Month: August 2022

So, I’ve never really stepped foot here until today, though I’ve always wanted to check it out as the big mess of metal footbridges always stood out to me. Plus, I thought it’d be a half-decent railfanning spot. Does it live up to the hype though? Let’s find out.

So, getting off a northbound train, I make my way to check out the station building which, wouldn’t ya know it, is actually open! A rarity on the MBTA on weekends! And, it’s actually quite nice. It reminds me of Mystic’s and Kingston’s station buildings in the historical factor. Tickets can be brought here, and it can be used as an indoor waiting area on rainy days. Furthermore, there’s a bathroom here, and a restaurant called Copper City Espresso.

Moving outside, the platform is the usual Providence Line affair of a mini-high at the far end, with a very, very long low-level platform (where NOBODY boards on weekends/off-peak hours!!!). The tracks are also lettered to help people find their way. Platforms A and B are the Northeast Corridor mainline (to/from Wickford and Providence), while platforms C and D are for the Stoughton branch. The tracks are also numbered (from left to right) 1, 2, 4, and 6.

The ramps and stairs, however, can easily add about 5 minutes to reaching the train, making this a textbook definition of a “screw you” station. If you can’t run to save your life, you’re gonna miss your train if you parked next to the station building, and your train is heading south to Providence. Likewise, if your train is heading north from Stoughton and you’re next to the Providence track. Parking is plenty though, and ridership is generally concentrated in morning and evening commutes (although today was an exception, due to a convention in Boston).

The good: It’s got a nice building and plenty of parking! Furthermore, service on weekdays is relatively frequent due to the Stoughton branch being in service.

The bad: The footbridges. It’s deteriorating, hopefully won’t end up in the same state as South Attleboro’s when they get around to repairing it. Plus, it can take forever to get to the inbound platforms from where one parked, and I can’t help but think that some of the parking could be replaced with TOD. Plus, service can be infrequent on weekends (every 2 hours, without Stoughton service!)

Nearby points of interest: If you’re a railfan, this station in of itself is a place of interest. There’s also the Canton Viaduct just south, if you want to walk a little, and Canton Center due east.

Transit connections:
Commuter Rail (Providence, Stoughton)

Overall, this station could definitely use some repairs. The bridges are deteriorating and rusting, the stairs made me feel uncomfortable, and overall can we get full high platforms when this gets rebuilt? And, also, maybe some TOD?

Rating: 4/10

Oh boy, another MBTA bus route! And this time, it’s a decades-long bustitution! The Arborway used to be a part of the Green Line’s E branch. However, in late 1985, the MBTA decided to temporarily close the extension beyond its present terminus of Heath St. As of now, it’s still closed, and it’s more of a permanently temporary closure, rather than just simply “temporary”. In its place is the 39, which largely replaced it. So, with the MBTA lore out of the way, let’s dig into this route.

So we left Forest Hills’ upper busway and proceeded down South and Centre Streets, passing the Arborway. Eventually it became lined with businesses and strip malls, as we kept getting passengers and, eventually, we turned down South Huntington Avenue.

The area was largely residential, and this extended to even as we passed a pretty sizable animal hospital and, eventually, the V.A. Medical Center. This would also mark where the E branch presently ends.

We then kept going down Huntington Avenue, passing all the construction happening on the Green Line. Houses and businesses largely lined the streets of Mission Hill. We’d also pass through the general area of various schools, including Emmanuel, Northeastern, and Wentworth. We’d also pass by the Conservatory of Music and Symphony Station. We then turned left down Belvidere Street (not part of the route?????) and onto Boylston Street, passing the Sheraton as well as Hynes CC. We’d also pass the Prudential Center and Copley’s Green Line station (which I think is why we detoured, as we are bustituting the E branch as of me riding this). We’d then turn right down Clarendon Street and, eventually, make our way into the backside of Back Bay Station into the busway (Front Bay?)

The good: It’s a very well utilized route! It’s definitely up there in ridership, I think, at least if my trip was to go by. It was definitely busy. It also serves as an alternative to the Green Line’s E branch (with slightly more capacity, should bendy buses be used!), should it be out of service (like today!) It’s also a decent connection between two subway stations as well as an Amtrak station.

The bad: …what? I got nothing here. I guess, the fact it isn’t 100% bendy bus? Yeah, I don’t know.

Nearby points of interest: A lot. You’ve got the many schools on Huntington Ave., Copley Square (& the associated shopping center), the Prudential Center, Back Bay Station, and the Arborway is next to Forest Hills. There’s also the various shops lining the streets of Mission Hill, too.

Overall, I like this route. It’s definitely a near-10/10. However, sometimes the capacity of the 40ft buses can raise some eyebrows, and as such it’s not a 10/10 for me.

Rating: 9/10

Ah, Riverside. This area of the Green Line is what I call the “scenic part”. Why? Well, it’s about as far out on the Green Line as one can go! In fact, we’re butting up right against the edge of the I-95/128 ring! Well, let’s look at Riverside.

So, the platforms are sizable enough. It’s nothing much to ring home about, but it’s a decent size. Just past the platforms are also the Green Line maintenance facility, so there’s that. The Museum of Science has a to-scale model of the Solar System, and it just happens that Pluto is all the way out here as well. I didn’t see it here, though, but maybe that’s me not looking carefully enough. Parking is also sufficient, with this being a park & ride lot, there’s a decent amount of spaces. As for transit connections, one has an express bus route into downtown Boston.

The good: It’s a decently-sized park & ride! Even on a Sunday, it’s decently utilized. Furthermore, it’s also cheaper to take the Green Line from here, than to utilize Auburndale’s Commuter Rail station ($2.40 vs. $7) going into downtown Boston. Plus, this station just has a charm that I can’t get over. Maybe it’s the sense of tranquility this end of the Green Line has that’s getting to me.

The bad: It’s a bit of a ways out. Like, it’s about a 50 minute ride to get to Boylston and Park St. Aside from that, I can’t really think of a lot that would be wrong with this station.

Nearby points of interest: Not a lot, with this being a park & ride. I mean, there’s a few country clubs along with Lasell University.

Transit connections: Green Line (D)
MBTA bus (558)
MWRTA (Rte. 20 Shuttle, MassBay Riverside Shuttle)

Overall, as a park & ride, I’d say this is definitely an example other stations should follow. It’s got plenty of parking, has bike racks for those coming in via bike, and it’s got bus connections as well. Plus, it has a to-scale size of Pluto, too!

Rating: 8.5/10

Hyde Park is a pretty decent neighborhood. I’m not all too familiar with it, but there’s just an air of peace and safety that I feel with the area. Besides, it’s also got three train stations, one of which I’ve already covered here! So, let’s look at the second of three train stations and see how well or poorly it stacks up.

So, getting off the platform, the mini-high is at the far end of the platform, away from where one would realistically be arriving, if they need accessibility. At least it’s sheltered though. However, there’s rusting. A lot of rusting. Like Jesus Christ, they really took on a note from Readville and made it worse. As for the ramps themselves, aside from the fencing and roofing rusting like crazy, it’s nothing special, other than that they’re long. There’s also a set of stairs at the intersection of River and Business Streets, and Gordon Avenue. Parking, though, is plentiful. As for access to the lot, the big MBTA sign at the intersection of Hyde Park Ave. and Pingree St. should be enough a hint.

We also had an “oh shit” moment, where some kid had the audacity to attempt to catch a basketball that bounced onto the track. All while the “train approaching” warning was going off. No, he did not get hit (thank freakin’ God), however it was very reckless.

The good: If you’re heading outbound and you happen to be close enough to the area, it isn’t too terrible a place to be. However, there are some major caveats which I will touch on later.

The bad: This station is kind of a niche use case. Some Franklin trains (midday and early evening) will stop here heading outbound, however none inbound. For the Providence/Stoughton Line? Every weekend train stops here (every 2 hours), however a handful of weekday trains (mostly to either Wickford or Stoughton) stops here as well. But, if you’re on one of said trains, it’s oftentimes cheaper to get off, walk a little, and go inbound to South Station from Fairmount ($2.40 vs. $6+). Also, since it’s a transfer to the 32, can we get a CharlieCard machine here?

Nearby points of interest: If you’re a railfan, this station isn’t the best of spots to railfan at. However, the 32 will bring you from here to Readville. There’s also residential on one side, with Cleary Square and associated businesses on the other.

Transit connections:
Commuter Rail (Providence, Stoughton, Franklin, Foxboro)
MBTA bus (32)

Overall, I’m not a big fan of this station. I don’t mind Hyde Park as a neighborhood, hell I think it’s a pretty decent neighborhood. I just feel that it deserves much, much better of a train station.

Rating: 4.5/10