The reasons for the color-coded MBTA subway lines in Boston

BOSTON (WBSM) — Anyone who has ever ridden the Boston subway quickly learns the color-coding system that helps riders navigate from one line to another.

Want to go to Fenway? Green Line. John F. Kennedy Library? That’s the Red Line. How about a trip to the New England Aquarium? Take the Blue Line.

The colour naming system was introduced in 1965; before that, the lines used geographical names with numbers assigned to the wagons on the heavy goods routes.

The color system was developed to make it easier to understand the routes, with primary colors chosen to highlight them.

However, on the MBTA website itself, there are differing opinions as to whether or not some of the colors have any meaning.

One page explains the colors of all the lines, while another page states: “Although there is a long-standing myth that all transit lines were given a specific name because of their specific geographic location, according to the original consulting team, the naming of the orange and green lines was accidental.”

We like to believe the side that gives them meaning. It makes life more fun.

The red line

The Red Line began service in 1912 and, according to the MBTA, it has the most subway use: an average of 122,000 riders per day. Most people south of Boston use this line to avoid having to drive into the city (at least those who don’t take the commuter rail).

The Red Line got its color name because it runs through Harvard University, whose sports teams are known as the Crimsons.

The Orange Line

Opened in 1901, the Orange Line is Boston’s second oldest subway line, carrying an average of 96,000 passengers daily. The color distinction is due to the fact that it runs under Washington Street, which was formerly known as Orange Street.

The Green Line

The Green Line is the oldest subway in America and began operating in 1897. It carries around 93,000 passengers every weekday and connects eight different cities and towns with downtown Boston.

The Green Line is so named because it runs through Boston’s “Emerald Necklace” park system, a 1,100-acre chain of parks and waterways that runs through Boston and Brookline and looks like a necklace hanging around Boston Neck.

The blue line

The Blue Line, which opened in 1904, carries an average of 39,000 passengers each weekday. It is the North Shore Line that brings people from Revere to the city.

So why is it called the Blue Line? Because it runs under Boston Harbor and along the Atlantic Ocean.

The Silver Line and the Purple Line

In fact, no one uses these names to describe the bus lines (silver) or the S-Bahn lines (purple), and the color differences do not seem to have any special meaning.