32 (Wolcott Square or Cleary Square – Forest Hills Station via Hyde Park Ave)
This is it. The last Key Bus Route I have to review. And honestly, the fact that it’s used so much baffles me a bit. I mean, it’s the most isolated one, for sure. Also, the places it serves are largely residential, and not exceptionally dense, either. But they’re dense enough to give the route insanely high ridership, evidently. Time for our last Key Bus Route ride, on the 32.
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| The back of the bus at Forest Hills. |
We left the Forest Hills busway and headed down Hyde Park Ave, going by mostly houses and apartments. Passing some auto shops and a field, some businesses started to make their way into the mix. There was more retail at the intersection with Cummins Highway, but it went back to houses further south. After a light industrial section, we went by a shopping plaza, then it was back to houses.
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| A different 32 at Forest Hills. |
It was mostly residential for a bit, with houses that were slightly further apart than before. But as we came into Cleary Square, the retail came back with full force. The street was lined with businesses on either side as we went by Hyde Park Station. After going over a river, it was residential for a bit, then it became industrial.
The driver gunned the motor here, with just me and another person riding by this point. We zoomed by lots of ugly industrial buildings, then came to Readville Station. Hyde Park Ave curved under the Fairmount Line tracks, and there were a few businesses at Wolcott Square, where the bus terminated.
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| The bus going under the Commuter Rail tracks. |
Route: 32 (Wolcott Square or Cleary Square – Forest Hills Station via Hyde Park Ave)
Ridership: There were about 30 people on my ride, which wasn’t bad, considering it was a midday outbound trip. Most people got off at or before Cleary Square, and only me and one other person went all the way to Wolcott Square. The route gets very high ridership overall, with an average of over 11,000 riders per weekday, 4,741 on Saturdays, and 3,275 on Sundays.
Pros: It’s a simple route, cutting right down Hyde Park Ave and serving many underserved neighborhoods of Boston. Not only that, but it runs extremely frequently – as in every four minutes during rush hour. It then proceeds to run every 10-12 minutes during the day and on Saturdays, every 15-20 minutes at night (with a bit of late-night service on Fridays and Saturdays until 2:00 AM), and every 15 minutes on Sundays. Wow.
Cons: I can’t believe I’m saying this, but does the 32 route run too frequently? I mean, I came back to Forest Hills during rush hour, and the 32s just kept pouring in. It must be a horrible route for bunching!
Nearby and Noteworthy: There were some businesses at Cleary Square, but I don’t have anything specific.
Final Verdict: 8/10
Well, it’s the last Key Bus Route. I don’t have too many buses left now where the schedule isn’t a con. And even here, there’s a potential schedule issue. I’m wondering if every four minutes could be overkill. I’m not sure how crowded the route is during a normal rush hour (I took it on July 3rd), so I can only assume it gets packed. I mean, the 111 runs about every 5-7 minutes during rush hour, and that’s a sardine can. The 32 must be horrible. Either that or it runs too often.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
42 (Forest Hills Station – Dudley Station via Washington Street)
When the Orange Line EL was demolished, it left many people in need of an alternate form of transportation. The section of the former line from Dudley to downtown got the Silver Line, which although not perfect, is certainly better than an average bus. So what about the section from Dudley to Forest Hills? Weeeeellllll…you guys get the 42.
Leaving the Dudley Square busway, we headed down Washington Street. After a short industrial section, we went by a housing development, then a pool and community center. There were a few businesses after that, but also more developments (including a tall apartment tower).
Retail came back in full force once we reached Egleston Square – there were lots of businesses lining the street. This continued for a while before it became densely-spaced apartments. And honestly, the street was pretty narrow. I can see how the EL would’ve been intrusive around here.
There were more businesses at Green Street (only a few blocks away from the Orange Line station), then it got a bit industrial. We passed a field, where I actually played once when I used to play soccer. I specifically remember how it was right next to the Southwest Corridor and I would always get distracted whenever an Orange Line train went by. Memories…
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| The Arborway bus yard! |
After going by a high school and some more businesses, we then passed the Arborway bus yard! It was a really big complex, with lots and lots of buses. We went under what used to be the Forest Hills Overpass – it’s just some pillars now – and after that, we turned into the Forest Hills busway.
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| This was the best picture I could get, back at Dudley. |
Route: 42 (Forest Hills Station – Dudley Station via Washington Street)
Ridership: There were about 25 people on my ride, which is pretty good. Most of them got on at Dudley and got off at local stops, but a few people got on to go to Forest Hills, too. The route’s ridership is healthy overall – an average of 3,047 passengers per weekday, 1,438 per Saturday, and 769 per Sunday.
Pros: Well, it covers the southern half of the Orange Line, which is good. It does it in a fairly short time as well, scheduled to take about 15 minutes. Plus, it’s frequent for the most part – every 15 minutes rush hour, every 20 minutes during the day and on Saturdays, and every half hour during the night.
Cons: There’s a massive drop in frequency on Sundays – every 50 minutes. And consider that the northern half of the old EL got the Silver Line. Now, granted, the northern half is denser, and the 42 runs fairly close to the current Orange Line, but still! Every 50 minutes!
Nearby and Noteworthy: There was nothing of note that I saw, except for the Arborway bus yard, which was pretty cool.
Final Verdict: 6/10
Meeeeh. I guess I’m of two minds for this one, since it has to be said that the southern half of the old EL is the less important one. For one thing, it’s less dense than the northern half. Also, the Orange Line runs closer to Washington Street near Forest Hills, making the 42 borderline redundant. But still, that Sunday schedule is terrible.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
CT1 (Central Square, Cambridge – BU Medical Center/Boston Medical Center via MIT)
Ah, the crosstown routes. Famous for advertising themselves as “Limited stops”, when in fact, they’re not really all that limited. The CT1 epitomizes this by basically being the 1, except it doesn’t go all the way to Harvard and it doesn’t go all the way to Dudley. And I suppose it skips a few stops along the way.
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| The bus rounding the corner onto Magazine Street. |
The bus arrived at the Magazine Street stop in Central Square about 15 minutes early, so we were sitting there for a while – I was the only one on board. “Look at that guy!” the driver suddenly shouted. “He’s smoking two cigarettes at once! Oh my God!” Was she talking to me? Was I supposed to respond? I couldn’t see the guy myself. I just sat there and stayed quiet. The driver then went to the door and struck a pose for a while. It was all kind of odd. Finally, with a few more people on board now, we left the busway.
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| Ha! Barely. |
We instantly turned onto Mass Ave and made a stop at the rainbow shelter shared by the 1 and a few other routes. From there, we continued down Mass Ave, going by lots of businesses, some housed in multi-story buildings. The buildings got even taller as we went by industrial MIT facilities, then crossed over a single train track.
After that, it got more leafy, and we passed some more standard university buildings. We reached Memorial Drive, and then crossed over the Harvard bridge, which offered a fantastic view of Boston. Speaking of which, that was where the bridge took us, and we entered the Back Bay on the other side. Now we were surrounded by beautiful old brick buildings.
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| Considering the city was on the left and I was sitting on the right, this picture isn’t too bad. |
After we crossed over the Mass Turnpike and went by Hynes Station, the architecture became more modern. We passed the Mary Baker Eddy Library and the Christian Science Center, then Symphony and Mass Ave stations in quick succession. Now in the South End, the architecture was once again nice and brick. And right when the buildings got taller and more modern, we entered the Boston Medical Center, and everyone got off at Harrison Ave.
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| You’re only kidding yourself, CT1! |
Route: CT1 (Central Square, Cambridge – BU Medical Center/Boston Medical Center via MIT)
Ridership: Well, in total there were about 25 people who rode, which is pretty good. But I’m pretty sure most of them would’ve been fine with either a CT1 or just a 1. Well, regardless, the route gets pretty good ridership, with an average of 2,191 riders per weekday.
Pros: Well, I guess it’s a fine supplement to the 1. And on its own, the weekday-only schedule is pretty good – every 20 minutes rush hour, and every half hour during the day.
Cons: But it’s the 1 we’re competing with here! That route a) runs much more frequently than this one, and b) runs on weekends. Plus, the 1 is longer. There were a few occasions on my CT1 ride where people would confusedly get on, only to be told the bus wasn’t going all the way to Dudley. Also, between the rainbow shelter at Central and Harrison Ave, the 1 makes 13 stops. Want to know how many the “limited stop” CT1 makes? Ten. It skips three stops. Nice try, CT1, nice try.
Nearby and Noteworthy: Pretty much the same as the 1, but without Harvard or Dudley.
Final Verdict: 3/10
This bus seems like a trick by the MBTA just to confuse people who want to take the 1. Did I mention that we were bunching with a 1 the whole time? It was behind us, so we got a lot of its riders, but does the CT1 really need to exist? It barely provides any sort of limited stop service, and it just feels like a short-turn of the 1. Maybe that’s what they’re going for?
UPDATE 9/1/19: This route has thankfully been eliminated.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
67 (Turkey Hill – Alewife Station via Arlington Center)
I have a friend who once had to use the 67 for some reason or another. He told me that the bus only had a few old people on it. After that, I was sort of interested in taking this seemingly odd little route. Well, I did, and though the people who rode it weren’t especially old, they were certainly few.
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| The bus at Alewife. |
We made our way to Route 2, and of course, I’m obliged to mention that we did indeed skip past the stop at the pedestrian walkway. As usual. We made the first exit, then headed back onto the highway, but at the second exit, we left the other Route 2 routes by turning onto Pleasant Street. This was a very leafy residential neighborhood, and it was quite nice. There were even some short glimpses of Spy Pond down side streets.
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| This, however, is Route 2. It is not especially nice. |
Eventually we reached Mass Ave, which we turned onto. We passed lots of businesses and restaurants in Arlington Center, as well as Arlington Town Hall, before turning onto Mill Street. This street was a bit industrial, but it went back to houses when we turned onto Summer Street. After passing the Arlington High School, we turned onto Symmes Road.
This is a deviation the route makes going outbound only. Going up a hill, we went by an assisted living building, then entered a development with identical houses. After looping around the development, we headed back down the hill and continued down Summer Street.
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| A skyline view from the top of the hill! The Prudential is blocked by a sign, unfortunately. |
We then turned onto Washington Street, now back in a normal residential area. It became Clyde Terrace, and then the bus stopped. I was the only one on it, so it was really awkward when the driver turned the engine off. I tried to be as quiet as possible, hoping the driver wouldn’t notice that I was planning on going right back to Alewife. After a few minutes, luckily, we started up again. It certainly wasn’t as bad as the pen-personifying driver from the 451.
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| You’re looking into Winchester, my friends. |
We turned onto Forest Street, basically at the very tip of Arlington. The route doesn’t make it into Winchester, but it pretty much goes right up to the border. We headed down Forest Street, which was entirely residential, then turned back onto Summer Street. After going by some fields and an ice skating arena, we rejoined the outbound route and headed back to Alewife.
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| Have I ever mentioned that the Alewife busway is a dank place? Because it is. |
Route: 67 (Turkey Hill – Alewife Station via Arlington Center)
Ridership: On my ride, there was only one other person going out of Alewife, while on the way back, there were about six. Clearly not a very high ridership route in the late morning – or in general, in fact. The route only gets an average of 588 riders per weekday, which is low.
Pros: This is a north-south route that cuts right through central Arlington, and it’s pretty much the only cross-Arlington MBTA route. It also has a large chunk of northern Arlington all to itself, and even southern Winchester, if people are willing to walk.
Cons: It’s an Alewife route – thus, the schedule. The 67 runs weekdays only, every 27 minutes during rush hour and every 50 minutes during the day. I guess since it’s mostly a commuter route, the fact that it even has midday service is good, but still. Also, this is a nitpick, but the route’s map on the schedule card doesn’t show the section on Symmes Road.
Nearby and Noteworthy: I’ve mentioned Arlington Center before, so that’s out. Um…there was that ice skating rink…
Final Verdict: 6/10
Schedule-wise, the 67 reminds me of the 84, except the former gets the bonus of midday service. Infrequent midday service, sure, but midday service regardless. Also, the 67 certainly serves more, and that makes me wonder if limited Saturday service would do it well. Overall, the 67 is still pretty meh, but slightly less meh than the 84.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
Tomorrow the MBTA is getting rid of the “honor box” system at parking lots. Passengers will have to pay for parking with their phones now.
94 (Medford Square – Davis Square Station via West Medford and Medford Hillside)
There was one time, a while ago, when I almost took the 94. It was a Sunday, and I was at Davis, all ready to go. Then I found out that the Red Line was running shuttle buses – crap. Then I found out there was a road race going on – double crap. Then I found out that all buses were boarding on Mass Ave, five minutes away – well, there goes the 94. Now it’s time to actually ride it.
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| The bus in Medford Square. |
Leaving Medford City Hall, where the 94 and 96 terminate, we made our way down High Street, going by the businesses of Medford Square. As the retail thinned out, we reached a rotary, where High Street curved south a bit. From there, it was mostly houses.
Eventually, we passed a school, then some more businesses near the West Medford Commuter Rail station. After crossing the tracks and going by a few more businesses, it became residential once more. We then turned onto Boston Ave, which almost went in the same direction we were coming from.
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| What a lovely day! |
Crossing over the Mystic River, we passed a park, then went through a short industrial section. It was residential once more from there, until the intersection with Winthrop Street, where there was a business block. From there, the surroundings were mostly Tufts University buildings, which continued as we turned onto College Ave. After navigating through Powderhouse Square, College Ave eventually led to Davis Square, where the bus terminated at a street stop.
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| The bus at Davis. |
Route: 94 (Medford Square – Davis Square Station via West Medford and Medford Hillside)
Ridership: I was surprised at how high it was! There were about 25 people on my trip from Medford to Davis. The 96 had less than 10! And it’s odd, because the 94 does get lower ridership than the 96 overall – an average of 1,596 riders on weekdays, 728 on Saturdays, and 544 on Sundays.
Pros: Okay, I didn’t realize this until now, but the 94 and 96 are actually coordinated. They have the exact same schedules (every 17 minutes rush hour, 35 minutes weekdays, 40 minutes nights, 50 minutes Saturdays, and 70 minutes Sundays), so technically all those headways are divided by two for Medford to Davis service. That means that coordinated, the routes have great schedules!
Cons: So you know how the MBTA sometimes puts two bus routes on the same schedule card? Can they please do that for the 94 and 96? I think that would make it a lot more clear that there are two options for getting from Davis to Medford Square. They do say “For additional service between Medford
Square and Davis Square Station please refer to
Route 94/96 schedule card” on their respective schedules, but that doesn’t really say much about how the schedules are coordinated.
Nearby and Noteworthy: Medford Square and Davis Square are interesting, but there isn’t much of note in between. Well, Tufts, I suppose.
Final Verdict: 8/10
Well, I done goofed. I criticized the 96 for having a pretty terrible schedule on its own. But now that I know it’s coordinated with the 94, they actually have a good schedule together! I just wish it was more obvious that they were coordinated. If the two routes had a combined schedule card, it would be much easier to plan trips out.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
I was asked by Gus Rancatore to post a map of the stations of the Green Line extension, so I figured I’d put that here. Thanks for reading, Gus!
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| Image source |
96 (Medford Square – Harvard Station via George Street and Davis Square Station)
I’ve used the 77 many times, and would consider myself quite familiar with that route. But from around Porter Square down to Harvard, there’s this other mysterious bus that shows up sometimes: the 96. It doesn’t come around too often, but it used to almost threaten me when I was younger. Whereas the 77 used those familiar New Flyers, the 96 used loud, agressive Neoplan diesels on its route. Well, it’s time to put those strange Neoplan fears to rest and finally ride…the 96.
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| Usually you can take any awful picture you want and pass it off as “artsy”, but I think doing that for this would be an insult to artists everywhere. |
So as I mentioned, the 96 follows the 77 for a stretch north of Harvard. Thus, we headed onto Mass Ave, going by lots of familiar businesses for me. It was a bit odd – like being on the 77, but significantly quieter. The road curved towards Porter, and soon after that, we turned onto Beech Street, leaving the familiar section behind.
Right after that, we turned onto Elm Street, joining the 87. As this was an outbound trip, we bypassed downtown Davis Square, going on side streets until we reached the Davis busway. From there, we turned onto College Ave, which was residential. There were a few businesses at Powderhouse Square, otherwise known as The Rotary Of Infinite Slowness Because It Has Traffic Lights. Seriously, a rotary with traffic lights? Come on!
After that mess, we continued up College Ave, going by a big field before passing through Tufts University. Turning onto Boston Ave, we went by more university buildings, including one that was under construction. There were some restaurants marketed toward students, then we turned onto Winthrop Street, crossing over the Commuter Rail tracks.
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| Crossing the Mystic River. |
This was the 96’s solo portion, and it was mostly residential. Soon, we turned onto George Street, going down that for a while. Then we turned onto Main Street, joining the 101 and passing through a short industrial area. We crossed the Mystic River, then turned onto Riverside Ave, now in Medford Square. I got off in the square, while the bus continued one stop further to its terminus at Medford City Hall.
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| The bus at City Hall. |
Route: 96 (Medford Square – Harvard Station via George Street and Davis Square Station)
Ridership: On my trip, there were less than 10 people that rode. This was evidently a fluke, though, as the 96 does generally get pretty good ridership. On weekdays, it gets an average of 2,192 riders; on Saturdays, it’s 1,364; and on Sundays, it’s 696. Most people on my trip used the route for the Medford portion, either for the Square or for residential neighborhoods south of it.
Pros: It’s one of two links from Davis Square to Medford Square, and it’s the more direct one. Also, it goes all the way down to Harvard, making a link from Cambridge to Medford, as well. Its weekday schedule is pretty good, running every every 17 minutes during rush hour and every 35 minutes during the day.
Cons: Unfortunately, the rest of the schedule is much worse. The 96 runs every 40 minutes at night, every 50 minutes on Saturdays, and every 70 minutes Sundays! That’s less blasphemous than the 101’s Sunday schedule, since that route gets more ridership, but it’s still horrible.
Nearby and Noteworthy: I spent a bit of time walking around Medford Square, and it seemed pretty happening. I don’t have any specific businesses, though.
Final Verdict: 6/10 8/10 (see addendum)
Briefly, I was considering giving the 96 a 7. I figured that it gets less ridership than the 101, so the bad schedule is slightly more justified here. Honestly, this route just looks bad on the 101’s part, since that has significantly more ridership yet the exact same headways on Sundays. In regards to its routing, though, the 96 is pretty good. It’s just the schedule that drags it down. Addendum: Okay, so it turns out the 96 is coordinated with the 94. This means that together, the two routes actually run quite frequently to Medford Square, so I’m raising the 96’s score to an 8.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
78 (Arlmont Village – Harvard Station via Park Circle)
I’ve never thought about if “Arlmont” had a meaning to it or not. It’s always just seemed like an odd name for a neighborhood to me. Then I realized that it’s actually a combination of Arlington and Belmont! Because it straddles both towns! I love that!
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| The bus at Arlmont. |
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| Zooming past a park at Arlmont. |
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| Oh, wow. Simply beautiful. |
84 (Arlmont Village – Alewife Station)
I get that when taking a route in the non-peak direction on the day before July 4th, you wouldn’t see much ridership. But I was expecting at least, you know, other people to ride with me on the 84. But nope, there was no such thing. Maybe there were riders on the way back.
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| The bus at Alewife. |
Since I was the only one on the bus, I got into a conversation with the driver. As we were navigating the Alewife busway, we went past an MBTA official van. “Hold this,” the driver said, passing me his coffee. He then started talking to someone in the van, while I spilled coffee all over myself. Finally, we left the busway and headed toward Route 2.
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| Yeah, that’s about the extent of the ridership on this bus. |
Of course, we went past the Route 2 stop at the pedestrian overpass, which is a stop I’m starting to wonder if anyone has ever used. We took the first exit, crossed over Lake Street, and returned to the highway. This was repeated at the second exit, then we went onto the huge hill that leads to Park Ave. From there, we came back down, and actually picked someone up at the Arlmont Village shelter. I was gonna continue around the 84’s Arlmont loop, but then I saw the 78 I wanted. The driver let me off, and I ran back to the Arlmont shelter to pick up the 78. The loop will be covered in my 78 review…coming soon.
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| “Disappearing inc.” That’s hilarious! |
Route: 84 (Arlmont Village – Alewife Station)
Ridership: Pretty much nonexistent, since it was just me and then one guy going back. That said, it was the last morning trip of the route, and more people might’ve gotten on heading to Alewife. The 84 only gets an average of 356 riders per weekday, but that’s not too bad considering the small amount of trips it makes.
Pros: As a commuter route, it’s pretty good. It runs directly from Alewife to Arlmont, and is the quickest way from the latter to the Red Line. It also runs pretty often during the evening rush hour: every 17 minutes.
Cons: But during the morning rush hour, it’s every half hour, which isn’t as good. And those are the only times this route runs. No midday service. No weekend service. Just rush hour.
Nearby and Noteworthy: I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned this, but all the Route 2 buses go by the Lanes and Games bowling alley, which is a place I love. I suppose that’s one use for the stop at the pedestrian overpass…
Final Verdict: 5/10
I mean, it’s a fine route as a commuter bus, but…ehhh. I dunno, it has a very limited schedule, it’s not well-used, and it’s honestly quite short. I guess it’s a fine route, but there’s nothing spectacular or noteworthy about it. It’s just a slightly below-average Alewife commuter route.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
The T is free after 9 PM tonight! Happy July 4th!
Quincy Adams
Hoo boy, we are going deep into Park-and-Ride Land today, people. After Alewife, Quincy Adams has the largest park-and-ride garage on the entire system. And unlike Alewife, which has seen lots and lots of development, Quincy Adams is still kind of in the middle of nowhere. And also unlike Alewife, which has pedestrian access to residential neighborhoods, there’s no such thing at Quincy Adams. Pedestrians? What are those? Quincy Adams sure has no idea. Here we go.
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| Woah… |
Okay, so as you can see, Quincy Adams’ platform is really cool. The middle is wide open, and lots of sunlight streams in. There’s some interesting art up on the ceiling that makes up for the really ugly concrete. The coolest part, though, is the trees that poke into the station. Is it overgrowth? I have no idea, but they add a really unique touch to the station.
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| And then, this. |
Unfortunately, the ends of the platform are much less impressive. They’re very dark, despite natural light coming in, and don’t really have much of note. It’s just a lot of concrete. At least the whole platform is sheltered, though, since the parking garage was built over it. You can actually see parts of the garage from the center portion of the platform.
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| Well, that looks depressing. |
From the platform, staircases lead down to the mezzanine. There are two sets of staircases, so one has an up escalator and one has a down escalator. There’s an elevator between the two, as well. They lead to a very large area with not much of note, except for some bathrooms. And yes, they were disgusting.
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| The mezzanine proper. |
I’ll say this, the mezzanine is certainly functional. It has a bunch of fare machines and a bunch of fare gates to easily transport lots of people. It also has a convenience store and multiple staircases and elevators to the parking lot. But there isn’t much to write home about for its aesthetics. They’re just kind of dark and bland. Still, at least it’s not concrete!
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| Ech. |
The busway is also functional. It has lots of bench space, as well as a wastebasket, and it’s entirely sheltered. Entirely sheltered, that is, by a gross, dark concrete parking lot. The busway also leads to the only pedestrian entrance to this station, out to Burgin Parkway, where there really isn’t much of anything. You have to walk across some extremely pedestrian unfriendly roads in order to get to any form of neighborhood.
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| Don’t ask me why this picture is tilted, because I have no idea. |
Parking access from Burgin Parkway is limited – people only have access to a surface lot and the ground floor of the parking garage. That’s still 290 spaces, though, which seems like a decent amount. I’m not sure if it’s enough, though – as you can see in the picture above, that surface lot is packed (I took the picture from the roof of the garage, by the way). There are also 64 bike spaces at this station which are accessible from Burgin Parkway.
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| That’s a loooooooong way down. |
The bulk of this station’s parking is in its huge, 6-story garage. In total, this station has 2,538 spaces, which is a massive amount. Interestingly, over a quarter of that is left empty on a typical weekday, so…I guess it’s actually a little too much parking. For most of the garage, access is limited to highway ramps coming from Route 3. This station is extremely well-situated, though, right next to the big interchange between I-93 and Route 3, and only about 10 minutes from I-95.
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| The huge center portion of the garage. |
There’s a road that runs through the center of the garage. I assume it functions as a pick-up/drop-off area, but I’m not sure about that. Interestingly, it has some sort of busway, with 12 berths! Only one of them seems to actually have something going to it, which is a shuttle to a nearby office park. Maybe this is where cars drop people off? I’m not sure.
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| I love that! |
There are a few ways of getting between the levels of the garage. There’s a set of stairs, which run in a diagonal line down the center portion of the garage. Additionally, alternate staircases are located at the far ends of the lot, and they are disgusting, and do not touch the liquids you may encounter within them. Then there are the elevators, which are glass, and offer views on three sides. Not very interesting views, but views nonetheless.
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| A closed-off pedestrian exit. |
Okay, you know what grinds my gears? There was this nice, convenient pedestrian path that led to Independence Ave and a big residential neighborhood to the east of the station. Sounds great, right? Well, people were parking at local spaces and using the walkway to avoid paying at the garage, so the MBTA was like “Okay, well, we’re losing some money on parking, so let’s cut off hundreds of potential fare-payers from ever using this station by closing the walkway.”
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| Are you kidding me? Look how close that is! |
It took me a little while to find the closed exit, but it got me really mad when I found it. I mean, look at that picture above! What is that, 50 feet? People from that neighborhood have to go over a mile out of their way to get to a station that’s right there! It’s a 25 minute walk when it could take just 2 minutes! Geez, Louise, let’s get out of here.
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| Aw, yeah, from-the-roof shot! Quincy Center can be seen in the background. |
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| A train curving into the station. |
Station: Quincy Adams
Ridership: Ech. It only gets an average of 4,785 riders per weekday, making it the second least-used station on the Braintree branch. I would assume most of these people either park here or get dropped off, because there aren’t really any alternatives. There are very few neighborhoods within reasonable walking distance to the station (i.e. NOT over a mile to get to a station 50 feet away).
Pros: Okay, first things first, this station’s platform is awesome, there’s no doubt about it. And I think the amazing center part of it makes up for the dark portions on the ends. Also, this station offers lots of parking. More than enough, in fact! And it’s in a great, accessible location for cars.
Cons: THE LOCKED GATE TO INDEPENDENCE AVE. Anyway, aside from that, parts of the station are pretty ugly, and it definitely has a brutalist feel to it overall. Also, Quincy Adams only has one bus connection, the 238 to Randolph from Quincy Center. The 230 on Independence Ave would also serve the station were it not for the fact that THE PEDESTRIAN WALKWAY IS HELD UNDER LOCK AND KEY BY THE MBTA – excuse me.
Nearby and Noteworthy: Do you like Lowe’s? How about BJ’s? Or perhaps Home Depot? Well, then this station is for you! Literally, that’s it for noteworthy things.
Final Verdict: 4/10
If you’re in a car, then this is a pretty great station. You can drive in directly from the highway, easily find a space in the huge parking lot, and make your way down to the really awesome platform. If you’re walking, however, good luck with even getting to the station. Sure, there are a few residential neighborhoods to the west of Quincy Adams, but to the east – well, it’s a shame the convenient pedestrian path is closed. Seriously, just reopen the darn path.
UPDATE 12/3/18: The gate has finally reopened!!!! This is seriously amazing news. Heck, why not, let’s update this baby to a 7. It’s always been a station just for cars, but now, pedestrians can use it too. Great job to everyone involved for getting this thing open again! Check out this post for pictures.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
Hingham, Hull – Long Wharf, Boston via Logan Airport (Ferry)
All right, a ferry! And a ferry with some excellent views at that. The Hingham/Hull ferry used to be two separate routes, but after ferries stopped running to Quincy (the Hull ferry was part of that route), the MBTA combined the Hull and Hingham routes. The ferry is the fastest way to get to Boston from all of its destinations, and it’s a really great ride. But first, here’s a bit about the terminal in Hull.
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| Pemberton Point. |
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| A boat coming in. |
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| This wasn’t my boat – it was going directly to Boston from Hingham. |
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| The boat I wanted coming in. “Lightning” is a pretty reassuring name. |
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| People getting off the boat. |
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| The inside. |
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| Here’s where you buy the tickets. |
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| The ticket I got. For students, it’s $4.25 from Hingham or Hull to Boston, and $8.50 for adults. |
After getting my ticket, of course I went to the upper deck! Its main section was sheltered, with hard sideways-facing benches lined up. There were also ones outside, closer to the edge of the boat. They were better for seeing views, but I went a step further by standing up the whole time. It’s more fun.
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| The outdoor portion. |
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| The sheltered part. |
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| Nice skyline view. |
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| Some identical condos. |
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| The view of Hingham. |
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| Some apartment towers. |
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| The busy Hingham shipyard. |
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| Aw, yeah, check out that wake! |
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| The view of Hull. |
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| Hull from closer up. |
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| An island, I guess? I’m not sure what this is. These pictures might be out of order, to be honest. |
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| A bird that flew along with us for a bit. |
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| Nice view of Quincy. |
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| Georges Island. |
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| I think that might be “Gallops Island.” It’s an island for sure. |
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| No idea what this would be used for, but it’s on a little rocky island. |
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| A big cargo ship. |
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| Deer Island in Winthrop. |
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| We’re getting closer… |
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| A zoom-in of downtown. |
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| A view of Long Island (no, not New York). |
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| Nice view of Winthrop. |
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| Another skyline view. I can’t get enough of these. |
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| A tiny boat zooms toward downtown. |
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| A big industrial area in Southie. |
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| Wow, a sailboat! |
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| Looking at East Boston. |
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| The Logan Airport Ferry Terminal. |
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| A view of the terminal and the airport hotel. |
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| A bit blurry, but there’s the control tower. |
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| A water taxi at the ferry terminal. |
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| A view of the Design Center. |
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| Downtown, with a boat heading toward it. |
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| Charlestown! |
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| Woah! What are they doing to the Customs House Tower? |
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| The Tobin Bridge. |
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| Coming into Long Wharf. |
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| The view of the wharf. |
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| A closer look. |
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| The boat with passengers getting on. |
714 (Contracted Bus: Pemberton Point, Hull – Station Street, Hingham)
This has to be the most isolated route on the MBTA. It has no subway connections and only a Commuter Rail connection – barely. This is the 714, which runs from downtown Hingham all the way up the Hull peninsula to Pemberton Point, on the tip of Hull. Having just gotten off the 220, I didn’t have to wait too long for the bus to show up. What I wasn’t expecting was this:
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| Oh! Um…hi, there. |
Yeah, did I forget to mention this isn’t an official MBTA route? It’s contracted by the MBTA, but actually run by Joseph’s Transportation. And, as it would seem, that company uses minibuses. I mean, come on, it doesn’t even have any signage! Oh, wait, hang on. Okay, I literally just noticed this looking at the picture:
Wow! So it does get a sign…but it’s relegated to a tiny corner in an insignificant window of the bus. I suppose the route is local enough so that everyone knows it’s the bus to Hull, but still…at least put the piece of paper with the route on it on the front windshield or something! The bus even has a whole destination board up top that’s not being used!
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| The inside, looking toward the back. |
Okay, so I got in, right? I had my “Exact fare only” all ready to go, but I got in, and there wasn’t a fare box. “Where do I pay?” I asked the driver. He extended his hand – “Right here,” he said. Wow, okay. I mean, I’ve never been on a bus where you literally just give the money to the driver, but sure! Why not?
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| Looking toward the front of the bus. |
I gotta say, though, the inside of the bus was very nice. Its seats were quite comfy, even though there were only about 20 of ’em on the bus. It was a very quiet vehicle on the inside, which was great. Also, there weren’t any stop request buttons or cords – this is because the 714 technically has no stops. People just kind of get off and on whenever they want, which is a great way of running local routes like this.
We left the Station Street bus stop and made our way to Summer Street. We reached a rotary, where some trips divert to serve the Nantasket Junction Commuter Rail station, should a passenger call Joseph’s Transportation to request a pickup. Evidently no one called the company on this trip, and we continued down Summer Street, which soon became Rockland Street.
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| A marshy view. |
Interestingly, this particular trip was supposed to take the George Washington Boulevard routing via the Hull Medical Center, but we took the normal route instead. So we went right by George Washington Boulevard, continuing down Rockland Street. The surroundings were pretty marshy, with houses that were spaced far apart from each other.
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| Crossing into Hull. |
There were a few small stores at the intersection with Nantasket Ave, which we turned onto. We then crossed over a river (estuary, I suppose) and entered Hull. The houses were a bit denser now. We turned onto School Street, then Atlantic Ave, and then back onto Nantasket Ave. Now the surroundings were big apartment towers and touristy seaside restaurants, for we were at Nantasket Beach.
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| The lovely beach view. |
There was a pretty amazing view of the open sea to the right of the bus. It was unfortunate that the waves weren’t as high here as they usually are, but it was still a great view. Meanwhile, on the other side, we passed some more Nantasket Beach attractions, such as a mini-golf course and the Paragon Carousel. We then curved away from the beach on Hull Shore Drive, which became Nantasket Ave once more.
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| A view of some houses. |
After a block of businesses on either side of the street, the surroundings became pretty dense houses. It felt infinitely more urban than the Hingham section, which is closer to Boston by car than Hull is! Eventually the cross streets became alphabetized, and we passed these pretty quickly. There was a park at L Street, then we curved onto Fitzpatrick Way after Y Street.
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| The view of a cove thing between Fitzpatrick Way and Nantasket Ave. I believe we were supposed to have taken Nantasket Ave, but…we didn’t. |
We came back onto Nantasket Ave on a small isthmus with houses on either side of the road. After a fleeting view of the city (of which I got no good pictures), we turned onto Spring Street, which hugged the coastline. It passed the bridge to Spinnaker Island, which seems to be an island of identical houses. Spring Street then became Main Street, and curved inland.
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| A view of…something. Well, it was a nice view. |
This seemed to be a more suburban part of Hull – the houses were a bit more spread out. We went by a basketball court and a church, then curved around back to the coast. At the Hull High School (which is right on the tip of Hull), we looped around and came to the Pemberton Point bus stop.
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| The bus laying over at Pemberton Point. |
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| And again, with a wind turbine in the background. |
Route: 714 (Contracted Bus: Pemberton Point, Hull – Station Street, Hingham)
Ridership: On my ride, there were about 20 people in total. Most of them got on at Hingham and used it to get to Hull, but some riders actually boarded in Hull, using it for local service. This is one of those routes where everyone knows each other, which is always fun. The ridership statistics are a bit wonky for this route in the Blue Book in that they’re by month and year, rather than by day. Thus, the 714 got 44,337 riders in 2013, and the month it had the highest ridership was August, with 4,820 people. That translates to about 160 riders per day, which really isn’t that much – and that’s the month with the highest ridership!
Pros: This is the only bus route to serve Hull, and it seems to have a local following. And it goes all the way up the peninsula, so it pretty much serves the entire town, given how narrow it is. I like how it doesn’t have stops, so people can get on and off wherever they please. Also, the buses it uses are really nice, particularly in that they’re so quiet. I mean, they’re practically silent. Finally, the schedule is such so that just one bus can run back and forth along the route, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Joseph’s only has one bus for this route, so it all works out. To be honest, too, every hour makes sense, as the route’s ridership is so low. And it’s great how it manages to be coordinated with the 220, the Commuter Rail, and the Commuter Boat from Boston.
Cons: Okay, this bus needs better signage. Seriously, just move that piece of paper to the windshield and we’re golden! Also, I can’t help but notice how the driver sort of disregarded the route on my ride. We were supposed to go via George Washington Boulevard, but the driver took the normal route instead. And we were supposed to go via Nantasket Ave the whole way, but the driver took the more direct route on Fitzpatrick Way. I mean, hypothetically, what if people had wanted to get on or off along those portions of the route we skipped?
Nearby and Noteworthy: Nantasket Beach has to be my favorite beach in the Greater Boston area, simply because its waves are usually quite big. I might’ve taken the bus during low tide or something, since the waves were small when we passed the beach, but trust me, they can get really big here. Also, the Paragon Carousel is always a fun place to let out your inner child – it’s right across the street from the beach.
Final Verdict: 9/10
Okay, so based on the merit of how good of a ride it is, this route is honestly a 10. The views were amazing from start to finish, and it was also interesting because of how local it felt. The 714 definitely does have flaws, though. The signage problem can be easily fixed, but I’m not really sure what to think about the driver taking a different route than what the schedule says. Also, every hour isn’t the best schedule, but based on the ridership, it seems to be all that’s necessary. Overall, this was a really fantastic and scenic ride.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
220 (Quincy Center Station – Hingham Center via Fore River Bridge)
Getting to Hull by bus is a bit of a complicated matter, in that you have to take two of them. The first of those is the 220, which will take you as far as Hingham. And even though the ride to Hull is much more scenic, the 220 does have a few pleasant views for itself. Let’s take a look.
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| A 222 pulled up at the same time as the 220, so I ended up with a horrible picture. |
Leaving Quincy Center, we made our way to Washington Street, going by some reasonably tall buildings in the process. These turned to small businesses, and then a mix of residential and retail. With a combination of traffic and lots of requested stops, this section took forever. Finally, we reached a rotary and went up onto the Fore River Bridge into Weymouth.
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| Wow! |
Okay, the Fore River Bridge was pretty epic, as you can see above. The current bridge is only temporary, and they’re building a second one to the left in the picture. Apparently it takes forever when a boat has to get under the bridge, but it still looks really cool. On the other side, there were still businesses, but they now had parking lots out front.
After the 221 and 222 left Bridge Street (formerly known as Washington Street), the 220 became solo. We passed a big mall, then crossed over a bridge into Hingham. The road became Lincoln Street as we went by the Hingham Shipyard, where there seems to have been a huge amount of development. Some 220 trips divert to the shipyard, but ours was not one of them.
After a few more shopping plazas, we turned onto Downer Ave, going by a school. After that, it was a very local residential neighborhood. We then turned onto Otis Street, with a few water views through the houses. The views became much better when we merged onto Summer Street – there was even a small beach.
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| This was the best picture I could get. |
The bus turned onto North Street, and unfortunately we had to get off in order to make the 714 to Hull. The route then continues down North Street to downtown Hingham, where it turns onto Main Street. It then makes a mostly residential loop through Hingham, going through “Hingham Center” (which looks much less interesting than downtown Hingham) and passing Hingham town hall. It then comes back up to downtown and terminates at Station Street in Hingham.
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| The bus heading down North Street. |
Route: 220 (Quincy Center Station – Hingham Center via Fore River Bridge)
Ridership: There were only about 20 people on my ride, most of whom got off along the Quincy section of the route. However, the 220 does get good ridership overall, with an average of 1,719 riders on weekdays, 1,091 on Saturdays, and 606 on Sundays. It’s one of the busier Quincy routes in general, probably due to its rather long distance.
Pros: This route serves a lot, and it’s the only MBTA route that spends a significant amount of time in Hingham. It has some nice views along the way, and also runs often – every 10 minutes during rush hour, and every half hour during the day, at night, and on Saturdays.
Cons: On Sundays that becomes every hour, which isn’t very good. I suppose the low-ish Sunday ridership justifies it, though. Also, something that isn’t the 220’s fault is that it takes a very traffic-prone route. The Fore River Bridge, so I’ve heard, gets extremely busy during rush hour, but it’s pretty much the only way of getting into Quincy from Weymouth and Hingham. So yeah, not the 220’s fault, but a problem.
Nearby and Noteworthy: This route goes by lots of businesses, and I know none of them. I would say the most happening place along the route isn’t downtown Hingham (though that does seem like a cute local downtown), but rather the Hingham Shipyard. It has stores, businesses, and even a movie theater.
Final Verdict: 7/10
The 220 is certainly an important route that’s pretty well-used. It serves quite a lot, making a horizontal slash across Quincy, Weymouth, and Hingham. It also runs frequently for the most part, except on Sundays, when the ridership seems to be somewhat low anyway. It’s also a presumably terrible ride during rush hour, but what are you gonna do?
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
Random Photos: A Star is Born
It’s been a while since a Random Photos! I mean, how could I not post this…interesting vandalism of a “Stairs” sign at Quincy Adams?
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| HAHAHAHAHAHAHA |
Needham Heights
And here we are at the end of the Needham Line! Is there a big shiny terminus? Well, unfortunately not. There’s just Needham Heights.
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| The station’s shelter. |
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| So…far…away… |
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| A train coming into the station. |
Ridership: This is the busiest Needham Line station, with 1,104 riders per weekday. In fact, it’s the 14th busiest Commuter Rail station on the system! The majority of those passengers either walk here or are dropped off, because the parking lot can only hold a tenth of that ridership…
Pros: Well, it’s busy. And it has parking and a shelter. So…that’s nice.
Cons: Oh, you know, just the fact that the walk from the waiting area to the boarding area is insanely long! You could just walk back to Boston in the time it takes to get to that stupid boarding area! Well, okay, maybe not, but it’s still a long walk.
Nearby and Noteworthy: Yeah, there are definitely some businesses nearby, but nothing seems to be especially noteworthy.
Final Verdict: 4/10
Am I being harsh? Maybe I’m being harsh. I mean, this is a pretty barebones station to begin with – all it has is the shelter and the boarding area. So maybe the MBTA could make it less barebones by PUTTING A BENCH BETWEEN THE TWO. No, no, I’m not being harsh at all.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
Needham Center
Alright, we’re moving north to the middle of the three Needham Commuter Rail stations (or at least the ones with “Needham” in their name – sorry, Hersey). Nestled right in downtown Needham, Needham Center may not be tranquil like its southern counterpart, Needham Junction, but it certainly has a very local feel. Let’s start on the southern end…
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| This was the first thing we came across. |
I was with my friend Noah, and the first thing we saw when we came into the station was a public piano just sitting there. Of course this was our cue to sit down and start playing a Heart and Soul duet. The piano was a little out of tune, but it was really cool that it was there. I’m not here to review musical instruments, though, so let’s keep going.
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| Looking down the platform. |
There are a few businesses right on the platform, which is awesome – a tailor and a cafe, housed in what was apparently the old station building. Along the platform, there are a few pedestrian crossings that lead to a parking lot (apparently not an official MBTA lot, but a lot nonetheless). No shelter is offered along the bulk of the platform, unfortunately.
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| A picture from platform level of the high-level portion. |
Like the other Needham Line stations, you have to board the train at a high-level platform at the end of the station. The nice thing about Needham Center is that there are benches all along the platform, so the walk to the high-level portion really isn’t that bad. Unfortunately, the boarding area is the only place that offers any shelter, and it really isn’t much. Maybe people can wait in the café if it’s raining?
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| A train shrinking into the trees. |
Station: Needham Center
Ridership: With an average of 975 riders per weekday, this is the second most-used station on the Needham Line. I’m not sure if people drive to this station, since I don’t know how the parking here works exactly, but there are some reasonably dense residential neighborhoods in walking distance.
Pros: It’s right in the middle of Needham Center, which is a big plus. Also, there are lots of benches along the platform, meaning you can wait pretty close to the boarding area. Plus, the station has businesses right on its platform, and the piano is a great touch.
Cons: There isn’t any shelter along the platform, so I’m not really sure where people go when it rains. Also, there’s no official MBTA parking, but I assume you can still use the city lot, right?
Nearby and Noteworthy: Needham Center has lots of businesses, but of course, I don’t have any specific places. The Center Cafe is right on the platform if you need a quick bite.
Final Verdict: 8/10
There’s a lot to like here. It’s great that there are benches all along the platform, even if they’re not sheltered. Also, this is the second time I’ve seen businesses right on a Commuter Rail platform, and it’s still amazing. Oh, and the piano? That’s probably the best part of this station, to be honest.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates