Silver Line (MBTA)
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Image:Silver Line.jpg Image:Silverline-courthouse.jpeg The Silver Line is the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's (MBTA's) sole Bus Rapid Transit 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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Phase I - Silver Line Washington Street
Phase I of the Silver Line runs between Dudley Square in Roxbury and downtown Boston along Washington St. 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); Silver Line phase I is internally known as the 749."silver+line&rnum=3&hl=en#ceec654061ef0f95
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 |
Phase II - Silver Line Waterfront
Image:SilverLineDualModeSL2.agr.jpg Image:PICT1297.jpg 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 pm 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
When this route opens, the service running only to Silver Line Way is to be discontinued.
The SL1 operates in a loop at Logan Airport and only serves the terminals, at the arrivals level. There are 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 and central parking. See the Logan Airport article for lists of which airlines serve each terminal.
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 Charlie Card payment system is being phased in. See that article for current status.
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
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 |
| Logan Airport Terminal B south | SL1 | June 1, 2005 | |
| Logan Airport Terminal B north | SL1 | June 1, 2005 | |
| Logan Airport Terminals C & D | SL1 | June 1, 2005 | Silver Line stop is outside Terminal D |
| Logan Airport Terminal E | SL1 | June 1, 2005 | Most 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 | December 31, 2004 | Continues to Farragut Road weekdays until 7:00 PM (19:00) |
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. [3]
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.
Silver Line critiques
In MBTA nomenclature, BRT lines are named by colors, not by number. This system is intended to equate BRT lines and subway services. There are historical reasons for this equation. The Silver Line is the result of community demands for restoration of local service after the Washington Street Elevated portion of the Orange Line was demolished and the Orange Line was re-routed about 1/2 mile west onto the Southwest Corridor right-of-way. Proposals to build a new subway line under Washington Street or a new trolley line along Washington Street were deemed impractical (for the same reasons that the Orange Line was moved), which is why BRT was chosen as a solution.
As for phase II, BRT was chosen despite the partly separate right-of-way in part because the Ted Williams Tunnel to Logan Airport is an Interstate Highway (I-90), and Interstate Highway standards do not allow rail tracks in the road.
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. Logically, it is therefore undeserving of the dignity of equality with Boston's subway lines. 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.)