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
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...
Waverley
Why did they paint it salmon? Why did they paint it salmooooooooooon? Waverley used to be at street level, but it was depressed into a trench...with salmon-colored walls. Now, perhaps salmon is your favorite color, but it's certainly not mine. Yuck. Looking at the...
554 (Waverley Square – Downtown Boston via Newton Corner and Central Square, Waltham)
This is a bus I've been wanting to take for a while. An incredibly circuitous route, the 554 is an express from Belmont to Boston. Wow, that must be great for Belmont commuters! Oh, wait, it goes via Watertown, Waltham, and Newton first. Yeah, not too many people take...
Greenwood
What a lovely station name. Gosh, what do you think Greenwood's surroundings are like? Rolling green hills, extending way out into the horizon, covered in beautiful trees...or perhaps a few houses and the back of a bank. The second guess was better... Well at least...
Melrose Highlands
This is the second time the "heights" (or "highlands", in this case) Commuter Rail station has the most ridership in a town! Unlike Needham Heights, however, which gets very good ridership, Melrose Highlands' is very low. But also unlike Needham Heights, Melrose...
131 (Melrose Highlands – Malden Center Station via Oak Grove Station)
Okay, 10/10 time is over! The 131 is a weekdays-only local route that serves quite a large portion of Melrose. It's kind of a "scenic alternative" to the 136/137, at least as far as Franklin Square. It operates as a loop, taking the "scenic route" in the peak...