The Indigo Line was a proposed service of the

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (abbreviated MBTA and known colloquially as "the T") is the public agency responsible for operating most public transportation services in Greater Boston, Massachusetts. The MBTA transit network i ...

that would have incorporated parts of the former Grand Junction Railroad, the Seaport District's Track 61, a spur to the Riverside station and other

MBTA Commuter Rail The MBTA Commuter Rail system serves as the commuter rail arm of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's transportation coverage of Greater Boston in the United States. Trains run over of track to 141 different stations, with 58 statio ...

lines. Although it has been talked about for years, mostly in relation to the Fairmount Line, the line was formally proposed in 2014 when the MBTA released its five-year capital plan. According to the "MBTA Vision for 2024" proposal, the line would operate

diesel multiple unit A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple-unit train powered by on-board diesel engines. A DMU requires no separate locomotive, as the engines are incorporated into one or more of the carriages. Diesel-powered single-unit railcars are als ...

s for its rolling stock and would be fully operational in that year.

Background

The term "Indigo Line" dates back to the creation of the Fairmount Indigo Planning Initiative, which proposed transforming the Fairmount Line into a rapid transit commuter rail hybrid line. Most of the infill stations proposed by the initiative have been built, with one more planned; however, the line still uses conventional commuter rail equipment.

Indigo lines under consideration

The MBTA Vision for 2024 map shows six possible lines for Indigo DMU service: *The current Fairmount Line * South Station to Riverside via the Framingham/Worcester Line and an old right of way from that line to Riverside currently used for trolley operator training * Back Bay to the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center using Track 61 * North Station to the planned West Station using the Grand Junction Railroad, with a new stop in Cambridge * North Station to

Anderson RTC Anderson Regional Transportation Center (RTC) (noted on MBTA schedules and maps as Anderson/Woburn, and on Amtrak schedules and maps as Woburn–Anderson) is a train and bus station located at 100 Atlantic Avenue, off Commerce Way, in Woburn, Mas ...

on the Lowell Line * North Station to

Lynn Lynn may refer to: People and fictional characters * Lynn (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Lynn (surname) * The Lynns, a 1990s American country music duo consisting of twin sisters Peggy and Patsy Lynn * Lynn ( ...

on the Newburyport/Rockport Line The

Sonoma–Marin Area Rail Transit Sonoma–Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) is a rail line and bicycle-pedestrian pathway project in Sonoma and Marin counties of the U.S. state of California. When completed, the entire system will serve a corridor between Cloverdale in north ...

purchase of Nippon Sharyo DMU trains in 2010 included an option for 18 cars to be provided to the MBTA for the Indigo Line service. The Indigo Line has since been indefinitely postponed.

References

External links

MBTA 5 year Capital Improvement Plan 2014-2018Fairmount Indigo Planning Initiative
{{MBTA Proposed railway lines in Massachusetts Passenger rail transportation in Massachusetts