Silver Line service to and from Chelsea launching April 21

Silver Line bus service to and from downtown Chelsea from South Station, including via dedicated bus lanes, will start on April 21.

The long-anticipated move means not only that the MBTA is hitting a self-imposed deadline for the service, but that both Chelsea and parts of East Boston will have clearer and—hopefully—faster connections to Boston’s commercial core.

The five-mile route, officially the Silver Line 3-Chelsea, will run from South Station through Eastie to a stop just west of Everett Avenue in Chelsea, and will facilitate connections to the Red and Blue lines.

An estimated 8,700 people will use the route daily, which will include an exclusive right-of-way for Silver Line buses once in Chelsea. See the map below for the route.

The April 21 rollout is part of a larger MBTA effort to boost bus service, per the Globe’s Adam Vaccaro. The effort includes more early-morning runs along 10 routes—including the 104 between Malden and Charlestown and the 70 between Waltham and Cambridge—and a switch to a tap-and-go fare system to speed boarding.

• With new services and big plans, MBTA buses are getting some love [Globe]
• Silver Line rolling into Chelsea in April as planned [Curbed Boston]
• All-electronic fare collection on the T: MBTA moving toward London model [Curbed Boston]