Why does the first outbound Newburyport train not make Rowley? Geez, what’s a guy gotta do to review the place? Go up to Newburyport and make a mad dash across the platform for the one-minute connection to an inbound train to take one stop going inbound? Yes.
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| All that effort for this? |
Okay, it’s a typical modern Commuter Rail station. It’s a high-level platform with plenty of benches and wastebaskets, while on the other side you’ve got a sizeable parking lot with 282 spaces. Other than that, there’s some nice historical information on some of the platform signs, and I found a funny (unintentionally) newspaper that gave me some interesting reading material as I waited for the train to get me out of here.
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| Nooooo, take me with you! |
Station: Rowley
Ridership: Okay, wow, Rowley has reallyyyyyy low ridership. I mean, it is one of the least-used full-service Commuter Rail stations on the entire system. 140 inbound riders per day. That’s it. WOW.
Pros: High-level platform, fine amenities, big parking lot…all your normal bits.
Cons: Why the heck is the ridership so low?? Is it because the station’s in the complete middle of nowhere? Granted, the tracks don’t run anywhere near civilization within the town of Rowley, so I guess this location is as good as any. Hey, why isn’t Rowley a flag stop on weekends? Also, of all stations to have this problem, the level crossing here goes down when a train is stopped…
Nearby and Noteworthy: Uhh…a few houses, I guess. A BBQ joint down the road. Have fun!
Final Verdict: 6/10
I mean, it’s fine. The only big problem with Rowley is the fact that all trains are forced to stop here on weekends. Come on, if weekday ridership is so low (and the station is a flag on weekdays), why does the T expect people to use it on weekends? They flag North Beverly, but not this?
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