The Silver Line Extension Alternatives Analysis, launched by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), will assess the feasibility, utility and cost of various alignment and service frequency options for extending Silver Line service to Everett and neighboring communities.
“We’re excited to collaborate with MassDOT on this analysis of Silver Line service,” said MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak. “Studying the extension of the Silver Line to Everett and beyond is a key objective of Focus40 and an important step in improving service to essential workers and transit-critical populations that live far from the Orange and Blue Lines and rely on bus service to get to work and other destinations.”
“This study builds off years of work and collaboration between the city and the MBTA to improve bus services in Everett,” said Everett Mayor Carlo DeMaria. “Extending the Silver Line to Everett will transform our city by unlocking economic opportunity in the Commercial Triangle and along the Broadway corridor and give residents more direct access to jobs, health care and services in Boston and Cambridge. We are extremely excited to continue to work with the MBTA and MassDOT to determine the best way to implement rapid bus service in Everett.”
The study follows recent recommendations by the Lower Mystic Regional Working Group and the Everett Transit Action Plan to extend Silver Line service to Everett and neighboring communities in order to provide service at near rapid-transit levels for those living just beyond the reach of the Orange and Blue Lines.
Existing bus routes serving Chelsea and Everett have maintained some of the highest ridership levels in the system during the COVID-19 pandemic. During the week of Jan. 4, 2021, six of the top 10 bus routes in the MBTA system in terms of ridership recovery served Everett and/or Chelsea.
Recent recommendations by the Kendall Square Mobility Task Force have also called for improving transit services and connections within the area in order to accommodate new growth in housing and jobs in East Cambridge.
The MBTA and MassDOT are working in partnership with the cities of Chelsea, Everett, Somerville, Cambridge and Boston to determine the potential alternatives and benefits of a Silver Line extension. In addition to convening a Stakeholder Working Group comprised of municipal staff, community members and elected officials, the project team will conduct an extensive public engagement process throughout the course of the study to gather input from residents, MBTA customers and other stakeholders. The study is anticipated to be completed in spring 2022.
