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
70/70A (Cedarwood, North Waltham, or Central Square, Waltham – University Park via Central Square, Cambridge, Arsenal Street, and Western Ave)
We're returning to our regularly scheduled MBTA posts with a real beast of a route. Well, technically, it's two routes, with the 70A being a much longer variant of the 70. Really, though, they're both incredibly long - the latter is 10 miles, while the former is 14...
The CapeFlyer
After taking the CapeFlyer for the first time, I can now faithfully say that the ride is...nice. Not fast, but nice. It uses regular Commuter Rail trains, so it may not be luxurious, but it's pleasant enough. And as for speed? Well, it runs 30 miles per hour from...
Bonus Review: Hyannis Transportation Center
Although no actual MBTA services serve this station, the CapeFlyer does. And yes, I know that's run by the CCRTA, but hey, the trains it uses have MBTA logos on them, so I count that. So, let's take a look at the CCRTA's main hub and the terminus of the CapeFlyer, the...
Service Change: CCRTA, Part 2 – H2O
The H2O route of the CCRTA runs from Orleans to Hyannis, via Brewster, Harwich, Chatham, Harwich again, Dennis, and Yarmouth. Sound circuitous? You bet it is. I'll start this post right where the last one let off... The "stop" at which we waited for the H2O/ It was a...
Service Change: CCRTA, Part 1 – The Flex
If you're coming from Hyannis, taking the Capeflyer train is simple and straightforward. If you're coming from Provincetown...not so much. Although the Plymouth and Brockton bus runs direct from Provincetown to Hyannis, I wanted to see the local transportation. Thus,...
Cedar Grove
Well, this is an anticlimactic place to end. Not that Cedar Grove is a bad station or anything, it's just...you know, a typical MHSL station. It's also in the shadow of Ashmont, with one being visible from the other. But Cedar Grove is no Ashmont - this is yet another...
Butler
Jeeves! Bring me a fine cup of tea, please! Hang on, Butler's a street? Butler Street? Oh...well that makes this station significantly more boring, then. Despite having no actual butlers, though, Butler Station is a unique one. Let's see why. Ta-da! A center platform!...
Milton
This is probably the most "urban" station on the MHSL that's not Mattapan or Ashmont. Plus, it's below grade. That's right, there's none of that level crossing stuff here. So let's head down to the Lower Mills for a look at Milton Station. The station...viewed from...
Central Avenue
Ah, now we're returning to civilization! Though I have to ask - why did they build a level crossing here? I mean, Central Ave is a busy street! Not only that, but there aren't barriers that come down when a train comes through. Maybe you don't "do" that with light...
Valley Road
Welcome...to the least-used station on the MBTA! What? Yes, I know Back of the Hill has fewer riders, but who cares about Back of the Hill? It's just a sign on a street. And it's, like, 3 feet away from Heath Street. *Cough* Anyway, Valley Road. Um...so is the station...
Capen Street
Capen Street was incredibly hard to find. For one thing, the neighborhood it's in has crazy streets, which double back on themselves and go all over the place. Plus, the street after which the station is named is a dead end. It's really unassuming, yet there it is. A...
Mattapan
A while ago, I walked the whole Mattapan High Speed Line, going to every station along the way, and now I've finally gotten around to reviewing them. Let's do this. We're starting at by far the most used of the bunch. Mattapan is the last stop on the trolley, but it...
Service Change: MVRTA – The Washington Square Transit Station and Route 13 (Main Street-North Avenue)
Okay, Haverhill's a nice town and all, but you run out of things to do when you're stuck there for three hours. I took it upon myself to come up with a solution: take a bus. And not just any old bus - a bus to another state. That's right, we took the MVRTA's 13 route,...
Bradford
Bradford is incredibly close to Haverhill - a quick jaunt across the Merrimack River, and there you are. Yet the stations couldn't be more different. Haverhill feels urban, with fairly tall buildings in view of the station. Bradford, meanwhile, is very local...
Haverhill
Okay, it's pronounced "Hai-ver-ill". Not "Hai-ver-hill". Not "Ha-ver-ill". It's "Hai-ver-ill". I just wanted to get that out of the way, in case anyone reading doesn't know how. Now no one has to worry about embarrassing themselves by mispronouncing the city when...