Overview
- The proposal, which councilors unveiled Tuesday, would branch the Orange Line from Ruggles and add eight underground stops along Blue Hill Avenue including Nubian Square, Grove Hall, Franklin Park Zoo, and Mattapan Square.
- Councilors Brian Worrell and Miniard Culpepper framed the idea as an equity measure to end a decades-long 'train desert' that leaves predominantly Black neighborhoods dependent on buses.
- MBTA General Manager and Massachusetts Transportation Secretary Phil Eng met with the councilors and committed to study the extension while MassDOT is separately funding a Fair Share analysis of service options for the corridor due in fall 2026.
- The councilors provided no cost or timeline estimates and Mayor Michelle Wu cautioned that tunneling would be a major undertaking that needs substantial federal partnership and funding.
- The pitch is presented as an alternative to a $124 million Blue Hill Avenue redesign that would add center-running bus lanes and has drawn local opposition and efforts to rescind federal funds.