The blog that started it all! Check out reviews of every bus route and train station in Boston, as well as ongoing reviews of the regional bus systems in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
Recent Posts from Miles on the MBTA
North Beverly
Oh God, ew. We've taken a sharp turn for the worst since our last review, and all it took was a 4 minute train ride! Welp...here's North Beverly. Oh boy, great start! We begin with the station parking lot, which is tiny (87 spaces) and, at least in the summer, very...
James Asks…
What is the best setting for taking photos in underground stations...should you use flash or non flash? Has there been times when MBTA employees or train operators have had a problem with you taking photos of trains and stations? Thanks for an interesting question,...
Hamilton/Wenham
A modern Commuter Rail station located in a downtown? A modern Commuter Rail station with character? No, no, I simply can't believe it. And yet, here it is: Hamilton/Wenham. Wow, that's a lot of bikes! The station is well-connected to the immediate area by foot, with...
Ipswich
Alright, now we're getting somewhere! Ipswich is a huge destination in the summer and its station is right in its downtown. The barebones mini-high. Although it's accessible, the station is plagued with a truly nothing mini-high platform. I mean, literally...
Rowley
Why does the first outbound Newburyport train not make Rowley? Geez, what's a guy gotta do to review the place? Go up to Newburyport and make a mad dash across the platform for the one-minute connection to an inbound train to take one stop going inbound? Yes. All that...
South Weymouth, Abington, Whitman, and Kingston
Look, it's four Old Colony stations. No one's gonna mind if I just bunch them all together in one review, right...? Our first stop. South Weymouth is as basic an Old Colony station as you can get. It's just one track with a long high-level platform stretching way out...
BAT: Rockland Flex (Flexible Route, Rockland to Brockton)
No, of course I didn't forget about the BAT's Rockland Flex service! It's a little minibus route that goes from Rockland to...I guess technically Brockton, but it's not the BAT Centre. Instead, the bus starts at Signature Healthcare... (also, for the record, I...
BAT: Brockton Route 5 (Brockton Hospital via Centre Street)
Alright, our final BAT route! It's another typical one, just running out to the eastern sections of the city and a little bit into Abington. Let's take a look at the 5. Getting on at the BAT Centre one last time. We went down Commercial Street, lined with weird...
GUEST POST: Framingham
Mike N. sent in an alternate take on Framingham Station. Thanks, Mike! I live in Framingham, and I’ve gone through Framingham station many times, for red sox games and other events. But, I’ve never reviewed it, but was recently inspired because of some changes that...
BAT: Brockton Route 4 (Westgate Mall via Pleasant)
Oh yes, here we are on the craziest route of the BAT (barring the 12). The 4 could honestly pass for an MBTA route based on its crowds! Here we go! I purposely got the 4 in the inbound direction so I would have to take it around its loop from Westgate. First, we...
BAT: Mini Maller Route 13 (Westgate Mall, Brockton)
Huh, apparently the Mini Maller doesn't use a minibus! It makes just as many deviations as a minibus would, but it does not in fact use one. Well, well! I boarded the bus at Market Basket, but we couldn't leave the mall until we served the other side of it, at Sears....
BAT: Brockton Route 4A (Westgate Mall via North Warren)
Who needs the 4 when you have the 4A, otherwise known as the less insane version of the 4? We'll get into how crazy the 4 is another time, but for now, here's its counterpart, the 4A. The bus at the BAT Centre. We went down Court Street, then turned onto North Main...
BAT: Brockton Route 3 (VA Hospital via Belmont)
It's so weird to go to hospitals just to get a bus. I felt really awkward just standing outside of the VA waiting for the 3! Needless to say, I was happy when it came. Hooray! We headed out of the hospital complex onto Belmont Street, which was a mix of houses and...
BAT: Brockton Route 9 (Pearl via West Elm and Torrey)
Welcome to the only numbered BAT route that runs weekdays only! Why is the 9 weekdays only? I honestly have no idea, since it seems to get pretty good ridership... The bus at the BAT Centre. We headed down Centre Street, going under the Commuter Rail tracks and...
BAT: Brockton Route 11 (Cary Hill and The Village)
Here's another route serving Brockton's northeast suburban residential neighborhoods. Like the 10, the 11 gets low ridership and a slightly more limited schedule, except the 11 is really weird and loopy! Let's take a look. Getting on at the BAT Centre. We looped...