Petition to Keep the MBTA Public!

Oct 14, 2016 | | 5 Comments

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)

Oct 12, 2016 | | 0 Comments

THIS BUS ROUTE IS RIDICULOUSLY SCENIC AND YOU ALL SHOULD RIDE IT!!! Have I gotten your attention? Great, let’s review the Red Line.

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…

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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…

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!

There it is!
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.

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…

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.

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

CATA: Blue Line (Gloucester – Rockport via Lanesville)

Oct 10, 2016 | | 0 Comments

CATA has three routes running from Gloucester to Rockport: the Green Line, the Red Line, and the Blue Line. They all vary in terms of scenery, and each offers a completely different ride. Today, of course, we’ll be taking a ride on the Blue Line, which is the easternmost Gloucester-to-Rockport route.

The bus turning to get into the Dunkin’ Donuts stop.

The bus on the Blue Line was my first time on a CATA Gillig, but it felt a lot like a GATRA Gillig. The seats on this bus were nicer, though, with really great patterns on them. There were no automatic announcements of any kind, and the “stop request” sign (activated by pulling a cord) simply lit up. I also want to point out how strange it is that CATA destination signs don’t acknowledge their line colors in any way! They just say the destination, and not “Blue Line” or “Red Line” as well.

The inside, with mostly sideways seats.

We left Dunkin’ Donuts and turned onto Main Street, running down Gloucester’s main drag. We then turned onto Washington Street, going by houses as we ascended a slight hill. Next, we turned onto Prospect Street, and after passing a park, we headed onto Railroad Ave. There were businesses along here, although we picked no one up at the Commuter Rail station.

Looking down Route 128.

We continued down Washington Street after that deviation, passing more houses. We headed around Grant Circle, and soon after went by Addison Gilbert Hospital. A little past there, the Orange Line turned away and we were left alone on Washington Street.

Wow!
We passed a baseball field, and then came right up alongside a marsh, offering a great view. There were a few businesses here, but mostly the area consisted of houses and some churches. Although the street shied away from the sea, it was still a pretty area, with plentiful trees and charming residences.
How’s about a blurry side street?
It was mostly houses along here, but we did go by a restaurant and a post office at the intersection with Holly Street. Washington Street went onto a peninsula after that, before heading onto a nice bridge over Goose Cove. The surroundings were residential again on the other side, with a few glimpses of Lobster Cove through the houses and trees.
Wowwwww….
There was a rather lovely forested section, with the water still slightly visible through the trees. As the street curved around a bit, we reentered civilization – this was Annisquam Village. It didn’t feel particularly villagey, though…it was just a church, some houses, and a fire station. Still, it was quite charming!
A small river.
The road passed over a tiny creek, and it was all residential from there. There was a bit of a clearing at one point, though, where we passed a field and also got a view of Plum Cove. Washington Street got absolutely lovely after that, with light drifting turns and some charming houses on the sides. We even went by a few businesses in Lanesville, which was such a cute little village.
Looking down a side street in Lanesville.
The street curved up and around to become Langsford Street. It continued to be residential along here, aside from a cemetery. At that point, we merged back into Washington Street, which rose up on a hill alongside some quick glimpses of a beautiful cove. Around here, the street became Granite Street, and we entered Rockport.
Ooooh!
Granite Street curved south and inland, with more houses on either side. At one point, though, we passed a strange industrial building that came out of nowhere. After that, we went by some attractions such as a post office, a fire station, and some really nice churches. From there, the houses became a lot bigger and more expensive-looking, as we were right by the sea.
A bit of a view past some houses.
Other points of interest along here were a pier, and some sort of development with identical houses along the ocean. Unfortunately, Granite Street eventually curved inland, and it was now residential on both sides (lovely houses, though). The road became Railroad Ave, and the reason for its name was evident as we went by the Rockport Commuter Rail station.
Downtown Rockport!
Next, we turned onto Broadway, which was lined with houses, churches, and inns. We soon passed another fire station, a business block, and a library, then turned onto Mount Pleasant Street. There was a common on the corner, while the street had some lovely businesses and buildings along it. Finally, we reached Dock Square, and this is where we deboarded the bus, which got ready to do a Green Line trip.
I like this picture more, but the “VIA EASTERN AVE” gives away the fact that this is a Green Line bus now.
There we go! We’ll just pretend it’s a Blue Line trip…
CATA Route: Blue Line (Gloucester – Rockport via Lanesville)
Ridership: On weekdays, this is CATA’s second-busiest route, with an average of about 125 riders. It’s only the fourth-busiest route on Saturdays, though, clocking in at around 45 riders. Both of these average out to about four people per trip, although I will note that my particular trip got packed due to around 15 runners who got on at a certain stop. Well, okay, “packed” relative to the rest of the CATA, but still.

Pros: This is one of the CATA’s more frequent routes, although that’s not saying much – every 2 hours certainly isn’t anything to be proud of. It’s also one of the more scenic trips on the system, with nice water views and lovely neighborhoods along the whole ride.

Cons: Okay, I have to ask why there are two trips – 6:01 and 6:31 PM – that run from the Gloucester Commuter Rail station to Rockport. Why do they only run from the station, and why are they within half an hour of each other? Other than that, the Blue Line’s ridership isn’t that good, but this is CATA we’re talking about – you really can’t expect much in that regard.

Nearby and Noteworthy: Lanesville was a really great-looking village, but I’m not sure if it’s interesting enough to hang out there for two hours. With regards to the route itself, it’s a pretty scenic way of getting from Gloucester to Rockport, although as we’ll discuss in the next CATA review, there is a better alternative…

Final Verdict: 8/10
For the CATA, the Blue Line is definitely a good one, both operationally and in terms of the ride. The schedule isn’t terrible for CATA standards (and considering the route doesn’t serve a dense area), and it seems to get at least some people. Plus, the ride is pretty scenic!

Latest MBTA News: Service Updates

CATA: Orange Line (Gloucester Crossing and Business Express Loop)

Oct 9, 2016 | | 0 Comments

I had…low expectations for this one. I mean, just look at its map! Just seeing it gives me Dedham Local Bus flashbacks…

Ewwwww…

Okay, so this is the “Gloucester Crossing and Business Express Loop”. First of all, don’t call it an express, because it truly is anything but. Its purpose is to provide a local service to the town of Gloucester, which thus makes it the only full-year CATA route that doesn’t go into the middle of nowhere! Does this equal high ridership? Let’s find out.

Okay, I didn’t realize the camera was on “sepia mode” when I took this, so, uh…welcome to old-time Gloucester?

Getting on with my friend Nathan was an interesting experience. The driver (whose name we came to find out was Bill) said something like “I saw you taking that picture of the bus!” Nathan said that I write a blog about buses, which caused the driver and the two old ladies in the back to laugh. We took our seats, and for about five minutes we could hear the old ladies discussing how that was “such a cute idea.” Thanks, I think?

The best picture I could get of the inside…

It was actually a pretty decent minibus. The wheelchair lift was decidedly un-jiggly, and though the radio was playing, it was classic rock rather than awful rap. Stop requests were performed by pulling the cord along the side of the bus. Finally, all CATA buses use CharlieCard fare machines, but they look so weird and out-of-place on a minibus!

A shot of downtown Gloucester.

We left CATA’s super-special hub at Dunkin’ Donuts and headed down Main Street, going by the businesses of downtown Gloucester. Next, we turned onto Washington Street, meandering up a curvy, residential hill. There were a few businesses at Gloucester Station, and then after some more houses and a graveyard, we made our first deviation.

Some houses as we turned off of Washington Street.

This was Centennial Street, which crossed over the Commuter Rail tracks and was lined with houses. We turned onto Emerson Ave for a block, then onto Lincoln Street, stopping near a housing development. After that, we reached the Gloucester High School, where a few turns took us past a stadium and back onto Centennial Street. This took us to Washington Street again, where we continued on our way.

The high school.

After some more houses on Washington Street, we reached a big rotary, where we merged onto Route 128. There was a bit of an express section as we zoomed down the highway until we hit another rotary – Blackburn Circle. We deviated here to go and serve the Gloucester Crossing mall, where a few people got off and we had to lay over for a bit to keep to schedule.

Now that’s a publicity shot!

Some trips also deviate to the Blackburn Industrial Park by request, but clearly we didn’t have one, as we just headed back onto Route 128. We took this all the way back to the previous rotary, where we turned again onto Washington Street, continuing north. The street was mostly lined with houses, but we also passed a hospital. Next, we turned onto Dr. Osman Babson Road, where we looped around another small hospital. And then we went back the way we came.

Leafy!

We headed towards the rotary, but turned onto Poplar Street at the last minute. Aside from more houses, we also passed the Gloucester Public Works and another cemetery. After serving Poplar Park, a housing development, we turned onto Maplewood Ave, going under Route 128. This narrow street was lined with dense houses, and it stayed that way until we got back near the Commuter Rail station.

A residential side street.

There were a few businesses as we crossed the Commuter Rail tracks, but before we could serve the station itself, we had to deviate once more. This required turning onto Smith Street, then Pleasant Street, where we reached an apartment building. The bus actually did a loop around its tiny front drive, then we made our way back to Maplewood Ave.

Looking down Maplewood Ave.

We deviated to serve a Shaw’s, then merged onto Railroad Ave, coming up alongside the Commuter Rail station. After that, we turned onto Washington Street for a few blocks before turning onto Prospect Street. It was lined with rather charming houses, and we also passed a park and an apartment building. Next, we made a rather strange deviation, turning onto Dale Ave in order to serve the Post Office and City Hall.

The end of Dale Ave.

We turned onto Middle Street for a block, then turned onto the residential Pleasant Street, and then back onto Prospect Street. This took us around past more houses and a small apartment building onto Rogers Street. After going by some industry, we came back to the Dunkin’ Donuts, where Nathan and I got off, having completed a whole loop.

The bus on Rogers Street.

CATA Route: Orange Line (Gloucester Crossing and Business Express Loop)

Ridership: On weekdays, this is by far the busiest route on the CATA, with an average of 180 riders – about 18 people per trip! Bill, the driver, said that some days the bus can be empty (my trip got around 10 people), but other times there can literally be standees. Standees on a minibus! What?? On Saturdays, the route only gets around 50 people, about 7 per trip. Again, though, the route can get a bunch of riders on busy shopping days.

Pros: Pretty simple pro here: the route actually gets people! Yes, it’s completely catered to shoppers, but I guess if that equates to ridership, I can’t complain. The true highlight of the trip, though, was Bill. He was one of the nicest bus drivers I’ve ever met, and he seemed to know every single person that got on the bus! He would always tell people to “stay out of trouble” as they got off, which was pretty funny.

Cons: Just look at the route! It’s a mess! Most of the deviations get people, I guess, but it would be great if the map at least had arrows to let you know where the bus actually goes. It’s also ironic that the busiest route on the CATA is forced to use minibuses – if they cut some of the really outrageous deviations (like pulling into the narrow front drive of that apartment building), they could give the route full-sized buses, which would be better. Finally, just as a nitpick, all of the trips leave Dunkin’ Donuts on the hour, but for some reason there’s a trip at 2:08 on weekdays (i.e. 1:00, 2:08. 3:00). I’m sure there’s a reason for it, but it just looks kinda ugly on the schedule.
(UPDATE: Turns out the 2:08 departure is meant to get the bus to Gloucester High School right at dismissal – that makes more sense now.)

Nearby and Noteworthy: Well, if there’s anywhere you want to go in Gloucester, this bus will take you there. The real question is if you would WANT to go to any of these places. No…no, probably not.

Final Verdict: 9/10
Yes, I know there are a lot of cons for this route. Yes, I know I usually hate routes with millions of deviations. But the thing is, it gets people. And for CATA, this is an incredibly frequent route! I guess it needs that “frequent” every-hour schedule, too, since so many people seem to use this thing. Perhaps the best part of the ride, though, was Bill. The way he knew everyone and talked to people was great, and it made the ride such a pleasure! That’s truly what gave this route that extra point to become a 9.

Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
Thanks to everyone from Reddit and Universal Hub who checked out the Hastings review! Also, I did go to Transit Day at the Seashore Trolley Museum yesterday, but it might take me a little while to get the post out…but look forward to that!

Hastings

Oct 5, 2016 | | 19 Comments

Hastings is a very special station…so special that I think it doesn’t deserve a normal review. In writing this post, I stuck the caps lock button on and essentially turned myself insane. Hastings does have a lot to rant about, after all. Maybe this was a bad decision. Maybe the post won’t be entertaining. But I just thought I’d give this stop the scolding it deserves, rational or not. So with that, let’s get into the worst station on the whole Commuter Rail!

THE “PARKING” “LOT”.

OH, WELL, LOOKIT THAT. HASTINGS THOUGHT TO GIVE US PARKING. NOW, ISN’T THAT NICE? IT USED TO BE COMPLETELY UNPAVED, BUT NOW IT’S GOT GRAVEL INSTEAD! WHAT AN IMPROVEMENT! THEY SAY IT HAS SPACE FOR 6 CARS, BUT I’M NOT SURE HOW THEY FIGURED THAT OUT, SINCE THERE ARE NO SPACES – IT’S JUST A PATCH OF FREAKING GRAVEL!

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WELCOME TO HASTINGS.

ALRIGHT, DO YOU WANT TO SEE HASTINGS’S PLATFORM? WELL, WONDER NO LONGER, FOR THOU ART LOOKINGETH RIGHTETH AT IT! IT’S. JUST. GRAVEL! AND IT’S NOT EVEN, LIKE, NICE TINY GRAVEL THAT’S WALKABLE! NOOOOOO, HASTINGS HAS BIG ROCKS TO MAKE YOUR WAITING EXPERIENCE THE BEST ONE POSSIBLE! BLUMPITY BLUMPITY BLUMP BOY OH BOY OH BOY OH BOY OH BOY OH BOY

OH WOW CHECK OUT DAT SAVAGE INFORMATION BOI

WELL, AT LEAST HASTINGS HAS A NICE SCHEDULE POSTED. HEY, QUICK QUESTION, IF SOMEONE WENT TO THE TROUBLE OF STICKING A SCHEDULE UP HERE, WHY DIDN’T THEY PUT A FREAKING STATION SIGN UP TOO?? BUT OKAY, I DIGRESS, DEAR FRIENDS. AT LEAST THEY HAVE A SCHEDULE…OH WAIT, IT’S FROM 2014. EVERYTHING HAS COMPLETELY CHANGED SINCE THEN! WHAT THE HECK??

AND I THINK TO MYSELFFFFFF WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLDLELEDLLDLEDLDL

WELL, NOW WHAT’S THIS OTHER SHEET HANGIN’ UP ON DAT SIGNAL BOX? OH, OKAY, IT TALKS ABOUT HOW ARRIVAL TIMES HAVE CHANGED SLIGHTLY WITH THE…2016 schedules? Okay, no. NO! I REFUSE TO BELIEVE THAT SOMEONE CAME HERE, PUT UP THE THING ABOUT THE ARRIVAL TIMES IN 2016, BUT DIDN’T BOTHER TO CHANGE THE OLD SCHEDULE! IT’S SIMPLY NOT POSSIBLE!

THANKS FOR THE WARNING, MOM

THIS. THIS SIGN IS THE ONLY INDICATION THAT HASTINGS IS A TRAIN STATION. AS YOU CAN SEE, IT GIVES SIMPLY AN ENCYCLOPEDIC LEVEL OF INFORMATION, DOESN’T IT? WELL, WITH THAT, I GUESS THIS REVIEW OF HASTINGS IS OVER, SO…wait…what’s that next to the sign?

…

Okay…so someone came here with a sharpie…and made that…someone went to the effort of coming here…and writing information in tiny letters that no one will ever see. They…they even drew a little sign around “Hastings” and gave the MBTA website and everything! So…this is the signage. THIS IS THE ONLY INDICATION THAT PEOPLE ARE WAITING AT THE HASTINGS COMMUTER RAIL STATION ON THE FITCHBURG LINE IN WESTON, MASSACHURSETSTES! HASTINGS? MORE LIKE HATE-STINGS, BECAUSE THIS STATION IS THE WORST!

GET OUT WHILE YOU STILL CAN

STATION: HASTINGS

RIDERSHIP: GEEZ, A WHOLE 44 PEOPLE ARE SUBJECT TO BOARDING AT THIS PLACE EVERY DAY? I AM SO SORRY.

PROS: THE ONLY PRO I CAN THINK OF IS THAT AT LEAST THIS PLACE GETS ONLY GETS FIVE TRAINS IN EACH DIRECTION, WEEKDAYS ONLY! SEEMS TO MAKE SENSE BASED ON THE LOW RIDERSHIP…

CONS: MY GOSH, THIS WHOLE STATION IS A CON! HASTINGS IS JUST A BLACK HOLE OF CONS! OR MAYBE JUST A FLAT-OUT BLACK HOLE, SINCE IT BASICALLY HAS NOTHING! NO PLATFORM, NO SIGNAGE, BARELY ANY PARKING, AND THE ONLY INDICATION OF THE STATION NAME IS WRITTEN IN SHARPIE!

NEARBY AND NOTEWORTHY: YES! THERE IS A FIELD NEARBY, COMPLETE WITH SOCCER GOALS AND A BASKETBALL COURT! MAYBE YOU CAN USE IT TO WORK OFF YOUR ANGER AT HOW BAD HASTINGS IS!

FINAL VERDICT: 0/10
HASTINGS DOESN’T DESERVE ANY KIND OF POSITIVE INTEGER FOR A SCORE! IT IS NOTHING. LITERALLY NOTHING. PUT A SIGN HERE, AT LEAST! OH MY GOSH, THIS REVIEW MADE ME GO CRAZY…

LATEST MBTA NEWS: SERVICE UPDATES

Stay tuned for more normal reviews in the future! And let us never speak of this place again.

Lincoln

Oct 4, 2016 | | 0 Comments

There are five Fitchburg Line stations that require crossing the outbound track to board on the inbound, and four of them are in a cluster. I’ve reviewed three out of those four, and Lincoln is by far the best one (not that it has much competition – don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten about that last one that shall not be named), but does that make it good? Let’s find out.

Did I mention this was a night review? Don’t expect the best pictures…

My friend Nathan and I got off on the outbound platform, having done our monumental trip from Silver Hill. It’s definitely underwhelming, but I suppose no one would ever be waiting here, so it doesn’t matter much. There’s no shelter along the whole thing – indeed, there aren’t even benches! All the platform offers is a few wastebaskets.

This is a rugged bike rack…

Lincoln has a weird platform setup – they’re both along the same track, but staggered. The “outbound” one is to the north of the station’s level crossing, while the “inbound” one is to the south. To get from the outbound to the inbound, you have to walk along next to a post office, then go over the crossing. Along the way, you can find an unworking payphone and a bike rack in the middle of some trees that apparently gets usage. Can’t complain!

Looking down the inbound platform. Sorry guys, this was the best I could do…

The inbound platform is dominated by a building, which itself has a few businesses and offices in it. What kind of features does it have? We’ve got another bike rack, some stairs that lead to nowhere, some radiators, some wastebaskets, a schedule, a single bench, and newspaper boxes. Also, no shelter at all…ech. Finally, the station map has a pretty funny error, showing Beverly as being a station on the Rockport Line but not the Newburyport Line!

The boarding area.

I gotta say, although Lincoln requires passengers to cross the outbound track to board on the inbound, it has the best facilities of any such station on the Fitchburg Line. First of all, the electronic scroller gives safety warnings about the crossing, which is a good touch. Also, the area has lots of signs and paint to make sure it’s obvious what to do.

The station parking lot.

Lincoln has a rather…interesting parking situation. It features a decent amount of spaces (161), and is paved and well-organized and all that, but…it still uses an honor box! Seriously, Lincoln, do you really think people want to be stuffing dollar bills into tiny slots just to park? Upgrading to Pay By Phone isn’t that hard!

Goodbye, blurry beast…

Station: Lincoln

Ridership: Okay, it’s the Fitchburg Line, so you can’t expect anything too high…Lincoln gets 391 inbound riders per weekday. Of course, it was empty when Nathan and I were here, it being night and all.

Pros: Lincoln has a good amount of parking, double that of neighboring Concord. Its outbound platform is functional considering barely anyone would ever use it, while the building on the inbound side is charming. Although the inbound platform requires crossing the main line to board, at least it’s the “safest” station to do it.

Cons: Well, number one is the honor box, which is ridiculously antiquated and needs to go. More important, though, is that the inbound platform really needs more seating and some sort of shelter – it has a good amount of amenities, but they forgot the dang shelter! Maybe they could just stick a (I can’t believe I’m saying this) bus shelter over by the boarding area to make operations more streamlined. Actually, why are there two platforms in the first place? Consolidation would be really simple…

Nearby and Noteworthy: There’s nothing too special near here: a post office, a supermarket, a bank, and…an art gallery? Okay, that’s pretty cool.

Final Verdict: 5/10
Yeah, it’s functional, but Lincoln is quite far from perfect. Honestly, changing that honor box would raise the score to at least a 6, and that’s not a hard fix! That inbound platform is kind of a mess, though, and putting some sort of shelter with seating near the boarding area would be great (but probably not something the MBTA is willing to do). But crossing the outbound track is something that flat-out can’t be fixed unless they build another platform, so…sorry, Lincoln…

Latest MBTA News: Service Updates

Wachusett

Oct 1, 2016 | | 1 Comment

Well…this was unexpected, wasn’t it? The MBTA gave this station practically no advertising at all! Admittedly, it has very limited service at the moment – Wachusett is only getting two trains per day. But hey, since it’s open now, what say we give it an ol’ review? Sam and I only had around 15 minutes here, but let’s take a look at the newest station on the MBTA!

The platform.
I really like the open part of the platform. It’s reminiscent of Weymouth Landing, with a high wall on one side (featuring a nice concrete design) and a single track on the other. Each station sign features a historical photograph, and every other one has a bench. The platform stretches on for quite a while – a lot further than any train would ever stop.
The ramp.
However, there is a purpose to the long platform, in that it leads to a ramp up to the exit. It feels like any other modern Commuter Rail ramp, including a “break bench” in the middle. It takes passengers up above the train tracks and under some pylons before arriving at the station “lobby”.
The “lobby”…or whatever you want to call it.
The “lobby” area of Wachusett doesn’t have much, and it doesn’t need to. The first thing to notice is the electronic station sign – my gosh, they’re awesome. And sure, they don’t say anything other than “Welcome to Wachusett Commuter Rail Station” yet, but it’s cool that this place has new signs. The lobby has bike racks, too, and some wastebaskets to finish it off.
Now we’re talkin’!
Of course, I can’t forget about the busway and shelter! The busway is just a loop for MART vehicles to turn around, but I’m really glad they’re bringing service here – they have one route to Fitchburg, and one to Gardner. And that shelter! Oh my gosh, it’s so nice inside. Hearing the rain pitter-patter on the roof while sitting on a brand-new bench…I could’ve stayed there for hours!
The parking lot under construction.
Wachusett’s parking isn’t complete yet, but eventually the station will have 360 spaces. Right now, the lot is mostly just a big expanse of dirt, traffic cones, construction vehicles, street lights, and patches of soil. I’m sure that come completion, though, this lot will look great!
And finally, the shelter…from above!
From the lobby again, a set of stairs takes us full circle back down to the platform. The station shelter is modern, and basically what you would expect from a newer Commuter Rail stop. Beyond the shelter, another ramp rises up to another part of the parking lot, so there are accessible entrances on either side of the platform.
It’s a new station, so here’s a bunch of train pictures!
Station: Wachusett
Ridership: This evening, the place was practically empty aside from a few folks coming to take pictures or check it out. Once full service starts, though, ridership should increase as people start to realize the station is open. It’s slated to get around 400 people per day, which would be average (maybe even above average) ridership for the Fitchburg Line.
Pros: This station is very appealing aesthetically, for one thing – the platform, bus shelter, and scenery all look great. Commuters from Gardner will definitely appreciate Wachusett, as coming here and taking the train will be faster than just driving to Boston (and I’m glad MART is providing bus service to Gardner, too). Also, when winter rolls around, the ski trains that run here should be great for day trips to Wachusett Mountain.
Cons: The only negative aspect about Wachusett is that it has the potential to become another Wickford Junction (i.e. a new Commuter Rail station in the middle of nowhere with low ridership). For now, the station’s emptiness is just because of the timing of the limited trains, although they’re only running them in the first place because they had to open the station by the 30th or else incur fines from the grant that funded a large portion of it. Once full service begins in November, we’ll be able to see what Wachusett’s true ridership is.
Nearby and Noteworthy: Unless you’re going skiing, there’s nothing of note here at Wachusett. It’s essentially in the middle of nowhere…
Final Verdict: 9/10
From a purely aesthetic point of view, Wachusett is near-perfect for the Commuter Rail. The platform is like a more rural version of Weymouth Landing (another fantastic station), and the MART bus shelter is top-notch. This station also offers a lot of parking, and is right next to Route 2 for easy commuting. Honestly, the only worry I have for Wachusett is low ridership, but this place has a lot more potential than Wickford Junction – there’s a reasonably-sized city close by (Gardner), and come winter, it will hopefully be packed with skiers!
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates

Silver Hill

Sep 29, 2016 | | 5 Comments

This is one of the least-served stations on the entire Commuter Rail! With only two trips in the morning and three trips in the afternoon, clearly Silver Hill is a station for commuters only. But what it lacks in service, it makes up for with lots of charm!

The road leading to the station.

As you walk toward Silver Hill (which my friend Nathan and I were doing), the area has a certain…feel to it. You know…all the houses around are huge, and there are long-ish sections of woods between each one. This is Weston, after all – one of the wealthiest towns in Massachusetts.

Wow…such glorious amenities!

So…the parking here is a bit dubious. The MBTA website says it has none, but that patch of gravel next to the station is most definitely used by cars. Of course, there’s no rhyme or reason to it – some people park forwards, some park backwards, and some just use it as a pick-up area. The station also has a bike rack, which is locked to the fence (arguably not a necessary precaution in Weston, but I digress).

How charming!

Yes, the platform is unpaved. Yes, you have to cross the outbound track to get to the inbound side with no crossing whatsoever. But…it sure is a lovely place, isn’t it? The wooden road bridge over the station adds lots of character, while the shelter is awesome. It feels so rustic inside, and it may only have a single bench, but it gets the job done really well! There’s a great sign on the shelter too, saying that the station has had continuous service since 1844. Wow!

A train blazing through!

Station: Silver Hill

Ridership: Oh boy, get ready for this: a whole 15 people per day! Don’t get me wrong, it makes perfect sense since it gets so few trips. On another note, Nathan and I got an outbound train from here and went one stop to Lincoln – quite possibly the first time such a trip was ever made in history! The conductor gave us a strange look…

Pros: Ahh, it’s just so charming. It really feels like you’re in the middle of nowhere when you wait here, right down to the wooden bridge, stairs, and shelter. Also, the parking here is free, and I’m sure that lot will never get full!

Cons: This place is still in really bad shape. The platform isn’t paved at all aside from the shelter, and even the tracks are in subpar condition here. Having to walk across them to the inbound side is annoying without pavement, as well. Yes, we’re talking about 15 people per day here, but it doesn’t change the fact that this is below the minimum one would expect for a Commuter Rail station.

Nearby and Noteworthy: Do you like big houses? Great! That’s basically all you’ll see out here!

Final Verdict: 3/10 (sorry!)
Look, I’m gonna admit that I fell in love with Silver Hill’s immense charm while I was here. It really is an awesome place to hang out. But…you guys understand why I gave it a 3, right? It’s just so basic and it gets so few trains that it’s just…a 3. However, I will say that the limited service it gets makes the station a true hidden gem, and it’s most definitely worth checking out.

Latest MBTA News: Service Updates

Sam’s Operational Oculi: Running Time, Layover, and Cycle Time

Sep 28, 2016 | | 9 Comments

In this Operational Oculi, I decided that I’d take a quick break from garage walkthroughs and begin to tackle the subject of how a public transportation schedule is made. Some terms that I am going to try to define today are “running time”, “layover”, and “cycle”. I am hoping that this post (along with my others coming up later) will give you an appreciation for why your bus arrives at a certain time (and how in most cases it’s not random).



Almost every route in the area has an “inbound” and an “outbound” direction. Even routes like the MBTA 201 and 202, which for the most part are loops, run “outbound” and “inbound” (and change directions at a given point in the route). At most times of the day, especially during rush hour, most people want to travel only one of those two directions. This can prove to be challenging, since there is a bigger demand for service in one direction than the other. Transit agencies strive to keep their buses comfortably full at all times. Since buses can’t just magically spawn at the places that they are needed, equal service is usually given to both directions of the route. This isn’t always the case, and we’ll go over those special cases some other time.



For the purposes of this post, we’ll assume that every route has its own buses that run back and forth on it. In another post, I’ll try to explain what “interlining” means and how most buses will run several routes in a given day. However, there are plenty of routes on the MBTA and elsewhere that follow this model of having their own buses that run back and forth and don’t run on any other routes (such as the 111 and 352). In order to build a schedule, you need to determine: a) how often the bus should come (the headway), and b) how long it will take from Point A to Point B (running time). The running time heavily influences the headway; it can affect how quickly a bus can do a round trip and therefore how frequently the bus can come. On routes that aren’t interlined, the running time is probably one of the biggest factors of what can determine a headway to ensure that service runs on time and also frequently, efficiently utilizing all of the buses that could be given to run that particular service.

Running time is calculated by taking archived, real-time data from buses, discarding outlier sets of data (that one day two weeks ago when traffic was gridlocked shouldn’t be built into the schedule), and finding the median amount of time from there. It is a very delicate science to assign running time: too little running time and the bus runs late, too much running time and the driver will drive slower than is necessary to avoid running early. This is where layover time can come in handy. Layover time is the time between when the bus arrives at its destination until the time it has to leave on its next trip. Layover time is crucial to keeping buses on schedule. The MBTA requires a minimum of 20% layover time after every trip (so, for a 25 minute one-way trip, 5 minutes must be designated as layover time. This means that during the 25 minute trip, the bus can be delayed up to 5 minutes and still be able to leave in time for its next trip. The scheduled running time for a round trip plus layover on each end is called the cycle time.

So let’s try to apply all of this into an example route. Let’s say that there’s a route 63, running from Alewife Station in Cambridge, to Central Square, Waltham, running via Waverley Square in Belmont. Running time data suggests that the trip takes 25 minutes on Saturdays. Service every 30 minutes has been deemed optimal. We can determine the minimum layover time by taking 20% of the 25 minute running time, which is five minutes. Adding up the running time in both directions, plus two six minute layovers on each end, means that we have a 60 minute minimum cycle time on this route. This works out perfectly, since 60 is divisible by the 30 minute headway that we were striving for. The cycle time divided by the headway equals the number of buses required to run the service. Since 60/30 = 2, two are required to run the service. Most of the time however, the optimal headway is not evenly divisible by the cycle time. In these cases, three things could happen: the layover time could increase, the headway could change, or the route could interline with another route. The last scenario mentioned has become increasingly common, and I hope to get the interlining post that I mentioned earlier up in the near future.

That’s it for this post. Please be sure to stay tuned for more posts from Miles and some more stuff by me in the future!

Kendal Green

Sep 26, 2016 | | 3 Comments

Kendal Green, Kendal Green, Kendal Green…yup, this is a station, all right. I think I’ve exceeded the number of interesting words I can possibly say in this intro…

Looking down the platform. By the way, that speck is an unfortunate presence on my camera lens…I really need to get that fixed.

Okay, the first thing to note about Kendal Green is that it’s a pretty small station. In fact, when my friend Nathan and I got out here, we were let off in the middle of the grade crossing! Another thing to note about this place is the fact that in order to board inbound trains, you have to cross the outbound track. They have pavement on the tracks to make it easier, but it’s certainly not an optimal setup.

Underneath the shelter.

This station has a rather charming building that provides a bit of shelter. Underneath it is a bench, a wastebasket, a bike rack (very convenient), a schedule, and…polls? Yes, for some reason there were election polls hung up on the wall. Is this really a place where people come to vote?

Looking the other way down the platform.

The rest of the tiny platform isn’t particularly noteworthy, and thus we move on to parking. Now, I actually didn’t know this place had a lot when I was here, so I’m basically relying on Google Street View and the MBTA website for my information. But yes, Kendal Green has a small lot with 57 spaces. It seems like it gets pretty full on weekdays, which could be bad if people can’t get in, but at least the parking’s free!

A train heading into Boston.

Station: Kendal Green

Ridership: Oh dear, not much at all…Kendal Green only gets 162 inbound riders per weekday. It’s the fourth least-used station on the Fitchburg Line.

Pros: This station definitely has charm to it, especially with that building. Its amenities are fine considering its ridership, and the free parking is nice, as well as the bike rack. Finally, I like the way this station is scheduled – outside of the peak, it’s always a flag stop. This is a good way of letting people get on if they’re there, but not having to hinder other passengers on the train if the platform is empty.

Cons: It’s just a very basic station. The platform is tiny, and there isn’t even one on the inbound side! That being said, I guess it does match the ridership.

Nearby and Noteworthy: No, the surrounding area is basically all houses. It’s only a mile to the closest 70 stop, though!

Final Verdict: 5/10
I dunno, it’s just…Kendal Green. I certainly see its charm, and it has a good amount of it, but the lack of an inbound platform is really bad. Even then, giving this a 6 would mean it’s better than Concord, which it most certainly isn’t. Kendal Green does its job fine, but it definitely has its fare share of problems.

Latest MBTA News: Service Updates

MBTA Bus Roadeo!

Sep 25, 2016 | | 5 Comments

This year, I got the chance to attend the 40th Annual MBTA Bus Roadeo, and it was an absolute blast! My friends Jordan, Nathan, Nick, Sam, and I met up at Sullivan at around 6:30, and then we walked over to Charlestown Garage where the Roadeo was taking place. When we got there, breakfast sandwiches and coffee were available, and people could go inside buses 1459 (an Xcelsior that’s barely been in service), 291 (an RTS converted to a work bus with trolley wires), and 2600 (an ancient GMC from 1957!).

The view of all three buses from across the yard.
A shot of 291 after it had been moved.
The inside! Slightly different from a regular RTS, eh?
A better view of 2600.
The inside! Those seats were comfy.
A look at the driving area.
Oh yes, they also had this tiny train-bus thing on display!
Ah, the MBTA’s failed Nova Bus prototype…

At around 7:30, the main event began. The Roadeo is a competition between the best drivers on the MBTA – there are a bunch of requirements just to be eligible to enter. It involves a course through Charlestown Yard, where drivers are tested on a variety of different criteria. Additionally, they are tested on uniform and posture, as well as being able to find defects on a bus.

Operator 68014 at the start of the course.

Also, I ended up volunteering as a “runner”. This meant that as the buses went around the course, I would go to each judging station and collect the scoresheets to bring back to the scorers. It was a really fun job, and I’m really glad I was able to help out!

Getting the handoff from judge Lorraine Landsburg! Photo credit to Sam.

But you guys want to hear about the course itself, don’t you? With humorous and energetic commentary blasting over the speakers, buses had to traverse 11 challenges in the course (there were also three more that I’ll discuss at the end). The first vehicle challenge was getting the bus’s wheels through tennis balls without knocking them over. They got closer as it went along, and they were already tight to begin with!

Operator 71340 about to head through the tennis balls, with judge Jay Orlando looking on.

After that, buses had to take a left-hand turn. This one was incredibly difficult, since the cones on either side were so tight! Each challenge was graded on a scale of 50 points, and with this one, 25 were lost from hitting one of the entrance cones leading into the turn. Buses also lost points for shifting into reverse.

72113 making the turn.

The next challenge was also a tough one, where buses had to reverse leftward into a narrow alley of cones, then come out again. It was hard to get through without hitting at least one! After that, buses would do the same thing but on the right, and then make a right-hand turn with more narrow cones.

69646 backing up.

Buses had to make a “stop” after that, judged by how far they were from the curb and whether they made ADA announcements or not. From there, the next challenge was a slalom, where vehicles had to navigate their way around a set of cones. They had to face the “Offset Street” challenge next, which involved running through a straight set of cones, then doing an s-curve to another set of cones.

A bus (not sure about the operator number) making a stop.

Buses had to make a second stop after the Offset Street, and then we got to the most exciting part of the course: the “Diminishing Clearance” challenge. Here, buses had to go at least 20 MPH while not hitting any barrels – then they had to stop as quickly as possible to avoid hitting one final cone. It was exhilarating seeing buses speed through, and cheers from the crowd and commentator would erupt every time a barrel was sent flying.

72019 about to barrel through the barrels! That’s a pun or something.

Another aspect of the Roadeo that was just as important as the course was finding bus defects. These were more behind-the-scenes, taking place at the garage, and involved drivers having to find eight defects on a vehicle. There was even a “bomb” on board! Drivers were also scored on their uniform -every aspect had to be absolutely perfect.

The Maintenance Roadeo.

Also happening in the garage was the Maintenance Roadeo. This was where members of maintenance teams would have to perform challenges on various bus parts, such as starting up an engine. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to spend a lot of time back there due to my “running” duties, but it seemed pretty cool!

Inside the big dining tent.

Once the events were over, it was time to eat! There was some absolutely fantastic barbeque at the Roadeo, and more than enough for everyone to dig in. They also had popcorn and cotton candy, a DJ, and a bounce house for the kids. Finally, the results were announced: in 1st Place was Reynaldo Beato right from Charlestown Garage!

Announcing the results.

Overall, the Roadeo was super fun! It was great to see the buses navigate around the course, and meeting a bunch of instructors while collecting sheets was a blast. Finally, I want to give a huge thanks to Justin Grizy and Lorraine Landsburg for inviting us in the first place and making this all possible. Hope to come back again next year!

Some buses lined up.
And with the Roadeo over, the Charlestown buses came back to pull out!

GUEST POST: Service Change: Transit in Madrid

Sep 22, 2016 | | 1 Comment

Here is Part 2 of Gabe W’s international transit journey. Great job as usual, Gabe!

Gabe here again! When I was last with you guys I was leaving Israel. Now, for the second part of the journey, we stayed in Madrid for five days! So, of course, our plane landed at Madrid-Barajas Airport, which is the main international airport serving Madrid (which is the capital of Spain). Now, all of the international departures and arrivals went through the HUGE Terminal 4 (there are other terminals). The reason the terminal is so big is because it is actually two terminals (T4 and T4S), which are connected by a two and a half kilometer long underground driverless people mover, aptly called the Airport People Mover. The system was built a lot like a subway shuttle line, so I counted it as a public transport system and took some pictures.

A map of the shuttle system. Terminal 4S contained “terminals” M, R, S, and U, while T4 contained H, J, and K.
This is what the front of each shuttle car looked like. It looks pretty similar to the Madrid Metro cars we’ll see in a little bit.
The interior of the car in front of us, packed with people. Also, if you look to the top of the picture, you can see a reflection of the car we were in. Of course, after we left the main terminal we just called a taxi to get to the new apartment.
The Madrid Metro is complicated. Not as much as NYC, but it still has 16 lines. Before we left Boston, dad printed out a map of the metro, and I spent about an hour pouring over it, trying to figure out how to get to the center of town. The good news is that the station closest to us (about half a mile away) was a transfer station, between a circular route that ran around the city surrounding the downtown area and one of the routes that cut right through the center. The Station’s name was Legazpi, and it was about 2 miles from the downtown area.
Now, Legazpi was a pretty innovative station. It was built around a rotary (which are really common in Madrid) and had three headhouses. The outer lane of the rotary was actually a busway, and it went right by the main headhouse. The main headhouse was a small, glass rectangular building with an entrance for the escalators in the front and elevators in the back.
The main entrance to Legazpi, with the escalator entrance showing.
The station as a whole was really clean and modern. After going through the spacious mezzanine (which had plenty of ticket machines), the fare control area was directly linked to the outbound platform of Line 3. Next to the ramp to the platform was an escalator down to the exchange level, where three other escalator pairs (both up and down) linked to the inbound platform and the other end of the outbound platform (there was a pair of elevators there too). There were also escalators down to the Line 6 platforms, but I never got to check them out, or ride the Line 6 at all.
The platforms themselves were quite clean, and had ample seating. A couple of scattered countdown clocks told us both the time, the ETA of the next train, and some other useful system information (delays on Line 2, shuttle service on line 5).
One of the ticket machines within the mezzanine. It looked quite similar to the ones in Boston.
A picture of some of the Metro tickets, taken the following day. The tickets cost more the further you go, so you have to enter your destination. You could go further than what the tickets “allow” you too, but we didn’t risk it.
Some information on the namesake of the station probably meant for visitors to Madrid and tourists. Too bad it was in Spanish…
A map of Line 3, with one side showing the station name and the other showing the connections.
The platforms for Line 3.
A Line 3 train on the outbound side. In the picture, you can see the ramp leading up to fare control and one of the escalators down to the exchange level. This type of train was used on both of the lines I rode upon, so I can assume it’s standard with the Metro system (not the light rail trains, of course).
The inside of the train that we rode inbound. Like the London subsurface trains, it was a continuous car, with 5 pivot points (so it was the length of a six car train).
The station that we got off at was the huge Sol station, a transfer between the 1, 2, and 3 lines. Like Legazpi, Sol was clean and modern, with a large main room that has passageways leading off from it. This room was a quick escalator ride from fare control and the mezzanine, and the main room was on level with Line 2.
One of the main hallways located within Sol. As you can see, there’s a busker within it, and the hallway leads to the escalators to the main room.
A view of fare control and the mezzanine from down the hall. Behind us is the exit to the Line 3 stairs, and way behind us is the Line 1 entrance seen in the previous image.
A picture of one of the entrances to Sol, in the NYC style. The banner states that the elevators are being fixed, and that there is no accessible service at the moment.
Here’s the main mezzanine, taken from within fare control. The mezzanine is clean, modern, and efficient, with ample fare gates and ticket machines. We exited both through this area and came through it later in the day, as we headed home.
Here’s a view of fare control past the main mezzanine. The escalators lead down to the bottom floor of the main room. You can see some of the ads within the station from here, as well as a sign directing the foot traffic.
A view of the main room, from atop the second floor (I took it from the area seen in the last picture). If you go to the right, you end up in the Line 3 hallway. If you go to the left, you head to Line 2. The entrance to line 1 is also to the right, but it comes up immediately after turning. The large black object hanging from the roof is actually a sculpture.
The next station we got to visit was Callao (pronounced Cay-yow), a transfer station between Line 3 and Line 5 (it also got commuter rail service, but we didn’t take it). Like the other stations, it was simple, modern, and efficient, though it had some nice decorations.
One of the entrances to Callao. This one was built like the standard NYC subway entrance, so the elevators were elsewhere in the square.
A picture of Callao’s main mezzanine, showing the escalator from the more modern entrance (it had the elevator) and the fare gates. Unlike the other stations I visited, the pillars here were metal and reflective, and not just painted white.
A close-up on one of the fare gates (standard throughout the system). The slit at the front is for the tickets, and the green circle at the top is where you place the smart cards for the system (think CharlieCard).
The Line 3 platform at Callao, looking quite similar to every single platform on Line 3 I had already seen.
One of the countdown clocks located at Callao. It was working perfectly, though my (phone) camera caught it at a weird moment. As you can see, it tells you the destination of the next train, the time till the next train, and some other fast-moving information.
The final station that I visited was Retiro, which I convinced my parents to go to after walking through the Royal Gardens (the other option was to go to Sol, which I had already been to). Retiro was on the Line 2, but was not a transfer station, and was two stops away from Sol. It seemed that the Madrid Metro had only modernized the transfer stations, as Retiro was old and not in good shape . The platforms were decaying, and there were stains on the walls. At least the technology (fare gates, ticket machines, countdown clocks, etc) was in top condition.
Retiro’s small mezzanine and fare control area. The ticket machines were located behind my current position to the right. I quite like how they put a countdown clock right at the entrance, so you would know if you had to run for the train.
Retiro’s platforms, not in the top condition. The concrete was faded and the walls were stained. At least there was no water dripping on the floor (I’m looking at you, Haymarket).
Both Line 2 and Line 3 (and probably the rest of the lines, due to a standard trainset) ran on overhead lines, which weren’t even wires! They were a third rail suspended above the train.
Finally, on the second to last day, I walked down to one of the main roads and took a couple pictures of the buses going by. According to Madrid’s website, the bus colors have meaning. The blue buses only operate routes within the city, while the green ones go out into the suburbs (there are also the express yellow buses, which go to nearby cities, and red buses have the same job as blue ones). At one point I had more pictures, but they were deleted by my sister (still don’t know how she did that).
A route 135 approaching from the distance.
A route 86, heading to “Vill. Alto”, which is the terminus for Line 3.
And so, after three weeks on an international adventure, I returned home to Logan Airport. However, my family and I were faced with a problem. My grandmother, who left us halfway through the trip, had driven us to the airport, so we had no way to get home. Luckily, the previous night, I had thought of a solution. We ended up taking the Silver Line SL1 to South Station, then taking the Providence/Stoughton Line to Sharon (review coming soon), and finally calling a cab to get home.
Did you know that the SL1 had countdown clocks at the airport? Well now you do, and they’re pretty accurate! The bus ended up coming two minutes late, but that’s pretty minimal.
I couldn’t get a picture of the front of the bus, so here’s the side.

And that’s it! Between buses and trains in Israel and the metro in Madrid, I think my trip was pretty transit filled!

GUEST POST: Service Change: Transit in Israel

Sep 20, 2016 | | 0 Comments

Gabe W. sent this guest post about transit in Israel. Thanks, Gabe! Look out for Part 2, which will talk about transit in Madrid.

Hello fellow MBTA riders! I’m Gabe W., a random reader of Miles’s fantastic blog. Recently, I took a two week international trip to Israel, with a stop in Spain. And while I did not do as much public transit riding as I wanted to, I do have many transit tales to share.

My trip began at Ben-Gurion International Airport, which is the largest and (as far as I know) the only international airport in Israel. The bad news was that the taxi fare to our AirBNB apartment was very expensive. The good news, at least for me, was that Israel Railways, the national passenger rail service within the country, had opened up a station at the airport. It was new enough that the only signs leading us to the station were standing banners. So, we followed the signs, baggage carts in hand, to get to the mezzanine of the station. However, as I discovered, my phone was dead (turns out playing games on a 7 hour flight is not good for your batteries). So I couldn’t take any photos of the train.
Let me set the scene: there’s a concrete pavilion, sheltered by a parking garage above. One side of the square is a small, grassy courtyard. On the opposite were the fare gates to get down to the below-grade platforms. On the adjacent side was an entrance to the drop-off and pick-up stretch of road, and on the opposing side of that was an entrance to the arrivals terminal.  There were only two ticket machines, so we had to wait for about 10 minutes to get on board. Dad spent this time conducting some research about where the nearest station to the apartment was. Turns out the train heading in that direction came in half an hour, so we didn’t have to rush (we determined this from the LED signboard above the ticket machines). When our turn came, we purchased two sets of 3 tickets (that was the maximum amount) to Tel-Aviv HaHagana railway Station. The immediate area after the fare gates was very bland, containing only the escalators/stairs down, the elevator down, and NOTHING ELSE. I guess they didn’t need to put benches there, because you could sit and wait on the platform, but it seems a bit of a waste of space. Secondly, with broken windows and exposed concrete, the area behind the double elevators was a mess. The platform was so much nicer. It was divided into two sides, with a median of plants in the middle. They were raised to be about 3 feet off the ground, and every fifty feet or so the median would disappear, and there would be a set of benches. There was also plenty of seating along the platforms, which I found nice. The countdown clocks went from 20 minutes to 10, 5, and finally a pair of headlights turned the corner. The train we got was one of their newer ones, a 6 car bilevel that had LED screens and announcements. The seats were all in a seat-table-seat configuration, and there were four per row. They were obviously comfier than the commuter rail seats, but they weren’t that plush. Our ride was only 3 stations long, but it was much smoother than any ride on the T. When we arrived, we followed some well-placed signs to the front, where we hailed a much cheaper cab.
A picture of the Israel Railways ticket, taken the following morning.
The next day, we tried to catch a bus. So, my family and I walked down the block till we reached the nearest bus stop. Even though it was a very minor stop, it was still way above anything that the MBTA would construct. It had a full metal shelter, including a cool hanging bench. It was pretty spacious, and all 6 of us could fit under it (it was also in pretty good quality, unlike many MBTA shelters). It even had a countdown clock, though it wasn’t on at the time that we rode (other stations had fully functioning ones).
The bus sign, in not-perfect condition (note that all the routes with the owl sticker were both day and night routes).
The countdown clock, which is obviously turned off.
The bus stop itself. The yellow papers posted on the side of the stop indicate which minibus routes stop at the station.
A minibus itself. These buses will not stop if they are full, and run their own routes. Being smaller and more quiet (and run by a different group), they cost an extra NIS (New Israeli Shekel).
After waiting for a couple of minutes and not having our bus arrive, a stranger passing by advised us to download Moovit, the bus app for Tel Aviv. One we found our station and consulted the app (which is very well designed), we found out that our bus would not be arriving for some time, so we decided to call a cab (again).
Once we finished going through the museum the bus was supposed to bring us to, we as a family decided to try taking a bus again. Walking down the street near the museum, we found a much bigger bus stop that was served by many routes. The stop itself was an assembly of three normal shelters, spread out over about 50 feet. After waiting for about 10 minutes, our bus arrived.
A random bus I saw while walking to our stop.
A view of the larger stop, showing the three shelters and a bench (it had a bike rack too).
Now, Israel’s buses are split into two groups. The first is Egged (pronounced egg-ed), the national bus corporation. Egged runs two types of routes: long distance ones that still make stops along the way (sometimes you will see random stops on the side of the highway, in the middle of the desert, that are served by 3 routes), and inner-city routes. The long distance routes use a tour-bus vehicle, while the inner-city buses usually use conventional buses. I say usually because the bus that rolled in to pick us up was built around a coach-bus frame, even though it was only travelling a couple of miles. The bus was quite comfy, with airline-style seating (though a bit more simple) and individual AC vents, which were fantastic due to the 90 degree weather.
The inside of the bus, showing the seating, AC, and scroll board up front.
The bus (so, us) pulled up next to a couple other routes at the next stop.
Some skyscrapers I saw on the route. Pretty cool looking.
A skyscraper in progress, I guess.
An advertisement for the up and coming Tel Aviv Light Rail, which looks to be very extensive.
Our bus finally arrived at the huge Tel Aviv Central Bus Terminal, a 7 story behemoth station (bus only, though an Israel National railway station was nearby) serving hundreds of routes. The station was mixed with a mall, so many of the levels had bus platforms on the exterior and shopping in the center. There was a complex system of ramps leading up to each level.
A view of the bus level serving our route. On the closest sign, the symbol to the left is the Dan bus symbol.
The next bus we got on was managed by the Dan Bus Company, which is the bus carrier of Tel Aviv itself. It was built like any other city bus, with grab bars, stop request buttons, and a scroll screen at the front. The route itself wasn’t that interesting, and was much more residential than the last one. Unsurprisingly, the bus stop we got off at was the same as every single one we had seen before, though only one module. Later in the day, we just hailed a cab to get back to the apartment.
The inside of the bus, looking pretty normal.
What a nice modern building! It reminds me of the MIT Media Lab in Cambridge.
Goodbye bus! Also, note the very quiet street.
The rest of our Israel trip was not transit related at all, as we rented out a car to drive around in. However, as we stayed in Israel for another week and a half, I tried to take as many photos as possible, so here’s a small collection of assorted ones.
A picture of the Jerusalem Light Rail system, which I snapped as our car was at a traffic light. When I asked, mom said that we didn’t ride the system because we had a rental car. Also, the system ran through the new, developed sections of the city, and we were staying in the historic Old City.
On the way back, while on the Tel Aviv section of one of the highways, I saw an Israeli Railways train passing us. It was one of the older trains, with single level cars in a blue livery, but it was a nice way to end the Israeli leg of our trip!
Note: Both pictures were taken from a moving car.