Originally Posted by
pinniped
Best airport rides. I give credit to places where the train beats traffic, or where the train is the best option for a visitor. HKG, ORD, BOS (efficient bus in a dedicated lane that connects directly into the T and Amtrak in Boston), SEA at rush hour.
Multiple posters in this thread have praised the Boston Silver Line and specifically called out features that are simply false.
1) The Silver Line is not free when you are riding TO the airport. It is only free if you board at the airport.
2) The Silver Line is NOT in a dedicated lane. It goes in regular traffic lanes for all of its route after it leaves the downtown tunnel. Specifically, it goes in regular traffic lanes through the tunnel to the airport, which means if traffic is backed up it runs late.
I can't understand why people are praising this system. Around Boston it is called the "Silver Lie" because it looks like a subway line on the T map but is actually just a regular street-running bus. Also, it is promoted by the MBTA as "Bus Rapid Transit" but is rated as "not-BRT" by the national BRT association. It has the following features:
1) Very slow; sits in stalled traffic at the airport and in the Ted Williams tunnel; very long waits at some traffic lights (one has a 1.5 minute cycle time); lengthy manual changeover from electric to diesel when leaving bus tunnel.
2) Confusing and changing fare structure (witness the false statements about it in this thread)
3) No reserved lanes except in downtown tunnel
4) Circuitous route: it goes over a mile out its way to make a big loop while approaching the airport because the on ramp it should use is reserved by the police or something like that.
"Not a big fan of the Silver Line, but otherwise pleased with the T in general"
saunders111