I only went to Hynes Convention Center because of the stupid 1 getting stuck in traffic. I didn’t know what to expect, but this station ended up being worse than horrible Prudential. The first warning sign was the entrance: there’s only one of them, and it has no signage whatsoever, just a big “T” sticking out of the wall and a poster saying “Charlie’s Here!” The entryway was pretty nice, though, with a shiny image of an old streetcar over the staircase down.

Shiny…

When I got down, there was a walkway that curved to the left. It was really bland, with a very low ceiling and boring brick walls and a really weird floor. Lighting was achieved with standard (and not very interesting) florescent lights. It was also pretty cramped, with only a few fare gates leading to the platform. There was also, for some reason, a random chair sitting there. Sound familiar?

I can’t stand this area.

Keep in mind that there are no elevators here, so people in wheelchairs are simply out of luck. At least Prudential’s accessible. There are, however, boring staircases leading down to the boring platform! Ah, the platform. Just like Prudential, this thing is full of random pipes criss-crossing on the ceiling. I mean, there’s one part of the platform that’s just a big hole in the wall! Why hasn’t this been fixed?

It was really crowded at the station.

The brick walls on the platform would be okay if they actually went up the whole wall. But after the station sign it just turns to basic white with random pipes again. And the worst part? I walked to the other end of the platform to see what was there, and there was another exit! One problem, though: it was locked behind a massive gate with an “Exit Closed” sign. There was also a weird electrical box (or something), with a sign warning people not to play on it. I feel like just a sign saying “Danger” would suffice…

This was the most crowded Green Line train ever itself.

Station: Hynes Convention Center

Ridership: People going to conventions, most likely. But there are also a lot of apartments close to the station, so there are probably residential riders here, too.

Pros: Well, the streetcar image is kinda cool…

Cons: Okay, first of all, the one entrance (there’s only one, there’s another con already) has no signage whatsoever, just a big “T” sticking out of the wall. The fare gate area is bland, the staircase to the platform is bland, and the platform itself is bland (stupid pipes). On the platform, the closed exit, the hole in the wall, and the random box thing all contribute to it feeling really dirty and awful. There’s also a lack of bus connections; the station’s only served by three of them. And though it’s only a five minute walk to the convention center, that’s still fairly long and there’s no signage whatsoever. That closed exit looks like it may have led closer, but…it’s closed.

Nearby and Noteworthy: There’s the convention center, but Newbury Street is pretty close to the station (closer, in fact). I’d much rather take a stroll down the amazing Newbury Street with its brick architecture and cute shops than go to some smelly old convention any day.

Final Verdict: 3/10
This station’s even worse than Prudential. Aside from the somewhat decent entryway (though it has no signage), there’s nothing of note at this station. It’s all very bland, and that closed exit looks like it heads toward the convention center. Does anyone know why it’s closed? Either way, it’s a horrible station.

Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
Nothing of note, sorry. I may start leaving this section blank if there’s no news.