Silver Line (MBTA)
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The Silver Line is the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's (MBTA's) sole Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line, running in two, unconnected sections, from Dudley Square in Roxbury to downtown Boston, Massachusetts and from South Station to several points in South Boston and to Logan Airport in East Boston.
The Silver Line is planned to be built in three phases; only phase I and part of phase II have been completed. Phase III, a connection between the two sections, is planned for some time after 2013.
Silver Line buses are wheelchair ramp equipped using a kneeling bus and a flip-out ramp. See MBTA accessibility.
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[edit] Phase I - Silver Line Washington Street
Phase I of the Silver Line runs between Dudley Square in Roxbury and downtown Boston along Washington Street. Patrons either pay the bus fare of 90 cents, or can pay the subway fare of $1.25 and receive a transfer voucher for use at one of the four subway stations that this section of the Silver Line serves. The full line started running July 20, 2002, replacing the Washington Street Elevated, which closed in 1987. In the interim, the route was served by the 49 bus (which had existed as a feeder route before 1987).
[edit] Station listing
| Station | Opened | Transfers and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Dudley Square | July 20, 2002 | |
| Melnea Cass Boulevard | July 20, 2002 | |
| Lenox Street | July 20, 2002 | |
| Massachusetts Avenue | July 20, 2002 | Not to be confused with similarly named Massachusetts Avenue station on the Orange Line, approx. 1/2 mile northwest. |
| Worcester Square | Late 2002 | |
| Newton Street | July 20, 2002 | |
| Union Park Street | July 20, 2002 | |
| East Berkeley Street | July 20, 2002 | |
| Herald Street | July 20, 2002 | |
| New England Medical Center | July 20, 2002 | Orange Line |
| Chinatown | July 20, 2002 | Orange Line northbound buses only |
| Boylston | July 20, 2002 | Green Line southbound buses only |
| Downtown Crossing at Temple Place | July 20, 2002 | Orange Line and Red Line at Downtown Crossing |
[edit] Phase II - Silver Line Waterfront
Phase II of the Silver Line utilizes overhead electric power in a new tunnel from South Station to Boston's World Trade Center and on surface reserved right of way 1/2 mile further east to Silver Line Way. Dual-mode buses continue beyond Silver Line Way on diesel power over three routes:
- SL1 Logan International Airport terminals
- SL2 (746-1) Boston Marine Industrial Park (BMIP)
- SL3 (746-2) City Point via Boston Marine Industrial Park, extended weekdays until 7 p.m. to Farragut Road on April 9, 2005
A Silver Line Waterfront service from South Station to Silver Line Way operates using trackless trolleys. One more service is planned:
- SL4 Andrew Station via Boston Convention and Exhibition Center and D Street
The SL1 operates in a loop at Logan Airport and only serves the terminals, at the arrivals level. The Silver Line stops at the curb at the far end of each terminal in the direction of traffic flow. There are also free shuttle buses connecting the terminals and other airport destinations, including the Airport station on the Blue Line, hotels, rental cars and the water taxi. A system of moving walkways connects terminals A and E, the Hilton Hotel and central parking. See the Logan Airport article for lists of which airlines serve each terminal.
[edit] Fares
Unlike Silver Line Washington St. (Phase I), all the Waterfront lines charge the MBTA subway fare, currently $1.25 (through 2006). A free transfer to and from the Red Line is available at South Station. The Silver Line vehicles accept the CharlieCard payment system and exact change, including dollar bills. Ticket vending machines that accept cash and credit card are installed in the terminals.
[edit] History
The Phase II tunnel was constructed in conjunction with Boston's "Big Dig" and was originally referred to as the South Boston Piers Transitway. Tunnel sections were fabricated in a nearby, World War II-era dry dock and floated into place. Phase II opened on Friday, December 17, 2004, with the first route (Silver Line Waterfront, officially 746) running only to Silver Line Way, using electric trolley buses.
When dual-mode buses were placed in service on December 31, 2004, the SL2 and SL3 extensions opened. SL1, to Logan Airport, opened June 1, 2005.
As not enough dual-mode buses were available initially, some rush-hour service was provided by CNG buses, with transfers at Silver Line Way. Through service was suspended after January 5, 2005, and was not brought back until March 5, with all buses dual-mode starting on March 14. Beginning on March 26, late night and weekend trips ran combined, running both around the BMIP loop and to City Point.
On January 2, 2005, CNG buses started running on a Sunday-only (16:00 to 22:00 only) shuttle route (746-5) between Silver Line Way and the airport terminals. The agreement with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection called for airport service by January, but the MBTA didn't yet have enough buses for full service."silver+line"&rnum=5&hl=en#160e8949b8069baf
[edit] Station listing
| Station | Routes | Opened | Transfers and notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Station | all | December 17, 2004 | Red Line, MBTA Commuter Rail, Amtrak, intercity buses |
| Courthouse | all | December 17, 2004 | John Joseph Moakley US Courthouse |
| World Trade Center | all | December 17, 2004 | Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, seasonal ferry to Provincetown, Lenticular art on the lobby level of the station |
| Silver Line Way | all | December 17, 2004 | Changeover between diesel and overhead electric power takes place here |
| Logan Airport Terminal A | SL1 | June 1, 2005 | Massport and rental car shuttle buses; walkway to central parking and Hilton Hotel |
| Logan Airport Terminal B south | SL1 | June 1, 2005 | |
| Logan Airport Terminal B north | SL1 | June 1, 2005 | |
| Logan Airport Terminal C | SL1 | June 1, 2005 | Silver Line stop is past the main busway, outside the former Terminal D. |
| Logan Airport Terminal E | SL1 | June 1, 2005 | International arrivals, Hilton Hotel; next stop is Silver Line Way |
| Northern Avenue at Harbor Street | SL2, SL3 | December 31, 2004 | |
| Northern Avenue at Tide Street | SL2, SL3 | December 31, 2004 | |
| 25 Dry Dock Avenue | SL2 (outbound) | December 31, 2004 | |
| 88 Black Falcon Avenue | SL2 (terminal) | December 31, 2004 | Cruise ship terminal |
| Black Falcon Avenue at Design Center Place | SL2 (inbound) | December 31, 2004 | |
| Dry Dock Avenue at Design Center Place | SL2 (inbound), SL3 | December 31, 2004 | |
| Summer Street at Power House Street | SL3 | December 31, 2004 | |
| East First Street at M Street | SL3 | December 31, 2004 | |
| City Point | SL3 (terminal) | December 31, 2004 |
[edit] Phase III
Phase III comprises the connection of the two halves of the Silver Line via an underground busway from Boylston station on the Green Line to South Station. Three possible routings were being debated, but many area residents were pushing the MBTA to more-seriously consider its "No build" routing option and, as of 17 August 2005, the MBTA has put the Phase III project "on hold" [1], casting its future into doubt. Phase III was expected to cost $780 million, but this price tag depended upon the route selected. Phase III was originally expected to be completed by 2013.
In February 2006, Massachusetts State Transportation Secretary John Cogliano proposed a much less expensive plan that would eliminate most of the tunneling, running the Silver Line on the surface via Kneeland Street to a new tunnel portal on Essex Street, near South Station. The estimated cost of this proposal is $94 million and it includes expansion of Silver Line service to Copley Square, Grove Hall, Mattapan, and Ashmont, connecting at the Fairmount commuter rail line. [2]
In March, yet another plan was put forward, with support from most transportation leaders, including Cogliano, calling for a mile long tunnel with a portal at Charles Street and Tremont Street. No cost estimate was given and federal approval is still needed. Construction could start in 2009, and would be completed in 2014. [3]
[edit] Future BRT Options
In addition to the Silver Line, BRT is being considered as a means of implementing the Urban Ring Project and providing improved crosstown service.
[edit] Silver Line Critiques
Detractors of Silver Line service insist that BRT is still a bus, not a high-speed transit line, and provides equivalent quality and speed to other buses. Community groups in the Roxbury and South End neighborhoods, along with the Sierra Club, have presented findings that support this argument, and maintain that a light-rail line would be both cheaper and more effective than BRT. These groups sometimes refer to the Silver Line Phase I as the "#49 bus" (this being the bus line with an identical routing that the Silver Line replaced) and the "Silver Lie" (used because of allegations from advocacy groups that the MBTA reneged on a promise of real rapid transit.)
However, in MBTA nomenclature, BRT lines, as with all rapid-transit lines, are named by colors, not by number. The Silver Line originated from community demands for restoration of local service after the Washington Street Elevated portion of the Orange Line was demolished in the 1980s. Proposals to build a new subway line under Washington Street or a new trolley line along Washington Street were deemed impractical, so the Orange Line was re-routed about 1/2 mile west onto the Southwest Corridor right-of-way, leaving many local residents without a rapid-transit option. Eventually, BRT was chosen to provide this service, and the MBTA feels it meets the needs of the communities affected by the Orange Line relocation.
Some have argued that BRT was the only way that the Silver Line could provide service to Logan Airport, because the Ted Williams Tunnel that runs to Logan is an Interstate Highway (I-90), and Interstate Highway standards do not allow rail tracks in the road surface. However, opponents of this viewpoint note that Interstate Highway standards make no mention of rail tracks (other than a prohibition of non-grade separated crossings), and insist that the Silver Line's separate right-of-way within the tunnel would preclude it from having to meet highway regulations.
