MVRTA: 16 (Washington Street/Westgate Plaza)

Jan 28, 2018 | Miles on the MBTA | 0 Comments

This will be our last time taking a local bus out of Washington Square, and I am totally okay with that. These Haverhill routes have all been pretty…well, mediocre and boring. The 16 continues that trend.

Our final picture here!

We went down Washington Street, travelling through downtown Haverhill – there were businesses everywhere. After going by the Haverhill Commuter Rail station, the road lost its downtown feeling, though it was still lined with a lot of dense apartments. Although there were some businesses here and there, it was very much a residential neighborhood.

A typical side street.

The houses got further apart as we continued further away from the center of Haverhill, and as Washington Street got more hilly, it started to feel more suburban. The road twisted north and we went by a middle school, but the rest was still houses until we turned onto Lowell Ave – there was an apartment development there. In fact, Lowell Ave had quite a few apartment developments, right up until we reached Westgate Plaza, the final stop on the route. On weekdays it continues up to the disgusting Haverhill Commons, though…for some reason.

The bus just before Haverhill Station.

MVRTA Route: 16 (Washington Street/Westgate Plaza)

Ridership: Well, it’s the second-busiest Haverhill route, but we’ve discovered that that doesn’t mean much. With 37,373 riders in 2015, the route managed to get 102 riders per weekday – hardly a high number!

Pros: This route serves some of the very dense neighborhoods to the west of Haverhill, and it does so in a perfectly straight line. No deviations or twisties on the 16, at least until the shopping plazas at the end. The route runs every hour on weekdays, and it even runs with a consistent 90-minute headway on weekends!

Cons: This is another Haverhill route with some extraordinarily long layovers on weekdays – 25 minutes, to be exact. That’s a lot of time for a driver to just sit around in Haverhill doing nothing. Also, this is a fairly minor issue, but the snow route for the 16 is nothing like the actual route. I mean, it serves almost completely different neighborhoods, and it seems like it would be more efficient just to not run the route at all on snowy days – that would be just about as useful for its riders.

Nearby and Noteworthy: Westgate Plaza is all there is, and there’s nothing special about it. It’s fine.

Final Verdict: 6/10
A 6 seems to be the typical score for these Haverhill routes. Like I said at the beginning, most of them are just mediocre and boring. Yeah…I’m not exactly upset that I’m done reviewing these.

Latest MBTA News: Service Updates

MVRTA: 18 (Riverside)

Jan 27, 2018 | Miles on the MBTA | 1 Comment

Oh boy, another twisty one! Alright, 18, do your worst.

Washington Square once again.

We went down Merrimack Street in the opposite direction of downtown Haverhill, so there were far fewer businesses along the road. It eventually became Water Street as we went by an austere shopping plaza, then various apartment and industrial buildings. At a cemetery, we turned onto Mill Street, running along its west side, then Boardman Street, running along its north side.

A very bleak view of the Merrimack River.

Boardman Street eventually got more residential, but then we deviated onto Buttonwoods Ave to serve AHEPA Apartments. I would just like to point out that this deviation took us a mere two blocks away from the more direct route the 18 would take, but we reversed back up to Buttonwoods Ave…and then took it around to the more direct route anyway. Sigh…well, we turned onto Groveland Street, which we could’ve just been on the whole time.

A rugged side street.

Groveland Street was mostly residential, but eventually the MVRTA decided the route was too straight, so we banged a right onto Keeley Street. Then a left on Lincoln Ave. Then a left on Brown Street. Then a right on Kennedy Circle, serving an apartment development. Then straight into a deviation to the Merrimack Valley Hospital. Then a right on Katsaras Drive. And finally, a right onto Groveland Street again, literally a block from when we had originally left it. The 18 hurts me.

A park.

It continued to be all residential along Groveland Street until we reached the Merrimack River again. Here, there was a burst of suburban businesses, and we turned onto Lincoln Street to get to the biggest one: Rivers Edge Plaza. And this truly atrocious-looking shopping plaza was, in fact, our last stop. Time to sit through all those deviations back to Washington Square…

I think the empty parking lot should be some indication of how popular this mall is.

MVRTA Route: 18 (Riverside)

Ridership: This is the second least-used route in Haverhill, with 27,780 people in 2015 – that’s about 76 per day. Hey, did you notice that the twistiest routes in Haverhill are the ones that get the least riders? Huh, I wonder if MVRTA should take a hint.

Pros: It’s hard to find anything good to say about the 18, but it does serve the eastern neighborhoods of Haverhill. It also runs every hour on weekdays, which is fine.

Cons: It’s infuriating how twisty this route is, and unnecessarily so! The 18 could easily make the same deviations it does but on a more direct route that’s within a few minutes’ walk of its current one. Also, this is old news, but it has that awful 45-90 minute headway on weekends. ARGH!

Nearby and Noteworthy: No, there’s nothing noteworthy along the 18.

Final Verdict: 3/10
Sure, it gets more ridership than the 15, but at least with the 15, there’s no easy solution to remove the twistiness while serving the same amount. With the 18, there’s a very easy direct route, and in fact, its snow route basically does it! So if it snowed every single day, 18 riders would have to walk a maximum of five minutes longer, but everyone would have a much more efficient ride in the long run. Great.

Latest MBTA News: Service Updates

GUEST POST: Windsor Gardens

Jan 27, 2018 | Miles on the MBTA | 2 Comments

Windsor Gardens is a station that I’ve visited but the review for it has yet to be published. In the meantime, let’s see what Ryan Norton thinks of it!

For my first guest post, I decided to take a look at Windsor Gardens! Located on the Franklin Line, Windsor Gardens is a very unique station. This is the only place, at least on the Commuter Rail, where an apartment complex has its own station! However, the reason I chose this station for my first guest post is because I see it as an example of a station that has the potential to be a much greater than it is but currently isn’t, as we shall see!

Right off the bat, there is one amenity Windsor Gardens is noticeably missing: parking! While at least some of the stations that supposedly have no parking do in fact have a small gravel lot for a few cars, the nearby parking areas are strictly for residents of the apartment complex only. I don’t believe that parking is necessarily a big deal for reasons I’ll explain later, however it is one of the few stations that doesn’t offer it.

The platform itself is pretty plain with two wastebaskets. I knew it didn’t have an overhang, but I was surprised to find that it does have a shelter. I don’t know how new it is, but if it’s been around all along then either I forgot that it was there or I somehow never noticed it on my many rides past it when I was a frequent rider. Unfortunately, there is no handicapped access here.

Windsor Gardens Station, looking west.

Looking closer, the shelter is pretty nice! It’s almost completely enclosed, very clean, and has a schedule bolted to the wall. It’s even lit up on the inside. This is a nice place to wait for the train that’s not exposed to all the elements!

This is a nice little shelter!

Growing up in the area, I always wondered why despite a population difference of only about 4,000 residents, Norwood has three stations but Walpole only has 1.0001 (the .0001 being Plimptonville- after hearing what Miles has to say about Hastings, I can’t wait to see what he says about Plimptonville and don’t want to spoil anything)! However, Windsor Gardens is within walking distance of the Walpole line, which brings me to an important point.

While this station was built to serve the apartment complex, it doesn’t do as well as it should in serving the neighborhood. There has been some controversy in recent years over an unofficial entrance on Ryan Place, a cul-de-sac on the opposite side of the tracks. For years some passengers would cross and cut through a hole in the fence. A local resident asked the town to put in a real entrance there, but the selectmen decided instead to put a new fence up instead, citing safety concerns and the fact that the MBTA did not ask them to put an entrance there. While I would hate to see the cul-de-sac become a drop-off and pick-up spot for the station, and I understand that there can be some concerns with passengers crossing the tracks, I wish that there had been a greater discussion between the MBTA, the Town of Norwood, and area residents to find a solution there that works for almost everyone.

Where the unofficial second entrance used to be.

I should finish by talking a bit about the apartment complex. Windsor Gardens was built in the 1960s and is a prime example of transit-oriented development before it was popular. According to a blog post I read, it is home to about 2,000 residents. It doesn’t have the stores and restaurants that most transit-oriented developments have, but having your own train station is a very unique selling point!

Another shot of the platform, looking east.

Station: Windsor Gardens

Ridership: According to the 2014 Blue Book (the most recent I could find), it has 624 daily riders. Only Readville, Endicott, and Plimptonville see fewer riders on the Franklin Line.

Pros: I like the shelter, and it must be pretty neat to have a stop specifically for your apartment complex.

Cons: No handicapped access, and no inbound trains after 6:11pm. Also, why is it in Zone 4 while the rest of Norwood is in Zone 3? Since the station lacks parking and isn’t served by a bus, most of its commuters walk there, so having a large walkshed is important. Unfortunately, blocking off the other side of the tracks only hurts that; it’s about a mile walk from the clock tower in East Walpole to the end of Ryan Place, but ¾-mile longer using the main entrance.

Nearby and Noteworthy: Not a lot, the area is mostly residential.

Final Verdict: 4/10
While it may not function as a park-and-ride, it still functions as a walk-and-ride, and to a lesser extent a kiss-and-ride. If this station had handicapped access, and if it had an official entrance on the Ryan Place side, I would gladly give this a 7 or an 8. But it doesn’t. A station can’t be everything for everyone, but it should be as close to that as possible.

MVRTA: 13 (Main Street/North Avenue)

Jan 25, 2018 | Miles on the MBTA | 2 Comments

Alright, time to take a trip up to our neighbor state to the north, New Hampshire! I’ve actually ridden this route before as part of an old Service Change post, but now it’s time to review it. We’re going to find out what the 13 is really like!

The bus at Washington Square.

We left Washington Square onto Merrimack Street, but in the opposite direction of downtown Haverhill. There were still some businesses along here, but certainly not as many as if we had gone westward. We eventually turned onto the wide Main Street, taking us past some municipal buildings and a common.

I wonder what’ll go in this big empty space.

There were suburban businesses for a bit before the road took on a more residential edge. It was a lot of dense houses, only broken by the occasional apartment or religious building. Eventually we merged onto North Ave, beginning the route’s loop: it goes outbound via North Ave and inbound via Main Street. On weekdays, buses make an additional deviation to the recently-built Haverhill Medical Center, but this was both a weekend and before construction on the facility was complete, so we just stayed on North Ave.

This is a pretty cool picture!

It was a mostly residential road, taking us over I-495 eventually. We passed a pond and some sort of gas facility, then there were a few apartment developments amidst the houses. Eventually we entered Plaistow, New Hampshire, and it was pure homes again, not that they could use the bus because it doesn’t make stops along local NH roads. Also…LIVE FREE OR DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Welcome to New Hampshire!

We turned onto Main Street, which led us to a haven of suburban businesses and shopping centers. We pulled into one of them, Stateline Plaza, taking advantage of those sweet nonexistent sales taxes, mm-mm. Leaving the rather boring mall, we reentered Massachusetts on Plaistow Road, which merged with Main Street after a bunch of other suburban businesses.

Coming into Stateline Plaza.

Once we had gone a ways down Main Street, the retail started to thin out and get replaced by houses. The road got really wide briefly for an interchange with I-495, and there was a brief spurt of businesses on the other side. After that, though, it was all houses until we reached North Ave, ending the loop. We returned to Haverhill the way we had come.

Wow, there’s quite a view way down there!

MVRTA Route: 13 (Main Street/North Avenue)

Ridership: Well, it’s the busiest of the local Haverhill routes, but as it turns out, that’s not really saying much. I mean, it got 63,475 riders in 2015, which is about 174 people per day – certainly not a lot, but for Haverhill, that’s insane!

Pros: The route serves a lot of northern Haverhill and connects it up to what I imagine is a popular shopping center thanks to New Hampshire’s taxes (or lack thereof). It has a normal weekday schedule, with a bus every hour.

Cons: Darn it, the weekend schedule is weird again! It has that annoying alternating 45-90 minute headways thing…

Nearby and Noteworthy: Stateline Plaza is the most exciting thing this route serves, probably. That’s a little sad

Final Verdict: 7/10
The 13 is probably the best of the local Haverhill routes. It serves a lot, it gets fine ridership (for Haverhill standards, at least), and it has a decent schedule…except on weekends. God, I can’t stand the alternating headways! Be consistent!

Latest MBTA News: Service Updates

MVRTA: 15 (Hilldale Avenue/Haverhill Commons)

Jan 24, 2018 | Miles on the MBTA | 0 Comments

The next route on our Haverhill list is the 15, a twisty one serving the western neighborhoods of Haverhill. Let’s see how it is.

Getting on at Washington Square.

From the Washington Square Transit Station, we headed straight up Essex Street, more or less avoiding the businesses of downtown Haverhill. We very quickly turned onto Locust Street, and although Essex Street had had some tall brick buildings, they were all gone by this point. We were in a residential neighborhood, but there were some businesses as we turned onto Winter Street, taking us under the not-quite Commuter Rail tracks.

A boring side street.

We merged onto Lafayette Square, which was a downtown of sorts, featuring some businesses in a variety of different dense buildings. Once we headed down High Street, though, it was all residential, and dense houses lined the road. They continued as we turned onto Grove Street, which took us up a hill and eventually past a school.

A side street next to a church.

We turned onto Broadway next, which led us past more houses back to…Lafayette Square??? Oh come on, that was all just a big deviation? Sigh…okay, well, we turned onto Hilldale Ave, which just had a bunch of different things along it. There were houses, businesses, apartment developments, industrial buildings, a field, and even a solar farm!

Lafayette Square.

Eventually, though, it just got plain ol’ residential with the exception of a cemetery. They got more spread out and suburban the further we got, a pattern that continued as we turned onto Monument Street. That did take us past the Haverhill High School, though, and eventually we turned onto Broadway, which went over I-495. On the other side, we turned onto Computer Drive, then we pulled into the awful Haverhill Commons shopping center. And though on weekdays the route continues to Westgate Plaza, served by the 16, this was a weekend, and so we just twisted our way back to Washington Square.

EW.

MVRTA Route: 15 (Hilldale Avenue/Haverhill Commons)

Ridership: The 15 has the sad distinction of being the least-used route in Haverhill, a place with some already very low-ridership buses. With 23,291 passengers over the course of 2015, it got an average of 64 people per day. Ouch.

Pros: The route serves the neighborhoods of western Haverhill, some of which are dense and some of which aren’t. It runs every hour on weekdays, and surprisingly, it has a consistent schedule on weekends. This is a big deal in Haverhill, where the majority of routes have the really weird 45-90 minute headways. And sure, the 15 is consistently every hour and a half, which is infrequent, but it’s not like the route gets the ridership to justify more service.

Cons: It’s so twisty, and it gets such low ridership…could there be a correlation? Also, whereas some Haverhill routes connect neighborhoods to relatively important shopping centers, Haverhill Commons is just the most washed-up, awful mall I’ve ever seen. Its big draw is a Target, and that’s about it.

Nearby and Noteworthy: Maybe Lafayette Square, but the 15 really doesn’t serve a whole lot outside of residential neighborhoods.

Final Verdict: 4/10
I appreciate that the MVRTA runs its routes seven days a week, but does the 15 really need weekend service? My Sunday round trip had three riders. Three! This just doesn’t seem like a route that warrants weekend service, or maybe even any service – let’s face it, 64 people per day is really low. But I’m sure more of that is concentrated on weekdays, and it definitely serves some dense neighborhoods, if not very well…

Latest MBTA News: Service Updates

Jules Asks…

Jan 24, 2018 | Miles on the MBTA | 2 Comments

With the T trying once again for late-night service, what are your general thoughts about the service area and scope of it?

Well, this came out of left field, didn’t it? Just so everyone’s caught up, the T is planning on contracting out a route for late-night service. It would run seven nights a week starting in July, using six buses and running half hour from 1 AM to around 4 AM. The fares would be free. Here’s the “suggested route”, courtesy of Masslive:

Yes, it’s a beast. Starting in Revere, it heads through Chelsea down to East Boston via the 116/117, then it goes into downtown Boston. Snaking its way to Copley, it serves Ruggles and Dudley before running to Mattapan like a 28. This is insane, but late at night, even a route this long should be fairly reliable. The route itself is logical, connecting many low-income neighborhoods to Boston, although if this pilot proves successful, a second route from Medford and Somerville through downtown to Southie and Dorchester could be worth exploring.

The one part of it that makes me a little uneasy is the hiring of a contractor for the route. This raises some questions: for example, will the buses used be T buses? Because if this route is running with, say, Paul Revere buses, it may not have the same recognition that the T does and hinder ridership. Also, can the contractor be trusted to run a good service? I mean, we don’t want another Keolis running our late-night bus system! I like this idea overall, but it has some unanswered questions that we’ll hopefully find the answers to as July draws closer.

MVRTA: 14 (Bradford/Ward Hill)

Jan 23, 2018 | Miles on the MBTA | 1 Comment

Okay, the MVRTA’s Haverhill weekend routes are insanely annoying to plan around. Sam, Nathan, and I literally had the schedules of each one spread out across a counter at the Washington Square Transit Station trying to figure out what our order had to be to do all of them. Turned out the 14 was the one to start with.

The bus at Washington Square.

We headed down Merrimack Street, still technically in downtown Haverhill, but a more fringey part of it – there were far fewer businesses than there are further west. We turned onto Main Street next, taking us on a lovely bridge over the Merrimack River, and there was another downtown of sorts on the other side. This was downtown Bradford, and it was definitely more suburban than Haverhill, but there were still some historical business blocks here.

The rainy view of the river.

The businesses ended pretty quickly, and as South Main Street curved its way further south, it got much more residential. There were still a few non-house buildings, including a historical common and a seminary college, but it was mostly homes. Eventually, on one side of the road, the houses got replaced with apartment developments, and then on the other side we got shopping plazas and some industrial buildings.

We’re not in Kansas anymore!

All of a sudden the road got a gigantic median for a highway interchange-esque intersection with Industrial Ave. We used the interchange to get onto that road, which went over the Commuter Rail, and…well, it wasn’t actually industrial. It was just a woodsy highway. Once we used another “interchange” to get onto Ward Hill Ave and Rogers Road, though, we were now going by lots of wonderful industrial buildings. What a great place to serve on a Sunday!

Yup, this is really worth serving.

We looped around back to Industrial Ave and crossed it. Now on a street called Shelley Road, we looped around to our next deviation, a BJ’s. Now, as we’ve seen with the MWRTA, transit deviations to BJ’s aren’t exactly recipes for high ridership. BJ’s is meant for buying stuff in bulk, which means you need the personal space of a car to actually be able to transport it back. I can’t imagine someone lugging three bags of toilet paper onto a bus…

The driver went to the bathroom at BJ’s, so I got a quick shot of the bus.

We came back onto Industrial Ave after that and made our way back onto South Main Street. It went through a bunch of random name changes as we passed suburban businesses and houses, but it eventually settled on Osgood Street when we entered North Andover. Our time in that town was short, though: we soon came to Osgood Landing, a big industrial-type building with a bunch of companies within, and that’s where we turned around.

The sign for Osgood Landing.

The 14 takes a slightly different route back, so I’ll touch upon it briefly. Instead of going through that interchange with Industrial Ave, the route instead merges onto Oxford Ave. It’s a mostly residential area until the street merges into Boston Road, at which point there was a huge construction site and a few other random buildings. Finally, the bus rejoins Main Street and continues back to Haverhill.

A side street.

MVRTA Route: 14 (Bradford/Ward Hill)

Ridership: The poor 14, like most of the MVRTA Haverhill routes, is plagued with low ridership. The route got 30,843 people in 2015, which averages out to a mere 85 riders per day. My round trip had six people in total, so…yeah, pretty low.

Pros: This route serves some dense residential neighborhoods in Bradford, and I’m sure it gets some degree of reverse-commute ridership on weekdays. Speaking of weekdays, it has a fine schedule on such days, with service every hour.

Cons: I have to ask about that weekday schedule: does the route really get 27 minutes of layover at Washington Square? Because it looks like that might be the case, in which case that is insane! The driver is only driving about half the time! Also, the weekend schedule has really annoying headways that all the Haverhill routes are stuck with: alternating buses 45 minutes apart, then 90 minutes apart. Why?

Nearby and Noteworthy: Osgood Landing seems to be the highlight of this route, since it has a laser tag place in it. Nice!

Final Verdict: 5/10
The 14 probably doesn’t have to run as much as it does or for as long a distance. Honestly, on weekends and even middays I could see it terminating in Ward Hill, since there seems to be very little ridership beyond there. Of course, that would give the route even more ridiculous layover time, so maybe it’s not the best idea…

Latest MBTA News: Service Updates

CATA: Green Line (SEASONAL: Blue Gate Meadows Parking Lot – Rockport Loop)

Jan 22, 2018 | Miles on the MBTA | 4 Comments

Welp, here we are. Our last CATA route. And luckily, this summer-only “Green Line” Rockport Shuttle is a great one.

And of course, the last trip is on one of these buses.

I boarded the bus at Rockport Market and we headed up Broadway before turning onto Mount Pleasant Street. This took us to Dock Square, the heart of Rockport, and…wow, why are there 20 people standing around in the middle of the square? Do they want to board this bus? Wow, okay, so we left Dock Square with a full-seated load!

Coming onto Mount Pleasant Street.

We made our way onto Main Street, which continued to be lined with the many businesses of Rockport. Once we curved onto Beach Street, they started to get a little sparser as we went by Front Beach, and after that it was residential. We passed Back Beach next, then after a small hill, we turned onto Granite Street.

Busy Back Beach.

Granite Street was lined with lots of trees and houses. Eventually it became Railroad Ave, and thus we went by Rockport Station and some businesses around it. At the end of the road, we turned onto Main Street, which was mostly lined with dense houses right up until we pulled onto Blue Gate Lane. This took us to our terminus, the Blue Gate Meadows Parking Lot.

The bus at the parking lot.

This is the big draw of the route: it’s a free parking lot where you can get rid of your vehicle and hop on the CATA to get to your destination. It’s used as a recycling center during the off-season. During the summer, though, there’s a nice big bus shelter to wait at, and the lot even has a bathroom! Of course I had to take a look…it was fine.

And so, our last-ever CATA picture is of…a bathroom.

CATA Route: Green Line (SEASONAL: Blue Gate Meadows Parking Lot – Rockport Loop)

Ridership: During the months of July and August, this route runs with daily service, but weekday ridership is expectedly lower than on weekends: about 130 people per day. Of course, on weekends, those numbers shoot up, with about 430 people per Saturday and 380 per Sunday. That makes this the busiest route on the CATA, and by far the most efficient.

Pros: How can you beat this deal? You park at the free lot and take the bus to Rockport for a mere dollar (50 cents for seniors and people with disabilities). That means you could spend a whole day in Rockport and pay just $2.00 for “parking” – at metered locations, you can spend up to that much per hour. And sure, with the bus you’re paying $2.00 per person, but it’s still very economical if you’re spending the day here. Also, this route is very frequent, running every 20 minutes from 11 AM to 9 PM!

Cons: I think the only problem is that with advertising, this route could get even more ridership. They could definitely put ads on the T like they do with the Ipswich and Gloucester shuttles. Oh, okay, one other thing: with this route, you’re probably either gonna be stuck on a truck minibus or an awful fake trolley. Gross.

Nearby and Noteworthy: Rockport is the main draw, of course, with tons of businesses, as well as a few beaches!

Final Verdict: 9/10
This seems like an absolute no-brainer for people going to Rockport by car. Unless you have a family of six or something, this is so cheap and convenient. Park in the lot and hop on the bus! CATA has some weird summer shuttles, but this is definitely a great one. Use it if you happen to take a trip to Rockport next summer!

Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
You may have noticed something about the blog’s URL: we got a domain! Yes, no longer is the URL shackled by the “.blogspot.com,” for we have now become simply “milesonthembta.com”! This is so amazing to look at for me…

CATA: Green Line (Gloucester – Rockport via Eastern Avenue)

Jan 22, 2018 | Miles on the MBTA | 1 Comment

For such a low-ridership, inefficient, and primitive system, it’s kind of amazing to see how intricately-scheduled the Gloucester to Rockport routes are. They interline the Red and Blue Lines perfectly into the Green Line to allow for hourly service on the latter, which is the fastest connection between the two! If you don’t know what any of that means, don’t worry – I’m just nerding out.

Oh no, not this kind of bus again!

We made our way down Main Street, passing the many businesses of downtown Gloucester, but instead of running all the way to Angle Street like the route is supposed to, we turned onto Hancock Street instead. This allowed us to loop around onto Rogers Street, which went by a lot of backlots for Main Street businesses before becoming more industrial. Indeed, that kind of scenery more or less continued when we merged back with Main Street.

We’re not supposed to be coming out this way!

Main Street curved off eventually while we continued on Bass Ave. It was now residential, at least until we deviated into a Stop & Shop in the middle of a marsh. Once that was done, we went onto Thatcher Road, which had some houses with marshland right behind them, but we weren’t on it for long: time to deviate into a Shaw’s!

The view from Thatcher Road.

Luckily after those deviations, the route is straight as an arrow. We headed onto Eastern Ave, which at first had a few industrial buildings on one side and a cemetery on the other, but we later passed a housing development and a small shopping plaza. After that, there was a sizeable section of pure woods that took us into Rockport, where the road became Main Street.

Someone got off at this motel before the woodsy section.

Now that we were in Rockport, it was mostly just residential. There were some other buildings between the houses, though, including a few banks and the Rockport Police Department. As we got closer to downtown Rockport, the houses began to get denser, and the surrounding buildings got more diverse as we curved onto Broadway. I got off at the Rockport Market stop before the route got into the real core of the town, but it would get there in a block or two.

Have fun dealing with that traffic!

CATA Route: Green Line (Gloucester – Rockport via Eastern Avenue)

Ridership: The Green Line gets about equal ridership on weekdays and Saturdays: 50 people or so for each. On weekdays that puts it as the fifth-busiest route (or third least-busiest route), but on Saturdays it jumps up to second-busiest! In fact, passengers per hour is much higher on Saturday, maybe because this route serves two important supermarkets in Gloucester.

Pros: This is one of the most frequent and consistent year-round routes on the CATA, with hourly service six days a week. It’s the fastest connector between Gloucester and Rockport with just a 17-minute trip, and while the Commuter Rail is obviously shorter, this route can get you between the two for just $1.25. Its ridership may be fairly low, but the genius of the route is that every trip on the Green Line is going to or coming from a trip on the Red or Blue Lines, so CATA isn’t using any more resources to run this thing! That’s some seriously good planning.

Cons: Probably because of the nature of the way this route is run, there are some weird inconsistencies in the schedule. For example, after 1:30 on weekdays, there’s a four-hour gap in service until 5:20, and that’s the last trip! Things get a bit wonky for the last few inbound trips on weekdays as well, although on Saturdays it stays consistent throughout the day.

Nearby and Noteworthy: I consider this route mostly to be a connector between Gloucester and Rockport, as those are by far its two biggest destinations. Other than that, you’ve really only got Stop & Shop and Shaw’s.

Final Verdict: 7/10
The Green Line is an exemplar of creative bus service planning, first and foremost. Running a route entirely from interlines is a great idea, and even though its ridership isn’t the highest, it’s not costing the CATA any more buses or drivers to run it. It would be great if the weird scheduling on weekdays could be sorted out, but other than that, it’s a sweet little connector!

Latest MBTA News: Service Updates

CATA: Stage Fort Park Trolley (SEASONAL: Stage Fort Park – Downtown Gloucester – Good Harbor Beach – Rocky Neck)

Jan 21, 2018 | Miles on the MBTA | 2 Comments

Apparently the Stage Fort Park Trolley has been running for eight years. You would think that would be enough time for people to actually, you know…use it.

Oh no…

Yes, this thing uses a fake trolley, and it is soooooo much worse than the ones RIPTA uses. It’s high-floor, for a start, and though CATA claims that the bus is wheelchair-accessible, I’m sure it’s by means of some awful lift that never works. Also, the seats are these really uncomfortable wooden benches, and I don’t know who the heck would want to sit in them for longer than thirty seconds.

Ew!

We headed out from the Stage Fort Park Visitors Center, a park-and-ride where people can hop this bus to get into Gloucester proper. Coming up to Western Ave, we had the harbor on one side and lots of houses on the other. And then something really weird happened…

Alright, I will say the rearview window was great for pictures.

WOMAN PASSENGER: MAHTY!!!!!
MAN PASSENGER: Whaaaaaaaaaat?
WP: MAHTY, I THINK WE PAHKED IN THE WRONG SPACE!
MP: Who cayahs, we’ah on the bus.
WP: I THINK WE PAHKED IN THE FIFTEEN MINUTE ONLY SPACE!
MP: It doesn’t mattah.
WP: DRIVAH! OH, DRIVAH, SHOULD I CALL THE VISITAHS CENTAH?
DRIVER: I don’t think so, I doubt they’ll notice your car is there.
WP: I’M CALLING THE VISITAHS CENTAH! [calls Visitors Center] MAHTY, THEY TOLD ME TO MOVE THE CAH!
DRIVER: You could’ve just not called…
MP: Well, I’m already on the bus, I’m not moving one bit.
WP: I…I…OKAY, MAHTY, I’LL GO MYSELF, THEN!
MP: Fine.
WP: OH, DRIVAH, LET ME OFF HEAH! MAHTY, I RUINED THE WHOLE DAY, OH MY GOSH! OH, MAHTY! [clampers off the bus]
[silence]
MP [to me]: Someone should teach those dogs to use the bathroom. Then they won’t go all ovah the street!
ME: Uhh…yeah.

Screw the review, just get me off this bus!!!

Western Ave curved away from the water, then we used Angle Street to get onto Rogers Street. There were businesses for a bit, but this waterside road mostly served backlots from the businesses on nearby Main Street. We were supposed to deviate into the Gloucester Harbor Loop, which I think would’ve been fun, but for some reason we didn’t. We let Mahty off at the entrance to the loop, though, so now it was just me.

Going down Rogers Street.

It got pretty industrial as we passed Dunkin’ Donuts, the hub of the CATA, and soon after that, we turned onto Prospect Street. This was a twisty and narrow road lined with dense houses, and it stayed that way until we merged onto Railroad Ave. This took us past a few suburban businesses and, of course, the Commuter Rail station, although this particular trip didn’t time with any trains. Thus, we looped around back to Prospect Street via Washington, Pearl, and Railroad, and we went straight back the way we had come.

Passing the Commuter Rail station.

We turned onto Main Street next, which was mostly industrial. We eventually curved around onto Bass Ave, a residential road aside from the entrance to a Stop & Shop that most CATA buses deviate into – it was kinda fun not to! We made a turn onto Nautilus Road next, going by the footbridge to Good Harbor Beach. This is where things got scenic.

The footbridge to the beach.

We merged with Atlantic Road, and then it was pure views. One side of the road had beautiful houses and lots of hotels, while the other side was just open ocean. It was the same stretch of road that the Red Line goes down, but it was no less amazing the second time!

Wow, I love this.

Eventually we curved onto Farrington Ave, an unfortunately dry-land road that took us across the peninsula we were on to the other side. We merged onto Eastern Point Road there, and though there was a brief view of Niles Beach, it was a mostly unscenic road. There was a very cool deviation into Rocky Neck, though, a small peninsula home to a bunch of artists and galleries. It was a short loop around, but it was neat to see.

Some of the houses on Rocky Neck.

We returned to what was now called East Main Street, and it was mostly residential. There was a quick view of Gloucester at one point, and another one later on after we had curved past some harbor industrial buildings. At this point, we rejoined ourselves at the start of the loop, and I took the bus back to Dunkin’ Donuts.

Not sure why you’re on Rogers Street and not Main Street like you’re supposed to be, but bye!

CATA Route: Stage Fort Park Trolley (SEASONAL: Stage Fort Park – Downtown Gloucester – Good Harbor Beach – Rocky Neck)

Ridership: This route runs weekends-only in the summer, and on both Saturday and Sunday, it averages about 50 riders. Well, okay, I guess that’s about six people per round trip, which isn’t awful……….

Pros: There’s definitely a draw to being able to leave your car behind at the Visitors Center and taking this bus to where you want to go. The price is right, too: it costs $1.00 for a one-way trip ($0.50 for seniors and people with disabilities), or you can get a day pass for $3.00. The route connects up all of the tourist attractions of Gloucester, and it even times with Commuter Rail trains at the station!

Cons: It’s pretty hard to rely on an hourly service when you’re driving, isn’t it? I mean, it’s kinda tough to plan your arrival time at Gloucester to be exactly on the hour so you can catch this trolley. Plus, why would anyone want to spend a bus fare when they’re already spending 15 bucks to park at Stage Fort Park?? And I understand that it would take more buses and more resources to run more frequent service, but I think I combination of that and better advertising for the park-and-ride (not to mention some sort of parking fee waiver for taking the bus) is the only way to get ridership to reasonable levels on this thing. Oh, also, there’s a weird typo on the schedule that lists arrival and departure times at the Commuter Rail station as being the same thing…and on that note, I get that you’re trying to time with trains, but forcing everyone else to sit through a fifteen-minute layover at the station is pretty darn annoying.

Nearby and Noteworthy: I don’t know if Gloucester is actually a big tourist attraction or not, but I think the best places this route serves are the beaches on that scenic peninsula and Rocky Neck.

Final Verdict: 5/10
This really isn’t a very good tourist trolley. It’s infrequent, it forces finicky car passengers who are already spending money to park their vehicles to wait at the Commuter Rail station (why couldn’t it just depart the Visitors Center later?), and apparently it doesn’t actually follow the route it’s supposed to follow, based on my trip! I think the only way to fix this thing would be to throw another bus on it and give it half-hourly service, which would mean both more frequent buses and there wouldn’t have to be a layover at the Commuter Rail station anymore. A fee waiver or discount for the parking would be a great way to get more people on this thing, too.

Latest MBTA News: Service Updates

South Station

Jan 19, 2018 | Miles on the MBTA | 29 Comments

It’s the fifth anniversary of this blog, and we’ve gotta do something special for it! Here we are: South Station. The biggest station on the MBTA. The busiest station on the MBTA. The last station on the MBTA. Let’s. Do. This.

Well, this isn’t starting us off very grandly…

I’ve always been lukewarm about the Red Line platform at South Station. Sure, there’s no denying that it’s clean, much cleaner than the other downtown stations. Still, though, isn’t it dark and dingy? The ceilings and the divider between the tracks are painted black. It’s like a cave! A spotless cave, but still a cave.

The virtually identical inbound side.

Still, for what the platform lacks in aesthetics, it still has all your basic amenities. There are benches, wastebaskets, countdown clocks, and TV screens showing ads (as well as old-fashioned paper ads – woah). The Red Line station can be somewhat quiet or really busy, depending on how connections have timed up – if a few Commuter Rail trains arrive at the same time in the morning rush, you can bet this place will be packed.

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There are a few exits from the platform to choose from. My favorite is the one that takes you straight out of fare control, getting you to the Commuter Rail in a faster time (board at the back of the second car going south if you want that one). If you want to get to the Silver Line, though, there’s an exit featuring a staircase, a really narrow escalator, and an elevator.

That’s nice!

The overall quality of South Station’s elevators is high, and this is no exception. It doesn’t smell that bad, and it even has this convenient placard showing what services each floor serves. One problem, though…would it hurt to show that you can transfer to the SL1 and SL2 on P1 as well? I mean, just a suggestion – seems like it’s important information.

Down on the Silver Line platform.

To get to the Silver Line platform, you have your choice of stairs, escalators, or another elevator, glass this time. The Silver Line platform has a similar aesthetic to the Red Line one, except this time the ceilings and track (road?) divider are concrete, so it feels less dark. Again, there are benches, wastebaskets, and TV screens, but no countdown clocks.

Lots of people heading to the airport.

Well, there are countdown clocks of another type: they have screens showing flight departures at Logan Airport! They even tell you when the next SL1 heading there is coming. The problem is that a lot of the time, at least one of the screens is frozen at some random time, but the sentiment is good. One day both screens shall work at the same time!

Well, it’s much quieter here where no one actually boards…

Meanwhile on the “inbound” Silver Line platform, there are still amenities for people to wait. Could this be in preparation for the much-anticipated Silver Line Phase III that’s never ever going to happen? One rather nice feature is the presence of Red Line countdown clocks so passengers know if they have to run for the next train or, in the case of the photo above, crawl downstairs on their hands and knees and still have 3 minutes to spare.

A slice of the mezzanine.

The station’s mezzanine curves all the way around fare control with multiple signs, maps, and fare machine locations around the gates. You’ve also got wastebaskets, ads, and newspaper boxes spread around. Finally, there’s a small convenience store that I believe is only open on weekdays – it’s near the ramp to the Commuter Rail.

An elevator down to rapid transit.

That elevator looks pretty good, right? Looks like a lovely ride, doesn’t it? It’s even glass! It has to be great! But when we rode this one, it had such an awful smell. I don’t know why, and I don’t want to know why. All I knew was that I wanted to get off!

One of the rapid transit entrances.

As grand as the station’s main building is, there’s something to be said about the interesting geometric structures leading to the rapid transit station. They’re clearly more modern constructions, built at the same time the Silver Line opened up in 2004. I like them a lot, and they make for a vibrant sight along the Rose Kennedy Greenway.

Ah, she’s a beauty! I’m not sure why that ambulance is parked up in front, though…

Of course, nothing compares to the glorious South Station building. Built in 1899, it’s a Boston icon, full of amazing little architectural details. Just look how ornate it is! It’s seriously hard to describe in words, it’s just so…awesome. It’s also a really nice touch how the front doors just open automatically.

The SL4 stop.

In lieu of Silver Line Phase III, we got the SL4, which runs from South Station to Dudley. It doesn’t board in the fancy underground station, though…no, it only gets the lame surface-level shelter. To get to it, you have to go a block south down Atlantic Ave, then turn onto Essex Street.

Looking in awkwardly.

There isn’t much to it. You’ve got a bench within the shelter itself, as well as a second one outside it under an awning (the awning wasn’t helpful – the bench was wet). Inside the shelter, it’s very barebones, with just a fare validation machine (it was out of order at the time), a map in a small corner of a larger poster, and a countdown clock of dubious accuracy, although it seemed to be working fine when we were here. At least the shelter is heated!

Next to the main station.

Alongside the main station, there’s a long concrete bench underneath the full name of the complex: the Michael S. Dukakis South Station Transportation Center. As you walk further down Atlantic Ave, there’s some nice foliage along the edge of the station property. Unfortunately, questionable people like to hang out along here, and I often find myself walking quickly past it all.

Never thought I’d see one of these here!

What else is here? Well, for one thing, there’s a ramp leading up to one of the Commuter Rail platforms and the bus terminal, yet the sign for it claims it goes to the SL1 and SL2! Also, we’ve got a Pedal & Park cage, something I didn’t think would work at a downtown station (since most people would park their bike at an outer location and take the train in), but it was full!

What a grand sign!

There are two entrances into the building itself from here. The first is, as a really nice-looking sign says, a doorway into the food court, which we’ll get to later. The other entrance is simply an open passage to the Commuter Rail platforms, from which passengers can enter the station proper. It’s also perfect to use if you’re going from a train to the SL4 if anyone…uh…ever does that…

Well, this is interesting.

I never thought I would review a CVS on this blog, but there’s one in the station, so I guess I should. When you walk into the main entrance (you know, the awesome building), there are two separate entrances to the store! The first is a door to the right, and you come in on the ground floor, which is where most of the snacks are.

Floor number two!

A staircase or a rather nice elevator takes you up to the second floor. Here is where you’ll find the items that you’re more likely to specifically seek a CVS for: household goods, arts and crafts, and more. The store is designed well on that front – the things that people will want in a hurry like snacks are on the first floor, while some of the more long-term CVS items are on the second floor.

Goodbye, CVS!

Of course, the best part about the second floor is the view of the station. It’s a great place to hang out at rush hour, watching everyone scurry around to catch their trains. While we were admiring the view, a store employee reprimanded us for filming (in the weirdest and most passive-aggressive way possible, I might add) and asked us to leave the store. Oh well…we headed down the direct escalator that goes back to the main entrance, which is very convenient.

In all my years going to South Station, never have I actually noticed that that restaurant is there.

But while I somehow spent three paragraphs talking about a CVS, there is more to talk about in the main entrance. Firstly, you’ve got three ATMs for three different banks: Citizens, Santander, and Bank of America. It’s an interesting place to put them, and I’m not entirely sure who they’re supposed to be for (after all, they’re rather far from the ticket offices to be helpful for train passengers), but it’s nice that they’re here. There’s also a sit-down Mexican restaurant called Tavitas whose existence I was completely unaware of until this review – in their own words, they’re “badass.”

We’re getting closer to the main station!

There are even more businesses within this entrance, too! For one thing, you’ve got a tourist shop of sorts, selling Boston shirts and other trinkets. Meanwhile, on the other side of the CVS escalator, there’s a…cake shop? It’s called Delectable Desires, and it’s a little table that was unstaffed when we were here, but I am definitely intrigued at what it is and why the heck it’s here.

Time for the main station yet? Ha! Nope.

A set of brochures stands at the the entrance down to the subway. Yes, South Station boasts a direct underground connection to rapid transit lines from its main station, which is awesome. The transfer is as simple as going down a set of stairs (or an escalator), then descending a ramp to get to the subway mezzanine. But what about if you need an elevator…?

Weird hallway time!

Yes, in order to get to the elevator, you have to go down this strange hallway that doesn’t feel like people are supposed to go down it. First, I’ll briefly touch upon the room you pass through on the way: although there are tons of transfer passengers that pass through here on the way to the Red Line, the majority of the room is probably not seen or noticed. It has a wastebasket, an old “Mail Box Rentals” box-thing, and a store called “General Shoe and Luggage Repair” that seems a lot like the store in Downtown Crossing.

Is this…the right way?

The hallway to the elevators feels weirder and weirder the further you go. At first, there are some framed historical certificates on the wall, and despite being printed in very low quality, they make things feel a little more inviting. But eventually the photos get replaced by weird black doors that are closed to the public.

Where are we?

Finally, you arrive at the elevator, which has an awful exposed wall right next to it. As for the elevator itself, it’s an old and dingy affair, certainly not of the quality of some of the other elevators in this station. It accomplishes its goal of getting you to the main station, but it’s not an enjoyable experience!

The Amtrak Station Services office.

In close proximity to the elevator in the main station is the Amtrak Station Services office. I don’t really know what it is or who it’s for, but it seems nice enough. Look, it has a lovely comfy chair in which to wait!

Main station yet? Nah!

Before we can review the main station, we have to go to the bus terminal! Yes, continuing with the weird order of this review, we’ll be heading there now. To get there from the main building, you can go down Track 1, which has been in a constant state of construction since the beginning of time, and will probably continue to be until the end of time. A ramp leads down from the platform to the entrance of the terminal.

The building’s main entrance.

There’s another entrance to the bus terminal, though, and that’s the main one. Once you walk a ways down Atlantic Ave, you find some foliage out front and the neat-looking building that houses the terminal. One highlight is the neon sign on the door, which feels very much like a classic bus terminal sign.

In the atrium.

There’s not much in the station atrium, but it seems like some people hang out there anyway. Perhaps it would be a good idea to put some benches in and create a little waiting area. Behind some fancy potted plants, there are screens showing the arrivals and departures of different buses, and that’s about all that’s in here.

Going into the building proper.

A set of stairs and an upward escalator leads up to the building. The first thing that comes up is a sign saying everything’s to the right, and straight ahead there’s…nothing much. Yeah, I’ve never understood the point of the room in front of that sign, but it’s there.

I love this hallway!

Leading from the Room of No Purpose is the Cool-Looking Hallway of No Purpose. Sure, there isn’t much along it aside from some benches and potted plants, but you gotta admit that it’s a great-looking hallway. There is a security office at the start of it next to the Room of No Purpose, for what it’s worth.

Oh, classic!

I have to give special mention to the map in this hallway, because it’s awesome. It shows every single coach bus route and train service (Commuter Rail and Amtrak) in Massachusetts and New England, and I love to just stare at it every time I walk through here. The added bonus is that it can’t be found anywhere online as far as I can tell, so this is the only place where you can look at the map (until now, that is).

The concourse!

The hallway eventually opens up into the awesome concourse of the bus terminal. With its circular formation and skylight, this is a wonderful modern centerpiece for the facility. There isn’t much on the ground floor aside from some more plants and a kiosk selling various souvenirs and trinkets, but a set of stairs and escalators symmetrically lead up to the second level.

Some of the food offerings.

The second floor is where all the action is. Flanked by some art pieces hanging from a third level, there are a few fast food options here for eating while you wait for the bus (McDonald’s and D’angelos). Seating is rather limited, though, with only a small area designated specifically for eating food – passengers could always opt to use benches or standing tables, though.

Inside the bathroom.

Continuing around the circle, we arrive at the men’s room (don’t worry, there’s also a women’s room). Now, as a bathroom, it’s perfectly clean and modern for transportation standards, but the layout is very strange: the urinals are clustered in the middle of the room, with sinks on one side and toilets on the other. It’s an interesting design choice, for sure.

People waiting for their buses.

We get a row of seats as we continue, one of the few designated waiting areas within the terminal. There’s also an elevator that takes passengers back down to the ground floor (and up – we’ll get to that later) and a row of payphones. Oh, and there’s a random bus platform directly from here. I guess they had to fit as many as they could into the terminal.

The quieter ticket-selling area.

The ticket areas of the bus terminal are split into two sectors: the normal one and the crazy one. The normal one is where many of South Station’s smaller bus companies are located, such as Boston Express, Concord Coach Lines, and Lucky Star. The crazy one houses Peter Pan and Greyhound, and it’s almost always a mess, despite some self-service ticket machines in an attempt to shorten the lines.

Speaking of messes…

I’m sure if one visited the bus boarding area at 3 AM, it would be a wonderful place: a wide, long hallway with clear berth signage, sleek modern architecture, and plenty of available seats. Unfortunately, if you come at any other time, it’s a flurry of activity, angry passengers, and harried bus company representatives trying to calm them down. Heck, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was like that at 3 AM!

Going into the elevator.

Okay, time to take the elevator up! Although these elevators aren’t glass (aside from a little window at the door), they’re perfectly normal and clean. Now, most people are going to use these to get between the main hallway and the second floor of the concourse, but there’s another place you can go. A place most people probably don’t know exists…

Uhh…wait, this isn’t the exciting part yet.

Travelling up to the fifth floor of the bus terminal, we arrive at a weird little waiting area. There’s actually a bench up here for some reason – perhaps it’s for people waiting for service at Package Express? Because yes, there’s also a Greyhound Package Express up here. I don’t even know what it is, really, but from what I can gather, it’s some sort of mailing service. So I guess if you want to ship something via Package Express, the fifth floor of the South Station Bus Terminal is the place to go.

Here’s the exciting part!

Before I reviewed this station with a bunch of other people (and thanks to them for coming along), Sam and I did a quick scout of it the night before. And on that Sunday night, we ended up on the roof of the station and its parking lot for the first time, and it was amazing. The view of the city and the station was unique and unparalleled, and there was no one up there.

Looks like it’s full.

Even barring the view and the atmosphere, the lot is still an anomaly. Why is there a parking lot at a station right in the Financial District? What commuters are going to drive here? Maybe that’s why the lot is small, housing a paltry 226 spaces. Because we’re downtown, the rates are high for the T at $4 per 30 minutes, but that’s probably better than what you’ll get at other lots in the city. Heck, this place even has overnight parking!

The fun way down.

Why take the boring elevator back down when we can use one of the exit-only staircases? I’m pretty sure these were built just for emergency purposes, because there is absolutely no way anyone would want to use them for any other reason. I mean, they’re just these winding staircases that take you all the way down to the ground in a glass chamber with no exits. I don’t think people ever use them…but then again, if that’s the case, why are there lights at the bottom casting an artful glow upon the bottom of each step? Pretty weird…

Lots of activity in the food court.

Okay, now that we’re back at ground level on Atlantic Ave, we can go into the main station again! Using that fancy food court entrance from before, we arrive at the premiere center for dining at South Station. You’ve got everything from a Pizzeria Regina to a Master Wok to our second “Micky D’s” of the review! The point is that there’s lots of choice here.

What is it with this station and out-of-the-way elevators?

There are two ways to get up to the food court mezzanine. The first is right there in the center of the action: a few lovely symmetrical staircases goes right up. The second is an elevator, and once again, it’s in a weird location that’s quite difficult to find! I mean, it’s a fine elevator on its own and it does have some signage from the food court, but still…

Made it!

Yes, unlike the bus terminal food court, the one in the train station does have a good amount of seating. There’s no doubt that the mezzanine can get and feel crowded, but it’s still seating and I’ll take it. Plus, it has some nice amenities, including a phone charger and a screen showing train departures.

Totally not trying to prolong our look at the main station for as long as possible…

How can we cover the main station before looking at its bathroom? Yes, the bathrooms are back near the entrance and the staircase to rapid transit, and they are some top-notch bathrooms indeed. They make great use of space, they’re clean, and they offer a lot of capacity. Mm-mm, gotta love these bathrooms. Okay, okay, we’ll do the main station now.

The station…from above.

Ahhhhh, we’re finally here. In all its glory, here’s the main station. Man, you gotta love it. For all its insanity at rush hour, you just gotta love it. It’s huge, it has lots of amenities, and it’s so incredibly iconic. The best time to appreciate it is arriving here on a train at night: the whole thing is just silent and completely open. However, I didn’t review this station at night, so it’s time to fight the crowds in an attempt to talk about everything here!

Da big board!

It’s hard to even find a place to begin here! I guess we’ll start with the departure board, because it’s a South Station classic. There isn’t even much to say about it: it tells people when their trains are leaving, and that’s about it. But still, the board is the station’s centerpiece, and it plays that role fantastically.

A few of the food options within the station.

It’s funny how the station’s food court could easily go unnoticed, because there are plenty of food options right here in the main hall! You’ve got an Au Bon Pain, a frozen yogurt place, and the obligatory Dunks, among others. There are even tables at which to eat right here! Who needs the food court mezzanine?

Sorry that a lot of these photos are kinda blurry…

Moving on, we have a Tavern in the Square that I never really pay attention to. I mean, it looks closed in the photo above, but apparently it’s been open for a few years at least! Oh well, regardless, it’s neat that there’s a full-service bar and restaurant right in the middle of the station, and I’m sure it’s a nice place to go for commuters on a Friday night.

The line of schedules underneath the departure board.

The center of the station is defined by a line of posters showing schedules for all the different lines that serve South Station, even for special trains like the one to Foxboro. Also, this is as good a time as any to talk about the advertising onslaught the main hall has experienced. It’s always dominated by gigantic posters for one single company, while big screens on either side show various other ads. Oh well…if it makes the T money and it’s not that intrusive, I can’t really complain.

Martin’s News Shops.

Yet another South Station business whose existence I was unaware of until this review is Pret a Manger. Yeah, apparently I like to walk through the main station really quickly! Another aspect to the station that I only discovered as my family was racing for an Amtrak train on Saturday is more seating in the form of tables to the left of the center aisle. I thought these were new when I saw them, but nope, they’ve always been here. Clearly I never paid attention to anything in here before reviewing it!

Get some reading material for your train ride!

There’s a fairly typical news shop next, offering the classic variety of snacks, magazines, and trinkets. I myself use it a lot to grab a bag of pretzels before a train ride. The southeast corner of the main hall plays host to something a lot more specialized, but a lot more unique: Barbara’s Bestsellers. That’s right, it’s a small bookshop right in the station! I really love that this is here, and while I’ve never gone beyond simply perusing its selection, it’s a wonderful inclusion regardless, and I hope they get good business.

Some stuff alongside the ticket halls.

This section of the station features some waiting space in the form of big wooden benches. Are they comfortable? No, not really…they get the job done, I guess. The ticket halls are across from the benches, but passengers are given options to ignore them in the form of MBTA ticket machines and Amtrak Quik-Trak machines. Seriously, though…two MBTA machines, one of which is cashless? Come on, that’s a recipe for long lines!

Wowie!

Inside the ticket halls is where the “fancy” side of South Station really shines, at least for the general public (we’ll get to that later). They play host to some very ornate architecture, and as little as that matters to the average commuter, it’s small consolation if you have to wait in a line for tickets. I can’t speak for the Amtrak section, having never used it, but the MBTA section is usually well-staffed, and I haven’t had to wait longer than a few minutes to get a ticket.

The information desk.

There’s an information desk near the front of the station that’s always well-staffed, even though I don’t usually see a lot of people actually using it. Oh well, it’s a nice resource (and we’ve already proven I don’t pay enough attention to the goings-on of this place when I use it, so maybe people do use it a lot), and there are plenty of interesting brochures and schedules around the desk. A neat-looking sculpture sits near the area, while next to it is a screen showcasing various attractions in the area (and some way outside the area that are a pain to get to from South Station – who’s going to the North Shore from here?).

And all of a sudden, it’s quiet.

I’ll briefly cover the Summer Street exit from the station, since I had never seen it (let alone used it) prior to this review. It’s an odd one, with a row of payphones being the first thing a passenger sees as they walk through its passageway. Going through an ornate, if rather plain room, one passes by the South Station lost and found office (again, I had no idea there was one until this review) and gets deposited out onto Summer Street.

The very important bus stop!

As part of my policy of reviewing every part of a station, we do have to take a look at the bus stop on Summer Street. As a hub for six bus routes (a whole three of which run at times other than rush hour!), some very expansive facilities are definitely needed. Nah, I’m kidding – the one shelter is fine for the most part, and though it might experience some crowding at peak hours, it’s practically empty at all other times.

A secret passageway!

Okay, the path from Summer Street to the platforms isn’t a secret, but I doubt it’s a connection people think about all that much. There’s not much to it: it’s just a leafy plaza that loops around the side of the station and opens up to the train platforms. Hey, it’s pretty helpful if you’re going from the Commuter Rail to the Seaport District or to a bus connection.

The main platform area.

Let’s use that passageway to get to the platforms. There are thirteen in all, but to travel to any of them, you have to pass through this open area first. It’s what you would expect: there are some wastebaskets for depositing any trash people might’ve had on their train ride, as well as convenient electronic signs showing where the trains on each platform are going and when they’re leaving.

Deep in the bowels of one of the platforms.

As for the platforms themselves, most of them look like the one above: they’re bland and boring. That being said, there’s no need for them to have anything special along them, since there’s plenty of waiting space in the main station. Many trains outside of rush hour board closer to the front, requiring passengers to walk down the platform to where it enters the shadow of the bus terminal – it’s not ideal, but it’s generally the most efficient place to board people if only a few cars are open.

A blurry view of Track 11.

The boarding of an Amtrak train at South Station is always a big deal. You can always tell when it’s happening because you’ll see a line of people with baggage waiting to perform the slow (dare I say agonizing?) process of showing their ticket to an Amtrak employee as they board the train. Sometimes you’ll also see catering carts being pushed toward the train for its café car.

Track 13, located in the Cave of the Winds.

Finally, no look at South Station is complete without a trek down to the elusive Track 13. This is by far the most out-of-the-way track, and it requires going by the US Postal Service facility right next to the station and walking quite a ways south. Oh, Track 13…how I hate using you! And…that’s it, right? I believe I’ve covered the whole of South Station.

OH HELL NO!!!!!!!!!

Nope! I told myself when I set out to doing South Station that I would not and could not consider my coverage complete without a look at the ClubAcela Lounge. This exclusive joint is only accessible to Acela First Class passengers and Business Class passengers who are willing to fork over a $20 fee. Seems crazy, right? Well, we payed that $20 fee, and now it’s time to see what this place has to offer.

We ascend!

The process of even entering this place is secretive and annoying. First you have to ring the buzzer at the door, which prompts an Amtrak employee to open it for you. Next, you go up the stairs and arrive at the service desk, where you present your ticket or pay your fee to be granted access to the facility. It’s also accessible by elevator, and in fact, it uses the same weird elevator that goes down to the rapid transit level!

Gather around the ol’ TV.

Most of the seating in the ClubAcela Lounge is in the form of these puffy blue chairs. I’m pleased to report that yes, they are comfortable! Some of them are arranged in front of a TV, and since a remote control is provided, people can watch whatever they want. There’s also plenty of non-TV seating around the place, including seats with tables and ones with a view of the street outside or the station.

More seating.

The ClubAcela Lounge is the best place to see the fanciest architecture at South Station. The whole thing has a regal feel, especially with the ornate designs with the ceiling. An elaborate clock at one end of the room is helpful for knowing the time, but the Commuter Rail departure board next to it? I don’t think that’s necessary…

The “business” section of the lounge.

Down a set of stairs, there’s a more business-oriented part of the lounge. It has less comfy seats that are situated against desks for working, as well as a few chairs with computers. There’s even a conference room! Of course it was necessary to test the internet speed at one of the computers, and unfortunately, the old version of Internet Explorer took quite a while to load up milesonthembta.blogspot.com (the best page on the internet, as everyone knows).

This has to be the record for most bathrooms visited in a review!

There are bathrooms here as well, and they’re wonderful, as expected. Look, it’s practically spotless! Probably because no one ever uses it! Oh well, it’s still a good bathroom, complete with a diaper changing station and a water fountain outside its entrance.

Hey, people are actually here!

The row of seats along Summer Street seems to be where most people convene. There are a bunch along the wall, but it seems that people really like to take the seat pairs around the windows. They come complete with tables where, as seen above, people can easily make themselves at home. Hey, I’m not judging – it’s not like anyone else is here!

Yummy.

Who doesn’t love free food? The snacks available at the ClubAcela lounge are probably its greatest asset. You’ve got a number of food items as shown above, as well as a variety of drinks, both in bottled and in cup forms. There are also free magazines, even though they look…rather boring. Buy something from Barbara’s Bestsellers instead!

Some of the drink offerings.

So is ClubAcela worth it? No, I don’t think it is. If you happen to have a first class ticket you might as well take advantage of the free entry, but otherwise…no, definitely not. It’s only worth it if you arrive at the station an hour or more early, which is something I just wouldn’t want to do. Why spend your time waiting around in here doing nothing? If you like to arrive at the station really early, it’s a nice place to wait, but it is not worth $20. As an add-on to the already overpriced first class ticket, sure. Also, hey, the review’s done!

Take me out of here, I’ve been writing for far too long!

Station: South Station

Ridership: There are so many different ridership camps here! First and foremost, this is the busiest station on the T rapid transit system in terms of boardings, with 25,037 people getting on each weekday (the vast majority of whom get on the Red Line, while a little over 1,000 passengers board the SL1 and SL2). About 5,000 people also make the transfer between the Red Line and the underground Silver Line routes every weekday. An additional 1,000 people or so board the SL4 here.

Moving on to long-distance transportation, a massive 41,720 passengers get on Commuter Rail trains here each weekday, according to Wikipedia (which apparently got its data from the Blue Book, but I can’t find it anywhere in there – here’s the source I think it got it from). On the Amtrak side of things, the Rail Passengers Association says that 1,552,666 people boarded Amtrak trains from here in 2016, averaging out to just over 4,250 people per day. Another interesting tidbit from the data is that 61,817 people were in first class – that’s a maximum of about 170 people per day that could use the ClubAcela lounge! Finally, intercity buses here get about 16,000 people per day.

Just for fun, I decided to add up all the totals to see just how many people use this place per weekday. I was hoping it would add up to over 100,000, but we still have the very formidable number of 92,999 people per weekday. This is obviously the busiest station on the whole MBTA network.

Pros: South Station as a whole is a really good complex. There’s this very clean, modern feeling that permeates through most of its main sections, from the rapid transit mezzanine to the Silver Line platforms to the bus terminal to the Commuter Rail station. South Station recognizes that it’s a huge intercity hub, and it strives to provide its passengers with all the amenities they’ll need for their trips, long or short. It does very well on that front, offering food, stores, and random souvenirs all over the place. Sure, not all of it is necessary (the cake shop comes to mind), but regardless, each and every business that occupies the station adds a different and unique charm to it. Also, the connectivity between all these different hubs is great. The rapid transit station is integrated incredibly well with the mainline rail station, and while the bus terminal is a little out of the way, the signage is adequate and the trip is quick once you know what you’re doing. Not only did South Station achieve the goal of providing a unified train station in 1899, but it has now grown into an all-in-one hub for intercity travel, and considering how haphazardly that happened over the years, it’s done very well for itself.

Cons: Most of my cons come in the form of niggling little complaints that you saw throughout the review, so I’ll try to only put the really big ones here. First and foremost, it would be great to see the Red Line platform get a little light. Yes, it’s clean, but I’ve always thought it’s far too dark – even some stronger lights could improve the waiting experience there. Also, the elevator from the rail station to rapid transit is…uh…pretty awful. It wouldn’t be easy to fix and it works fine all things considered, but boy, it’s a real pain to use. Finally, while I do think the connection is straightforward once you figure it out, a better way of getting to the bus terminal would be much appreciated. It feels isolated from the rest of the station, and some sort of walkway would feel a lot more welcoming. I mean, at least take the darn construction stuff away from Platform 1! Or make the platform an enclosed passage, that would work too…

Nearby and Noteworthy: Sure, we might be downtown and there are plenty of attractions around here, but apparently the station itself is an attraction, too! Did you know that tours are offered here? I mean, I don’t know why you would need one after toiling over this far-too-comprehensive review, but hey, it’s there! It seems to touch a lot upon the interesting history of the station.

Final Verdict: 8/10
And that’s it. That’s South Station. 8 out of 10. The final station on the T.

Wait, woah. The final station on the T. That’s it.

Oh my gosh, I’ve really done it. Every bus route. Every subway station.

Woah.

Thank you so much for reading, whether it’s been for all five years or you just found the blog recently. Every single person who’s read, commented, or sent me a guest post has been instrumental in keeping this blog going and keeping me engaged to do what I love. And even though this is the last station, we still have lots of Commuter Rail stations to do and even more regional bus routes! Even if you’re not interested in that stuff, I strongly encourage you to read a few posts and see if you like them. The Commuter Rail gave us the wonderful Hastings, after all. Otherwise, thanks for reading however much you read, and I hope that each and every one of you has an amazing day. Happy riding!

Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
I’m just gonna give some alphabetized special thanks here that you don’t have to read, but I just wanted to put in because these people mean a lot to me…

Jaret, you only started coming along on our last few journeys, but you’re such a great person to have around – you always have something intelligent or humorous to say. Sorry for making you get up early to do the 195!
Jordan, thanks for stealing the show in each and every video review you appear in! No, but seriously, you’re such an insanely funny person and an absolute joy to go on trips with. Long live the King!
Josh, you always bring your unique viewpoints and humor to any trip. You’ve managed to convince me that suburbs aren’t the worst thing in the universe, which is a huge achievement. Also, thanks for ruining my vocabulary forever, b o i! No, seriously, you’re awesome.
Nathan, I couldn’t have done half of my RTA reviews without your crazy ideas. You always know where you’re going and you’re one of the smartest and wittiest people I’ve ever met. We’ve survived some of the weirdest situations ever, and I can’t wait to go through more!
Sam, thank you so much for always being there to publish a post at the last minute when I don’t have access to a computer. You’ve taught me so much about how the MBTA works, and I know you’ll be an amazing planner one day – heck, you already are!
Uillia, I don’t know you too well, but from what I’ve seen, you’re an incredibly smart and friendly person. I couldn’t have done the ClubAcela Lounge without your help.
Zof-Zof…thanks for dealing with me talking about buses all the time. Sorry!

Other people who get huge thanks: Jason from (T)he Adventure for giving me the inspiration to start this thing; Elizabeth, Jack, and Yasmin from WBUR for doing an amazing story that has gotten the blog a ton of attention over the past week; all of my teachers for supporting the project over the years; my parents for being responsible for the transit obsession that this blog is based on; the members of the Cambridge Transit Advisory Committee for accepting a young upstart like me into their group; any other specific people who I might’ve forgotten, and I’m so sorry if I did; and, of course, all you readers out there. Thank you. For everything.

CATA: Purple Line (Gloucester – West Gloucester – Essex Town Line)

Jan 18, 2018 | Miles on the MBTA | 1 Comment

It turns out that “Essex Town Line” means exactly that: this route starts right at the border between Essex and Gloucester. There’s not even a signed stop or a proper loop! The bus literally just bangs a u-turn in the middle of Eastern Ave and comes straight back. Let’s flag down the Purple Line, I guess.

The bus after performing its loop.

Well gosh, the biggest characteristic of the Purple Line is that it is just nonstop speed. We sailed down Essex Ave past woods and sparse houses as fast as was possible on the twisty road! And there really wasn’t much else – we passed a church at one point, and there was a self-storage facility just before we went under Route 128, but that was about it for variety.

Whizzing by the church.

We just kept on truckin’. There was a short marsh view just before we passed West Gloucester Station, but though the houses got a little denser after that, it still wasn’t enough to support even a single passenger. Finally, we passed some businesses amidst a sudden marsh, and we merged with Western Ave. This went along the water, and at this point I got off the bus in order to catch the Stage Fort Park Trolley.

Don’t worry, I got off very close to the end of the route.

CATA Route: Purple Line (Gloucester – West Gloucester – Essex Town Line)

Ridership: HA! Yeah, weekday ridership is 24 riders and Saturday ridership is 11. And I’ll bet the only reason weekday ridership is so “high” is because of the route’s school trips, which do get pretty busy from what I’ve seen. This is so abysmally low it’s amazing to think that CATA’s been running this route for years.

Pros: It serves West Gloucester! Not that they really need it…

Cons: Oh come on, why should this route exist outside of school trips? It only runs three times per weekday and four times per Saturday – it’s not exactly an easy schedule to plan your day around! What’s the deal with the weekday schedule, anyway? One of the three trips is at 5:49 AM and it only runs from Gloucester to West Gloucester Station before turning around. Are people actually using that??? There’s not even a return trip in the evening rush – the last one is at 4! Also, just for funsies, did you know that the route has a fare recovery ratio of 3%, and its subsidies are $20.49 and $34.50 per passenger on weekdays and Saturdays, respectively? Wow, CATA is killing themselves by running this thing!

Nearby and Noteworthy: I don’t mean this lightly: this route serves absolutely nothing of interest. It’s almost all houses.

Final Verdict: 1/10
Okay, even CATA admits that this should be reduced to school trips! That’s the only time when it gets any sort of meaningful ridership, and the only time it should run. It could easily be replaced by a call-in service that’s open to anyone, because then buses would only need to head out there when they need to. Gosh, this is such a stupid route!

Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
Something bigger and much more important is coming out tomorrow, the blog’s fifth anniversary. I wonder what it could be…

CATA: Purple Line (SEASONAL: Ipswich – Essex – Crane Beach)

Jan 17, 2018 | Miles on the MBTA | 3 Comments

Reviewing a summer-only route in January…great. The Ipswich-Essex Explorer (say it three times fast!) is Ipswich’s summer shuttle to Crane Beach, and that’s where 99% of the riders take it. Of course, being the stickler I am, I had to get one of the three trips per day that also goes to Essex! So there I was waiting for the bus at Ipswich Station at 12:30 PM.

I am so sick of these types of buses…

A bus pulled in at around 12:20 and I asked the driver if he was going to Essex. He said no, I should wait for the other bus. See, the Ipswich-Essex Explorer technically has a schedule, but on “favorable beach days” they add a second bus and the schedule goes out the window. I waited some more until a second bus pulled in.

These buses are just so ugly!

[I step onto the bus.]
DRIVER: I can promise you that this is not the bus you want.
ME: It is, I’m going to Essex.
DRIVER: Well, then, let’s get your fare paid!
[Long exchange as driver attempts to decipher the overly-complicated fare system. Eventually we figure out how to get a fare to Essex paid on a CharlieCard. Once this is done, I sit down.]
DRIVER: Cambridge!
ME: What?
DRIVER: Do you remember me?
ME: Uhhhh…
DRIVER: I drove you on the Beverly Shuttle last week!
ME: Oh wow, good to see you again!

Yes, my bus was being driven by the awesome driver from the Beverly Shuttle. Great! Also, his opening line definitely says something about how much traffic this route gets going to Essex…

“Let’s get out of here,” the driver said as we left the station.

We headed down Peatfield Street, then we turned onto Estes Street. This was basically just a loop in a residential neighborhood in order to get out of the station and onto Market Street, the heart of downtown Ipswich. There were charming small businesses everywhere!

I miss all the greenery of summer…

We turned onto Main Street next, which took us over the Ipswich River and past a few more businesses. As it curved eastward, though, there were a few museums and historical houses before it just got plain ol’ residential as it went southward and became County Street. However, we went straight by Argilla Road, which the route is supposed to turn onto to go to Crane Beach.

Hey, we’re missing our turn!

ME: Are we not going to Crane Beach?
DRIVER: No, we’re going to Essex.
ME: Isn’t the route supposed to go to Crane Beach?
DRIVER: The other bus went to Crane Beach!
ME: Oh, okay.
DRIVER: Do you want to go to Crane Beach?
ME: I mean, it would be great for the review.
DRIVER: [name of passenger], do you mind if we go up to Crane Beach?
PASSENGER: Nope, as long as we get to Wolf Hollow in time.
DRIVER: Okay, Miles, you’ve got yourself a deal, you crazy kid!

And thus, we turned around and backtracked to Argilla Road. Like I said, awesome driver!

Coming out of the YMCA we used to turn around.

We got to Argilla Road by using Ward and Linden Streets, small residential roads. Now on Argilla, we sped through a lot of woods with many houses hidden behind driveways. It eventually got more marshy, and there was a section of practically nothing except for the Ascot Riding Center, a horse riding school (whose most talented rider I know personally – you know who you are!).

What a beautiful day!

Soon the immediate surroundings around Argilla Road got woodsy again, but there was marshland beyond the layer of hidden houses. We also went by Russell Orchards, a public farm that gets its own Ipswich-Essex Explorer stop. For a while after that, though, it was pure forest until we finally broke into marshland again.

More marshes.

We passed roads leading to a big public mansion called Castle Hill, and things started to get a lot sandier after that. After going past the “guardhouse” of the beach, where drivers pay their entrance fee, we navigated through the parking lot and pulled up right at the pedestrian entrance. The other bus was sitting there and the drivers had a brief conversation about how crazy I am, then we looped around back onto Argilla Road and headed out.

A lone coach bus.

We took Argilla Road all the way back to County Road, onto which we turned again. We came back to that YMCA and the various housing developments around it, and at that point we merged onto Essex Road. This quickly grew residential, but there was also a garden center and a golf course to break up the sparse houses.

“Parking lot full”? Not if you take the bus, baby!

We arrived at Wolf Hollow, where the one passenger disembarked. From there, we continued down the road, which became John Wise Ave when we entered Essex. It was still mostly just sparse houses interspersed with huge amounts of marshland, aside from a golf course and a few businesses here and there.

Cows!

Eventually the road became Main Street and the houses got a heck of a lot denser and more historical. We were now in “Essex Center” for what it’s worth, although it’s mostly just a bunch of antique shops and the Shipbuilding Museum. Once Main Street became an isthmus in the middle of a bunch of marshland, we went by a few restaurants, including the famous Woodman’s, which gets special recognition on the route map.

Going over a bridge in Essex.

Once we reached the end of the Essex route a little past Woodman’s, I told the driver about how I was planning on catching the (other) Purple Line at Essex Town Line 1.6 miles away. I had 18 minutes to somehow walk/run that distance. “You’ll do it in 12!” the driver proclaimed as I stepped off the bus. And after huffing and puffing my way down Eastern Ave, I reached Essex Town Line and checked my watch: it had indeed taken 12 minutes.

Thank you for your inspiration!

CATA Route: Purple Line (SEASONAL: Ipswich – Essex – Crane Beach)

Ridership: Considering how many trips it gets per day, the Ipswich-Essex Explorer gets pretty good ridership. The weekends-only seasonal shuttle gets about 150 people per Saturday and 210 per Sunday. I think I rode it on a slow day, because even the Crane Beach bus only had four passengers, but I’ve heard that the route can get a full-seated load or even standees.

Pros: As centrally located as it is, Ipswich Station is unfortunately quite far from the town’s biggest draw, Crane Beach. As such, this is the perfect connector to get between the station and the beach. It times very well with trains for the most part, at least in the outbound direction. It also serves a variety of other attractions along the way, even timing with Wolf Hollow presentations. The fare for Crane Beach is $5.00, which seems steep at first, but it’s actually not bad: it includes the $2.00 admission fee and it’s round-trip, so you’re really just paying $1.50 in each direction. Finally, this thing has great advertising – I’m sure you’ve seen one of its posters on the subway!

Cons: Someone needs to figure out how to program this into the fareboxes better, because it’s apparently very hard to set up! Anyway, what else is there? The inbound trips time horribly with Commuter Rail trains: for two out of three of the afternoon inbound trips, passengers have to wait over 40 minutes at Ipswich Station for a train! I’m sure this is better on beach days when there are two buses running, as they probably time it better, but the lack of information about this for the passenger is astounding and a big turn-off for the route, I think.

Nearby and Noteworthy: There’s plenty, although I think the biggest draw is Crane Beach by far. Who’s going to take the bus to Essex? There’s a reason it only runs there three times a day.

Final Verdict: 6/10
This is a fine summer shuttle, but it could be better. I have confidence that the route can make it to the station on time when it’s running with two vehicles, but to a passenger looking at the schedule, it appears that there’s absolutely no way of timing with trains. That’s such a problem for the attractiveness of the route! It’s a big drawback for ridership.

Latest MBTA News: Service Updates

CATA: Yellow Line (City of Beverly Shuttle)

Jan 16, 2018 | Miles on the MBTA | 1 Comment

Who knew Beverly had its own circulator route? And who knew it costs a mere 50 cents to ride, or 25 cents for seniors and people with disabilities? It has an 8 dollar monthly pass! Of course, to get where you want to go on the Yellow Line, you have to sit through a lot of deviations…

The bus at its layover point at Beverly City Hall.

The second I stepped on the bus at Beverly Station (where it flew around the corner and I sprinted up to it), I was introduced to a very kind and talkative driver. A melting pot of quips and dad jokes, he made this abysmal ride a lot easier to stomach, and his interactions with the passengers (and their interactions with each other) were interesting to observe. This is one of those routes whose clientele could have their own sitcom based on the nature of their banter.

Coming off of Edwards Street.

We immediately turned onto Railroad Ave, then Rantoul Street, which was lined with multi-story apartment buildings. Next, we turned onto the narrow Edwards Street, then Cabot Street, the main drag of Beverly. It was residential at first with dense houses on both sides, but before we could enter downtown Beverly, we turned onto Central Street. This was a deviation from what the route is supposed to do, and it involved looping through a residential neighborhood (via Lovett and Thorndike Streets) in order to pull up to City Hall from the side and lay over.

This isn’t right!

With that out of the way, we could return to the regular route on Cabot Street, which was now lined with the charming buildings and businesses of downtown Beverly. The further we got, though, the more they started to thin out, and eventually it was once again a residential neighborhood. Soon the street curved west and there was suburban retail around a level crossing with the Rockport Line.

A shopping plaza.

We turned onto Colon Street for a block before merging onto Sohier Road. This was only for a deviation to serve Garden City Towers, an apartment building whose parking lot we looped around before returning to Cabot Street. There were more suburban businesses for a bit, but it soon got residential.

A school bus on a residential street.

We turned onto Balch Street and after a level crossing with the Commuter Rail, we passed a few schools and the northern edge of the Cummings Center complex, then we turned onto McKay Street outside of a golf course. The houses were definitely getting more spread out now, although there were some suburban businesses as we looped back around onto Cabot Street.

A busy gas station.

Coming back down Cabot Street, there were some churches, another school, a huge construction site, and more houses. We had another Commuter Rail level crossing before joining up with an earlier part of the route for a block. Once again we left Cabot Street, though, this time on Herrick Street, which led us past the huge Beverly High School and some more dense houses.

Oh boy, deviation time!

After a few housing developments, we headed into the huge Beverly Hospital. Once that deviation was completed, we came back onto Herrick Street for a bit before turning onto Brimbal Ave. This street was a whole lot of suburban houses, and they continued as we turned onto Essex Street (although Essex had a few weird office parks, too).

Turning onto the foggy Brimbal Ave.

It started to get more woodsy, and just before the road went over Route 128, we turned into the Centerville Woods Complex. This was basically just a series of apartment buildings, and we looped around them before coming back onto Essex and…going back the way we came for quite a while. Oh boy, it was all a deviation!

Coming out of the complex.

Finally, outside of a pond, we continued to new territory again. After going by a small shopping plaza, we passed Montserrat Station and its awful mini-high platforms, then it got residential along Essex Street. After a while of going past dense houses, we looped around a small apartment development…then it turned out that all that had been a deviation, too!

Inside the Cedar Street Apartments.

So we went all the way back up to Montserrat and turned onto Colon Street. This took us past the Beverly Council on Aging (for some reason we didn’t deviate!) and a few industrial buildings, as well as a whole bunch of houses. There were some suburban businesses when we turned onto Cabot Street yet again, but it was only for a block to get over the Commuter Rail – once we had done that, we turned onto Rantoul Street.

This is, incidentally, our third time at this intersection.

This was a mix of suburban business and houses, and they continued as we turned onto Eliott Street, which had level crossings with both the Newburyport and Rockport Lines. Once that was done, we had a double-deviation: first, we went into the Cummings Center complex, which the MBTA 451 also does, funnily enough; after that, we headed across the street to deviate into a Stop & Shop.

About to head into the Cummings Center.

We returned to Eliott Street, going right alongside the Bass River, as well as some businesses and the Beverly School for the Deaf. After those places, it got residential – we were just sailing past a bunch of houses. Finally, we entered Danvers very briefly to serve a few businesses. Right after we crossed the border, it was a left on Bridge Street and we headed right back into Beverly.

Hi, Danvers! Bye, Danvers!

It was mostly residential along Bridge Street too, but there was the occasional business that came up. Finally, we went over the street’s namesake: a bridge crossing the Bass River. It was pretty industrial on the other side, but there were some businesses and apartments when we made our way over to Rantoul Street via River Street and Federal Street. Finally, we turned onto Broadway, taking us back to Beverly Station where we had started.

The minibus continuing its never-ending loop.

Okay…here’s the thing. At one point on the trip, the driver told me I should try taking the route’s Saturday morning variation. He said it’s really scenic and an awesome ride. I didn’t think I would take him up it…except then I did. Well, why not?

Okay, wow, wasn’t expecting that.

On Saturday mornings, the shuttle takes an almost completely different route, including three express sections and a bunch more deviations. Also…apparently it uses a full-sized bus????? This is because it doesn’t go over the Bridge Street bridge on the Saturday variant, so a driver can take a proper bus if they want to. Not only was the bus on my Saturday a full-sized vehicle, but it was one of the CATA’s newest ones, and it was really nice inside.

It’s so weird being on a minibus route in…this.

The start of the Saturday route is similar to the weekday one. We made our way around to Cabot Street via Edwards Street, and this time we didn’t do the unofficial City Hall deviation. Instead of going up to Garden City Towers, we went right onto Eliott Street. Again, we performed the double-deviation of Cummings Center and Stop & Shop, then we went out past the many houses of Eliott Street.

Inside the Cummings Center.

Here’s where things got different: we turned onto County Way suddenly, which was a side street lined with houses. At the end of that, we turned onto Bridge Street, but in the direction of Danvers – were we looping around back to Eliott Street to avoid using the bridge? Well, we did turn onto Eliott again…but we took it further into Danvers. Alright, that’s unexpected.

A field, I guess?

It continued to be mostly residential, but there was a proper farm on one side street, so we were leaving civilization to some degree. And then, out of nowhere, we whizzed onto Route 128. That’s right, it was the first of three express sections, and it was weird. I mean, sure, my first-ever CATA review (and my first RTA review, no less), coincidentally of a different Yellow Line service, had a lengthy express section, but that was different. This is a deviatory loop-de-loop; that was a designated express service.

Of all the exits to take, we do the weird sideways one!

We were only on the highway for a bit, getting off at the next exit. This took us onto Trask Lane, a curvy road lined exclusively with random apartment developments. It became Manor Road, and we looped around at the last development on it, Apple Village. And from there, it was straight back up to the highway! Express section number 2!

Inside one of the developments.

Once again, it was just for one exit, and we got off at the next one, 20. This led us onto Dodge Street, which we used to deviate into a Shaw’s (although there were plenty of other businesses in its plaza too). We went the other way down Dodge Street from there, going under the highway and arriving at an intersection with suburban businesses. Once we merged onto County Way, then McKay Street, we were back on the weekday route, except we were travelling down it the wrong way.

Another turn.

We turned onto Balch Street next, going by the north side of the Cummings Center, then we briefly headed down Cabot Street before turning onto Herrick Street. This took us past the Beverly High School, then we deviated into the Beverly Hospital – this was all stuff the weekday route does, too. We made our way over to Brimbal Ave and turned onto Essex Street, which was all previously charted territory.

Looking down Herrick Street.

We took Essex Street up to the Centerville Woods Complex, which the weekday route also serves. However, whereas on weekdays the buses go back down Essex Street, on Saturdays – and keep in mind, this is Saturday mornings only – there’s another express section! That’s right, we went back onto Route 128, although it was once again just one exit.

Going down the highway.

Of all the towns to have a bus route, we actually entered Wenham for a short stretch. It didn’t last long, though – once we got off at Exit 17 and went down Hart Street, we were back in Beverly. This was a twisty street than ran through the woods past some pretty sparse houses.

Coming off of Route 128.

Around the time we went by a cemetery, the dwellings started to get closer together. We turned onto Hale Street where the pattern continued, and finally, we went by the beautiful village of Beverly Farms! We didn’t go down its main drag, though, continuing down Hale and crossing the Commuter Rail tracks at, yes, Prides Crossing Station. Told you it had a bus connection!

Going over the tracks.

After the station it became woods and sparse houses again until we hit Endicott College. This part was awesome: there were college buildings everywhere, and we even came up to the water for a few short moments. It was a fantastic view!

Wowie!

Although we sadly curved inland, Endicott College buildings continued for a little while longer before we suddenly entered a residential neighborhood. Hale Street twisted its way past lots of dense houses which continued as we turned onto Corning Street. This took us to good ol’ Montserrat Station, where we turned onto Essex Street, joining the weekday route again.

About to head onto Essex Street.

It wasn’t for long, though – after deviating into the Cedar Street Apartments, the route would normally go back up Essex to Montserrat, but we actually continued the way we were going. It was entirely residential until the Beverly Public Library, where we turned onto Dane Street. This took us back to Cabot Street, and now we went up to Garden City Towers. It’s so weird how on weekdays that’s one of the first deviations while on Saturdays it’s one of the last!

Coming out of Garden City.

It was the home stretch. We headed down Rantoul Street, passing a mix of businesses and dense houses. As we got further south, there started to be more retail in the mix, and everything was getting closer together. Finally, we turned onto Broadway and pulled up at the Commuter Rail station. Wow, I made this review way longer than it had to be!

It’s still weird that you’re a full-sized bus!

CATA Route: Yellow Line (City of Beverly Shuttle)

Ridership: The route is the fourth-busiest one on the CATA, except…wow, I’ve reviewed some CATA routes before but I don’t think I ever realized how few people use this system. So yes, the fourth-busiest route on the whole system gets about 60 people per weekday and around 40 per Saturday. Ouch.

Pros: The best thing about this route is the fares. I mean, my gosh, the majority of this route’s riders are seniors, and they only have to pay a quarter! I don’t know who would get a monthly pass for this, but if you want to, they’re only 8 bucks! So yes, the fares, those are very good. Also, the weekday schedule is hourly, which is fine.

Cons: Before I talk about the route itself, let me just run some numbers by you. This route has the lowest productivity on the CATA, with 6.1 passengers per weekday revenue hour (so per trip, basically, since this route has hourly headways) and 4.4 per Saturday revenue hour. Because of the incredibly low fares, the route has a subsidy of $26.06 per passenger on weekdays and $36.10 per passenger on Saturdays. GEEZ LOUISE, the City of Beverly had better give CATA bucket loads of money for making it keep the fares so low!

And now we get to the route itself. The crazy, insane, loopy route itself, that makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. How is a one-way loop expected to be useful and efficient for people to use? Why do there have to be so many crazy deviations? Why is the Saturday service completely different, and even more different for the first three trips? Why do the first three Saturday trips even bother to go out to Beverly Farms and Endicott College when from what I saw, those sections don’t get a soul? Why is there an “early morning” weekday trip at 6:45 (that takes a completely different route, I might add), presumably for commuters, when the last trip from the station is at 3:52 PM? SIGH.

Nearby and Noteworthy: I would argue that this route doesn’t serve much of note that’s not already accessible from the Commuter Rail. I mean, with five stops in the town, it already has great coverage, and they serve the most interesting parts of the city.

Final Verdict: 3/10
This route sucks. As I’ve made clear, there are so many things about it that make absolutely no sense, and I think CATA is aware of this. They say in their Transit Plan, and I quote, “Cannot change service per contract with City of Beverly, but a split route with bidirectional service would better serve the city’s needs.” It’s like they know what a better route would be, and they might even have a plan for what they want to do, and yet they can’t do anything. They’re contractually obligated to run this horrible, horrible service. CATA, I am so sorry.

Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
Here’s another T blog called Alex to a T, about a kid and his mom visiting all the stations on the subway in alphabetical order! It’s well-written and interesting, and I recommend you give it a look.

Rockport

Jan 15, 2018 | Miles on the MBTA | 10 Comments

The final stop on the Rockport Line, and its namesake! What kind of epic terminal station does it have? Is it full of amazing amenities? No? Well, okay then…

The parking lot.

Rockport has a strange layout. The parking lot has 88 free (!) spaces, and it wraps around the small siding tracks for Commuter Rail trains. Plus, the whole station complex is in such a weird place, situated between a bunch of different shopping plazas.

Two trains squeezed into the station.

A narrow pedestrian walkway comes around the side of a Dunkin’ Donuts into the station. On the way out there’s a nice sign showing the various walking routes to downtown Rockport, but once we get to the platform, it just becomes…ew. It’s a narrow and short affair with a flimsy shelter overhead and a single bench and wastebasket stuffed underneath amidst a sea of newspaper boxes. It leads up to a mini-high platform with one more bench, and though there’s actually a short low-level section past the mini-high, there’s nothing on it except for a bike rack. And yeah…that’s about it for Rockport.

Up on the mini-high.

Station: Rockport

Ridership: Despite being the namesake of the line it’s on, Rockport is only the third-busiest station on it. On the average weekday it gets 323 riders, although I’m sure ridership goes up quite a bit during the summer.

Pros: The station is accessible and the mini-high actually has a bench on it, which is a plus. There’s a good amount of parking, considering that the surrounding area is so dense with homes. And speaking of the area, this station is in a great location, with downtown Rockport less than a fifteen-minute walk away.

Cons: I don’t like how compact the whole thing is. The platform is just squeezed between the track and the parking lot, and the parking lot is squeezed around two more tracks for storage, and the whole complex is squeezed between random shopping plazas! I know Rockport is a dense historical town, but this station feels claustrophobic.

Nearby and Noteworthy: Rockport, obviously! It has a great downtown area with lots of historical buildings and small businesses, as well as a few small beaches. The train is a very convenient way to get up here.

Final Verdict: 6/10
It’s fine, I guess. I mean, this is one of the better mini-high platforms on the Newburyport/Rockport Lines, which is sad to say. The whole place is cramped and haphazard, but it’s more or less the only option given the surrounding area. All of Rockport’s faults are explainable, but it doesn’t make the station any better.

Latest MBTA News: Service Updates

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