Getting around to doing this entry was surprisingly difficult as I also had to time it in a way where I’d be able to take the 553 to get out. Fortunately, I was able to do exactly that. Unfortunately, I had all of 5 minutes, and as such this probably won’t be the finest Chelsea’s Corner entry. I digress, welcome to Roberts.
Brandeis/Roberts is located on the Brandeis University campus in Waltham. Who’s Robert? Well, that’s actually the name of the neighborhood that Brandeis (& this train station) is located in. The 553 has a bus connection on the south side of the South Street grade crossing. On the southbound platform, you have what looks like a sheltered waiting area, benches, a red dot matrix sign (two actually!), and a small amount of parking. Meanwhile, the north platform has a lot less and a slightly larger lot. There’s also a mini-high that’s fully sheltered. Neat! Changing sides is done either with a grade crossing near the mini-high, or at the South Street crossing. The land-use of the station is dominated by Brandeis University, with a small office park on the south side. Otherwise, it’s all residential with apartment complexes nearby and the odd strip mall.
The good: It serves Brandeis! Furthermore, it’s accessible and has a bus connection (albeit relatively infrequent). It also serves the mildly dense Roberts and Angleside neighborhoods – there’s apartment complexes, for what it’s worth. The mini-high looks kinda cool, for what it’s worth, too!
The bad: For a station that serves Brandeis University, service is kinda relatively infrequent, between the 553 and the Commuter Rail. Also, that grade crossing can cause issues if a train is stopped at the mini-high. 🙁
Nearby points of interest: Brandeis is the big one!
Transit connections:
Commuter Rail (Fitchburg)
MBTA bus (553)
Overall, it’s an alright station. Pretty good, even, by Fitchburg Line standards! YAY! It’s otherwise pretty average, disappointingly. Oh well!
Rating: 7.5/10
