A great day for Blue Line riders!

The Conservation Law Foundation's lawsuit against the MBTA has been settled! And the settlement includes connecting the Blue Line to the Red Line! Hooray!!

Update! I was so excited about this story that I bought a Glob to read more about it. And my excitement has waned somewhat! As the headline says: State agrees to design link between Red and Blue lines. So they've made no promise to build anything, only to design something. And this design is scheduled to be completed by...2011?!?!?!! Which I guess is OK, I'll probably still be living in Eastie at that point. Also:

"Under the settlement, if any project is delayed, the state is required to come up with an alternative that produces more improvements in air quality than the promised project. Also, substitute projects must be built in the same towns and cities where the original projects were proposed."

That's good news!

About the connector:

"State officials have said that the 0.4 mile-mile project - linking East Boston, Revere, Winthrop, and Lynn with the MBTA's central subway line - was too costly and unnecessary with the completion of the Silver Line bus service from South Station to Logan International Airport."

MY ASS it's unnecessary! MAYBE if the Silver Line actually stopped at the Airport Blue Line station rather than going to the airport terminals it would be somewhat less necessary. Clearly the MBTA are a bunch of haters, and despise everyone who lives in East Boston and beyond. OK, maybe not, but they clearly love airline passengers more than they love us if they think that creating bus service to the airport is going to allay the needs of the people of Eastie and beyond!

Anyway, planning the connector and saving Bowdoin Station from its unwanted orphan status is a start. Progress!