RIPTA: 73 (Fairlawn/CCRI)
The RIPTA doesn’t seem to care at all about the 73. For one thing, it’s a Pawtucket route, which means it instantly gets less priority. Also, its schedule (and ridership) is absolutely abysmal. And just look at the beauty of a vehicle they gave this thing:
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| Oh my gosh, we’re in prehistoric times! |
Well, this bus was simply a relic. It was high-floor, and inside it felt exactly like an RTS bus…except worse! This thing was loud and could hardly make it up the tiniest hill..and yet it was made in 2004! Really?! It was quite the ride.
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| The awful interior (with an interesting expression from my friend Nathan). |
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| Looking up toward the front. |
We left the Pawtucket Transit Center, going up Roosevelt Ave and turning onto Exchange Street. This was downtown Pawtucket, so the street was lined with brick buildings, some of which housed businesses. The street became Goff Ave, and the surroundings got very industrial, with lots of factories and empty plots of land everywhere.
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| Oh, did I mention the windows were caked with dirt? Prepare for some great pictures! |
We turned onto Main Street, then merged onto Mineral Spring Ave, going by a cemetery and starting the unique portion of the route. The street became lined with dense houses and a few businesses. We crossed over the Northeast Corridor and went by a school and some residential developments on the other side.
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| A residential side street. |
We passed a boring-looking shopping plaza and some old factories after. There was a school bus yard on the side of the road, then the bus struggled up a hill lined with more dense houses. Businesses appeared at the intersection with Smithfield Ave, but the scenery was generally residential along here.
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| Some sort of parking area. |
Eventually, we turned onto Charles Street, joining the 51. The street was mostly businesses for a bit until we struggled our way up another hill which went under Route 146. We entered Lincoln on the other side of the underpass, and it got surprisingly rural-feeling. The street (now called Old Louisquisset Pike) had no sidewalks, and the houses were pretty far apart in the forest.
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| Oh look…um…telephone wires! |
Some businesses appeared eventually, and we turned onto Paul Street after that. This led to a huge parking lot, and we went onto a street running through it to get to the Twin River Casino. Here, everyone on the bus got off except for me and Nathan, so we continued with the rest of the route alone. The bus went around a little loop and we headed back onto Paul Street.
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| Mmm…casinos. |
Technically we’re supposed to go back the way we came, but the driver decided to loop around the casino instead. Thus, we headed down Paul Street for a while before merging onto Twin River Road at a rotary. This took us back to Old Louisquisset Pike, which was lined with houses. We soon turned off the road, though, arriving at the final stop: the Community College of Rhode Island, or “CCRY” as the lispy automatic announcement made it sound.
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| Two shots of the bus at CCRI. |
RIPTA Route: 73 (Fairlawn/CCRI)
Ridership: Since I don’t count kids (they don’t pay), the total ridership on the bus was…four people! Including me and Nathan! Okay, but it was the morning, so maybe more people use the route overall. Let’s see, in 2012, the route got…287 passengers per weekday. Wow, and it ran on weekends back then with even lower ridership – 100 passengers on Saturdays and 81 on Sundays. Oh, and what’s this? It ranked “47 out of 54 routes.” 7th-lowest ridership route, huh? Tsk, tsk.
Pros: Just about the only use for this route is that it gives a one-seat ride from Pawtucket to the Twin River Casino and CCRI. I mean, the section on Mineral Spring Ave got no one, and it’s pretty close to the much more frequent 72.
Cons: Gosh, you know it’s a bad route when I start listing off cons in the “pros” section. Let’s see, aside from the fact that the independent section of the route is mostly useless, what else is wrong with it? Oh, the schedule is quite miserable. The route runs every hour, and on weekdays only. Yes, it makes sense, but if the ridership is this low even with every hour service, then why run the route at all outside of rush hour?
Nearby and Noteworthy: Uh…Twin River? If you happen to be into gambling, and you also happen to be in Pawtucket on a weekday, then this bus is for you!
Final Verdict: 4/10
This is definitely one of the more interesting RIPTA routes I’ve been on so far, but it just doesn’t seem very useful. 73 service could probably be cut outside of rush hour, and not too many people would be impacted. The most important thing it does is connect Pawtucket to Twin River, but if only a few people are taking advantage of it, then clearly it must not be very necessary.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
RIPTA: 1 (Eddy/Hope/Benefit)
The 1 is basically omnipresent wherever you go on the RIPTA. It serves the authority’s two biggest transit hubs, as well as two Commuter Rail stations. A merger of three former RIPTA routes, the 1 runs through some incredibly varied neighborhoods, and can be very interesting to take the whole way. Well…except you can’t take it the whole way. I shall explain.
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| This isn’t the 1, but we thought it was the 1, so…yeah. |
The full route is from T.F. Green Airport to South Attleboro Station, but no bus actually does the whole thing. The trips that start at T.F. Green Airport only go as far as Pawtucket, while the trips that start at South Attleboro only go as far as, um, “Shaws.” So in order to take the whole thing, one has to wait for the next bus in the middle of the route.
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| Ah! There‘s the 1! |
My friend Nathan and I were the only people on the bus from T.F. Green, so we headed onto Post Road without any passengers. The scenery? Lots of parking lots and weird airport businesses. We went by a really deserted mall, but that was about it for intriguing views – the rest was just retail with parking lots out front.
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| Mmm…how pretty, |
We went through a highway interchange, and after lots of car dealerships on the other side, it went back to more pitty businesses. Soon we reached Elmwood Ave, where the 20 left and we started a solo portion. There was a bit of a residential section from there, at least in the form of a few developments. The businesses came back for just a bit longer (as well as a school), but it became all houses after that.
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| A residential side street. |
However, once we turned onto Warwick Ave, it was more of the same scenery as Post Road…sigh. Although this time, there were also some industrial and residential buildings thrown in the mix. We went by Shaws, where South Attleboro trips begin, then crossed over the Pawtuxet River.
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| What a great river view… |
On the other side, we passed a Stop and Shop (isn’t that basically the same thing as Shaws?) and then it got residential. There was also the occasional business, and we passed an apartment building at one point. Later, quite a lot happened at a certain intersection: we connected with the 3 for a second, we merged onto Broad Street, and we went by an amazing cathedral.
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| A busy intersection. |
Heading up Broad Street, it was yet another mix of houses, businesses, and a few industrial buildings (as well as a cemetery). However, the sudden influx of (pretty sketchy) businesses signified that we were at the Broad City Line, the terminus of the R-Line. For some reason, this is where Nathan and I decided to get off to wait for a South Attleboro bus.
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| What a strange stop! |
We had about 15 minutes until the next bus was due to arrive, so we decided to walk back down the route a bit just for fun. Along the way, we encountered some really strange-looking stops. I guess the neighborhood commissioned them, because they’re specific to “Edgewood,” but it was rather unclear that they were actual RIPTA signs. I think they were old, because the logo was very different from the current one.
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| Hello, other 1! |
So, continuing from Broad City Line, we merged away from the R-Line pretty quickly onto Eddy Street. For a few blocks it was lined with dense houses, but then the scenery became industrial. We went by some big factories and warehouses before going over I-95. Crossing over, we also saw a Providence and Worcester freight train doing some shunting, but it was on the wrong side of the bus for a picture.
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| Here, have a side street instead. |
Although there were a few houses past the highway, it very quickly shifted back to industrial scenery, along with a few businesses. At Public Street, we were joined by the 3, and then we passed the Rhode Island Hospital. But while the 3 stops outside the building, the 1 actually deviates to serve the front door on this narrow street. It seemed like a pointless and annoying deviation at first, but there ended up being a huge crowd waiting at the hospital that doubled the ridership on board.
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| This all looks rather industrial. |
From the hospital, we went under I-95 and entered the most industrial part of the route so far. There were all these huge abandoned plots of land, and the land that was occupied was made up of abandoned warehouses. However, the street eventually became Dorrance Street, and all of a sudden there were buildings and businesses on either side – we were in downtown Providence.
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| Oh…well this certainly isn’t downtown… |
We soon pulled into Kennedy Plaza, where a big exchange of riders occurred – most of the bus got off while lots of people got on. By this point, Nathan was incredibly excited, since he had never been in the East Side Transit Tunnel before, which the 1 runs through just after Kennedy Plaza. However, at this point, the driver made an announcement: “The tunnel is closed today.” Well, shoot! Oh well, at least we got to take an interesting detour.
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| A street near Kennedy Plaza. |
We still crossed the Providence River on Washington Street as if we were heading into the tunnel. Perhaps we would just take the direct on-street alternative to it? But no, we ended up turning onto North Main Street instead, with some great historic buildings on one side and a park on the other.
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| I love this park! |
Soon, we turned onto Olney Street, which is a street not usually covered by RIPTA bus routes. It was a leafy neighborhood, with houses and apartments lining the street. We went up and over a hill, passing a big field in the process. Turns out it was the field for the Hope High School, where school trips on the 1 operate both in the morning and afternoon.
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| The intersection with Hope Street. |
When we rejoined the regular route at Hope Street, it seemed like we were just going to continue up to Pawtucket. However, we first had to head south to serve the parts of the route we had bypassed. Thus, we turned right onto Hope Street, which became Thayer Street soon after. We were going by some very nice houses along here (being close to Brown, the East Side is the most affluent neighborhood in Providence).
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| A side street from a little further down Thayer. |
Soon the street became lined with lots of businesses, this being the main drag of the East Side. Many of them were hipstery, but that’s to be expected with a college nearby. We went by the closed tunnel (it looked fine to me), then turned onto Waterman Street and back up onto Brook Street. Things were mostly residential, and we soon merged into Hope Street to continue the route north.
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| These are some great-looking houses! |
It continued to be residential on leafy Hope Street, but we also went by a park, a few churches, and a school. The houses went on for quite a while until the intersection with Rochambeau Ave, where the street all of a sudden became lined with businesses. They weren’t as nice as the ones back on Thayer Street, but they certainly weren’t as bad as the ones back on Post Road (man, that feels like a long time ago).
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| Henry Bear’s Park exists outside of Massachusetts? Why was I not aware of this? |
Eventually the street became lined with houses again, and it had kind of an East Arlington feel now – a strange mix between urban and suburban. We went by another park, and then some more industrial-feeling businesses with parking lots came up (including a few auto shops).We were in Pawtucket now and the street became East Ave, but the East Arlington style of housing continued past the short retail section.
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| A gas station with some houses behind it. |
We passed another school, then a small plaza with an office building in it. Next, East Ave merged into George Street, and we went by a cemetery and crossed over I-95 again. After the street got a leafy median, we turned onto East Ave once more. We were in downtown Pawtucket now, with brick buildings lining the street. Were they nice brick buildings? No…not really.
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| Going over I-95. |
We made our way onto Roosevelt Ave in order to serve the Pawtucket Transit Center. This is where buses from T.F. Green Airport terminate, but since we were going all the way to South Attleboro, we picked up a few more passengers and headed off. We turned onto Exchange Street, going over the Blackstone River, and after a few more brick buildings, we turned again onto Broadway.
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| Nice view! |
There were a few industrial buildings, then we crossed I-95 for the fourth and final time on the route. The scenery was incredibly varied on the other side of the highway, with businesses, houses, churches, and a school all making it into the mix. We soon turned onto Benefit Street, that intersection being the terminus of GATRA’s 11 and 24 from Attleboro.
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| Although it’s the same bus, this was from earlier in the day when Nathan and I got off the 11 at Broadway and Benefit. Review of that route coming soon! |
Benefit Street was simply lined with dense houses for a while. A few auto shops and businesses cropped up at the intersection with Mendon Ave, but it was pretty consistently houses. Eventually we turned onto Cottage Street, also lined with houses, then we turned again onto Newport Ave, joining the 35.
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| What a strange median…thing. |
After some pretty sketchy-looking businesses, Newport Ave went onto a bridge over the Commuter Rail tracks and we entered Massachusetts. Right on the other side of the bridge, we turned onto an unnamed loop road, and the driver let us off at a rather unassuming stop that was pretty far from the station itself. As the bus went into a mall to lay over, Nathan and I started walking toward the Commuter Rail.
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| That woman tried to get on, but the driver said she would have to wait at the inbound stop on the other side of a parking lot. |
RIPTA Route: 1 (Eddy/Hope/Benefit)
Ridership: Alright, this is tricky. Since the 1 used to be three separate routes, and since the RIPTA’s ridership information is relatively outdated, I had to get the data from the three former routes of the 1. Bear with me:
- The original 1 route (covering the portion south of Kennedy Plaza) got 1,900 passengers per weekday, 700 passengers per Saturday, and 382 per Sunday. Annoyingly, the 1 used to be completely different, with two branches and a route that covered a lot of what the 3 covers now. Still, one branch went onto Post Road (not all the way to the airport, though), and the data does show that the ridership drastically increases north of Broad City Line.
- The 42 served the section from Providence to Pawtucket along Hope Street. This was RIPTA’s 8th highest ridership route, with 2,000 passengers per weekday, 852 per Saturday, and 465 per Sunday. It basically runs the same route as what the 1 does now.
- The 77 covered the part of the route from Pawtucket to South Attleboro, although the 77 didn’t quite make it to the station – it terminated further east on Benefit. Regardless, the route got decent ridership for such a short distance, with 643 riders on weekdays, 337 on Saturdays, and 120 on Sundays.
Transit Tales: A Rather Troublesome Commute
I was doing my daily commute to my summer job in Central Square. Unfortunately, as I got down to Alewife, I had just missed a train. “Oh well,” I thought. The next one would still get me there on time. OR WOULD IT???
No, it would not. Things seemed fine at first, although we did leave Alewife rather slowly. At first I thought it was because we had to switch tracks, but nope – we were on the right one already. So why were we going so slow? And why was the train making such an ear-piercing screeching noise? A little past the Alewife crossover, the train stopped entirely.
This was where it got weird. The driver’s radio was broadcasting over the entire car: “Train 01735! Train 01735! Can you hear me? Move to another part of the car where we can hear you.” A few minutes later, the driver left her cab. “You guys can hear me, right?” She asked the few people on board. We all said yes, and she pointed to the radio and said “I guess she can’t. I’m out of power!” Well, that didn’t sound good.
The driver moved to some other part of the train, and we sat there in silence for a few minutes. Finally, she came back and disappeared into the cab, coming out with a reflective vest on. She left again, and returned after another few minutes with another worker. They both went into the cab, and the train started making some very interesting noises.
Luckily, whatever they did seemed to help, and we started moving again! Good, perhaps I could still make it. When we arrived at Davis, a huge crowd had amassed as expected, and the train filled up. We moved on to Porter, where more people crowded on the train. But after Porter, it started to get bad again.
You see, the train stopped once more. And this time, it didn’t seem to want to budge. To make matters worse, the AC turned off, making it sweltering hot inside the crowded car. We waited there for about five minutes before finally, after lots more noises from the train, we started moving again. “Attention passengers,” the driver said. “We are experiencing multiple problems with this train. We will be going out of service at Harvard.” This caused many frustrated mutters to come from the crowd.
It took a while for the poor old train to even get to the next stop! When we arrived, the driver refused to open the doors until the antsy crowd on the platform stepped back from the yellow line. The doors opened and the train emptied out, and now I had to get myself to Central. I figured it would be a bad idea to wait for the next Red Line train, but how else would I get there?
Oh, of course! The 1! Because everyone knows the 1 is trustworthy at 9:30 AM! Okay, seriously, what the heck was I thinking? It would’ve been so much faster to walk. Regardless, I got on the 1, and we proceeded to Central travelling achingly slowly and picking people up at every stop. Also, I was standing at the back doors, and a few times the driver randomly opened them for no reason and I got crushed…but no matter. Finally, finally we got to Central Square, where I ran out of the bus and arrived at work 45 minutes late. If I had made it to Alewife just one minute earlier, none of this would’ve happened…
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| Sorry for the low quality, but I took this on my flip phone. Most of the lights went off at one point. |
556 (Waltham Highlands – Downtown Boston via Newton Corner, Central Square, Waltham, and Newtonville)
It’s a shame that my last I-90 express bus had to be so…I dunno, generic. The 556 isn’t a particularly interesting route. I guess we’ll, uh, take a look, then. Enjoy!
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| The picture I took when I actually rode the route was so bad that I came back to Boston the next day to get another! |
I got on the bus at Otis and Summer Streets, and we headed onto Kingston Street from there. We then turned onto Essex Street, then Surface Road, going by the Chinatown gate. From there, we made it onto a highway ramp and headed onto the mercifully traffic-less I-90.
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| Just for kicks, here’s the back of the bus, too! |
After going by mostly apartments, we went through the Copley Square tunnel. On the other side, we passed Fenway Park, then went up onto the bridge and past lots of B.U. buildings and the Charles River. Returning to ground level, we went through the Allston Tolls and went by the New Balance building later on.
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| Nice view! |
It started to get more suburban from there, with car dealerships and fast food restaurants visible from the highway. After the Commuter Rail tracks went under the highway to the other side, we took the next exit, and we were surrounded by offices and businesses. We made the first Newton Corner stop, but then we had to do the other one, too, requiring a loop around the highway to the other side.
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| Here’s a picture of…something. |
We served the stop on the other side, then looped back around past the first stop and onto Washington Street. The highway occupied one side of the road, while the other side had houses, schools, and a church. Businesses started to become more abundant until Newtonville, where there were some nice blocks of ’em.
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| A car dealership. |
Here, we turned onto Walnut Street, joining the 59 for a stretch. However, the 59 turned off onto Watertown Street pretty soon after, and now it was just us on Walnut. We passed a school, then a small common, and from there we merged onto Crafts Street. We went by a field and crossed over…um…”Cheese Cake Brook”, and it was all houses from there.
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| A side street. |
Eventually the street curved north at a common and became Waltham Street. The road came up next to a cemetery, and there were pretty industrial businesses on both sides after that. When we entered Waltham, the street became High Street.
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| A mail truck yard. |
There was one last stretch of houses, then we turned onto Moody Street, the main drag of Waltham. There were businesses on both sides until we crossed the Charles River and the single track of the Fitchburg Line. From there, we looped around Waltham Common and headed out onto Main Street.
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| A convenience store. |
After going by some more businesses on Main Street, we turned onto the amazingly-named Bacon Street. It was mostly lined with houses, but we also went by an industrial section (including a yard for The Ride vehicles!) and an elementary school. Next, we turned onto Dale Street and then Tomlin Street, where the houses were more spread out. This also happened to be the unassuming last stop of the route, so the driver kicked me off and I started walking back to Waltham Central Square.
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| Gotta love that “NOT IN SERVICE” sign. |
Route: 556 (Waltham Highlands – Downtown Boston via Newton Corner, Central Square, Waltham, and Newtonville)
Ridership: This is the second least-used I-90 express (after the 558), with only 515 riders per day. Don’t get me wrong, I can totally see why it gets so few passengers. Its independent section from Newton Corner to Waltham is entirely residential, and the Waltham Highlands loop is tiny and close to Central Square, anyway.
Pros: I definitely see the need for this route during rush hour, when it brings commuters to parts of Waltham not served by other buses. The schedule is also sensible, with 30 minute headways during rush hour and 60 minute headways during the day.
Cons: Do the midday trips really get that many people, though? I mean, they only run from Newton Corner to Waltham Highlands, and I just can’t imagine too many people taking advantage of a service like that.
Nearby and Noteworthy: Well, the independent section is mostly houses. Umm…I mean, I guess you could use this route to get to Moody Street, but there are a bunch of other routes that also run down that corridor.
Final Verdict: 6/10
During rush hour, the 556 carries a fine amount of people and brings them to their neighborhoods in Waltham. But midday? The route gets very few riders. I think they could probably cut midday service altogether, although that could get some outcry… Still, the 556 is definitely a good route at rush hour, at least.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
Hersey
Well, I think this is officially my favorite Needham Line station. Yes, Hersey is by far the most isolated one, and the only one without a bus connection, but those only add to its tranquility. Oh, and the station is also in the middle of a golf course. We are most definitely in the suburbs…
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| Woah… |
The mini-high at Hersey is amazing, especially for the Needham Line. It’s big! It’s sheltered! And it has two whole benches! Oh man, it’s absolutely wonderful. I’m so happy there’s at least one Needham Line station with some common sense. Beyond the mini-high, there’s a small level crossing meant for golf carts, which is pretty funny.
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| The station shelter. |
Most of the rest of the platform is bare aside from some good ol’ fashioned wastebaskets, but eventually you do reach this shelter. It’s a pretty typical Needham Line shelter, but it gets the job done fine. However, it has to be said that there is actually more shelter and more seating offered at the mini-high! This is so unlike the Needham Line!
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| One of the staircases out of the station. |
I absolutely love the staircases that lead up to the station parking lots. They all have these shelters along them that just add so much character! I don’t know what it is, but there’s something about those staircase shelters that I really like. The accessible entrance is down near the mini-high, where a pedestrian crossing leads across the track.
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| The main entrance. |
The station’s main entrance has quite a lot of “stuff” around it. You’ve got some bike spaces, some newspaper boxes, and a weird bus shelter. Perhaps the shelter is meant for waiting for pick-ups? Or maybe a bus used to come here long ago.
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| The station’s main parking lot. |
Hersey seemed to have a lot of parking, so it was a bit surprising to find out that it’s only 360 spaces. Still, that’s very good for the Needham Line, and it more than covers the station’s weekday needs. There is also a lot of bike space here, not only with the rack near the entrance, but also a sheltered area at the edge of the parking lot.
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| The trees obscure the train a bit as it leaves. |
Station: Hersey
Ridership: This is the third-busiest station on the Needham Line? Wow…I wasn’t expecting that. With 540 riders per weekday, I guess Hersey gets most of its ridership from the fact that it doesn’t have any other stations close to it.
Pros: I mean, it’s the best Needham Line station, plain and simple. It has an amazing mini-high, lots of parking, and feels incredibly tranquil. Adding on to that, did I mention how great the trees are here? They just add so much to the station in terms of character, of which there’s already so much!
Cons: I’m really stretching here, but Hersey is definitely pretty isolated compared to the rest of the Needham Line. If anything, though, that adds to its tranquility.
Nearby and Noteworthy: Um…anyone here like golf? There are also a few businesses outside the station, but they’re nothing special.
Final Verdict: 9/10
Unless West Roxbury proves to be the greatest place ever (which I kinda doubt), Hersey is my favorite Needham Line station. It’s the only one with a proper mini-high, and it feels so tranquil and nice. I’m not sure why anyone would get off here if they didn’t live in the area, but you can walk to Needham Center from here or just get a train going back if you really want to see Hersey. I think it’s worth it.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
Highland
Ah, it’s good to be back on the Needham Line! It’s been too long since I’ve seen those tiny mini-highs with no benches. Well…okay, maybe not that part of it. But Needham Line stations are always very tranquil, and Highland is certainly no exception.
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| The station parking lot. |
The station is located on Corey Street, a block away from busy Centre Street. You can get into the station via the parking lot, which has a great amount of spaces for such a local station: 175. Sure, it only gets about 68% full on weekdays, but it’s good to have the extra space.
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| That guy on the tracks was also taking pictures of the station! Sir, if you’re reading this…hi! |
Most of the platform is low-level and bare, but the station still has a lot of character. There are lots of lovely trees everywhere, and though single-tracked stations are inefficient, it really gives the station a tranquil feel. But yeah, the platform is mostly bare aside from a wastebasket and a great sheltered bike area.
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| The station…from above. Well, from on the mini-high, anyway. |
Of course, I must mention the shelter! It’s a typical Needham Line shelter to be honest, looking like it was built in the 90s. But, you know, it has a bench and a few wastebaskets. That’s all you really need in a shelter, right? It’s nice, it’s nice.
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| The mini-high (this one is courtesy of my friend Nathan’s phone again). |
What can I say? It’s a typical Needham Line mini-high. Sure, there’s a bit of shelter and a wastebasket, but as usual, I must complain about the lack of a bench. It seriously can’t be that hard to stick a small one up there, can it?
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| This station is so picturesque! |
Station: Highland
Ridership: It’s a local Needham Line station, so you can’t really expect much. Highland gets 290 inbound riders per weekday, making it the second least-used station on the line after Bellevue. The ridership it does get must come from pretty close by, considering how close Highland is to its neighboring stations.
Pros: Oh man, it’s just a beautiful station. It feels incredibly tranquil, and it also offers a great amount of parking. The shelter is generic, but it ultimately gets the job done without the station losing too much character.
Cons: As usual, the mini-high really needs a bench on it. Other than that, I think the Needham Line could definitely implement some flag stops middays and weekends. This station doesn’t get too much ridership, and it seems like a waste of time to stop if no one’s waiting.
Nearby and Noteworthy: You’ll find lots o’ businesses if you walk the one block to Centre Street, although I have no idea how “noteworthy” they actually are.
Final Verdict: 8/10
That 8 is mainly for the sheer tranquility and character of Highland. Yes, it’s a typical Needham Line station, but man, it’s just so nice here! Plus the station offers a good amount of parking, and it’s good functionally; the walk from the shelter to the mini-high isn’t terrible. And yes, the mini-high may be the standard, but it does its job fine, I guess.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
37 (Baker and Vermont Streets – Forest Hills Station via Belgrade Ave and Center Street)
Being on an almost-empty bus during rush hour is an interesting experience. However, this seems to happen a lot with the Belgrade Ave routes from Forest Hills. Since the crowds for them are timed with train arrivals, the buses operate on a first-come, first-serve basis. The 37 happened to come after a few other Belgrade routes that came after a train arrival, so as you can imagine, it was rather quiet inside.
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| “Via” Baker and Vermont? What madness is this? |
But I wasn’t satisfied with taking a regular 37 trip. No, I had to do one of the rare, six-times-per-day weekday runs that gets extended to Corey and LaGrange! What madness awaited at the end of the route? My pal Nathan and I had to find out! But, uh, first we had to travel down Washington Street like every other Upper Busway route from Forest Hills…
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| I had forgotten my camera SD card on my trip, so most pictures had to be taken with Nathan’s phone. This is one such picture, taken of the practically empty bus. |
You know the drill here. It was a industrial for a bit, but then the street became lined with apartments and the occasional business. We went by a field, and then there was retail everywhere, for we had arrived at Roslindale Village. Turning onto South Street and then Belgrade Ave, we went by the Roslindale Village Commuter Rail station.
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| Gotta love them auto shops. This is another phone picture |
The street was mostly residential, aside from businesses at major intersections. There was a particularly noteworthy retail block at Bellevue Station, and it continued as we turned onto Center Street. The street was lined with businesses as we went by Highland Station, and they went on all the way until when we turned onto LaGrange Street, starting the independent section.
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| Another phone picture of a stop outside of a CVS. |
We went under West Roxbury Station, and LaGrange Street was all residential from there. Eventually, we turned onto Vermont Street. There were a few businesses at the end, where we turned onto Baker Street, joining the 52 for a bit. However, we turned onto Lasell Street soon after, which was once again lined with houses.
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| The intersection of Lagrange and Vermont (and Addington), taken from Nathan’s phone. |
But now it was time for the extended portion of the route! Instead of looping back around, we turned north on Lagrange, crossing VFW Parkway. From there, the street had a cemetery on one side and houses on the other. And then, uh…then it became woods. Like, just woods. And then we reached the intersection of Corey and LaGrange, where the bus made this really sharp curve onto Corey Street – it was practically a u-turn! And just like that, we were at the final stop, and the bus took off.
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| Wait…where the heck are we? |
This stop…this stop was essentially the middle of nowhere. I mean, it was on this little scrap of sidewalk in the middle of the woods, with some random substation buzzing away behind it. And while Nathan and I were walking back to Highland Station, a caterpillar landed on my bag and got stuck! I mean, clearly we were way out in the boondocks. But anyway…stay tuned for Highland!
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| What the heck is this stop?! (picture courtesy of Nathan’s phone) |
Route: 37 (Baker and Vermont Streets – Forest Hills Station via Belgrade Ave and Center Street)
Ridership: The 37 has the lowest ridership of the Belgrade Ave routes, probably due to its short independent section. It gets 1,593 riders per weekday and exactly 1,000 riders per Saturday, both of which are about average for the MBTA. Of course, my ride had a total of four people, including me and Nathan. This was at rush hour, people!
Pros: The best thing I can say about the 37 is that it provides extra service to Belgrade Ave. Its schedule is inconsistent in the morning (about every 20 minutes or so), but in the evening, it’s a solid 15 minute headway, which is great. As for the rest of the schedule, it makes sense based on the ridership, with the route running every 40 minutes midday and every 35 minutes Saturdays, with no Sunday service.
Cons: The problem is that the route doesn’t have much to offer on its own. I mean, the 35 offers a sizeable independent section, while the 36 has reverse commuters going to the Rivermoor Industrial Park. The 37, on the other hand? I mean, it’s got a little residential loop and that’s it. Also, the Corey and LaGrange extension seems pretty pointless. No one went out there, and it only runs six trips per day, anyway.
Nearby and Noteworthy: On the independent section, all you’ll find is houses. I mean…yeah, that’s about it.
Final Verdict: 4/10
Yes, the 37 definitely serves its purpose along Belgrade Ave, and if a trip is timed right, it can get a bunch of people. But how many of them actually go to the route’s independent section? Let’s face it, most of the 37’s ridership is purely for the Belgrade Ave section and nothing else. And the Corey and LaGrange trips? I mean, they’re basically the middle of nowhere! I think they’re meant to serve a few housing developments that are sort of nearby, but if no one uses the trips, then there’s not much point in running them.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
Dedham Corporate Center
I feel like being stuck at any Commuter Rail station for an hour will make you dislike it. This was unfortunately the case with Dedham Corporate Center, and I was in a pretty bad mood during my long wait here. Um…I’ll try to be objective here, okay?
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| Or maybe this station is actually awful and I was right all along! |
I came into the station from Rustcraft Road, which is where the Dedham Local Bus runs (no signage, for the record). There’s a small kiss-and-ride drop-off area here, and it was built in 2014. It’s just a stretch of road with a sidewalk – no benches, no wastebaskets, nothing. Also strange is the fact that you have to walk a ways back to get to this odd chain link fence entrance to actually get into the station.
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| The station’s grand main entrance. |
Meanwhile, the main entrance of the station is on the other side, and it leads into the parking lot. Dedham Corporate Center is primarily meant for park-and-ride trips, and thus it has a big lot with 497 spaces. The station is in very close proximity to Exit 14 off of I-95, so that helps it a lot in terms of convenience for drivers.
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| Looking down the platform. |
As expected, much of the platforms are bare, with only a few wastebaskets and benches on either side. I’ll talk about the shelter on the inbound side in a minute, but can I just say how ugly this station is? I mean, the chain link fences make you feel, um, fenced-in, while telephone wires string every which way! It certainly doesn’t have the tranquility that its next store neighbor stations have.
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| The shelter and other attractions. |
The inbound platform has a surprising amount of amenities near the parking lot. Aside from the generic boring shelter riddled with bird poop, there’s another bench, a bike rack, a wastebasket, and even some newspaper boxes. In fact, why didn’t I think to take something from one of them to have reading material during my wait? Shoot…
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| The station mini-highs. |
Okay, I will say that the station’s mini-high platforms are pretty nice. They’re both wooden, and they each have a single bench on them. The bench on the inbound side is different from the one on the outbound side, which is a bit weird, but as long as I have a place to sit, I’m happy. Even if I have to sit there for an hour…
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| The train was going the wrong way! |
Station: Dedham Corporate Center
Ridership: Surprisingly, this is the 5th busiest station on the Franklin Line. It certainly didn’t seem that busy when I was here, with most people just using it to get from one side of the tracks to the other. I’m not sure where the station’s 806 average weekday riders come from, but, uh, that’s how many people use this place. Aside from people driving into the station’s parking lot to go into the city, I’ll bet this station gets its fair share of reverse commuters due to a few nearby office parks.
Pros: This station is accessible, which gives it the edge over both of its neighbors, Endicott and Islington. Also, this station offers lots of parking for both cars and bikes, although only 25% of the automobile lot gets occupied on weekdays.
Cons: Oh man, it’s just such an ugly station! I really hate the chain link fences everywhere, and they’re not even necessary! All they do is inconvenience people trying to get from one side of the tracks to the other (which apparently a lot of people do). Also, the shelter on the inbound side really needs to be cleaned up; there is way too much bird feces on that bench.
Nearby and Noteworthy: Aside from Legacy Place, to which this station is surprisingly close, a Cummins plant is right next to the station. What is the Cummins plant, you ask? Take a look:
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| A RIPTA bus, a Longwood shuttle, and a Peter Pan bus walked into a bar… |
You’ll always find a few interesting buses here, so it’s definitely worth a look if you’re into transit. I mean, a RIPTA bus in Dedham? What the heck?
Final Verdict: 6/10
If only Dedham Corporate Center wasn’t accessible so I could give it a proper low score. However, it is accessible, so I have to raise its verdict a bit. Yeah, I’m really not a fan of this one. Maybe it’s because I was stuck here for an hour, but I’m not the only one who thinks the place is ugly, am I?
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
Dedham Local Bus
This bus is a mess. You may have seen these MBTA paper schedules of the Dedham Local Bus. Looks simple enough, right? Well, they’ve changed the route since then. Now, it’s this:
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| What is this madness??? |
Now do you see what I mean by “mess”? Okay, let’s take a closer look at this insane route. My friend Zach and I got on the bus at the “32 Sprague Street” stop, which is literally the address of someone’s house. Oh well, at least it was an actual stop.
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| Not bad. |
The Dedham Local Bus is also advanced enough to have a tracker, which was useful for seeing where the bus was on Zach’s smartphone. It was slightly late, and boy, that minibus was a beauty. Gotta love that boring serifed font…mmm-hmm.
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| Ah! Gorgeous! |
And on the inside? Well, it was the quintessential minibus experience. Let’s see, the driver was blasting inane pop music over the radio, there was a jiggly wheelchair lift in the back. and the lack of stop request buttons meant one had to yell out when they wanted to get off. The fares for the route, incidentally, are $1.50 for adults and $1.00 for students and seniors.
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| What a lovely interior. |
From the 32 Sprague Street stop, we went around a rotary and headed up East Street, going under the Commuter Rail tracks. This was a residential neighborhood, and the houses continued as we turned onto Rustcraft Road. We passed through a short forest section, went by a field, and then the street curved around next to the Commuter Rail tracks.
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| An intersection near Endicott. |
We passed Dedham Corporate Center Station, as well as some apartment developments across the street. The street then became Elm Street and curved north, where we made the first of many deviations of the route, pulling into a backlot at the Legacy Place Mall. And yeah, it’s great that the route directly serves Legacy Place, but how about putting up some signage there? Geez!
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| My camera was acting up inside the mall, so, uh, here’s the sign! |
Now back on Elm Street, we travelled along the back side of Legacy Place, then crossed over the wide Providence Highway. Next, we turned onto Washington Street, joining the 34E. After some houses, we unexpectedly pulled into the Dedham Plaza, but then went around the side of the building to do a loop around the main lot along the Providence Highway. And guess what? No signage.
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| Crossing the Providence Highway. |
We now returned to Washington Street (diverting from the mapped route, I might add) and continued through a residential neighborhood. Eventually, though, we turned onto Bryant Street, passing by a few offices. This led to the Dedham Square Municipal Parking Lot, which is considered the start point of the route. We pulled in and laid over for a bit before setting off again.
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| Hmm…seems like a logical place for a bus stop. I hope none of those cars want to leave their parking spaces! |
We pulled out and headed down High Street, going by the many businesses of Dedham Square. After some fancy municipal buildings, we turned onto Ames Street, which crossed over the Charles River. There were lots of houses along the road now, continuing as we merged onto Bridge Street. There was a bit of an industrial stretch, then we deviated through a housing development on the narrow and slow Doggett Circle.
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| A side street. |
We passed a mini golf course back on Bridge Street, as well as a small regular golf course. After some offices and industry, we crossed over the Charles again, entering Boston. Here, we pulled into the Charles River Loop, where the 36 terminates. There was some traffic getting back onto Spring Street, and then we had to make a left turn onto VFW Parkway, but we made it eventually.
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| Going over the Charles. |
VFW Parkway was wide, fast, and very ugly. We passed lots of auto dealerships and industrial buildings and the like before finally arriving at the Dedham Mall, where we served the Stop and Shop side. What, too lazy to make a deviation to serve the rest of the mall? The route makes so many unnecessary deviations already, why not have one more?
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| Oh, and did I mention that there’s no Dedham Bus sign? |
Zach got off here to get a 34E, and now it was just me as we headed back onto VFW Parkway. This took us back to Dedham Square, where we pulled into the lot again and laid over for for a bit more. When we were ready to leave, we went down High Street (the other way this time), which soon became residential.
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| A parking lot. |
We made yet another deviation into a housing development, this time on O’Neil Drive. It took forever to slowly loop through the complex, but eventually we made it back onto High Street, passing a school. We went by a few more developments (not directly serving them, luckily), then crossed over a small pond.
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| More housing developments! WOOOOOOO! |
However, it turned out this pond crossing was only to serve yet another housing development. And thus, after making a quick loop, we went right back the way we came. I’d like to point out that the route is supposed to make a second deviation in this area to serve the Motherbrook Community Center, but we didn’t do that on our trip, for some reason.
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| Nice view! |
We turned onto Walnut Street, which was mostly residential. We then merged onto Oakdale Ave, which led to a square of the same name; there were a few cute business blocks there. Now on Cedar Street, the surroundings were all houses once again.
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| A few businesses in Oakdale Square. |
After a while on Cedar Street, we crossed over the Franklin Line tracks, then turned onto Turner Court. There were more houses, which continued as we turned onto Sprague Street. But was it Sprague Street in the direction of Endicott Station? Nope! We were making another stupid deviation!
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| Some houses. |
Luckily, this deviation actually served a purpose. I mean, it was a pretty annoying one, since it involved a full u-turn on the smallish Louise Road, but in the end…we got a rider! HOORAY! So now, with another person on board, we headed back down Sprague Street, and this time we stayed on it all the way back to Endicott. WOW, that was a long loop.
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| I took the bus a bit further to Dedham Corporate Center, so here it is there. |
Route: Dedham Local Bus
Ridership: Oooh, this one’s a hoot. The route got 9,784 riders in 2014, which equates to an entire 39 riders per day it ran. Wow! Such high ridership! But that was back when the route was more linear. Has ridership increased since they made it a confusing loop with too many deviations? Welp, if the one other passenger on my ride is to judge…no!
Pros: Look, the idea of a shuttle in Dedham is a great idea. It really is. There are big chunks of the town not served by the MBTA, so a bus to cover those service gaps is fantastic. In theory.
Cons: Here, I’ll be nice and start with a complaint not regarding the route itself: the schedule. The clockface every hour service is sensible, but there are two major problems with the scheduling. Number one is the service gap from 12 to 1. I think it’s meant for the driver’s lunch break or something, but why not just do a driver switch? Can they really only afford one driver? Number two is the fact that the route has no rush hour trips – service runs from 8 AM to 5 PM. Wouldn’t it be great to extend it by one trip on either end in order to bring people from local neighborhoods to the Commuter Rail or MBTA buses for their commute? That seems like it could be useful. Wow…look how much I’ve written without talking about the crazy route. So anyway, about the route: why is it so insane? It’s like the planners were playing a game of trying to put in as many unnecessary deviations as possible! And sure, some of them make sense, like Legacy Place or the Dedham Mall, but they get no ridership because they don’t have signage! Either add signage to every single one of your stupid deviations, or simplify the dang route. This is ridiculous.
Nearby and Noteworthy: I mean…you can basically get anywhere in Dedham with this crazy route. Will you get there quickly? Nope. But you’ll get there eventually!
Final Verdict: 3/10
Is Dedham really suburban enough to justify an insane loop that makes detours to serve every housing development and mall in its path? I mean, sure, it does serve a lot, but most of those detours get no riders, anyway! This route needs signage at all of its stops, and its route needs to be simplified. Do ridership counts! Iron out the detours that don’t typically get people! Oh, and add some commuter trips to the schedule! The basis for a good route is here, but it has way too many problems to be considered adequate right now.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
Endicott
One of the things I don’t like about the Franklin Line is that it just has too many dang stops. Endicott is three minutes away from both of its neighboring stations (Dedham Corporate Center and Readville), and has a very local kind of feel. It’s also not very interesting…
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| What a generic shelter. |
Endicott is a pretty tiny station to begin with, so there isn’t much platform room for amenities. The inbound side gets a shelter, at least, and it’s of the “boring wooden” variety. This side also features such amazing attractions as…a bench! A wastebasket! Okay, that’s the end of the attractions.
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| The outbound side. |
Well, hey, it’s better than the outbound platform! All that side has is a bench and a wastebasket locked up to a station sign. The small parking lot is also accessible from here, with 45 spaces. That doesn’t seem like much, but this station is right in a suburban residential neighborhood, so I don’t think too many people would drive here. This side also has a decently-sized bike rack.
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| The other exit. |
Meanwhile, the station’s other exit used to be a cute pedestrian path, according to Google Maps Street View. However, it appears that they built a new road just to build a single house, and now the character of the entrance is gone. Oh well, at least there’s more bike parking here. I appreciate a station with lots of bike spaces.
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| A train leaving the station. |
Station: Endicott
Ridership: Barring Plymptonville, which only gets one train per day, this is the least-used station on the Franklin Line – Endicott only gets an average of 350 riders per weekday. I’m not entirely sure why so few people use this station, but maybe it’s because it’s so close to Boston that riders don’t want to pay $6.25 (soon to be $6.75) to get into the city. I’m only guessing – I really have no idea.
Pros: The station has basic amenities like shelter and benches, and it feels pretty quiet and tranquil. The presence of a parking lot, no matter how small, is a good thing, and there’s a good amount of bike space here.
Cons: It’s not accessible for one thing, and for another…do trains really need to stop here? I mean, don’t get me wrong, some people use this place. But I almost wonder if more trains should skip through. It’s incredibly close to Dedham Corporate Center and Readville (both of which have excess space in their parking lots), and having some trains skip Endicott would speed up the line slightly.
Nearby and Noteworthy: Aside from a tiny business block at the end of Greenwood Ave, the surroundings of this station are entirely residential.
Final Verdict: 4/10
What if they made it a flag stop? At least make it a flag stop! Come on, it just seems pointless to have every train stop here. Is there really someone waiting here every time a train comes through? Making a station a flag stop really doesn’t impact anyone, and would speed up the Franklin Line just a little bit to be able to skip by if no one’s waiting. Oh, and the station itself? It’s…it’s a station. A boring station.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
Hey, it’s been a while since I’ve updated this! As I alluded to earlier, the dreaded fare increase begins on July 1st, so check to see what the increased rates are.
Franklin/Dean College
It’s the namesake of the Franklin Line! And having been stuck in the downtown for over an hour, I’m quite familiar with it and all of its attractions (or lack thereof). Still, despite how boring the town may be, I’m reviewing the station, not its surroundings. Thus, let’s take a look at Franklin/Dean College (or the other way around, as the station signs put it).
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| The station…from above. |
The main pedestrian entrance is from Main Street, which has a bridge over the single track lined with flowers (and bees). It’s well-marked with a T symbol, and is a simple flight of stairs leading down to the station. Also, Main Street is apparently where the GATRA Franklin Area Bus boards, despite the fact that there’s no signage (as usual).
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| Gotta love that parking. |
The other way of getting into the station is much more car-friendly, as it’s via the parking lot. Franklin has a smaller lot than either of its neighboring stations with 173 spaces, but with a 16% availability rate on weekdays, it’s just enough. There are also a few bike spaces near the parking lot entrance, which is a great option in this case – the station is located in a pretty dense area.
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| Oooh, that’s a nice building! |
Franklin’s low-level platform is basically dominated by its building, which is a beauty. Built in 1912, it has a few benches and lots of newspaper boxes under its shelter. There’s honestly not much else along the rest of the platform, aside from a few wastebaskets, benches, and some more bike spaces. Oh, and there’s also a great “FRANKLIN” sign spelled out by white stones in the dirt on the other side of the track.
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| The inside of the building. |
Unfortunately, as a piece of paper says in a comic sans-esque font, the building is only open on weekdays until 9:30 AM – it’s for morning commuters. However, it has an amazing interior, from what I could see through the doors. Aside from a café offering coffee, as well as other drinks and pastries, there is seating, newspapers, some old signs and photos, and so much more. There even appears to be a library! The character just oozes out of this place, and I really wish I could’ve visited during the morning rush to be able to go inside.
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| Some hi-rails going toward Forge Park…from above. |
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| A train coming into the station. |
Station: Franklin/Dean College
Ridership: Despite being the Franklin Line’s namesake station, it’s only the third-busiest station on the line. Still, 876 riders per weekday is great ridership for the Commuter Rail. It’s also interesting to note that since the parking lot only has 173 spaces, many riders must commute in by means other than driving. The station must get lots of student riders for sure, as Dean College is very close by.
Pros: Oh man, this station has so much character. The place feels very serene, with the “FRANKLIN” spelled out of rocks being a nice touch. And the building…I mean, this has to be one of the nicest buildings I’ve seen on the Commuter Rail thus far. The inside just has so many details to give an old-timey train station feel.
Cons: The lack of accessibility is really the only problem, but it’s a big one. The selfish part of me worries that a mini-high or high level platform would spoil the character, but accessibility is probably more important.
Nearby and Noteworthy: Okay, I’m sure Franklin isn’t that boring of a town, but being stuck there for an hour isn’t the greatest. I guess it’s more of a restaurant-based downtown than a store-based downtown, so there are plenty of places to eat, but if you’re looking for shopping, you won’t find much.
Final Verdict: 8/10
Accessibility or character? Accessibility or character? Ahh, who am I kidding? I love this station so much. If it had a nice wooden mini-high with a bench on it, the score would go up to a 9, or maybe even a 10. However, at the moment, it’s stuck being inaccessible, which is definitely an issue. But hey, that building is great, isn’t it?
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
GATRA: Tri-Town Connector
The layout of the GATRA baffles me. The authority runs many different “systems” that are completely disconnected from each other, and many of them are seemingly unknown. For example, the Tri-Town Connector, which runs from Norfolk Station to a Big Y supermarket in Franklin (via Wrentham and Foxboro) has barely any signage, no advertising, and essentially no indication that it exists. Well…it exists!
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| The bus coming into “downtown” Norfolk. |
My friends Harry and Zach and I just figured we would wait around to see where the bus would go, since we had no idea where the stop was. The bus was early, luckily, and we saw it go into the station lot located across Rockwood Road. We ran over and found it in the most awkward stop ever:
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| Oh, of course the weed-ridden industrial building was the stop! Duh! |
What the heck kind of stop is this?! How is anyone supposed to know that the bus stops here? GATRA has this annoying habit of running decent routes with empty buses because no one knows they exist because there’s no signage! Well, at least we made it onto the bus, and began the route.
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| This is such a weird stop… |
Leaving the station, we headed around a rotary and went onto Main Street. This was a straight road with spaced-out houses and no side streets. We went by a church at one point, and a cemetery at another, but eventually we reached the main reason for this deviation: a…um…prison.
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| Um…that is a prison. We are serving a prison right now. |
Yes, the route deviates specifically to serve a prison. Apparently on visiting days, there are a few people that actually use the bus to get here. It has to be said, too, that this is the only stop on the whole route that actually gets a sign. Why here? That’s so random!
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| Look, they even have a nice little bench and a logo on the sign! THIS ROUTE HAS POTENTIAL, GATRA! |
From the prison parking lot, we took a very tiny road out to get onto Main Street again. We headed back the way we came and deviated into the Norfolk Station lot once more just to see if anyone was waiting. There was no one there, so now we proceeded onto the actual route.
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| A bridge near the prison. |
We headed onto North Street, which was very woodsy and lined with the occasional house. On occasion, there was even a side street! But once the road became Pond Street, it was full-on forest with nothing else. We soon passed the Pond Street Recreational Facility, though, which is considered a “major” stop. The driver said no one ever gets on there, though.
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| A clock in downtown Norfolk. |
After more woods, we all of a sudden hit development. There was an industrial section before a few restaurants at the intersection with Route 1A. Here, the street became Pine Street, and after a bit more industry, it became residential once more.
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| Ew… |
However, we eventually turned onto the dreaded Route 1, which seems to bring pittiness wherever it goes. It wasn’t as bad as Saugus, but there were still some pretty ugly businesses and motels along here. As the street grew wider, we turned off to serve Patriot Place. Yes, we were at Gillette Stadium!
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| The mall, with the stadium in the background |
I guess the concept of Patriot Place is that it’s an outdoor mall, and I support that. Making a mall seem like an actual town is a good idea, and it’s great that this route serves it. If only it had a proper sign or stop so people knew it existed! Well, anyway, we navigated through the mall and worked our way back around, passing the stadium on the way out.
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| This was actually my first time seeing Gillette, and it’s a beauty! |
Next, we had to serve another mall. This one was just a generic strip mall, and once again there was no signage whatsoever. From there, we had to go through some weird toll gates before heading back out onto Route 1. Normally the bus would make its way back onto Pine Street and then onto Dedham Street, but the driver decided to take a shortcut, so we used East Street instead.
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| A woodsy intersection. |
East Street had a pretty rural feel overall, with random spurts of housing. They eventually became more consistent, and we even passed a small apartment development. Soon, we went by Wrentham Common on one side and pulled into a parking lot in Wrentham Center. This is where our driver left and a new one got on board, who was just as nice as the last one.
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| A restaurant in Wrentham. |
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| The apartment…thing. |
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| Some random office. |
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| The Tri-Town Connector in downtown Franklin is a unique occurrence indeed. |
Norfolk
I met someone from Norfolk once. It was at an awful camp at the Museum of Science, and this kid would commute there every day from Norfolk Station. I specifically remember him pronouncing it “Norfork” and saying I wasn’t “allowed” to pronounce it that way because I wasn’t from there. What was the point of that story? I don’t know…but let’s take a look at Norfolk.
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| The shelter. |
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| Looking down the platform, with parking on the side. |
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| The mini-high. |
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| Stairs to more parking. |
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| SO MUCH PARKING! |
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| Goodbye, train! |
Station: Norfolk
Ridership: With 748 riders per weekday, Norfolk has just one more rider per day than Forge Park. Of course, since this station is in an actual, you know, town, it’s slightly easier to bike or even walk here. However, the amount of parking shows that many people still drive in.
Pros: There’s a bench on the mini-high this time, and the station also offers plenty of extra seating. There is also a lot of parking here, especially for a “town center” station like this one. That said, as we’ll see in “Nearby and Noteworthy”, there isn’t much of a town here…
Cons: I’m not a fan of how far away the outer lots are. One of them is inconvenient for cars (although the staircase to the station is simple enough), while another is inconvenient for pedestrians, since you have to cross a street. And though the station has a pretty peaceful feel, it’s lacking a bit in terms of character…maybe it’s the bland shelters.
Nearby and Noteworthy: Hmm…Dunks, anyone? Yeah, there isn’t really much in Norfolk Center, and what’s there is rather car-oriented, with big parking lots out front. The aforementioned Dunkin’ Donuts has a drive-through, for heaven’s sake!
Final Verdict: 7/10
I like this station alright, and in some ways, it’s even better than Forge Park. Certainly in terms of the overall feel of it – Norfolk is a lot more tranquil because of its woodsy setting. But the parking is just all over the place, and the shelters are so bland! Plus, this station gets very slightly more ridership than Forge Park, but only the latter gets a building. Poor Norfolk!
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
Forge Park/Route 495
So, I rode the Franklin Line for the first time! My friends Harry and Zach and I took it all the way to the end, and it was a pretty nice ride. Personally, I enjoyed seeing the varied stations along the line – there’s a lot of variety, and each one seems to have its own quirks. Forge Park/Route 495 is definitely the most Old Colony-esque station on the line, with quite a lot of parking. Perhaps the “park” in “Forge Park” has a deeper meaning…
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| The mini-high platform. |
To be honest, I was expecting a full high-level platform, given the fact that this station is a lot newer than the rest of the Franklin Line. However, I guess 1988 was too early to start building full high platforms, so instead the station has a rather small mini-high. It’s very generic, and has only a wastebasket. Well…I guess you could sit on that concrete…thing.
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| Further down the platform. |
Luckily, the low-level section of the platform has a lot of seating. This does present the age-old Commuter Rail problem of having to walk over to the mini-high from where you’re sitting, but I guess that can’t be solved. Wait, yeah, it can – put a bench on the stupid mini-high!
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| Shelter! |
Shelter is also available under the awnings of the station building, with more benches that are admittedly even further from the mini-high. This part of the station also has some newspaper boxes and a vending machine. As for the shelter, it’s a mix between metal, wood, and bricks – certainly not a true bland modern Commuter Rail shelter.
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| Oooh, fancy! |
It was still considered the morning peak when we got to Forge Park, so the station building was still open! It had a lot of great amenities inside, most notably a small café where people can buy coffee for their commutes. The café is also where you buy tickets, so as not to incur a surcharge on the train – however, the person behind the counter didn’t entirely know how things work. When I said I wanted a ticket to Norfolk and showed her my M7 pass, she said “I have no idea what that is.” Oh well, I still got the half-fare in the end.
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| Look how crooked this is! What idiot took this photo? |
The building features seating inside, and is probably the most comfortable place to wait for the train (a fan was keeping things cool inside). There is also some very outdated train information in here – train schedules from 2003, anyone? Keep in mind, however, that the building closes once the 9:22 AM train leaves Forge Park, and all day on weekends.
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| Parking! |
Oh, yes, parking – Forge Park has quite a lot of that. Since the station is practically in the middle of nowhere (aside from a bunch of highway development and a tiny residential neighborhood), driving is essentially the only way of getting here. The station’s 716 spaces cover its needs quite nicely, and it even has an additional 14 bike spaces (which were empty when I was here).
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| More parking! |
What, you thought it was over? Nope! The station has two lots and two platforms! There isn’t much on the other side, admittedly, with another basic lot and a platform simply meant for quick boarding. It doesn’t even have benches. There are a few track crossings to get to the platform with more amenities, but the train in the station was blocking them, so it had doors open on both sides. That works, I guess.
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| The train ready to go back to Boston. |
Station: Forge Park/Route 495
Ridership: The Franklin Line is a busy one, so despite Forge Park’s ridership being about average for the line, it’s still pretty high. The station gets 747 riders per weekday, and I’m sure almost all of them are commuters driving in from further away. There could even be a few reverse commuters heading to office parks around the area, but that’s less likely.
Pros: This is a great park-and-ride station, with lots o’ parking and a bunch of amenities in the building for morning commuters. It’s also accessible, unlike the other station in Franklin (just called Franklin). Finally, GATRA runs a few shuttles from here for commuters, which is useful for people who don’t want to drive.
Cons: There really isn’t much, but I do wish the mini-high had a bench on it – at least one. It can be annoying to walk over there to board.
Nearby and Noteworthy: Umm…there’s a BJ’s nearby. Who doesn’t love big box stores?
Final Verdict: 8/10
Forge Park is a great park-and-ride station. The building makes it a heck of a lot more hospitable for morning commuters, and generally gives the station a bit of character. Sure, the mini-high could use a bench, but that’s an easy fix. A FIX THAT SHOULD BE FIXED IMMEDIATELY. Sorry…
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
9703 (Brighton High School – Jackson Square Station via Mass Pike)
Okay, last one! I feel like I’ve spent my whole life waiting at the corner of Cambridge and Warren for the 9700 buses to arrive at the Brighton High School. I’ve seen enough 57s pass by to last a lifetime. So let’s finish these school trip anomalies up with a look at the 9703.
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| The 9701 was right in front of the 9703, so the angle is a bit awkward. |
Right, so from Warren Street, we turned onto Cambridge Street and headed to Union Square. After that we went up over I-90, and past some industry, apartments, and a closed freight yard, we headed onto the ramp to the highway. This is all familiar territory if you’ve read the other 9700 reviews, so I’m going pretty quickly.
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| Another shot of the bus. |
After the bridge section of I-90, we went below ground level, passing B.U. buildings and apartments. We soon entered the Copley Square tunnel and took the exit, then turned onto Dartmouth Street. We turned onto Columbus Ave soon after, directly following the 9701 route. (Although it turns out that both the 9701 and 9703 are supposed to take Huntington Ave instead of Columbus…more route discrepancies!)
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| Lots o’ ridership. |
Columbus Ave was lined with apartments (mostly brownstones) and the occasional business. Eventually, we went by a park and passed some modern Northeastern University buildings, then turned into the Ruggles busway. This seemed a bit odd, since the day before when I took the 9701, the 9703 in front of us had just turned onto Melnea Cass Boulevard to head towards Jackson, bypassing the busway. One of those buses was doing something wrong…
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| What a great parking lot. |
After leaving the busway, we turned onto Ruggles Street, then the wide Tremont Street. We went by the Boston Police Headquarters, as well as Roxbury Community College and Roxbury Crossing Station. The street was now called Columbus Ave (the same Columbus Ave from before?), with scenery consisting of parking lots on one side and the Southwest Corridor on the other. Finally, we turned off the road and headed into the Jackson Square busway, where the bus went out of service.
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| A wastebasket, a post, and a building…nice! |
Route: 9703 (Brighton High School – Jackson Square Station via Mass Pike)
Ridership: This time, it really was just me. I’m not sure what the deal was at Brighton High School that day, but yeah, it was an empty bus. I’m sure it would have been crowded had it been a proper school day!
Pros: This is yet another fast trip from Brighton High School, this time going a little further into Roxbury. Good stuff.
Cons: Yet again, the route has no morning trip, which continues to be an annoyance. Also, I thought it was weird that on my ride, the driver served the Ruggles busway. That may have been an error on the driver’s part, but the route probably doesn’t need to serve Ruggles in general – the two 9701 trips take care of that.
Nearby and Noteworthy: You’re not a student, are you? No need to take this bus! If you really want to ride a 9700 route, stick with the 9702 – it’s the most interesting one.
Final Verdict: 6/10
The 9703 is basically the middle of the three 9700 routes in terms of quality. Sure, it serves more than the 9701, but why did the driver serve the Ruggles busway? It’s pretty much a waste of time, and the fact that the 9703 skipped the busway the previous day just showcased the loose attitude of these school routes. Also, they need morning trips! Please!
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates