Savin Hill
I was surprised at how…not bad Savin Hill was. Seriously, every time I went by here (either making a stop when going to Ashmont or zipping by when on a Braintree train), I always thought “Geez, looks like a pit.” I mainly thought this because the station is right next to I-93, and it’s noisy for sure, but the station itself is actually kinda nice.
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| Okay, so the platform isn’t actually that great. |
Right, so the platform itself isn’t the best. It’s all covered, which is good, but it also has some pretty bland architecture. Plus, even though there’s a thick fence between the station and the highway, it’s still pretty noisy. There are plenty of benches on the platform, though, and they don’t have those weird bench shelters like on the Braintree branch. Speaking of the Braintree branch, it’s also fun to watch those trains speed by on the other tracks without stopping.
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| A nice glass hallway. |
From the platform, there are stairs and an upward-bound escalator, as well as an elevator (which was added in Savin Hill’s 2004-2005 renovation). These lead up to a nice hallway that in turn leads to both of the station’s exits. The hallway is made of glass, and it even has some benches for people who may want to wait for the train inside.
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| The main mezzanine. |
I didn’t get to spend too much time in the main mezzanine, since there was an MBTA employee in there and I wanted to “act natural”. But from what I saw, it was a nice mezzanine, with cool green walls and interesting lighting. Lots of natural light gets in, too. As for the fare gates, there are only four, but this station doesn’t get much ridership, so four is probably enough.
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| Oh, yeah, I can totally tell that’s a train station. |
Architecturally, the main entrance to Savin Hill is great. I love how the main part is made out of glass, and the brick walls on the side make for some nice contrast. There’s also a cool old-fashioned street clock outside the entrance. But I would much rather have that clock be replaced with a T logo, because there is no indication at all that this is a train station! The sign just says “121 Savin Hill”, in reference to the station’s address on Savin Hill Ave. How about sticking a “station” after that “Savin Hill”, MBTA?
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| And the second entrance. |
Believe it or not, there aren’t any T logos at the second entrance on Sydney Street, either. It’s more obvious with this one because you can see the platform from the street, but still! There isn’t even any “Savin Hill” signage here, just a set of doors. The entrance itself is again nice, and it’s pretty much entirely made of glass. There’s also a small parking lot here with 20 spaces, which is a nice amenity even for a mostly local station.
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| Well doesn’t that scream structural integrity? |
It may be hard to tell, but that picture above is of a step on the staircase from the second entrance to its mezzanine. It is, however, quite easy to tell that this thing is in dire need of repair. Considering that a few of the other steps are like this, too, is it possible that this staircase isn’t safe? I wouldn’t be surprised.
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| A much smaller mezzanine. |
I assume this is the lesser-used entrance, since the mezzanine is comparatively small. It has two fare machines and two wider “reduced fare” gates. It’s a nice mezzanine, with lots of natural light getting in from all the windows. From here, it leads right into the hallway that goes to the platform.
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| A train coming over the hill south of the station. |
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| A Braintree train zipping past! |
Station: Savin Hill
Ridership: This is the second-worst Red Line station for ridership, with only 2,440 riders per weekday. It narrowly beats out the worst Red Line station, Shawmut, by 29 people. And like Shawmut, Savin Hill is a very local station, which is probably why its ridership is so low.
Pros: Overall, the aesthetics here are great. Aside from the platform (and even that doesn’t look bad, per se, just bland), this station looks fantastic. I love how much natural light gets into the mezzanines, as well.
Cons: This doesn’t bother me too much, but it’s worth noting that there aren’t any official bus connections here (though the 18 is only a few blocks away). What does bother me is the fact that this station has literally zero signage. Seriously, just stick a T logo somewhere in the general vicinity of Savin Hill and that’ll be better than the current situation. Also, we can’t forget about the Rotting Staircase of Despair in the Sidney Street entrance.
Nearby and Noteworthy: Heading west from the station there are a few local restaurants to find, including the Savin Bar and Kitchen, which I thought looked pretty good.
Final Verdict: 6/10
Maybe I take aesthetics too seriously. I mean, functionality is ultimately more important than how a station looks, isn’t it? While I’m gonna keep on hating Prudential, the above statement certainly applies here. I think Savin Hill looks great, but you can’t forget about the lack of signage or the rotting staircase. Seriously, fix that staircase.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
Finally, there are proper countdown clocks on the Green Line! Yes, the D Line stops in Brookline now have screens telling you when the next train is arriving.
26 (Ashmont Station – Norfolk and Morton Belt Line)
One of the most annoying things about taking buses from beginning to end is when you get kicked out at the last stop. This is especially annoying if the driver is really mad at you for just wanting to take the route to the end (cough, cough, the 8). But that problem doesn’t exist with the 26, because it’s a loop! Hooray! Seriously, I had no reason for wanting to take the 26 except for the fact that it’s a loop that both starts and ends at Ashmont. I believe this is the only remaining MBTA bus that runs like this ever since the 48 was eliminated back in 2012. But unlike the 48, the 26 actually gets ridership.
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| The bus in the Ashmont busway. |
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| That industrial spire sticking up there is in Milton’s Lower Mills. I thought this was a cool view. |
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| The bus heading up Dorchester Ave back in Ashmont. |
18 (Ashmont Station – Andrew Station via Fields Corner Station)
I’m back! I’m sorry for not posting in about half a million years, but I’ve been quite busy. Also, I went to Bermuda over April vacation, and I rode a few new bus routes over there. I’ll leave it to you guys if you want to see posts about those (here’s one of them from last year if you want to know what to expect), so let me know in the comments or on Facebook or Twitter what you think. Anyway, let’s get into the review.
A little while back, I did a review of the 68 from Harvard Square to Kendall Square, via Broadway. I commented on the fact that the route doesn’t have any points where it’s the only option, and it gets pretty awful ridership. Proclaiming that “I honestly feel like the MBTA could scrap this route, and it wouldn’t affect that many people,” I gave it a 2/10. After that review, a commenter named Ari pointed out that the faithful locals who use the 68 would be up in arms if the MBTA tried to eliminate the route. That’s certainly a valid point, but I still think the 68 is a bad route, and I don’t regret the low score. Basically what I’m getting at is that the 18 is like the Dorchester equivalent of the 68.
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| Off-center, but it’s growing on me. |
The 18 is a mostly straight run up Dorchester Ave, running from Ashmont to Andrew. I got on at Ashmont, and we headed up – what else? – Dorchester Ave. We went through Peabody Square just north of Ashmont Station, then Dot Ave was lined with businesses. Some of them had apartments on top of them, and others were Vietnamese, since there’s a pretty big Vietnamese community down here.
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| So much traffic! Those are the elevated Red Line tracks at Fields Corner up ahead. |
It got more residential after that, We went by a park, and then came into the convoluted mess that is the 18 at Fields Corner. So we turned into the Park Street busway, then onto Geneva Ave, then onto that Fields Corner busway that doesn’t have any stops on it, then onto the actual Fields Corner busway, then back onto Geneva Ave, then back onto the stopless Fields Corner busway, then back onto Dorchester Ave to continue with the route. It took over 5 minutes just to get through all this.
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| This driver must’ve changed the destination board early, because the 18 doesn’t run on this street. This is at Andrew Station. |
After that, the businesses got denser, then we went through an industrial portion with lots of auto shops. On my particular trip, we stayed on Dorchester Ave the whole time from here on out, but normally buses take a strange and seemingly pointless detour. Had we been taken this detour, we would have turned onto Bay Street, then onto Auckland Street (now heading south, away from where we were heading), then onto Dewar Street, and then back onto Dot Ave, doubling back on ourselves. I think skipping it certainly sped up the ride a bit.
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| That same bus heading back up Dorchester Ave. |
After crossing over Savin Hill Ave, the industrial area ended and it was back to dense businesses with apartments on top. We went by an apartment building, then crossed over Columbia Road, connecting with the 8 and 41. Continuing up Dot Ave, we passed through a purely residential area with dense apartments, then onto a bridge over I-93 and the Red Line and Commuter Rail tracks. Soon after that, we turned onto Southampton Street, then Ellery Street, and then into the Andrew Station busway.
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| Look how downtown looms! It looks really close. |
Route: 18 (Ashmont Station – Andrew Station via Fields Corner Station)
Ridership: Being the local route that it is, the 18’s ridership isn’t very high. There were only about 10 people on my Saturday ride. On weekdays, it only gets an average of 619 riders, and on Saturdays, only 175 – the fifth worst Saturday bus route for ridership. Like the 68, most of the riders on this route only went for a few stops.
Pros: But unlike the 68, this route does serve a lot. Sure, it more or less parallels the Red Line and goes pretty close to its stops, but it actually has some sections where it’s the only option. Plus, although Broadway is a major street in Cambridge, it doesn’t come close to the importance of Dot Ave. I mean, this is basically the main throughway of Dorchester, and it makes perfect sense to run a bus down it.
Cons: For one thing, I think a lot of people don’t use this bus just because it comes so close to the Red Line. I mean, it directly serves Ashmont, Fields Corner, and Andrew, and comes within a few blocks of Shawmut and Savin Hill. In addition, parts of this route are just so convoluted! The 18 at Fields Corner is a mess, and it seems like it would be so much easier to just skip the Park Street busway and have it go directly into the Fields Corner busway. Also, does it really need to serve Auckland Street? I don’t know if the Savin Hill Apartments is an old-age home, but if not, I think its residents can walk a block to Dorchester Ave.
Nearby and Noteworthy: Lots of businesses along Dot Ave, but I don’t have anything specific.
Final Verdict: 3/10
I’ve been comparing the 18 to the 68 this whole review, and I do think the 18 is better. It’s longer, serves more, and even runs on Saturdays! The schedule, by the way, is not great, as you’d expect – every half hour during rush hour, and every hour during the day and on Saturdays. The last bus is at about 6 PM, which is also like the 68. But I do think the MBTA should keep the 18 around, although its route is really crazy. Seriously, it’s drawn as a straight line on the map! Just make the route a straight line!
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
Governor Charlie Baker has appointed five new members to the MassDOT board after pressuring six of its seven previous members to resign. In non-MBTA news, Google Maps officially made the switch over to “The New Google Maps”, and it is the slowest, most frustrating thing ever. This could mean longer wait periods between blog posts, but hopefully nothing along the lines of the horrendously long amount of time I made you guys wait before this post comes out.
Ashmont
Ah, here we go! Let’s review a good-looking station for once! Yes, Ashmont was renovated recently, and it looks amazing. Let’s get right into it and wash out the brutalism from the last review.
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| This platform is awesome! |
I really, really love Ashmont’s platform. It’s at ground level, but completely enclosed, but it also has glass windows so you can still look out! It’s a really, really nice platform. It does have these weird benches that you kind of lean on while standing up, but you have to take the good with the bad. There are normal benches, too.
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| A train leaving the station. |
And something I didn’t fully understand until I last came here was that the outbound platform (where trains go out of service) has no fare gates! You can just leave and get into the busway! And it’s not like people can fare dodge and just walk onto the outbound platform because you can’t get on trains there! But the inbound platform still has fare gates, obviously! Okay, well, it’s a cool layout to me, at least.
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| The northern mezzanine. |
The northern mezzanine is pretty swanky. It has a bunch of fare gates and fare machines, with a very straightforward layout, which is always good. It also has some benches that form a circle, which is pretty cool. And there’s a big window overlooking the platform where you can watch the trains go by. What’s more, the glass was reasonably clean! Woah!
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| And that just looks amazing. |
From the northern mezzanine, there’s a small plaza that leads up to Peabody Square. It’s pretty standard as far as plazas go, but my favorite thing about it is the view of the station it offers. Ashmont’s slanted roof looks really, really cool. Also, there’s a creepy moon-egg-face-sculpture-thing. Just saying…
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| The second mezzanine. |
The second way to enter the station is directly from the busway. Its mezzanine is pretty much the exact same thing as the other one, which isn’t a bad thing. Also, Ashmont has a Pedal and Park facility that’s just out of the way. You have to walk down Dorchester Ave a bit to find it. There should probably be some signage for that…
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| The busway. |
The station’s busway is fairly straightforward. It has two lanes, both of which are sheltered. Ashmont is served by 10 buses, plus route 12 of the BAT to Brockton. Oh, how I really want to take that BAT. I hate it when I’m in the busway and there’s a BAT waiting there and I want to get on so bad but I know I don’t have time to go all the way down to Brockton. Some day…
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| Ah, we can’t forget about the good ol’ Mattapan High Speed Line! |
The Mattapan High Speed Line used to run right into the busway, and there was a free transfer from the train. However, as part of Ashmont’s renovation, they cut off the MHSL to its own elevated platform. It doesn’t have any proper benches, just a set of those weird “leaning” ones. I have to say, though, the elevated loop for the trolleys is fantastic.
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| A trolley ascending into the station. |
Station: Ashmont
Ridership: It’s pretty high, all things considered. The Red Line gets an average of 9,293 riders per weekday, making Ashmont the busiest Red Line station south of South Station. This is also the hub of the Mattapan High Speed Line, so this is the station with the highest ridership on that line – 2,036 people per weekday.
Pros: Well, this is just a beautiful station! It’s really modern, with glass and metal everywhere. It’s also straightforward, including a busway that’s not a total maze. Speaking of buses, there are quite a few bus connections here, as well.
Cons: For one thing, there should be better signage for the Pedal and Park. I didn’t even know it existed until I took a bus from here and saw it out the window. Also, there really ought to be a free transfer to the MHSL from the Red Line. At the very least, add a proper bench to the MHSL’s platform!
Nearby and Noteworthy: Actually, the surroundings of this station are surprisingly residential. There are some businesses in the immediate vicinity, as well as up Dorchester Ave, but it’s mostly just houses.
Final Verdict: 9/10
Okay, so there are a couple of flaws here. The MHSL’s platform could really use an actual bench, and there needs to be signage for the Pedal and Park, but honestly, this is a great station. Extra points for the amazing platform and the really cool slanted roof.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
Don’t forget that it’s free fare day this Friday! All MBTA modes of service will be free of charge, including the Commuter Rail.
Community College
Man, North Point Park is really nice! I was coming from the Science Museum and decided to take a detour to the park, which is right across the street. It’s pretty new, having been built in 2007, and it’s a great park. From there, I went over the even more recent pedestrian bridge under the Zakim, which was awesome as well. So yeah, if you haven’t been to the North Point Park yet, I recommend you check it out.
Oh, right, then I went to Community College. That was slightly less awesome.
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| Aw, let’s go back to the park… |
One entrance to the station leads in from the Gilmore Bridge. It’s a really pedestrian unfriendly area, since all the roads around the station are super wide. As for the entrance itself, it’s very…concrete. Yeah, brutalist style isn’t the best. There are also some bike racks here, which is convenient.
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| The walkway to Bunker Hill Community College. |
Luckily, the MBTA accounted for the pedestrian unfriendliness. There’s a system of pedestrian walkways in place which are definitely more frequented than the Gilmore Bridge entrance. The first one leads right from the entrance directly to the Community College itself, Bunker Hill Community College.
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| The second walkway. |
If you navigate through the Community College’s plaza, you get to a second walkway. This one leads over the massive New Rutherford Ave, which, let me tell you, is a pain to cross at ground level. From there, you can get into Charlestown.
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| The mezzanine. |
But back to the station itself. The mezzanine is small, bland, and doesn’t expect a lot of ridership, with only a few fare machines and gates. It also has a bench with a payphone in front of a window. Interestingly, there’s another window-bench combination past the fare gates. I guess this is for people who don’t want to wait for the train outside when it’s cold out.
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| Woah… |
There are stairs and an upward escalator that lead to the platform. They look like any other northern Orange Line station, so there isn’t much to talk about there. More interesting is the elevator, which is accessed by a long glass walkway, seen above. Of course, the elevator itself smelled like urine, as MBTA elevators are prone to do, but the walkway was pretty cool.
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| The platform. |
The platform is typical northern Orange Line, serving both inbound and outbound trains. It’s got concrete everywhere and those little bench-shelter rooms. The “unique” thing here is how noisy it is. Community College is right under I-93, and let me tell you, those cars are loud. However, it is cool that this station has a “ghost platform” which would’ve been used if the Orange Line ever got extended to Reading.
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| A train leaving the station. |
Station: Community College
Ridership: This station has the fourth-worst ridership on the Orange Line overall, and the worst for its northern section. Community College only gets 4,956 riders per day, which could be attributed to its mostly industrial surroundings. Also, it doesn’t have any bus connections, which could contribute to the low amount as well.
Pros: Okay, the pedestrian walkways are an admittedly nice touch. And overall, this station is straightforward for sure. So, um, that’s good.
Cons: Two words: brutalist style. Seriously, why does every northern Orange Line station have to be so concrete and bland and awful? Also, it’s right under a highway, so don’t expect a quiet wait.
Nearby and Noteworthy: This is the closest station to the Bunker Hill Monument, but it’s still a bit of a walk. Other than that…well, there’s a 99 Restaurant across the street…
Final Verdict: 4/10
Yeah, there isn’t much to say about this one. The direct connection to the Bunker Hill Community College and to Charlestown is certainly nice, but the station is so ugly! Brutalist style really doesn’t do it for me, and this station has way too much concrete for my liking. Plus, it’s right under I-93, which makes it extremely noisy.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
Tufts Medical Center
Last summer I had a job that required going to Chinatown once a week. I would always use Tufts Medical Center, since it was closer to where I was working (also, Chinatown Station is pretty awful). Being a jaded commuter then, I really didn’t focus too much on the station itself. But I came here for fun recently, so I can give it a proper review now. Huzzah!
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| Gosh, I forgot just how dingy this platform is! |
So yeah, as you can see above, the platform is a bit of a mess. I don’t mind the brick walls, but the rest is horrible. The ceiling is really dirty, the middle portion between the tracks has all this white stuff on it, and the floors are unclean. Like Davis, there is some art at the ends of the platform to try to liven things up. It looks really nice, but is overpowered by the dinginess of the station.
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| It looks really good, though! |
Going up the stairs leading to the Washington Street exit, we came across something really gross (I was with my friends Jason and Michael – this was the same day we explored Back Bay). On the side of the stairs, there was this big blob of…something. It was slightly yellowish, but looked shiny, and it was disgusting. I took a picture of it, but, um, hey, look at the pretty mezzanine!
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| Well, not that pretty, but better than the platform. |
One thing I will say about this station is that it does flow incredibly easily. On either end of the station, there’s a room with stairs leading to each platform which then goes to the mezzanine. And the main one seems like it handle a lot of people. Again, it flows really well, with a bunch of fare gates on one side and a bunch of fare machines on the other. Nice and simple. As for the aesthetics, it’s pretty good compared to the platform. A little boring, but at least it’s not dingy.
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| The main entrance. |
The main entrance leads out to Washington Street and the actual Tufts Medical Center. It’s a fairly simple entrance, with an elevator, a really wide set of stairs, and an upward-bound escalator. There are some Porter-esque vent things as you go down the stairs, and I still don’t know what the heck they’re used for. Also, there are a whole bunch of newspaper boxes on the outside of the entrance, which is nice.
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| The Silver Line bus stop. |
There’s a stop out here for the SL4 and SL5, as well. Alas, there are no fancy shelters, and there aren’t even those countdown clocks they have further down the route (but having used the Silver Line for the aforementioned job, I can tell you those clocks were useless). It’s just kind of a sheltered bus stop with some raised brick areas that act as pseudo-benches. Really, this isn’t the nicest of bus stops.
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| The much smaller second mezzanine. |
Something that took me a little while to wrap my head around is that this station is oriented diagonally. What can I say, it looks straight when you’re down on the platform! But anyway, this means that the second entrance is southwest of the main one, on Tremont Street. Its mezzanine is much smaller, with only two fare gates, and it’s pretty bland. Again, it’s not as bad as the platform, but it’s still pretty awful.
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| An oddly-angled picture of the entrance. |
The entrance, too, is pretty ugly. It has lots of peeling paint and is bland in general. There’s quite a contrast between this one and the main one, too. Over here, it doesn’t feel as busy or built up – just pretty quiet. This definitely seems like the lesser-used entrance.
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| My camera did not like this station, as you can see by the blurriness of that train. |
Station: Tufts Medical Center
Ridership: It’s pretty low – there are a little over 6,100 people who use this station every weekday. Most of these people are probably commuting to the many hospitals around the station, though there are also some residences accessible from the Tremont Street entrance.
Pros: Okay, well, it does flow really well. There’s never a doubt here about where to go because of how straightforward it is. And it really does accommodate for a lot of people, at least at the main entrance.
Cons: Aesthetically, though, this station is terrible. The entrances are meh, the mezzanines are bland, and the platform is horrible. Also, there was that blob thing on the stairs. What the heck was that? The world may never know.
Nearby and Noteworthy: If hospitals aren’t really your thing, Chinatown is close by, as well as the Theatre District.
Final Verdict: 5/10
Well, Tufts Medical Center is functional, for sure. There aren’t too many MBTA stations that are this straightforward, especially on the underground section of the Orange Line (darn you, State, and your endless transfer of death). But I also like my aesthetics, and that’s where this station falls flat. The platform is horrible, and the rest is just bland.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
87 (Arlington Center or Clarendon Hill – Lechmere Station via Somerville Ave)
I originally had this grand plan to take all the Lechmere buses I haven’t taken yet in one day. This plan fell flat because the 87 ran late. Come on, 87! Anyway, this route is a pretty straight run from Lechmere, up through Union Square and Davis Square, to Arlington Center. It’s also incredibly popular, if my ride is to judge!
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| Dinginess, thy name is the Lechmere busway. |
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| Clarendon Hill, with a bus laying over. |
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| The bus heading down Mass Ave. |
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| Okay, this is actually a pretty cool picture, though. |
101 (Malden Center Station – Sullivan Square Station via Salem Street, Main Street, and Broadway)
There are quite a few bus routes that go from Sullivan or Wellington up to Malden Center. They all more or less travel in crescents, in order to serve neighborhoods not served by the Orange Line. Most of these routes serve the eastern side of the tracks, while there are only two on the western side: the 108, which sticks very close to the Orange Line right-of-way, and the 101, which is much more circuitous. Making a huge crescent going as far west as Medford Square, no one would take the 101 from beginning to end. However, many people use it, as you’re about to find out.
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| The bus coming into Malden Center. |
We headed down Pleasant Street, pretty quickly leaving behind the tallish buildings of Malden Center. It was residential until we crossed the Fellsway West, where there was a mall and a bunch of small businesses. We also went by the Fellsway bus yard, which was pretty cool.
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| This is what happens when the awesome bus yard is on the left side of the bus and you’re sitting on the right. You get a bad picture. |
From there, it became a mixture of houses and businesses. Eventually, we reached a big rotary which went under I-93. We were in Medford Square once past that, where the road was lined with shops. Turning onto Main Street, we crossed over a bridge, under the Mystic Valley Parkway, and into an industrial area.
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| Nice view. |
Luckily we left the industrial area almost as quickly as we entered it (the 95 continues through it, and you may remember how – um – scenic that ride was). But we continued down Main Street, which was nice and residential. Soon enough, businesses began to pop up, and it became a mix between those and houses.
Main Street curved eastward a bit, and became entirely residential again, with more closely-spaced houses. There was a great view out of the front of the bus when we reached Winter Hill, but I couldn’t get any pictures. We joined the 89, merging onto Broadway, which had a nice tree-lined median. This was once again a mixture of businesses and houses. After a period of time with an 89 in front of us stealing all our passengers, we reached the Sullivan Square busway.
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| Well, things certainly got gloomier, didn’t they? |
Route: 101 (Malden Center Station – Sullivan Square Station via Salem Street, Main Street, and Broadway)
Ridership: There were about 40 people on my ride, and this was a Saturday! And there were a bunch of people waiting at Sullivan, so it headed back to Malden with a full load, as well. The 101 is in the top 30 bus routes when it comes to ridership: 4,767 riders per weekday, 2,397 on Saturdays, and 1,119 on Sundays. Medford Square seems to act as a halfway point for the route, where most of the people from Malden have gotten off and people start getting on to go to Sullivan, and vice versa.
Pros: The 101 cuts right through Medford, which is great. It serves a lot, and also has a pretty good schedule: every 10-15 minutes rush hour (nice!), every half hour during the day, and every 35 minutes on Saturdays.
Cons: But it’s every hour at night and every 70 minutes on Sundays. The Sunday schedule in particular is pretty awful, especially since the route still gets high ridership on Sundays.
Nearby and Noteworthy: There were lots of small businesses along the route. Medford Square looked nice.
Final Verdict: 6/10
The 101 seems like a really popular route. If that’s the case, then why does it run so infrequently on Sundays? Seriously, every 70 minutes seems really bad. That said, the route still serves large portions of Medford and connects them up to the Orange Line. Routewise, the 101 is a great bus, and it does run frequently a lot of the time, but that Sunday schedule is horrible.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
92 (Sullivan Square Station – Downtown via Main Street and Haymarket Station)
The 93 cuts right through the heart of Charlestown, and it’s a really nice ride that feels like you’re going through a really old neighborhood (which it is). The 92 still has that feeling, but along its route, there are hints of trashiness here and there: a small shopping plaza, a little parking lot, and a suburban-style bank (including a drive-through) are some of the things you see. Also, not nearly as many people use the 92 as they do the 93. Let’s take a closer look.
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| The bus downtown. |
The 92 (and 93) used to go all the way to Downtown Crossing, but they were recently cut back to just south of State. Thus, I got on the bus at Devonshire Street @ Milk Street, the current terminus, along with…one other person. Wow, lots of ridership here.
We turned onto Milk Street, then up Congress Street, in and among the tall buildings of downtown. At Haymarket, the driver opened the doors hopefully, but nobody waiting got on. So, we made our way up to North Washington Street and crossed over a bridge.
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| The view from the bridge. |
We turned onto Chelsea Street, then Warren Street. This was a cute, narrow street with apartments on either side. Soon, we merged with Main Street, this being Thompson Square. We passed a small shopping plaza (blech), then the street became lined with small businesses and apartments.
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| I missed the street that led right to the Bunker Hill Monument, but look! You can kind of see it from this one… |
Passing a school, a playground, and the aforementioned suburban-style bank, we soon left Charlestown, merging into a big rotary. We navigated the maze of roads leading into the Sullivan Square busway, where two people got on the bus. After that, we left the busway and continued north, entering the trashiest part of the 92.
We headed up Mystic Ave, which had industrial buildings on one side and a big highway on the other. We then merged onto Middlesex Ave, which went behind the Assembly Square Mall. Heading onto the Fellsway for a block, we turned onto Grand Union Boulevard, then into the mall proper. The few people riding got off here, and I headed off towards Assembly Row and the Orange Line station.
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| Getting ready to head back. |
Route: 92 (Sullivan Square Station – Downtown via Main Street and Haymarket Station)
Ridership: There were only 5 people in total on my ride. And the last time I took the 92 (it was only from Sullivan to downtown, so I didn’t review it then), there were only 3 people who rode! But then there was a time I saw the route at rush hour and it was packed. However, it would seem the 92 gets pretty subpar ridership overall, with an average 1,321 riders per weekday and 579 on Saturdays.
Pros: This is a good alternative to the 93, serving the whole of Main Street (though the 93 is a nicer ride, in my opinion). This one has the added bonus of going up to Assembly, though I’m surprised people still take it up there even after the new Orange Line station opened. I suppose the station serves Assembly Row, while the 92 is more for people going to the Assembly Square Mall. The route also has a good schedule, running every 25 minutes weekdays and every 35 minutes Saturdays.
Cons: There’s no Sunday service, which is too bad. But actually, I wonder if the 92 even needs to run on Saturdays. The route only has an average of about 10 people per trip on Saturdays, which isn’t very much.
Nearby and Noteworthy: I saw some small businesses along Main Street, but I’ve got nothing specific, as usual.
Final Verdict: 7/10
I mean, this is definitely a good route for what it’s worth. It runs frequently and serves an unserved part of Charlestown. Here’s the thing – on my ride, literally no one got on or off along the entire Main Street portion of the route. This could’ve been specific to just my ride, but if it happens often, here’s a possible way to fix it. Maybe on Saturdays, the MBTA could run a combined 92/93 bus that goes up Bunker Hill Street, over to Assembly, and then back down on Main Street. That said, the 93 gets significantly more Saturday ridership than the 92, so it might overcrowd it. Well, just an idea.
UPDATE 9/1/19: This route now only goes to Sullivan instead of Assembly, a good change.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
245 (Quincy Center Station – Mattapan Station via Quincy Hospital and Pleasant Street)
This is a route I’ve been wanting to take for a while. It’s not quite as elusive as the 217 (though I really want to take that one, too), but it does run weekdays only and not very often at that. It serves quite a few parts of southern Milton, and a large part of Quincy west of the center. Yes, today we’re taking a ride on the 245.
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| The bus coming into Mattapan. |
We turned onto Blue Hills Parkway, which instantly became residential. It had a nice wide median, but we didn’t have too much time to enjoy it, turning onto Brook Road soon after. We passed a park and a middle school, then joined the 240, turning onto Reedsdale Road. There is a variant of the 245 that stays on Brook Road, which seems suburban and even rural at points.
This was the standard route, though, and Reedsdale Road was all residential. We did pass a nice-looking library and a hospital, but it was mostly just houses. There was a church at the intersection with Randolph Ave, where the 240 turned off and we were on our own. We turned onto Pleasant Street a block later.
Pleasant Street was a windy residential road. It eventually became Edge Hill Road, and we passed a big school. Soon, the street got a little tree-lined median, making for a very nice residential neighborhood. After that, we turned onto Adams Street, joining the 215 and 217 and entering East Milton Square.
The street was lined with businesses for a bit, then got residential. The 215 and 217 went their separate ways, and we were alone once more, with some trashy businesses lining Adams Street. Unexpectedly, we turned onto narrow Common Street, which was residential.
Soon after, we turned onto Quarry Street, going by some big apartment complexes. It changed to Granite Street, and we curved north, passing some malls with huge parking lots. We were very close to Quincy Center, but then we turned onto residential Whitwell Street.
We went by the massive Quincy Medical Center, then came down a hill and turned onto Adams Street. This was another residential street, and also had its own “National Historical Park”! It got more urban after we crossed over the Red Line tracks and Adams Street curved south. We merged into Hancock Street and came into the Quincy Center busway soon after.
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| This is the 245 at Quincy Center. Well, it was the 245. |
Route: 245 (Quincy Center Station – Mattapan Station via Quincy Hospital and Pleasant Street)
Ridership: On my ride, there were about 20 passengers in total. This route gets low ridership in general, with only about 561 boardings per day. Indeed, it ranks 137 out of 164 bus routes, so…not great.
Pros: The 245 serves quite a lot, from southern Milton to western Quincy. It’s also the only link from Quincy to Mattapan, should anyone want to go between those places. I don’t believe anyone rode from beginning to end on my ride, though.
Cons: The headways are varied, from as often as every 35 minutes to as infrequent as every 75 minutes. That’s probably good for the ridership this route gets, but I still think limited Saturday service would be nice.
Nearby and Noteworthy: It was mostly residential, but there were some businesses in East Milton Square.
Final Verdict: 6/10
This route certainly serves a lot, and it was a very nice ride. It is weekdays only, however, with pretty limited headways. Saturday service would be nice, even if it’s just in the denser Quincy section of the route. Maybe a shuttle from Quincy Center to East Milton Square?
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
27 (Mattapan Station – Ashmont Station via River Street)
Geographically, the 27 runs very close to the Mattapan High Speed Line along its whole route. Looking at it on a map, I thought it seemed like the most useless bus route ever! But in actuality, it serves quite a lot. See, the Mattapan High Speed Line is separated from River Street by the Neponset River, which doesn’t have any crossings on the western half of the route. Thus, each mode of transportation basically gets its own side of the river. We’re taking a look at the northern part today, along which the 27 runs.
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| A really odd angle at Ashmont. |
We left Ashmont heading down Dot Ave, where things got residential pretty quickly. We passed a big hospital and then entered the Lower Mills historic district. The street became lined with businesses, and there were also some old factories in view. Here we turned onto River Street.
Passing a small mall, River Street then became more residential. We went by a huge assisted living complex, and a playground later on. The Neponset River Reservation then took up one side of the street, with more houses on the other side. Soon, however, there were apartment buildings on either side of the road that signified that we were in Mattapan. We pulled into the Mattapan busway right after that.
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| The bus in Mattapan. |
Route: 27 (Mattapan Station – Ashmont Station via River Street)
Ridership: There were about 15 people on my ride. Weirdly, some of them actually took this bus from beginning to end! I guess it’s because the bus is 50 cents cheaper than the Mattapan High Speed Line. On weekdays, this bus only gets an average of 887 boardings, but when it gets combined with the 24 on weekends, the ridership jumps to 1,319 boardings on Saturdays and 724 on Sundays (it may seem like less, but it’s still good relative to other Sunday buses).
Pros: As you can probably tell, this is a really short route. It’s scheduled to take 10 minutes to get from Ashmont to Mattapan, and it really was that quick. Still, it serves the side of the Neponset River not covered by any public transit lines. Also, combining the 24 and 27 nights and weekends seems to be an efficient way to save money while still keeping both routes.
Cons: I wonder if they could also combine the routes middays. They should leave rush hour alone, for sure, but there were 15 people on my midday 27 bus – not very much. That said, the 24 gets higher ridership than the 27, so perhaps it’s more crowded middays.
Nearby and Noteworthy: The Lower Mills seemed like a pretty cool place. It would be interesting to tour one of those old factories, but I’m not sure if you can.
Final Verdict: 8/10
This is a nice little route! I forgot to mention the schedule, but it runs a consistent every half hour all day. On weekends the 24/27 runs every 40 minutes Saturdays and every 65 minutes Sundays, which both mean healthy amounts of people on each vehicle. So yeah, overall, this is a great little route with a fine schedule and fairly good ridership.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
Governor Charlie Baker wants to make some radical changes to the MBTA, but transportation officials are pushing back.
Back Bay (a very in-depth look)
I’ve been to Lechmere. I’ve been to Dudley. I’ve been to Prudential, for heaven’s sake. Yet I was unprepared for Back Bay. This is the darkest, dirtiest, scariest, and overall dingiest MBTA station I’ve ever been to. Along with two of my friends, Jason and Michael, I explored this station from top to bottom (yet somehow I overlooked the Dartmouth Street underpass – whoops) and found a bunch of cool/disgusting things. We also spent about 45 minutes down on the Commuter Rail platforms, so I probably inhaled about 300 gallons of diesel fumes. Did I mention the diesel fumes? There are lots of diesel fumes.
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| Well, isn’t that a nice entrance? Too bad it doesn’t warn you about the horrors inside. |
The entrance on Clarendon Street is great. It has its own busway where MBTA buses 39 and 170 stop, as well as the Megabus to New York City. It’s a fine busway, with benches and shelter. But the entrance itself is really cool-looking. It has a massive glass facade, with some circular art over the glass. Also, there are revolving doors, which is an amazing feature.
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| A pretty awkward angle of the second entrance, which is evidently dominated by Santander ads. |
The second entrance is on Dartmouth Street, and looks pretty much the same as the one on Clarendon Street. It lacks a busway, though the 10 stops a little further down Dartmouth Street. I’m not sure how much ridership that route gets at this stop, but I feel like it ought to have a shelter. This is a very major train station, after all.
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| The beautiful entrance area. |
The above-ground station building is really nice. Its ceilings are insanely tall, and lots of natural light gets in from the massive windows. There are a bunch of fare machines scattered about, and lots of fare gates heading to the Orange Line. Also from this entrance area is a staircase down to an underpass to Copley Place, the Hynes Convention Center, and the Prudential Center.
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| The hallway between the entrances. |
A hallway then leads back to the Clarendon Street entrance. It has some vending machines along it, which is nice. And overall, the hallway looks pretty good, though it does have some random pipes scattered about.
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| An indoor Pedal and Park! Woah! |
On the Clarendon Street side of the station, there’s actually an indoor Pedal and Park facility! It’s something I’ve never seen before on the MBTA, and it’s certainly interesting. I have to wonder, though, if the floor gets really dirty when people bring their muddy bikes right into the station to park them up.
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| The forlorn entrance to the parking garage. |
From this above ground area, there’s an exit into a nearby parking garage. It’s not an official MBTA garage, but it’s nice that the connection is there. The exit is an overpass over Tracks 5 and 7 (you’ll be hearing a lot about those later on), but unfortunately, the door to the parking garage was locked. Turns out it’s only open on weekdays, which sort of makes sense, but people ride the train on weekends, too! I was here on a Saturday and it was still pretty crowded.
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| The waiting area. |
The waiting area is a pretty nice place. It’s very bright, with benches circling around cool-looking lamps. There’s also a statue, which doubles as a bench itself. The waiting area includes payphones and bathrooms, which I was sadly unable to visit. Ticket offices run along the wall, and on the other side of the room, there’s a Dunkin’ Donuts. In fact, this station has two Dunkin’ Donuts, on either side of the mezzanine. Overkill, much?
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| Look how smoggy it is down here on tracks 1-3! |
Tracks 1-3 serve the Franklin, Needham, and Providence/Stoughton Lines, as well as Amtrak’s Northeast Regional and Acela Express. They have high-floor platforms, though they’re pretty dark. Also, they’re super-smoggy because of all the diesel fumes that come through this station. Indeed, the air problems are so bad here that people with lung conditions are advised not to use this station. A scientist at the Clean Air Task Force, a nonprofit research group, said that the air quality down here was “some of the worst air quality I’ve ever measured.” Fix the ventilation, MBTA!
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| A bench with some historical information on it. |
Aside from the darkness and air problems, this platform isn’t too bad. It has lots of signs with some really awesome historical images and information. There are also way too many Santander ads, just like in every other part of the station. It’s really annoying when a company monopolizes an entire station with their ads.
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| I love this! |
On one of the platforms (I want to say Track 2, but I’m not too sure), there’s a cool art piece of the workings of a steam engine (I think). Whatever it is, it looks really cool. It’s 3D, with lots of detail in the little gauges and pipes going everywhere. It adds a bit of spice to a mostly gloomy platform.
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| Two shots of a truck that came through the station. |
We started walking further down the platform, when a cute little pickup truck came chugging down the tracks! It seemed to have wheels that allowed it to run on train tracks, but it looked really tiny compared to the high platform. What are these trucks actually used for? Leave a comment if you know.
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| The most disgusting staircase you will ever climb. Note that the flash was on. |
We came across a staircase from the platform that led up to Columbus Ave. Let me tell you, this was the grossest staircase I’ve ever been on. Water dripped from the ceiling constantly, and it was really, really dark. We tried to avoid any liquids when climbing it, but this proved to be impossible, as the whole thing was covered in water or possibly…something else.
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| The exit. |
It was invigorating to see broad daylight at the top of the stairs. This was exit-only, though, so we didn’t want to leave. Indeed, it had a door that said it was an emergency exit, but maybe people are encouraged to use the turnstile next to it to leave. Honestly, though, doors are much more efficient than turnstiles.
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| The above-ground bit of the platform. |
Eventually the platform goes outdoors. Most of it is still sheltered, though. Honestly, I don’t know why they built the platform out this far, since no trains seem to be long enough to stop out here. And there’s still historical information out here! It’s like a scavenger hunt or something! Something else we found was a pigeon that had been run over by a train, but the picture I took is kinda gross. I guess I won’t post it here, then, to respect those who are faint of heart.
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| I wouldn’t recommend sitting on this bench. |
We also came across a bench that I dubbed “monsoon bench.” The reason? There was a literal rainstorm of water coming from the ceiling onto this one bench. I don’t know why anyone would wait out here, though, since again, the trains don’t stop this far up the platform.
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| Well, that’s…haphazard. |
At the very end of the platform, there was an emergency exit staircase. Its door was open, and I really wanted to see what the stairs led to, but there were all these signs saying “police take notice” and stuff like that. I decided to play it safe and not go in.
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| Look how smoggy it is! |
On our way back into the tunnel, we had to dodge around some stuff that looked like a big pile of bird poop or something. We also had to duck around a pipe that was simply spewing out water. I guess the MBTA doesn’t bother to fix this part of the platform because there’s no point in waiting out here.
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| A better picture of the platform. |
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| Inside the elevator. |
The elevator was surprisingly smell-free. It was fairly clean, but the floor seemed to be a bit exposed. It was also a really slow ride, but overall, I was surprised by the cleanliness of the elevator. Okay, mostly the fact that it didn’t have a smell. Seriously, how is that possible? This is the MBTA!
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| A train heading toward South Station. |
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| Another train. |
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| Cool, an Amtrak! |
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| The back of the Amtrak train, |
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| You can see the Orange Line trains going by from this platform, too. |
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| Looking down the mezzanine at the Orange Line entrances. |
Chronologically, we went to the Orange Line platform last, but I’m gonna talk about that before I talk about the horrors of tracks 5-7. There are two ways to get into the Orange Line – the first is from the mezzanine itself, and the second is down by the Dartmouth Street Underpass (which I wasn’t able to see). Heading in through the mezzanine, there’s some nice art hanging above the stairs.
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| The platform. |
The Orange Line platform is actually pretty nice. It was very clean, though once again completely dominated by Santander ads. Even though one side of the station is above ground, it does feel like a subway station. It even has some pointless televisions on the wall! The only thing I don’t like about this platform is the ceiling, which is kinda ugly.
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| The exit-only hallway to Clarendon Street and Columbus Ave. |
On one end of the station, there’s an exit that leads to the intersection of Clarendon Street and Columbus Ave. The hallway itself is nice, with little glass squares on either side. The exit is more or less the same as the Commuter Rail exit, except with two sides. There’s still the turnstile and door that says “Emergency exit,” for some reason.
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| A train on the platform. |
Okay, now it’s time to go to Tracks 5 and 7. This station has been all right thus far, but wait until we get down to this platform. It’s horrid. It’s disgusting. It’s dark. It is the dingiest, scariest place I’ve ever been to on the entire MBTA. Okay, here we go.
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| Enter…if you dare. |
Tracks 5 and 7 serve the Framingham/Worcester Line, as well as Amtrak’s daily Lake Shore Limited to Chicago. The entrance to the platform is fairly unassuming, with the same architecture as the rest of the mezzanine. It has a little departure board for Commuter Rail trains outside, as well as a Framingham/Worcester Line schedule.
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| This was the first thing I saw in the platform. Great first impression… |
At the bottom of the staircase, the ceiling and wall paint was peeling off. And then we actually entered the platform. Well, for one thing, it was extremely dark at that entrance. I used flash in a lot of these pictures, so just take my word that it was really, really dark.
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| Heading toward the light. |
This station has a smaller above ground section, and it’s as useless as the one back on Track 1. There were a few benches out there, but no one would have reason to wait in that section. Also, we found some…poop. Dog or human? We had no idea.
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| Well, at least it’s brighter over here. |
The platform got brighter in the middle. It did have a wastebasket and a recycling bin, as well as a bunch of papers strewn about the floor. There was an interesting pillar formation in the middle of the platform, with a random diagonal support that didn’t seem to serve much of a purpose.
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| The boarding area. |
Most of the platform is low-level, but there’s a mini-high at the far end of the platform. Gee, MBTA, thanks for making everyone walk even deeper into Poor Air Quality Land. It’s just as gross and disgusting as the rest of the platform, and there was a bunch of trash stuffed under the one bench in the boarding area.
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| The bowels of the tunnel. |
Past the waiting area, the dark, creepy tunnel continued past an “x” of supports. Beyond that was a whole bunch of trash on the floor and then darkness. We theorized that there have been a lot of wild parties thrown at this part of the station. But really, just standing there and looking into the tunnel was really, really scary, not just because of the darkness, but also these noises of water dripping from the ceiling and who knows what else. And speaking of scary things, here’s the other crazy stuff we found on this platform!
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| There was some sort of weird liquid there… |
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| Look! Daylight! |
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| The staircase that led to that above door. I believe it’s exit only. |
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| This wall is in dire need of some repainting. |
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| That is a really disgusting roof. |
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| This sign has seen a bit of vandalism over the years. |
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| No idea what that thing hanging down is… |
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| Pshh, down here? How many people do you think follow that rule? |
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| Some random wire hanging down. |
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| A train! Civilization! |
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| The back of the train. |
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| Trash galore. |
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| Okay, seriously, how the heck do you get all this stuff into the ceiling? |
Station: Back Bay
Ridership: This is the fifth busiest subway station on the system, with 18,100 riders per day using the Orange Line platform. As for the Commuter Rail, the Blue Book only gives inbound data, so all I can say is that 126 people per day go to South Station from here. (That much? Really?) However, there were quite a lot of commuters when we were here, and that was on a Saturday. Finally, Amtrak gets 540,770 riders per year here, or about 1,482 riders per day.
Pros: Okay, well, it’s definitely a well-located station. While South Station serves downtown and the financial district, Back Bay is here to serve the Back Bay (duh) and Copley Square. And I have to say, I like a lot of it. The entrances and mezzanine are great, and the Orange Line platforms aren’t bad. In addition, in terms of aesthetics, Tracks 1-3 are all right. A little dark (okay, a lot dark), but I loved the train art on the wall and the historical images.
Cons: But of course, this station has really, really bad air quality. Like, that’s dangerous! This is a dangerous station! And don’t even get me started on Tracks 5 and 7. You can see in the photos above that this is not a nice place to wait for the train. And they put the waiting area at the very end of the platform, just to make people go further into the smog-infested station!
Nearby and Noteworthy: Copley Square is a stone’s throw away from here, with lots of stuff to do. Also, if you head the other way down Dartmouth Street, you come across a place called Brownstone. I came here for brunch once, and it was really good. And they had 60’s music playing on the radio, just to make the meal even better!
Final Verdict: 3/10
If we were to take the air quality issues and Tracks 5 and 7 out of the picture, this station would probably nab a 7. But alas, both of the problems above exist. The fact that this station is legitimately dangerous for people with lung conditions is just mind-boggling to me. The ventilation here needs to be fixed! And then Tracks 5 and 7 are just a total mess. I almost wonder if it’s not worth renovating them, because they’ve reached the point of no return. That platform was quite fun to explore, though, I’ll give it that. Bring a flashlight!
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
Governor Charlie Baker says that change is required in “virtually all aspects of the MBTA.” Read more here.
MBTA to Become More “Fun”
As we all know, the MBTA had a rough time this winter. From outdated infrastructure to old trains, the MBTA needs to improve its winter performance for next year. But there’s a more pressing concern for Boston’s subway system: it’s not fun enough.
“The MBTA had a rough winter, and we know that.” says MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo, “But we thought, ‘why spend billions of dollars fixing infrastructure when we can spend billions of dollars making commutes more enjoyable?'”
Certainly a bold statement. How exactly will the MBTA become more fun? It has plans to add trampolines, carousels, and ferris wheels in some of its busiest stations, and eventually the whole system. From their ad campaign: “Got 15 minutes to wait for the next Orange Line train? Pass the time by jumping on the trampoline! Just don’t want to go to work today? Release your inner child on the carousel! The possibilities are endless!”
The MBTA will need to hire more staff members for this plan to be implemented. Namely, hundreds and hundreds of clowns to entertain tired commuters during rush hour! These improvements should be complete by 2020, and will make the MBTA a much more “funtastic” environment.
“Stupid, just stupid,” says Karen Shmorfing, a daily commuter from Chelsea on the 111. “We’re so packed in as it is, they’re not gonna have any room for merry-go-rounds!”
“This is such a [expletive] horrible idea!” says Robert Trebor, who commutes from Waltham on the Commuter Rail. “They have [expletive] infrastructure, that’s, like, five million years old, and they’re spending their [expletive] small budget on [expletive] kiddy toys!”
“I like it,” says John, 5.
The MBTA has produced an artist’s impression of one of the new vehicles, as well as an FAQ.
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| An artist’s impression of a refurbished Red Line train. Note the pretty colors and the fun clown. |
How will my commute be enhanced by these changes?
Your commute will be much more fun than it was before. There will be lots of fun rides at stations and many cute decorations around the system. And the subway announcers will tell jokes!
Okay, but what about when old trains break down?
Replacement shuttle buses will offer free lollipops.
How much will it cost to ride, say, the carousel?
Simply tap your CharlieCard to enter the ride. Fares are 20 bucks.
Will my monthly pass cover that cost?
No.
This isn’t an April Fool’s joke, is it?
Yeah, it is. Sorry about that.
Newton Centre
It’s another “Center”, except this one’s spelled the British way! Yes, we’re taking a trip on the D Line out to Newton Centre. I had actually come here once before when I was really little, back when there was a Starbucks right in the station building. That Starbucks is gone now, and I have no memories of when I was here before, so this is pretty much a fresh look.
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| The old station building. |
The outbound side of Newton Centre gets the perk of the old station building providing shelter. The building is in the National Register of Historic Places, and it’s certainly a beauty. It now houses the Deluxe Station Diner, but I didn’t go in. The building even has an old “Piccadilly Square – Newton Centre” sign!
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| The more boring inbound platform. |
The inbound platform is just a typical D Line platform. It has that classic wooden shelter and that classic heated CharlieCard shelter, plus a wheelchair ramp. There’s also an entrance from the residential Braeland Ave down to this platform, but I didn’t notice it when I was at the station. I do know that the entrance has a T symbol, which is always important yet something that some stations lack.
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| A ground-level view (I was going up the stairs). |
The station has quite a few entrances, all things considered. The main one leads to an area with a bunch of newspaper boxes, as well as a bench. Entrances on Herrick Road and Langley Road are just long ramps that lead down to the station. Signage is really good around the station, so it’s always easy to find if you’re walking around the neighborhood. Unfortunately, this is also a “screw you” station, as I found out when I watched my train leave while I tried to run toward it.
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| That’s a lot of benches… |
Newton Centre is only served by one bus route, and that’s the extremely limited 52. Still, this is a train connection, so it makes sense to provide shelters. The outbound shelter had lots of litter around it when I was here, but it was fine. The inbound shelter was interesting in that it has five benches lined up next to it! I’m not sure if they’re meant for waiting for the bus or if they’re just random benches, but this is the 52 we’re talking about. The 52! You do not need that many benches for the 52!
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| Aww, it’s a cute little one-car! |
Station: Newton Centre
Ridership: This is the D Line, so don’t expect too much. That said, the station gets an average of almost 1,900 riders per day, which is pretty good, considering the line it’s on. Most to all of this ridership is probably just local riders from around the area.
Pros: In terms of aesthetics, this is one of the better D Line stations out there. This is mostly due to the awesome old Newton Centre building, which is amazing even if it’s on the outbound platform. As for the inbound platform, it still has those classic D Line wooden and heated shelters. Newton Centre has four entrances, so there are plenty of ways to get in.
Cons: One of the most important parts of any D Line station is tranquility, and unfortunately I didn’t get a very tranquil feeling waiting for the train here. This was because of a noisy air conditioner outside of the old building that completely ruined any quiet, peaceful feelings this station may have had.
Nearby and Noteworthy: Tucked away in an alley is the Union Street restaurant. I ate there for lunch, and it was pretty good.
Final Verdict: 7/10
It’s that typical D Line score. In regards to aesthetics, this station is excellent because of the great old Newton Centre building. Unfortunately, that radiator kind of ruined the tranquility here, and reminded me of the fact that there was civilization nearby. I’m sorry, but I like my D Line stations tranquil. Thus, I’m subtracting the extra point the building would’ve given the station.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
Random Photos: Is There a Laundry Service?
I got on a pretty much empty train at Alewife, and sat down. Looking across from me, I noticed that someone had left a whole bunch of clothing under one of the seats! How the heck do you forget something like that?
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| Geez, Louise… |