Silver Line service from downtown Boston into Chelsea is expected to start in April 2018, according to state transportation officials.

The five-mile route will run from South Station to a stop just west of Everett Avenue, and will facilitate connections to the Red and Blue lines.

An estimated 8,700 people will use the route daily, a figure sure to further boost Chelsea’s status as a Plan B for buyers and renters priced out of Boston proper.

The route will include an exclusive right-of-way for Silver Line buses once in Chelsea, per the Globe’s Adam Vaccaro. There will be four stops total in Boston’s northern neighbor (see map below). And, as part of the extension, the state will relocate Chelsea’s commuter rail station westward and spruce it up quite a bit.

Beware, though: The Silver Line extension has been in the works since at least 2013, and was originally supposed to launch at the end of 2016. Officials say the project is on track now. Stay tuned.