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
MBTA Map Contest!
If you read my Science Park post, I talked about how the signage in that station (and on the Green Line as a whole) could really be improved. Of the four branches of the Green Line, the B and D branches terminate at Government Center, the C at North Station, and the E...
Science Park/West End
It took some self-persuasion to go to Science Park (not always referred to as "West End"). After spending some time at the Museum of Science, I wanted to walk to Lechmere to experience the great Green Line ride. However, if I did that, I wouldn't have a new station to...
Deval Patrick vs Legislature
If you haven't been following the news, Deval Patrick made a plan in January to create large improvements to the MBTA, as well as to roads and bridges around the state. This would include Commuter Rail service to Hyannis, funding for the Green Line extension to West...
31 (Mattapan Station – Forest Hills Station via Morton Street)
If this review seems a bit short, it's because the bus itself is. However, in this case, that's not a bad thing. The 31 is a great time saver if one needs to get from Mattapan to Forest Hills. It starts out on Blue Hill Avenue with the 28 and 29, but it quickly turns...
Service Change: Orlando International Airport Shuttle, Super Star Shuttle, LYNX Bus Route 42 (International Drive/Orlando International Airport), and the I-Ride Trolley
I got back from Orlando yesterday, and that means a Service Change post with way too many pictures (and an insanely long title)! I wanted to take the Silver Line to Logan Airport, but since we were only going to be gone for three days, we took the car instead (darn)....
83 (Rindge Ave – Central Square, Cambridge via Porter Square Station)
The 83's primary function is to sew together the parts of East and North Cambridge that other buses don't serve. In that sense, it does its job well. The route is the opposite of straightforward, making a lot of crazy turns along the way. In Central Square, note that...
Transit Tales: That’s Just Gross!
My father and I got on the train at Downtown Crossing. It was crowded. He got a seat, I had to stand. Being packed in like sardines, I couldn't really see much. I did hear, however, the sound of a liquid falling onto the floor. I assumed someone spilled a drink or...
Porter
Porter is a fun station. It's the deepest in the system, meaning a 143-foot escalator ride. The escalator ride is great, with a mural of trains going down and a mural of birds going up. It can admittedly be kind of a scary ride, but it's worth it. It's also worth...
Transit Tales: Memorable Train Quotes
When I say "train quotes," I don't mean the train is talking: I mean automated stop announcements. Anyone reading this blog has likely been on a train with automated stop announcements; it's when there's an automatic prerecorded speaker that says the names of the...
28 (Mattapan Station – Ruggles Station via Dudley Station)
The only reason I wanted to take the 28 is because I'm a sucker for articulated buses. The 28 uses them all the time, so that's fine with me. The 28 is one of the 7 (!) buses connecting Mattapan and Ashmont stations to the Orange Line. It travels almost entirely on...
Transit Tales: The Snail Train to Snailsville
Getting from Harvard to Alewife should normally take about 5 minutes. But today, that trip took 20 (for the record, I wanted to take the bus being the transit-obsessed person I am, but it was my friend Calvin's turn to pick the transit method). We ended up...
Lechmere
UPDATE 5/24/2020: With the station in this form now closed, check out this retrospective! Lechmere is a station on its last legs. Once the Green Line West Medford extension is up and running, Lechmere will have been relocated and redesigned. Because of this, you can...
Fare Heights and Service Cuts on the Way – Again
As we all know, the MBTA is in serious debt. As we also know, fares rose 25% last year. Well, the fares are rising again - this time by 33%, on top of the fare raise from last year! There are actually two options: the 33% fare raise, or a smaller fare increase with...
Bay State Model Railroad Museum
In my post about the 30, I mentioned how I desperately wanted to visit the Bay State Model Railroad Museum, and how it's only open Wednesday nights. Well, twice a year they do an open house, and one of them is this weekend. My mother and I got the chance to go, and...
1 (Harvard/Holyoke Gate – Dudley Station via Mass Ave)
About a year ago, my father and I were at Dudley Station. We needed a bus to get home, and we ultimately ended up taking the 66 (which also goes to Harvard, but with a much wilder route). I was interested in the 1, and my father and I were back at Dudley a...