Heath Street
One line has Alewife. Another line has Wonderland. But none of those can compare to the might and power of…Heath Street? Heath Street, with its strange “V.A. Medical Center” subtitle that sounds like “D.A. Medical Center” on the trains? Not much of a terminus…
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| The shelter along the inner loop. |
The train has a little loop here, and Heath Street is along the loop in a short right-of-way. One of the platforms feels like a typical median E Line station, and it’s great. It has a decent shelter, some wastebaskets, a bit of greenery, and a ticket validator! There’s just one problem…
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| This is where you ACTUALLY board. |
Trains don’t actually board on the platform with all the stuff on it! Instead, you have to use this asphalt strip that A) is further away from the train, since trains go on the inner track, and B) has nothing on it aside from a wastebasket and a pointless wheelchair ramp.
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| A little building. |
The station also has a building that is used by workers. It seems to just be a little office, but there’s also a bench on the outside that could theoretically be used for waiting for the train or the 39 (but the latter has a shelter, too). The other bus connection here is the 14, which actually boards on the loop.
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| Hey, parking! Wait… |
There’s a rather worn-down parking lot within the Heath Street loop, and at first glance, it seemed like a little station lot. However, it turns out it’s parking for V.A. Hospital employees – a hospital, keep in mind, with two parking garages and a few other lots. Does this little 20 space lot really need to be used for employee parking? I mean, Heath Street might benefit with at least a bit of space for cars, even though it’s quite urban.
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| A train on the loop… |
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| …and heading out towards Lechmere. |
Station: Heath Street
Ridership: Heath Street’s ridership isn’t particularly high, with an average of 820 riders per weekday – it’s in the bottom 20 for Green Line stations. This could be for a few reasons: for one thing, the Orange Line is reasonably close, and that offers a much faster ride downtown; also, I’m sure many people opt to take the 39, since the E is often delayed.
Pros: This station does have amenities, and where they exist, they’re pretty good. After all, the platform is nice and wide, with all the street stop necessities, plus a bit of greenery to make everything look nice!
Cons: But the platform is on the wrong side. I understand why the MBTA would want people to board on the right side of the train so that they can pay their fares at the front, but I don’t think this station ever gets crowded enough that a fare dodger wouldn’t be caught by the driver. I mean, they could always put a Customer Service Agent here during rush hour so people can actually use the shelter – I think there’s often someone in that building on weekdays, anyway. It just seems like a waste to have such a lovely platform that no one can use. Also, for the record, the E used to go all the way to Forest Hills, but it was cut back in the 80s. That service will probably never get restored, but it makes a bit of an “incomplete” feeling at Heath Street (the 39 covers the former service).
Nearby and Noteworthy: Apartments and the V.A. Hospital – and not much else.
Final Verdict: 5/10
What a strange little terminus. Honestly, if that platform were in use, the station would probably end up with a 7! But as it stands, people have to wait at the strange asphalt bit with only a wastebasket for company. Opening the left hand doors would make a world of difference for people’s waiting experiences here.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
Fenwood Road, Mission Park, Riverway, and Back of the Hill
Nathan and I got on the train at Brigham Circle heading outbound. The train pulled up to a light and waited about 45 seconds for it to change. Finally, we went through the intersection and arrived at the stop just on the other side (a few hundred feet), where Nathan and I ran out of the train as I yelled “THANK YOU!” to the very confused driver. This ride basically epitomizes the street-running section of the E. There really isn’t much to say about these stations – they’re only signs and sometimes a shelter, if you’re lucky – so just enjoy the photos!
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| Welcome to Fenwood Road. And what’s that platform in the background? Why, I do believe that’s Brigham Circle! Geez… |
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| The inbound Mission Park stop, with a 66 getting in the shot. |
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| Both sides of Riverway are visible here. Strangely, it’s the outbound that gets the shelter. |
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| The stop at Back of the Hill…with Heath Street about five feet away in the background. |
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| A train about to round the curve at Riverway. |
Stations: Fenwood Road, Mission Park, Riverway, and Back of the Hill
Brigham Circle
Ah…we’re starting to get to the sketchy part of the E. No longer do we have the gorgeous buildings of Northeastern University, the Museum of Fine Arts, or the Longwood Medical Area. No longer do we have super wide platforms. No longer do we have those lovely trees lining the median. No, by this point, all we have is Brigham Circle.
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| Not the nicest-looking platform in the world… |
Brigham Circle has staggered platforms, with the inbound side further east than the outbound. Presumably this is because of limited space in the median, which would certainly make sense – these platforms aren’t as wide as the other stations down the line. Other than that, though, they do have all of the necessities for street stops: two shelters (only one on the outbound, but that makes sense by this point), wastebaskets, accessibility, and a ticket validator.
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| This platform certainly feels…skinnier. |
In fact, it was the only working ticket validator we had come across the whole day! Well…sort of. Nathan and I decided to test it out, and it printed out tickets for us. But when we looked at them, they said they were valid for May 19th…and today was the 22nd! All I can say is that I really hope these things work during the height of the rush hour.
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| A train on its way to Lechmere. |
Station: Brigham Circle
Ridership: Each weekday, the station gets 2,547 riders – slightly below Northeastern. There are still a few hospitals and schools to generate ridership by this point of the line, but you’ve also got a lot of local riders from apartments to the east.
Pros: I feel like I’ve said this with every station, but Brigham Circle has all the necessities of a street stop: shelters, accessibility, wastebaskets, and a sort-of working validator (?).
Cons: Unfortunately, Brigham Circle is slightly worse than the other stations on the line. For one thing, the platforms are much narrower due to limited space on Huntington Ave. Also, the right-of-way is just kind of generic by this point, and downright ugly in certain spots.
Nearby and Noteworthy: There are a few parts of the Longwood Medical Area that this station is slightly closer to than the station of the same name. Other than that, small businesses abound to the east.
Final Verdict: 6/10
Brigham Circle is definitely the lesser of the in-median stations of the E Line. It still has all of the basic amenities you would want, but the platform isn’t as wide, and it’s not as pretty as the stations before it. Still, though…it’s better than the street section. Stay tuned!
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
Longwood Medical Area
Ahh, Longwood Medical Area: the more convenient, but WAY less tranquil alternative to Longwood Station on the D. Oh wait, the D also has a decent schedule and can be reasonably trusted to be on time. As for the E? Yeah, I know I’m just reviewing the stations here, but I’m still gonna diss the E as much as I like!
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| Ooh, nice curve! |
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| That’s such a great-looking right-of-way! |
Pros: This is another good E Line in-median station! It has shelters, a wide platform, wastebaskets – basically all of the basic things to be expected at a street stop.
Cons: It does lack outdoor seating and ticket validators, but that’s about all that’s wrong with this place.
Nearby and Noteworthy: Do you like hospitals? Great! Longwood Medical Area is the place for you! Actually, though, if you don’t mind walking, the D is a much better way of getting here. The E is the closest station to colleges like MassArt, though.
Final Verdict: 7/10
Ultimately, I would say this station is just like Northeastern, minus the benches and ticket validator. It does make up for that by being on a rather nice curve, though! Okay, commuters probably don’t care about that, but it makes for great pictures.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
Museum of Fine Arts
This is by far the Green Line street stop I use the most, and it’s one of the nicest! Whenever my family goes to the Museum of Fine Arts, we put all our faith into the E (for better or for worse) and head out to the station of the same name. Let’s see what makes this place so great.
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| Looking down the platform. |
I will say that Museum of Fine Arts is very similar to Northeastern in a lot of ways. They both have wide platforms with two shelters on each side, and lots of wastebaskets as well. Although MFA lacks extra outdoor seating, it makes up for it with nicer shelters, lacking the peeling paint that Northeastern’s had. Both stations even have broken CharlieCard validators!
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| A crossing. And…what’s that strange thing to the left? |
There are great pedestrian facilities here, with crosswalks on either end of the station. But what’s this on the outbound side, way at the end of the platform? A wheelchair ramp? What? Yes, Museum of Fine Arts features one of very few wheelchair ramps on the street-running sections of the Green Line. It’s also completely useless, since there are these newfangled things called low-floor trains. Don’t know if you’ve heard of them.
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| This is probably dangerous, but it’s a cool photo… |
All E Line stops connect with the 39, but MFA has a few more bus connections, as well; a plethora of bus routes run down Ruggles Street coming from the Longwood Medical Area or Ruggles Station (and points beyond). And although the routes (the 8, 19, 47, CT2, and CT3) only get a shelter, that’s still better than nothing.
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| A train stopped at the station. |
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| Argh, this right-of-way is so pretty! |
Station: Museum of Fine Arts
Ridership: Surprisingly, this is the lowest-ridership station on the E’s in-median street section. It’s still pretty good for Green Line street stops, though, with 1,683 riders per weekday. Aside from museum-goers, there are also student riders, as we are still very much in college-land here.
Pros: I think this is the best station on the E. It has all the amenities you would want from a street stop, it’s very clean, and the right-of-way looks great! The station even has that strange wheelchair lift.
Cons: Not much! I guess the broken ticket validator and lack of outdoor benches are problems, but these are more annoyances than true issues.
Nearby and Noteworthy: It’s right in the name! The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, too.
Final Verdict: 8/10
Museum of Fine Arts is top-notch for a Green Line street stop. It has all the basic amenities you would expect from a street stop, plus the wheelchair lift! Yes, there could be a few more outdoor benches, but this is a great station overall.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
Northeastern University
The saga of reviewing Green Line street stops starts right now! The section of the E from Northeastern to Brigham Circle is one of the nicest street-running sections of the Green Line. Of course, it’s the E, so the likelihood of trains being on time is about 0.000001%, but hey! It looks great! Let’s start with the first station out of the portal, Northeastern University.
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| Looking down the platform. |
Northeastern is right at the heart of – you guessed it – Northeastern University, and thus many college buildings surround the station. There are crosswalks to the median of Huntington Ave on either side of the platform. The Green Line right-of-way is very picturesque along this section, with numerous trees lining the tracks.
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| On the inbound side. |
The majority of the platform is unsheltered, but there are still a lot of amenities. Wastebaskets and benches line the platform, interspersed with lovely trees. The station signs still have those old Green Line maps, though, with service to Arborway still considered “suspended” rather than “permanently obliterated.”
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| The shelters. |
Both platforms at Northeastern have two shelters, and since benches run along their whole length, it offers a bunch of protected seating. The station also has those strange CharlieCard validators that let you tap your card and get a paper ticket in return. The one here wasn’t working at the time, but…well, hopefully they work during rush hour.
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| Um…what? |
One strange anomaly about Northeastern is a station sign that’s located beyond the end of the platform heading toward the portal! I have no idea why it’s there – all that lies past the platform is dirt. Perhaps the earthworms residing there need to know which station they’re at…
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| A train coming into the station… |
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| …and heading into the portal. |
Station: Northeastern University
Ridership: With 2,650 riders per day, Northeastern is the 10th busiest Green Line branch stop. Most of this ridership comes from students (of course), and lots of ’em. It’s too bad they have to rely on the worst branch of the Green Line, but I digress.
Pros: In terms of street running stations, this one is great. It has a wide platform with a good amount of shelter and lots of benches, plus those trees really add a lot of character.
Cons: The shelters have a bit of peeling paint, and this station just isn’t as nice as Museum of Fine Arts a few blocks away. Also, the fact that Ruggles is located 0.2 miles from here is kind of insulting – that’s a much better station on a more reliable line that’s only 4 minutes of extra walking! Seriously, just don’t trust the E. Ever.
Nearby and Noteworthy: The surroundings are mostly college buildings, and the student-oriented businesses and restaurants usually associated with them. It’s a pretty busy place.
Final Verdict: 7/10
It may be simple, but Northeastern is definitely one of the better Green Line street stops. Its platform is a good width, with lots of shelter and seating, plus it’s accessible. Yes, it may be on the unreliable E, but the 39 stops right next to the station if you’d rather take that. Also, Ruggles is only a few minutes away. Basically, the E Line will always be terrible, but at least its stations are nice.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
Newburyport
I remember reading an article about the isolation of Newburyport Station. It talked about how the station is in the middle of nowhere, and it described how vacant the place is at night. I will agree that the station is a hallmark of parking over pedestrians, and I’m sure it can feel awfully foreboding at night, but for tourists coming in during the day? It’s really not that bad.
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| The platform. |
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| Another view looking the other way. |
Of course, Newburyport is the quintessential modern Commuter Rail station, having been built in 1998. This means that it has a pretty bland feeling. The platform is entirely high-level, with two identical metal shelters. One of them is completely useless, though, since it’s way on the north end of the platform where no trains stop! I mean, more shelter is always welcome, but it does mean you have to walk back a bit to get to the train. The rest of the platform is what you would expect, with a few benches and wastebaskets scattered here and there, but not much else.
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| Cool, a station building – ohhhhhhh… |
Newburyport has a building that could house something great! I mean, it used to have a restaurant in it, and it featured bathrooms and sheltered waiting and everything! But…as you can see, it’s been abandoned. Why can’t they at least open up the bathrooms and put some seating in there? It all looks intact!
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| Oh dear…I think the photographer is drunk. That’s quite crooked. |
Still, the building offers some form of shelter in its plaza outside the entrance. However, with no seating space, you’re forced to either stand or sit on the floor. Other points of interest in the “plaza” are a wastebasket, an outdated Commuter Rail map, and a broken payphone.
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| Can you believe that there are two other lots? |
I mentioned that this is the quintessential modern Commuter Rail station, and you know what that means: lots of parking! In fact, way too much parking. The station has 814 spaces, yet they only get 21% occupied on weekdays. As for bike spaces, the station has 22 of ’em, with some by the parking lots and others right on the platform.
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| *gasp* What’s this? |
Another thing that article mentioned was that the walk to downtown Newburyport is long and on roads with no sidewalks. It is a reasonably long walk, at around 25 minutes, but there’s no need to walk along the roads when you have the Clipper City Rail Trail! This pedestrian path has lots of art along its length and starts literally right where the station platform ends. It takes you right downtown, and is a lovely walk.
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| Why didn’t I include this in my summer shuttle post? Oh well… |
Of course, if you’re unable to walk downtown (or you’re just lazy), you can also use the MVRTA services that come to this station. I’ve already discussed the 53, as well as the strange shuttle that just runs downtown, but those are summer-only. Another option is the MVRTA’s year-round service here, the 54, which runs to Salisbury Beach one way (via downtown Newburyport), and to Amesbury the other way. It serves the station every 70 minutes weekdays and Saturdays.
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| A train with marshland in the background. |
Station: Newburyport
Ridership: Per weekday, the station gets two less riders than there are parking spaces – 812 – making it the busiest station on either branch of the Newburyport/Rockport Lines (but Salem, Beverly, and Swampscott get more ridership on the shared section). Still, I find it interesting that the lot only gets 20% full, which means that most people must commute here in other ways. I also wonder if the data is skewed a bit, since this station must get way more riders in the summer than in the winter.
Pros: The platform is fully high-level, which is always a plus, and the two shelters on the platform are welcome, despite being oddly placed. Newburyport certainly offers lots of parking, and it’s a LOT more than necessary, but at least you’ll always get a space! And yes, the station is far from downtown Newburyport, but the Clipper City Rail Trail is a really great walk.
Cons: Well, it’s a modern Commuter Rail station, so don’t expect a lot of character here. However, the Clipper City Rail Trail makes up for that department with its numerous art installations. Newburyport’s building just seems like a wasted opportunity, though. If no restaurant or café wants to occupy, then at least stick some seats in there and reopen the bathrooms! It would help make the station feel more hospitable, especially since it’s basically in the middle of nowhere.
Nearby and Noteworthy: There’s nothing in the immediate vicinity of the station, of course, but if you walk to downtown Newburyport, you’ll find an absolutely lovely historical place. It’s one of greater Boston’s most charming seaside towns.
Final Verdict: 7/10
If the rail trail didn’t exist, the score would be much lower. But since the trail is there, you can take a scenic trip to downtown Newburyport even though the station isn’t particularly close to it. As for the station itself, it’s boring, but it gets the job done fine. Really, its only main problem is that building that’s completely closed. Do something with that thing, MBTA!
UPDATE 9/30/2018: noahproblem in the comments has told me that a Mexican restaurant now occupies the previously empty building. That’s a good start! We can raise the score up to an 8 for that.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
MVRTA: 53 (Newburyport Summer Shuttle)
Beach day! The MVRTA’s seasonal services started this weekend, one of them being the 53 from Newburyport Station to Plum Island, via downtown Newburyport. Now in its second year of operation, the route is funded by the City of Newburyport, and (at least when I was on) it got hardly any riders! Maybe the ridership will get better as we get further into summer…
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| The bus in the station parking lot. |
We even hit a bit of a snag before we could even get on the bus. Firstly, my friend Anna and I spent a while running around to actually find the stop for the summer shuttle. There was actually a decently-sized sign showing the stop in Lot A of the station, so that’s on us. However, when we tried to get on the first bus that came into the station (simply signed as “Shuttle”), the driver told us he was only going downtown. Yes, it turns out the MVRTA runs a second route from the station to downtown, with its only indication of existence being this awful poster:
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| “Custom House Shuttle,” huh? Well, I looked at the Custom House website, and THAT doesn’t even give information on it! |
Well, anyway, the Plum Island bus came soon after, and we got on. We headed up Boston Way, going by another lot for the station, then turned onto Parker Street, then Graf Road. The surroundings consisted entirely of random office and industrial parks, placed willy-nilly along the roads.
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| Welcome to beautiful Newburyport! |
We then turned onto Low Street, leaving the industrial area and going through an intersection with Route 1. The road was now called Pond Street, and it had houses on one side and a park on the other. After a small shopping plaza, we turned onto Eppa Way, then High Street, going by a really nice pond on one side (part of the park that had bordered Pond Street).
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| Those are some big houses! |
We then turned onto Green Street, which was lined with historic-looking houses and apartments. As we got closer to the water, businesses started to appear as well. We turned onto Merrimac Street for a block, then State Street, going right through downtown Newburyport.
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| A big pedestrian plaza. |
You can normally flag down the shuttle wherever you want, but State Street is a “no stop zone.” However, it does have one official stop right outside of the Newburyport Library with a strange sign saying “Bus Stop Only.” A few people were waiting here, but when the driver asked if they were going to Plum Island, they said they weren’t and stepped away from the bus. Thus, we continued to the end of State, where we turned onto High Street (again), which was lined with historic houses and trees.
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| This place is so nice! |
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| That’s a river??? |
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| Those planes are so small… |
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| Gotta love marsh views! |
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| Looking down one of the small side streets. |
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| The bus along Northern Boulevard. |
Cons: Unfortunately, a whole slew of issues drag the shuttle down. Firstly, there’s the route downtown. The bus makes a whole bunch of twists and turns and takes a very indirect route through the city. I guess it’s to make sure that it can serve the library along the one-way State Street, but it ends up getting the bus stuck in traffic and making it late. Still, the library seemed like a busy stop, and the shuttle might be obligated to serve it for one reason or another – if it didn’t have to stop there, it would make more sense for the shuttle to run via Green Street one way and State Street the other, especially since this particular bus really doesn’t need to serve the residential areas along Federal Street (and the 54 serves them, anyway).
Then there’s the schedule, which is a bit of a mess. See, whenever buses run from downtown to Plum Island, the route gets convenient headways of every half hour. But every time a trip runs all the way to the Commuter Rail (they’re timed with trains), it makes an hour-long gap in Plum Island service. Now how can this be fixed? Well, the MVRTA seems to have two shuttle routes in Newburyport, the other being that strange one from the Commuter Rail to downtown. However, that latter route, to my understanding, basically runs empty at all times that don’t correspond with trains. So we have two buses to work with. How about splitting the Newburyport shuttles into two separate services? One can shuttle back and forth from Plum Island to downtown every half hour, and the other can do Commuter Rail to Plum Island trips that correspond with trains, with Commuter Rail to downtown short-turns otherwise. A shuttle day pass would allow you access to both routes. This might make more sense if I map and schedule the idea:
Right, so that ended up being confusing. I tried to accommodate for both Friday and weekend trains with Route 2 (something the 53 doesn’t necessarily do), but it ended up making a really crazy-looking schedule. Still, I think the concept works better – even though there are still hour-long service gaps, this time those gaps are from the Commuter Rail to downtown, which hardly anyone will be using, anyway. Still…it is quite hard to read. Schedules would probably have to be posted at all major stops, since it’s really hard to memorize, unlike Route 1 (or indeed, the 53). If the view there is too small, here’s a link to the full spreadsheet.
Nearby and Noteworthy: Newburyport is a really lovely town, with so many different businesses in a very historic setting! Also, Plum Island is a great beach, particularly up where the bus terminates at Plum Island Point – it’s a lot quieter up there than at the main area further south.
Final Verdict: 7/10
Overall, this shuttle is pretty solid, with a fine schedule and a fine route. Honestly, my schedule concerns are mostly with the other MVRTA shuttle from the Commuter Rail to downtown, since that just seems to be running empty buses all the time (I didn’t get to take it, though, so I could be wrong). Should I get the chance to ride that route this summer, it’ll most likely get a low score for the fact that it seems useless, but the 53 does a decent job at doing what it’s doing. I mean, the hour-long gaps in Plum Island service can be annoying, but the radical schedule changes are mostly to fix the other shuttle. Overall, the MVRTA could do a much better job coordinating and running its Newburyport shuttles. But the 53 on its own? Yeah…it’s not bad!
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
West Gloucester
For the record, I wanted to take the 7:22 train back to Boston. But nooooo, Michael wanted to walk somewhere. And I suggested West Gloucester, since it’s reasonably close to downtown Gloucester, where we were. However, we got lost, and after 2 and a half hours of walking through barren woods and bogs, we finally arrived at the station. It’s a strange place at 10 PM…
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| The station’s “entrance,” as it were. |
The entrance we used was this strange pedestrian path from Essex Ave. It had unpaved sections, and was incredibly narrow. It felt like a forest trail or something! There was no signage, so we were using the light of the station as a guidepost. The main entrance is much better signed, with a driveway for cars, further down Essex Ave.
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| The empty parking lot. |
The station has a pretty small parking lot, with 44 spaces. However, this is a perfectly good amount for West Gloucester’s ridership – indeed, the lot only gets about 22% full on weekdays. There are also seven bike spaces here, which again seems like a good amount.
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| Looking down the platform. There’s Michael sitting under the shelter… |
Most of the long outbound platform is bare, save for a few wastebaskets, a completely demolished payphone, and a mini-high way far down. The inbound side (which is much smaller) gets a typical 90s Commuter Rail shelter. It’s made of metal, with a single bench underneath, as well as some wastebaskets and a newspaper box.
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| Oh gosh… |
West Gloucester features some absolutely horrible mini-high platforms! They’re literally just concrete blocks and nothing else. No shelter. No benches. And as a bonus, the inbound side is right across the tracks from an electric substation! Hope you like constant buzzing noises, because you’ll be hearing a lot of ’em!
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| All of my train pictures were terrible, so here’s a big spider we found while waiting for the train! |
Station: West Gloucester
Ridership: Oh, truly amazing! A whole 94 riders per weekday! That’s, like, almost 100! No, this is the third least-used station on the Newburyport/Rockport Line, beaten only by Riverworks and Prides Crossing – the former can only be used by GE employees, and the latter gets three trips per day. Admittedly, if you look at West Gloucester on a map, it is in a very woodsy area with not a lot of stuff around it.
Pros: Well…the presence of parking is nice, and it’s certainly enough. And…I guess there’s a shelter. That’s a good thing. CATA stops here, too…three times a day. Hooray?
Cons: Right, well, for starters, there’s the unmarked pedestrian entrance that feels like you have to explore a vast forest just to get into the station! Then there’s the fact that the mini-highs are COMPLETELY bare, with not even a solitary bench to cater to the few commuters who use this place. Or how about the electric substation, buzzing away right next to the station for all to hear?
Nearby and Noteworthy: Nope. There’s no reason why anyone who doesn’t live in or have relations with the surrounding houses should come here.
Final Verdict: 4/10
This station has only the most basic amenities possible, and even that is stretching it (cough, pedestrian entrance, cough). It serves a few very small neighborhoods, and even then, only 94 of its residents use it every day! The spider was a neat find, though…
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
South Acton
I’ll admit, I’m usually against newer Commuter Rail stations. Indeed, South Acton is very new, having finished renovations about six months ago. And yet, it’s a surprisingly nice station – certainly better than the horrible old one. Let’s see it!
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| Oh no! Closed parking! |
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| That is a foreboding footbridge… |
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| Under the fancy footbridge. |
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| Gasp…woahhhhh… |
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| Train pictures are hard at night, okay? |
West Concord
Well! This is most definitely the superior Concord station, especially compared to the other one. But seriously, West Concord is better than its companion in every way possible! I love this place so much…
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| There’s a lot to talk about before we even get to the station! |
Outside the station, there’s this nice little plaza with so much stuff in it! I mean, you’ve got your classic benches, grass, and trees for starters, but how about the water fountain…that also has a specific place for filling up water bottles? There are also some plants with a unique drainage system for waste from a nearby parking lot! You’ve also got remnants of an old railroad junction, plus a solar garbage can! It’s amazing!
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| Another great station building! |
Moving on, this is another station with a wonderful old station building. This one is put to great use, too, with an entire café inside! It also has a door that leads out to the platform (the inbound side!) in case you need to run and catch a train. The café even has some outdoor seating, including one with a checkerboard on it!
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| Looking straight down the platform. There’s a train leaving in the distance. |
This station is on a straightaway, and the platform feels long as a result. Not much is offered along the majority of it, especially on the outbound side – it’s just a straight line with a few benches or wastebaskets here and there. As for the inbound side, it gets the building, so there’s a bit more sheltered seating. A fence separates the two platforms, but there are a few level crossings used to cross over.
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| Hooray! It’s accessible! |
Yes, unlike its eastern cousin, West Concord actually has wheelchair accessibility in the form of some really charming mini-high platforms! Yes, they may be rusting a bit, but the wooden shelters are just lovely. Each side has only a single bench, but that’s better than nothing, and the shelters can still fit a good amount of people underneath.
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| Bike parking! And regular parking! |
Okay, there isn’t that much bike parking – only 10 spaces. But still, that’s something! And as for car parking, West Concord doesn’t disappoint, with 146 spaces. I think it might still be municipal parking, but the MBTA website says it still has a 20% availability rate on weekdays, so that’s fine! There is a fee, though, at $4.00 per day – although strangely, an old honor box says it’s $5.00. I’m going to trust the website and say it’s $4.00, but you never know.
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| WOAH. |
But despite having a fee, West Concord’s parking completely makes up for it with an electric vehicle charging station. Yes, it may have a 4 hour maximum, so you can’t charge your car all day while working in Boston, but it’s just so cool! Does anyone even use this? Who cares? It’s amazing!
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| A train coming… |
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| …and going. |
Station: West Concord
Ridership: This station is just behind Concord in terms of ridership, making it the 4th-busiest station on the Fitchburg Line! So if West Concord gets 541 riders per weekday and Concord gets 592…gosh, Fitchburg only gets 518 riders! The town of Concord has over double the ridership, yet only half the population of Fitchburg! This is so strange!
Pros: There’s just so much to love about this station! The plaza alone has so much fun, unique stuff, from the solar wastebasket to the old train junction to the plant drainage system. West Concord’s building is beautiful, and put to very good use. Plus, it’s actually on the inbound platform this time! This is the only accessible station in Concord, and…did I mention the electric car charging station? Gosh, I love that.
Cons: There is a level crossing here, but if a train driver stops well, it won’t go down while the train is stopped (at least on the inbound side). Other than that, there really isn’t much wrong here. The parking’s expensive for the Fitchburg Line, but if you really want to drive in, just use nearby South Acton’s cheaper parking (although there’d be a trade-off with fares). Plus, the electric charging station makes up for it!
Nearby and Noteworthy: There’s a charming little “downtown” around the station with lots of small businesses. It’s no Concord Center, but it’s something!
Final Verdict: 10/10
You know what? I knew this station would get a 10 from the moment I stepped foot in that amazing plaza. And yes, I did have doubts when I found out about the parking cost (it’s one of the most expensive stations on the Fitchburg Line), but come on! This place just does everything right! It checks all the boxes for a wonderful Commuter Rail station, including lots of character. West Concord manages to combine old elements like the station building and the former track junction with new ones, like the solar garbage can and the electric car charger! This station is as good as it gets.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
Concord
Welp, we’re headin’ out to northwestern suburbia now. Don’t let the hillbillies get you! But yes, Concord is actually one of the busiest stations on the Fitchburg Line, and it’s right near the center of town. This place has some great character, but also big flaws. Let’s take a look!
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| Gosh, I’m such a sucker for character… |
Why do the lovely station buildings always have to be on the outbound side? Yes, Concord’s outbound ridership is probably miniscule, but that side of the station does get a really great building. It even has a mural of (presumably) Walden Pond painted all along it! There’s a bench underneath the shelter of the building’s roof, too. As for inside, the old station is occupied by quite a few different businesses, from a fashion store to an optician!
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| A different kind of building! |
Strangely, though, the outbound side doesn’t have a wastebasket, which means litter can accumulate around the bench under the old building. However, this shortcoming is made up for with an ice cream shop further down the platform! I’m not an ice cream fan myself, (“Gasp” from the readers!) but the shop even has a door that leads out to the platform so you can rush out to a train if you have to.
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| Ohhh…oh nooooooo… |
And then there’s the inbound side. Where to begin? How about the cracked, decrepit asphalt along the whole thing? Or maybe the ugly green bus shelter that is the extent of the covering along the platform? Poor inbound riders…they deserve better than this.
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| Some parking. |
There are a few parking lots in the immediate vicinity of Concord, and I’m not sure which ones are official and which ones aren’t. Indeed, the MBTA website says that it’s run by the town of Concord and is free, so it might be generic municipal parking. It’s not a lot, either, with 86 spaces, and if the parking’s municipal, then it must fill up fast. There are also 10 bike spaces here.
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| An express train, having already whipped past the station! |
Station: Concord
Ridership: Well, this kinda puts a bad mark on the Fitchburg Line’s overall ridership – Concord is its third-busiest station after South Acton and Waltham, with 592 riders. The fact that it gets more ridership than Fitchburg is kinda sad, considering the sizes of the two towns (well, Fitchburg is a city, but I digress). Still, I guess lots of people commute from Concord to Boston, and many students use the station to get to and from nearby Concord Academy, so there’s that. But…Fitchburg has over double the population of Concord! Okay, I’m sorry, but this greatly confuses me.
Pros: There’s no denying that the place has character, especially on the outbound platform – that building is simply spectacular. But other than character (and ice cream) Concord really doesn’t offer much. I mean, the parking’s free, but I’m not sure if it’s explicitly station parking or just general use. Such a small lot would get filled up regardless of price, anyway.
Cons: For starters, the inbound platform is a mess. You know how this is one of the busiest stations on the Fitchburg Line? Well, I can’t imagine dozens of commuters trying to cram under that shoddy little bus shelter! Meanwhile, the outbound platform fills up with litter because it doesn’t have a wastebasket (the inbound side has multiple, for reference), and the whole station isn’t even accessible! Finally, the train has to spill out into two level crossings when stopped here, which is always annoying.
Nearby and Noteworthy: Concord is a really lovely town with lots of history. Concord Center is a short walk from the station, and it offers a great small-town feel. Even the little cluster of businesses near the station is worth checking out!
Final Verdict: 5/10
Sorry, Concord, but your beautiful building isn’t gonna save you this time. If the inbound side could get better shelter and some mini-high platforms in general, the rating would shoot up, but at the moment, this station is surprisingly barebones. Yes, it’s charming. Yes, it has ice cream. But it also has level crossings, dodgy parking, and no accessibility. No, thanks.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
Abandoned Hospital!
For a change of pace from my usual reviews, here are the photos I took at the abandoned Boston Regional Medical Center! All of the pictures are taken from outside – don’t worry, I didn’t trespass!
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| The beat-up parking lot. |
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| Looking through a glass door. |
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| A narrow hallway. |
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| Some overgrowth. |
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| Heading up to the main entrance. |
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| Getting closer… |
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| This road has seen better days. |
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| Someone needs to empty that wastebasket! |
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| Looking into the main entrance. |
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| A zoomed-in shot. Look at the fallen plaster! |
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| Another corner of the building. |
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| A side of the hospital. |
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| Looking back toward the main entrance. |
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| That looks unsafe… |
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| What a lovely shot of a radiator. |
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| The building again. |
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| An old sign. |
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| Even the church was abandoned! |
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| A rusting door. |
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| How do you even bend a metal sign like that? |
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| A side of the building. |
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| I wonder if that staircase is sturdy… |
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| A bus shelter? What for?! |
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| I don’t think anyone will be smoking around here anymore… |
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| Some sort of utility closet? |
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| Ahhhh, that’s so creepy! I wanna go in so bad! |
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| Another door. |
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| Lots of overgrowth going on here. |
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| More bent metal! |
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| Some loading docks. |
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| Old signs! |
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| These generators were still on… |
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| There was another main entrance down this way. |
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| Are you wondering why that big board is there? |
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| Now you know… |
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| Looking beyond the broken glass. |
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| Some sort of receptionist desk? |
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| That hallway goes on for a while… |
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| Zoomed in on the hallway. |
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| The outside of this particular entrance. |
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| Handicapped only, guys! |
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| This seems isolated. |
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| If this were a horror movie, the creepy ghost child would be sitting in that chair. |
99 (Woodland Road – Wellington Station via Main Street and Malden Center Station)
The MBTA runs a bus route to an abandoned hospital. I’m not sure if I made myself clear enough: THE MBTA RUNS A BUS ROUTE TO AN ABANDONED HOSPITAL. And I mean proper abandoned, like, falling apart and everything! The 99 is the culprit, and it all starts at Wellington Station…
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| The bus letting some people off at Wellington. |
Leaving Wellington, we made our way out to Revere Beach Parkway, where traffic was thankfully light. We went on a bridge over the Malden River, and since this was a Saturday trip, we merged onto Mystic View Road to serve the Gateway Center mall. Thus, we circled around a big parking lot, picked up a few people, and headed back up the way we came.
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| That blotch on the window to the left ruined the picture! |
We went back around the rotary and onto Revere Beach Parkway again. Eventually we reached another rotary, where we merged around up to Main Street, which was much narrower and lined with businesses and apartments. It was a pretty good mix, with some intersections offering lots of retail, while other times the surroundings were mostly residential.
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| Looking down Eastern Ave. |
We passed a park, and soon after we entered Malden Center. For some reason, the 99 runs along the northern side of Malden heading outbound, so we continued past lots of businesses on Main Street. We then turned onto the wide Florence Street, going over a parking lot while passing apartment buildings and houses. The street curved south, but we bypassed the eastern busway at Malden Center, instead going under the Orange Line tracks and around to the other side.
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| The view of the parking lot. |
Leaving the western busway, we headed up Summer Street, passing an apartment building and some businesses. We then turned onto Clifton Street, which was a local road lined with houses. Eventually, we reached a park, where we made two quick turns onto Highland Ave, then Savin Street.
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| Rounding the corner of the park. |
We went by a cemetery, then the narrow street curved up and around a hill. The driver floored it past the houses lining the road until we twisted around to a parking lot for the Malden Family Health Center. This hospital wasn’t abandoned, but it was under construction, so the driver swung around the parking lot and we headed all the way back to the park without any new passengers (although there was no one on the bus, anyway).
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| Ah, the Fellsway is such a nice road! |
We turned back onto Highland Ave, continuing north this time. We went around a rotary at the Fellsway, and the street went up a slight hill, still lined with houses. This continued all the way up to Molineaux Circle, where there was a gas station, an apartment building, and a skating rink.
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| Another shot of the Fellsway! I’m sorry, it’s just so nice. |
Molineaux Circle also marked the end of civilization, except the bus just kept on going. We floored it down Woodland Road, which was an apt name – we were in the middle of the forest. Eventually, the bus pulled into a parking lot next to a huge building with peeling paint. Yes, it was the terminus at the Boston Regional Medical Center, closed since 1999.
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| Oh my, that’s a decrepit stop… |
The hospital used to have what probably was a decent bus shelter! However, by now, all but one of the glass windows has fallen out, and it’s just kind of…there. It had a hard wooden bench with lots of graffiti everywhere, as well as a perpetually lit CFL light. Yet the bus stop pales in comparison to the rest of the hospital! I can put my pictures up on the blog if you guys want – they’re pretty amazing.
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| The bus underneath the peeling paint of the first balcony. |
Route: 99 (Boston Regional Medical Center – Wellington Station via Main Street and Malden Center Station)
Ridership: On my ride? Hardly anyone! There were less than 10 people on both my outbound and inbound trips, and all of them were confined to the shared section with the 106! Literally no one went north of Malden Center. The route’s ridership is surprisingly high overall, though, with 1,555 riders per weekday, 1,049 per Saturday, and 591 per Sunday. Still, I’ll bet most of that weekend ridership is on the shared section, if my ride is to judge.
Pros: Well, I guess the route does serve a little pocket of houses in suburban parts of Malden and Medford, which is good. And it provides very frequent service during rush hour – every 15-20 minutes. Serving Gateway Center on Saturdays makes sense, and a good amount of the low ridership on my trips came from there.
Cons: Alright, let’s start with the obvious: THIS ROUTE TERMINATES AT AN ABANDONED HOSPITAL IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE. Moving on, the 99 has a really inconsistent schedule, running intermittent 40-45 minute headways on weekdays and every 50 minutes on Saturdays. Aside from nights and Sundays, with every hour service, the 99 has no coordination with the 106, which means you can end up playing leapfrog like what happened on my ride back from the – oh yeah – ABANDONED HOSPITAL. Additionally, the deviation to serve the Malden Family Health Center is completely unnecessary on weekends, and the bus basically rockets up there only to speed back down, like the driver wants to get through it as fast as possible. Honestly, though, I would argue that this route doesn’t need to run at all on weekends. I mean, the 106 has 30 minute service on Saturdays, which is perfectly capable of handling traffic between Wellington and Malden – and the 99 past Malden gets no one, so what’s the point? Sunday is a different story, where the 99 and 106 alternate to form every 30 minute service, but this could be amended by running 106 short-turns only between Wellington and Malden on the hour. Finally, and I’m not sure if I mentioned this, but the 99 terminates at an ABANDONED HOSPITAL. WHYYYYY?
Nearby and Noteworthy: Well…the abandoned hospital. Yes, it’s insanely cool to explore, although the “No Trespassing” signs discouraged my friend Mariana and I from actually entering the building (despite the fact that one of the doors was open). But that doesn’t mean the bus should run through the woods to serve it!
Final Verdict: 5/10
Yes, the 99 may get somewhat busy during rush hour (including passengers to an office park near the Boston Regional Medical Center), but other than that, it really doesn’t need the level of service that it gets. IF the bus were to continue running on weekends, the Malden Family Health Center deviation could be axed and the bus could terminate at Molineaux Circle or close by. Honestly, though, this route doesn’t need weekend service. The 106 does a fine job on its own, and additional short-turns on that route on Sundays would cover the loss of 99 service.
UPDATE: The MBTA changed the terminus name to “Woodland Road”, but it’s still the same place. So…whatever.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
411 (Kennedy Drive or Jack Satter House – Malden Center Station)
The 411 has to be one of the most diverse – and crazy – routes on the MBTA. It includes a few strange deviations, including one through marshland in Revere! Keep in mind that this route sometimes uses new Excelsior buses, so it can be very odd to see them up north of Wonderland. Let’s take a look at this madness.
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| The bus arriving at Malden. |
With lots of commuter passengers on board, we left the Malden Center busway and headed out onto Centre Street. Some more people got on outside of Super Stop and Shop, then we turned onto Main Street, running along Malden Center’s main drag. Continuing onto Salem Street, we passed Malden High School, then it became a mixture of houses and businesses.
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| I love this house! |
Eventually, we turned onto Broadway, going up a slight hill. It started to get a bit industrial, but before the scenery got too awful, we turned onto Central Ave. This street was lined with houses, although we soon turned onto Kennedy Drive, passing through a gate to enter the Granada Highlands Complex. We made a loop around it, going by apartments and various leisure activities for the residents before leaving the complex.
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| A different apartment building on Broadway. |
The street curved around to parallel Route 1 for a bit, and we continued to run alongside the highway when we turned onto Salem Street. We then turned onto Lynn Street, which was lined with houses. Reaching industrial Linden Square, we turned onto the insanely wide Squire Road, passing Showcase Cinemas with its huge parking lot.
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| The view of the theater. |
At an interchange with Route 1, we headed around a massive rotary, and there were lots of parking lots on the other side of it – they were practically lining Squire Road. We turned onto Charger Street, running along an industrial area next to Northgate, but then we headed into the mall itself. After dropping off some passengers there, we returned the way we came, all the way back to Linden Square.
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| What lovely lighting for such an awful parking lot. |
Back at Linden, we made a really sharp curve onto Washington Ave, which became residential. We then turned onto Malden Street, going under Route 1 and passing very dense houses. The street eventually curved to the right, but the houses felt never-ending…well, until they ended.
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| This pair of streets is awesome! |
Near a school, Malden Street went up onto a slight hill, and it was all businesses when we turned onto Broadway. This is where the 411 splits, with the inbound route following the 117 and the outbound route following the 116. Since we were heading outbound, we turned onto Revere Street a block later, running along with the 116.
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| The intersection with American Legion Highway. |
After some houses, there was some pretty ugly scenery at the intersection with American Legion Highway, where a lot of express routes into Boston run. After that, Revere Street made a few curves, passing houses, apartments, and the occasional business. We crossed over the Newburyport/Rockport Commuter Rail tracks, then turned onto North Shore Road, going by all houses. Eventually they fell away into just parking lots, and we went around a rotary into the Wonderland busway.
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| Some apartment buildings next to the station. |
My friend Nathan and I could’ve stayed on the bus to continue to Jack Satter House, but we decided to wait for the next one instead, since we knew it would be an Excelsior. While waiting, we walked out to Revere Beach over Wonderland’s fantastic Zakim Bridge replica. It was a little eerie in the darkening sky with a light rain coming down. We also got a few pictures of our previous bus returning from Jack Satter.
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| The beach! |
We returned to the busway and caught the next bus, continuing the journey. Once again, we headed up North Shore Road, but continued past Revere Street this time. The houses gave way to marshland, but it was all so weird because we were on an Excelsior! Those buses never go to this part of the MBTA except when they’re on the 411. Eventually, we turned onto Oak Island Street, making a stop right outside of the Jack Satter House apartment building and Revere Beach.
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| And here we see the gorgeous Jack Satter House, featured in an amazing photograph. |
We turned onto Revere Beach Boulevard, with restaurants and apartments on one side and Revere Beach on the other. However, we had to move a block away from the beach when we made our way onto Ocean Ave instead. The scenery consisted of trees and parking lots, including a Wonderland back lot from which the station can be accessed.
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| Prepare for an onslaught of pictures from the Zakim Bridge replica! I love these so much. |
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| The bus getting closer. |
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| Going by in a blur. |
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| Goodbye! |
We continued down Ocean Ave, going by some huge concrete apartment buildings. Finally, we turned onto Beach Street, crossing over the Blue Line tracks at Revere Beach Station. This is where Nathan and I got off to head onto the Blue Line, but the rest of the 411’s loop just follows the 117, then runs up Broadway a bit more to rejoin the outbound route.
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| Excelsior! What are you doing up here?! |
Route: 411 (Kennedy Drive or Jack Satter House – Malden Center Station)
Ridership: It’s pretty low overall, with only 1,087 riders per weekday and 563 per Saturday. However, this could be because the route has a bunch of little pockets of ridership – no one rides this from beginning to end. Generally, you’ve got a lot of commuters from Malden Center to Granada, then there’s a shopper contingency from Granada to Northgate. After that, buses are quiet up to Wonderland, where there’s another group of riders that take the route from the station to Jack Satter House. My rush hour trip had about 45 riders in total, but most of them got off between Malden Center and Granada.
Pros: Well, for one thing, it’s a really fun ride! It runs between two completely different parts of greater Boston – three if you count the marshland north of Wonderland! And of course, that means that the route also serves a lot. During the morning rush, it only runs between Malden Center and Granada, but it does so every 10-25 minutes. Otherwise, the 411 is less frequent, with every 25 minute service during the evening rush, every 65 minutes during the day, and every 70 minutes on Saturdays. However, this is a fine schedule for such a long, twisty route with a lot of shared sections.
Cons: Oh, that “twisty” part is very accurate. The section from Malden Center to Granada is direct, but you’re in for a ride once you get past there. There are lots of twists and turns, including that long Northgate deviation, and the fact that it runs down Ocean Ave after Jack Satter House forces it to make a huge loop around Revere. It kinda feels like a few different routes patched together, which, in a sense, it is.
Nearby and Noteworthy: There are lots of small businesses along the route (plus Revere Beach), but it’s almost guaranteed that the 411 is the least direct way of getting to any of them!
Final Verdict: 7/10
This is one of those routes that feels the urge to “serve” everything in its path, with deviations to Granada and Northgate. However, though it takes forever to do the whole route, no one is taking this from beginning to end. The deviations are mostly places where ridership swaps over, with most of the bus getting off and new people getting on – they don’t inconvenience too many through riders. I mean, if you really want to get between the Orange Line and the Blue Line, the 110 does it in half the time! As for the 411, it may be completely insane, but it serves a few little ridership pockets, and it’s a heck of a fun ride.
UPDATE 9/1/19: The route only runs past Kennedy Drive (er…”Granada Highlands”) during middays on weekdays. I also have no idea why I gave this awful route a 7 when it deserves, like, a 4 at best.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates