WRTA: Paxton Shuttle (Anna Maria College – Union Station Hub via Paxton Square and Tatnuck Square)
Okay, show of hands, who’s ever heard of Paxton, Massachusetts? No one? Okay, good. I hadn’t heard of it either until my friend Nathan pointed out that the WRTA has a bus that runs there…but only on Wednesdays and Fridays. Well, whaddayaknow, we had a free Wednesday off from school! So let’s ride this really strangely scheduled Paxton Shuttle…
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| The bus (if you can call it that) at Union Station. |
Keep in mind that Nathan and I had to run to make this bus, having departed the chronically late MART Worcester Shuttle. We had assumed the bus would board in the actual WRTA Central Hub at Union Station, since the schedule says “Union Station Hub” like any other WRTA route. But…no, turns out it boards outside the Central Hub, on Foster Street. And the bus has no signage, so we had to ask the driver to make sure it was the right route.
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| The inside of the vehicle. |
Of course, calling this a “bus” is a bit of a joke, since it had literally six seats. That’s right, it was basically a “The Ride” vehicle! Indeed, I’ll bet it is just a dial-a-ride vehicle that happens to do a fixed route once in a while. It was really strange…
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| Awwww yeah, rear-view shot! |
We turned onto Front Street, which took us into downtown Worcester. One side of the street had the Worcester Common, while the other side was lined with multi-story buildings. We passed City Hall, then continued onto Pleasant Street, following the 2. Now, there are two things to note here: number one is that the Paxton Shuttle is supposed to follow the 6’s route, but I guess we…weren’t doing that? The other thing is that the route operates closed-door in Worcester, so it makes no stops – I guess that means it doesn’t matter what route it takes, then.
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| A side street. |
The street became a mix of businesses, houses, and apartments as it coasted down a hill. There were also some churches and a small park in the mix. After we crossed Park Ave, though, Pleasant Street became entirely residential, with woods on the other side!
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| Goin’ around a small rotary. |
We arrived at a roundabout, and Pleasant Street continued to be lined with houses beyond, now on both sides of the road. There were, however, some nice-looking local businesses at the intersection with Richmond Ave. After many more houses, we finally arrived in Tatnuck Square, where there were varied retail buildings. This is the Paxton Shuttle’s only other stop in Worcester.
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| Some businesses in Tatnuck Square. |
We continued down Pleasant Street, which rose up on a slight hill and started to feel rather woodsy. The spread-out houses we passed were huge, but they got a bit smaller as we entered a denser neighborhood, even passing a few businesses. Finally, we entered Paxton and began the route’s unique section!
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| Blurry houses along Pleasant Street. |
The scenery was quite nice along here, with the road curving around small houses on either side. It was basically all residential, aside from a few farms here and there. And…yeah, that was about it for this part of the journey. Most of the houses were natural, but at one point the road went through a more developed neighborhood where the residences were all the same.
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| Woah, check out that lens flare! |
Eventually, the houses were finally broken, as we passed the nice public safety complex of Paxton, containing both fire and police vehicles. This area also featured an industrial garage, a Dunkin’ Donuts, an animal hospital, and a fitness club. A little later, there were some businesses and a lovely town common in Paxton Center.
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| Paxton Town Common. |
We turned onto Maple Street, taking us over hills and past beautiful trees and more houses. Next, we turned onto Grove Street, which was a less charming road due to its wideness. Finally, we headed onto Sunset Lane, which took us into the campus of Anna Maria College, the last stop of the route.
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| The bus at the college. |
It’s worth noting that on the way back, we actually made an extra deviation that doesn’t appear in the schedule or on the map! It was pretty soon after leaving the college; we turned off of Grove Street in order to serve The Hills at Paxton Village, an apartment development. It was a strange deviation involving reversing the bus multiple times (despite an easy loop right in front of the building), but eventually we were on our way back to Worcester again.
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| Another shot at the college. |
WRTA Route: Paxton Shuttle (Anna Maria College – Union Station Hub via Paxton Square and Tatnuck Square)
Ridership: The driver gave some very showing statistics for this route’s ridership: “I get five people per day – four students and one professor.” So basically, this shuttle is utilized by the same five people from Anna Maria College every day, meaning one person per round trip (this held true for us, with one person going from Anna Maria to Worcester). And keep in mind that the route only runs Wednesdays and Fridays, so it’s only about 40 people per month!
Pros: The route is very useful…for five people. The same five people. Twice a week. Hmm…
Cons: Oh come on, does this route really need to exist? Paxton is such a tiny town, and a bus that only runs twice a week, five trips per day, really isn’t helping anyone. Except for…five people, I guess. I mean, if they really want to increase ridership on this thing, how about giving it consistent service, seven days a week? You know, like a normal bus route.
Nearby and Noteworthy: Paxton Center was nice enough, I guess, but I doubt it would be able to hold anyone’s interest for more than half an hour…
Final Verdict: 1/10
It is a rather pleasant ride, don’t get me wrong, but this bus just seems so useless. I mean, who would be affected if they cut it? Just…four students and one professor. Gosh…knowing who these people are gives me such a personal connection to them…maybe they should keep this route around!
Oh wait, a route with 5 riders per day is ridiculous. CUT IT!
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
MART: Worcester Shuttle
A shuttle from Fitchburg to Worcester? Wow, okay, that sounds kinda useful! The idea of an “intercity crosstown” route, as it were, is pretty cool and a good way of encouraging suburban growth. High praise? Yes indeed. Too high? Absolutely – the Worcester Shuttle is not a route to be taken seriously.
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| The bus at the Intermodal Center (note the lack of signage). |
So what’s the deal with this route? Well, it’s mainly meant for veterans, seniors, or people with disabilities, but it’s also open to the general public. The way it works, the route has several “guaranteed stops” in Fitchburg, Leominster, and Worcester that – as you would expect – every trip stops at. The other stops are at hospitals, and they operate on a request basis. If no one wants to go there, the bus ain’t stoppin’.
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| Ewwwww… |
Okay, first of all, let’s analyze this schedule. Now, I’m not gonna mention the fact that it only runs three times a day, but rather, we’re looking at the logistical side of this. Notice that the route is given five minutes to travel from the Fitchburg Intermodal Transit Center to the Leominster Senior Center. Umm…that’s a 12 minute drive…by car…without traffic! So since the bus is already 7 minutes late when it gets to Leominster, it’ll have an even harder time getting to Worcester on time, even without making the “non-guaranteed” request stops along the way! And the trip back is even worse! So basically, it’s impossible for the Worcester Shuttle to be on time. Great…
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| Not the best interior shot I’ve ever taken… |
But you think that’s crazy? How about the boarding procedure?? My friend Nathan and I (having confirmed with the driver that the bus was indeed the Worcester Shuttle – it had no signage and wasn’t stopped in the actual busway) boarded the vehicle, and instantly started getting interrogated!
“Last name?”
“Taylor.”
“First initial?”
“M.”
“Destination?”
“Union Station.”
*driver writes furiously on clipboard* “That’ll be 10 dollars.”
Okay, well, after that annoying process (repeated for Nathan), we were finally ready to leave…10 minutes late.
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| Going over the Commuter Rail tracks. |
We headed down Main Street, then turned onto Water Street, going over the Commuter Rail tracks and descending past Central Valley Plaza. However, we soon ascended again, over a river and onto higher ground. The street was lined with a mixture of dense houses, apartments, and industrial-looking businesses.
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| I love that bridge! |
Eventually we started to come down a hill again, going by an abandoned Halloween-themed store. The road became a mix of houses and industrial buildings once more, along with the occasional sketchy-looking business. The street widened for an intersection with Wanoosnoc Road (fantastic name), and after that there was a short all-residential stretch.
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| Wooo, an auto shop! |
As we entered Leominster, the street became North Main Street and the surroundings became more industrial, and other businesses showed up, too. There were even houses here and there, mixed in with everything else. The road grew way wider when we crossed over Route 2, then it narrowed slightly as we passed Water Tower Plaza and a big hospital.
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| Going over Route 2. |
We had been following the 2 this whole time, but we left that route as we merged onto Washington Street. This was a purely residential neighborhood, right up until we turned onto West Street and arrived at the Leominster Senior Center. There was a proper shelter here (the stop is also served by the 8), but no one waiting.
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| A side street in Leominster. |
Well, I guess it was time to leave and head to Worcester! Right? RIGHT? Ha, nope! The driver filled out another piece of paperwork when we arrived, but then we were just doing nothing, even once he had finished! Keep in mind that Nathan and I had a connection to make in Worcester, so we needed to be on time. Waiting here at the Senior Center for seemingly no reason was not helping.
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| Coming into downtown Leominster. |
Finally, finally, FINALLY we left, continuing down West Street and arriving at Monument Square, the “downtown” of Leominster. The street became Mechanic Street, and we crossed over a railroad track as we left Monument Square. There was a short industrial section, then after a cathedral, it was a mix of houses and apartments.
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| That’s an impressive cathedral! |
As we left the neighborhood, the street widened with a median and became the Leominster Connector. We ran through pretty open land, crossed over a river, and then merged onto I-190, heading south towards Worcester! I had never been on 190 before, which made it all the more interesting to be there on a minibus.
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| A random highway view… |
There isn’t much to write home about with the scenery, though. It was, uh, basically just woods. It wasn’t until we entered Worcester that it became interesting, with a cool panoramic view of some industrial buildings, and later on some houses and some malls.
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| The latter view. |
The highway merged into I-290, which continued at ground level past more industrial buildings. We took the next exit, 18, which brought us onto Lincoln Street. The wide road curved past a variety of buildings before becoming Major Taylor Boulevard. As we came into downtown Worcester, the bus turned onto Thomas Street, then the tiny Commercial Street (essentially an alley).
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| Downtown Worcester. |
Next, we turned onto Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard, and finally onto Main Street, arriving at the stop for the Worcester District Court. Looked like no one was getting on or off, so it was time to continue towards Union Station! Right? RIGHT?
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| A parking lot with some apartments above it, as seen from the unmoving bus. |
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| BOOOOOOOOOOO! |
Cons: TOO BAD THIS WAS ONE OF THE WORST BUS EXPERIENCES OF MY LIFE. Okay, first of all, the boarding procedure is so ridiculous! Why the heck do passengers have to give their information? Why does the driver have to fill out paperwork? Why does the vehicle have no signage? Why does it not just board in the main busway? But noooooo, that’s not the main problem! IT IS LITERALLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR THIS BUS TO BE ON TIME. THE FACT THAT IT HAS TO WAIT FOR FIVE MINUTES AT EVERY STOP, COUPLED WITH THE IMPOSSIBLE SCHEDULE, MEANS THAT YOU’D BETTER GIVE YOURSELF A BUNCH OF EXTRA TIME TO BE LATE! WHAT KIND OF HORRIBLE ROUTE IS THIS????
Nearby and Noteworthy: Fitchburg and Worcester, but there’s not much point in riding this if you live in the Boston area. Mostly because it SUCKS.
Final Verdict: 1/10
It’s one thing to run a route with completely ridiculous boarding requirements, no signage, and long wait times at each stop. But to run a route that’s guaranteed to be late is just about the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen! Argh, it just infuriates me that someone scheduled this and expected it to work! But why complain when I can fix the solution? I present to you a REALISTIC schedule for the route (the stops with asterisks are “guaranteed stops”):
Compare it to the official schedule at the beginning of the post – quite a lot longer, isn’t it? Admittedly, this schedule assumes that the bus makes every non-guaranteed stop, which isn’t likely to happen; without stopping at any of them, like on my trip, I would peg the arrival at the Worcester Courthouse to be at about 4:20 – slightly earlier than when we got in, actually. My trip couldn’t even beat the “realistic” schedule!!! But yeah, the point is that the current schedule is ridiculous, and honestly, this whole route is ridiculous. I guess it has to stay around for political reasons (presumably), but man, it’s SO BAD! Ech…
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
MART: 4 (Fitchburg State University)
I had a lot of expectations for this route, and seemingly none of them were fulfilled. One of the main ones was that I assumed it would cost $1.25 to ride, the typical MART fare. Well, no, turns out it’s free! Okay, I certainly can’t complain about a free ride. So let’s take a look at this short shuttle from Fitchburg Station to FSU, the 4.
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| A MINIBUS? NOOOOOOOOOO! |
Yes, another one of my dashed expectations was that the route would use a full-sized bus. Nope…a minibus just HAD to pull up to that berth, didn’t it? Granted, it was a perfectly fine minibus with comfy seats and a fairly unjiggly wheelchair lift, but…it was a minibus.
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| Going by a bank. |
We pulled out of the Fitchburg Intermodal Center and headed up North Street, basically bypassing downtown. It got residential pretty quickly, but we also passed FSU’s Recreation Center. And beyond that, we were in full-on college land, with fairly tall university buildings lining the street.
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| Interesting buildings here! |
At one point, the road went under what I can only assume is the FSU dining hall (just based on the fact that that’s the name of the stop under the building), which was pretty cool. Also along this section, we passed a full-sized bus going the other way! Yes, apparently the 4 uses two buses, which debunked another one of my expectations – I thought there would only be one.
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| Passing a parking lot. |
Eventually we left the main drag, and it became residential once we passed the McKay Campus School, another FSU building. Next we turned onto John Fitch Highway, and soon after we headed into a parking lot. This took us past a field and then up to the Wallace Civic Center, the last stop on the route.
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| The shelter at the Civic Center. |
However, the stopping procedure at the Civic Center was ridiculous! The bus goes right past the main entrance, but can it stop there? Noooooo, it has to meander through the parking lot and get to a shelter that’s really far away from the building! Sure, it’s a nice shelter, but letting people off at the front of the building would be nicer!
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| My friend Nathan and I waited for the full-sized bus to take us back to the station. |
MART Route: 4 (Fitchburg State University)
Ridership: The 4 is by far the most-used route on the MART, with over 180,000 riders per year! Of course, most of those riders are concentrated when school is in session, and I only wish the MART gave summer data, as I’m sure it’s much lower. Still, due to its nature as a college shuttle, the 4 gets lots of people when school is happening!
Pros: The 4 is incredibly useful for FSU students – it’s a free bus that can take you anywhere along North Street (people can flag down the bus anywhere) that comes every few minutes! Who wouldn’t want to rely on this thing?
Cons: I question the Saturday and summer service, which is every hour. There are no public ridership statistics for these times, but I can’t see that many people using such a tiny route when school isn’t in session. Also, the Civic Center stopping situation is terrible.
Nearby and Noteworthy: Need to get to FSU? Well, this is your route! It doesn’t really go anywhere else…
Final Verdict: 9/10
It’s the freeness that bumps the 4 that extra point up. The fact that it’s free means that college students can just hop on the bus anywhere without having to wait too long and go essentially wherever they want on campus! And yes, I know that FSU students ride free on the MART anyway, but…well, making it free for everyone is just a nice thing to do, isn’t it?
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
Wells (Amtrak)
Well(s), well(s), well(s), time to take a look at Wells! This is a station on the Downeaster in a very middle-of-nowhere section of the town of the same name, and it’s the one we used to get home from Transit Day. What kind of stuff does it have to offer? Let’s find out.
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| Special thanks to Sam’s camera! Mine was out of battery… |
We were dropped off in the station parking lot, which features a nice loop for drop-offs and pick-ups. It’s also a busway, served by a Greyhound trip every day, as well as the Shoreline Explorer, which serves Wells with one full-year route and one summer trolley. Finally, the station features private car parking, of course, with about 200 spaces.
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| Heading around the side of the building. |
The side of the Wells building features bike racks and newspaper boxes. There’s a path that leads around to the platform, which is useful if you’re rushing for the train and don’t want to enter the building. Finally, there were some nice Halloween decorations in the mulch.
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| The inside of the building. |
Wells has a fantastic modern building, with a bunch of amenities inside. Firstly, it features basically any type of brochure you can imagine, from Wells-related ones to Maine-related ones to travel-related ones! There’s a desk for a station host, but they probably weren’t working this late at night. The building also features a Quik-Trak ticketing machine, as well as a human to sell tickets.
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| The “transportation corner”. |
What else, what else? Well, there are some vending machines in the center of the room to provide snacks, and a few benches to wait for the train inside. There are bathrooms here, too, and they were very clean! Oh, and the whole inside was decked out with Halloween decorations, which was super cute.
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| The building from the outside. |
Heading out of the building, there’s a nice little park next to the platform. It has a flagpole, some benches, and in honor of Halloween, an absolutely fantastic little display of ghosts dancing around in a circle! Seriously, what train station has Halloween decorations? I love it!
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| The platform. |
Wells’s platform is…well, probably the least interesting part of the station. It’s pretty small to begin with, and much of it is low-level with a bit of shelter. It features a mini-high, too, which has more shelter and at least a bench. I guess they expect most people to wait inside the building instead, which is certainly reasonable.
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| I…I…I think that’s a train! Maybe! |
Station: Wells
Ridership: In 2015, the station got 48,890 people, and unfortunately it seems that ridership on the Downeaster is generally decreasing. Still, that makes Wells the second-busiest station in Maine after Portland, and 134 passengers per day with only six trains isn’t bad.
Pros: Wells has so much character, from the great building amenities to (especially) the Halloween decorations! The parking seems to be sufficient (and right off of I-95), and the platform is standard for the Downeaster.
Cons: That does mean the platform feels a bit bare, but the building is the best place to wait for the train, anyway.
Nearby and Noteworthy: If you come here in summer, you can use the Shoreline Explorer to get to the beach! I can’t tell you how good of a beach it is, and I’m sure it gets crowded, but hey…the beach!
Final Verdict: 9/10
Even late at night, this station still felt very charming and welcoming. I’m sure it has a much different feel in the summer when it’s overrun with beachgoers, but I’m sticking to my guns and giving this place a 9. Seriously, what a lovely station!
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
Suffolk Downs Shuttle
So…I guess Suffolk Downs has a bus service? Yeah, it was really strange when my friend Josh and I walked out of the station (which, incidentally, deserves a higher score than the 3 I gave it) and just saw people boarding a Paul Revere Transportation minibus at a weird pseudo-busway! Yeah, so…let’s look at this shuttle thing.
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| The…”busway”. |
So where does this shuttle even run? Well, it goes from the Suffolk Downs Blue Line station to the clubhouse for the Suffolk Downs track, a distance of 0.3 miles. As you can imagine, it’s not the longest trip in the world. The route boards at a loop on the Waldemar Avenue side of the station that surprisingly has signage!
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| The bus at the loop. |
The minibus wasn’t bad inside. It had a decent number of seats (that probably never get filled), and they were all quite comfortable. The wheelchair lift had a slight bit of jiggling action, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as other minibuses. And of course, the radio was on, but it was pretty quiet.
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| The only decent picture I could get through the rainy windows… |
The trip is…very short. We left the busway and headed down Waldemar Avenue next to the racetrack. It looks like there are actually two Waldemar Aves, but this one is mostly isolated from other streets, and is only within the Suffolk Downs complex. Eventually (by that I mean about 15 seconds later), we entered a parking lot and reached the final stop at the clubhouse, once again with signage! And, uh, that’s it.
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| Not a bad stop! |
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| The bus at the clubhouse. |
Route: Suffolk Downs Shuttle
Ridership: Surprisingly high! I mean, our initial trip got two other people, and every other trip we saw had at least one person. Sure, it’s no 111, but for a minibus, that’s really not bad at all!
Pros: It’s a link to the clubhouse that gets riders, I guess. Also, since the trip is so short, it runs really frequently. A one-way ride is literally a minute, so essentially the route runs every 2-3 minutes! Hey, it’s just one bus, and most trips have at least one person, so I guess I can’t complain.
Cons: Its length, I guess? I mean, the clubhouse is less than a third of a mile away from the station! That said, the ridership seems to consist of all seniors, so I’ll give the route a break.
Nearby and Noteworthy: You’re literally only going to ride this bus if you’re going to Suffolk Downs! So…yeah, Suffolk Downs.
Final Verdict: 8/10
Hey, I mean, it gets the job done, right? It runs frequently, it gets some degree of ridership, and it serves…something. I guess it’s, uh, good!
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
Boston Express (Video Review)
Our second-ever video review, this time of the Boston Express to New Hampshire! Enjoy!
Boston Express (I-93 Route)
Man, the South Station Bus Terminal is crazy! Our trip to North Londonderry (from which we would get a ride to Transit Day) was my first time getting a bus from the terminal, and it’s all such a mess! But the review of South Station shall come a different day – for now, we’re looking at the Boston Express coach bus to New Hampshire!
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| Okay, evidently it’s hard to take photos in the South Station Bus Terminal… |
The bus was typical coach bus fare, with big relatively comfortable seats. Amenities included tight tray-tables, radios that played mediocre music, a tiny bathroom, and really ugly TV screens showing the destination and bus rules. Keep in mind that this particular trip was run by Concord Coach Lines, so perhaps the actual Boston Express buses are different.
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| Looking toward the front. |
We pulled out of the birth at the lovely time of 6:30 AM and made our way through the dark terminal. Coming out into the light, the sun was just starting to rise, and we got an amazing view of Boston. We travelled down those bus terminal access roads and somehow got onto I-90 (I honestly can’t make heads or tails of how that interchange works). You see, while most trips start at the airport and then go to South Station, we had to start at South Station and essentially deviate to serve the airport.
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| Okay, I could not get good pictures in this lighting! This is from the airport. |
We went through the Ted Williams Tunnel out to East Boston, then popped out and went onto an elevated ramp. This took us to our first stop, Terminal A, where we unfortunately had to wait a while for scheduling purposes. Finally we were able to leave, and after stopping at all the other terminals, we started to depart the airport as the driver gave us a quick rundown of the rules.
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| Goin’ through the toll. |
This time we headed onto the elevated Route 1A, then curved through a toll booth and into the Callahan Tunnel. Coming back into Boston, we merged onto I-93, and about half an hour after leaving South Station, we were finally able to head in the right direction. We went over the Zakim Bridge and then ran down the high elevated highway through Somerville.
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| Kind of a cool view going over the Zakim. |
We returned to ground level as we continued through Somerville, then passed Medford Square later on. The Middlesex Fells Reservation came next, with woods and trees on either side, and then we went through Woburn and crossed I-95. From there, the scenery along the highway was basically forest, although office parks and houses were on side roads that we couldn’t see.
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| Exit 38, I guess. |
Eventually we crossed I-495, and got a great view of the Merrimack River as we crossed over it soon after. This was just about the last frontier in Massachusetts, as we entered New Hampshire just a few exits later. At Exit 2, we merged off the highway, turned onto Pelham Road, and then headed into our first stop: Salem, NH. It was a simple park-and-ride, but it seemed to have a decent building with amenities inside.
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| Leaving the park-and-ride. |
It was a bit of a pain to get out of the park-and-ride – we had to go down Raymond Ave, go around a rotary, then turn onto South Policy Street (which was residential), Pelham Road, and finally merge back onto I-93. It was woods for the next few exits, including Exit 4, which buses serve at rush hour.
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| Wow, that’s some epic fog! |
Eventually we got off at Exit 5, turning onto Rockingham Road. A very deep fog had developed by this point, making for some cool views as we pulled into what would the the route’s last stop, North Londonderry. However, this was technically a Concord Coach trip, so our bus would be going further into New Hampshire.
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| The bus at the lovely North Londonderry stop. |
Boston Express Route: I-93
Ridership: In January 2014, the route got about 33,000 people, or about 1,065 per day. Keep in mind that that’s inbound passengers only, meaning that each inbound trip gets an average of over 31 people! Even my outbound Saturday trip at 6:30 AM got a few riders – sure, it was only about 10-15, but that’s really good considering the time.
Pros: There is so much to like about this route. For one thing, the schedule is great: it’s every hour during non-peak times and on weekends, while during rush hour it operates essentially with every 15 minute service, with each trip stopping at different stops to balance out the ridership. Simply fantastic! Also, the fares are pretty reasonable, charging $14 from Londonderry to South Station, and $13 from Salem. There’s a $4 surcharge to get to the airport, unfortunately, but that makes sense. Fares can either be bought in advance, or upon exiting the bus if you have proper identification. Finally, according to John Arico, who gave us a ride from Londonderry to Transit Day, the proper Boston Express buses are even nicer than the Concord Coach Lines ones!
Cons: Nothing too bad, just some little annoyances with the vehicle and schedule. For example, the screens and radios on the bus weren’t the best, and it was annoying how we had to deviate to serve Logan Airport on that one trip.
Nearby and Noteworthy: There’s nothing much in Londonderry, but you could theoretically take this bus to get to Canobie Lake Park! Granted, it’s a half hour walk from the Salem stop, but it’s possible!
Final Verdict: 9/10
This route provides excellent service for people in southern New Hampshire who commute to Boston. The funny thing is that it doesn’t even serve particularly major cities, yet a bunch of people still use it! Honestly, this route is a prime example as to why we should have Commuter Rail service to New Hampshire, but for now, the Boston Express is still an excellent way of getting to Boston.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
Transit Tales: Race for the New Bus!
I was heading home from school at around 5 PM, as usual. The Red Line was apparently experiencing severe delays, but it didn’t impact the trip from Harvard to Porter too badly. Once at Porter, I realized I had just missed the 83, so I figured I would wait for the 77 instead. And then I checked my phone…
14 new messages! All from the group chat with Nathan, Sam, and Jordan! “1778 is on the 47,” Nathan had said at 2:34. “1780 now also on the 47,” he said at 3:18. The new Cabot buses were out??? That was two hours ago! I sent a rather dejected message to the group, lamenting the fact that I hadn’t checked my phone earlier.
Then Nathan sent a message that they were still in service! “YOUHAVETOTAKEITSJAKSOCJSBX-NXBNXAKLLPQPKA,” he said. The character soup gave me newfound vigor to pursue the buses. He said that 1780 was going to do the 5:40 trip on the 47 from Broadway, then go back to the yard upon arrival at Central. I could catch it midroute and get a ride! Sounds easy enough…
Well, turns out those “severe delays” had affected the Red Line pretty badly – it was a 9 minute wait for the next inbound train. I headed back upstairs and saw a 96 coming across the street. Perhaps I could take it to Harvard and then get another bus to Central. Unfortunately, although the road ahead of us was empty, but we got stuck at EVERY DANG RED LIGHT ON MASS AVE! I kept asking Nathan for updates, as my flip phone has no form of bus tracker (obviously).
The bus arrived into Harvard just as a Braintree train was coming in. Fantastic! I could take it to Central and catch an outbound 47 from there. I ran to the platform and jumped onto the train, only to hear “Ladies and gentlemen, we will be standing by here for a few minutes.” Shoot, the Red Line was really screwed up…
Thus, I headed up to the 1 instead. Now, a good life lesson is to never put your trust in the 1, and this slow journey was no exception. Nathan told me that 1780 had left Broadway as my bus slowly looped around Harvard Yard. Luckily, the 47 from Central I was shooting for was very late, so I had time.
We arrived at Central, but there was no sign of the 47. I texted Nathan, and he said there was one in 9 minutes. Well, I figured I could head into Dunkin’ Donuts and get a super quick bite to eat. I had no time to waste! “Excuse me,” said an old lady to the cashier, “Could you help me get the cover off of this coffee?” OH MY GOD PLEASE HURRY UPPPPPPP! Finally, I got my bagel and ran out, saw the 47 at the bus stop, and jumped on just as the driver was about to leave!
Nathan said I could safely take the bus to Comm Ave and be able to grab 1780 back to Central. Sounds good…except we were stuck in horrible traffic on Green Street. Come on, come on, let’s GOOOOOO! As we edged past a packed 70, we finally turned onto Magazine Street and managed to pick up some speed.
Suddenly a new bus pulled around the corner. Oh no! I was too late! Oh wait, it was just 1449 running on the 64. Phew! 1780 was stuck in LMA traffic, so things were looking up. But then, my bus got to the rotary for the BU Bridge. So…much…traffic! I began furiously texting Nathan asking where 1780 was, but no matter what, I was stuck – no more stops until after the bridge.
Finally, we made it over and I hit the stop request button. “It’s close,” Nathan said. “Get to the nearest Central stop.” As I got off at Mountfort Street, stuck at a red light on the other side was…1780. Oh my gosh, she was beautiful! But there was no time to waste – I had to get to the nearest stop! I ran onto Carlton Street, sprinting over the Mass Turnpike and across all six lanes of Comm Ave before reaching the stop just as the bus was approaching. I had made it!
And boy, was it amazing inside. All the poles were yellow, which made for a cool look, and it had a fantastic new bus smell. The announcements were crystal-clear (despite a weird clicking noise that played before and after each one), and it was incredibly smooth and quiet. The wild goose chase had been worth it! I can’t wait for more of these buses to appear.
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| The bus on Comm Ave. |
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| It was packed! |
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| Looking toward the front, once the bus had emptied out at Central. |
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| And the back! |
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| About a million different angles of 1780 at Central. |
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| Finally, here are some excellent shots from Sam of 1780 and 1782 earlier in the day. |
Kingston (Amtrak)
Heyyyyyy…since when did Amtrak change the station name to West Kingston? Well, on its website, at least. I can’t say I head down to this neck of the woods too often, so I’m sure there are other people who would know the answer better than me. Okay, well, Kingston or West Kingston, let’s take a look at this charming station in the middle of Rhode Island. Strange that I got to this before Wickford Junction, isn’t it?
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| Heyyyy, that just says “Kingston”! What gives? |
Ahhh, the building’s exterior is BEAUTIFUL! This station definitely has a vintage feel, which is exemplified by the fact that the building is on the National Register of Historic Places. You wouldn’t expect to have a proper station building out in (essentially) the middle of nowhere like this, but here it is!
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| The parking lot. |
I’m just gonna make a quick deviation before discussing the building to mention the station parking. The Amtrak website says it has 6 short-term parking spaces and 100 long-term ones, but I think the lot does have slightly more (unless people are just really creative at making their own spaces). That still doesn’t seem like that much, but the station does have a relief lot, and parking is free!
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| The station drop-off/pick-up area. |
Kingston has a nice little drop-off/pick-up loop. It features a few bike racks, some newspaper boxes, and two benches. The bus loop is similar, with another two benches and a wastebasket. A shelter would be nice, but one could also wait under the building if they wished. The station is served by two RIPTA bus routes: the 64 to Newport and the 66 to Providence or Galilee.
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| Oh my gosh, I love this building so much! |
The inside of the building is simply amazing, and has all these wonderful little details that make it extra special. Starting out, there’s the fact that the bright room gets lots of natural light from the many windows, while a quaint little chandelier provides a bit of artificial light. The church pew-esque benches are slightly uncomfortable, but they add a bunch of character, too!
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| Who’s that in the mirror? And Sam’s sitting on the bench, for the record. |
One side of the benches face a wall, which features windows and a fantastic full mirror! There are two vending machines, one on each side, which are good if people want a snack while they’re waiting for the train. Along the wall, there are also a bunch of brochures, bus shelters, and luggage tags (although the station has no checked baggage services). Actually, this station is full of random brochures all over the place!
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| Some more amenities. |
Along the wall facing the platform exit, there are some more amenities. The station has both an old-fashioned ticket booth, as well as a Quik-Trak machine for automatic ticket purchasing. Next, there’s a carry-on luggage scale, and next to that is the strangest departure board I’ve ever seen! It’s on a dinosaur TV, with a pretty ugly “Welcome to the historic Kingston railroad station” logo written across the top. The departures themselves look fine, though.
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| The bathroom! |
Yes, the station does indeed feature a bathroom! It’s pretty small, but it keeps the character of the rest of the station, and it didn’t seem too gross! I guess not too many people use it, but hey – a decent bathroom is a decent bathroom.
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| The platforms. |
Kingston’s high-level platforms are brand new, having replaced the previous low-level ones. Neither the northbound nor the southbound sides have much of note on them, aside from some big wastebaskets, typical Providence Line signs (even though we’re not on the Providence Line), and some nice streetlights. After all, most people are going to be waiting in the building, so the platform doesn’t need much seating.
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| Up on the footbridge. |
Of course, since this is an Amtrak station with high-speed trains, one has to use a footbridge to cross the tracks. I really like the architecture of the one at Kingston – it fits the character of the rest of the station. Plus, the inside is enclosed and quite modern and nice!
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| Oh no… |
One of the elevators was out of order at the time, and the other one was…less than impressive. It was in pretty bad shape, although I think these elevators were in place before Kingston’s renovation, so they’ll probably see improvements (maybe that’s why the other one was out of order). And for the love of God, please get rid of the comic sans button labels…ech!
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| A train comin’ in! |
Finally, it’s worth noting that Kingston is one of two places on the Northeast Corridor where the Acela goes 150 MPH! However, I personally think it’s more exhilarating at Mansfield than here, maybe because the awful mini-high there makes the train feel like it’s passing through faster. Also, Mansfield is right on the Providence Line, while Kingston is really far away! I did get an Acela video, for the record, but it was really shaky and bad, and there’s not much point in putting it up here.
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| A different train…on the wrong track! |
Station: Kingston
Ridership: This is the second-busiest Amtrak station in Rhode Island! …Okay, so there are only three Amtrak stations in the state, but Kingston still gets good ridership – 156,412 riders annually (and rising each year), or a little less than 430 per day. Keep in mind that we’re talking about a long-distance service at a station in the middle of nowhere!
Pros: Oh my gosh, I’ve never been to a middle-of-nowhere station with so many amenities and so much character. Heck, I’ve never been to a station period with so many amenities and so much character! Sam and I were stuck here for multiple hours (don’t ask), but it was still an enjoyable experience thanks to the lovely building. The new high-level platform makes it much easier and faster for trains to board, too.
Cons: Well, I can only assume the elevators will be fixed. Other than that, the fares here are pretty expensive. Yes, I know it’s the Northeast Corridor, but $16.00 for the morning commute to Providence seems a little pricey (and that’s only if you pay in advance). The 66 is double the time, but only an eighth of the price!
Nearby and Noteworthy: URI is pretty close, but I would recommend taking the bus from here rather than walking for two miles. Other than that, there isn’t much around the station that doesn’t require taking a car or bus to get to.
Final Verdict: 9/10
I’ve slowly been falling in love with this station whilst writing this review. That building is so charming it’s ridiculous! If only most Commuter Rail stations had this many amenities! The high-level platform is a very welcome addition, as well. The only true complaint I have with the station is its elevators, which I assume are being fixed – the whole fare thing is more Amtrak’s fault than the station’s. So yeah, overall, I would give Kingston a visit if you’re interested in old station buildings and are willing to head out a pretty long distance to find one!
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
RIPTA: 64 (Newport/URI)
WELP, I DON’T THINK I’LL EVER BE ABLE TO SEE PROPERLY AGAIN, FOR MY EYES WERE BLINDED BY THE VIEWWWWWWWWWWWWWS!!!!!
(the 64 is insanely scenic…)
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| The bus at the Newport Gateway Center. |
But what the heck even is the 64? Where does it go? Well, it’s a route from Newport to the Kingston Amtrak station, via URI. It’s ostensibly meant to bring college students from URI to Newport, I think, but it doesn’t seem like too many people actually utilize that connection… Well, let’s find out, I guess. Prepare for some amazing views!
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| Well, okay, not yet, but that’s a nice little street. |
We headed up the narrow one-way 3rd Street, going by lots of dense, charming houses. It was a tight squeeze, but eventually 3rd Street finally became two-way, and a bit wider. We went under Route 138, then passed through a strange neighborhood with houses, apartments, and weird industrial backlots. We also went by a rather intimidating US Navy complex.
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| This is weird… |
Next, we turned onto Admiral Kalbfus Road, heading around a rotary. Now, keep in mind that our ultimate destination was Route 138, and there was a tantalizing interchange with it here. But could we get on the highway? NO, we had to do a bunch of random deviations first! So we – ugh! – pulled into the parking lot for a shopping mall called – UGH! – “Newport Towne Center”.
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| Gotta love parking lotsssss… |
After that madness, we continued north, running up JT Connell Highway past industrial buildings and a weird motel. Yes, we had to deviate to serve CCRI Newport…on a Saturday. Uh-huh, that makes a lot of sense. No one was there, which is a big shocker. At least we finally turned around and went back to that rotary…now we could get on that stupid highway. We passed a dog park and a few industrial buildings before…
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| Woah woah woah WOAH WOAH WOAH WOAHHHHHH |
ALL OF A SUDDEN WE CAME ONTO A BRIDGE! And it was weird, because at first it was low and almost at water level, but then suddenly IT ROSE UP AND GAVE THE MOST SPECTACULAR VIEW! Oh my gosh, we were simply so high up and there was so much to see!!! That picture heading up the bridge was Sam’s, by the way.
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| WOWWWWWW! |
We passed through a toll, then took the exit into Jamestown. Merging around a little pond thing in the interchange, we headed down East Shore Road, which took us onto Conanicus Ave. We went by a police station on one side and a golf course on the other, then the street became lined with nice houses. Next, the road came up along the coast, and my immediate reaction was to force myself past Sam to the other side of the bus in order to get a picture. Sorry, Sam…
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| Man, that’s a beautiful bridge! |
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| Lots o’ boats in the harbor. |
Next, we turned onto Narragansett Ave, which was the main drag of Jamestown. It was a very pleasant downtown, with most of the businesses housed in…houses! Or, converted houses, at least. As we left the center of town, we passed a fire station, some churches, and the very charming town hall. After that, we turned onto North Road.
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| A side street downtown. |
We went by a cute little bakery and a gas station, then an auto shop and some houses. After that, there was a golf course, but it was hidden behind some trees – Jamestown definitely seemed like the kind of town that would have a golf course. Next, the road went into a marsh and we got yet another awesome little view!
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| Nice! |
Past the marsh, it was pure farmland. And it was beautiful! Eventually, it became entirely trees and woods, until finally we came back to Route 138 and took the on-ramp to continue west. The highway passed mostly more woods, as well as a cemetery, until…
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| Okay, I wanted to at least put one farmland picture here before we get to… |
WE WENT UP ONTO ANOTHER SUPER HIGH BRIDGE! AND ONCE AGAIN, IT WAS INCREDIBLE! Plus, this bridge had all of its support down below, so there was an unobstructed view from the bus! Oh my gosh, just water and land and islands and currents all over the place…once again, it was truly incredible.
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| I HAVE NO WORDS TO DESCRIBE THE WONDER! Also, Sam managed to get a zoomed-in shot of Providence in that last picture! |
On the other side of the wonderful bridge, now in North Kingstown, we took the first exit and almost immediately pulled into a park-and-ride. No one was waiting (I’ll bet most people use it for the 14, which runs to Providence), but it had a nice shelter and some bike spaces, which was good. Now we headed down Boston Neck Road, which was mostly forest with driveways leading to houses.
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| The park-and-ride. |
A water tower was visible down one side street, and we passed through some more farmland a little later. As the road curved a bit, there was a very quick water view, with the bridge from Newport to Jamestown visible way in the distance. We went by a charming little post office, and then it was fairly woodsy again (with houses down the side streets).
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| It’s such a striking bridge! |
On weekdays, buses make an extra deviation around here – they turn onto South Ferry Road, run through the woods a bit, and loop around the URI Bay Campus. However, this was a Saturday trip, so we turned onto Bridgetown Road instead, which was more consistently lined with houses. The street curved south a bit, then east again for a lovely little river crossing.
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| This route has so many views… |
The road gained a median beyond the crossing, and grew rather wide by the time we reached the intersection with Route 1. There were a few suburban businesses at the intersection, but then the street became Mooresfield Road, and it was pure woods. And it was awesome!
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| We really are in the middle of nowhere, aren’t we? |
For the next while, the scenery consisted of mostly forest, with the occasional break for a farm. Houses became a little more frequent as we went along, but they were always hidden behind trees and driveways. There were a few developments here and there, as well. Finally, we started to see some really charming old houses and businesses – we were approaching URI!
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| What a nice-looking side street! |
We turned onto Upper College Road, which was lined with more houses, then we turned onto Campus Ave. From there, we went around a small bus loop to serve URI. The campus is quite pretty, although the loop was mostly surrounded by ugly brick buildings – I guess you have to go further into the college to find the cool historic ones.
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| Come on, URI, you can do better than that! |
From the loop, we headed down Lower College Road, then turned onto Kingstown Road. We went by a gigantic university parking lot, and then it was back to more woods. It wasn’t for too long, though, as eventually a gas station, an art center, and a post office cropped up along the road. And just before it went onto a bridge over the Amtrak tracks, we turned off and entered the loop for (West) Kingston Station!
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| Why doesn’t the bus say “64”? Beats me… |
RIPTA Route: 64 (Newport/URI)
Ridership: The 64 either has bad ridership…or decent ridership. Yeah, it depends on how you look at it. RIPTA’s automatic passenger counters in 2012 said that the route gets an average of 234 riders per weekday, which is pretty small; however, their farebox data said that the route got just shy of 500 riders per weekday, double what the APCs said! I’m not sure what to say about that discrepancy, but at least we can all agree that Saturday ridership stinks: 66 people.
Pros: THE VIEWS THE VIEWS THE VIEWS!!!! In all of my transit adventures so far, this has been the absolute most scenic route I’ve ever been on. From the sweeping water views of the two bridges, to the charming harborside running in Jamestown, to the nice little river crossing on Bridgetown Road, to the woods and farmland along Mooresfield Road…the 64 has everything! Too bad everything else about it is terrible…
Cons: What do we start with? How about the route itself? A connection from URI to Kingston just doesn’t make that much sense, and ridership is very limited beyond the first two and last two weekday trips – why they even run this thing on Saturdays is beyond me. Also, what’s with all those deviations in Newport? Why not leave them to the 63, which already serves those places much more frequently? And I haven’t even mentioned the fact that the entire section of the route from Newport to Boston Neck Road is shared with the 14. There has to be a better way of arranging those services…and it has to be said that the Newport trips on the 14 get more ridership than the 64…
Nearby and Noteworthy: Who cares about getting off the bus when the views are so great?! But Jamestown does look like a pretty cool place, so there’s that.
Final Verdict: 3/10 (but a perfect 10 for those views!)
Gosh, I could see the argument for the 64 being a rush hour only route. After all, it gets very few people, doesn’t have too many notable unique sections, and is quite expensive to run. And sure, those views truly are amazing, and I wholeheartedly recommend taking a ride on the route if you feel like heading out there, but…the 64 just isn’t very good!
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
RIPTA: 60 (Providence/Newport)
Ahhh, Newport…a very popular place to go for some fantastic beaches. But why drive there for an hour and a half when you can just take public transportation there from Boston for…almost 3 hours? Yeah, okay, 99% of people won’t choose that option, but if you did, here’s the bus you would use! That’s right, today we’re taking a ride on the insanely long 60.
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| The bus in Providence…on an earlier 60 trip. We did not end up with a vehicle nearly as fancy and new… |
Leaving Kennedy Plaza, we made our way onto Memorial Boulevard, curving around downtown Providence. Next, we turned onto South Water Street, which crossed the Providence River and then ran alongside it. The other side of the street was adorned with mostly brick buildings, while there was a park running between us and the river.
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| Looking across towards downtown. |
The neighborhood started to get more undeveloped, with a strange half-park thing between two streets. After passing a few industrial buildings (and some repurposed ones – perhaps it was a developing neighborhood), we came onto I-195, starting an express portion! The highway took us past houses and buildings, then over the Seekonk River, entering East Providence on the other side.
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| I couldn’t get any good river pictures, so here’s…this. |
Coming off the bridge, we descended into a gully with houses lined up above us. However, we were back above ground level soon enough, blazing over Broadway and then some more houses. We merged onto the next exit, which was to the Wampanoag Trail. It ran through woods for a bit before someone hit the stop request button. What?! Yes, we actually made a stop right on the highway, called “Wampanoag Trail Opp Gates of Heaven”. I have no idea how anyone is supposed to cross the highway to get to the cemetery the stop is referencing, but someone did indeed get off here…
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| A small (and boring) shopping plaza. |
There were a few other random attractions along the highway that also got stops, such as a gas station, a field, and the entrance to an oil facility. Eventually Wampanoag Trail became less of a highway, with various businesses, houses, and other buildings on either side. It came up next to the Hundred Acre Cove for a bit, then we entered Barrington and the street became County Road.
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| A farm! |
County Road came back alongside the cove again, where there were some waterside houses and a church. We also passed Barrington High School, which prompted this interesting exchange from two people on the bus (in thick Boston accents):
“Yo, dude, Barrington got SMOKED in the football game last night!”
“Yeah, man, they SUCK!”
Anyway, the street gained a brick median as we entered…Barrington Center, I guess? The businesses weren’t anything special (lots of chain stores with parking lots), but the town hall had a really great park surrounding it.
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| Noooo, that camera spot ruined the picture! Luckily it’s gone now, but I rode this bus a little while ago. |
We passed a shopping plaza, then the street curved east. After some houses, we crossed over the Barrington River. There were some denser residences on the other side, but then we went over the river again and entered Warren! Both bridge views were lovely, although the surroundings were quite industrial immediately after the second crossing.
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| The second crossing! |
Pretty soon after, though, there was a mix of houses, businesses, and churches along what was now called Main Street. We entered Warren Center (or downtown Warren, or Warren Square, or something…I never know what to call these places), which was a really cool downtown with old-looking businesses lining the street. After passing the charming town hall, it became mostly residential again.
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| Some houses down a side street. |
The street was almost entirely lined with houses, but we did go by the occasional business, too. Once we entered Bristol (with the road becoming Hope Street), we started passing a bunch of private housing developments. I mean, on the right side of the bus, it was just one after the other! Oyster Point, Bagy Wrinkle Cove, Jacobs Point, Hanley Farm…it was a bit insane.
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| The entrance to what eventually leads to a waterside park. |
A few other points of interest along here were an elementary school, a few shopping plazas, and a cemetery. It was still almost entirely residential, though, right up until when we came along Bristol Harbor briefly. Hope Street curved inland pretty quickly, and took us into downtown Bristol. Or Bristol Center. Or Bristol Square. Or something like that.
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| Looking out across the harbor. |
This was probably the most charming town center we had seen so far, with lovely old buildings lining the street. There were so many different kinds of businesses and restaurants and museums, and there were water views down each street. The main drag even had an “American” divider in the middle, with red, white, and blue instead of the usual yellow!
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| A side street downtown. |
A lot of people got off here in Bristol, and we got another fabulous exchange from those two people from earlier, once again with their Boston accents:
“See ya, Frank.”
[Frank gets up and starts to walk to the front]
“Frank. FRANK! FRANK, YOU FORGOT YOUR BAG, FRANK!”
[Frank keeps walking without listening. Other people try to get his attention.]
“FRANK! FRANK, YOU FORGOT YOUR BAG!”
[Frank leaves the bus. The other person gets on the phone.]
“Frank, I put your bag in my knapsack. Okay, Frank. See ya, Frank.”
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| Another harbor view! |
South of downtown, the businesses continued for a bit more with tiny local shops and dense houses. Hope Street came up to the harbor again, and the houses got a lot bigger. Next, we merged onto Ferry Road, which was much more woodsey – large residences were hiding behind the trees, though. Eventually, the road got a grassy and tree-lined median as we passed Roger Williams University.
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| WOAH. |
And then, out of nowhere, the street went up on a gigantic tall bridge! Sam, who was riding with me, can attest to the fact that I could not stop saying “Oh my God” repeatedly because the view was so amazing. It was just…water as far as the eye could see, with various patches of land spread around! On the other side of the bridge, the 60 splits into “East Main” and “West Main” variations – we were an East Main trip, so we turned onto Boyds Lane.
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| A small business and a side street. |
Now in Portsmouth, we passed some houses and a farm, then went under the Fall River Expressway. Next, we merged onto East Main Road, the branch’s namesake. The street itself had various small businesses with parking lots along it, but houses were visible on the side roads. We went by a little shopping plaza, a few blocks away from the Portsmouth High School.
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| Some houses and a…mini-marsh, I guess? |
From there, it was basically just a mix of houses with various businesses, churches, and parking lots. We also went by a library near the intersection with Turnpike Road, and a combined police and fire station later on. We went through a short industrial stretch, and even passed some farmland after that! And of course, the houses and businesses kept on coming.
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| Gotta love farmland on a bus. |
The houses, businesses, and farms all continued for a while as we entered Middletown, including a vineyard! Soon after that, though, it shifted a lot more to the business with parking lot side of things. We went by a few shopping plazas, then turned onto West Main Road, rejoining the other branch of the 60. The street continued to be that same residential-retail mix, albeit with denser houses.
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| The intersection with West Main Road. |
As we entered Newport, the street became Broadway. Now it was lined with dense houses, albeit somewhat big ones. The surroundings were like that for a while, although shortly after we passed the Newport Hospital, businesses became the main scenery – some nice, and some not-so-nice. Finally, we turned onto Marlborough Street and arrived at the Newport Gateway Center a few blocks later.
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| The bus at the Gateway Center. |
RIPTA Route: 60 (Providence/Newport)
Ridership: Oh yeah, the 60 gets a lot of people. Our Saturday trip had something like 40 riders in total, and most of them got off at the various downtowns along the route – Warren, Bristol, and Newport. RIPTA’s 2012 statistics for the 60 say that it’s the third-busiest route on the RIPTA, with 2,290 riders per weekday, 2,175 per Saturday, and 1,442 per Sunday. Also, keep in mind that this was before the top two routes were consolidated into the R-Line, so the 60 could very well be the second-busiest route now!
Pros: The 60 is a crucial link between Providence and Newport, and it serves a bunch more towns along the way. It carries a lot of people, and that’s also representative in the schedule – every 15 minutes during rush hour (it’s a long route, so imagine how many buses that requires), every half hour during the day and on Saturdays, every hour at night, and every 45 minutes on Sundays! There are even a few late-night trips on Thursdays and Fridays meant for college students.
Cons: Man, you know it’s a good route when I can’t really think of any cons! I guess the 60’s long length is its downfall, since it drives up the operating costs. That said, the whole point of the route is that it’s long, so that’s a rather dead-end con right there.
Nearby and Noteworthy: You’ve got Warren! You’ve got Bristol! You’ve got Newport! Lots of beautiful downtowns, small and big! Plus, beaches in Newport!
Final Verdict: 9/10
The 60 is an important route, and one that gets a lot of people. The schedule is absolutely perfect so that most of the trips get (optimally) a full-seated load, and it’s a nice ride, to boot! Indeed, it’s arguably one of the most scenic routes on the RIPTA, but they do have better things in store with that regard…stay tuned!
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
CATA: Yellow Line (Gloucester – Magnolia)
The CATA has a very strange obsession with school trips. For every route on their website, they actually put the school trips for each route first, which can be very confusing – “Why does this bus only run twice a day?” My friend Nathan and I ended up riding one of these school trips, but it ended up being a lot crazier than we expected. Time to ride the Yellow Line!
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| The bus in Gloucester. |
Okay, so let’s talk about the Yellow Line as a route. I’ve mentioned before (in my first non-MBTA review!) that the CATA actually has three Yellow Lines with no relation to each other at all. The one we’re talking about today runs from downtown Gloucester to a neighborhood called Magnolia to the southwest.
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| Looking to the front of the bus. |
The bus was similar to the one on the GATRA 140 (possibly the same vehicle). However, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, the GATRA one was much better designed. That one had felt more like a real bus, with a screen up front and better seats, in my opinion. The CATA vehicle had those…minibus seats, and only a simple “stop request” sign that made THE MOST ANNOYING NOISE WHEN TRIGGERED. Also, instead of putting the fare machine up front, they stuck it to the side a bit, getting rid of a whole seat pair!
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| Nice view! |
From the grand CATA hub of Dunkin’ Donuts, we headed down Main Street, passing the businesses of downtown Gloucester. Eventually the street became Western Ave, and came up along the harbor with a huge median and lots of trees and grass everywhere. However, as this was a school trip, we deviated from the normal route by turning onto Centennial Ave. This took us to a loop in front of the Gloucester High School, where other buses had already congregated.
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| Lots o’ variety here! |
After the five minute trip to the school, we now had to wait…15 minutes?? Yeah, they have the bus get to the school before it even lets out! And since this trip leaves from Gloucester, it actually gets other riders – there were two other people who had gotten on before that had to wait, too! Oh well, after the steady stream of students had gotten on, we left and headed back to Western Ave.
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| A residential neighborhood near the high school. |
We went over a river, then passed the Gloucester World War II Memorial where Western and Essex Aves split. We stayed on Western, which curved around through a residential neighborhood. We passed Stage Fort Park, and the street became more woodsey from there. Turning onto Hesperus Ave, it was now entirely forest for the most part.
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| A fleeting water view! |
We passed the Hammond Castle Museum (which looks beautiful), and soon after the street became Norman Ave. The houses were denser now, as we were in Magnolia Square, almost in Manchester but not quite. We turned onto Fuller Street and made a little loop via Hesperus Ave, Lexington Ave, and Flume Road, passing houses and a few businesses in the process.
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| Looking down Lexington Ave, the “main drag” of the neighborhood. |
Now we headed up Magnolia Ave, which was residential once again. Once we reached Magnolia and Western, Nathan and I assumed the trip would be over – on the schedule, it listed this as the last stop. But wait…we crossed over Western Ave and continued down Magnolia! No normal CATA route does this, not even the regular Yellow Line, which would’ve turned onto Western to get back to Gloucester! Well, things were getting weird…
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| Where are we??? |
Our original plan was to walk to West Gloucester from Magnolia and Western, but since the bus was now heading in that direction, we figured we’d roll with it. Magnolia Ave had houses along it for a bit, then after some woods, we went by an industrial park. The street curved a bit more before passing under the Commuter Rail tracks, then we reached the intersection with Essex Ave. Perhaps we’d turn towards Gloucester now? Wait, no, we turned westward – away from Gloucester!
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| Some rather large houses. |
Okay…so now we were heading down Essex Ave in the wrong direction. What the heck was going on? And then…we turned onto Concord Street?? It was this narrow street that went by a school and then under Route 128. “We’re getting further and further from West Gloucester,” Nathan pointed out. But I had to see this strange route through.
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| Hey, at least there’s a nice view! |
It was residential on the other side of 128, although we also passed a variety store. We came up alongside a marsh, then turned onto Atlantic Street. It continued along that marsh, with a few houses on the other side. Finally, we turned onto Castle View Drive, entering a gated community, and the final passengers got out in this development.
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| Some intersection…or something… |
Now the driver turned around and asked us where we were going. “West Gloucester,” we said. “This is West Gloucester,” the driver replied. “Uh…could you take us to the Commuter Rail station if that’s okay?” I asked. He kind of grunted, and then drove us back, but it was obvious he wasn’t happy about it. Oh well, at least we made it to the station…
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| The bus heading down Essex Ave. |
CATA Route: Yellow Line (Gloucester – Magnolia)
Ridership: N-O-T G-O-O-D. It’s the least-used CATA route on weekdays with less than 25 riders, and on Saturdays it gets maybe 10-15 (it’s so low down on the graph I can’t really tell). I will say that this school trip got a good amount of people, though – around 15 in total! So I guess school trips are where most of this route’s ridership are.
Pros: Well, the route does serve…stuff. Like, um, a lot of woods. And some houses. The school trips get people…
Cons: Let’s start with nitpicky stuff and move outward. Firstly, that school trip really should leave Gloucester later – if it has actual riders, too, why make them wait at the school for 15 minutes for no reason? Also, you know all that weird stuff on the school trip that didn’t show up on the Yellow Line schedule? Well, turns out it’s on the Purple Line schedule! What the heck?? Can you not show the full route on one or the other? Sigh. But no, the Yellow Line’s main problem is that it really doesn’t serve…anything. Most of the houses it runs by wouldn’t be using the bus anyway! That’s probably why its schedule is so bad – three trips on weekdays and four on Saturdays. Hey, why the heck does it run more often on Saturdays when less people are using it??
Nearby and Noteworthy: Hammond Castle looks incredible, and I actually really want to visit it myself. However, with the Yellow Line’s schedule, be prepared to spend a lot of time there…
Final Verdict: 2/10
Honestly, I see no reason why this route couldn’t just be eliminated outside of the school trips. They seem to be the only ones that get any ridership! Maybe if the Yellow Line got extended to Manchester, it could get more people, but even that would be mostly forest. Okay, I’ll draw it out, why not?
But yeah, I doubt that would get too much more ridership. The Yellow Line could probably be relegated to school service and I doubt too many people would care…
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
Transit Day!
Wow…I had never been to the Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, Maine, before, so that in itself was an amazing experience. But coming there on Transit Day, the annual event where the museum actually runs much of its collection, was even more amazing! Here’s the full report on the event.
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| The old Northampton EL station at the entrance. |
The entrance fee to the event was $10, which was incredibly reasonable. My friends Sam, Jordan, and John Arico (who thankfully gave us a ride from NH) arrived slightly after opening, paying our fees and getting nice admissions reminiscent of old 1800s train tickets. First we looked at the gift shop for a bit, which offered model trains, books, and other memorabilia.
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| The station at the Visitor’s Center. |
Outside of the Visitor’s Center, the main attraction was a loop for trolleys. This is where all of the streetcars boarded to give people rides. There was also a picnic area, and several sandwiches and snacks were on offer nearby.
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| A New York car passing through the subway boarding area. |
Normally passengers can’t ride Seashore’s rapid transit cars or buses, but both operate on Transit Day. The rapid transit boarding area is a simple wooden staircase, while buses loaded up at a dirt loop across the rapid transit tracks. I’ll be discussing all these trips later, but for now, let’s look at some old vehicles!
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| I’m sure many of you guys will recognize this one! |
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| An old MBTA work vehicle. |
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| A Flyer signed as the 65, but what the heck is that paint scheme? |
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| A Pullman, formerly a trackless trolley. |
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| Looking inside. |
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| Woah! |
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| An AM General United Airlines shuttle. |
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| Awww, yeah, it’s the mock-up Type 6! |
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| What a strange map. |
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| Morrison Hill Station. |
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| An MBTA Type 5 coming around the bend! |
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| A John Stephenson car from New Haven. |
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| That’s a Swiss trackless trolley on the right, while I’m sure everyone knows what’s on the left! |
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| An MBTA “Fishbowl” bus. |
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| A few different vehicles in a corner. |
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| Now this one is awesome – an articulated Twin Coach bus from Omaha! |
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| Another artic, this one made by General Motors and hailing from Ottawa. |
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| A work car from Claremont, NH. |
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| The front of the car. |
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| The inside, looking toward the front… |
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| …and toward the back. Those seats were so comfy! |
Unfortunately, problems with 1227 led to the train being sent out of service, which was a bit of a process. While that happened, we went and watched some rapid transit movements that were being made. It allowed for some fun comparison shots.
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| Boston vs. New York! |
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| Boston vs. New York again! |
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| New York vs…uh, New York, I guess. |
When we got back to the Visitor’s Center, we decided to take a ride on 303, a J.G. Brill car from New Haven. It was an open trolley, so we figured we’d get a nice breeze as we headed down the track. I can’t imagine one of these being in service now, though – what happened when it got crowded??
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| The trolley at the Visitor’s Center loop. |
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| The inside. |
From the Visitor’s Center, the tracks head up through the facility and soon arrive at Morrison Hill Station. From there, we went alongside the carbarn and then over a level crossing with a dirt road. There were more trolleys and random parts visible on either side, as well as the MBTA’s old fire bus hanging out in a clearing.
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| Heading around the loop. |
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| Really old Blue Line cars! |
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| Another yard view. |
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| Not the best fire bus picture, but we’ll get back to it. |
From there, it became pure scenic as we went through the fall woods. We passed a station used for Seashore’s Pumpkin Patch Trolley, and then the track was basically just straight with no stops. Finally, we reached Talbot Park, the “station” at the end of the line. It’s basically just a turnaround loop with a small platform, and we just headed back to the Visitor’s Center.
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| Meserve’s Crossing! That’s the pumpkin patch station! |
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| Going under some telephone wires. |
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| Some wrapped-up streetcars near Talbot Park. |
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| A marsh on the way back. |
However, we set off again almost right after getting back, as they were doing a run on a New York Redbird! There was also an R-22 train in the two-car set that was apparently used in the movie “The Taking of Pelham One Two Three”, but I think most passengers cared about that Redbird. The inside was surprisingly similar to other New York cars still in service, but it had some awesome ads and neat maps.
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| The train at the platform. |
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| The inside of the R-22… |
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| …and the inside of the Redbird! |
Once we got out to Talbot Park, an odd transfer procedure occurred: the set of Hawker-Siddeley Blue Line cars came up to us and passengers walked from one to the other! Now, I’m sure many of you know what these Blue Line cars look like on the inside – they were around until 2009 when the new Siemens cars fully entered service. For those who don’t know, it was basically like a smaller Orange Line train.
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| The empty train (once everyone had gotten off). |
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| We did some more walking around after that; here’s the Redbird again. |
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| An old Elevated car for the Orange Line! |
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| That weird open car was for sightseeing through Montreal! |
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| The other train in the Elevated set, this one a work car. |
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| The inside of the train. |
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| *gasp* The CONTROLS! |
Once I got back, we all heard that they were going to send a cavalcade of trains down the main line. They were running buses to the point where the trains would pass, so we hopped onto an old CT Transit vehicle to head out there. It doesn’t appear on the Seashore website, for some reason, but it was another GM Fishbowl.
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| The front of the bus… |
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| ..and the back (with an old school bus in front of it). |
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| The inside. |
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| Looking toward the front. |
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| Some buses. |
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| Some more buses! |
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| A bus from DC. |
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| Ouch…that vehicle’s certainly seen better days. |
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| Oh dear… |
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| Some old parts on the ground, with more sad-looking vehicles in the background. |
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| Yikes! |
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| Aha! Here’s a bus in good condition! This is from Portland METRO. |
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| The cozy inside. |
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| A Fishbowl from Manchester, NH. |
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| The inside. |
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| The driver’s seat! |
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| The MBTA Fire Bus, only recently brought to Seashore. |
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| The inside. |
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| The New Haven trolley! |
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| The MBTA Type 5! |
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| The open New Haven trolley! |
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| The Montreal observation car! |
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| The Main Line El set! |
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| The New York Redbird! |
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| The Boston Blue Line cars! |
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| The back of the bus. |
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| The inside. |
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| Ummm…something tells me these aren’t original seats… |
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| The route the bus took back was a bit more woodsey. |
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| Quite woodsey! |
Upon return, Sam and I went to Morrison Hill to take pictures of the many trolleys coming back from Talbot Park. I have no idea how they were able to bring so many out there, but it was definitely a pain to turn them around. A lot of the cars were stuck out there for a while, including my friend Josh, who had arrived later in the day. He joined us at Morrison Hill once his car got back.
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| That old school bus kicking up a lot of dirt. |
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| A North Shore Line car from Chicago. |
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| A Bridge Car from what is now PATTCO. |
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| The Blue Line train…from below. |
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| The Redbird coming through. |
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| The Main Line El train approaching. |
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| The New Haven car. |
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| The Type 5 heading toward the Visitor’s Center. |
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| The open New Haven car. |
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| Man, that Montreal car looks epic! |
After that, we walked around back to another North Shore Car from Chicago – this time a dining car. It was in surprisingly good condition, with some very comfy couches and a kitchen that looked functional! There was also a fantastic money shot from one of the windows of three MBTA rapid transit cars.
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| A SEPTA train. |
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| The Chicago North Shore cars. |
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| Pretty! |
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| The kitchen. |
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| AW YEAH THERE’S THAT MONEY SHOT! |
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| The Blue Line Hawker-Siddeleys again. |
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| The fire bus coming around the bend. |
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| And again! |
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| Another North Shore car going out for a ride. |
Next, volunteer John Petillo took us on a tour of the Green Line Boeing car out at the entrance of the museum. These are pretty “new” as well (relative to the rest of the museum), having been retired from service as late as 2009. Honestly, the inside was basically the same thing as a pre-overhaul Type 7, but it was still neat to be in there!
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| Ah, the good ol’ nonexistent M Line. |
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| The inside. |
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| The front. |
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| The driving area! |
And finally, John Arico gave us basically the best opportunity ever…Sam, Jordan, Josh, and I all got to drive a Blue Line train! Yes, after everyone else had left the museum, John (who’s helped out at the museum for years), us, and a few other of his friends all got onto the Hawker-Siddeley cars and went out for a spin! Aside from a slight mishap involving someone putting in too much power (I won’t say who it was, but it wasn’t me!), it went perfectly. It was one of the most terrifying yet exhilarating experiences of my life, but hey, none of us crashed the train, so I guess we could all be Blue Line drivers if we wanted to!
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| Focusing on the track ahead! Credits for the pictures of me go to Sam. |
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| You have to keep the handle down the whole time or else the train activates the emergency brake. |
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| I managed to get the train up to 25 MPH, which was really exciting! |
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| “Next stop, Bowdoin!” |
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| And finally, the train at night. What an amazing day! |
Petition to Keep the MBTA Public!
I’ve drifted away from talking about news on this blog (the “Latest MBTA News” section of every post hasn’t had any actual content in months), but this petition is incredibly important to sign. Governor Charlie Baker has been pushing for certain parts of the MBTA to be privatized, which would be horrible for everyone. Sam Hegg (writer of Sam’s Operation Oculi) wrote up this petition, and I urge you all to sign it. He explains the negative impacts of privatization better than I could, so read the petition and then sign it to help the MBTA’s workers, riders, and Commonwealth taxpayers. Spread the word!
CATA: Red Line (Gloucester – Rockport via Thatcher Road)
THIS BUS ROUTE IS RIDICULOUSLY SCENIC AND YOU ALL SHOULD RIDE IT!!! Have I gotten your attention? Great, let’s review the Red Line.
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| The bus in Rockport. |
My friend Nathan and I got on at Rockport Market, which is considered to be the first timepoint of the route. I would make a joke about it not having amenities, but to be honest, even just a sign is rare for CATA! Of course, the stop had nothing else, but a sign is…good…
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| Beautiful. |
We headed down Broadway, then turned onto Mount Pleasant Street, which took us away from downtown Rockport. This was a hilly street lined mostly with absolutely lovely houses (as well as the occasional inn, and they were lovely, too). The road became South Street, and it was still residential aside from a little tea room and a rehabilitation center.
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| Why, I do believe I can glimpse the ocean back there! |
As we came up a bit closer to the water, the houses started to get much much bigger. We came pretty close to a golf course (because of course there would be a golf course in a place like this), but then the road went more inland. Now we were speeding through the forest, going by nice little houses.
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| Would it be surprising if I said that this isn’t the most scenic part of the route? Well…it’s not. |
South Street curved away, and now we were on Thatcher Road. There was a bit more forest, and then we came out into a marsh. The dense houses of Long Beach were in sight across the swamp, and it was a fantastic view! After that, we entered Gloucester and went by an ice cream shop, and then more houses.
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| Wow! |
However, it wasn’t long before the views came back! Thatcher Road eventually entered another marsh, offering a look out to the beach and at distant houses. However, we soon reached…a deviation? Wow, okay, I wasn’t expecting that. Yes, we actually turned into the parking lot for a Stop and Shop, although we did pick someone up, so that’s good.
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| Best view on the route, guys! |
But no, the best view was soon to come…very soon, actually. We turned onto Bass Ave, which became Nautilus Road and went right up to the water. There was a little beach here, and the view was fantastic. But guess what? It would get better! Now we were on the East Gloucester peninsula.
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| Awesome! |
Yes, because then we merged onto Atlantic Ave, which was literally running alongside the coast! We were just going along this somewhat twisty road with an absolutely amazing water view to the left and a bunch of hotels and mansions on the right. Well, I guess that’s how an oceanfront view affects property…
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| I’m including multiple pictures, because this is amazing. |
Eventually, it became houses on both sides as Atlantic curved inland a bit. It merged around into Farrington Ave, which took us across to the other side of the East Gloucester peninsula, where we turned onto Eastern Point Boulevard. This was Niles Beach, and we got another awesome ocean view, and…OH MY GOSH, I CAN SEE BOSTON!
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| There it is! |
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| A wider look at the wonderful view! |
We passed through a section with dense (charming) houses, and then came up to the water again! This time, it was a view of the Rocky Neck peninsula, a really fascinating neighborhood – it’s an “art colony”, with lots of galleries and businesses! The street became East Main Street from there, curving past houses and shipyards with views of downtown Gloucester.
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| The view of Rocky Neck. |
Due to one-ways, the inbound and outbound routes had a short split here. Thus, we merged onto the narrow Sayward Street, which was lined with houses. Next, we turned onto Bass Ave, only a half mile away from that Stop and Shop we had served a while back! Yeah, the trip around East Gloucester is a quite the deviation…
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| Looking at Gloucester! |
Bass Ave was also residential, but soon we got a rapid scenery shift. We passed a park, the street became Eastern Ave, and the surroundings got very industrial (at least on the ocean side – the other side of the street was houses and businesses). Finally, the street name changed again to Rogers Street, and we reached the Gloucester Dunkin’ Donuts in no time.
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| The bus in Gloucester. |
CATA Route: Red Line (Gloucester – Rockport via Thatcher Road)
Ridership: On weekdays, the Red Line is the second-busiest connection between Gloucester and Rockport, although still below average with about 70 riders per day. On Saturdays, it’s even lower, with the Red Line being the third least-used route overall, getting about 35 riders. My trip certainly wasn’t busy – it only had two other people.
Pros: THE VIEW THE VIEW THE VIEW THE VIEW THE VIEW! And, uh, I guess the route serves some stuff, too.
Cons: Like any CATA route, the Red Line’s schedule is insane. It can be generalized to around four trips per day (weekdays and Saturdays), but on weekdays there are strange short-turn trips and crazy school trips to factor into the mix. Also…why does it say “Commutter Rail” on the online schedule? Please fix that, CATA.
Nearby and Noteworthy: Who cares about what’s AWAY from the bus when riding it is so beautiful? Although the Red Line does serve a few points of interest like Niles Beach and Rocky Neck, many are also served by the summer-only Stage Fort Park Trolley, which has a more consistent every-hour schedule.
Final Verdict: 5/10 (but 10/10 for the view!)
As a route, this is probably the worst of the Gloucester-Rockport CATA buses. It’s the most infrequent one, it gets low ridership, and its schedule has a typo! That being said, the Red Line has the best view BY FAR, and I wholeheartedly recommend riding this thing just to look out the window. Just…good luck getting on the thing, what with its schedule and all. Again, the Stage Fort Park Trolley also traverses the most scenic part of the Red Line in the summer, with a much more frequent schedule.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates