MassDOT’s Silver Line Gateway Alternatives Analysis study will review the potential benefits, costs and impacts of high-quality bus rapid transit (BRT) service enhancements for Chelsea and East Boston.

Through this effort, MassDOT is evaluating the potential for extending Silver Line service from South Station and the Seaport District to new connections with the Blue Line and East Boston neighborhoods (at Airport Station) and the City of Chelsea (via Massport’s newly constructed Marty Coughlin Bypass Road). Connections in this corridor would link several important gateways—both the neighborhoods that many of the region’s new residents have traditionally called home, and the economically critical air, rail and port points of entry to the Boston area.

A potential Silver Line extension could leverage considerable recent public investment in this corridor, including the Commonwealth’s purchase of the Grand Junction railroad right of way, the new Chelsea Street Bridge, and the Coughlin Bypass Road in East Boston. Major public infrastructure investments in East Boston and South Boston made during the Central Artery project have contributed to the dramatic increase in development and employment in the South Boston Seaport District.

A Silver Line extension could fill a critical gap in access between residents in Chelsea, East Boston and other Blue Line communities and these new opportunities across Boston Harbor. In Chelsea, where there is a greater proportion of transit-dependent residents than any other city or town in the Boston area, extending the Silver Line could provide a much needed transit alternative.

Working with the residents, businesses, community organizations and elected officials in Chelsea and Boston over the next nine months, MassDOT will build on past planning efforts in this corridor and explore alternative routes for enhanced transit service.

MassDOT welcomes your ideas and participation in this planning process. Please review the proposed Silver Line alternatives, sign up for email alerts and participate in community meetings. Interpreters will be available at community meetings and translated documents will be posted on this website.