Okay! This one’s a bit delayed because of a lack of willpower, but I finally found the willpower to do this one! Meet: the 57. Or, the bus that’s seemingly perpetually crowded and a replacement to the B branch.
So, the route begins at Watertown Yard, but I boarded at the Newton Supercollider. It’s not a lot that I’m missing here. Anyways, I digress. From where I boarded, the route goes through the Supercollider into Brighton, through Newton Corner. It’s largely very suburban as it does this, but as it goes further down, it slowly begins getting progressively more urban, and the next neighborhoods here are Brighton and Oak Square (with its connection to the 64 to Kendall/MIT!). Of course, we pass by a number of houses and businesses, things progressively get denser, and we even pass a couple of churches. Cambridge St. becomes Brighton Avenue, and it gets pretty dense as we enter Allston and Packards Corner, where we meet the B branch. Oh, look, Packards Corner Station and the B branch!
So, we keep going down the B branch’s routing, crossing over the Pike, passing by Amory and Babcock Streets, numerous shops including Raising Canes and Landry’s (if you’re looking for cycling stuff, I cannot recommend them enough!), and even Boston University! Go Terriers! Soon enough, however, we pass Blandford Street and arrive in Kenmore. We made it to the end of the 57.
The good: It serves important (if quiet at face value!) communities in Watertown and Allston, and BU! It’s also one of the MBTA’s busiest bus corridors (this also used to be a Green Line branch). Furthermore, it’s very frequent with 12-15 minute headways for much of the day, every day. Peak service also has Oak Square short-turns as the 57A (though at the time of riding, this was not yet in service). Given all this, it’s one of the MBTA’s most important corridors.
The bad: It’s pretty prone to bunching. Capacity can also be an issue, and truthfully, this is one bus route that could benefit from having a few bendy boys running on it. Another alternative to fixing capacity issues could be to revive the A branch to Watertown, but that has its own set of issues. Some crazy souls might even suggest trolleybus-ifying the route, but…eh………no. But, my biggest gripe mostly comes down to capacity issues. 40 foot buses are NOT enough for this route, especially when school is in session at BU. And given it makes little sense for people to get off and transfer to the Green Line at Babcock St. or Packards Corner (unless they’re heading towards Boston College), it really is a problem. Please, get some bendy boys on this route!
Nearby points of interest: Packards Corner looks cool! BU is also right on the route. Brighton and Newton Corner are a little more suburban, but Oak Square has a number of shopping destinations too. There’s also St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center, as well!
Overall, it’s an important route for the MBTA and local communities, and is one that desperately needs better capacity and throughput. But, all things considered, not a bad route.
Rating: 8/10
