Blue Line to Lynn, Silver Line Phase III and Urban Ring projects officially canceled

Why has the Blue Line to Lynn been the primary plan - why not the Orange Line to Lynn? With only a few gaps, there seems to be a perfectly good ROW to Lynn via Saugus that splits from the mainline near Assembley Square. Sure this would be a longer commute to/from Lynn, but would definitely serve more communities along the way (does Point of Pines really need a transit stop anyway?) Besides, Lynn still has the Commuter Rail for those who want the faster trip and can accomodate the schedule.

Has this ever been considered?
 
I would prefer the orange line heads south to Needham or Dedham Via W. Roxbury before Lynn.
 
Shepard said:
Has this ever been considered?
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Having done the research I can say that it was never seriously considered. The railroad that ran that route never had enough passengers to justify converting it into rapid transit (at the time of BERy, MTA). The only section that would have enough development around it to attract rapid transit was the section through Everett which was actually considered when the Orange Line was extended in the 1920s (to Everett) but funding dried up and it never made it that far.
 
You're referring to the Saugus branch railroad right-of-way. It is not grade-separated anywhere and crosses a large number of streets. You would need Chicago-style third-rail interruptions at each intersection, or else a switch to overhead catenary.
 
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