9701 (Brighton High School – Ruggles Station via Mass Pike)
Another early release day, another 9700 route. Today we’re looking at the 9701, which is the shortest and arguably most boring of the three 9700s. That said, it does run along a street down which no regular routes go, so it does offer something unique!
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| The bus across the street from the Brighton High School. |
It turns out that all the 9700 routes do depart from that makeshift stop across from the Brighton High School. The 9701 has the most “frequent” service out of any of them, with departures at 2:05 and 2:10. Mine left at 2:07, so I’m not really sure which of the two it was, but we headed out onto Cambridge Street anyway.
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| Union Square. |
After some houses, we passed through Union Square, where the street was lined with businesses. There was an industrial section after that before we crossed over I-90 and the Worcester Commuter Rail tracks. Cambridge Street was wider on the other side, going by an abandoned parking lot for the closed CSX yard. We soon reached the ramp for I-90 and headed onto the highway.
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| That’s the 9703 in front of us. |
I-90 went up onto its bridge over B.U., then we sunk back down below Commonwealth Ave. After passing more B.U. buildings and apartments, we went by Fenway Park and entered the Copley Square tunnel soon after. We then took the Back Bay exit, coming out of the tunnel and turning onto Dartmouth Street.
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| Stupid dirty windows… |
Someone got out at Back Bay, but then the driver ran into a bit of a problem: the door was stuck open. His solution? Just keep on drivin’ with the door wide open! He did fix it at a red light eventually, but it wasn’t for a little while and it was very strange driving around with an open door.
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| Um…is this safe? |
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| The bus became a 22 at Ruggles, ruining any photo ops, so here’s a look across a field. |
Route: 9701 (Brighton High School – Ruggles Station via Mass Pike)
Ridership: Slightly more crowded than the 9702, but the trip still only got about 10 students (who were blasting awful rap music the whole time). There would definitely be more people on a regular school day, though.
Pros: The 9701 is a quick route from Brighton High School to Ruggles, and it seems to be the busiest 9700 route based on its schedule: two trips per day instead of one.
Cons: Still, though, it lacks a morning trip like the other 9700s. This isn’t as big of a problem with Ruggles, since one could walk to Roxbury Crossing and grab a 66 to get pretty close to Brighton High, but a direct trip would still be great.
Nearby and Noteworthy: This route is for students, not for visitors! Also, it’s the most boring one of the bunch, since the 9703 is basically just a slightly longer version of this one.
Final Verdict: 7/10
This is probably the best of the 9700 routes due to its quickness, its consistency, and the fact that it gets two trips instead of one. Also, the morning hinderance for students really isn’t as large as the one for 9702 riders. Still, though, a morning trip would be much appreciated.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
9702 (Brighton High School – Andrew Station via Mass Pike)
970-whaaaaat? Since when are there four-digit bus numbers on the MBTA? Well, there are a few – 9701, 9702, and 9703 – and they’re all school trips from Brighton High School to Ruggles, Andrew, and Jackson Square, respectively. I never thought I would take these routes, but since my school had an early release day, I figured I’d take a ride on one of them! The 9702 was waiting there when I got to Brighton at around 1:45, so I hopped on.
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| The bus at its makeshift stop. |
I spent a little while looking for the stop around Brighton High School, and it turned out to not even be a stop. The route’s supposed to leave from Cambridge Street @ Warren Street, but the 9702 was parked up further down Warren Street, just across the street from the school. I’m not sure if it always does this or not, but it was certainly unexpected.
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| I will say that the shelter at Cambridge @ Warren is lovely! |
Leaving the stop on Warren Street, we curved around onto Cambridge Street. It was residential for a bit, but we soon arrived at Union Square, where there were some retail blocks. It got industrial after that, due to the proximity of I-90, which we crossed over.
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| A front view of Union Square! |
We continued down Cambridge Street for just a little while longer, with apartments on one side and a seemingly abandoned parking lot on the other. Soon, however, we took a highway ramp, passed through a toll, and got onto I-90 heading toward Boston. By this point, the highway was about to get onto its bridge, and onto the bridge we went, soaring past B.U. buildings.
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| Hey, it’s Boston! Blurry Boston! |
The highway soon got down to below ground level, still going by more B.U. buildings. Eventually, we passed Yawkey Station and Fenway Park, then entered the Copley Square tunnel. We took the Back Bay exit, curving around for a while until we finally popped up onto Stuart Street.
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| A highway view through the front of the bus! |
We then turned onto Dartmouth Street, joining the 10. We passed Back Bay Station and after that, the street became lined with beautiful brownstone apartments. Once we crossed over Tremont Street, the road became West Dedham Street, and the surroundings got less old-looking, with a huge apartment tower and more modern townhouses on either side.
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| Some apartments at the intersection with Washington Street. |
Outside of a school, we turned onto Washington Street, joining the Silver Line. We passed a few parks, then the street became lined with businesses and apartments, housed in 4-6 story buildings. Next, we turned onto Mass Ave, passing through the B.U. Medical Center. It got industrial from there as the street entered Newmarket.
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| Some scenery on Washington Street. |
We reached Newmarket Station, where we turned onto Newmarket Square. We passed a bunch of factories and warehouses and the like before turning onto Southampton Street. After going by the Southampton bus yard, the street rose up onto a bridge over I-93, the South Bay Center, and the Old Colony Line tracks. On the other side of the bridge, we pulled up into the Andrew busway, where the bus turned into a 16 and laid over for a little while.
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| The bus was signed as a 16 by the time we got to Andrew, so here’s a front shot on Southampton Street. |
Route: 9702 (Brighton High School – Andrew Station)
Ridership: I think Brighton High had an early release day like I did, because there were only two other people on board – students, of course – who had probably stuck around after school for a bit. On normal school days, though, the 9702 is as crowded as any normal school trip, with a full seated load or more.
Pros: Clearly there’s a large group of students who go to Brighton High from Southie, and this bus gives ’em a fast way of getting there. Or…well, getting back, at least. Hang on a sec.
Cons: Yeah, this and the other Brighton High routes are all one-way. So basically, you’ve got the 2:05 outbound trip and that’s it. The commute from Southie to Brighton is long without a direct route, so it’s annoying how the 9702 only runs outbound. Also, the 9702 is a special case in that the route it’s supposed to take is different from the route that the drivers are told to do! The bus is supposed to get out at South Station and take some route involving Broadway before getting to Andrew, but it “officially” travels via Back Bay and goes directly to Andrew. Then there’s the fact that my trip was apparently a completely different route from either of those, which makes things even more confusing.
Nearby and Noteworthy: Are you a student? No? Then you really shouldn’t have any need to take this route unless you’re looking for an interesting, unique ride.
Final Verdict: 4/10
Two very simple changes can bring the 9702 up to at least an 8. Number 1: Add a morning trip. This one applies to all the supplemental routes, but with this one in particular, the ride from Andrew to Brighton is long if you use regular routes. Number 2: Standardize the route! Apparently whenever a new driver is on the 9702, students have to tell them to take the South Station routing instead of the official one. So…MAKE THE SOUTH STATION ROUTING THE OFFICIAL ONE! It’s not that hard!
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
T.F. Green Airport
When I say T.F. Green Airport, I of course mean the Commuter Rail station that corresponds to the airport itself. However, since I took pictures of the amazing modern terminal, I will also talk about as much of the airport as we were able to explore! This is gonna be a big one, so let’s do it!
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| The airport “busway.” |
I honestly can’t tell if the busway doubles as an “arrivals” area or if it’s just for buses. Regardless, it’s suited for bus connections, with beautiful shelters, lots of benches, and great signage to each of the services to the airport. Three RIPTA routes service the busway: the 1 to Pawtucket, the 20 to Providence, and the 14 to Providence or points south.
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| Now that’s an arrival area! Or at least a taxi area. |
I do know that the road next to the busway is most certainly for arrivals. It doesn’t feel as nice as the busway, since its architecture is mostly concrete, but I guess it gets the job done. There are also taxi berths out here.
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| This is pretty generic. |
The first thing you see when you step into the terminal is the baggage claim area, which is the lamest part of the airport. It has low ceilings and really dated architecture. Still, as a baggage claim area, it gets the job done fine, and there are lots of benches around, too. The wall-to-wall carpeting is abysmal, though.
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| Now that’s what I call an information booth! |
Information booths at airports are usually pretty boring, but T.F. Green has an amazing one with a huge sailboat welcoming tourists to Rhode Island. I mean, I wonder how many tourists actually use this airport, but it’s still pretty cool. The information given is just generic stuff for visitors like locations of hotels and attractions.
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| I do need a ride! Thank you for asking! |
The information booth also has really well set-up “transportation corner.” It features a rack of schedules for all the RIPTA routes that serve the airport, as well as an updated Commuter Rail schedule. Strangely, though, the latter still says “MBCR” at the top, despite the conversion to Keolis happening two years ago. There are also some pamphlets and cards for various other shuttles here.
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| Aww, yeah! |
Now we’re talking! The main terminal at T.F. Green Airport is very modern, and so it requires a very modern way of getting up there. You’ve got a beautiful glass elevator, a staircase, and two escalators! They weren’t skimping out when it came to ascending floors at this airport.
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| The main terminal. |
We weren’t able to get too far into the main terminal, but what we saw was amazing. It had huge high ceilings with lots of natural light coming in from the many windows. Everything was very modern and clean, and there was a lot of space set up for lines at security. It was still smaller than any Logan Airport terminal, but this is a much smaller airport.
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| Such interesting destinations… |
A quick glance at the departure board showed that only domestic flights were leaving on a Sunday. However, according to Wikipedia (and this timetable), international service has been announced for the airport, including a direct flight to Frankfurt! Will anyone use these flights? I guess time will tell.
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| The departure level. |
The departure level for drop-offs is pretty similar to the busway, with the same kind of modern glass shelter. Thus, it’s great! The airport also offers a bunch of parking in five different lots. I can’t give you an exact amount of spaces, but it’s most definitely a large number.
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| Oh yeah…the Commuter Rail comes here, too. |
Heading back down to the lower level, it’s time to finally visit the Commuter Rail station! In order to get there, though, you have to use…the skywalk. But in order to get to the skywalk from the first floor, you have to go through the baggage claim area again and toward a nice T sign. You also go by a canoe in the process, which…sure, that’s cool!
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| The elevators up to the skywalk. |
Doesn’t the name “skywalk” just send tingles down your spine? I was so excited to get to it that I didn’t take any good pictures of its entrance area, which features an up escalator and a down escalator (no stairs). The room also has some interesting paintings on the walls.
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| The elevator was fancier than it looks! |
The elevators here are definitely worth a mention. Strangely, they had the exact same smell and feel as the newer Rotem Commuter Rail cars! Or, to put it in other terms, they were nice and modern and didn’t smell like urine. That’s what matters for a great elevator, right?
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| Welcome to…the skywalk. |
The skywalk is pretty amazing. It has windows along its entire sides, and sweeping patterns along the floors and ceilings. There are a few benches sporadically placed in case people need a break, while moving sidewalks offer a faster way of getting through the long walkway.
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| The entire cart fleet of the skywalk. |
There is also a cart system that runs along the skywalk. I really wanted to ride one, but it was decided that it would be kind of embarrassing. Plus, the operator was quite busy, um, sitting there doing something on his phone. Sounds productive. The service is meant for people with baggage or disabilities, and can be called for whenever you want.
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| Rental cars, anyone? |
Before the Commuter Rail station, you first reach the rental car area. It was pretty quiet when I was here, presumably because no planes had arrived yet, but the low-ceilinged, generic room seemed to be suited for a good amount of people. I’m not sure if it’s considered a “good” amount or not, but lots of rental car companies serve the airport.
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| EW EW EW. |
ALRIGHT, rant time! Heading along toward the Commuter Rail platform, we have this abysmal mess of a “travel information” area. Let’s see, well, the majority of the screens are blank and malfunctioning, so I guess we’ll skip past those! Alright, we’ve got times for all the RIPTA routes that serve TF Green…that would be nice, if they weren’t all outdated and incorrect! And a Commuter Rail schedule? Great! That’s also outdated! WOOOOOOHOOOOOWOWWOOOOOOO
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| Ahh, look at all the rental cars! |
Much of the big Interlink garage is dedicated to rental car parking, but there is also commuter parking here for MBTA passengers. In total, there are 650 spaces for commuters, but they come with a rather large fee of $6.50 per day (or $5.00 per day according to the T.F. Green website – not sure which one to trust). The garage does have an electric car charging station on the first floor, though, which is great!
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| Looking back toward the airport. |
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| Nice view! |
Gotta get those rooftop photos! The view from the roof of this parking lot is great, particularly looking along the tracks toward Providence. You can see the skyline from here, and it’s a little skyline I’ve always been a big fan of.
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| Hmm…a bit dank. |
To get from the skywalk to the station, you have to pass through the parking lot. Luckily, a segregated pedestrian area is set up, but it’s a bit…gross. I mean, it’s quite dark and narrow. It’s certainly better than having to go through the lot, but the aesthetics of the walkway could be much nicer. The parking lot also has an alternative exit onto Jefferson Boulevard.
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| The crowded platform. |
The station platform is…underwhelming. Sure, it’s sheltered, but it’s sheltered by a generic boring parking lot roof. This station is a fan of concrete, and it doesn’t lend itself to the most modern look. There are plenty of benches at which to sit, at least. However, one major problem is the white sign visible in the above picture. Why is the station name in Helvetica? That’s such a bad font choice for a sign! (For the record, I know this whole blog is written in Arial, but for some reason it shows up as Times New Roman in the post editor and I didn’t realize the whole thing was Arial until it was too late.) UPDATE: Dunno what I was thinking then – every MBTA sign is in Helvetica. It’s more that it’s in lowercase, unbolded Helvetica! Also, the blog is no longer in Arial. Anyway…
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| The platform…from above. |
The outdoor section of the platform features a good amount of amenities. Closest to the part under the parking lot, there’s a interesting purple shelter, the likes of which don’t appear anywhere else on the Commuter Rail (to my knowledge). Meanwhile, if you go way far down, a generic modern Commuter Rail shelter awaits!
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| An Amtrak train rushing past the station…from above. |
Station: T.F. Green Airport
Ridership: Although Providence is the busiest Commuter Rail station outside of Boston, T.F. Green Airport gets much much much lower ridership. On the average weekday, it only gets 227 riders, most of whom probably commute to Providence. That said, on the day I was here, there were huge crowds going to Quonset, but that was a special case.
Pros: For the record, I’m considering the “station” to be the skybridge and beyond. And if that’s the case, the skybridge is the best part of T.F. Green Airport by far. Not only does it give a direct pedestrian connection to the airport, but it also looks amazing! Other than that, the station offers a lot of parking (more than its ridership), and most of the platform is sheltered. As an aside, that airport terminal is great, isn’t it?
Cons: Once you get past the skybridge, everything is rather bland aesthetically. Additionally, if the MBTA website is to judge, the parking is pretty expensive for the Commuter Rail. Also, the fact that this station is only served by limited weekday trains means that hardly anyone takes the train to actually catch a flight at the airport. Finally, why is all the schedule information here so outdated? You guys have computer monitors, just update them!
Nearby and Noteworthy: Well…T.F. Green Airport, I guess. The rest of the surrounding area is industrial, so that’s nothing interesting.
Final Verdict: 7/10 (9/10 for the terminal)
Man, without that awesome skybridge, this station would be quite meh. I mean, it’s just a boring concrete Commuter Rail station. But hey, the skybridge makes it. Also, for the record, I really enjoyed reviewing an airport terminal! Maybe I could do the ones at Logan and call them “Silver Line stop reviews.” Hmm…
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
Silver Line “Rant”
In English class, we had a short end-of-the-year assignment to write a “rant,” and I decided to make mine about the Silver Line Waterfront and its inefficiencies. It wasn’t supposed to be an evidence-based piece, so I don’t really back up my complaints, but I figured it would be fun to put up here. Enjoy!
My family had just gotten back from a week-long trip to Portugal. All we wanted to do was go home.
But the Silver Line had other ideas.
We always prefer using public transportation to get to the airport, mainly because it’s cheap. But the Silver Line, branded as a fast rapid transit service, is little more than a glorified bus with many problems. It seemed great when it was brand-new, but Boston soon realized that its fancy new line was just a phony.
At the cold, miserable Terminal E stop, the clock said the next bus was arriving in one minute—great! But that minute came and went. A crowd was starting to form with no sign of the bus. Finally, after ten minutes, the vehicle arrived, and it was packed.
We squeezed on with the other sardines, and our can started to head onto the highway. The crowded, trafficked highway. Did I mention it was the evening rush?
So after twenty minutes of crawling through the dark musty Ted Williams Tunnel, we finally managed to escape into the outside world. At least now it would be a smooth ride to South Station. Oh wait, we had to double back on ourselves first with the most inefficient loop ever. “Congress Street @ World Trade Center Station,” anyone?
At Silver Line Way, one poor rider struggled to escape the soul-crushing crowd to get out of the bus, then the bus failed to make the conversion to electric power (of course). After the driver got out to fix the problem, we were finally able to head to South Station at a heart-pounding 10 miles per hour. And what was that passing our sardine can on the left? Why, it was an SL2 to the Design Center, completely empty! Every 15 minute service to an industrial wasteland—great use of resources.
A few people were waiting at each of the overblown underground stations, but they were denied entry onto our bus because it was so crowded. I guess they would have to wait for the next empty SL2 to arrive. After several aching minutes of crawling through the bus tunnel, we finally pulled into the South Station bus stop, with a massive exodus of people leaving the bus to get to the Red Line. I’m sure the vehicle’s return run to the airport would be just as insane as our trip.
This is the state of the “rapid transit” Silver Line Waterfront.
Fix it.
RIPTA: 20 (Elmwood Ave)
You know it’s a smaller city when a bus route considered to be a “key corridor” runs every 45 minutes on weekends. Still, Nathan, Sam, and I had to get to T.F. Green Airport somehow on our way to Quonset, and the 20 was timed perfectly for our needs. Is the route interesting aside from its timeliness on a certain Sunday to help three people get to an air show? No, not really, but we’re looking at it anyway!
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| The bus at Kennedy Plaza. |
Leaving Kennedy Plaza in downtown Providence, we headed down Washington Street, which was lined with cute three-story buildings. Outside of a theater, we turned onto the wider Empire Street. After passing some offices, we turned again onto Broad Street, going over I-95 and running along with the R-Line and the 22.
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| Going over I-95. |
We went by a field and a high school, then there were a few businesses at Trinity Square. The street widened with a nice median for a bit as the R-Line continued down Broad Street; meanwhile, us and the 22 headed down Elmwood Ave. After a cemetery, the street became pretty industrial, but there were houses in view down the side streets.
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| This doesn’t seem to be the liveliest of areas. |
From there, it became a mix of houses, businesses, and industry, plus churches and a library. We passed another cemetery, and at nearby Columbus Square (basically just a plaza in the middle of an intersection), the 22 broke off onto Reservoir Ave. We were now on the 20’s independent section, running along the wide Elmwood Ave.
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| A bad picture of RIPTA’s main office! Woah, I’m freaking out!!! |
One of the more interesting aspects of this route is that it goes past RIPTA’s main office and yard. Unfortunately, I was sitting on the “office” side, so I didn’t get to see the buses stored on the other side of the street, but it was still pretty cool. It was industrial past there until we crossed I-95 again, going under the highway this time.
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| Beautiful scenery… |
We got a nice little break after the highway crossing, passing through a nice park. After we went under another highway, though (Huntington Expressway), the scenery became a mix of dense houses and industry. Around this time, we entered Cranston, and reached the big parking lot of an Ocean State Job Lot. On weekdays, every other trip terminates here.
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| Not the most official of terminals… |
It was quite industrial from there, including some pretty big factories. We crossed over the Pawtuxet River, and the scenery went from factories to just plain warehouses and offices. Eventually, Elmwood Ave reached its end point and we turned onto Post Road, which was…also industrial! Wooooo!
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| Going over the river. |
Businesses with huge parking lots started to appear, which is an improvement, I guess. We went through another highway interchange, then passed a really deserted-looking mall. After another shopping plaza, airport-related businesses and hotels started popping up, and we merged onto T.F. Green Airport Connector Road. This took us up to the airport busway, where the bus went out of service.
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| The bus at the airport. |
RIPTA Route: 20 (Elmwood Ave)
Ridership: For a Sunday morning, my ride was surprisingly busy, with about 20 passengers in total. What’s more, 40% of those passengers got on at stops other than Kennedy Plaza, which shows that there’s good local ridership for the route as well. Overall, the 20 is RIPTA’s 5th-highest ridership route, with 2,464 passengers per weekday, 1,213 per Saturday, and 796 per Sunday.
Pros: This is a direct route that serves a lot of neighborhoods. It’s also very frequent on weekdays, running every 15 minutes with every other trip terminating at Ocean State Job Lot. And yes, I did ridicule the bus for its 45 minute weekend schedule, but 20 riders seems like the perfect amount for a Sunday morning, so the headways are fine as they are.
Cons: Nothing much, although some of the stops can be ridiculously close together. Also, and this is exclusive for my trip, the driver drove the bus at the same speed as the route number! It was torturously slow!
Nearby and Noteworthy: Unfortunately, the 20 doesn’t serve any areas that would be of note to visitors. The RIPTA bus garage is interesting, I guess.
Final Verdict: 9/10
This is definitely one of the best routes on the RIPTA! The 20 serves a lot along its run, and its schedule is perfect for the amount of ridership it gets. I like how every other trip terminates at Ocean State Job Lot on weekdays, since the outer section is quieter anyway. Plus, since the trunk route is every 15 minutes, that’s still every half hour service to T.F. Green!
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
Random Photos: Quonset Air Show!
Here are a few shots from the Quonset Air Show, in case you’re interested.
Bonus Review: Commuter Rail to Quonset!
Last weekend was the Quonset Air Show in Rhode Island, a big event that draws in many people from around the state. This year, RIDOT decided to pilot a train service to the event, which included a section on track not used by passenger trains! My friends Nathan and Sam and I knew we had to take a trip down there.
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| SO MANY PEOPLE. We took the 11:15 short-turn trip from T.F. Green Airport to Quonset. |
The crowds at T.F. Green Airport were absolutely insane! There were all these soldiers going around telling people to get off the yellow line (even if they arguably weren’t on it), and we all had to get our hands stamped when we entered the station. The train was eight bilevel cars, luckily, so it managed to fit everyone alright.
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| This is the start of the unique section – the train breaks off from the Northeast Corridor between T.F. Green and Wickford Junction. |
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| Another view of this weird old freight yard. |
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| Some construction vehicles. |
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| A warehouse, I guess? |
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| That’s a huge…something! |
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| Another spur line. |
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| Some magnificent grass. |
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| There was a lot of security for car traffic, too. |
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| By this point we were running right alongside a road. |
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| A railroad crossing. |
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| That’s a large building… |
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| Some more buildings. |
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| And more. |
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| Some kind of scrapyard? |
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| We’re starting to see planes! |
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| Some airport scenery. |
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| The train rounding a curve. |
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| Right along a fence. |
I was also impressed at the amount of infrastructure they set up at the makeshift Quonset station. On one side, they had driven concrete blocks into the ground and put stools on top of them to give people less of a step to the ground. On the other side, even though it was just for one car, they had installed a ramp to make a high-level entrance!
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| People going down the ramp. |
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| The train looking out toward the water. |
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| People going around to the other side. |
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| Gosh, that track is decrepit. It was a slow speed limit, that’s for sure. |
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| People coming down the steps. |
Unfortunately, the walk from the train to the show was pretty annoying. It took us about 15 minutes, and they had all these ropes everywhere to prevent people from cutting through a parking lot. Instead we had to go all the way around, and it took forever! Also, the signage here really could have been better, at least for people coming back to the train.
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| That’s a large crowd… |
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| The “mezzanine”? There most certainly were not enough porta-potties. This area also had some drinking water. |
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| The train again. |
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| Heading towards the show. |
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| Looking back towards the train. |
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| There were a lot of Ocean State Job Lot trailers… |
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| A LOT. |
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| This sign is so bad! |
On the way back, however, we ran into some trouble. We left the show around 1:15, which felt pretty early, since we were getting the 2:00 train. But when we arrived at the boarding area, a huge crowd had already formed, and it was only getting bigger. Everyone was incredibly antsy, including many children who were digging around in the dirt in anticipation.
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| SO MANY PEOPLE. |
2:00 came and went. This was a problem, since we wanted to catch the 2:56 Commuter Rail train to Boston – 10 minutes after the Quonset trip was scheduled to arrive. By the time the train came in around 2:15, we knew we weren’t gonna make it. Oh well…at least we could get lunch during our two-hour wait in Providence.
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| Took you long enough! |
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| The crowd at Providence took another 20 minutes to feed out of the station. |
Route: Commuter Rail to Quonset
Ridership: HEAVY. There were a lot of people who used this train, but that was to be expected, since it was an event train, The eight bilevels seemed more than capable of handling the massive crowds. Apparently on Saturday, though, they used single-level cars, which must have been insane!
Pros: Offering free train service to the airshow was a great idea, and it seems like a bunch of people took advantage of it. The facilities at Quonset were better than expected, what with the steps and the makeshift mini-high. Also, the crowd control was generally pretty good on the way there, especially at Quonset. And of course, running on unique track was a blast.
Cons: The train being late was definitely an annoyance. I also wonder if they could run the service a bit more frequently to space out the crowds a bit, although that would require a second train. Signage at Quonset could have been a lot better, and generally the walk there could have been shortened by just cutting through the parking lot instead of going around.
Nearby and Noteworthy: The air show was pretty interesting! The crowds were huge, and it seemed to be catered more to little kids than to plane buffs, but it was still a fun experience. I can post pictures from the show if you guys are interested.
Final Verdict: 7/10
There were definitely a few hiccups here and there, but considering this was the first time they had run the service, they did a really good job. I really hope they run the train again next year, because it seemed to be a huge hit in terms of ridership. Hopefully signage and scheduling can be improved, but overall, the Quonset service was pretty good!
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
West Medford
I’m on a streak of awful Commuter Rail stations here. West Medford is a strange little Zone 1A stop with a weird location. Why are there no stations in the more urban part of Medford? I’m not sure, but until the Green Line extension gets built (if ever), this is the only station in Medford (except for Wellington). It’s terrible.
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| The trip here was impromptu, so I didn’t have my camera. Thus, all of the photos are courtesy of my friend Shuvom’s phone. |
There are a few entrances to the station. One of them is direct from the level crossing on High Street, and it’s as simple as stepping onto the platform. Meanwhile, on residential Playstead Road, a small staircase leads up to the station as well.
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| Hmm…”parking.” |
The third entrance is from the station parking lot, and it’s one of the lamest Commuter Rail lots I’ve ever seen. Relegated to a small corner of the parking for a Rite Aid, the Commuter Rail section only has 34 spaces. Yes, it’s an urban station, but that’s a miniscule amount! The station also has a few bike racks, although the MBTA website denies this.
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| The stark outbound platform. |
The whole station is low-level, and very much so – the step from the ground to the train is huge here. When our train arrived, a conductor had to hold an old lady’s hand to help her leave the train! The outbound side of West Medford is mostly asphalt, with a whole two benches. So much seating space!
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| The inbound side with its building. |
Luckily, the inbound platform offers much more, seating-wise. Near the parking lot entrance there’s a bench with some advertisements right next to it. Other than that, you’ve got a bench in the shelter of the station building, which is much more desirable than the seating inside the building…
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| AHHHHHHHHHHH! |
Well, it can hardly be considered “inside,” since it’s just a shelter. But oh my gosh, what a dingy shelter it is. The walls are bare, with peeling paint, and the single light under there is completely shattered. The benches look really uncomfortable, since they have holes all over them, and just look at the litter! No one in their right mind would ever want to wait for a train in here.
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| Oh hey, it’s the Greenbush locomotive! This train ran express straight through the station. |
Station: West Medford
Ridership: I’ll admit, this place does get a lot of ridership. I think the quick ride from here to Boston (13 minutes) is what attracts so many commuters – 819 per weekday, to be exact. Even in the evening rush when I was here, there were still a few locals heading into the city.
Pros: Well, the quick ride is the main pro. This is a dense area with no other rail transit, and the 13 minute ride to Boston is better than the 94, 95, or even the express 326 (the buses that serve West Medford).
Cons: EVERYTHING ELSE. The low-level platform, the lack of parking, the disgustingly dingy building…you can basically name anything about this station and it will most likely be bad.
Nearby and Noteworthy: There are a good amount of businesses along High Street, and a few of its restaurants look intriguing.
Final Verdict: 2/10
The fact that commuters can get a fast ride from here to Boston is a wonderful thing. But the station they have to use is anything but wonderful. I mean, at least give it a mini-high for accessibility! That step up to the train is huge! Oh, and I forgot to mention that inbound trains stick out onto the level crossing, which seems to have a…person? Yeah, there was a guy who seemed to be doing SOMEthing related to that crossing, and I think he was residing in the “crossing shack” right next to it. Poor dude…he has to hang out at this awful station all day.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
EZRide (Cambridgeport – North Station or Kendall Square)
Yes! I finally got a trip on the EZRide! I see these all the time whenever I’m in East Cambridge on a weekday, and I’ve always wondered what the heck they are. Well, the mysteries behind these strange blue buses plying the streets of Cambridge have finally been solved. Let’s see what this service is.
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| The temporary stop at North Station, a few hundred feet away from the normal one. |
The EZRide’s main route is from North Station to Cambridgeport via Kendall. However, it changes pretty drastically based on the time of day. The morning and evening routes are different, while the bus operates as a shuttle loop from Cambridgeport to Kendall Square middays. I took the bus in the morning (thanks to a delayed opening at school), so that’s the route I’ll be covering. You can see the different variations here.
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| The bus arriving at North Station. |
Okay, so the fares are a bit weird, too. The thing is, most EZRide passengers don’t have to pay at all. The majority of its ridership comes from either commuters or MIT students, both of which ride free (participating companies give free EZRide passes, while flashing an MIT ID gets you on the bus at no cost). For anyone else who may be riding, the fare is $2.00 for adults and $1.00 for students or seniors.
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| The inside of the bus. |
The bus that came to North Station was one of the older ones, and it didn’t have the greatest interior. The seats had a pretty ugly design, and the general look was quite bland and utilitarian. Worst of all, though, was the destination sign – it was literally just a piece of paper at the front of the bus that the driver would flip around at either terminus! That’s pretty bad…
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| It’s weird being on a bus over here. |
Leaving the North Station stop on Nashua Street, we curved around alongside a park and the Charles River, then turned onto Monsignor O’Brien Highway at Science Park Station. Running alongside the Green Line’s elevated structure, we went by the Museum of Science on the other side. Eventually, we turned onto Museum Way, a strange narrow street lined with apartment buildings and offices.
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| Where the heck are we?? |
We then turned onto North Point Boulevard, with undeveloped industrial land on one side and more modern apartments on the other. After passing a park, we turned onto East Street and merged our way under the Green Line once more. We turned onto First Street, going by Lechmere on the right, but not actually going into the busway.
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| About to go under the Gilmore Bridge on North Point Boulevard. |
There were offices on either side, but they got replaced by various small businesses and the behemoth of the CambridgeSide Galleria mall. Weirdly, we made a two-block deviation from the route – it’s supposed to go right onto Binney from First, but instead we made this strange jog via Charles Street and Second Street, then Binney. As we got closer to Kendall Square, we were going by a lot of pharmaceutical companies and the like, because, you know, it’s Kendall Square.
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| Look! Photographic proof that we went onto Second Street! |
As the street curved south, it became Galileo Galilei Way, with still more offices lining it. We paralleled the Grand Junction Railroad for a bit, then turned onto Broadway, passing more – gasp! – offices. After that, we curved around onto Main Street, arriving at Kendall Square Station. However, no one was waiting, so we continued on to Cambridgeport.
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| The Microsoft building. |
We headed down Main Street once more, and with all those offices still lining the street. We crossed over the Grand Junction Railroad, then turned onto Portland Street, which merged onto Albany Street. After that, we turned onto Mass Ave, and it seemed like we were heading into Central Square, but we headed onto Landsdowne Street before that happened.
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| That building on the left is pretty cool. |
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| The bus heading down Brookline Street. |
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| The bus on Erie Street. |
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| Ehh… |
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| Going over the Grand Junction. |
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| The bus going back to Cambridgeport, now on its midday routing. |
Newtonville
Oh no, not a Worcester Line I-90 station! I already inhaled millions of fumes at Auburndale, now I have to review another one? Well, at the very least, Newtonville is slightly better than Auburndale. Slightly. That really isn’t saying much at all.
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| Ughhhhhhhhhh. |
Like Auburndale, Newtonville is right next to the wide Mass Turnpike. It offers two entrances at overpasses on either side of the platform: Walnut Street and Harvard Street. They’re both pretty much the same, with a sign, schedule, and a few newspaper boxes on the Walnut Street side. For the record, Newtonville apparently has 53 parking spaces, but I can’t for the life of me find them on Google Maps.
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| The Walnut Street entrance. |
Okay, one perk that Newtonville has over Auburndale is that the stairs aren’t insanely scary. With the latter station, you can look right down as you’re traversing the staircase and see the ground way below. At least Newtonville’s stairs are wooden, so you can’t actually see through them. This also means that you don’t have to see the rusting going on below them! Yay…
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| On the platform. |
Newtonville has a typical shelter for an I-90 station, meaning it’s awful. It’s all concrete and wooden, with litter everywhere despite lots of wastebaskets being provided. The benches that stick out of the wall of the shelter are terrible, although Newtonville does provide one actual bench – another step up from Auburndale.
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| Looking down the platform. |
The whole rest of the platform is bare. I mean, there’s not even any random highway trash in sight from this station! Yes, I suppose the bags of salt thrown around in certain places are a bit weird, but it’s somewhat clean overall. Just try to ignore the constant sound of thousands of cars hurdling past…
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| The remains of an old platform. |
Now, one huge problem with Newtonville (and the other I-90 stations) is that it only has one platform. That makes this whole section of the line incredibly hard to schedule. But the worst part is that you can actually see the remains of the old second platform at Newtonville! If all the I-90 stations had two platforms, the MBTA could get a lot more flexibility when scheduling Worcester Line trains.
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| A train leaving around the curve. |
Station: Newtonville
Ridership: This is the the station with the second-worst ridership on the Worcester Line, just ahead of West Newton (another I-90 stop). However, although Newtonville only gets 293 inbound riders per weekday, perhaps it gets outbound ridership, too. It has a few bus connections, after all, and it’s still pretty urban and close to Boston.
Pros: Advantages over Auburndale: the stairs aren’t scary and there’s one nice bench. That is all.
Cons: Everything else that was wrong with Auburndale. Loud cars! Decrepit shelter! Not accessible! Only one platform! Strange litter everywhere (though to a lesser extent than Auburndale)! The list goes on and on! Does parking here even exist? Who knows?!
Nearby and Noteworthy: There’s a lovely downtown here with small businesses housed in old-looking buildings. Also, this station is right near that Star Market through which I-90 runs, which is interesting. I mean, I’m sure it’s just a generic supermarket, but the highway running under it is kinda cool!
Final Verdict: 2/10
Look! One point better than Auburndale! A 2/10? That’s almost a 3/10! Visit Newtonville, guys, it’s really worth it. Way better than Auburndale, lemme tell you. Honestly, though, the I-90 stations are so good that you should just visit them all! Especially if you like, um, litter. Or…cars. Or something.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
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