The Silver Line is the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA)'s sole bus rapid transit (BRT) line. It operates in two sections; the first runs from Dudley Square in Roxbury to downtown Boston, Massachusetts and South Station, mostly via Washington Street, with buses operating in reserved lanes; the second runs from South Station to several points in South Boston and to Logan Airport in East Boston, partly in a dedicated bus tunnel and on dedicated surface right-of-way. Riders can transfer between the sections at South Station.
Service routes
Waterfront: SL1 and SL2
Two Silver Line services operate in a tunnel from South Station to Boston's World Trade Center, then on a reserved surface right of way for another half-mile further east to Silver Line Way, and afterwards in mixed traffic:
- SL1 Logan Airport-South Station
- SL2 Design Center-South Station
Buses on these services are powered by overhead electrical wires from South Station to Silver Line Way, and continue on thereafter on diesel power. Thus, buses that travel the full lengths of SL1 and SL2 are by necessity dual-mode buses. Supplemental service is provided between South Station and Silver Line Way by trolleybuses.
SL1 buses operate in a loop at Logan Airport and only serve the terminals, at the arrivals level. The Silver Line stops at the curb at the "downstream" end of each terminal (in terms of traffic flow). 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.
Fares
Passengers travelling on SL1 and SL2 pay the standard MBTA subway fare: $1.70 when using a CharlieCard, $2.00 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- 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 and subway lines if they leave the paid fare area.
SL1 and SL2 station listing
Washington Street: SL4 and SL5
Two Silver Line services run between Dudley Square in Roxbury and downtown Boston along Washington Street in reserved bus lanes:
- SL4 Dudley Station-South Station
- SL5 Dudley Station-Downtown
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. 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.
Fares
Passengers travelling on SL4 and SL5 pay the standard MBTA bus fare: $1.25 when using a CharlieCard, $1.50 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 (CharlieCard) or 50 cents (CharlieTicket or cash). At these same stations, passengers may transfer from the subway to the Silver Line for free.
SL4 and SL5 station listing
Equipment
Dual-mode buses are used on the SL1 and SL2 services, while articulated buses are used on the SL4 and SL5 services. Silver Line buses are wheelchair ramp-equipped, using a kneeling bus and a flip-out ramp. (See MBTA accessibility for more information.)
History
The collection of services currently branded under the Silver Line umbrella have varying origins. The first section opened, known as Silver Line Phase I, was the line along Washington Street currently referred to as SL5; it is the ultimate product of 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. The line started running July 20, 2002, replacing service provided by the 49 bus (which had existed as a feeder route before 1987).
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 , referred to within the MBTA as 746 ) running only to Silver Line Way, using electric trolley buses.
When dual-mode buses were placed in service on December 31, 2004, two routes, dubbed SL2 and SL3, began service. 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. SL3 ran to City Point via the Boston Marine Industrial Park; it ceased operation in 2008.
SL1 service to Logan Airport began on an interim bases 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 have enough buses for full service.. Full-time SL1 service began on June 1, 2005.
One more service, to Andrew Station or South Boston, possibly via the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center and D Street, was once under consideration, but has never been implemented.
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 has long-term plans to connect the two via an underground tunnel; the construction of this section, dubbed Silver Line Phase III, has been repeatedly postponed due to cost and ridership concerns (see below for more details).
A interim 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. When SL4 began operation, the existing Silver Line Washington Street service was rebranded SL5.
As of the day that SL4 began service, there were 29,670 Silver Line boadings per weekday: 14,709 on SL5, and 14,961 on SL1 & SL2.
Future development
Phase III
The proposed Phase III will connect the first two phases of the Silver Line via an underground busway from Boylston station on the Green Line to South Station, allowing a single-seat ride between the phases. Silver Line Phase III received a "not recommended" rating from the Federal Transit Administration, which expressed skepticism that the T's operating cost estimates were reliable. Capital cost was estimated at $780 million at the time, but this price tag depended upon the route selected. Completion was estimated by 2013.
Four possible routings were debated, but neighborhood opposition to the placement of portals, and to the use of BRT as a replacement for the Washington Street Elevated was problematic. 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..
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 Stree
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