This is the mother of Commuter Rail microstations: one train in the morning and one train in the evening. Plimptonville is a tiny stop in the middle of nowhere within Walpole, and it gets the lowest ridership on the entire system. Could this be the worst station on the whole Commuter Rail?
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| Hmm… |
The station comes out of nowhere as you go down Plimpton Street: the road weaves its way past houses and trees before all of a sudden, there it is. It’s very easy to miss if you’re not looking, since all there is on the roadside is a dirt patch. When Nathan and I came here, a car was parked in it, but it might have been waiting to pick someone up. If not, then we can officially report that Plimptonville has one whole parking space! Maybe two if someone gets creative!
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| This is it… |
Walking through a huge puddle covered in leaves, we arrive at the platform. It’s…well, the picture shows it. It’s just this tiny stretch of asphalt. Okay, this isn’t the worst station on the Commuter Rail. It’s at least better than Hastings. Look, it’s paved! And there’s a yellow line! But best of all, there’s a station sign. Yes, an actual station sign. So, we can definitively say that Plimptonville is better than Hastings. We can also definitively say that it’s still awful.
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| One of two trains that stop here…not that it looks like it’s going to stop. |
Station: Plimptonville
Ridership: As expected, this is the least-used station on the Commuter Rail. It can’t quite be counted on your fingers, but if you throw in a foot, you can get to it: 13 inbound riders per day. That could also be phrased as 13 riders per train, since there’s, you know, only one per day.
Pros: It has a sign!
Cons: This isn’t difficult to figure out: it gets one train per day and its platform is a tiny asphalt stub of nothingness. End of story.
Nearby and Noteworthy: Most of the area around Plimptonville is residential. However, if you really want to get to the Super Stop & Shop in Walpole, this is the best station for you! Sure, it’s a 10-minute walk and you would be much better off taking the frequent-by-comparison 34E, but…look, it’s the closest attraction, alright?
Final Verdict: 1/10
I do hope this isn’t a surprise! It sucks.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
now do Shirley ,another awful mircostation
Hey now, Shirley isn't deserving of "microstation" status – it actually gets full service throughout the day! Can't say when I'll get around to it, since there isn't much around there, but maybe next time I do MART.
do litteton too ,a park and ride in the middle of nowhere next to a busy highway
I have to say, I'm disappointed, I figured if Hastings made you insane then only God would know what Plimptonville would do! At least Hastings has more service, more ridership, and a larger walkshed! Supposedly Plimptonville was about to be closed but then someone decided to take the phrase "flag stop" literally: they actually stood in the tracks with a flag! That sign only showed up a few years ago, and the paved area might be relatively new as well!
Hastings is totally worse, though! Plimptonville didn't get me that mad – it doesn't really need more service, but it gets a fine amount of people on its one trip. Hastings has NO indication of a station AT ALL! I thought Plimptonville was luxurious by comparison!
That someone was my dad, Robert Stewart. You can look it up on Wiki.
His method may have been unorthodox but it got the job done and that’s what mattered to the close group of riders that were there every morning relying on that stop.
Looks like the train came out of nowhere from that picture!
– James
It came in really fast!
Miles, I have a blog on blogspot, how did you put those tabs at the top for bus routes, train stations, etc on the homepage?
They're called "Pages." There's a tab for it in the editor.
I figured it out. Thanks!
I may have decided to buy a ticket between here and Walpole…. Funny thing is, that doesn’t exist. The one outbound service doesn’t even have a flag stop there. Hmm. Do I feel smarter than mTicket? Maybe.
You neglected one important detail. This station had an absolutely hilarious name!