News

Silver Line 3 begins service

Traveling between Boston and Chelsea is now a little easier with the Silver Line 3 service, launching Saturday.

The SL3 will connect Chelsea, East Boston, Logan Airport, the Seaport and South Station.

All of the Silver Line buses travel in bus-only lanes in Chelsea to avoid traffic, making for faster transit.

Service for the line starts at 5 a.m. Monday through Friday, with a bus about every 10 minutes during peak times until 12:55 a.m. On Saturday, service starts at 5:30 a.m. and on Sunday 6:30 a.m., with buses coming every 12 minutes.

"It cuts my commute in half," said Dante Frontiera, who lives in Chelsea. "I work right here at Downtown Crossing since the stop is right by my house in Chelsea by my apartment."

The MBTA said that a one-way trip between Chelsea Station and South Station times out to 30 minutes.

The cost is equivalent to a T-fare, $2.25 with a CharlieCard or $2.75 with a CharlieTicket.

MBTA General Manager Luis Ramirez experienced the new Silver Line service himself and "loved it."

"For Chelsea, it does a couple of different things - one, it's a much faster way to get in [to the city] than a conventional bus route," said Ramirez. "There's a lot of development around that area, the FBI Headquarters and everything else, so it opens up another way for people to get to work."

If you currently take bus routes 111, 112, 114, 116 or 117, the SL3 may offer you a faster commute, the MBTA said.

To learn more about the SL3, visit the MBTA website.