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
Service Change: MVRTA – Route 41 (Lawrence – Lowell) and the Buckley Transportation Center
Yes, I actually went on another non-MBTA transportation authority while in Lowell. This is the MVRTA (Merrimack Valley Regional Transportation Authority), which covers a large area around its hub in Lawrence, going as far as Hampton Beach in New Hampshire. The 41...
Lowell
In my post about the LRTA's downtown shuttle, I made a mistake. I said that the Robert Kennedy Transportation Center forms the whole of the complex: bus station and Commuter Rail station. But it turns out that only the bus station is the Kennedy Transportation Center...
Service Change: LRTA, Part 3 – 2 (Belvidere)
The 2 is a crazy route meant to serve residential areas to the east of Lowell. I had wanted to ride another LRTA route for fun, and the 2 showed up at the Kennedy Center. When I got in, I asked the driver if it would loop around and come back to Lowell. "This is...
Service Change: LRTA, Part 2 – 18 (Downtown Shuttle)
The Robert Kennedy Transportation Center (which also houses the MBTA Commuter Rail station), hub of the LRTA, is something like an 18 minute walk from downtown Lowell. It's doable for sure, but you could also just take the downtown shuttle operated by the LRTA. That...
Service Change: LRTA, Part 1 – 14 (Burlington Mall/Lahey Clinic)
Yes, as I not-so-subtly hinted in the last post, I did indeed take the LRTA up to Lowell from the 351. The system has 18 main routes, all fanning out from the Lowell Commuter Rail station. These are further divided into city routes and suburban routes, the former...
351 (Oak Park/Bedford Woods – Alewife Station via Middlesex Turnpike)
Well, I got far fewer strange looks than expected when I boarded this one. The 351 is a reverse-commute route, meant to transport people from Alewife to the scores and scores of office parks up in the northwest. As it's a commuter bus, it's rush hours only, and I had...
Random Photos: The Lowell Trolley (or not)
I was really excited to find out that Lowell actually has a streetcar service downtown. But it turns out it's seasonal. So, all I could do was take some pictures of one of the stations. An old Boston and Maine locomotive on display at the stop. It looks so enticing......
Random Photos: Safety Hazard at Lowell Station, Part 2
Needless to say, I walked quickly through here.
Random Photos: Safety Hazard at Lowell Station, Part 1
I hope there aren't any fires around here...
Random Photos: View From Lowell Parking Lot
I was a little disappointed by the view at the top of the Lowell Station parking lot, but it was still pretty good. Not bad, not bad.
Random Photos: Goat on the Loose
Um...okay, guess I'll keep my eye out.
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...
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...
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...
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,...