Do you know why the MBTA lines are the colors they are?

BOSTON — The MBTA recently published a user guideline for new college students acclimating themselves to Boston and the transit system's subway lines. Included in their guide is a bit of MBTA history – including why each subway line is represented by its specific color.

None of the organization's four major subway lines were named at random, in fact, each line has its own reason for its associated color.

The Red Line gets its name because it travels to Harvard University, whose mascot and school color is crimson.

While the Green Line has multiple train routes that go throughout different parts of Boston, the train was given its name because it travels through a portion of the city's Emerald Necklace park areas, which are adorned with green grass and trees (when they're not covered in snow).

Blue Line riders often see the reason for the subway line's name: the ocean. The train that travels from Wonderland to Bowdoin rides alongside and underneath stretches of the blue ocean, bringing riders into the city.

And while there aren't any orange trees blooming near MBTA tracks at Downtown Crossing or Wellington Station, the Orange Line has its roots in Washington Street. That road that the subway line runs along used to be named Orange Street.

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Cox Media Group