Whelp, Welcome to Waban. What a weird name. Just, just try saying it! “WABAN!!!” It just sounds weird and amusing! I like it. Oh lordy, if only the station itself was this good! Actually, it kinda is good! Let’s look.
First off, you have the usual D branch amenities: heated waiting area, unheated shelters, a relatively anemic amount of parking. Usual stuff that’s not out of place. It’s nice and quiet, I’ll add! But, why is the only entrance from Wyman Street? Yeah, that’s an odd one. It does feel like a nice small town center, though, so there’s that. Either way, not a bad station. It’s got character.
The good: It’s got character! Like, yeah it sucks this station isn’t accessible, but I like the small village feel of the area around it. It’s also nice and quiet, tranquil even as Miles puts it in his entry. And, there’s some parking if needed. Oh yeah, the Catch Connect will pick you up here too!
The bad: Eh, there’s only one way in and out. It’s also not accessible. Mostly the accessibility. Wait, what???? YOU MEAN THERE’S PLANS TO MAKE THIS, ALONG WITH BEACONSFIELD, CHESTNUT HILL, AND ELIOT ACCESSIBLE?! GOD-FUCKING-DAMMIT WHY DIDN’T I KNOW ABOUT THIS EARLIER?!
Whelp, once these renovations/rebuilds are done, guess this one’s going to get a score increase. But, for now, the scores are based on the state of the stations as of March 2023.
Nearby points of interest: There’s a church behind the inbound platform! Also, a small shopping area on Beacon Street. There’s also a pizzeria I need to try out at some point here.
Transit connections:
Green Line (D)
MWRTA (Catch Connect)
Overall, I really like this station. It sucks that it isn’t accessible currently, but it’s good there’s plans to make it ADA compliant. Also, I just plain like the area it’s in. (admittedly, part of why it’s getting the score it’s getting)
Rating: 7.5/10
