Month: August 2022

Alrighty, now since I’ve done both termini of the Blue Line, how about an entry on the line itself?

The East Boston Tunnel was initially built as a light rail line, initially running from Maverick Square to Court St., with a stop at State Street and Atlantic Avenue (now Aquarium). Constructing this ended up taking quite a while, a lot of money, and from what I can find, killed four. Eventually, it’d be extended to Bowdoin Square, the present western terminus, and converted to standard subway instead of light rail. Along with this came an intermediate stop at Scollay Square, now named Government Center. Needless to say, this required a lot of manpower. Then, upon the dawn of the 1950s, when most US cities were essentially throwing their rapid transit systems into the toilet with the advent of the automobile, came a new extension to the Blue Line. This brought it out to the present-day eastern terminus at Wonderland in Revere, with intermediate stops at Revere Beach, Beachmont, Suffolk Downs, Orient Heights, Wood Island, and most notably Airport. Nowadays, the line has two proposals for extensions, being a western extension to the Red Line at Charles/MGH, and an eastern extension to the Lynn Commuter Rail station.

Anyways, enough of the historical mumbo jumbo.

So, the ride begins at Bowdoin, which is not accessible. Accessibility can be found at nearby Government Center and State Street, both of which are very close by. Oh yeah, the train screeches a bit like the Green Line in Boylston going into Government Center. Oh, NOW we’re going fast. Soon enough, we’re flooring it through the tunnel into Aquarium, and then the speed REALLY picks up going under the harbor into Maverick.

After leaving Maverick, we emerge on the surface and holy crap, it’s scenic. One can see the airport, some green spaces nearby, and the ocean between the stations. We arrive at Airport and transition to overhead wires, which are used to prevent any issues during the winter. Moving on, it’s very scenic and we’re going really fast. Why, again, can’t the Orange or Red Lines be like this? We enter the rest of the surface stations at Wood Island, Orient Heights (where the Blue Line yard can be found!), Suffolk Downs (the least-used station with fare control!), Beachmont, Revere Beach, and lastly Wonderland. Wow, that was fast.

The good: Well, it’s fast! And, it sure as hell has no slow zones unlike the Orange and Red Lines! It’s also probably the most scenic out of the rapid transit lines, running along the ocean and the beaches. The rolling stock is pretty nice too, consisting of 2007 Siemens #5s.

The bad: The Charles and Lynn extensions would be kinda nice.

Nearby points of interest: There’s downtown Boston, along with the airport! You also have Maverick Square, and pretty much all of eastern Revere.

Overall, I’d say the Blue Line is the best of the rapid transit lines. It’s fast, unlike the other subway lines. It doesn’t have to contend with grade crossings, unlike the Green and Mattapan lines. And, it doesn’t run in mixed traffic, unlike the Green and Silver Lines. Now, if only it ran to Charles and Lynn, I’d say it’s a home run.

Rating: 9.5/10

Wait, another airport? Yeah, apparently T.F. Green isn’t the only airport-centered station to be appearing on this site. Well, let’s dig into Logan Airport’s subway station.

First off, this station is special since it’s where the handoff between 3rd rail and the overhead catenaries happen. Second, it’s pretty nice. As a station, it’s spacious and is pretty well-lit. There’s a footbridge to cross the tracks, in standard Blue Line fashion (well, for surface stations, anyways). The main lobby area is also pretty well-lit, and one can find quite a few brochures. This also happens to be where the Massport buses board, along with the SL3 to South Station and Chelsea. Not exactly the best area, as it felt a little dingy, but whatever.

The good: It’s a direct-ish link between Logan Airport and the Silver and Blue Lines. Well, it’s not direct, but the Massport shuttles are free, which will bring you to the airport terminals. But, if you don’t want to ride the overcrowded SL1, this seems like an alright spot to change over to the Massport buses.

The bad: I mean, I guess the busway can feel a bit dingy. Though, however, that’s because it’s under the turnpike and the East Boston Expressway.

Nearby points of interest: Well, surprisingly, there’s not just Logan Airport. In fact, the airport exclusive in this section is reserved for when I do my entry on the SL1 stops. As for near the station, while it’s still not much to ring home about, you do have two parks, a residential neighborhood, and even a stadium.

Transit connections:
Blue Line
Silver Line (SL3)
Massport shuttles

Overall, it’s a fine station and it gets the job done. And, it looks pretty too as a bonus. Maybe I’m wrong to say things would go downhill after giving Wonderland a 9.5/10, but we aren’t too far gone yet from there.

Rating: 9/10

I debated whether or not I should try to quote the book Alice in Wonderland. However, since I’m not the best when it comes to literature, I decided against it. Anyways, here’s Wonderland. Winter wonderland, though? Probably not.

So, the platforms are definitely bright with natural lighting. There’s also not a lot to ring home about here. However, there’s a parking garage attached with another parking lot nearby. There’s also a pedestrian bridge attached that’ll bring one to Revere Beach, which is arguably why most people would be here (especially during the summer!). There’s also plenty of bus connections, with the busway being found in the garage. The mezzanine area with fare control is also well-lit during the daytime (and I’d presume the night too). Needless to say, they went crazy with natural light, which is a nice thing.

The good: It’s a big park & ride lot! There’s also pedestrian access directly to Revere Beach as well. Furthermore, there’s several bus routes, many of which go on up towards Lynn and Salem.

The bad: Well….yeah, I don’t know. I guess the lack of free crossovers, but at a terminal station, I don’t think many people will be wanting to do such a thing.

Nearby points of interest: Revere Beach is the big one! (not to be confused with the Blue Line station of the same name). There’s also an Amazon warehouse if you’re a union organizer.

Transit connections:
Blue Line
MBTA bus (110, 116, 117, 411, 424, 426, 439, 441, 441/442, 442, 450, 455)

Overall, it’s not a bad station for a terminal. I really couldn’t think of anything bad, save for the lack of free crossovers. But, to be fare, not a lot of people will be looking to do that at a terminal station. With that in mind, I guess it’s downhill from here for the Blue Line, unless I come across a diamond in the rough.

Rating: 9.5/10

Ah, the Green Line. Not a personal favorite of mine, but it’s better than nothing. And hey, this one’s right in the heart of Back Bay, so there’s that!

The headhouses are nice enough, being glass with elevators for accessibility. Two of them are on Dartmouth St., with the third being near the bus shelter on Boylston Street. On the inside, while the platforms are staggered, there’s nothing to ring home about. However, being in Back Bay, this station is among the busier Green Line stations. Of course, you have elevators going to fare control. The platforms are just white walls, but it’s not to the same degree of dinginess as Bowdoin. Now, the station would be a 7, if it weren’t for one major flaw. There’s no free crossovers! What does that mean, you might ask? Well, imagine this. You aren’t paying attention and you need to change sides. Most stations would let you do this within fare control (e.g. Quincy Center with its island platform, and Revere Beach with the footbridge being within fare control, for example). And apparently, it’s gotten bad enough to where they posted instructions on how to do free crossovers at the platform!!!!! Yikes!

The good: It’s got plenty of bus connections, and the headhouses look nice! Copley Square also looks like a nice place in general. Kinda upscale, even.

The bad: No free crossovers. Yeah, that’s a major one. Also, the platforms are “eh”, doesn’t exactly fit the nice-ness of the area. But, whatever. Also, it can be a bit tricky to find where some of the buses stop (e.g. outbound 39s), as I didn’t see any bus stops or shelters that would reasonably correspond to them.

Nearby points of interest: Copley Square, Copley Place, and the Prudential Center are nearby! There’s also the John Hancock Building, and the Boston Public Library!

Transit connections:
Green Line (B, C, D, E)
MBTA bus (9, 10, 39, 55, 57, 502, 503)
Back Bay Station (via a short walk)

Overall, this station at least has a leg up vs. Bowdoin and (I presume) Boylston due to being accessible. However, the major killer is the lack of free crossovers. But, it does its job well for a major Green Line station in the heart of the city.

Rating: 6/10

Alrighty, new line time! Since the Needham branch is essentially free until the Orange Line is open, let’s look at the line and some of its stations. First stop: Roslindale Village!

Alrighty, so the station is pretty much the same thing you’d expect from a Providence Line station, and I’d presume all the other Needham branch stations: a mostly low level platform with a mini-high. Not only is there a ramp from the mini-high to the low-level platform, there’s also a ramp coming from the Conway St. parking lot. However, that’s the only way to get to the station by an accessible mean, is via that parking lot. There’s an underpass under the tracks, should it be needed as well. The neighborhood itself doesn’t seem bad at a glance, and a number of bus routes pass by the station (with the 14 ending here). Oh yeah, as a fun tidbit, apparently mayor Michelle Wu is from around here.

The good: If you want a straight shot into downtown Boston, especially should the Orange Line be shut down, this is your best bet! Sure, it’s slightly more than taking the bus to Forest Hills and a zone 1A or subway fare into downtown, but the option’s always there. Plus, a lot of bus routes pass through (or end) in the area, so there’s that as well.

The bad: Why are there no benches????? I mean, it’s nice there’s a sheltered area, but it’d also be nice if there was a place to sit while waiting for the train to pull in. Also, the bus is more frequent than the Commuter Rail, unfortunately. Now, I’d propose an Orange Line extension to remedy this, but as of me writing this, that’s probably not a good idea.

Nearby points of interest: Roslindale seems like a pretty nice neighborhood. I’m probably gonna be here much more doing the bus routes, but at a first glance, it seems like a decent area like Hyde Park, and I like Hyde Park.

Transit connections:
Commuter Rail (Needham)
MBTA bus (14, 30, 34, 34E, 35, 36, 37, 40, 50, 51)

Overall, the neighborhood deserves better. It really does. For one, it’d be nice if the Needham branch was double-tracked (though that’s a rant for another entry). Furthermore, no seating????? Lastly, if I could change anything, I’d make the whole station high-level with a ramp leading up, rather than the mini-high setup. And, unfortunately, due to a lack of seating, I’d have to deduct more than I did from Hyde Park.

Rating: 4/10

Ah, a terminal station. Well, let’s look at the Blue Line’s downtown terminal. And, oh boy.

Not only is the headhouse ugly as hell, it’s also clearly very dated. Almost as if this place is a time capsule! I’m not even making it up. You’ve got yellow tiling and white walls/ceilings everywhere as the whole place feels dingy, complete with what I think is a brutalist headhouse. The platform setup, here, however is a bit unusual. Technically speaking, it’s an island. However, it’s a wedge shape because the station is in the middle of a balloon loop (like Heath St.). However, unlike Heath, the departure platform is considerably shorter, rendering a situation where doors have to be user-operated instead of driver-operated. So, if you ever wondered what the buttons on the Siemens #5 cars next to the doors do, there ya go. Oh yeah, this station is also inaccessible. Yup. THIS STATION, IS THE ONLY SUBWAY STATION IN ALL OF BOSTON TO NOT HAVE ANY FORM OF ACCESSIBILITY! Bah, who am I kidding? Who needs the ADA?! The least they could’ve done was extend the Blue Line further up.

The good: Well, I guess the fact it exists at all and is near a Target and a bunch of government offices is good???

The bad: …why????? Why does this place exist? Would it have killed the MBTA to just demolish this place, and perform a cut & cover to Charles/MGH for a Red-Blue transfer? Government Center is already close as-is, at about a quarter-mile, and a 4ish minute walk. Charles is about 10 minutes on foot. Just, why? Oh yeah, screw you if you need accessibility. Hell, even Haymarket is a 6ish minute walk away. All three stations are accessible, on top of that. The escalator doesn’t work, either. Did I mention this is the only inaccessible subway station on the system?

Nearby points of interest: You have Bowdoin Square! There’s also a Target, some government offices, and a Whole Foods, along with Charles/MGH, Government Center, and Haymarket.

Transit connections:
Blue Line

Overall, why? Just, why? There’s literally no reason I can conceive that this station should exist. Hell, most people got off at Government Center when I arrived here via the Blue Line, probably because connections can be made more easily from there. I’d just demolish this place and extend the Blue Line to Charles, like what they should’ve done all those years ago.

Rating: 4.5/10

Alrighty, now for a middle of nowhere MBTA station!

Going to the station is easy and accessible. Your options for getting to the platforms are either the stairs on the overpass from Depot St., or ramps winding down from the nearby side streets. Mini-highs are found on the southern end of the platforms. Parking here is plenty, however there’s more ridership than spaces, which would suggest over half the people using this station (mostly in the morning and evening commutes) are coming in either by bike, being dropped off, or simply walking. The mini-high (yet again!) is pretty much the same as Mansfield’s, as both stations were rebuilt at similar times (2014 for Sharon due to an ADA complaint, 2017-2019 for Mansfield). Hell, had I written this before 2014, I’d be slamming the crap out of Sharon over being a very busy and very inaccessible station (only one on the line that wasn’t ADA compliant!) This was also the same time that the station building (which was closed, as I was here on a Saturday) was retrofitted to be ADA compliant as well.

The good: This station gets a lot of ridership. Enough so to where I’d make the argument that all trains (including morning expresses, which seem to skip here) should stop, unless the two tracks makes it prohibitive. Where the ridership comes from, I don’t know, as there’s no transit and there’s not much in the way that the equivalent of 10% of Sharon’s entire population is coming from Sharon alone, plus the fact that there’s twice as many riders as there is parking.

The bad: Maybe there isn’t enough parking! Weekends, sure, it isn’t an issue. But, I’m sure if you add transit or more parking (if it’s even possible), then it wouldn’t be as big an issue. Also, the mini-high.

Nearby points of interest: Sharon’s town center is due east of here. Apparently they have a statue of a female Revolutionary War soldier as well, at the local library.

Transit connections:
Commuter Rail (Providence Line)

Overall, I like this station for the charm it has being in the middle of nowhere. It’s in the middle of the woods, which I think makes for a decent backdrop for railfanning. Plus, the town center isn’t too far away. However, the ridership is probably too high for its own good given the lack of a full high platform. Plus, I’d argue ridership for this station is enough to merit some actual transit, even if by way of a GATRA mini-bus shuttle utilizing a Dial a Ride van.

Rating: 6.5/10