Future Jumbos will have an easier way to get to the airport to return home for the holidays when the Silver 'T' line joins the Red, Orange, Green, and Blue subway lines. The silver line, which will be completed in 2010, now takes passengers on a one-stop ride from Dudley Square to Logan Airport.
The Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority (MBTA) is building the Silver Line to respond to the rapidly growing South Boston population, where there is no convenient public transportation to and from the neighborhoods. When completed, the Silver Line will be able to accommodate up to 60,000 riders per day.
The Silver Line will eventually link downtown Boston to South Station. "This is the 'T's attempt to be seen as more than a bus," MBTA Spokesman Noah Berger said.
The subway cars will travel both below and above ground and will have the right of way against surrounding traffic, unlike Green Line trains. The MBTA hopes this will enable the Silver Line to travel more frequently, faster, and more consistently.
The Silver Line stops will also feature computerized signs that tell waiting passengers when the next train will arrive.
MBTA is constructing the new line is three stages. The first step will be completed next spring, when service will commence from Dudley Square to downtown Boston. By the end of 2005, MBTA plans to have a line running from South Station to Logan Airport via the south Boston waterfront. In 2010, the line will link downtown Boston to South Station.
The cost for the project is estimated at $1.7 billion. This price tag includes $600 million to build the South Boston stop and $50 to $60 million for the Washington Street stop. Building the tunnel to connect the two stops will cost $700 million dollars, according to MBTA officials, but other city analysts put this figure at around $1 billion.
Such high costs may affect all 'T' takers if token prices are raised again. They went up to $1 in September of 2000.
The new 60-foot carriers will feature low floors for easy access for wheelchairs and strollers. The line will stop at seven stations that are located at major intersections in Roxbury and the South End.
There is much demand for the new line, according to Berger. A quarter of Boston's population lives within five blocks of the Washington Street stop, where the Orange Line used to run. After the stop was moved, residents in the area wanted a more reliable, easy method of transportation.
Although the line will not be completed until current students graduate, many think the addition is a good idea. Sophomore Edwin Johnson, who lives near Dudley Square, said he takes the 'T' often. "It seems pretty cool," he said. "I really like that it's connected to Dudley."
The line's connection to Logan Airport will make travel more convenient, Johnson said. "All I've heard is that [the line] will help," he said.
The line will be environmentally-conscious as well as convenient. When above ground, it will emit low emission fuel. Underground, the 'T' will run on electricity, so no fuel will be emitted.
