Representatives from the MBTA Rider Oversight Committee discussed upcoming changes to the T, including the construction of an underground walkway connecting the Red and Blue lines, and evaluated the newly implemented CharlieCard system yesterday at the State Transportation Building.

The upcoming developments, part of the MBTA’s Capital Investment Program, call for plans to connect the Red and Blue lines through an underground walkway similar to the tunnel that runs from Park Street Station to Downtown Crossing, connecting the Green and Red lines. The plans also call for extending Green Line E trolley service to Arborway.

David Muller, spokesman for the MBTA’s Executive Office of Transportation Planning, acknowledged the MBTA’s reluctance to spend the extra funds on the Arborway project, which has been the focus of an ongoing legal struggle between the MBTA and Jamaica Plain residents who have demanded more service.

“It is no secret the MBTA does not support the Green line going all the way,” he said.

However, he said the MBTA has a legal obligation to complete all projects included in the plan.

The plans must still be approved by federal legislation, a process that can take anywhere from six to 12 months, but Muller said the EOTP assumes the government will approve the entirely state-funded project.

In previous years, the Capital Investment Program has received $440 million to $450 million of the $1 billion state transportation budget, according to Muller, who said the EOTP hopes to receive a larger fraction in the coming year.

The committee also discussed remodeling the Blue line — first closing the Bowdoin station, then extending the line further north. A future renovation of the Government Center station — which is one stop away — will accommodate Bowdoin riders.

Lee Matsueda, who represents the T Riders Union and serves on the ROC — a committee comprised of MBTA officials, oversight groups and local residents — said an informal survey of riders showed public frustration with the newly implemented CharlieCard systems and fare collection methods.

“It has been a negative experience,” he said.

The CharlieCard has come under fire by groups who said the fare increase would negatively affect people who rely on the T for their commute to work every day. The committee did not yet have enough collected information to analyze the fare hike’s effects on ridership.