554 (Waverley Square – Downtown Boston via Newton Corner and Central Square, Waltham)
This is a bus I’ve been wanting to take for a while. An incredibly circuitous route, the 554 is an express from Belmont to Boston. Wow, that must be great for Belmont commuters! Oh, wait, it goes via Watertown, Waltham, and Newton first. Yeah, not too many people take the 554 from beginning to end…
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| The bus coming down Otis Street. |
My friend Chloé and I had to get on at Otis and Summer Streets to make sure we would catch the bus. There were a few people on board already who had come from Federal and Franklin, and we were off. We headed down Kingston Street, then turned onto Essex Street, and then Surface Road. A few more people got on at Chinatown, and then we were off onto the highway.
This express trip was relatively traffic-free, as we zoomed past apartment buildings. We went through the Copley Square tunnel, then passed Fenway Park soon after. The highway went elevated, then came back to ground level, going by the Boston Landing development. Eventually, we reached Newton Corner and took the exit.
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| A view of the highway at Newton Corner. Looks like we dodged a bullet there for traffic… |
Annoyingly, we looped around Newton Corner, actually doubling back on ourselves and serving the same stop twice. We then headed down Washington Street, leaving behind the businesses of Newton Corner. The retail did come back, though, with big stores and parking lots to go with them. There were some nicer-looking businesses at Newtonville.
After that, there was a short residential section, then Washington Street got industrial. It became retail near West Newton Station, where we turned onto Elm Street. Turning onto River Street, this was a nice residential neighborhood. We then turned onto Lexington Street, joining other buses into Waltham.
Lexington Street became Moody Street, and it was lined with businesses. These continued for quite a while, then we crossed over the Charles River, with a view of a dam. From there, we turned onto Carter Street, going by Waltham Station, as well as a rare 170.
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| The view of the river. |
We turned onto Elm Street, looping around Waltham Common and going by more businesses. Continuing up what was now called Church Street, we turned onto School Street, then Lexington Street. It got industrial for a little while as the 554 entered its solo portion.
Turning onto Beaver Street, the surroundings got much more suburban, with a mixture of small houses and…woods. Going around a rotary, we entered the grounds of Bentley University. This section of Beaver Street felt much more lived-in, with big college buildings and a pedestrian overpass over the road.
After going by some farmland, (I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore…) there was an industrial section as we crossed over the Commuter Rail tracks. From there, it turned to relatively dense houses, which continued as we turned onto Warren Street. This became Belmont Street when we entered Watertown, passing a cemetery and a small high school.
That was about the extent of the Watertown section, as we turned onto Lexington Street, entering Belmont. This section was mostly residential, until we reached Waverley Square. Here, we turned onto Trapelo Road, going over the Commuter Rail tracks and reaching the last stop. The bus looped around, dodging a multitude of 73’s in order to get back to Boston.
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| Hey! Turn your destination board on! |
Route: 554 (Waverley Square – Downtown Boston via Newton Corner and Central Square, Waltham)
Ridership: My ride ended up having almost 30 people who rode in total. Interestingly, about half of them were local riders, including two people who rode from Bentley to Waverley! The route’s ridership overall isn’t too high, though – only about 650 riders per weekday.
Pros: This route does twofold: it serves as an express to Newton and Waltham, and it provides a local connection between Waltham and Belmont. The fact that it serves Bentley is great, and it seems like at least a few students take advantage of the Belmont connection.
Cons: Every hour on weekdays seems passable, but what about Saturday service? Saturday service from Waverley to Newton Corner seems like it would attract some local riders, though it seems Bentley has its own shuttle system – 554 Saturday service might not serve too many people, then.
Nearby and Noteworthy: There were definitely lots of businesses along the route, but I have nothing specific as usual. I would like to point out, however, that we saw no less than four castles or castle-esque structures on our ride. Interesting…
Final Verdict: 8/10
I think the 554 runs in the most efficient manner it can. If it were to run more often, buses would probably be less busy, and I’m not sure how many people would utilize a Saturday service. 30 people on a ride is a healthy amount, and I think it can stay that way.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
Greenwood
What a lovely station name. Gosh, what do you think Greenwood’s surroundings are like? Rolling green hills, extending way out into the horizon, covered in beautiful trees…or perhaps a few houses and the back of a bank. The second guess was better…
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| Well at least there are some trees. |
The outbound platform is extremely simple – it’s basically all asphalt. There is a bike rack on one end, but that’s it for amenities. The station’s not accessible, so there are no boarding platforms. On the outbound side, there’s an exit that leads into the parking lot of that aforementioned bank.
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| And the inbound platform. |
The inbound side has more in the way of amenities. For one thing, it has an actual shelter – it’s pretty much a bus shelter, but a shelter regardless. There’s also an open bench, right next to a newspaper box with no newspapers in it. On this side, there’s an exit to a leafy residential area (perhaps that’s where the “green woods” are).
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| Woah! |
It’s worth noting that at the level crossing with Forest Street (technically not part of the station), there’s an old…crossing tender. I don’t know what that means, but it’s a nice little house…thing. Maybe it was used before the level crossing was automated? Perhaps the woods were a little more green back then…
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| A train leaving the station. |
Station: Greenwood
Ridership: This is one of the least-used stations on the Haverhill Line, and actually one of the least-used on the whole Commuter Rail. It only gets 146 riders per day, with most to all of them being locals from the residential areas around.
Pros: Hmm…actually, there isn’t too much to like about Greenwood. Well, there’s ample parking here (76 spaces), and the crossing tender is cool.
Cons: Accessibility is the big issue, of course. I suppose it’s more important to make the next station north, Wakefield, accessible, since it gets more riders, but still. More of an annoyance is the fact that the station’s parking is actually paid street parking that stretches far up Main Street. I can’t imagine it filling up too much, but it can be a long walk to the station from the further spaces.
Nearby and Noteworthy: There’s a business block along Main Street right near the station. Although small, it does appear to have a few restaurants and shops.
Final Verdict: 5/10
I’m sort of giving this station a break, since its ridership is low. Well, “break” as in it gets a 5 instead of a 4. Accessibility shouldn’t be too much of a priority here, since Wakefield is much busier, but Greenwood just isn’t the best station, anyway. And though the surrounding trees are green, I want to see proper green woods, darn it!
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
Melrose Highlands
This is the second time the “heights” (or “highlands”, in this case) Commuter Rail station has the most ridership in a town! Unlike Needham Heights, however, which gets very good ridership, Melrose Highlands’ is very low. But also unlike Needham Heights, Melrose Highlands is actually good.
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| Both platforms. |
Melrose Highlands is next to a level crossing with Franklin Street, meaning there might be long periods of waiting for cars while trains stop at the station. The outbound platform is a simple slab of concrete with wastebaskets on it. It does has a high-level boarding platform with a bench (hooray), and the walk to it isn’t that bad.
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| The inbound platform. |
As you would expect, the inbound platform has more amenities. For one thing, it has a screen that lets you know how close the next train is, if it happens to be close. It also has a simple shelter with a few benches underneath. It’s pretty close to the boarding area, so I can imagine people waiting here if the former is too crowded.
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| Parking! |
Melrose Highlands has a small parking lot, with 77 spaces. The parking rate is only 2 bucks, though, so that’s a plus. The station is also served directly by the 131, and the 136/137 is a short walk away. Well, by short, I mean about 8 minutes. Better than 9 minutes, am I right?
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| A train coming in… |
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| …and leaving. |
Station: Melrose Highlands
Ridership: Well, I did mention it has the highest ridership in Melrose. But by “highest ridership in Melrose”, I meant only about 300 per day. Most of these are locals, with very few people coming from buses, I’d imagine.
Pros: This is the only wheelchair-accessible station in both Melrose and Wakefield, which is good for Melrose Highlands, but bad for all those other stations in the towns. It’s a nice station overall, with good boarding areas and a shelter on the inbound side.
Cons: Melrose Highlands could stand to have some more parking, seeing as it’s the busiest station in Melrose, and the only wheelchair-accessible one.
Nearby and Noteworthy: The surroundings are mostly residential, but there are some businesses on Franklin Street and more if you walk to Main Street.
Final Verdict: 8/10
I think the beefed-up score is mostly because of that accessibility. But since this is the only accessible station in Melrose and Wakefield, I feel like it ought to have a bigger parking lot. I only wish the MBTA had the “weekday availability” stats on its website, which could help to see if the lot actually needs to be expanded. Oh well…
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
131 (Melrose Highlands – Malden Center Station via Oak Grove Station)
Okay, 10/10 time is over! The 131 is a weekdays-only local route that serves quite a large portion of Melrose. It’s kind of a “scenic alternative” to the 136/137, at least as far as Franklin Square. It operates as a loop, taking the “scenic route” in the peak direction and running with the 136/137 in the other. Of course, I took the former because…what would be the fun in the latter?
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| The bus at Oak Grove. |
Unfortunately, due to a timing issue, I had to get the bus from Oak Grove instead of Malden Center. It’s not too much of a detriment, though, because A) The route terminates at Oak Grove much of the time anyway, B) It follows the 136/137’s route from Malden to Oak Grove, and C) There was only one person who had gotten on before. Thus, we left the Oak Grove busway, heading up Banks Place.
We soon turned onto Main Street, passing some fields and then entering a residential area. These became businesses once we reached Wyoming Ave and, a few blocks to the west, Wyoming Hill Station. After that, we turned onto Grove Street, beginning the unique section of the 131.
This part of the ride was fun, since it consisted of mostly residential side streets. It was also delightfully twisty. After Grove Street, we turned onto 6th Street for a block, then onto Laurel Street. From there, we turned onto Waverly Ave, then Upham Street, heading back the way we came. Soon enough, we reached downtown Melrose and Main Street, two blocks from where we originally left it.
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| Nice view, especially since the picture was taken from the other side of the bus. |
Heading up Main Street, we passed a hospital and a pond, then it became a mix of houses and businesses. After going by a shopping plaza, we turned onto Franklin Street. This part was also a unique section, and it was residential. Once we reached the Melrose Highlands Commuter Rail station, however, there was a bit of retail.
From there, it turned back to houses. Soon we turned onto Walton Park, then Orris Street, then Warren Street. The last stop of the route was right next to a little park, but the bus didn’t spend too long laying over. It left soon after I got off, heading back to Oak Grove via the “boring” Main Street route.
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| What a pleasant terminus. |
Route: 131 (Melrose Highlands – Malden Center Station via Oak Grove Station)
Ridership: My afternoon trip had about 20 riders, most of whom came from Oak Grove. There was only one other person who continued past the East Side of Melrose. This route does seem to get very busy during rush hour, as I’ve seen some very crowded 131 buses. Overall, the route only gets about 670 riders per weekday.
Pros: The 131 serves a very large part of Melrose. The 136/137 go right up through the town, but the 131 deviates to cover all the little neighborhoods, which is great. It’s mainly meant for East Side riders.
Cons: Well, we’ll start with the obvious – the schedule. This route runs weekdays-only, running every 20 minutes rush hour (which is actually good) and every hour during the day. In regards to the way the 131 runs in a loop, I think that makes sense, at least during rush hour. But could it be shown on the map, please? The schedule card makes it look like the route goes via the East Side all the time.
Nearby and Noteworthy: The route’s solo portions are mostly residential. You’ll see much more business-wise along the 136/137.
Final Verdict: 4/10
It seems like the 131 is designed to be a commuter bus, but I don’t think it should. It serves mostly residential areas, so why shouldn’t it run on weekends? East Side residents have to do things aside from commuting, you know. Another, easier fix to the 131 would be displaying its route on its map. Please, just show that it sometimes goes via Main Street, and we’re golden.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
Long Wharf – Charlestown Navy Yard (Ferry)
While the Hingham/Hull ferry is primarily meant for commuters, the Charlestown ferry feels much more touristy. Even so, it’s still the fastest and most reliable route from Boston to the Navy Yard, and runs frequently. It’s also pretty cheap, with a $3.25 one-way fare. They supposedly accept monthly passes, but apparently not on my boat:
ME: Can I use a monthly pass?
EMPLOYEE: Sorry, we don’t accept plastic cards.
ME: Oh, well, can I get a student discount, then?
EMPLOYEE: Do you have a Student CharlieCard?
ME: Not with me.
EMPLOYEE: That’ll be $3.25.
Like the Hingham/Hull ferry, you pay for fares right on the boat. There’s also a refreshment stand, which is nice. The boat is double-decker, with comfy-looking seats on the bottom deck and simple lawn chairs on the top. It was reasonably crowded up there, with lots of tourists.
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| The ferry leaves in 5 minutes but it’s so far away! |
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| Nice view! |
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| Ooh, shelters! |
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| A schedule. |
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| Pretty busy. |
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| Hello, Rita! |
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| The inside with the staircase leading to the top deck. |
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| The refreshment/ticket booth. |
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| Looks like you can go out front, too! |
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| The upper deck (after everyone cleared off). |
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| The ticket I got. |
The ride was short and sweet. It’s a simple trip that follows Boston’s shore down the North End, eventually pulling into Long Wharf, right by the Aquarium. There were some nice views, and though it wasn’t as fast or adventurous as the Hingham/Hull ferry, it was still a good, cheap ride.
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| Nothing like a good wake photo. |
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| The Tobin Bridge. |
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| The city’s already pretty close… |
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| Some North End buildings. |
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| Some boats in Boston Harbor. |
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| The “Rookie” heading back to Charlestown. |
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| See ya, “Rookie”! |
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| Wow, I never noticed how…concrete the Aquarium is… |
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| Rita at the harbor. |
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| A schedule. |
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| Nice T symbol! |
Route: Long Wharf – Charlestown Navy Yard (Ferry)
Ridership: The ferry gets the most ridership during the summer, as you would expect, with 50,238 riders in July 2014. Compare that to only about 8,550 riders in January of the same year. I suppose the latter is more on the commuter side, while the summer numbers reflect mostly tourists.
Pros: Well, the schedule, first of all. The route runs every 15 minutes rush hour and every half hour all other times – seven days a week. Also, the ride is only 10 minutes. Now admittedly, the 93 supposedly offers a similar time, but that route isn’t too reliable, as I found out on my trip to Charlestown. Plus, the bus has to contend with city traffic. And the bus doesn’t offer the view the ferry does – it’s a nice one.
Cons: Aside from the bus being cheaper, not much. I think my boat not allowing plastic cards was a temporary thing.
Nearby and Noteworthy: Well…touristy stuff. The U.S.S. Constitution is right near the Navy Yard, and the Bunker Hill Monument is a 10 minute walk away. Interesting thing about the latter, I hadn’t climbed to the top until the day I took this ferry. I have to say, it’s totally worth it – mainly because it’s free. Sure, it may be 294 steps of darkness, and the view may only be out four small windows, but…it’s free. And the view is really quite good.
Final Verdict: 10/10
I don’t think you guys understand the pain I go through every time I give something a 10. “This will disrupt the balance of the universe,” I think whenever I erase that 9 and put a 10 instead. But really, this ferry is fantastic. It’s frequent, fast, and comfortable. It is a bit expensive, but the ferries lose money for the MBTA, and besides, the extra $1.25 gives you reliable service – unlike the 93. Anyway, $3.25 is better than $8.50 for the Hingham/Hull ferry. If you haven’t taken the Charlestown ferry before, I heartily recommend it, for it’s a great ride.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
Service Change: NYC, Part 6 – The Acela “Express”
Well, I hate to say it, but the only high speed train in America is a bit of a joke. For a beefed up price, you only save about half an hour from New York to Boston. And on our trip, we lost about 45 minutes because our train stopped in the middle of nowhere for a while! Sigh. Well, at least the inside was nice. I’ve already discussed this route before, so just take a look at the pictures inside the train.
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| Well, okay, this one is outside. |
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| I wonder what kind of radio stations you can get with this thing… |
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| Pretty fancy… |
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| A trash can. |
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| It was one continuous car with articulated portions! |
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| That’s convenient, I guess. |
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| The obligatory bathroom picture. It wasn’t too bad inside! |
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| Now that is a swanky café car! |
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| This screen kept flashing different messages and I had a seat facing it and it was DRIVING ME CRAZY. |
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| Yes, I get it! |
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| SHUT UP! And that doesn’t even make sense! |
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| That’s the REGIONAL train passing us when we were stuck. Are you kidding? |
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| The train at South Station. |
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| Well, it looks like a 4 and a half hour wait for the next Forge Park train. |
Service Change: NYC, Part 5 – The A and the 1
After our Staten Island adventure, my father and I wanted to take one more ride. Well, I wanted to take one more ride. Okay, anyway, we decided to take the 1 up to Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. Problem was, the 1 is a slow local train. The solution was taking the A part of the way up, then changing to the 1 at 168th Street. We got on the train at 59th Street, which was actually a pretty nice station.
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| Look! An elevator! This station is…gasp…accessible!! |
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| The mezzanine. |
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| That wall is great. |
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| Not a bad platform… |
The A has the greatest express portion in New York. Local trains make 14 stops from 59th Street to 168th Street – the A makes three. The best part is a huge section between 59th Street and 125th Street without any stops. Thus, we reached 168th Street in no time and transferred to the 1.
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| Ew… |
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| Ew again… |
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| Well, at least there’s a convenience store. |
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| The only way to get to the 1 was via an elevator operated by an MTA employee. |
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| Bit of construction going on… |
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| The 1 platform. |
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| A 1 going the other way. |
Heading up the 1, the first place of interest was 191st Street Station. It’s the deepest station on the New York Subway, at 180 feet underground. Interestingly, the next station, Dyckman Street, is elevated! And yet it’s at the same level at 191st Street, just because of how Manhattan’s elevation is. We headed down Nagle Ave, going by lots of apartments.
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| Some tall apartment buildings. |
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| The view across the Harlem River. |
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| Look! Some buildings! And a…thing. |
We turned onto 10th Ave and went past a sprawling train yard. We then turned onto Broadway and went over the bridge of the same name with a pretty nice view. The next stop, Marble Hill, had an interchange with the Marble Hill stop on the Metro-North Railroad. The surroundings for the rest of the line were mostly businesses, and we reached Van Cortlandt Park a few stops later.
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| Nice view from the Broadway Bridge. |
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| A mall and some apartment buildings. |
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| A quick glimpse at Van Cortlandt Park. |
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| Heading back the other way, there was a view of another train yard. |
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| A side street. |
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| That Metro-North station looks really nice! |
Going the other way, we decided to stay on the local 1 rather than switch to the A again. The trip was underground and not particularly noteworthy…until 125th Street. Here, the train actually came out of the tunnel and had an elevated stop! After that, we went back underground like nothing ever happened. I assume it was built like this because of Manhattan’s geography, and it was certainly a nice treat on a mostly underground line.
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| Nice view! Too bad we’re going underground soon. |
Service Change: NYC, Part 4 – X1 (Express Between Staten Island and Manhattan)
The ferry is the touristy way of getting from Staten Island to Manhattan, but what do commuters do? Well, actually, a lot of commuters take the ferry, too. But other commuters use the network of express buses between the two boroughs. One of those buses is the X1, which runs from the Eltingville Transit Center in Staten Island to midtown Manhattan via the longest bridge and the longest underwater tunnel in America. It was quite a ride.
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| That’s kind of a small sign… |
The Eltingville Transit Center is a fully-fledged bus station. It’s served by seven local routes and nine express routes, with a waiting room and a 242-space parking lot. Best of all, the lot’s freeeeeeeeeeeee! Man, freeness seems to be a common thing on Staten Island.
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| The outside. |
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| Nice place! |
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| Fare machines and vending machines! What more could you ask for? |
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| An outdoor waiting area. |
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| So…many…maps! |
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| That’s a nice bus. The two “vias” are weird, though. |
The X1 runs every 20 minutes on Sundays, which is great, especially since it’s an express bus. But since it’s an express bus, it also has beefed-up fares – $6.50, to be exact. Now that said, a trip from Manhattan to Staten Island by car would cost $24.00 in tolls alone, so the bus does offer a significant discount. It’s also really, really nice inside.
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| I’m blue, da ba dee da ba die… |
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| Looking toward the front. |
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| Some signs up front. |
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| The stop request button is above where you sit! That’s amazing! |
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| The stop requested sign up front. |
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| Occasionally random automatic announcements would come on. Nothing stop-related, just…random announcements. |
We headed down Richmond Ave, going by a mall and a few businesses. It got residential soon after, with somewhat dense houses. We passed a school, then the road did an s-curve. At Eltingville Station, there were businesses lining the road, which continued for a little while. It soon got residential again, though, and we turned onto Hylan Boulevard.
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| A different X1 in Eltingville. |
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| And a different different X1 in Eltingville. |
Hylan Boulevard was a big wide street lined with businesses. It was kind of reminiscent of Revere – and I’m talking about the pitty part near the Northgate Shopping Center. At one point, the driver stopped the bus so she could go into a convenience store to get a drink. It was weird when she just left without telling anyone where she was going, but soon she came back and we were off. It did turn to houses eventually, but the wide road ruined the quiet feel.
For a while the right side of the road was occupied by a massive park, then the road did an s-curve . We passed a housing development, then a huge mall. That was it – from there, the road was lined with pitty businesses. Now granted, it was easy to see the residential areas on side streets, but for us, the main surroundings consisted of these businesses. A park broke it up for a block, but it went back to retail very quickly.
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| Ech… |
I’m gonna be honest, it was like this for the rest of our time on Hylan Boulevard. But finally, we turned onto Steuben Street, which was leafy and residential. We then turned onto Narrows Road South, bypassing an on-ramp to I-278 in favor of a few more local stops. But soon we merged onto the highway, immediately going onto the Verrazano Narrows Bridge. There was no traffic, so we were going quite fast – this meant it was harder to get a picture of the amazing view, and I didn’t get any good ones. Nonetheless…
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| A view of the bridge. |
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| A toll on the other side. |
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| Look! It’s…um…some buildings! |
We entered Brooklyn and the highway came down to ground level, with lots of apartments in view. Eventually it went elevated again, going by some apartment towers and curving around northward. We went by more apartments, and even got a view of Manhattan. The buildings on the left got very industrial, but the right remained residential, with a few businesses.
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| Some tall apartment buildings. |
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| Nice view! |
The highway curved more westward and we crossed over the Gowanus Canal. Here we got a great view of the elevated F line, but I couldn’t get any pictures from the bus. After going over some more industrial buildings, we suddenly dropped back to ground level, went through a toll, and entered the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel.
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| The toll. |
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| Hmm…kinda dark in here. |
When we popped out of the tunnel in Manhattan, there was a definite increase in average building height. Yes, this was the Financial District, and we were surrounded by skyscrapers. Heading up Trinity Place, we went by the World Trade Center PATH station under construction, which looked both ridiculous and awesome at the same time. We also passed right by the Freedom Tower, which looks very very tall from up close.
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| The PATH entrance. |
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| Wow… |
Trinity Place became Church Street, and the buildings got shorter. Soon we merged onto 6th Ave, going by a square. The architecture was more modern around here, but it got older-looking as we moved into Soho. By this point, the buildings were only about 3-5 stories high.
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| Crossing Canal Street. |
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| A blimp! |
Eventually, the Manhattan street-numbering system began, and the buildings started to get taller. We crossed over 14th Street, then got a fleeting view of the Flatiron looking down 23rd Street. The surrounding buildings were getting very tall by this point as we were entering Midtown. We crossed over Broadway at 34th Street, getting a quick view of the Empire State Building.
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| Going past Broadway. |
We passed Bryant Park, which looked like a nice urban greenspace, then went by a few modern glass skyscrapers. Going by Rockefeller Center, we soon reached Central Park South. Here, we took a left, and the driver let us off right by the park. What an awesome ride.
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| This X1 went by while we were waiting for the M20. Ughghghghghg… |
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| Finally, the bus we took! Except it says “not in service”. Curses! |
Service Change: NYC, Part 3 – The Staten Island Railway
Staten Island does not feel like New York City. I mean, sure, you’ve got your downtowns with a few buildings, but much of the borough is suburban – or even rural. Seriously, there’s a lot of parkland here. Because of this, Staten Island only has one rapid transit route: the Staten Island Railway. It follows the east and south shores of the island, which are mostly suburban in character. And, if your trip doesn’t involve St. George or Tompkinsville (the northernmost stops), it’s freeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
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| Past the mezzanine at St. George. |
But our trip did involve St. George, so we had to pay. However, we got a free transfer from the subway, which was great! The mezzanine was nice and clean, a bit uncharacteristic for New York – but that said, so is Staten Island.
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| The platform. |
St. George’s platform, on the other hand, was pretty dingy. It was under the station’s bus terminal, so it was dark with these stark yellow lights. Interestingly, there was a total of 10 tracks here, but I can’t imagine all of them being used at one time. Well, at least there’s a lot of train space, I guess.
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| Two trains at the station. |
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| The inside of one of them. |
As you can see, the railway uses regular New York Subway cars. They’re old, but I’m pretty sure similar trains still run on the subway proper, too. The Staten Island ones have the addition of forward-facing seats, though, which is always great. And since the line’s almost all above ground, they were good for seeing the view.
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| The outskirts of St. George. |
Immediately after the terminal, the train passed through its only tunnel, then came above ground, going past a few apartment buildings by the sea. Soon after, we reached the first station, Tompkinsville. From there, the line rose up to be elevated and it started getting more industrial.
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| What a…lovely view. |
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| And again, another…amazing view. |
After the elevated Stapleton Station, we went towards the coast, getting some great views of the far-away land of Manhattan. At Clifton Station, there was a train yard that had a diesel “Staten Island Railway” locomotive in it. I wondered if it was just an old locomotive or if it’s used when the electrified cars can’t run or something.
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| The Verrazano Narrows Bridge to Brooklyn. |
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| A view of the water. |
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| The city! |
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| The diesel locomotive. |
The line curved southwestward after Clifton Station, sinking down to ground level. We went under Interstate 278, then passed mostly residential areas. Eventually the line went elevated again, and we got a good view of the houses – they were reminiscent of someplace like east Arlington.
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| There were still some remnants of industry, though. |
Eventually, the railroad sunk into a trench between two sides of a street. It was along this section that we stopped at the excellent station of “New Dorp”. After a few more elevation changes and some more stations, we left the two streets and came to another fantastic station: “Great Kills”.
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| A residential view. |
From there, the line passed behind some businesses, then from Eltingville, it got residential again. After Annadale and…Huguenot, (How the heck do you pronounce that?) we went through a small forest. The residences got less and less dense, and we went through more woods and marshland. This is in New York City, keep in mind.
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| The woods! |
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| The largest city in the US, right here… |
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| Some businesses. |
Nassau and Atlantic Stations are both so tiny that only one car can open its doors there. The two stations are being consolidated into one, Arthur Kill, between the two. We went by its construction site, then came right up to the sea at Tottenville. We only got a glance of the station, though, because we were staying on the train to head back to Eltingville.
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| A small yard at Tottenville. |
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| A water view through the trees. |
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| Looking one way down the platform… |
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| …and the other. |
Eltingville Station was elevated, which was pretty cool. The platform was generic, but pretty nice overall. It also had countdown clocks, proudly displaying that the next train after ours was 28 minutes away – yeah, every half-hour service isn’t the greatest. But the Staten Island Railway overall seems like a great way of travelling down the east and south sides of Staten Island, mainly because it’s free if you don’t go to St. George or Tompkinsville! Plus, the ride is really interesting and unique, especially if you’ve never been to Staten Island before. And now it was time to walk to the Eltingville Transit Center to catch a bus…
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| Well, that’s the last train for the next half hour. |
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| The platform. |
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| A nice-looking exit. |
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| A schedule. |
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| A few maps and wastebaskets on the platform. |
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| Well, that’s hard to read – this is the countdown clock. |
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| Now for the walk to the transit center. |
Service Change: NYC, Part 2 – The Staten Island Ferry
Many a tourist has gotten on the Staten Island Ferry for the views, and for the fact that it’s free. But when they get to Staten Island, they usually just get on the first boat back to Manhattan. Well, I wanted to explore the strange, isolated Island of Staten, so we were taking the boat to actually get somewhere. That said, the views were still excellent.
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| We just made it! |
Okay, so the MBTA’s largest boats run on the Hingham-Hull-Boston route, and hold a respectable 350-400 people. Well, the Staten Island ferry holds over 10 times that, with capacity for 4400 riders – and certain vessels can hold up to 6000! The ridership is definitely there to justify such huge boats. Aside from tourists, the ferry is also used by commuters from Staten Island, all amounting to 22 million total riders per year. And as for the views? Well, I’ll let the pictures explain everything.
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| The inside of one of the decks. |
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| Looks fancy! |
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| Quite a lot of seating in here. |
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| A view of Brooklyn (I think). |
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| Some buildings in lower Manhattan. |
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| A view of FDR Drive. |
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| A heliport! |
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| I believe this is Governor’s Island. |
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| Ah! So it is. |
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| The lower Manhattan skyline. |
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| And the Jersey City skyline. |
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| I have no idea what that is, but it looks really cool. |
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| Lower Manhattan again. |
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| Both Jersey City and lower Manhattan! |
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| Oh, hi, Statue of Liberty. |
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| Lots of industry. |
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| The statue again. |
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| A cargo ship, with a cruise ship in the background. |
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| The Statue of Liberty in front of Jersey City. |
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| Staten Island! |
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| A cool-looking church (or something). |
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| The boat had a few automatic announcements, which was nice. |
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| A boat schedule. |
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| And finally, another boat heading back to Manhattan. |
Service Change: NYC, Part 1 – The M20 (NOT!)
I went to New York over the weekend! And I took some trains! And buses! But not the M20. Let me explain: to get to Staten Island, the most obvious (and touristy) way is the Staten Island Ferry. And the most obvious way of getting to the ferry is by taking the 1 train down to South Ferry Station. But 1 trains weren’t running there this weekend – thus, we needed to find an alternate route. Let me just say that Manhattan buses are not at all reliable.
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| If only… |
It was a Sunday, when the M20 runs every 20 minutes. The one my father and I wanted was supposed to leave Lincoln Center (the northern terminus) at 9:19 and arrive South Ferry at 10:07 – plenty of time to transfer to the 10:30 ferry. Waiting at 57th Street, the bus was due to come a few minutes after it left its first stop. But “a few minutes after 9:19” came and went. By 9:30, I was starting to get a bit worried.
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| This “schedule” says the bus arrives at 9:23! Balderdash! |
Luckily, the MTA has a nifty texting system, where you can text them the stop number and they’ll tell you when the next bus arrives. It took a while to get a response, but it said “0.5 miles away.” Well, after another 10 minutes of waiting, it was clear that the bus was in fact much further than half a mile away. Eventually we decided to just hoof it and take the subway instead.
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| Well, at least we avoided the Times Square traffic. |
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| Ah, the classic New York Subway entrance. |
An alternative subway route to South Ferry is the R, which has a direct transfer to the 1 at Whitehall Street. You may remember my fun experience with the NQR lines from the last time I was in New York – and this one was just as fun (i.e. not fun at all)! The 57th Street station was pretty generic – nothing special about it.
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| The mezzanine. |
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| And the platform – express trains stop on the left. |
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| Apparently not. |
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| I was so excited I didn’t even care that the picture was blurry. |
Forest Hills
Here we go. The big one. The huge Orange Line terminus featuring a bunch of bus connections on two different busways, a Commuter Rail platform, and even some retail inside the mezzanine. We shall wait no longer, and commence this review of the monster hub known as Forest Hills.
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| This exterior is almost iconic. |
I love the Forest Hills building! Made mostly of metal and glass, this huge structure looks great. And you can’t forget the clock tower that rises out of the center. There’s actually another clock in the mezzanine that corresponds with the one outside, which is really cool.
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| It’s a “secret” exit! |
The big building isn’t the only way to the platform, though. Well, yes it is, but there’s another exit from the platform. It’s similar to another exit at Back Bay, with doors and a turnstile leading out. It’s simple, but it can be useful for getting to places north of the station.
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| The 39’s bus stop, taken about a month ago. |
Annoyingly, the 39 is separated from the Forest Hills busway. It gets its own mini-busway, where the E Line would terminate if it still went down to Arborway. It has a few shelters, and the old streetcar tracks are cool, but its signage from the main building isn’t the best. Actually, I think the 39 uses one of the main busways now, thanks to construction on the Forest Hills overpass, but I’m not certain.
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| Pedal and Park! |
Around the side of the station, there’s a Pedal and Park with room for…x amount of bikes. I dunno how many exactly, but it’s probably a lot. Forest Hills also has a small parking lot along Hyde Park Ave – by small, I mean not big enough. With only a little over 200 spaces, it gets filled up quickly on the average weekday.
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| Yes! I love this mezzanine so much! |
Forest Hills’ mezzanine is just amazing. With huge skylights covering most of it, there is so much light that gets in here. It has a huge clock right in the middle of it, and even a few shops to grab a quick (albeit not very good) bite. There’s even a bus countdown clock that shows when the next bus is leaving on every route that goes to Forest Hills. Amazing.
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| The upper busway. |
Forest Hills is divided into “upper” and “lower” busways, but I’m not really sure why they’re called that. I guess the lower busway is lower in elevation, but “east” and “west” would make more sense, I think. Anyway, this busway is totally sheltered, with a fair amount of benches to wait. It’s served by the clump of buses that go down Washington Street, as well as the 38. That’s a lot of routes, and it can be hard to find them, but it’s a fine busway aesthetically.
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| And the lower busway. |
I find the lower busway to be slightly dingier than the upper one, probably because of its blander architecture. In order to get to it, you have to go down some stairs or an elevator. Despite only serving five routes, it’s still hard to find where buses pick up. There are plenty of benches, though, so at least there’s a place to wait after you miss a bus because you couldn’t find it.
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| The entrance to the Commuter Rail platform. |
The Commuter Rail even stops here! Admittedly, it’s only the Needham Line – the Providence and Franklin Lines go through here but don’t stop. To get down to the platform, there’s a set of stairs as well as an elevator, accessible from the mezzanine.
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| OH NO! I’M GETTING BACK BAY FLASHBACKS!!! |
Yes, Forest Hills’ Commuter Rail platform is pretty Back Bay-esque. It’s really, really dark, and really, really bland. It doesn’t even have any artwork like the steam train on the high-floor Back Bay platform. I mean, Forest Hills even has dripping water from the ceiling…just like Back Bay! Man, these underground Commuter Rail stations just can’t get it right, can they?
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| A Commuter Rail train passing through the station. |
There’s also an unsheltered part of the platform that goes pretty far out. It literally has nothing on it except for some lights and some nonfunctional LED screens. I can’t see why anyone would ever wait there, unless they wanted to escape the gloom of the underground station…so yeah, actually, that’s a pretty good reason.
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| Okay, back to the mezzanine. |
Finally, we’re heading down to the Orange Line platforms. Now, the mezzanine has a bunch of fare machines spread all over, and a fair amount of fare gates, as well. From there, there’s an elevator down to the platform, as well as two sets of stairs and escalators. Also, there’s some art in this area, but it’s kind of underwhelming and not as impressive as, say, Jackson Square.
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| The platform. |
The platform is pretty much the same as the previous two stations I’ve reviewed. It’s kind of dark, despite natural light getting in from the entrance. However, there is a good amount of benches, but they’re those ugly Southwest Corridor benches. Since Forest Hills is a terminus, both platforms serve inbound trains. Thus, there’s a convenient “Next train” sign to let people know which train to board. Now let’s get out of here.
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| It’s staring at me with…those tail lights… |
Station: Forest Hills
Ridership: Very, very high. As the 9th busiest station on the system, Forest Hills gets an average of 15,150 riders per weekday! And as for the Commuter Rail station? Well…112 inbound riders per weekday. Okay, well, that’s significantly less, and I doubt there are too many outbound riders, either. Hey, it’s just the Needham Line, what do you expect?
Pros: This station is a huge hub! With an Orange Line station, a Commuter Rail station, and over 15 bus routes, there’s a lot of stuff here. And they’re all connected by an excellent mezzanine. Seriously, that’s probably my favorite part of the station. In addition, the Pedal and Park is convenient, and although it’s kinda bland, the Orange Line platform is standard for the Southwest Corridor.
Cons: The busways are really confusing, but individual schedules and signage try to alleviate that. Something more important is that Forest Hills does not have nearly enough parking. It gets over 15,000 people a day! A measly 200 spaces isn’t gonna cut it. In addition, the Commuter Rail platform is pretty horrible. I mean, it’s not as bad as Back Bay, but it’s hard not to see the similarities between the two.
Nearby and Noteworthy: Surprisingly, the station is mostly surrounded by greenspace. Aside from a few businesses on Hyde Park Ave, the immediate surroundings of Forest Hills are mostly either houses or parkland. Well, I guess “Forest” is right in the station name.
Final Verdict: 8/10
Oh, how I wish I could convince myself to give this station a lower score. I mean, Forest Hills has so much wrong with it! Still, though, the MBTA does try to fix the busway problem, and hardly anyone uses the Commuter Rail station. That leaves the parking issue, which really is a major one, but there doesn’t seem to be much room for more parking. I’m not sure if there’s much that can be done about that. And come on, the mezzanine? Simply amazing.
UPDATE 12/27/18: This station has seen some huge upgrades since I last visited it on this blog. Check out this post to see them.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
Stony Brook
Heading south along the Orange Line, Jackson Square is kind of the “last frontier” before the big hub of Forest Hills. But in between those stations, there are two quiet, local stops with no bus connections. I’ve already done Green Street, but what about the other? Well, let’s take a look at Stony Brook.
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| The brick entrance. |
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| The mezzanine. |
My parents are always talking about feng shui, “a Chinese philosophical system of harmonizing everyone with the surrounding environment.” Basically, it’s how energy flows. And Stony Brook flows incredibly well into its mezzanine – it’s just a straight line. It may be a little bland, but functionally, this is a great mezzanine, with a good amount of fare machines/gates to boot.
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| The hallway from the mezzanine. |
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| The platform. |
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| A train leaving the station. |
Jackson Square
Man, the MBTA really pulled out all the stops with Jackson Square, at least in terms of artwork. There are so many art installations here, it’s really great. As for the architecture? Well, we’re in the Southwest Corridor, so expect lots o’ brutalism. Here we go.
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| Like I was saying… |
The main entrance to the station is on Centre Street. As you can see above, the station is made out of concrete. Lots of concrete. Lots of chipping, ugly concrete. Blech. There is, however, a fair amount of glass, so that’s good. Also, every pillar outside the station and in the busway has a different painting on it. I think that’s really cool, and it was fun to look around at the different ones.
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| Part of the busway. |
The station’s busway is split into two sections. The first one has a wider sidewalk on which to wait, but no benches – except for an unsheltered section on the end of the busway. Why put the benches there? I mean, they’re nice benches, in circles around trees, but really? I think sheltered places to sit are more important than sunlight getting to decorative trees.
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| And the other section. |
The other part of the busway is simpler, with a narrower sidewalk. It does have sheltered benches, though, which is great. The problem with this one is that you can only get to it on either end. There aren’t any gaps in the middle where you can cross over, which means you have to take a circuitous route from the entrance to get there.
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| The mezzanine. |
Jackson Square’s mezzanine is very spacious and bright. Lots of natural light gets in from big windows, making the unnatural light look a bit bland to be honest. And architecturally, there’s nothing special about the mezzanine aside from the windows. It has lots of fare machines and gates, so lots of people can come through here at a time.
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| So…much…art! |
Past the mezzanine, there’s some sort of store that sells purses. Honestly, I didn’t even notice it when I was there, but I found it in the background of one of my pictures. Well, that’s a nice…amenity, I guess. Heading down the stairs, there’s a bunch of artwork, too. I think my favorite one is three massive heads all looking in different directions. Good stuff.
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| The fact that THIS was the best platform picture I could get fills me with dread and misery. |
Like all the other Southwest Corridor stations, Jackson Square has a center platform. The station is technically “underground”, but a bunch of natural light gets in from the mezzanine. Although the architecture here is bland, it’s still somewhat bright inside. The benches are standard for the Southwest Corridor (i.e. ugly, but that can’t be helped), and there are even a few wastebaskets down here! Hooray!
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| A train blurring its way into the station. |
Station: Jackson Square
Ridership: For the Southwest Corridor, Jackson Square has reasonably high ridership, but I have to say I was expecting more. On the average weekday, the station gets 5,828 riders. A fair amount of this probably comes from the infamous Heath Street Projects, which are right next door. Also, bus passengers presumably amount to a high portion of the ridership.
Pros: Speaking of buses, there are five of them that serve Jackson Square, making it a bit of a mini-hub. As for the station itself, I love how much art it has, as well as how much natural light it gets.
Cons: Some of the architecture here can be meh. Also, the busway is a bit of a mess, what with the unsheltered benches and the hard-to-get-to second section.
Nearby and Noteworthy: There are a few businesses around, but nothing seems especially interesting.
Final Verdict: 7/10
Ah, but the art calls out to me. No, seriously, I can’t help but like this station. Sure, a lot of its architecture is boring and brutalist, but the windows and artwork enhance it. I love the fact that natural light gets down to the underground platform, which would be really dark otherwise. The station also has a fair amount of buses serving it, and is a decently large hub.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
Woah! This is my 400th post! I didn’t realize I’ve written so much…
44 (Jackson Square Station – Ruggles Station via Seaver Street and Humboldt Ave)
Okay, important note: don’t take this route from beginning to end. It is incredibly circuitous, taking 20 minutes to get two stops down the Orange Line. Of course, the route is meant to serve the portions in between, particularly Humboldt Ave, its unique section. So let’s take a closer look at the 44.
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| This isn’t the bus I took, but it’s the 44 and it’s at Jackson Square, so that’s good enough for me. |
Leaving Jackson Square, we headed down Columbus Ave, going by mostly apartments. There were businesses and a big apartment tower at Egleston Square, where the street became Seaver Street. After passing more apartments from there, we turned onto Humboldt Ave, starting the 44’s unique portion.
The surroundings were mostly dense houses, with a few local businesses along the way. We then passed a school, which looked pretty boring from the bus, but really cool from above. Seriously, take a look at this. Anyway, from there, we went by more dense houses and another school.
Seaver Street became Walnut Street, and soon after we turned onto Warren Street. After a short time, we reached Dudley Square, navigating through the busway. We then joined the cavalcade of other bus routes that go down Malcolm X Boulevard. Going by a few schools, we turned onto Tremont Street at Roxbury Crossing, reaching Ruggles soon after.
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| This is the bus I took, but it’s a pretty bad picture. |
Route: 44 (Jackson Square Station – Ruggles Station via Seaver Street and Humboldt Ave)
Ridership: There were about 30 people on my ride in total. I didn’t keep tabs on the other passengers, but I can assure you that no one rode from beginning to end. The route gets good ridership overall: an average of 3,515 riders per weekday, 1,866 per Saturday, and 775 per Sunday.
Pros: The route serves Humboldt Ave, and despite the fact that it’s pretty close to other routes, people still use the 44. It’s convenient, I guess. It also runs quite often for the most part – every 12 minutes rush hour, every 25 minutes during the day, every 30 minutes at night, and every 20 minutes on Saturdays.
Cons: Why is it that so many MBTA buses have disproportionately bad Sunday schedules? The 44 runs every hour on Sunday, when it seems like it ought to run much more often. Seriously, it’s not a long route. I don’t think a second bus would hurt.
Nearby and Noteworthy: Along Humboldt Ave? No, there didn’t seem to be anything noteworthy. There was Egleston and Dudley Squares, though.
Final Verdict: 6/10
Sigh. The 44’s route is pretty good, as is its schedule…for the most part. But come on, every hour on Sundays? That’s so awful compared to the rest of the week! Man, this is the problem with so many buses. Oh, well…
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates