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MBTA’s naming rights plan stalls

It looks as if travelers will not be taking the JetBlue Line to the Airport T station any time soon.

That is because the MBTA’s attempt to sell station naming rights failed to get on track.

The transit agency received just one naming proposal by a Thursday deadline. JetBlue, the sole supplicant, did not come up with the $1.2 million needed to rename the Blue Line, said MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority announced the sponsorship opportunity in December, offering to sell the name on landmark stations and lines.

Bidding started at $1 million for the Airport, Downtown Crossing, Park Street, Back Bay, North Station, State Street, Boylston, and South stations. Yawkey commuter station started at $500,000.

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The Blue, Green, and Red lines were available, too, at a premium. Blue Line bidding began at $1.2 million. The Red Line? That would cost you $1.6 million. Most expensive of all: the Green Line, at $2 million.

Was that too many greenbacks for the Green Line? “The minimum bid prices had to include the significant costs associated with replacing the transit system’s signage to reflect any name changes and comply with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act,” Pesaturo said.

The sale of naming rights was directed by the Legislature as part of its quest to come up with fresh money to patch up the state’s tattered transportation network.

The lack of bidder interest did not shock transit authorities, given the low attendance at a January conference for interested bidders, Pesaturo said.

But the T has not given up. You can still see your name in bright lights at a station: Pesaturo said the agency will keep its “eyes and ears open” for those who have the fortune to pay for transit fame. Jacqueline Tempera