MBTA Could Save $250 Million on Long-Debated Connector

Connecting Boston's Blue and Red lines could cost about substantially less than previously thought, a new analysis shows—and that could be enough to warrant giving the project priority status.

"The long-debated proposal to link the Red and Blue lines — the only two MBTA subway lines that don't connect — has received renewed consideration over the past year, after Boston officials said the project could help entice Amazon to bring its new headquarters to East Boston," Adam Vaccaro reports in the Boston Globe. The project would link Blue Line stops including Logan Airport, East Boston, and Revere to Red Line stops like Massachusetts General Hospital and Kendall Square.

Now, the MBTA will decide whether to include the connector in the list of projects it plans to complete by 2040.

Original estimates for the project in 2010 put its cost at $748 million, assuming it would be built using a tunnel boring machine. The new analysis suggests that using the "cut and cover" method, which involves tearing up the street during construction, would cost about $500 million. Both estimates include design, testing, and station improvements.