Suffolk Downs
Suffolk Downs (the racetrack) seems to be either closed or on the verge of closing. The website calendar shows the horse-racing schedule ending abruptly in October, and Wikipedia says that October 4th was the last race at the track. If Suffolk Downs does indeed close, though, it’ll render the Blue Line station even more obsolete than it already is. So let’s take a look at a station that’s always at the bottom of MBTA ridership lists, Suffolk Downs!
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| The Walley Street side of the station. |
On the Walley Street side of the station, there are a few bike spaces and a road loop. I assume this part of the station acts as a kiss-and-ride area, though there’s nowhere to sit while you’re waiting to be picked up. There are also old streetcar tracks here, which is really cool. The interesting thing about that is that it suggests a streetcar line used to serve the station, though there are no bus connections now.
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| Interesting that they kept those tracks. |
The station’s sole entrance, on the Walley Street side, is interesting to say the least. It’s a mixture of brick and concrete, as well as the ugly black fences that permeate the station. Really, they look terrible, and they’re everywhere. The entrance also has a big blue T logo, and big maps for each direction of the Blue Line.
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| The entrance. |
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| The footbridge, which is pretty ugly. This is the side of it used to get between inbound and outbound platforms, within fare control. |
The “mezzanine” isn’t much. It has a customer service booth (which was totally empty when I was there), two fare machines, and four fare gates. The ceiling is low and pretty ugly, while a single, pure concrete pillar only continues to detract from the aesthetic appeal. There’s also one of those random rolling chairs here, which I feel like are in a lot of MBTA stations…
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| I had to back up into a corner in order to get this picture. |
The platform is also pretty ugly. A very small portion of it is sheltered, and a pretty bad-looking shelter at that. The footbridge adds to the gritty look, with its metal bars and rusting crossbeams. That’s what you use to get between the platforms, too. There aren’t any elevators, but long snaking ramps for those in wheelchairs. Nothing as cool-looking as Herald Square in New York, though.
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| The sun sets further down the tracks… |
The other end of the platform is entirely unsheltered. It has more of those annoying fences, and a bunch of concrete poles with lights on them. There aren’t any places to sit on this side, though the platform doesn’t have a lot of benches, anyway. Suffolk Downs has a pretty isolated feel overall, and it’s not really worth visiting.
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| A train coming into the station. |
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| Okay, so I have two train pictures. I like this one because you can see where the tracks rise up to Beachmont Station in the background. |
Station: Suffolk Downs
Ridership: Pretty much nonexistent! It’s the second least-used station on the MBTA (the first being Science Park, interestingly), with only 1,125 boardings per weekday. I assume most of the ridership comes from the residential areas around the station, because Suffolk Downs just doesn’t seem to be a happening place.
Pros: Well, it’s nice that it has a parking lot, and the streetcar tracks are nice…
Cons: First of all, you have to cross the annoying footbridge to the other side of the station in order to get in from Bennington Street. I don’t see why they couldn’t just stick some fare gates on the Bennington Street side. Also, the whole station is just really dated. There’s so much concrete, and those stupid fences are everywhere. You would never think this station was rebuilt in the 90’s (which it was).
Nearby and Noteworthy: Most of the surrounding area is residential, aside from Suffolk Downs itself, which is closed (or something like that). There was, however, a restaurant on Bennington Street called Napoles – I have no idea if it’s good or not, but the building has a big model plane on it, which is pretty cool.
Final Verdict: 3/10
There isn’t much to write home about with this one. It’s an ugly, isolated station that nobody uses. The only really noteworthy thing about it is the streetcar track, but it’s not worth going all the way out to Suffolk Downs to see a track stub.
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109 (Linden Square – Sullivan Square Station via Glendale Square)
When I got to Linden Square on the 108, I was already ready to go back. So I was pretty happy to see a 109 coming along a few minutes after I got off the 108. The 109 spends most of its time on Broadway, and heads through Everett on its way back to Sullivan. So let’s get right to it.
We started out heading down Lynn Street, then turned onto Eastern Ave, which was a residential neighborhood. This turned to industrial wasteland on one side and a big cemetery on the other. We turned onto Broadway, still with the cemetery on one side. After a short industrial stretch on both sides of the road, it became a mixture of houses and businesses.
There was a small common, then a high school, and then it went back to houses and businesses. When we reached Glendale Square, it became all retail, and the businesses stuck around past there (with a few houses in between). In Everett Square, there were once again all businesses, as well as some bus connections.
After that, we made our way around a rotary, and it became almost pure industrial. We sped through here without making any stops, since industrial wastelands aren’t usually hotspots for ridership. There was a massive power plant on one side and a huge windmill on the other, then we went over a bridge into Boston. After a few more industrial buildings, we turned into the Sullivan Square busway.
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| Man, it was wet that day! This is back in Linden Square. |
Route: 109 (Linden Square – Sullivan Square Station via Glendale Square)
Ridership: There were about 25 people who rode in total, which isn’t bad. But looking at the MBTA Blue Book, it says that the 109 actually has better ridership than the 108. So I’m going to assume that my ride was a fluke, especially since I’ve seen hoards of people boarding the 109 at Sullivan before.
Pros: This is a nice, straightforward route right down Broadway. I think more people use it to get from Broadway to the Orange Line than for Linden Square service, but it’s good that it serves Linden Square, too.
Cons: Once again, the schedule. Rush hour is good, with every 15 minute service, but during the day that rises to every 40 minutes. It’s every 55 minutes during the night and on Sunday, and every 40 minutes on Saturdays. It’s slightly better than the 108 some times and slightly worse other times.
Nearby and Noteworthy: Both Glendale Square and Everett Square seemed to have a lot of interesting businesses, but a surprisingly high amount of the route was industrial. I wouldn’t visit the industrial bits…
Final Verdict: 6/10
Well, it fares slightly better than the 108. Overall, I’d say their schedules are about equal, with certain times better for one route over the other. But I had a few issues with the 108’s somewhat crazy route, whereas the 109 is really straightforward. Thus, it gets that extra point.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
108 (Linden Square – Wellington Station via Malden Center Station and Highland Ave)
The last two buses I reviewed had pretty low ridership. It’s probably because they have low ridership anyway, but one could make the argument that there weren’t that many people around, as I took them on Christmas Eve. But if that were the case, it certainly wouldn’t explain the extraordinary ridership I saw on the 108 the very same day. So let’s take a trip up to one of my least favorite neighborhoods in Greater Boston, Linden Square!
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| The bus at Wellington. |
We looped around to Revere Beach Parkway having left Wellington, and braved a massive traffic jam over the Orange Line tracks. Luckily, things cleared up when we turned onto the Fellsway, going by a huge mall. We didn’t stay for long, though, as we soon made a sharp right turn onto Riverside Ave.
It was a nice residential neighborhood, which continued onto Middlesex Ave. But soon, there was a block of businesses, a park, and the king of all superstores, BJ’s. Indeed, the next section of the route was full of chain businesses with massive parking lots, but then it went back to houses suddenly. There was, however, the occasional business or apartment.
We turned onto Pleasant Street, and since this was a midday trip, Pearl Street. Passing a stadium and some more houses, we then turned onto Charles Street, passing under the Orange Line tracks. There was a short industrial section along Commercial Street, then we were surrounded by the tall buildings of Malden Center. We turned into the busway, where there was a hoard of people waiting to get on.
We then headed down Center Street, picking up more people at the king of all Stop & Shop stores, Super Shop & Shop. There were more businesses on Main Street, and the Malden High School on Salem Street. This marked the end of Malden Center, and the neighborhood was now a mix of houses and businesses.
It eventually turned entirely residential, though there was also yet another school. The intersection with Lebanon Street played host to more businesses, and another school. The 106 left Salem Street there, and the 411 and 430 turned onto Broadway a little later on, leaving just the 108. We passed the final school on the route, and then it became all residential. Salem Street curved to the east, paralleling Route 1 for a bit, then we turned onto Lynn Street. This led back to the Linden Square stop, which luckily wasn’t in the really ugly area to the east.
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| The bus gets ready to go back to Wellington. |
Route: 108 (Linden Square – Wellington Station via Malden Center Station and Highland Ave)
Ridership: There were almost 55 people who rode in total! On Christmas Eve, too! The route was basically split into two in terms of ridership – the part from Wellington to Malden Center acts as its own self-contained route, while everyone heading out to Linden Square got on at Malden Center. I wouldn’t be surprised if the 108 was a merger of two separate routes, since that’s pretty much how it operates, ridership-wise.
Pros: This is the most direct route to Linden Square from Malden Center – the 411 follows almost the exact same route as the 108, but it diverges to serve the Granada Highlands housing complex. It does ultimately serve the same stop in Linden Square, though. But the 108 also runs more often than the 411, plus it serves the neighborhoods between Malden Center and Wellington.
Cons: Turns out I actually have quite a few problems with this route. First is the schedule – it’s good during rush hours (about every 15 minutes) and on Saturdays (every half hour), but it’s pretty bad other times. On weekdays it runs anywhere from every 15 minutes (good) to every 45 minutes (pretty bad). During the night and on Sundays it runs every hour, which is quite awful, especially considering the ridership I saw. But I also have a few issues with the route itself. For one thing, what’s with the stretch on the Fellsway, then the sharp turn onto Riverside Ave? Wouldn’t it be easier to avoid the Fellsway entirely and turn onto Middlesex Ave right from Revere Beach Parkway? And also, what’s with the Pearl Street routing? It just seems like a pointless detour – buses only travel on it during midday, and nobody got on or off there on my ride.
Nearby and Noteworthy: Well, I’m not a fan of Linden Square, so I’d go with Malden Center. There are lots of interesting businesses there.
Final Verdict: 5/10
Well, I wasn’t really expecting this low of a score. The 108 seems like a good link from Malden Center to Linden Square (as well as a good connector for the neighborhoods between Malden Center and Wellington), but just look at the size of that “cons” section! Aside from the schedule being pretty meh, the route seems to have a few seemingly unnecessary detours. Perhaps people use them, but no one on my trip did…
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
Once again, the MBTA will be providing free rides after 8 P.M. on New Year’s Eve. This is the 22nd year they’ve offered free rides for the holiday.
85 (Spring Hill – Kendall/MIT Station via Summer Street and Union Square)
Man, I thought I’d hate the 85. I figured that no one would ride it, and I could give it a scathing review. Turns out, though, that it seems to be a somewhat well-used local route (note the emphasis on somewhat), and the ride was really enjoyable! That said, I feel like I should hate it, for the same reasons I hated the 68 – it’s close to more frequent services. This is possibly my most inner-conflicted review ever…
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| That headlight on the right is exceptionally bright (rhyming unintentional). |
The bus was early, and so we layed over in Kendall for a bit. During this time, someone tried to ask the driver where the train station was. I wasn’t sure what happened, but all of a sudden they were yelling at each other, with the person finally storming off. I mean, asking for directions to the train station is a perfectly valid question! What got the driver/person so mad?
Soon after the fight, we left and headed down Main Street, then turned onto Ames Street, Broadway, and Hampshire Street (along with the CT2). Leaving the office buildings of Kendall Square, it became residential, with the occasional businesses. We turned onto Columbia Street, a cute, entirely residential neighborhood, and then onto Webster Ave.
This street was an industrial wasteland, and so was Prospect Street. When we crossed over the Commuter Rail tracks, I saw some construction and wondered if it was of the new Union Square Green Line station. But we sped past, and, turning onto Somerville Ave, entered the Square. It had some nice small businesses, but soon we were off on Summer Street, finally leaving the CT2.
We went by a field, and it became mostly residential. There was, however, a gas station and a convenience store at the intersection with School Street. We also passed a big nursing home, but it was mostly just houses. Turning onto Central Street and then Avon Street, we reached the last stop and everyone on the bus got off. I walked through the neighborhood to find Highland Ave so I could catch another bus.
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| I really love this picture for some reason. |
Route: 85 (Spring Hill – Kendall/MIT Station via Summer Street and Union Square)
Ridership: Admittedly pretty low – there were about 15 people who got off at Kendall, and about 10 on my bus. Most of the riders on my trip got on at Kendall, though there were a couple people who got on at Union Square. Almost everyone got off at Spring Hill, which was somewhat surprising. In terms of overall numbers, the 85 is in the bottom 30 in terms of bus ridership, but barely.
Pros: It provides local service along the CT2’s route, and it’s the only bus to serve Spring Hill. And really, I should be complaining about how close Spring Hill is to other bus routes, but I just can’t. I don’t know, there was a fair amount of people who went to Spring Hill, and this is the fastest ride to the Red Line from there.
Cons: So instead, I’ll complain about the schedule, because it’s pretty awful. The route runs every 40 minutes, weekdays only. That means on weekends, people in Spring Hill are forced to walk the three blocks to the 88 or the five blocks to the 83 or 87. Oh, wait, now I’m complaining about Spring Hill’s proximity to other, more frequent services. Darn it!
Nearby and Noteworthy: Union Square is probably the most happening place along the route, though Kendall’s pretty trendy, too.
Final Verdict: 4/10
I could not decide between giving the 85 a 4 or a 5. I eventually opted for the former, because I’d be a hypocrite if I didn’t. I gave the 68 a very low score due to the fact that the whole thing is in walking distance to more frequent services. I think the 85 covers more, though, and it gets better ridership than the former. But though I really want to like this route, it’s still pretty close to other routes, and its schedule is terrible. Sorry, 85.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
68 (Harvard/Holyoke Gate – Kendall/MIT via Broadway)
I actually use the 68 almost every day. See, I have clubs most days of the week after school, so I can’t take the glorified school bus back home. If I can time my club departure right, though, I can grab the 68 right outside of the Cambridge Rindge and Latin and take it the few blocks to Harvard Station (because walking to Harvard takes energy). But I had only taken the whole route once before, and I didn’t review it then. So since I’ve taken the whole thing again, I’ll give the 68 the review it rightfully deserves. (Though it may not like its final score…)
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| Too bad that pole got in the way. |
The bus was a bit late coming to Holyoke Gate, but we were off soon enough. We curved around to Johnston Gate, where surprisingly no one was waiting, and then went through a tunnel. After that, we turned onto Broadway, going by some apartments, and then past the high school. It then got residential, with ornate brick apartments on one side of the street and sizeable houses on the other.
We passed a few businesses, and another school. There were a few more businesses at the intersection with Prospect Street, where the 64 joins the 68 on Broadway during rush hours. We went by a park, then it became a mixture of retail and residential buildings. There was another school, and then out of nowhere we were surrounded by the office buildings of Kendall Square.
Normally the route would go further down Broadway and swing around onto Main Street to stop at Kendall Station. But the “swing around” street was being worked on, as an MBTA Police vehicle on Broadway told the bus driver. So we followed the police van, snaking through the bowels of Kendall Square, and somehow ended up back at the Kendall Station bus stop. The few riders on board got off, and the driver got ready to head back to Harvard.
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| The bus sign appears to have fallen down… |
Route: 68 (Harvard/Holyoke Gate – Kendall/MIT via Broadway)
Ridership: Both times I took this bus there were only about 10 people who rode, riding for fairly small distances. And it’s always pretty much empty whenever I take it after school. I think part of the reason for the low ridership is the route itself – you can see from the length of this post that it’s a short one. Also, the route is sandwiched between the 1 and the 69, which are both more frequent than the 68. And even when it gets further from those two, it’s never far away from another route with a better schedule.
Pros: Well, it provides service on Broadway. But is this service needed?
Cons: Signs point to no. As I said in “ridership,” the 68 doesn’t have any portions where it’s the only option. The schedule seems to reflect this, as the route only runs every half hour, weekdays only, until not even 7 PM. So on weekends, those who use the 68 are forced to walk to the nearest other service, a walk which is never longer than about 15 minutes.
Nearby and Noteworthy: None of the businesses we passed seemed especially noteworthy, but maybe there’s something along the route.
Final Verdict: 2/10
This route just doesn’t seem necessary. It’s very short, and most of it is close to other services. On weekends people have to use those other services anyway, since the 68’s schedule is awful. I honestly feel like the MBTA could scrap this route, and it wouldn’t affect that many people (I’m even willing to walk to Harvard after school). Indeed, this is one of the least-used routes on the system, with even less ridership than the 4, which was on the chopping block a few years ago.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
Weekend service for three Commuter Rail lines starts tomorrow! Huzzah!
GUEST POST: 66 (Harvard Square – Dudley Station via Allston and Brookline Village)
The last time I rode the 66, it was a crazy route that was always late either because a bus broke down or there were severe traffic problems. But that was like a year and a half ago so I figured why not take another ride on the 66?
The trip starts with a packed bus at Dudley, more than the last time I rode it. From there we head down Malcolm X Boulevard, which changes to Tremont Street. We pick up several more people at Roxbury Crossing, which makes the bus so crowded that people actually get on in the back of the bus! We finally make it to Brigham Circle where we join the 39 and the Green Line (E). As we make our way down Huntington Avenue we suddenly hit a lot of traffic. So what normally is a 5 minute trip down Huntington Avenue took over 15 minutes.
Leaving Boston, we now travel down Harvard Street in Brookline, going mostly express, and before I know it, we are at Coolidge Corner were 30% of people got off to probably catch the Green Line (C). Now I will spare the boredom of the rest of the Harvard Street stretch as it’s mostly just stores and houses. We finally get to Comm. Ave where a lot of people get off to catch the Green Line (B). Minutes later we’re in the heart of Allston, Union Square, where more people get off and on. We travel down Cambridge Street over the Mass Pike Bridge and then make a left on North Harvard Street by the Hess Gas Station. So far this trip had been going very well until….. I heard a lot of noise coming from the engine, and suddenly the Bus Driver told everyone, “The bus is dead.” At that moment, I thought “I can’t finish the review!” But of course, the 66 is one of those bunching routes so one was right behind us. I got on and we continued down North Harvard Street, across the Charles River, and into Cambridge, and finally, after a long 30-45 minute trip, I finally arrived at Harvard Square.
The Fleet: The Route 66 is a mostly Cabot Route with Albany St. Buses operating on the Brighton Center trips during the morning weekday rush hour. So expect to see NABI CNG’S and occasionally a New Flyer D40LF (the 800’s and the Shield Bus 0700) or a New Flyer C40LF (6000 series). The buses are okay, but the NABI’s can be sometimes useless.
Ridership: This is one of the 15 key bus routes on the T so the ridership is expected to be big, but the amount of people that ride this bus is like…..I can’t believe they don’t have articulated buses on the 66, even on a Sunday!
Final Verdict: 8/10
Central
Oh, how I hate it when stations don’t have free crossovers! Especially when I’m not paying attention to what entrance I’m going into and end up on the wrong platform, then when I try to get into the other one it says “Pass already used” and I have to get a 1 to Harvard to take the train from there. Yes, the situation only pertains to Central, but it was really annoying when it happened.
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| That train stuck around for quite a while before leaving. |
Even though you can’t cross between them, the platforms are kinda nice. I love the walls, which have a mosaic pattern along them, and there are different ones in each waiting area. Something I didn’t notice when I was there, but that I can see in the picture is an old-fashioned Central sign. It’s pretty cool that they kept that. Unfortunately, the ceiling does have quite a few random pipes, lowering the aesthetic appeal of the station.
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| The main entrance, with the escalator shelter visible in the background. |
Central actually has three entrances (six if you count the other side), lined up along Mass Ave. They’re all New York subway style, meaning they’re just staircases leading underground from the street. The main one, the middle of the three, also has an elevator and an up escalator. The other two just have stairs.
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| The mezzanine of the main entrance. |
The main entrance has the biggest mezzanine of the three, which means it’s slightly less tiny than the others. Actually, it’s basically a long, thin hallway with the fare machines on one end and the gates on the other. There’s even a customer service booth – what an amenity! And this is the only entrance that has one.
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| The second mezzanine. |
The second entrance has a sign that says “PURCHASE CharlieCards/Tickets.” I’m not sure why it says this, since you can’t get CharlieCards at Central. The fare machines in the (tiny) mezzanine are also interesting, in that they have signs over them saying “Cash, Credit/Debit, Tokens.” Why does it say “tokens?” The token system doesn’t exist anymore! What an odd entrance…
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| The smallest mezzanine is really quite cramped. |
The smallest entrance of the three is accessed by a really tight staircase. It can barely fit two people going in opposite directions, and even then you have to squeeze up to the wall a bit to make it past. What’s more, this mezzanine literally has no fare machines. Oh, there’s room for one, but I guess this station just had to be even more annoying. At least the entrance’s sign says there aren’t any fare machines, but still.
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| The main bus shelter on Mass Ave. |
The complicated bus system at Central is nothing to sneeze at. And even if you did try to sneeze at it, you wouldn’t know where to sneeze because there’s no signage to the station’s three bus stops. The main one is on Mass Ave, and it’s primarily for the 1 and 47. It’s a nice shelter with a multicolored glass roof. There’s nothing else to say about it, really.
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| A shelter on Green Street. |
There are three Central buses (the 64, 70, and 70A) that leave from University Park, about a 10 minute walk away from the station. Why? Who knows? Let’s make the bus situation even more confusing! I wasn’t able to walk to University Park, but I got the above picture of a shelter on Green Street. This is the closest stop to the station for outbound University Park buses. And don’t be fooled by the Mass Ave shelter – the 64, 70, and 70A stop there, but only on their way to University Park.
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| Looks like my shadow photobombed the picture. |
The third one is an actual busway, located on Magazine Street. It serves the 83, 91, and CT1, and is the most “advanced” stop out of the three. For one thing, it’s not a street stop like the other two – cars aren’t allowed in this busway. And this one actually has schedules in a little sheltered bin! They still get soaked if it’s raining, but it’s nice to have them there. The question is, why can’t the 64, 70, and 70A use this much more sophisticated stop?
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| Good thing the platform was a little longer than the train so I could get a picture of it. |
Station: Central
Ridership: Believe it or not, this is one of the very busiest stations on the system. It comes in seventh place in terms of ridership, with over 16,500 riders per weekday! I don’t know why it gets such high ridership, but the residential areas around the station are pretty dense. And this station covers quite a few Cambridge neighborhoods, including East Cambridge and all of Cambridgeport.
Pros: As I said, the station serves a lot of important neighborhoods in Cambridge. As for Central itself, well, I like the mosaics on the platform and the Magazine Street busway. That’s pretty much it.
Cons: Well, there’s the fact that the platform is pretty ugly overall. Or there’s the fact that there are three separate bus stops, without signage in the station letting you know where to go. And of course, there’s the lack of free crossovers. And actually, Central’s a pretty nasty station in that regard if you’re heading outbound and accidentally use the inbound platform, because Kendall also has no free crossovers. You’d have to go all the way to Charles in order to head back in the other direction.
Nearby and Noteworthy: There are a whole bunch of restaurants and businesses near the station. One place that I go to for breakfast occasionally is Veggie Galaxy in Central Square. Its french toast gets the totally arbitrary Miles Seal of Approval.
Final Verdict: 5/10
Okay, so this is clearly an important station. But is it a good station? Not really. The platform is ugly, the bus system is overly complicated, and there aren’t any free crossovers. This is also one of those stations where you can find very…unique smells. But I suppose a whole bunch of people use it, and it’s certainly in a good location.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
Happy holidays and Merry Christmas! The MBTA is running on a Sunday schedule today, so make sure you check the website before going on any trips.
Fields Corner
For the most part, Red Line stations are aesthetically meh. The line doesn’t have that many awful-looking stations, but there aren’t many amazing ones, either. Enter Fields Corner, which looks fantastic after its renovation in 2008. Plus, it’s elevated! Huzzah!
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| The eastern end of the station’s busway. |
The station’s main (more or less) entrance is from the busway. Now, I believe I’ve mentioned before how weird and complicated the bus procedure here is. Buses have to go onto a road that rises up next to the station, then turn around onto the busway proper on the other side of the tracks. I don’t know why it’s done like this, since it seems like it could be so much simpler.
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| And the other end. |
The busway itself is split into two parts. Routes that serve Dorchester Ave (the 18, 201, 202, and 210) board on the eastern end, while routes that serve Geneva Ave (the 15, 17, and 19) board on the western end. There’s a bit of shelter, as well as benches and some historical images and information on the walls. A nice path gives connections to Dorchester and Geneva Aves.
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| The smaller entrance to Fields Corner. |
There’s a second entrance, too, a smaller one on Charles Street. It’s in a much more residential area, and is accessed by a short flight of stairs. Near the entrance is some greenery that brightens the place up a bit. Not that it really needed brightening, but it’s still a great addition.
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| The mezzanine, from within fare control. |
I love this station’s mezzanine. For one thing, the lighting – there are normal white lights, but also these sleek red ones. There are also red stripes on the walls in some places, and the whole thing is just so awesome! The mezzanine has lots of fare gates and machines, so this station doesn’t have to worry about clogging up (not that it gets much ridership). There are even more historical plaques in here, and natural light gets in, too.
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| The platform. |
As for the platform, it gets quite a lot of natural light, being above ground and all. I love how the walls are made of glass so you can look out, and the ceilings provide adequate shelter. My only problem with the platform was the fact that I found a map there that was so scuffed up it could barely be read (and there might’ve been more). First of all, it was one of the new maps, so I have to question how it got dirty so quickly. Also, it shouldn’t be that hard to replace a simple map! Maybe nobody’s mentioned it before…until now. Mwahaha.
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| A train makes its way around the corner before the station. |
Station: Fields Corner
Ridership: Not great – about 5,300 people board here every weekday. That can probably be attributed to the fact that the station is in a mostly residential area, and would primarily be used by locals.
Pros: This station looks great all around. There isn’t a single part of this station aesthetically that I don’t like. And it’s good in terms of functionality, too – like how the mezzanine has a bunch of fare gates, or how the platform provides pretty good shelter.
Cons: There was that smudged map, but that’s more of a minor quibble. My real problem with this station is the bus situation. Why do they go on that road right up to the station before going back down again, only to loop around back to the busway proper? There must be a simpler way to do this.
Nearby and Noteworthy: There are a few businesses around the station, including a shopping plaza to the south of it. The houses are mostly concentrated to the north and west.
Final Verdict: 8/10
I think this is one of the best-looking stations on the Red Line. Also, it’s elevated, which sweetens the deal. Really, it’s just the busway system I don’t like – the route the vehicles take feels way too circuitous. What if the busway was turned into a two-way street, so buses could drop their passengers off, loop around without anyone on board, and then come back to pick people up? But the two-way thing would probably be hard to do, wouldn’t it? Okay, so maybe the current way is the simplest. Still, though, Fields Corner is a great station regardless.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
Roxbury Crossing
I feel like Roxbury Crossing is really overshadowed by Ruggles. For one thing, they’re pretty close together – only about a half mile apart. For another, Ruggles is a huge intermodal transit hub, with Commuter Rail service and a whole bunch of bus routes. Roxbury Crossing, on the other hand, is a small local station, which has only one bus route that doesn’t originate at Ruggles. So without Commuter Rail traffic and without much bus traffic, we’re left with a quiet Orange Line station just south of a huge hub.
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| The entrance. |
I really like the station’s single entrance. It’s pretty striking, with its sheltered portion sticking out at an angle and the high ceiling of the mezzanine visible. And I love the graffiti-like art on either side of the doors. Not to mention the cool paintings on some pillars, too. There’s also a bike shelter with a few racks – certainly no Pedal and Park, but it’s something.
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| The mezzanine. |
I like the mezzanine, too. There’s some more art (series of patterns) that greets you right as you enter, hanging from the ceiling. The mezzanine also has a bit of retail, including a nice-looking cafe. But it’s also very straightforward, seemingly designed to get large crowds of people through at once. I don’t think this station ever gets the ridership to put it at capacity, though.
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| The shady platform. |
The platform is outside, but below ground level. The whole thing is sheltered, which is great for an outdoor station like this. When I was here on a Sunday, it was really quiet and tranquil – there weren’t many people, and trees could be seen over the walls of the Southwest Corridor. It was a nice wait. the peace broken only by an Amtrak train speeding past – there’s a wall preventing you from seeing them, but you can certainly hear them. However, I didn’t like the weird, ugly pseudo-shelters housing some of the platform’s benches. There’s no point in having shelter if the whole thing is sheltered already!
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| A train leaving the station. |
Station: Roxbury Crossing
Ridership: As I mentioned before, this station isn’t especially busy. It’s the third least-used Orange Line station, with about 4,750 riders per weekday. Just like Shawmut, the primary ridership for this station probably comes from those living in the area, though Roxbury Crossing has the bonus of Roxbury Community College students.
Pros: Overall, the whole station is pretty nice. I absolutely love the entrance, as well as the straightforwardness of the mezzanine. And there’s a whole bunch of art throughout both of these. It’s great that the platform is sheltered, and it’s also pretty tranquil.
Cons: The station has a very bland feel about it overall. There’s nothing terrible in the aesthetics, but Roxbury Crossing has some fairly dated 80’s architecture. Also, I don’t like those pointless shelters on the platform – just get rid of them and keep the benches.
Nearby and Noteworthy: Roxbury Community College seems to be the only place of note around the station – the rest is mostly residential.
Final Verdict: 7/10
I like this station enough, but it could certainly use a makeover. The art helps the bland feel, but the station still looks very dated. Roxbury Crossing does seem like a quiet alternative to Ruggles, if you happen to have a choice between the two and don’t like crowds.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
Shawmut
I love Shawmut on the outside. For one thing, it’s situated in a very quiet residential neighborhood. There aren’t any major streets in the general vicinity of the station, so it’s very tranquil walking around the area. And since the station’s underground, there aren’t any noisy trains that break the peace. There’s a big wide path that goes through the neighborhood, and along it are these cool old-fashioned signs directing the way to “tunnel trains.”
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| There’s one of these at Fields Corner, too, but Shawmut has three along its path. |
The station’s single entrance, too, is magnificent. It apparently dates back to 1928, and certainly looks like it. It’s very ornate, with pillars and brick architecture. The “Shawmut” sign isn’t even in the Red Line livery, since it predated the line colors! The only indication that this is even an MBTA stop is the little plaque next to the doors that reads “Shawmut Station” with a T logo. But this is still an awesome entrance, and the station’s surroundings are just as awesome.
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| Into the unknown we go… |
The mezzanine was pretty bland. All the walls and ceilings were white, which wasn’t especially attractive. The ceiling was lined with these ugly stone beams, though at least there weren’t any random pipes. And I have to admit, I liked the light fixtures hanging down – they added to the station’s old-fashioned feel. Also, the layout was simple: two staircases and two elevators to two separate platforms.
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| Plus, there’s natural light that gets in there. |
Okay, so I’ve been giving this station a lot of praise. But that all ends once we get down to platform level – this station is dingy. For one thing, the whole platform is colored yellow. This is not a good color for a subway station, as Shawmut proves. It’s a really dull yellow, too, less “school bus yellow” and more “urine yellow.”
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| Looking way, way down. |
And between the two platforms are all these sooty black buffers, with white poles going up to a dark, gross ceiling. The only redeeming factor about these platforms are the historical images along the walls. They’re accompanied by text giving information about points of interest in Dorchester. Really, though, this is not a nice place to wait for a train (but at least it’s clean).
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| A train coming in, after a “20+” minute wait. |
Station: Shawmut
Ridership: Probably due to its isolated location, this is the least-used station on the Red Line, and one of the least-used on the whole system. Every weekday, it only gets about 2,400 riders. Presumably the only people that use this station are those that live in the surrounding neighborhood.
Pros: The entrance and path are both fantastic. Also, I gave the mezzanine some flak, but it’s not actually that bad. Even the platform is somewhat improved by the presence of the historical images and information.
Cons: The platform is still pretty awful. Not as bad as some other ones on the system (I’ll never stop putting you down, Prudential), but still, I’m not a fan. Also, there aren’t any bus connections, but that’s because there’d be no reason to put a bus around here.
Nearby and Noteworthy: Nothing in the immediate vicinity, but this is the closest station to Codman Square, about a 10 minute walk away.
Final Verdict: 8/10
Okay, this station really grew on me as I went along with this review. I absolutely love the outside parts of this station (the entrance in particular), and the mezzanine does its job all right. The platform could definitely use some work, (especially since this station was renovated only a few years ago, in 2009 – did anyone think to fix the platform?) but you can’t beat the tranquil location and awesome entrance.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
15 (Kane Square or Fields Corner Station – Ruggles Station via Uphams Corner)
I have to admit, before riding the 15, I couldn’t understand how it could be so busy. On the map, it looks like a fairly short route that has no unique portions to itself. Evidently, though, it goes through some pretty transit-starved neighborhoods, and I think its frequent service is what gives it its high ridership. So, to complete this recent trilogy of Key Bus Routes, here’s the 15!
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| The 15 comes out from behind another bus at Ruggles. |
As this was a Sunday, I would be getting the full 15 experience, all the way to Fields Corner – on weekdays and part-time Saturdays, buses short-turn at Kane Square. Leaving Ruggles with an already packed bus, we did the usual Tremont Street to Malcolm X Boulevard to Dudley run, where there was another hoard of people waiting to get on.
From there, we headed down Dudley Street along with the 41 and 45. It got residential pretty quickly, with mostly houses and a few apartments. At the intersection with Blue Hill Ave (where the 45 left us), there were a few businesses, though it went back to residences further down Dudley Street. After a playground, though, the retail came back in full force, lining both sides of the road.
We then went by some out-of-place modern apartments and a park. After that was Uphams Corner Station, which at street level was looking pretty worse for wear. There were a whole bunch of businesses at the intersection with Columbia Road, which we went down for a bit before turning onto Hancock Street.
Now we were running with the 17 down a mostly residential street with a few businesses dotted in. We turned onto Bowdoin Street at Kane Square, which had much fewer retail than I was expecting. It’s a square, after all. At Saint Peters Square further down the road, there was an apartment building and a church. Lots of businesses lined Bowdoin Street later on, but they weren’t part of any “square.”
Soon, we turned onto Geneva Ave, joining the 19. This was a purely residential street, and there wasn’t any retail until further down. There was a modern apartment building, then we turned onto the bus-only road that parallels the Red Line tracks without any stops. We looped around to the other side of Fields Corner Station, and the remaining passengers got off.
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| What an odd angle… |
Route: 15 (Kane Square or Fields Corner Station – Ruggles Station via Uphams Corner)
Ridership: Very heavy indeed. There were, in total, about 55 people who rode this bus. The majority of them got on at Ruggles and Dudley, and there were about 15 people that went beyond Kane Square.
Pros: As I said at the beginning, this bus has no unique portions. However, it runs very often through these neighborhoods, which I think makes it so busy. Speaking of the schedule, it’s very good, this being a Key Bus Route. It runs every 6 minutes during rush hour, about every 15 minutes during the day (give or take), every 20 minutes at night, every 15 minutes late nights on Fridays and Saturdays until 2:30, every 15 minutes on Saturdays, and every 20 minutes on Sundays.
Cons: Why doesn’t this route go to Fields Corner on weekdays? On Saturdays, every other trip goes to the station while the others short-turn at Kane Square. I think this could be done on weekdays, too, so Bowdoin Street can have a connection to Dudley and the Orange Line full time.
Nearby and Noteworthy: Nothing specific, though there were plenty of small businesses along the route.
Final Verdict: 7/10
This certainly isn’t a bad bus by any means. It serves some transit-starved neighborhoods and gives very frequent service at that. However, I wish it served Fields Corner on weekdays as well as nights and weekends. At least every other bus could go there, so that Bowdoin Street has a connection to Dudley and Ruggles on weekdays.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
Three Commuter Rail lines are getting weekend service again! See the new schedules for the Greenbush Line, Kingston/Plymouth Line, and Needham Line.
22 (Ashmont Station – Ruggles Station via Talbot Ave and Jackson Square)
Okay, this driver was crazy. This was by far the most nerve-wracking bus ride I’ve ever taken. Now, maybe he was a really good driver and had an excuse to do all the reckless things he did, but it was still pretty scary. Of course, there’s also a route to talk about, and that’s the 22. It could be considered a companion to the 23, but they take completely different routes and only connect at their termini.
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| This isn’t the bus I took, but it was also at Ashmont. |
We left the Ashmont busway, and pretty quickly turned onto Talbot Ave, a residential street. Soon we reached Codman Square, where there were some small businesses. This is also where the 23 turns up Washington Street – the two routes don’t intersect again until Roxbury Crossing. Meanwhile, we continued up Talbot Ave, which was once again residential.
We had a stop at the Talbot Ave Fairmount Line station, but it doesn’t look like much transit-related development has happened around there yet. There was a school, then we turned onto the very wide Blue Hill Ave, which was lined with mostly apartments. The northbound side of the road has two lanes to choose from, but the driver couldn’t seem to pick. So, we just stayed in between the two, Yeah, real safe.
Passing the Franklin Park Zoo, we ran through a red light and then turned onto Seaver Street. We picked someone up at the first stop along there, but there was someone else running to the bus. The driver started to leave, and took no notice when the guy on the outside banged on the back doors. “Someone wants to get on!” I shouted up to the front, which finally got the driver to stop and let the person in,
Travelling in between lanes again, the street had apartments on one side and Franklin Park on the other. Soon we reached Egleston Square, which had some businesses as well as a strangely tall, round apartment building. It went back to smaller apartments after that.
At Jackson Square, there were two buses waiting in the “left turn only” lane to head into the station’s busway. We were coming along in the “straight only” lane, though we had to go into the busway, too. The light turned green just as we arrived at the intersection, and we swerved over, cutting off the two buses in the left turn lane, which had already started to move. I think my life flashed before my eyes.
After that terrifying experience, we headed up Columbus Ave, paralleling the Southwest Corridor. We passed Roxbury Community College, then joined a bunch of other buses coming from Malcolm X Boulevard (including the 23) at Roxbury Crossing. From there, it was a short run to Ruggles Station, where I believe we exceeded the busway speed limit by quite a degree. I couldn’t help feeling relieved that we made it in one piece.
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| The actual bus I took, at Ruggles. |
Route: 22 (Ashmont Station – Ruggles Station via Talbot Ave and Jackson Square)
Ridership: This is a Key Bus Route, and so ridership would normally be heavy. But for some reason or another, my bus only had about 10 people that rode. I believe that a few of them actually went from beginning to end, interestingly.
Pros: This is another good link from the Red Line to the Orange Line. The part on Talbot Ave is exclusively served by the 22, and this is the only route to serve the street’s Fairmount Line station. Since it’s key, it has an excellent schedule – every 8 minutes rush hour, every 15 minutes during the day, every 20 minutes at night, every 15 minutes late nights (on Fridays and Saturdays, until about 2:30), every 12 minutes Saturdays, and every 20 minutes Sundays.
Cons: Bunching, alas, and on a Sunday. At Ashmont, there were two 22s that came in together. And also, I wasn’t a fan of the driver’s driving techniques, but that’s not the route’s fault.
Nearby and Noteworthy: This route is mostly residential, actually. Still, Codman Square and Egleston Square have some businesses.
Final Verdict: 8/10
So I guess this ends up being the same as the 23. And actually, both routes had bunching problems. On average, the 22 is slightly faster, but if you’re going from Ashmont to Ruggles or vice versa, it ultimately comes down to whatever comes first.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
This is the last post before I head off to Florida. I’ll be back soon, though, with a guest post offering a second opinion on the 66. I don’t plan to take any transit in Florida, so I doubt there’ll be any Service Changes and I can get right back to MBTA reviews when I come home.
66 (Harvard Square – Dudley Station via Allston and Brookline Village)
As if Holyoke Gate wasn’t confusing enough, the 66 had to go ahead and stick “Dawes Island” in there. I mean, come on! Let’s just put the terminal at Johnston Gate where all four above-ground Harvard buses go and be done with it! …Although southbound 86 buses still stop at Dawes Island… oh, never mind. The stop is right next to the bus tunnel portal, immediately south of the Cambridge Common. The bus was about 10 minutes later, but it eventually rounded the corner of Mass Ave and picked up the 10 or so people waiting.
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| The bus arriving at Harvard. Those trolley wires look pretty crazy in the background. |
The 66 is sort of like a crazier, more suburban, and much more circuitous version of the 1. Aside from the fact that they both go from Harvard to Dudley, these are two very different routes. Indeed, outbound buses don’t even have a direct transfer with the 1, and so we headed away from it through downtown Harvard Square.
There were lots of brick, 2-4 story buildings on this section. We made our way to JFK Street, going by some Harvard University buildings, and then headed over the North Harvard Street bridge along with the 86. I prefer the eastern view from here, though the western view is good, too. Traffic flowed uncharacteristically quickly, and we were over the bridge in no time.
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| Looking down the Charles. |
Now in Allston, we sped past some more Harvard buildings, including the Stadium. At Western Ave, the 86 left and we became the sole route on North Harvard Street. The neighborhood became residential, with a nice-looking library in between the houses. Soon we turned onto the very wide Cambridge Street, joining the 64.
We went on a long bridge over the Mass Turnpike, then passed through a weird, somewhat industrial area. There were businesses again at Union Square, where we made the sharp left turn onto Brighton Ave, joining the 57. It had a leafy median, which used to host the old A Branch tracks to Watertown. We soon turned onto Harvard Ave, going by some very unique small businesses.
We crossed over Commonwealth Ave, then it actually got residential for a bit. Eventually, though, we entered the main drag of Coolidge Corner, which was mostly one-story buildings (an exception being that awesome movie theater). After crossing over Beacon Street, the businesses stuck around.
The next major area was Brookline Village. Here, we crossed over the Green Line tracks and swerved onto Route 9, not actually serving the station. There were some nice apartments when the street became Huntington Ave and we were joined by the E Line tracks. Luckily there were no streetcars clogging up traffic when we came through.
It got more residential once we turned onto Tremont Street, but there was still retail on the first floors of some apartments. We went over the Southwest Corridor, stopping at Roxbury Crossing Station, then joined the seven other buses on Malcolm X Boulevard. We sped down here, going by a few schools, and then pulled into Dudley Station.
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| Neoplan diesels look so weird when you can’t see the bump on top… |
Route: 66 (Harvard Square – Dudley Station via Allston and Brookline Village)
Ridership: Very heavy. On a Sunday, there were over 45 people that rode, many using the route for crosstown service. This is actually the third busiest MBTA bus route on weekdays and Saturdays, and the second busiest on Sundays. Indeed, every time I see one of these buses, it’s packed to the gills, so there you go,
Pros: It’s a fantastic crosstown route, but it also covers some neighborhoods that don’t get any other transit options. It’s a Key Bus Route, so the schedule is obviously great – every ten minutes rush hour, every 16 minutes during the day, every 20 minutes at night, every 15 minutes late nights on Friday and Saturday, and every 17 minutes on weekends. I don’t know why the bus runs more often late nights, but it goes until almost 3, so that’s fantastic. I think the weekday headways are slightly longer than the Key Bus Route average, but we’ll let that slide.
Cons: The 66’s length and frequent stops mean that it is often late, as I found out myself. This also means bunching – throughout our trip there was this other bus that always seemed to be on our tail. Keep in mind that it was a Sunday. Finally, I wish this bus’s terminal was somewhere other than Dawes Island, like maybe Johnston Gate – the former is really hard to find, especially with horrible signage at Harvard.
Nearby and Noteworthy: Coolidge Corner has both an amazing movie theater and an awesome independent book store. As you can tell, I’m quite the Coolidge Corner fan.
Final Verdict: 6/10
Overall, this is a decent Key Bus Route. It’s a time-saver if you’re going between lines on the west side of the system, and it runs pretty darn often. Of course, it could be late, bunched up, or most likely completely packed. Oh, and good luck finding Dawes Island. You have to get over these annoyances to fully appreciate the 66. Next week, there’ll be a guest post of this route offering a second opinion. Stay tuned…
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
Random Photos: Typo at Central
When I saw this, I actually giggled with delight. The MBTA has a typo on the 83 route sign in Central Square!
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| It’s spelled Rindge, not Ringe! |
Random Photos: New Orange Line Maps!
Looks like they’ve finally updated the Orange Line strip maps inside the trains to include Assembly.
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| It really doesn’t look that different… |