Routes6Stops15 Washington Street 20 Waterfront HubsSouth Station NubianFleet21 Washington Street 50 Waterfront Daily ridership39 000 Q2 2019 1 Fuel typeDiesel hybridWebsiteMBTA BusSystem mapThe four Waterfront routes operate out of an underground terminal at South Station and run through the South Boston Piers Transitway a dedicated bus tunnel through the Seaport District with stations at Courthouse and World Trade Center At Silver Line Way they fan out on the surface the SL1 to Logan International Airport the SL2 to Dry Dock Avenue and the SL3 to Chelsea via East Boston An additional short turn route SLW runs only at peak hours between South Station and Silver Line Way The Waterfront routes use mostly articulated diesel hybrid buses with extended battery range Two routes operate on Washington Street between Nubian station at Nubian Square in Roxbury and Downtown Boston The SL5 terminates at Downtown Crossing and the SL4 on the surface at South Station The Washington Street routes use articulated diesel hybrid buses The Washington Street corridor was built to replace the Washington Street Elevated which was used by the Orange Line rapid transit line until 1987 Initial plans called for a light rail branch of the Green Line but trolleybuses and later CNG buses were substituted Planning began in 1987 for mass transit to serve the growing Seaport a new transit tunnel called the South Boston Piers Transitway was chosen in 1989 It was to run from Boylston to World Trade Center via Chinatown and South Station though the Boylston South Station section was later deferred as a separate phase In 1999 the MBTA designated the Washington Street and Transitway projects as the Silver Line and planned for the Boylston tunnel extension to include a portal to Washington Street for through running Service improvements on Washington Street began in 2001 After years of delays service through the 624 million Transitway began on December 17 2004 The connecting tunnel Phase III was cancelled in 2010 due to rising costs a surface route SL4 was introduced the previous year The original SL3 route to City Point was discontinued on March 20 2009 A separate SL3 route to Chelsea originally planned as part of the cancelled Urban Ring Project began service on April 21 2018 Extension of the SL3 route to Sullivan Square is planned Several other Silver Line extensions have been proposed as has a conversion of the Washington Street corridor to light rail but most have not been pursued The Silver Line has been the target of criticism by riders and transportation planners Much of the system is missing BRT Standard features such as enforced dedicated lanes off vehicle fare collection sheltered stations and transit signal priority Contents 1 Routes 1 1 Waterfront SL1 SL2 SL3 1 1 1 Station listing 1 1 2 Former stops 1 2 Washington Street SL4 and SL5 1 2 1 Station listing 2 History 2 1 Washington Street development 2 2 Waterfront development 2 3 Phase III plans 2 4 Extension to Chelsea 2 5 Sullivan Square extension 2 6 Other proposed corridors 3 Service 3 1 Frequency and ridership 3 2 Criticism 3 2 1 Mode choice 3 2 2 BRT quality 3 2 3 Indirect routing 3 2 4 Other issues 4 See also 5 References 5 1 Notes 6 External linksRoutes editWaterfront SL1 SL2 SL3 edit vteWaterfront routesLegend nbsp Terminal B Stop 2 nbsp nbsp Terminal B Stop 1 nbsp nbsp Terminal C nbsp nbsp Terminal A nbsp SL1 nbsp Terminal E nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp SL3 nbsp Chelsea nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp Design Center SL2 Bellingham Square nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp Drydock Avenue amp Black Falcon AvenueBox District nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 27 Drydock AvenueEastern Avenue nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 23 Drydock AvenueChelsea Street Bridge nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp Day Square planned nbsp nbsp nbsp Tide Street nbsp Airport nbsp nbsp nbsp Harbor StreetTed Williams Tunnelunder Boston Harbor nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp Silver Line Way SLW nbsp World Trade Center nbsp Courthouse nbsp nbsp South Station nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp SL1 SL2 SL3 SLW Three Silver Line services operate from South Station in a dedicated tunnel the South Boston Piers Transitway serving the underground Courthouse and World Trade Center stations in the Seaport District then splitting at the Silver Line Way surface station 2 SL1 Logan Airport South Station SL2 Drydock South Station SL3 Chelsea South StationDuring rush hours additional short turns designated SLW are run between South Station and Silver Line Way to increase frequency in the Transitway 2 Route SL2 runs on Northern Avenue then on a one way loop on Drydock Avenue and Black Falcon Avenue with multiple stops serving the Raymond L Flynn Marine Park and the Flynn Cruiseport Boston Buses run clockwise around the loop with a layover at 23 Drydock Avenue From Silver Line Way route SL1 and SL3 buses loop backwards on Haul Road then cross under Boston Harbor in the Ted Williams Tunnel to East Boston Route SL1 loops around the Logan International Airport terminals with stops at the arrivals level of each terminal including two separate stops at lengthy Terminal B Route SL3 serves Airport station follows the Coughlin Bypass Road and crosses Chelsea Creek on the Chelsea Street Bridge It then follows a dedicated busway to Chelsea with intermediate stops at Eastern Avenue Box District and Bellingham Square 2 3 The three Transitway stops are full rapid transit stations the Chelsea busway stations have large concrete shelters while most other surface stops have small shelters 4 10 The Waterfront routes have regular rapid transit fares 5 13 Passengers enter through faregates at the three Transitway stations and pay at the on board farebox at all other stops 4 12 Fares are free when boarding at the Logan Airport stops 5 31 Transfer is possible to the Red Line within fare control at South Station Normal transfers to other routes are available with a CharlieCard transfers to from the Blue Line at Airport and the Washington Street routes are available with a CharlieTicket 5 27 The Waterfront routes use 60 foot 18 m articulated buses with three doors which provide greater capacity than standard 40 foot 12 m transit buses 6 The buses are low floor and fully accessible with kneeling bus technology and a wheelchair ramp at the front door The main Waterfront fleet consists of 45 diesel hybrid buses with extended battery range sufficient to run through the Transitway on battery power which were delivered in 2022 2023 A similar extended battery range hybrid bus built in 2018 and five battery electric buses built in 2019 are also used All Silver Line buses are maintained at Southampton Street Garage 6 7 2 8 The Waterfront routes previously used dual mode buses which operated as electric trolleybuses between South Station and Silver Line Way and as conventional diesel buses on the surface branches The 32 dual mode buses built by Neoplan USA were delivered in 2004 05 and overhauled from 2014 to 2018 4 11 8 Eight of the buses were funded by Massport and included luggage racks for airport passengers 4 11 The dual mode buses and overhead lines in the Transitway proved difficult to maintain and required a time consuming switch between modes at Silver Line Way 9 10 In 2018 19 the MBTA obtained several buses to test alternate options for Waterfront service A single New Flyer diesel hybrid bus with extended battery range was obtained as an option on a separate order it entered testing in September 2018 and revenue service in December 11 12 On July 31 2019 the MBTA began using five New Flyer battery electric buses on both Waterfront and Washington Street routes 13 In November 2020 the MBTA exercised a contract option for 45 additional 60 foot hybrid buses with extended battery range similar to test bus 1294 to replace the dual mode Silver Line fleet 14 The final dual mode buses were retired in July 2023 ending trolleybus operations in the Boston area 6 Station listing edit nbsp The power changeover at Silver Line Way nbsp An SL1 bus at Logan Airport Terminal E nbsp An SL2 bus on Black Falcon Avenue nbsp An SL3 bus at Airport stationNeighborhood Station Services Service began Transfers and notesSL1 SL2 SL3 SLWFinancial District South Station December 17 2004 nbsp Amtrak Acela Lake Shore Limited Northeast Regional nbsp MBTA Commuter Rail Fairmount Framingham Worcester Franklin Foxboro Greenbush Needham Old Colony Providence Stoughton CapeFLYER seasonal nbsp MBTA subway Red Silver SL4 nbsp MBTA bus 4 7 11 nbsp Intercity buses at South Station Bus TerminalSeaport District Courthouse nbsp MBTA bus 4World Trade Center Silver Line Way East Boston Terminal A June 1 2005 nbsp MBTA bus 171 nbsp Massport 11 22 55 66 88 nbsp Intercity buses and Logan ExpressTerminal B Stop 1 nbsp MBTA bus 171 nbsp Massport 11 22 55 66 88 nbsp Intercity buses and Logan ExpressTerminal B Stop 2 nbsp MBTA bus 171 nbsp Massport 11 22 55 66 88 nbsp Intercity buses and Logan ExpressTerminal C nbsp MBTA bus 171 nbsp Massport 11 33 55 66 88 nbsp Intercity buses and Logan ExpressTerminal E nbsp MBTA bus 171 nbsp Massport 11 33 55 66 88 nbsp Intercity buses and Logan ExpressAirport April 21 2018 nbsp MBTA subway Blue nbsp MBTA bus 171 nbsp Massport 22 33 55 66 88Chelsea Eastern Avenue nbsp MBTA bus 112Box District Bellingham Square nbsp MBTA bus 111 112 114 116 117Chelsea nbsp MBTA bus 112 114 nbsp MBTA Commuter Rail Newburyport RockportSouth Boston Northern Avenue amp Harbor Street December 31 2004 nbsp MBTA bus 4Northern Avenue amp Tide Street nbsp MBTA bus 423 Drydock Avenue c 2006 15 16 Relocated from 21 Drydock Avenue in 2016 17 27 Drydock Avenue December 31 2004 Former stop at 25 Drydock Avenue closed in January 2016 relocated stop opened 2018 18 19 20 Drydock Avenue amp Black Falcon Avenue Replacement stop for 88 Black Falcon Avenue during nights and poor weather until January 2016 official stop since 2018 19 20 Design Center nbsp MBTA bus 4Former stops edit Neighborhood Station Served by Service began Service ended NotesSouth Boston 88 Black Falcon Avenue SL2 December 31 2004 April 2019 Temporarily closed in April 2019 due to pier repair permanent closure effective March 13 2022 21 3 22 Service was planned to resume on June 19 2022 but this was cancelled 23 24 Black Falcon Avenue amp Design Center Place SL2 2014Summer Street amp Powerhouse Street SL3 March 20 2009 Discontinued due to low ridership 3 East 1st Street amp M Street SL3 Discontinued due to low ridership 3 City Point SL3 Discontinued due to low ridership 3 Farragut Road SL3 April 9 2005 3 August 20 2005 Rerouted due to noise complaints 25 Washington Street SL4 and SL5 edit vteWashington Street routesLegend nbsp All stops are accessible nbsp Orange Line to Oak Grove nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp Green Line toward Government Center nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp Downtown Crossing nbsp nbsp nbsp SL5 nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp South Station nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp SL4 nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp Boylston nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp Chinatown nbsp Chinatown Gate nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp Green Line toward Copley nbsp nbsp nbsp Tufts Medical Center nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp Orange Line to Forest Hills nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp Northeast Corridor nbsp Herald Street nbsp East Berkeley Street nbsp Union Park Street nbsp Newton Street nbsp Worcester Square nbsp Massachusetts Avenue nbsp Lenox Street nbsp Melnea Cass Boulevard nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp Nubian SL4 SL5 nbsp nbsp Two Silver Line routes run between Nubian station at Nubian Square in Roxbury and Downtown Boston along Washington Street 2 SL4 Nubian station South Station SL5 Nubian station Downtown CrossingThese two routes share most of their routing on Washington Street between Nubian Square and Tufts Medical Center with dedicated lanes for most of the corridor and eight intermediate stops North of Kneeland Street the routes run on separate one way loops The SL5 runs north on Washington Street to Template Place between Downtown Crossing and Park Street with an intermediate stop at Chinatown It returns south on Tremont Street with a southbound stop at Boylston The SL4 runs north on Washington Street to Chinatown then east on Essex Street with a dedicated lane to a surface stop at South Station It returns south on Surface Road and Kneeland Street 2 Most stops have a canopy shelter with seating maps and a real time arrival information display 7 2 5 The two routes have the same fare as local bus services lower than rapid transit with normal transfers with a CharlieCard 5 14 In recognition of their role as replacement for the Orange Line transfers are also available with a paper CharlieTicket which normally does not allow transfers 5 27 This was inherited from the previous route 49 bus which had free transfers with the flat token fare to and from the Orange Line only at New England Medical Center 7 2 9 The Washington Street routes use 60 foot 18 m diesel hybrid articulated buses with three doors 6 The buses are low floor and fully accessible with kneeling bus technology and a wheelchair ramp at the front door The routes use 21 New Flyer buses delivered in 2016 17 part of a 44 bus order also used on routes 28 and 39 which replaced the original compressed natural gas CNG buses plus three similar hybrid buses delivered in 2010 6 26 All Silver Line buses are maintained at Southampton Street Garage 6 7 2 8 Station listing edit nbsp An SL5 bus near Herald Street nbsp Melnea Cass Boulevard a typical Washington Street stopNeighborhood Station Services Service began Transfers and notesSL4 SL5Roxbury Nubian July 20 2002 3 nbsp MBTA bus 1 8 14 15 19 23 29 41 42 44 45 47 66 171Melnea Cass Boulevard nbsp MBTA bus 1 8 19 47 171 CT3South End Lenox Street nbsp MBTA bus 8Massachusetts Avenue nbsp MBTA bus 1 8Worcester Square November 30 2002 27 nbsp MBTA bus 8Newton Street July 20 2002 3 nbsp MBTA bus 8 10Union Park Street nbsp MBTA bus 8 10East Berkeley Street nbsp MBTA bus 9 11Herald Street nbsp MBTA bus 9 11Chinatown Tufts Medical Center nbsp MBTA subway Orange nbsp MBTA bus 11 43Chinatown nbsp MBTA subway Orange nbsp MBTA bus 11Downtown Boston Downtown Crossing nbsp MBTA subway Green Orange Red nbsp MBTA bus 43Boylston nbsp MBTA subway Green nbsp MBTA bus 43South Station October 13 2009 3 nbsp Amtrak Acela Lake Shore Limited Northeast Regional nbsp MBTA Commuter Rail Fairmount Framingham Worcester Franklin Foxboro Greenbush Needham Old Colony Providence Stoughton CapeFLYER seasonal nbsp MBTA subway Red Silver SL1 SL2 SL3 nbsp MBTA bus 4 7 11 nbsp Intercity buses at South Station Bus TerminalChinatown Chinatown Gate August 19 2022 28 29 nbsp MBTA bus 501 504 505History editWashington Street development edit nbsp Removal of the Elevated in 1987The 1947 state act that created the Metropolitan Transit Authority MTA from the Boston Elevated Railway established four immediate projects for the new agency extension of rapid transit to Braintree expansion of the Tremont Street Subway to four tracks replacement of the existing elevated lines Charlestown Elevated Causeway Street Elevated and Washington Street Elevated with subways and an extension of the Cambridge Dorchester line northwest from Harvard 30 In 1948 the legislature authorized the city to issue 19 million in bonds equivalent to 193 million in 2023 to construct an extension of the Washington Street Tunnel under Shawmut Street connecting with the existing elevated south of Dudley Square 31 Although none of the proposals were built immediately it established a precedent of replacing the elevated lines In 1972 protests led to cancellation of the planned Southwest Expressway Instead the alignment was used for a combined corridor for intercity rail commuter rail and the Orange Line replacing the Washington Street Elevated of the latter 7 3 1 The northern part of the new corridor was about 1 2 mile 0 80 km west of Washington Street so the MBTA which had replaced the MTA in 1964 began planning in 1978 for a replacement service between Dudley Square and Downtown Boston 7 3 1 32 By 1985 the MBTA favored bus or light rail service on Washington Street the latter would have been a branch of the Green Line operated through the 1962 abandoned southern branch 33 The Orange Line was rerouted in 1987 that year the Urban Mass Transportation Administration rejected the MBTA s funding request to create a light rail line on the corridor 7 3 1 Local opinion favored the temporary retention of the northern portion of the Elevated until a permanent replacement could be built 34 However the MBTA closed the Elevated and instead upgraded the route 49 bus from a feeder route to a more frequent trunk route 7 3 1 nbsp The MBTA used this logo to advertise the Silver LineIn 1989 the MBTA announced that trolleybuses would be used on Washington Street operating on 4 minute headways at peak hours 7 3 1 By 1990 the MBTA expected service to begin in 1993 with an underground connection to Boylston station and the proposed South Boston Piers tunnel in a future phase 35 After several more years of studies the MBTA decided in 1996 97 to build the route as a bus rapid transit line using compressed natural gas CNG buses to avoid the visual impact of overhead wires 7 3 2 Environmental documentation was filed in 1998 and construction began in 2001 7 3 2 The project cost 27 3 million with major elements including 10 9 million for the 17 new buses 10 9 million for road work and 2 6 million for shelters 7 2 14 Planning and construction were combined with a necessary repaving of Washington Street reducing costs 7 5 8 Intended for the route to equal the service quality of light rail the MBTA branded it as the Silver Line and designated it equally to the existing MBTA subway lines on maps 7 4 11 The Silver Line name was introduced in 1996 36 37 The Silver Line followed largely the same route between Dudley Square and Downtown Boston as route 49 the primary change was the consolidation of stops 3 Although the MBTA considered other stop locations most of the final stops were at existing route 49 stops 7 3 3 The conversion to the Silver Line occurred in several steps In December 2001 the MBTA opened a contraflow bus only lane on Washington Street between Marginal Road and East Berkeley Street allowing southbound buses to use Washington Street This eliminated a longer outbound routing via Surface Road and allowed an extension to a new downtown terminal at Temple Place between Park Street and Downtown Crossing stations Service frequency was also increased at that time 7 1 2 On July 20 2002 new Silver Line branded CNG buses began operation the first low floor buses to operate in Boston and the 20 stops were reduced to 11 7 1 2 4 11 In November 2002 a twelfth stop at Worcester Square was restored 7 2 5 The 40 foot 12 m were replaced by 60 foot 18 m buses in August 2003 and service frequency was again increased 7 1 2 On January 31 2005 the route was the first MBTA bus route to receive new automated fare collection equipment 7 2 9 By 2005 ridership was double that of route 49 but early decreases in travel time were cancelled out by longer dwell times 7 4 4 5 1 In February 2020 the MBTA agreed to change the name of Dudley Square station to Nubian following the December 2019 renaming of the square itself 38 The station renaming took effect in June 2020 3 In May 2022 the MBTA released a draft plan for a systemwide network redesign The draft called for the SL4 and SL5 to be combined into a single Nubian South Station route to provide simpler and more consistent downtown service 39 40 The November 2022 draft network plan kept the same proposal 41 42 An additional SL4 stop Chinatown Gate on Surface Artery at Kneeland Street in Chinatown was added on August 19 2022 while the Orange Line was closed for maintenance work it was retained after the closure 28 29 Waterfront development edit nbsp A 40 foot Silver Line trolleybus at Courthouse station in 2005 These buses were briefly used until the dual mode buses entered service nbsp Silver Line service plans as of 2005 showing the SL3 discontinued in 2009 and the original SL4 and Phase III never implemented For most of the 20th century the Seaport District was an industrial area occupied by rail yards and wharves the South Boston Army Base and South Boston Naval Annex were served by short bus routes that connected with the Red Line at South Station 43 After the military bases closed in 1974 and the rail yards were no longer needed the Seaport was designated for commercial development with accompanying need for expanded transit 44 1 1 The MBTA conducted a feasibility study in 1987 and released a Draft Environmental Impact Report DEIR in 1989 4 23 45 The DEIR selected an underground transitway over alternatives including a surface light rail line an elevated people mover a commuter rail shuttle and a relocation of the Red Line The transitway was to use trolleybuses or dual mode buses rather than the light rail and people mover possibilities considered it would connect with the Red Line at South Station the Orange Line at Chinatown and the Green Line at Boylston Costs could be reduced by combining its construction with the upcoming Central Artery Tunnel Project Big Dig Service from the transitway could be extended to serve Logan International Airport to form part of a proposed circumferential transit line and to connect with the planned Washington Street service 44 iii The South Boston Piers Transitway alignment was refined by the Draft Environmental Impact Statement DEIR in 1992 44 V The Final Environmental Impact Statement Final Environmental Impact Report FEIS FEIR was approved in December 1993 4 24 The South Station Seaport segment was to open in 2000 with the Boylston segment opening in 2006 44 2 81 The stations at World Trade Center Courthouse South Station Chinatown and Boylston would each have island platforms and the tunnel could be later converted to light rail as a Green Line branch if needed 46 47 Daily ridership was expected to be between 24 200 and 37 200 for the first phase and between 34 800 and 69 800 for the full build depending on the rate of commercial development 44 4 26 In November 1994 the Federal Transit Administration FTA agreed to fund 331 million 80 of the 413 million first phase which was to be completed in December 2000 48 1 The environmental approval process was completed in April 1995 4 24 In 1997 with construction on the transitway already under way Massport cancelled a planned people mover at Logan Airport in favor of dual mode buses operating from the transitway and through the newly opened Ted Williams Tunnel 4 24 25 49 2 1 note 1 A connector road was to extend the transitway from D Street to Haul Road These changes were approved in February 1998 4 25 In May 1999 the MBTA indicated plans to through route the transitway with the planned Washington Street service as the Silver Line with the Washington Street service as Phase I the initial Transitway build as Phase II and the Boylston extension as Phase III 4 25 Initial construction of the Transitway was divided into four main sections South Station and turnaround loop plus 1 550 feet 470 m of tunnel 96 million Russia Wharf and Fort Point Channel tunnel 128 million Courthouse station plus 1 450 feet 440 m of tunnel 110 million and World Trade Center station plus 1 200 feet 370 m of tunnel 43 million 4 15 The Russia Wharf section using the New Austrian tunnelling method was the most technically complex ground freezing was required to support the historic Russia Wharf Buildings 48 5 51 It also included an immersed tube under the Fort Point Channel 51 The discovery of a massive boulder under the Channel delayed the project by a year 4 15 By late 2000 the project was three years behind schedule and almost 200 million over budget the MBTA diverted 150 million of other federal grants and 50 million of contingency funds to cover the costs 48 4 The Transitway was ultimately completed in 2004 with a final cost to the MBTA of 624 million 4 16 note 2 Although some projects like the new federal courthouse and the new convention center had been built commercial development had lagged early plans the MBTA adjusted its 2006 daily ridership projections from 45 000 to 14 000 shortly before opening 52 The Transitway opened on December 17 2004 with the Waterfront shuttle route between South Station and Silver Line operated by a mix of new dual mode buses and 40 foot 12 m trolleybuses borrowed from the Harvard based routes 3 4 26 It was only the third urban trolleybus subway tunnel with stations in the world after the Harvard bus tunnel and the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel in which trolleybus service ended in 2005 53 Original plans called for a single South Boston route running to City Point via D Street Broadway Summer Street and E 1st Street After concerns from residents over reduction of legal parking spaces and impacts to the local custom of double parking this was split into two routes one running to Andrew via D Street and one to City Point via D Street and E 1st Street 54 On December 31 2004 service began on routes SL2 to the Boston Marine Industrial Park and route SL3 to City Point the latter running via Northern Avenue Drydock Avenue and Summer Street rather than D Street Two days later a Sunday only Silver Line Way Logan Airport shuttle service called Silver Line Connector began operation to meet a legal commitment to begin airport service that month 3 The existing surface routes in the Seaport were discontinued or rerouted in January 4 5 7 Due to a lack of available dual mode buses CNG shuttles operated on the surface sections of the SL2 and SL3 routes from January 5 to March 14 2005 On March 26 the two routes were combined on nights and weekends 3 On April 9 weekday SL3 service was extended from City Point to a loop on Farragut Road 3 On May 28 2005 the two routes were combined at all times as the SL2 3 This freed up buses for SL1 service to Logan Airport which began on June 1 3 As more buses entered service the SL2 and SL3 were re split into separate routes except nights and weekends on August 20 and the Farragut Road loop was cut due to noise complaints from residents 25 On October 15 City Point service was cut on nights and weekends 3 The planned SL4 route to Andrew expected to begin service in 2005 was never implemented 55 3 As enough dual mode buses became available the borrowed 40 foot trolleybuses were phased out they were last used on February 12 2006 53 By 2006 the Silver Line had doubled transit ridership to the Seaport and increased transit ridership to Logan by 24 4 42 44 The SL3 service was never successful as the parallel route 7 had a more direct routing lower fares and better downtown connections By 2008 the SL3 averaged less than one passenger per trip on the segment not shared with the SL2 25 On March 20 2009 SL3 service was cut with SL2 service increased in its stead 3 In October 2009 the SL2 terminus was renamed Design Center with no changes in service 3 Until 2019 SL2 buses served the Design Center loop in two different patterns Before noon outbound buses proceeded around the whole loop laid over at the Design Center stop then proceeded inbound After noon outbound buses made a shorter western loop laid over at Design Center then proceeded inbound via the main loop 56 On December 22 2019 the route was changed so that buses proceeded around the whole loop before the layover at all times 57 3 On March 15 2020 afternoon service began laying over at 23 Dry Dock Avenue before making the loop 58 3 In January 2021 Massport approved a ground lease agreement for air rights development over Silver Line Way station which will include improvements to the stop 59 99 On March 13 2022 all SL2 buses began laying over at 23 Dry Dock Avenue The stop at 88 Black Falcon Avenue closed since April 2019 due to pier repairs was permanently cut at that time 21 3 22 An improved stop on the east side of 27 Drydock Avenue at Black Falcon Avenue is planned by 2025 as part of redevelopment of 88 Black Falcon Avenue 59 73 The May 2022 draft network plan called for routes SL1 and SL3 to use D Street to more directly access the Ted Williams Tunnel with only route SL2 plus SLW shuttles serving Silver Line Way 40 60 The November 2022 revised proposal kept this change with SL2 enhanced to higher frequency service all days 41 42 Phase III plans edit nbsp Silver Line Phase III alternatives showing the original 4 alignments plus the Charles Street Modified CSM alignment The preferred route at the time of the project s cancellation was the CSM alignment pink feeding into the core tunnel green The Boylston extension as planned in 1993 would have run west from South Station under Essex Street Avenue de Lafayette and Avery Street The Chinatown platform would have been under Hayward Place east of Washington Street and the Boylston platform under the existing Green Line station with a turnaround loop under Boylston Street and the Central Burying Ground 49 2 5 6 The 1999 decision to combine the Waterfront and Washington Street projects as the Silver Line resulted in the addition of a southern segment likely using the same abandoned streetcar tunnel as had been proposed a decade before A new underground station would have been built under Tremont Street connecting to the existing New England Medical Center NEMC station with a portal to Washington Street just north of Oak Street 49 2 5 7 In April 2000 the MBTA adjusted the alignment to use Boylston Street instead of Avenue de Lafayette and Avery Street with side platforms at the stations The new alignment would conflict less with development provide a straighter route avoid the need for a pedestrian crossing and a lengthy pedestrian tunnel at Chinatown and move the Boylston loop away from the Burying Ground 49 2 8 In January 2002 the MBTA began seeking federal funding for 60 of the project cost The FTA approved the project for further planning that July 4 27 The Boston Regional Metropolitan Planning Organization rated the project as high priority in its May 2003 Program for Mass Transportation citing its high estimated ridership low operating cost and service to environmental justice neighborhoods 61 In 2003 the preferred portal location was moved slightly north to avoid the need to demolish the YMCA building and the NEMC station was removed 49 2 10 15 A proposal to consolidate the Chinatown and Boylston stations was rejected due to steep grades required and lack of cost savings and a proposal to eliminate the loop was rejected because of the need to short turn most buses at Boylston 49 2 15 22 Further changes in 2003 04 were caused by the need to add a second platform at Boylston due to high expected ridership and to reduce impacts to the historic Boston Common from the loop One alternative placed the station and loop under Tremont Street south of Boylston Street the other enlarged them under the Common 49 2 22 25 Continued concerns about the Common concerns from Bay Village residents about impacts to Eliot Norton Park and desires to add Back Bay service resulted in further changes in 2004 05 The platforms at Boylston were to be aligned east west under Boylston Street west of Tremont Street with the loop further to the west at Charles Street New portal alignments were considered including one on Columbus Avenue to the southwest 49 2 23 28 Capital cost was originally estimated at 768 812 million depending on the portal location completion was moved from 2010 to 2013 49 3 38 6 1 Daily ridership for the completed Silver Line system was estimated to reach 160 000 by 2025 49 3 33 In August 2005 the MBTA put the Phase III project on hold in order to build community consensus on a locally preferred routing 62 In February 2006 State Transportation Secretary John Cogliano proposed a 94 million plan that would eliminate most of the tunneling and cost of the original proposal while still connecting the two phases of the service 63 Under Cogliano s plan the Silver Line would run on the surface via Kneeland Street and Surface Road to a new tunnel portal on Essex Street near South Station A fare controlled shelter would be added at Downtown Crossing for routes still terminating there The plan also included expansion of surface Silver Line service with a new branch running from Copley Square into the Essex Street portal to provide a one seat ride from the Back Bay area The southern branch would be extended from Dudley to the Red Line stations at Mattapan via Blue Hill Avenue replacing route 28 and Ashmont via Washington Street replacing route 23 63 The plan was popular with Bay Village residents who had been worried about the full length tunnel but attracted criticism because it would not substantially speed travel times to downtown 63 nbsp Shelter at South Station for route SL4A revised tunnel plan was put forward in March 2006 with support from most transportation leaders including Cogliano The plan involved a variation of the Charles Street tunnel alignment with the portal moved southwest onto Tremont Street near Marginal Road 64 65 66 This Charles Street Modified alignment remained the preferred alternative for the remainder of the project Contra flow dedicated bus lanes already in place on Washington Street were to be extended onto Marginal Road and Herald Street to allow buses to reach the portal from the surface section 67 On December 12 2006 the FTA approved the project to re enter its funding process 4 27 By mid 2008 environmental review and preliminary engineering were expected to be completed by the end of the year with federal funding sought in 2010 and construction lasting from 2011 to a 2016 opening 68 69 However the estimated price of the tunnel plan dubbed the Little Dig had risen to 2 1 billion by May 2009 70 The FTA assigned it a Medium Low overall rating making it ineligible to move into the final design phase for federal New Starts funding The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization removed Phase III from the list of recommended projects in its long range plan because of funding limitations Concluding that it could not successfully compete for more than one New Starts grant the Massachusetts Department of Transportation MassDOT informed the FTA that it was no longer seeking New Starts money for Phase III All New Starts funds available would instead be directed to the legally mandated Green Line Extension project In a July 2010 report the MBTA declared that Phase III was on indefinite hold and no further funds would be spent on the project 71 A partial solution that did not require a new tunnel opened on October 13 2009 after expedited construction using federal stimulus money The new route SL4 covered much of the same alignment as the proposed Phase III with a dedicated bus lane on Essex Street and a South Station stop west of Atlantic Avenue The existing Downtown Crossing Dudley route was renamed SL5 at that time 72 Extension to Chelsea edit nbsp Chelsea station in July 2018The Urban Ring Project was a planned circumferential surface BRT line It would have shared the Silver Line berths at Dudley Square and have had a surface stop outside World Trade Center station but otherwise would have been separate from the Silver Line 73 74 The project was cancelled in 2010 due to high cost but planning for several smaller sections continued 75 The Chelsea South Boston section was given high priority because Chelsea was densely populated yet underserved by transit 75 MassDOT had also purchased the Grand Junction Branch including abandoned sections in Chelsea and East Boston from CSX Transportation in 2010 meaning that a potential right of way which the Urban Ring had proposed to use was available 75 A state study in 2011 analyzed potential Chelsea services including a Silver Line branch to Bellingham Square or the Chelsea commuter rail station or improvements to the route 112 bus 75 76 In 2013 MassDOT began public planning of the Silver Line Gateway project In addition to serving Chelsea the proposed line would provide Blue Line riders a direct connection to the Seaport and South Station Three possible alignments were studied All used the Transitway and the Ted Williams Tunnel to reach Airport station then the 2012 opened Coughlin Bypass Road to the Chelsea Street Bridge The first alignment was to run entirely on a new busway on the Grand Junction right of way in Chelsea with stops at Eastern Avenue Box District Bellingham Square at the Chelsea commuter rail station and Mystic Mall The second alignment option would have followed the Grand Junction to just short of the commuter rail station then diverge onto surface roads to Bellingham Square while the third alignment would have run entirely on surface streets serving two stops on Central Avenue and four stops along a loop serving Chelsea station and the MGH Chelsea healthcare center 77 In September 2013 the MBTA indicated that it would pursue the first alternative with an estimated daily ridership of 8 700 despite potential issues with bridge clearances and rebuilding the commuter rail station 78 On October 30 2013 MassDOT announced 82 5 million in state funding for the new Silver Line route to Chelsea with completion expected in 2015 The announcement also included the relocation of the commuter rail station to Chelsea Mystic Mall and a 3 million 3 4 mile 1 2 km multi use path from Eastern Avenue to Washington Street 79 The Environmental Impact Report was issued in March 2014 80 MassDOT awarded a 33 8 million construction contract for the first phase of the project on September 17 2014 That phase included the 1 3 mile 2 1 km long busway the four Silver Line stations replacement of the Washington Street bridge and the Chelsea Greenway 81 Silver Line service to Chelsea route SL3 began on April 21 2018 82 By October daily ridership reached 6 200 83 The second phase of the project includes the relocated Chelsea commuter rail station plus transit signal priority upgrades for the SL3 Construction began in August 2019 the new station opened on November 15 2021 84 85 As of January 2024 update the MBTA and the City of Boston plan to reconfigure Day Square in East Boston in late 2024 The project would include bus lanes on Chelsea Street and a bus only street through Day Square with a Day Square station for use by the SL3 and local bus routes 86 87 Sullivan Square extension edit In March 2019 state and local officials indicated plans to extend service from Chelsea on two routes to Kendall Square and to North Station both via Sullivan Square The routes would primarily use dedicated busways and bus lanes although it was not decided whether they would be under the Silver Line brand 88 In January 2021 the MBTA and MassDOT began work on the Silver Line Extension SLX which would look into route alternatives from Chelsea into Everett Somerville Cambridge and Boston 89 Six potential corridors were identified by September 2021 to Wellington to Sullivan to Malden Center to downtown Boston via Sullivan to Kendall Square via Sullivan and to Kendall Square via Wellington Some corridors could be operated as new routes independent from the SL3 with Chelsea or Airport as potential termini rather than South Station 90 Alternatives were presented in September 2022 Three potential SL3 extensions would run to Malden Center Wellington or Sullivan all via Everett Square with varying amounts of dedicated bus lanes on the western portion Four potential SL6 routes were identified Everett Glendale Square Kendall via McGrath Highway Everett Kendall via the Gilmore Bridge Everett Haymarket via Rutherford Avenue and Eastern Avenue Kendall via Everett Square All of the potential SL6 routes would operate primarily in dedicated lanes 91 A SL3 extension to Sullivan was announced as the preferred alternative in March 2024 the study recommended that SL6 planning be deferred pending related planning efforts for Sullivan Square Rutherford Avenue the Gilmore Bridge and Kendall Square as well as implementation of the planned bus network redesign 92 93 The proposed SL3 extension would run in an off street busway west to 2nd Street mixed traffic possibly later dedicated lanes on 2nd Street and Spring Street and dedicated lanes on Chelsea Street and most of Broadway South of Sweetser Circle a dedicated busway would be built on Lower Broadway New stops would be located on 2nd Street at Boston Street and Spring Street on Broadway at Chelsea Street Everett Square Beacham Street and Horizon Way and at Sullivan Square station The extension add 6 36 miles 10 24 km of round trip distance with 5 18 miles 8 34 km 80 in dedicated bus lanes It was estimated to increase SL3 ridership by 15 000 daily boardings by 2040 with a capital cost of 95 million 92 93 Other proposed corridors edit nbsp Southern branch of the Tremont Street subway near the former Pleasant Street portal This tunnel was briefly considered for use in the Phase III tunnel and is the likely connecting route for a proposed conversion of the Washington Street section of the Silver Line to a branch of the Green Line Several other bus rapid transit and express bus projects have been proposed in Boston many under the Silver Line banner The first two phases of the 2010 cancelled Urban Ring Project were to be BRT with light or heavy rail for the final phase The Urban Ring was considered a separate project although it would have shared the SL1 route between Silver Line Way and Logan Airport 61 A number of Silver Line expansion corridors were considered in the 2003 Program for Mass Transportation PMT most were given brief consideration but not acted upon One a BRT express overlay for the route 28 bus which runs between Ruggles station and Mattapan via Nubian was revived in 2006 as part of the Phase III plans In 2009 the state proposed to replace the 28 bus entirely with a BRT route called 28X including the installation of dedicated bus lanes bus signal priority and on platform fare collection 94 However the proposal was withdrawn in 2010 due to local opposition both to the design of the route and because the plan had been made without consulting local officials 95 Subsequent planning for bus improvements on Blue Hill Avenue has occurred without Silver Line branding 96 97 Several other corridors were considered in the 2003 PMT These included a Dudley Ashmont route replacing the route 23 bus also revived in 2006 in Phase III planning but not during the 28X proposal as well as a new BRT tunnel to Kenmore with surface branches to the Longwood Medical Area via Brookline Avenue and Allston via Commonwealth Avenue the Mass Pike and Cambridge Street 61 98 The City of Boston proposed an alternate western Silver Line branch using buses along the Mass Pike without a new tunnel similar to existing express buses 98 The 2003 PMT included the possibility of converting the Washington Street section of the Silver Line to light rail as had originally been promised using the abandoned southern section of the Tremont Street Subway The project was estimated to cost 374 million ridership was estimated to be 34 000 daily riders almost entirely diverted from the Silver Line service The project was given low priority with the Phase III tunnel recommended instead 98 In 2012 the Roxbury Dorchester Mattapan Transit Needs Study recommended the conversion to light rail as a long term project with the additional possibility of extending the line down Blue Hill Avenue to Mattapan along the route 28 bus corridor 99 Service editFrequency and ridership edit nbsp The SLW was one of three MBTA bus routes to show a net profit in a 2012 study The Silver Line routes are among the most frequent MBTA bus routes All routes except for the SLW shuttle run at least every 15 minutes during all service hours save for late evening and weekend service on the SL4 At peak hours combined frequency on the trunk sections is about 30 buses per hour 2 minute headways in each direction in the Transitway and 12 buses per hour 5 minute headways on Washington Street 100 The routes have high ridership though lower than many key bus routes and low costs per rider compared to other bus routes in the MBTA system In 2012 three routes SL1 SL5 SLW were the only MBTA bus routes to show a profit the median net cost after fares on all MBTA bus routes was 2 13 per passenger 101 In 2019 combined weekday ridership on Silver Line routes was 39 000 1 In addition to the public route name the Silver Line and crosstown routes have internal route numbers in the 700 series The SL5 is designated 749 after the 49 bus it replaced while the other routes have similar numbers 102 Route Rush hour headways 100 Midday headways 100 Weekend headways 100 Weekday ridership 2018 103 SL1 741 10 12 minutes 12 minutes 8 12 minutes 8 132SL2 742 5 8 minutes 15 minutes 15 minutes 6 420SL3 743 10 minutes 15 minutes 12 15 minutes 6 200 83 SLW 746 8 minutes Limited service not available SL4 751 12 minutes 14 minutes 16 17 minutes 5 800SL5 749 8 9 minutes 8 11 minutes 8 9 minutes 10 300Criticism edit Mode choice edit This is not bus rapid transit All they did was take a diesel bus change the engine paint it silver and run it down the street through traffic Roxbury activist Bob Terrell 104 When the Washington Street Elevated was replaced with the Southwest Corridor MBTA promised equal or better surface transit on Washington Street to replace the Elevated 63 Riders supported light rail the decision to instead run buses was viewed as a broken promise and intentional disinvestment 9 104 The Silver Line is substantially slower than the Elevated with travel time from Nubian Square to Downtown Boston increased from 8 minutes to 20 minutes 63 The Washington Street corridor population is poorer and less educated than the Southwest Corridor and has a larger Black population advocates including state representative Gloria Fox have called the poor service on the Silver Line discrimination against people of color 104 105 Because of the poor service and the perception that the bus service was an inferior substitute for the originally planned light rail line advocates nicknamed the Washington Street service as the Silver Lie 104 106 Two theoretical advantages of BRT compared to light rail are low cost and speedy implementation 9 6 However Silver Line service did not begin on Washington Street until 15 years after the Elevated came down the first phase of the Transitway opened 15 years after the DEIR and the second phase was never completed The Transitway was built at enormous cost it was the most expensive single BRT project in the world by a 2007 report 9 107 Like the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel which was later converted to light rail the Transitway had comparable construction cost to light rail but a lower level of service 108 At the time of its cancellation Phase III was expected to cost 2 1 billion more than three times that of the Transitway 70 Although transit ridership in the Seaport doubled after the introduction of the Silver Line that growth is due partially to commercial development rather than the service quality 9 106 BRT quality edit nbsp Red painted bus lanes on an uncongested section of Washington Street nbsp An SL1 bus waiting at the D Street lightKey features of bus rapid transit include dedicated lanes frequent service off vehicle fare collection sheltered stations and intelligent transportation systems features such as transit signal priority 109 99 A 2011 study by the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy ITDP determined that the Silver Line was best classified as Not BRT because it lacked many of these BRT Standard features 9 Off board fare collection is only present at the three underground stops 4 12 A significant portion of delays on the surface sections are caused by long dwell times as passengers only board through the front door to pay at the single farebox On June 6 2012 Massport began funding a three month pilot of free fares from the five Logan Airport stops as an effort to decrease traffic congestion at the airport terminals 110 111 Within the first month average dwell time dropped by 20 seconds per stop 112 Massport later extended the pilot until January 2013 then made free fares from Logan permanent 5 31 113 114 Stops on the Washington Street routes with more than fifteen passengers have an average dwell time of over one minute which affects both running time and reliability 115 A two week pilot program in 2017 tested all door boarding on these routes with free fares funded by a nonprofit The pilot halved dwell times at busy stops reduced overall average dwell time from 24 to 19 seconds and increased reliability 115 116 All door boarding will be permanently implemented on all routes in the 2020s as part of the AFC 2 0 fare system 117 The Washington Street routes have dedicated bus lanes between Herald Street and Melnea Cass Boulevard as well as on Essex Street 7 2 1 72 However these lanes are not physically separated from general traffic lanes and are designated as right turn lanes at many intersections 106 118 A lack of loading zones causes many vehicles to double park in the bus lanes and violations of the exclusive lanes are rarely prosecuted 9 118 In the most congested parts of the corridor Nubian Square and Downtown Crossing no dedicated lanes are present 106 Transit signal priority TSP was only planned for four locations on Washington Street Due to conflicts between the MBTA the contractors and the city the TSP equipment was not activated until 2006 7 2 10 119 Due to the lack of BRT elements running times on the corridor show significant variability Peak hour times were as much as 1 7 times that of uncontested periods in 2006 indicating that the limited BRT elements on Washington Street were ineffective at actually speeding travel during congested periods 106 Headway reliability is poor largely due to operators failing to depart Nubian on time 109 136 Additional enforced downtown bus lanes plus traffic restrictions on Temple Place and new loading zones in Chinatown were added by the city in 2020 120 Although the Transitway is a dedicated bus tunnel without interference from automobile traffic Waterfront service is no faster than the on street buses it replaced 9 The tunnel was built for a maximum speed of 25 miles per hour 40 km h the narrow lanes without guided buses limit actual speeds to 15 miles per hour 24 km h 4 31 121 Water leakage and poor drainage has damaged the concrete floor of the tunnel leading to poor ride quality 10 The switch between electric and diesel power at Silver Line Way also represents a significant delay 9 Because the original Transitway design ended at D Street buses must cross the street at a traffic light A 2003 study indicated extending the Transitway tunnel under D Street T under D for grade separation was feasible with a cost around 75 million 122 The light has attracted criticism from riders due to the delays it causes A 2013 study found a median delay of 1 5 minutes per round trip at the light 106 123 136 In early 2016 the Boston Transportation Department modified the traffic light to use a fixed cycle rather than relying on the detection of buses only done during part of the cycle to give a green light for the Transitway However the BTD s modifications did not modify the unusually long 100 second cycle length nor actively prioritize buses leading to criticism from transportation planners that the solution was inadequate 124 Proposed air rights development over the station is required not to preclude later grade separation of D Street 125 A gate and movable bollard near the light which are used to prevent private vehicles from entering the Transitway also cause delays to buses 123 141 126 Although stop spacing varies widely between BRT systems distances from 0 5 miles 0 80 km to 1 0 mile 1 6 km are typically recommended 127 Even after dropping half the stops the Washington Street corridor averages only 0 25 miles 0 40 km between stops with several stop spacings as low as 0 10 miles 0 16 km 7 2 5 109 102 The Washington Street stops were built with open canopies protected shelters were not added until 2010 7 5 8 128 A small traditional glass shelter is available at Temple Place Boylston Chinatown and Tufts Medical Center have no shelters at all 7 3 2 Silver Line Way and the SL2 surface stops have glass shelters or none at all the SL3 surface stops have canopies without shelters 4 10 Indirect routing edit nbsp The disputed ramp in 2017Because the Transitway was not originally designed for service to Logan Airport or Chelsea it does not have a direct connection to the Ted Williams Tunnel Outbound SL1 and SL3 buses must travel 0 5 miles 0 80 km west on Haul Road from Silver Line Way to access an eastbound ramp west of B Street then travel east on a frequently congested section of I 90 Inbound buses must exit I 90 at B Street and travel 0 3 miles 0 48 km east on Congress Street to reach Silver Line Way 2 An eastbound entrance ramp near Silver Line Way normally restricted for use by Massachusetts State Police vehicles and MassDOT maintenance vehicles from an adjacent operations center can shorten the outbound routing by about 0 7 miles 1 1 km MassDOT claims the ramp was not designed for buses though Big Dig planner Fred Salvucci has claimed it was 129 Outbound buses were temporarily allowed to use the ramp in 2006 after the Big Dig ceiling collapse when there was no regular eastbound traffic through the tunnel 130 4 14 The Urban Ring was also proposed to use the ramp 74 A 2010 study indicated that the ramp was safe for use by the Silver Line 123 163 Transit advocates have since pushed to allow use of the ramp by Silver Line buses Free the ramp though MassDOT claims the ramp is not safe to use when highway traffic is freely flowing 131 The MBTA hired a consultant in 2018 to study potential use of the ramp 129 In May 2019 MassDOT agreed to a limited test of ramp use though advocates criticized MassDOT for limiting the test to only the evening peak hour and only when highway speeds did not exceed 30 miles per hour 48 km h 132 The three day test in August 2019 resulting in average time savings of 3 8 minutes per bus with significantly larger time savings at the most congested times After these results MassDOT agreed to make modifications to the ramp entrance to eventually allow use of the ramp whenever traffic speeds are below 30 mph 131 Silver Line buses were again allowed to use the ramp during a 2023 closure of the Sumner Tunnel 133 Other issues edit The SL3 route is subject to frequent delays due to the opening of the Chelsea Street Bridge as many as ten times per day for ships serving the upstream oil terminals Each bridge opening causes a delay of up to 20 minutes and the only alternate route involves a lengthy detour on Route 1A Federal regulations give priority to marine traffic 134 In December 2018 MassDOT officials sought to create a six month pilot program to reduce peak hour openings of the bridge as well as the nearby Meridian Street Bridge used by the busy 116 and 117 bus routes 83 135 The CNG buses bought for the Washington Street service caused disruptive 35 Hz vibrations in nearby residential buildings 136 It took a year to retrofit the fleet with new mufflers during that time older buses which did not have that problem were used at night 7 3 5 See also editTrolleybuses in Greater BostonReferences edit a b Riegel Laura October 7 2019 Quarterly Ridership Update PDF Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority p 3 a b c d e f System Map Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Retrieved May 12 2020 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w Belcher Jonathan Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district PDF Boston Street Railway Association a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w Schimek Paul Watkins Kari Chase David Smith Karl Gazillo Stephen June 1 2007 Silver Line Waterfront Bus Rapid Transit BRT 2007 Evaluation PDF Report Federal Transit Administration a b c d e f MBTA Tariff and Statement of Fare and Transfer Rules PDF Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority July 1 2019 a b c d e f The MBTA Vehicle Inventory Page NETransit Retrieved July 8 2023 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa Schimek Paul Darido Georges Schneck Donald September 2005 Boston Silver Line Washington Street Bus Rapid Transit BRT Demonstration Project Evaluation PDF Report Federal Transit Administration Bouchard Christopher August 28 2018 MMA completes MBTA bus contract releases more than 50 employees Bangor Daily News a b c d e f g h i Weinstock Annie Hook Walter Replogle Michael Cruz Ramon May 2011 Recapturing Global Leadership in Bus Rapid Transit PDF Institute for Transportation and Development Policy pp 45 46 Archived PDF from the original on January 25 2017 a b State of the System Bus PDF Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority December 2015 pp 28 39 40 First Extended range Hybrid Bus Joins MBTA Silver Line Fleet Press release Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority September 26 2018 Belcher Jonathan January February 2019 MBTA Vehicle Inventory as of February 28 2019 Rollsign Vol 56 no 1 2 p 19 First Zero emission Battery electric Buses Join the MBTA Silver Line Fleet Press release Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority July 31 2019 Wolfgang Bill November 23 2020 Silver Line Bus Fleet Replacement PDF Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Dumas Kenneth A 2005 MBTA Downtown Map Downtown Boston quadrant PDF Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Archived from the original PDF on January 10 2006 Retrieved November 19 2021 Dumas Kenneth A 2006 MBTA Downtown Map Downtown Boston quadrant PDF Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Archived from the original PDF on February 21 2006 Retrieved November 19 2021 Bus Service Alerts SL2 Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority April 27 2016 Archived from the original on May 22 2016 Bus Service Alerts SL2 Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority January 3 2016 Archived from the original on April 23 2016 a b Silver Line SL1 SL2 SL3 Effective September 2 2018 PDF Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority September 2 2018 Archived from the original PDF on August 18 2018 a b Silver Line SL1 SL2 SL3 Effective December 23 2018 PDF Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority December 23 2018 a b SL2 Design Center South Station Alerts Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority April 27 2019 Archived from the original on October 1 2019 a b SL1 SL2 SL3 PDF Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority March 13 2022 Silver Line PDF Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority June 19 2022 Alerts SL2 Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority June 16 2022 Archived from the original on June 22 2022 a b c Preliminary 2008 Service Plan Bus Rapid Transit and Boat Service Changes and Service Delivery Policy Modifications PDF Report Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Fall 2008 p 45 Archived from the original PDF on September 8 2008 MBTA Purchases Dozens of New High Capacity Buses Press release Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority October 6 2015 Silver Line Ridership and Service Statistics 9 ed Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority 2003 2004 p 3A 3 via Internet Archive a b MBTA Announces Additional SL4 Stop during Orange Line Shutdown Supplemental Shuttle to Serve Tufts Medical Community Press release Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority August 18 2022 a b City of Boston Announces Permanent Street Changes Following Orange Line Shutdown Press release City of Boston September 20 2022 Chapter 544 An act providing for the creation of the Metropolitan Transit Authority and the acquisition and operation by it of the entire assets property and franchises of the Boston Elevated Railway Company Acts and Resolves passed by the General Court of Massachusetts in the year 1947 Secretary of the Commonwealth June 19 1947 pp 539 556 via Internet Archive Chapter 622 An act providing for certain rapid transit improvements in the City of Boston Acts and Resolves passed by the General Court of Massachusetts in the year 1948 Secretary of the Commonwealth June 15 1948 pp 693 702 via Internet Archive Replacement transit improvement study South End Roxbury Dorchester Mattapan Phase I Feasibility Report Report Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority 1978 via Internet Archive Replacement transit improvement study South End Roxbury Dorchester Mattapan What s happened and what s happening next Report Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority 1985 via Internet Archive Cheney Frank Sammarco Anthony M 2000 When Boston Rode The El Arcadia Publishing p 9 ISBN 9780738504629 Trolley buses on Washington Street Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority October 1990 via Internet Archive Palmer Thomas October 17 1996 T opens up back door policy Boston Globe pp B1 B3 via Newspapers com Yonan Joe October 27 1996 A slow costly ride to downtown Boston Globe City Weekly pp 1 12 via Newspapers com Menard Fausto February 16 2020 Roxbury s Dudley Station To Be Renamed Nubian Station WBUR Retrieved February 16 2020 A better bus network new connections more service more frequency See what this means in Back Bay Beacon Hill Downtown Boston North End South End and West End PDF Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority May 2022 a b Draft Bus Network Redesign Map PDF Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority May 2022 a b What we changed from the May 2022 Proposal PDF Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority November 7 2022 a b Revised Bus Network Fall 2022 PDF Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority November 3 2022 Lufkin Richard F 1965 System Route Map Map Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority via Wikimedia Commons a b c d e South Boston Piers Fort Point Channel transit project Boston Massachusetts Final Environmental Impact Statement Final Environmental Impact Report Federal Transit Administration and Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority December 1993 via Internet Archive Public scoping session South Boston Piers Fort Point Channel Area Transportation Alternatives Environmental Impact Report Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority December 10 1987 via Internet Archive Design Drawings Appendix South Boston Piers Fort Point Channel transit project Boston Massachusetts Final Environmental Impact Statement Final Environmental Impact Report Federal Transit Administration and Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority December 1993 Figures A16 to A33 via Google Books Response to Comments Appendix South Boston Piers Fort Point Channel transit project Boston Massachusetts Final Environmental Impact Statement Final Environmental Impact Report Federal Transit Administration and Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority December 1993 p 14 via Google Books a b c Mass Transit Review of the South Boston Piers Transitway Finance Plan PDF Report General Accounting Office November 9 2000 a b c d e f g h i j Silver Line Phase III Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement Supplemental Environmental Impact Report Vol 1 Federal Transit Administration and Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority June 2005 via Google Books A study of improved high speed public transportation between Logan International Airport and downtown Boston Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and Massachusetts Port Authority December 18 1968 p 98 via Internet Archive a b Hurley Thomas M 2004 Jet grout bottom seal for cut and cover tunnel In Levent Ozdemir ed North American Tunneling 2004 Proceedings of the North American Tunneling Conference 2004 CRC Press pp 265 270 ISBN 9781439833759 via Google Books Flint Anthony November 22 2004 Bus tunnel to open but waterfront boom lags Boston Globe a b Haseldine Peter ed May June 2006 Trolleynews Trolleybus Magazine Vol 42 no 267 UK National Trolleybus Association p 70 ISSN 0266 7452 Flint Anthony December 17 2004 S Boston split on route shift for Silver Line Boston Globe pp B1 B4 via Newspapers com The Silver Line Waterfront Line Opens for Service PDF TRANSreport Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization 1 January 2005 Retrieved November 25 2015 Route SL2 Design Center South Station PDF Better Bus Project Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority December 2018 Bus Schedule Changes for Winter 2020 Press release Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority December 7 2019 Bus Schedule Changes for Spring 2020 Press release Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority February 29 2020 a b Massachusetts Port Authority Board Meeting PDF Massachusetts Port Authority January 21 2021 A better bus network new connections more service more frequency See what this means in the Seaport and South Boston PDF Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority May 2022 a b c Chapter 5C System Expansion PDF Program of Mass Transportation Boston Regional Metropolitan Planning Organization May 2003 p 5C 6 8 10 12 16 Archived from the original PDF on February 6 2012 Retrieved May 6 2013 Daniel Mac August 18 2005 MBTA puts hold on 3d final phase of its Silver Line The Boston Globe Archived from the original on January 15 2006 a b c d e Daniel Mac February 10 2006 New Silver Line plan offered stirring critics Boston Globe Retrieved May 6 2013 URS DMJM Harris Alternatives Studied PDF Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Archived from the original PDF on January 2 2010 Retrieved May 6 2013 Daniel Mac March 10 2010 Officials endorse Silver Line tunnel Boston Globe Archived from the original on June 15 2006 Retrieved April 22 2011 URS DMJM Harris Charles Street Modified CSM alignment PDF Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Archived from the original PDF on December 29 2009 Retrieved May 6 2013 URS DMJM Harris Tremont Two way Portal Contra Flow Alternative PDF Silver Line Phase III Tunnel and System Wide Elements Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Archived from the original PDF on January 2 2010 Retrieved May 6 2013 MBTA Transit Projects Silver Line Phase 3 Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Archived from the original on December 6 2008 Retrieved June 22 2012 Kearnan Scott August 7 2008 Silver Line Phase III moving forward My South End Archived from the original on July 14 2011 a b Little Dig in Danger Boston Globe May 10 2009 Retrieved April 22 2011 Mohler David J July 9 2010 Annual Status Report PDF Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Retrieved May 6 2013 a b PATRICK MURRAY ADMINISTRATION MAYOR MENINO LAUNCH SILVER LINE DIRECT CONNECT SERVICE TO SOUTH STATION Press release Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority October 13 2009 Urban Ring Phase 2 FACT SHEET PDF January 2009 Archived from the original PDF on July 8 2011 a b The Urban Ring Phase 2 Revised Draft Environmental Impact Report Statement PDF Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation November 2008 Archived from the original PDF on February 27 2017 a b c d Quackenbush Karl H November 1 2012 Work Program for MBTA Silver Line to Chelsea Alternatives Analysis Phase 2 PDF Central Transportation Planning Staff Peterson Scott Analysis of Silver Line Service to Airport Station and Chelsea PDF Central Transportation Planning Staff Archived from the original PDF on August 20 2015 Silver Line Gateway Alternatives Analysis PDF Massachusetts Department of Transportation June 19 2013 Archived from the original PDF on November 5 2013 Hamwey Scott September 18 2013 Silver Line Gateway Alternatives Analysis Public Meeting September 18 2013 PDF Massachusetts Department of Transportation Archived from the original PDF on November 5 2013 Governor Patrick Announces MBTA Silver Line Expansion Press release Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority October 30 2013 Silver Line Gateway Service to Chelsea East Boston amp the Blue Line Single Environmental Impact Report Single EIR EEA 15124 PDF Massachusetts Department of Transportation March 31 2014 Archived from the original PDF on October 23 2014 MBTA Silver Line to Chelsea Approved Press release Massachusetts Department of Transportation September 17 2014 New Silver Line 3 Chelsea Service between Chelsea and South Station Press release Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority March 12 2018 a b c Chelsea Update PDF Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority December 17 2018 Chelsea Commuter Rail Station Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Retrieved September 13 2019 New Chelsea Commuter Rail Station Opens November 15 Press release Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority November 1 2021 PLAN East Boston Report Boston Planning amp Development Agency January 10 2024 pp 108 109 BPDA Board adopts East Boston Tomorrow PLAN East Boston planning initiative Press release Boston Planning amp Development Agency January 18 2024 Vaccaro Adam March 16 2019 Silver Line style bus could serve Sullivan Square North Station and Kendall Boston Globe MBTA and MassDOT Announce Launch of Study Extending Silver Line Service to Everett Somerville Cambridge and Boston Press release Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority January 25 2021 SL Extension Public Meeting 2 PDF Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority September 28 2021 p 26 SL Extension Alternatives Analysis PDF Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority September 21 2022 a b MBTA and MassDOT Recommend Extending Silver Line 3 from Chelsea to Orange Line s Sullivan Square Station Press release Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority March 8 2024 a b Silver Line Extension Alternatives Analysis Final Report PDF Massachusetts Department of Transportation and Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority February 2024 Mattapan Bus Rapid Transit and South Station Direct Connect Project PDF Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation May 2009 Archived from the original PDF on January 8 2011 Poftak Steve August 31 2011 The MBTA s 28X Debacle aka Missed Opportunity Boston Magazine Dolven Taylor February 28 2024 Transformational bus system is coming to traffic choked Blue Hill Avenue city says The Boston Globe Archived from the original on February 28 2024 Mayor Wu Announces 44 Million Investment to Transform Blue Hill Avenue Press release City of Boston February 28 2024 a b c Chapter 5C System Expansion PDF Program of Mass Transportation Boston Regional Metropolitan Planning Organization January 2004 p 5C 42 76 Archived from the original PDF on February 6 2012 Roxbury Dorchester Mattapan Transit Needs Study PDF Massachusetts Department of Transportation September 2012 p 53 a b c d Belcher Jonathan January February 2022 MBTA Vehicle Inventory as of February 28 2022 Rollsign Vol 59 no 1 2 Boston Street Railway Association p 27 Office of Transportation Planning staff 2012 MBTA Route Performance Indicators PDF Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Retrieved May 7 2013 Ridership and Service Statistics PDF 14th ed Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority 2014 Bus Route Profiles Now Available Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority December 10 2018 a b c d Gruenewald David A Smith Gregory A 2014 A Bill A Silver Lie Budget Cuts and Bioweapons 2000 2005 Place Based Education in the Global Age Local Diversity Routledge pp 95 101 ISBN 9781317670636 via Google Books Techagumthorn Yanisa 2019 Moving forward equitably Analyzing the impact of transportation changes on Boston s neighborhoods MST Massachusetts Institute of Technology pp 6 7 hdl 1721 1 121751 a b c d e f Stewart Anson Forest 2014 Visualizing urban accessibility metrics for incremental bus rapid transit projects MST Massachusetts Institute of Technology pp 92 94 hdl 1721 1 92057 Callaghan Lisa 2007 Funding Bus Rapid Transit in the U S PDF Report Transportation Research Board p 8 Meyer Michael D 2016 Transportation Planning Handbook John Wiley amp Sons p 501 ISBN 9781118762400 via Google Books a b c Cham Laura Cecilia 2006 Understanding bus service reliability a practical framework using AVL APC data MST Massachusetts Institute of Technology hdl 1721 1 34381 Moskowitz Eric June 5 2012 MBTA to give free rides from airport Boston Globe Pilot Program Offers Logan Passengers Free Silver Line Ride from Logan Airport to South Station Press release Massachusetts Port Authority June 5 2012 Free Silver Line Rides from Logan to Continue Through September Program Shaves Almost Two Minutes off 10 minute Route More Ridership Data Needed Press release Massachusetts Port Authority July 19 2012 Massport Holds the Line on Boston Logan Rates and Charges Free Silver Line Service to Continue through New Year Press release Massachusetts Port Authority September 20 2012 Ground Access to and from Logan Airport PDF 2014 Environmental Data Report Report Massachusetts Port Authority September 2015 pp 5 26 a b ALL DOOR BOARDING PILOT ON THE SILVER LINE Data Blog Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority October 10 2017 Vaccaro Adam October 7 2017 All door boarding made Silver Line buses move a little quicker Boston Globe Retrieved February 7 2018 Sikorski David April 2 2019 AFC 2 0 Next generation MBTA fare system PDF Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority p 4 a b Panero Marta et al May 2012 Appendix A New York Workshop Summary Peer to Peer Information Exchange on Bus Rapid Transit BRT and Bus Priority Best Practices PDF Report Federal Transit Administration pp 41 44 Surface Transportation Optimization and Bus Priority Measures The City of Boston Context PDF Report A Better City March 2013 p 23 New Bus and Bike Lanes Established on Washington Street in Downtown Boston and Chinatown To Improve Silver Line and Traffic Safety Press release Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority July 6 2020 Ofsevit Ari Kensky Ethan March 10 2018 Forget gondolas turn Silver Line Green Commonwealth Magazine HDR January 31 2003 MBTA Silver Line Under D Street Feasibility Study Report Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority via Google Books a b c Cao Siyuan O Connor Andrew Were Brenda 2013 Improving public transportation to Boston Logan International Airport MST Massachusetts Institute of Technology hdl 1721 1 82806 Dungca Nicole February 20 2016 What s going on with the Silver Line traffic signal on D Street Boston Globe Retrieved February 22 2016 Request for Proposals For the PARCEL H DEVELOPMENT PROJECT PDF Massachusetts Port Authority June 27 2019 Figure 12 Tench Megan April 14 2007 A High tech Keep Out Boston Globe via Massachusetts Institute of Technology Roberts Dave et al October 2010 Bus Rapid Transit Service Design PDF Report American Public Transportation Association pp 11 12 MBTA Silver Line Upgrades Coming Press release Massachusetts Department of Transportation November 3 2010 a b Vaccaro Adam July 31 2018 Silver Line commutes could get quicker with the opening of a small highway on ramp Boston Globe MBTA to the Rescue Boston Globe July 19 2006 a b South Boston Waterfront Emergency Access Ramp Silver Line PDF Massachusetts Department of Transportation September 16 2019 DeCosta Klipa Nik May 21 2019 The MBTA is freeing the most controversial ramp in Boston Sort of Boston Globe Massachusetts Department of Transportation Announces Alternative Travel Options Ahead of Sumner Tunnel Closure Press release Massachusetts Department of Transportation June 9 2023 Vaccaro Adam June 29 2018 New Chelsea Silver Line hits bridge delays Boston Globe Daniel Seth December 22 2018 MBTA MassPort Seek Pilot for Chelsea Street Bridge Restrictions Chelsea Record Towers David A Ross Jason C McDowell Jim 2004 Low Frequency Noise Effects in Residential Buildings Along a Bus Rapid Transit BRT Route Noise Con 04 The 2004 National Conference on Noise Control Engineering Notes edit Such use of the third harbor tunnel to run express bus service to the airport had been proposed as early as 1968 50 That figure includes the higher than expected cost of dual mode buses and part of the cost of the Southampton maintenance facility but subtracts reimbursements from other projects 4 16 External links editKML file edit help Template Attached KML Silver Line MBTA KML is from Wikidata nbsp Media related to MBTA Silver Line at Wikimedia Commons MBTA SL1 SL2 SL3 SL4 SL5 Silver Line Extension SLX Alternatives Analysis Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Silver Line MBTA amp oldid 1217146124 Washington Street SL4 and SL5, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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