BOSTON — Two Boston city councilors are making a new push to extend the Orange Line through Mattapan.
Their proposal would create an extension line off Ruggles through Mattapan Square under Blue Hill Ave.
Councilors Brian Worrell and Miniard Culpepper have said people of Roxbury, Dorchester, and Mattapan have been promised better transit for nearly four decades.
They point to a 1979 report that promised a better connection.
Instead, they say residents have only seen changes with the Silver Line bus opening, when a Green Line rail replacement was promised, and with the Blue Hill Ave station opening in 2019, years after the other promised Fairmount Stations.
Councilors Worrell and Culpepper’s proposed extension would start at Ruggles and make stops at Nubian Square, MLK Blvd, Grove Hall, Franklin Park Zoo, Harvard Street, Wellington Hill, Walk Hill, and Mattapan Square, then continue to the existing Mattapan Line.
They said the connected corridor could deliver:
- Frequent, reliable transit
- Faster trips across the city
- Better access to jobs and schools
- Stronger neighborhood connections
City Councilor Worrell said, “The promise has changed over the years, but the need never has. Our residents deserve a connected transit future that finally delivers on decades of commitments.”
A spokesperson for the MBTA commented, “The Secretary affirmed that the MBTA can incorporate this proposal into the Program for Mass Transportation (PMT) process that evaluates the many major infrastructure projects proponents wish to see built in the future.”
Right now, they are working on Focus 250, a long-term plan for transit investments.
No word yet on what an extension project like this could cost.
Boston 25 News has reached out to both city councilors for comment.
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