Look closely: see the dark blu-ish, purple-ish tentacles weaving its way through the MBTA system? That’s Indigo Line MassDOT would like to have fully operational by 2024, according to the recently released Capital Investment Plan.

For Seaport readers, this news will likely be bitter-sweet. The hope had been to connect Back Bay to the Seaport District directly, using Diesel Multiple Unit trains (DMU’s). However, that route is not included in the map. Instead, the Indigo Line – which will feature DMU’s – would extend beyond South Station to Fort Point as part of an additional expansion. So, assuming there are no setbacks, the Seaport won’t be connected by train for another 10 years.

The Indigo Line’s silver lining is the promise of more rapid transit, with fewer stops and and transfers throughout the city. It will run in-and-out of both North and South Station – think of the Indigo Line like the middle-option between commuter rail and subway services.

Traveling westward out of South Station, the Indigo will border the Worcester Line, stopping at Back Bay, Yawkey Way and multiple stops in between the Green Line’s B branch and the commuter line. Best of all: riders heading towards Riverside would be able to bypass the insane amount of Commonwealth Avenue B Line stops. After Boston College, it will veer south towards its last stop, Riverside.

Further Indigo service from South Station will extend southwest on the Fairmount Line.

Service out of North Station looks to be more exclusively constructed as a Lowell and Newburyport/Rockport commuter line supplement. An additional route would connect North Station commuters to the Worcester Line and Indigo Riverside route.

Change looks to be on the horizon. Unfortunately, not nearly as fast as most probably hope.

Side Bar: Remember Mikheil Kvrivishvili, the man who gave us the new T map (below)?  Can’t imagine the haphazard squiggles representing the Indigo Line are his style.