Bellingham Square (Silver Line)

Alrighty, the first SL3 stop I reviewed on this trip to Boston, and a friend was with me for this one. This one features heaters, buses, even a GP40 and annoying panhandlers that kept pestering me for money! Yeah…

So, just like Box District, it’s the same deal essentially. You’ve got heated shelters, buses, and whatnot. But, what sets this one apart is the street access from Arlington and 6th Streets, and Washington Avenue. Yeah, there’s at-grade access from Arlington & 6th, and a ramp from Washington. Neat. Wait, what’s that on the other side of the Rockport Line?

Yes, indeed, it’s the old Chelsea Commuter Rail station. Indeed, it’s been left here to rot, with the outbound side outright demolished to make way for the Chelsea busway. However, its replacement didn’t open until late 2021 meaning in those three or so years, people had to CROSS THE TRACKS to get to an outbound train. Yikes. Fortunately, I don’t need to review it so it’s all cool. Some guy then started harassing me for money and cigarettes, and seeing how he wouldn’t take no as an answer, I eventually snapped and yelled “¡NO TENGO DINERO!” which seemed to shut him up and get the point across. To translate, ” I DON’T HAVE MONEY!” Oh yeah, we got to see a GP40 and F40 run through.

The good: There’s ramp access from one side, and grade access to the other! Neat! Aside from that, it’s just a carbon copy of Chelsea and Box District. There’s also history of what was once was, with the old Chlesea (CR) station being behind here left to rot. This also happens to be the closest thing to Chelsea’s town center, so take that as you will.

The bad: Not a lot to talk about here.

Nearby points of interest: Chelsea’s town center is close by!

Transit connections:
Silver Line (SL3)
MBTA bus (112 @ Sixth Street, 111 @ Washington Ave.)

Overall, it’s largely copy-paste, but it’s still slightly better with the connectivity to the street.

Rating: 6.5/10