Blue Line-Red Line connector a state priority now—by 2040

State transportation officials hope to fill in one of the biggest blanks in the T system by 2040: a direct connection between the Red Line and the Blue Line.

Such a project has been a mass transit hope since at least the early 1970s. It was, in fact, part of a deal to mitigate traffic tied to the Big Dig. Yet, somewhere along the way, state officials downgraded and downplayed the plan; and it has just never happened.

Now, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is committing itself to extending the Blue Line tunnel 1,500 feet below Cambridge Street so that commuters on that line can link up directly with the Red Line and vice versa.

But! The plan is to have the connect done by 2040—as in the next 21 years. And there is no timeline as of yet for contracts, construction, etc. Still, the MBTA’s commitment is a triumph for advocates of the link.

Now, if we can only get the Blue Line to Lynn or the Red to Lexington ...

• MBTA commits to linking Red and Blue lines—eventually [Globe]
• Boston transportation projects that need to hurry up and arrive [Curbed Boston]