Month: October 2022

Who’s Andrew, anyways? I don’t know of anyone named Andrew. But, apparently they named a station after him.

So, the busway is brick, and you get six bus routes and the limited service 171 that comes twice at the crack of dawn. Plus, it’s sheltered, which is nice. Inside the mezzanines are wide open, with not much to ring home about. Just some CharlieCard machines and a bridge over the Red Line tracks for crossovers.

The platform itself is also nothing to ring home about, aside from it’s a hair bit dingy. Yeah, I don’t have much here.

The good: Well, you got bus connections! And the bus area is fully sheltered. Yeah, I can’t think of too much here.

The bad: It just seems kinda generic. Kinda dingy, not much to say about this place overall. It also feels a little dated.

Nearby points of interest: You’ve got the South Bay Center if you want to make a treacherous walk! If you’re a rail foamer, you’ve also got the Southampton St. yard here as well.

Transit connections:
Red Line (Ashmont, Braintree)
MBTA bus (9, 10, 16, 17, 18, 171, CT3)

Overall, it’s average. Meh.

Rating: 5/10

They say this station can get you a nice view of the Boston skyline. Well, not really, if it’s a rainy day. Oh well!

So, in contrast to most (all, to my awareness, actually) Red Line stations, Charles is elevated above a roundabout at the start of the Longfellow Bridge, which crosses, you guessed, the Charles River. Going inside, the mezzanine has stairs, an escalator (which is out of service), and an elevator for accessibility. Oh yeah, it’s pretty much all glass. Exits here go out towards Charles and Cambridge Streets, and the Esplanade. As for future plans with the station, there’s talks of extending the Blue Line out here and converting it into a transfer station with an underground platform, presumably with access within fare control.

The good: It’s cool to have an elevated station! You’ve also got Mass General Hospital nearby along with the parks along the Charles River. It also just looks cool.

The bad: It’s located in the middle of a damn intersection! Have fun hailing Mary and praying you don’t end up at MGH!

Nearby points of interest: MGH and the parks!

Transit connections: Red Line (Ashmont, Braintree)

Overall, it’s a nice station. Better that it’s elevated. However, the major problem with this are the lack of a Blue Line transfer and the fact it’s in the middle of an intersection.

Rating: 9/10

Alrighty, another “station”. But, fortunately, this one’s actually more of a proper station than a dinky lil’ bus shelter along a non-BRT route. So, how is Nubian?

So, it’s complex enough to where some of the berths aren’t exactly clearly labelled. Furthermore, this is the main bus station for central Roxbury. It also feels a bit dark, despite the absurd amounts of lighting, though that’s probably because it was a rainy day when I was here. So, what else is there? There’s a transit police kiosk here, and a “Dudley Station Bus Finder” from …2007?! Yikes.

The good: Well, it’s kinda cool they used parts of the old Orange Line station to build this. Furthermore, you can’t say ridership is bad because this place was CROWDED (even though the pictures don’t do it justice). It’s also centrally located in Roxbury.

The bad: It’s kinda dark with the lighting being useless during the day! I’m sure it’s there to discourage crime, since it’s not in the best of areas, but still it’s kinda useless. Furthermore, why isn’t the Silver Line in its own ROW outside mixed traffic here?! Now, I know, that’s a major complaint with the Silver Line as a whole but still. Also, why is the station map from 2007?! There’s also no amenities that I could find.

Nearby points of interest: Not much at first glance, but you have the Roxbury branch of the Boston Public Library, though!

Transit connections:
Silver Line (SL4, SL5)
MBTA bus (various)

Overall, I’d argue this place is pretty much Boston’s Kennedy Plaza. If you’re comfortable at Kennedy Plaza, you’ll likely be comfortable here. That said, unlike KP, there’s no bathrooms or, to my awareness, benches or seats.

Rating: 6.5/10

Ah, another Quincy station. At least, this one isn’t as large as the others, so it should be a quick one.

So, of course, the platform seems a bit small getting off the train, but that’s likely due to the simple fact it’s a relatively small island platform sandwiched in Quincy. Ridership isn’t high thankfully, so the station isn’t overkill. There’s also a small mezzanine area where fare control is, along with CharlieCard machines. There’s a shelter on the platform, along with a small busway serving four (relatively infrequent) routes. The mezzanine might also be an alright place if one wants to foam the Old Colony Lines while still being safe from the elements, but mileage may vary on that.

The good: It’s got two entrances (the other of which I have reasons to believe is much of the same), one from the street and the other from the parking garage. Furthermore, it’s relatively walkable vs. Quincy Adams and Braintree. Being in a residential area, it’s largely got ridership locally rather than from afar.

The bad: The platforms can get a little tight. This place also feels like a time capsule in a not so good way. And lastly, it’s just so damn far from JFK/UMASS.

Nearby points of interest: There’s a Target here! If you’re willing to walk approx. half a mile, you can also get to the beach from here.

Transit connections:
Red Line (Braintree)
MBTA bus (210, 211, 215, 217)

Overall, it’s alright and functional, but it’s just so very dated. Just, please give this one a reskin.

Rating: 6/10

I’m not exactly sure if what I said in the Quincy Adams entry about it being the largest park & ride on the system is true, as Alewife is a pretty good contender for 1st place in that regard. Nevertheless, here’s the northern terminus of the Red Line.

So the platform is, as with the other termini, double-tracked with both tracks being inbound towards Downtown Crossing and Park Street. It might be a little dingy, but it’s not really that bad, plus the station is well-lit. The ceilings are raised, with the mezzanine reminding me a little of Braintree’s and Quincy Adams’. But, that’s because this and the South Shore extension were built at the same time. There’s also plenty of parking in the garage, and a Dunkin’ as well. On top of all this there’s also a Pedal & Park and a busway for all of five routes. Better than Braintree’s 2 in that it’s at least built to size.

The good: It’s spurred some transit-oriented development! Plus, there’s Russell Field and some parks in the area. Plus, there’s a neat sculpture out by the Cambridgepark Drive entrance. I’m not too familiar with the area though, so nothing stands out at first glance to me. Sorry!

The bad: I mean, the bus service is a bit lackluster from what I can find, but that’s about it for the worst I can think of.

Nearby points of interest: Russell Field is the only standout. There’s also some transit-oriented development.

Transit connections:
Red Line (Ashmont, Braintree)
MBTA bus (62, 76, 62/76, 67, 350)

Overall, it’s alright as a park & ride. Plus, unlike Quincy Adams, it’s well-built in the area surrounding it as well, so in a sense it’s better.

Rating: 7.5/10

John Quincy Adams was the 6th president of the United States. He was known for a few things, but the most infamous thing he’s known for (to my awareness) was the election of 1824. The election of 1824 was the only time, that I’m aware of, that the Electoral College got sent to the US House and Senate.

Now what the HELL does that have to do with the price of tea in China? Well, I’ll tell you. They named the largest parking garage on the MBTA after him!

Alrighty, well, it’s a park & ride. You got benches and it’s sheltered with an island platform. The Old Colony and Greenbush Lines run through a single track through here as well, and speaking of which the Greenbush Line splits off just past here. The mezzanine isn’t much to ring home about, you have CharlieCard machines and the elevators. Street access? Go all the way up to the 5th floor and follow the sign to the Independence Ave. entrance. Nice, that there’s local neighborhood access to such a monolithic structure. And no, not much in the way of bus service to here.

The good: It’s a giant park & ride! I mean, if you drive here, you’ll almost certainly find a parking space and can take the Red Line into Boston. Plus, it’s pretty much fully sheltered due to being inside a parking garage. Essentially, it’s like the subway version of T.F. Green. It also gets a LOT of natural sunlight, but it wasn’t clear on this day as, well, it was raining.

The bad: The area doesn’t seem like the most pedestrian-friendly area. At least, Burgin Parkway isn’t. Even then, this is more of a car-first station than a pedestrian-first station. It also feels a little dingy.

Nearby points of interest: Not much. A few shops, if you’re into that, I guess.

Transit connections:
Red Line (Braintree)
MBTA bus (230, 238)

Overall, it’s a park and ride. Not much to say about it. It’s also kinda okay for foaming the Old Colony Lines, if you’re tall enough.

Rating: 6.5/10

Another Fairmount station, oh my. Yeah, I just don’t have much to say here.

The station can be found on, you guessed it, Blue Hill Avenue in Mattapan. And yes, it’s easily distinguished by the MBTA globe thingy on the street. Heading in is a ramp and, because this is the newest Commuter Rail station on the whole system (that is, as of October 2022), full high level platforms. There’s also a CharlieCard reader, some benches, canopies, wastebins, and electronic signage. There also happened to be people from the MBTA present swapping out the schedule plaques for updated ones that go into effect shortly after me writing this. However, there’s also another entrance from Cummins Highway, which I didn’t take a look at but I have no reason to believe it’s anything special.

The good: It’s pretty much located in central-ish Mattapan. Also being a zone 1A station, it’s $2.40 to take the train from here to South Station, while similarly-distanced stations (e.g. Hyde Park or Roslindale) would cost $6.50 for a zone 1 fare. It’s also within walking distance of the Mattapan light rail line, being half a mile. The cut-in aesthetic with the rocks is also nice, giving it some character.

The bad: I mean, there’s not much to write home about. Furthermore, the fact you can’t pay for zone 2 fares with a CharlieCard is kinda a bummer here. But I’m not sure how many people actually go from here to Readville.

Nearby points of interest: You have the Mattapan line nearby! There’s also a few shops lining Blue Hill Ave., and a number of churches nearby.

Transit connections:
Commuter Rail (Fairmount)
MBTA bus (28, 29, 31 at Blue Hill Ave., 30 at Cummins Hwy.)

Overall, it’s a pretty good station. Just, COME ON MBTA, LET US PAY COMMUTER RAIL FARES WITH CHARLIECARDS FOR ZONES OTHER THAN 1A, AND PLEASE INSTALL CHARLIECARD READERS AT THE OTHER ZONE 1A STATIONS!

Rating: 8.5/10

Alrighty, so we’re now on the far side of the MBTA subway system! Well, welcome to the suburban hellscape known as Braintree, I guess.

Chronologically, my friend and I came here after Quincy Adams (which was after North Quincy, Charles/MGH, and Alewife). After getting off the bus (which the operator almost forgot about us hitting “stop request”), we were in the Braintree busway. The mezzanine is standard in design, not much to complain about. The busway seems a little overkill in size, but comes in handy. There’s also a bridge linking the mezzanine areas with the parking garage. The station is also directly connected to MA-3. Neat.

The area was under construction, but moving on to the Commuter Rail platform, it seems normal enough with the island platform and a shelter. Wait, what?

WHY IS THERE A GRADE CROSSING HERE?! WHY?! JUST, WHAT KIND OF CRACK WERE THEY SNORTING ON IN THE ’90S WHEN THEY BUILT THIS SECTION OF THE STATION?! I- I don’t even KNOW why they couldn’t just build a tunnel and a set of stairs+an elevator to the island platform. But hey, if you like hearing DINGDINGDINGDINGDING when a Boston-bound train is coming through, you’ll LOVE this station. Holy FUCK! This also happens to be where the two Old Colony lines split.

Now, the Red Line. It’s fully sheltered, while still outdoorsy. It’s not bad, and the countdown clocks will tell you what track the next train departs, with this being a terminal (and thus both tracks are inbound).

The good: It’s a decent-sized park & ride, with options for people heading into Boston & the surrounding suburbs, and those heading out to the Cape, as well as towards Middleborough and Kingston. Plus, you have plenty of parking and a few bus routes.

The bad: THAT. DAMN. GRADE. CROSSING. Also, the seemingly overkill busway. and the relative lack of a more accessible way to access the Commuter Rail platform.

Nearby points of interest: I mean, you’ve got some businesses, but nothing stands out immediately around the area. The South Shore Plaza is a little ways away, but isn’t accessible by any bus routes unfortunately. Furthermore, it’s not exactly a walkable area.

Transit connections:
CapeFlyer
Commuter Rail (Middleborough, Kingston)
Red Line (Braintree)
MBTA bus (226, 230, 236)

Overall, it’s an alright station, but the grade crossing is kinda sketchy.

Rating: 7/10