Silver Line (MBTA)

MBTA Silver Line

MBTA Neoplan AN460LF CNG (left) and AN460LF dual mode trackless trolley (right) on Silver Line duty.
Parent	Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
Founded	2002 (Washington Street) 2004 (Airport/Waterfront)
Headquarters	10 Park Plaza, Boston, MA 02116
Locale	Boston, Massachusetts
Service type	Bus rapid transit
Routes	4
Stations	13 (Washington St.) 9 (Airport/Waterfront) 5 (proposed)
Fleet	20 (Washington Street) 32 (Airport/Waterfront)
Daily ridership	37,467 (2012)[1]
Operator	MBTA
Chief executive	Beverly A. Scott
Website	MBTA Silver Line

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MBTA Silver Line 

Legend

	SL2	88 Black Falcon Avenue
	SL2	25 Dry Dock Avenue
	SL2	Design Center
	SL2	21 Dry Dock Avenue
	SL2	Northern Avenue & Tide Street
	SL2	Northern Avenue & Harbor Street
	SL2	306 Northern Avenue
	SL1	Logan Airport Term. B East
	SL1	Logan Airport Term. C
	SL1	Logan Airport Term. B West
	SL1	Logan Airport Term. E
	SL1	Logan Airport Term. A
	SL1/2	Silver Line Way
	SL1/2	World Trade Center
	SL1/2	Courthouse
	SL5	Downtown Crossing	Red Line  and  Orange Line
	SL5	Boylston	Green Line
	SL1/2/4	South Station	Red Line
	SL4/5	Chinatown	Orange Line
	SL4/5	Tufts Medical Center	Orange Line
	SL4/5	Herald Street
	SL4/5	East Berkeley Street
	SL4/5	Union Park Street
	SL4/5	Newton Street
	SL4/5	Worcester Square
	SL4/5	Massachusetts Avenue
	SL4/5	Lenox Street
	SL4/5	Melnea Cass Boulevard
	SL4/5	Dudley Square

Schematic of Silver Line service

The Silver Line is the only bus rapid transit (BRT) line operated by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). It currently operates four routes in two sections that were built in separate phases. The first section has two routes from Dudley Square in Roxbury, mostly via Washington Street, to Boston's Downtown Crossing (SL5) and South Station (SL4), using articulated buses operating in reserved lanes. The second section runs from South Station Under to South Boston (SL2) and to Logan Airport in East Boston (SL1). It runs dual-mode buses, partly in a dedicated bus tunnel and partly on shared roadway, including surface streets, the Ted Williams Tunnel and airport roads. Riders can transfer between the sections and to other lines at South Station; transfers there between SL1 and SL2 and the Red Line—but not SL4—are within fare control. At South Station, however, a transfer from SL1, SL2, and the Red Line to SL4 (and vice versa) can be made by walking alongside streets.

Service routes

Waterfront: SL1 and SL2

Dual-mode bus departing South Station to serve the SL2 Waterfront Line.

Two Silver Line services operate in a dedicated tunnel from South Station to Boston World Trade Center, and then in a reserved surface right-of-way for another two blocks farther east to Silver Line Way station, and then beyond there in mixed traffic:

• SL1 Logan Airport – South Station
• SL2 Design Center – South Station

During rush hours, a few additional buses turn around at Silver Line Way and head back into the tunnel to augment the service between South Station and Silver Line Way.

SL1 buses operate in a loop at Logan Airport and only serve the four terminal buildings, at the "arrivals" level. The Silver Line stops are at the curb on the "downstream" end of each terminal (in terms of traffic flow). Other free shuttle bus services connect 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 the central parking area. See the Logan Airport article for lists of which airlines serve each terminal.

SL1 and SL2 fares

Passengers traveling on SL1 and SL2 pay the standard MBTA subway fare: $2.00 when using a CharlieCard, $2.50 when using CharlieTickets or cash. Ticket vending machines that accept cash and credit cards are installed in the Logan Airport terminals and World Trade Center, Courthouse, and South Stations. A faregate-free and cost-free transfer to and from the Red Line is available at South Station for all SL1 and SL2 riders, but only CharlieCard users get free transfers to other bus lines and reduced fare on Express Bus. CharlieCard and CharlieTicket users, but not cash users also get a free transfer to SL4 service (at street level).

Starting June 6, 2012, passengers boarding at Logan Airport did not have to pay any fare as part of a pilot program to improve traffic flow by allowing passengers to board using all three sets of doors.^[2][3][4] During the 2012 trial, Silver Line ridership both to and from the airport increased while Blue Line ridership held steady; pending Federal Aviation Administration approval, Massport will reimburse the MBTA for the lost fare revenue.^[5]

SL1 and SL2 equipment

The Neoplan USA AN460LF dual-mode 60 foot articulated buses on these services are powered by overhead electrical wires from South Station to Silver Line Way, to avoid generating internal combustion fumes in the tunnel, and continue on thereafter on diesel power, which is converted to electrical power to run the same electric motors used when running on overhead power. These buses provide higher capacity than standard 40 foot buses; both the rear and center wheels are powered by electric motors, which permits these buses to continue operation even through snow.

These buses are wheelchair ramp–equipped, using kneeling bus technology and a flip-out ramp. (See MBTA accessibility for more information.)

SL1 and SL2 station listing

Courthouse Station

Dual-mode bus on the Boston Silver Line.

Washington Street: SL4 and SL5

Silver line bus shelter on Washington Street.

Two Silver Line services run between Dudley Square in Roxbury and downtown Boston along Washington Street in reserved bus lanes:

• SL4 Dudley Square – South Station
• SL5 Dudley Square – Downtown Crossing

These two services share most of their route from Dudley Square to Chinatown; SL5 continues northward to Downtown Crossing and Boylston stations, whereas SL4 heads east on Essex Street to South Station.^[7] Passengers can transfer to SL1 and SL2 buses at South Station; however, SL4 buses stop at a surface bus stop across the street from the station complex, whereas SL1 and SL2 buses stop at an underground stop within the station, so there is no direct transfer or capability for through service.

SL4 and SL5 fares

Passengers traveling on SL4 and SL5 pay the standard MBTA bus fare: $1.50 when using a CharlieCard, $2.00 when using a CharlieTicket or cash. At select stations, passengers can transfer from the Silver Line to the subway (Red, Green, and Orange Lines) for an additional 45 cents when using a CharlieCard. At these same stations, passengers may transfer from the subway to the Silver Line for free.^[8]

SL4 and SL5 equipment

During the day, compressed natural gas (CNG) powered 60-foot Neoplan USA and diesel-electric hybrid New Flyer articulated buses are used on the SL4 and SL5 services for greater capacity than that provided by standard buses. At night, when the passenger load is less and the greater engine noise of the articulated buses is deemed more objectionable, standard (40-foot, non-articulated) CNG powered buses are used. During snowstorms, standard buses and sometimes a few articulated dual-mode buses from lines SL1 and SL2 (see above) are also used, because the articulated buses normally used on lines SL4 and SL5 have drivetrains only from the engine to the rear wheels, and therefore do not work well on slippery roads (this is especially true for the Neoplan USA articulated buses, which are pulled from service even in case of light snow). The reverse substition is not allowed: for safety reasons, CNG vehicles are not allowed into the SL1/SL2 tunnel.

As with SL1 and SL2, these buses are wheelchair ramp-equipped, using kneeling bus technology and a flip-out ramp. (See MBTA accessibility for more information.)

SL4 and SL5 station listing

History

Subway and streetcar proposals

In 1948 a state study, Surging Cities, made proposals for transportation in Boston. It had four proposals and the second part proposed that the Washington Street Elevated (operational, 1901–1987) elevated train line be replaced by a subway line for the length of Washington Street through Dudley Square to the line's terminus at Forest Hills. While $19,000,000 was initially budgeted, the subway part of the four proposals was shelved.^[10][11] Prior to the Elevated's removal, area residents petitioned to retain the line until a promised light-rail vehicle line could be established.^[11] Light-rail proposals generally envisioned extending the Green Line by reopening the southern part of the Tremont Street Tunnel (operational from 1897 to 1961) and extending surface light-rail trackage along Washington Street to Dudley Square.^[12] After the elevated line was scrapped in 1987, the MBTA withdrew its streetcar promise.^[11]

The Silver Line

The collection of services under the Silver Line umbrella have varying origins. The first section opened, known as Silver Line Phase I, was the line along Washington Street now referred to as SL5; it is the product of community demands for restoration of local service after the Washington Street Elevated portion of the Orange Line was demolished in 1987.^[13] 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. BRT was chosen to provide this service, and the MBTA feels it meets the needs of the communities affected by the Orange Line relocation.^{[citation needed]} The line started running July 20, 2002, replacing service provided by the 49 bus (which had existed as a feeder route before 1987).

A Silver Line trolley bus at Courthouse station. This 40' model was used in the early days of the service, but has since been transferred to Cambridge operations.

The tunneled section extending east of South Station, known as Silver Line Phase II, 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) running only to Silver Line Way, temporarily using new electric trolley buses borrowed from the trackless trolley routes that have their hub in Cambridge, as not enough dual-mode buses were available initially.

When dual-mode buses were placed in service on December 31, 2004, two routes, dubbed SL2 and SL3, began service. As still not enough dual-mode buses were available, 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. The SL3 service ran to City Point via the Boston Marine Industrial Park;^[14] however, its ridership was low due to competition from the parallel 7 bus. The 7 is frequent (with 6-minute headways during rush hour), cost less, and runs to Downtown Crossing rather than just to South Station. SL3 service was canceled in March 2009.^[15]

SL1 service to Logan Airport began on an interim basis on January 2, 2005. CNG buses ran on a Sunday-only (4 pm–10 pm only) shuttle route between Silver Line Way and the airport terminals. The agreement with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection had called for airport service by January, but the MBTA did not yet have enough dual-mode buses for full service.^[16] Full-time SL1 service began on June 1, 2005.

Stop at South Station for the SL4 bus service that connects the two halves of the Silver Line. Service began October 13, 2009. South Station is in the background, across Atlantic Avenue. Note the red "bus only" lane on Essex Street, in front of the bus shelter.

For nearly five years after the opening of Silver Line Phase II, the two segments of the Silver Line were disconnected from one another. The MBTA wanted to connect the two via an underground tunnel, however the construction of this section, dubbed Silver Line Phase III, is no longer included in the region's long term plan due to funding concerns (see below for more details).

A partial solution that did not require a new tunnel opened on October 13, 2009, after fast-track construction using federal stimulus money. The new route, SL4, covers much of the same ground as the proposed Phase III in a dedicated bus lane on the surface that terminates across Atlantic Avenue from South Station, allowing a somewhat circuitous pedestrian transfer between Phase I and Phase II. When SL4 began operation, the existing Silver Line Washington Street service was rebranded SL5.

Numbering

The Silver Line's four branches are known by their call numbers: SL1, SL2, SL4, and SL5. In addition to the public numbering system, the MBTA's rapid transit lines, including the Silver Line, have numbered designators for different services. The use of these designators dates back to the numbered streetcar lines of the early 20th century. Unlike the regular bus routes, however, the numbers for rapid transit services are only used internally for operations purposes. The SL5 is known as the 749 after the 49 bus it replaced, while the other routes have similar numbers:^[17]

Ridership and service cost

The Silver Line services are among the most high utilized and least costly bus routes in the MBTA system. Three of the services—SL1, SL5 and the South Station to Silver Line Way shuttle—are the only bus routes that show a net profit. The median net cost among the 173 MBTA bus routes in 2012 was $2.13 per passenger.

Total daily ridership for all Silver Line routes was 37,467 in mid-2012.

Future development

Phase III

Even before the first sections were opened, the MBTA planned to connect the Washington Street and Waterfront sections with a downtown tunnel. This proposed Phase III would consist of an underground busway running from Washington Street to South Station via Boylston station on the Green Line. The tunnel would allow run-through service and remove buses from downtown traffic, as well as connecting the Green Line to South Station apart from crowded Park Street station.^[18] The core tunnel from Boylston to South Station via Chinatown was to run under Essex Street, while four possible routings under downtown streets were considered for the section connecting Boylston to Washington Street.^[19] Capital cost was originally estimated at around $780 million, depending on the route chosen for the southern section, with completion in 2013.

Silver Line Phase III alternatives as of 2008, showing the original 4 alignments from 2005 plus the 2006 Charles Street modified alignment. The preferred alternative at the time of the project's cancellation was the Charles Street modified alignment (pink) feeding into the core tunnel (lime green).

Response to the plan was mixed. Some residents were in favor of the tunnel since it would allow a faster one-seat ride from the South End and Roxbury to downtown and the Waterfront, with a direct fare-controlled connection to three of the subway lines. Others objected to the placement of a portal on busy streets, while others were opposed to the plan as it would cement use of the bus-based Silver Line to replace the Washington Street Elevated instead of the subway line that was originally promised.

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.^[20] However, in November 2003, the Phase III project received a "not recommended" rating from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), which expressed skepticism that the MBTA's operating cost estimates were reliable.^[21] In August 2005, the MBTA put the Phase III project "on hold" in order to avoid a second such determination, and to build community consensus on a locally preferred routing.^[22]

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.^[23] 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. 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 the #28 bus) and Ashmont via Washington Street (replacing the #23 bus), with additional connections to the Fairmount commuter rail line at the then-planned Blue Hill Avenue and Four Corners/Geneva Ave stations.^[23] 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.^[23]

A third 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 south and west onto Tremont Street between Charles Street and Marginal Road.^[24][25] This "Charles Street Modified" (CSM) 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.^[26] 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.^[18][27]

By May 2009, the estimated price of the tunnel plan, dubbed the "Little Dig," had risen to $2.1 billion.^[28] 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 - a rapid turnaround from its "high priority" rating in 2003. In April 2010, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), concluding that it could not successfully compete for more than one New Starts grant, informed the FTA that MassDOT 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 to the Department of Environmental Protection, the MBTA declared that Phase III was on indefinite hold and no further funds would be spent on the project.^[29]

Extension to Chelsea

Map of the planned Silver Line Gateway route to Mystic Mall in Chelsea

MassDOT is conducting a Silver Line Gateway study of a new Silver Line route to Chelsea via East Boston.^[30] Public meetings began in March 2013 and will continue for the remainder of the year. The route was previously studied as a preliminary section of the Urban Ring.

The new route, likely to receive the designation of SL6, would begin at South Station and run through the Waterfront Tunnel, along with the SL1 and SL2 routes, to Silver Line Way, continuing with the SL1 through the Ted Williams Tunnel. The new route would then diverge to meet the Blue Line at Airport Station, and follow the Coughlin Bypass Road (a half-mile commercial-use-only road which opened in 2012)^[31] to the Chelsea Street Bridge. After the bridge, the three possible alignments diverge. One would run up the abandoned section of the Grand Junction Railroad right-of-way, with stops at Eastern Avenue, Highland/Box District, Chelsea station, and Mystic Mall. The second alignment would follow the Grand Junction to just short of the station, then diverge onto surface roads to Bellingham Square. The third alignment would 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.^[32]

There would be no direct service to the Logan Airport terminals, which already are served by the SL1 route. Passengers from Chelsea could still access the airport via shuttle buses from Airport Station. One potential issue with Chelsea service is the need to expand the MBTA's fleet of dual mode buses to accommodate the new route.^[33]

In September 2013, the MBTA indicated that it would pursue the first alternative despite potential issues with bridge clearances and rebuilding Chelsea station.^[34]

On October 30, 2013, MassDOT announced $82.5 million in state funding for a modified version of the first alternative to be constructed. The Silver Line will stop at the four stations - Eastern Avenue, Box District, Downtown Chelsea, and Mystic Mall - that were previously planned. A new $20 million Chelsea commuter rail station and 'transit hub' will be constructed at the Mystic Mall terminus of the new Silver Line route, so that trains will no longer block Sixth Street.^[35][36] The new Silver Line and commuter rail stations will be fully handicapped accessible.^[37] A $3 million, 0.75-mile (1.21 km) greenway will be constructed along the Grand Junction next to the busway from Eastern Avenue to the Downtown Chelsea stop.^[38] The Silver Line extension and new commuter rail stop are expected to open in late 2015.^[37]

Other future corridors

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 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.^[20] Like the Phase III tunnel, the Urban Ring is on long-term hold for financial reasons.

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 the proposed conversion of the Washington Street section of the Silver Line to a branch of the Green Line.

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 #28 bus route (which runs from Ruggles Station to Mattapan via Dudley), was revived in 2006 as part of 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.^[39] However, the application for federal stimulus funding was withdrawn due to local opposition, as the plan would have taken parking along Blue Hill Avenue and reduced the number of bus stops along the route in order to speed up service. This rejection, plus the 2009 failure of the SL3 City Point route (which had been rated a medium-priority and "very cost-effective" project in 2003), tempered remaining enthusiasm for BRT in Boston.^[40] (However, in 2012, the Roxbury-Dorcester-Mattapan Transit Needs Study recommended the 28X bus to be implemented with no new infrastructure as an express bus adding additional trips to the corridor.)^[41]

Several other corridors were considered in the 2003 PMT. These included a Dudley-Ashmont route replacing the #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.^[20][40] 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.^[40]

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.^[40] In 2012, the Roxbury-Dorcester-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 #28 route.^[41]

Criticism

Detractors of Silver Line service insist that BRT as implemented in Boston is still a bus line, not a high-speed transit line, and that it provides little improvement in quality and speed compared to other buses. A comparative rating from the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy determined that the Boston "Silver Line" was best classified as "Not BRT" after local decision makers gradually decided to do away with most BRT-specific features.^[42]

Community groups in the Roxbury and South End neighborhoods, along with the Sierra Club, have presented findings that support this argument. In addition, some groups maintain that a light-rail line would be both cheaper and more effective than BRT, and that part of the tunnel required for this already exists.^[43][44]

The Silver Line's SL1 route from the World Trade Center stop to the Ted Williams Tunnel is considered by critics to be unnecessarily convoluted.^{[citation needed]} Despite the fact that the Silver Line's portal is less than 100 yards (91 m) from the eventual entry ramp to the Williams Tunnel, the line must cross D Street at grade and proceed to the Silver Line Way stop to change over from overhead electric to diesel. This requires a loop back towards downtown on several surface streets before it can enter the tunnel, adding several minutes to the ride. The inbound route makes a stop above ground at the entrance to the World Trade Center stop, then proceeds eastwards to Silver Line Way, and then goes underground for a second stop at the World Trade Center.

For some time after the Big Dig ceiling collapse in 2006, the SL1 temporarily used a closer entrance ramp normally reserved for the Massachusetts State Police. However, use of this shortcut was stopped after the affected sections of roadway were reopened for Silver Line use.

See also

• Bus rapid transit creep

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to MBTA Silver Line.

• Silver Line—MBTA
• Boston Transit: The Silver Line—nycsubway.org
• Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district (PDF)
• A High-tech Keep Out—MBTA press release about security barriers at South Station tunnel
• Sierra Club report on Silver Line service

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