Misc. – chelsea's corner

GATRA GO (Foxboro/Mansfield/Franklin/Norfolk, Pembroke, Plymouth, & Scituate Microtransits)

Oh golly. I promised on the Miles in Transit Discord server that I’ll try speedrunning GATRA on the basis of losing a bet, or something like that. Well, I kinda forgot about that and never had the time or motivation to. But, since then, we finally have…ONE GATRA entry. Welcome to GATRA GO! Unfortunately…this one was about a year in the making due to a number of mishaps in the making. Here they are:

ATTEMPT #1: I first attempted to review GATRA GO on the same day I visited Forge Park/495. Unfortunately, GATRA GO didn’t want to cooperate and it kept telling me there were no trips between Forge Park and Mansfield. How could this be?! They’re the same damn zone! Just look!

At first glance, you wouldn’t think twice of this! “I can just go from Forge Park to Mansfield!” Well….NOPE! Just look!

It turns out (thanks random internet person for this insight!) that, there’s actually a historical reason for this weirdness (you’d think it’d be fixed?!) AND not only that, you have to transfer LITERALLY ANYWHERE IN FOXBORO – BEING THE ONLY TOWN WITH A ZONAL OVERLAP. WHY?! So, I was left out in the rather cold November evening, having to dial an Uber to Mansfield Station, as GATRA fucked me over at Forge Park/495. I must also add – THIS REPLACED LITERALLY ALL THE FRANKLIN, NORFOLK, FOXBORO, AND MANSFIELD-AREA FIXED ROUTES! THIS ALSO REPLACED THE SLOOPY SLOOP IN SCITUATE! WHY GATRA?!

I was one with the quietness of Forge Park in the twilight…

ATTEMPT #2: A week or two later, I was going up to visit Brooke among other things in Boston, it was still very cold (it was December at this point), and I said “fuck it” and decided to get revenge on GATRA GO. Unfortunately, very VERY long wait times said “lol fuck you” and even though I got off my train at 8ish AM, I wouldn’t be picked up until closer to 10, guaranteeing missing a Foxboro train I wanted to connect to. This also meant I’d be stuck in Foxboro for a couple of hours. 🙁

ATTEMPT #3: About 10 months after, I decided to come back with pretty much the entire Franklin Line under my belt and with a much better understanding of how GATRA works, and having much more time on my hands (now that I wasn’t dating Brooke, though we’re still friends, and I wasn’t trying to ride her train either as I didn’t know if I’d still have steam – or make it to Heath St. in time). This set of circumstances worked in my hands, even if I still had to wait…

*checks notes*

40 MINUTES?! Oh brother…

That’s what a bus looks like – but I didn’t get this in Franklin

So, when I got off in Norfolk, I dialed a GATRA GO bus and it took 46 minutes to arrive, coming from the general area of Franklin. Yeah, those wait times are BAD. But, the bus actually DID come eventually. It came, crossed the Franklin Line grade crossing, and pulled into the station parking lot to pick me up. And, oh god…

So, there were four other people, the operator and three passengers. The passengers each introduced themselves (Liv and Maddie, who were vlogging, and their friend Elias. If any of y’all see this, hi!) and we all talked a bit. Everyone else was going to Crumbl at Patriot Place, and I said “eh, why not?” (I was planning on a lunch in downtown Boston or at Five Guys in Foxboro). The two ladies continued vlogging as we got on Pond Street. Really, this was a straight shot more than anything and we made pretty good time, for what it’s worth. Didn’t pick anyone else up along the way though, but it was a rather quick ride. Though, I must wonder though: why are there no fixed routes? I get “low ridership” but ya know, ADVERTISE THEM. RUN THEM AT A CONSISTENT SCHEDULE 7 DAYS A WEEK! I digress. And then, I think I might’ve heard the most Gen Alpha brainrot thing I’ve ever heard from anyone. I’m not even sure if Gen Alpha is old enough to use GATRA GO. But, here we go:

“Sigma Ohio Skibidi.”

Please bleach that one out of my memory. Bleh. Cue the gif of Homer Simpson pouring bleach in his eyes, even. That aside, the ride was pretty comfortable, relaxing even, and there wasn’t even a jiggly wheelchair lift. Good job, GATRA! (or whoever owns the buses for GATRA) Eventually, we made it to Patriot Place and parted ways. And, to Maddie and Liv, I wish y’all the best of luck with vlogging.

See, Weston?! Norfolk is nice enough to have sidewalks on their streets!

The good: It’ll get you literally anywhere in the zone!

The bad: WHY ARE THERE NO FIXED ROUTES?! LEGIT, PATRIOT PLACE CAN AND SHOULD BE A PULSE POINT FOR LOCAL GATRA FIXED ROUTES GOING TO FRANKLIN, FOXBORO, MANSFIELD, AND NORFOLK. SEND A DAMN BUS TO WALPOLE CENTER TO CONNECT WITH THE 34E EVEN. AND FOR THAT MATTER, WHY DID THE SLOOP GET REPLACED WITH THIS?! WHY DOESN’T IT CONNECT TO ANY FIXED ROUTES THAT LINK IT TO THE MBTA IN WEYMOUTH OR HINGHAM?! WHY DOES THE PLYMOUTH ZONE NOT CONNECT TO THE KINGSTON T STATION?! WHY?! WHY DOES THE PEMBROKE ZONE EVEN EXIST AS A SEPARATE ENTITY?! WAIT TIMES ARE ALSO GARBAGE UNLESS YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHEN YOU’LL BE LEAVING AND WHEN YOU’LL BE LEAVING YOUR DESTINATION FOR YOUR RETURN – MOST PEOPLE AREN’T INFLEXIBLE LIKE THAT! THAT’S IF IT EVEN WORKS AT ALL.

Nearby points of interest: Franklin’s town center is cool, as is Patriot Place! You also have Plymouth’s downtown, Scituate & the Greenbush Line, and whatever the hell is in Pembroke.

Overall, WHY?! WHY DID THEY KILL FIXED ROUTES FOR THESE?! JUST WHY?! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Rating: 2.5/10

THIS SHOULD SUPPLEMENT FIXED ROUTES, NOT REPLACE THEM. GATRA GO, MORE LIKE GATRA GO FUCK YOURSELF.

Flushing-Main St. (NYCMTA)

Alrighty, so we made it to the end of line #7, at……north-central Queens? Huh, guess the subway doesn’t go out as far as I’d expect it to. Ah well. Welcome to Flushing, some might say “the better Chinatown”, but regardless, here we go!

The subway station is mostly standard, however the only major difference aside from the usual benches, wastebaskets, and (working!) countdown clocks, are that there’s THREE tracks rather than two here. Which, essentially, means “Doors will open on either or both side” is a real possibility here. There’s also a relatively nice-looking mezzanine with OMNY machines. Allegedly, a restroom also exists here but I didn’t see one. Unfortunately, though, the way the station is designed inherently prohibits any extensions of the line – as they’d all require the mezzanine to be razed as between the mezzanine and tracks are some big mean mother bumpers. But, there’s at least bus connections to eastern and northern Queens! Yay! But, that’s not all to this station…

This picture is the embodiment of what’s quite possibly my favorite area in NYC based on vibes alone. Also, I spy the LIRR?!

Yes. There’s also an LIRR station here, kinda acting as a super-express of line #7 if you take this towards Grand Central/Penn Station. The station is on an embankment, with elevator for ADA compliance. There’s also ticket machines and shelters, but it really isn’t anything to ring home about. It works well for what it is. Some might say “why would you take it when the subway is there?”, to which I raise the possibility of reverse commuters to Port Washington and Manhasset, and also people who prefer a super-express that stops only at Mets-Willett Point and Woodside before going into Manhattan. Oh yeah, I also almost forgot to note, the departure boards tell you CAR CAPACITY. DAMN, I never seen THAT before on a commuter rail system!

The good: It’s a major destination, has both subway and LIRR access, and is the gateway to eastern Queens and Nassau Co.! The “N”-prefixed routes I raised questions about in a caption? Turns out, those are Nassau Inter-County Express (NICE) buses. Yes, an RTA other than the MTA actually serves this station! DAMN. Furthermore, the Port Washington Line is pretty frequent by commuter rail standards, while line #7 is the most frequent subway line in the system.

The bad: The design prohibits extensions inherently! That’s…..really the only negative I can genuinely think of, aside from the piss-scented elevators at the LIRR station.

Nearby points of interest: Flushing, duh! This is probably the more major Chinatown vs. Manhattan’s Chinatown. There’s also buses to Whitestone, Murray Hill, Bayside, and Nassau Co. from here.

Transit connections:
LIRR (Port Washington)
Flushing Line (Line #7)
MTA bus (Q12, Q13, Q15, Q15A, Q16, Q17, Q19, Q20A, Q20B, Q25, Q26, Q27, Q28, Q34, Q44 SBS, Q48, Q50, Q58, Q65, Q66)
NICE (N20G, N20X)

Overall, while the vibes of the station itself are “meh”, if slightly above average, this neighborhood is really vibey, for what it’s worth, and is probably my favorite part of the city. Also, the bus connections are plentiful here.

Rating: 8/10

South Ferry & Whitehall St. (Line #1, R, W)

Oh goody, another station complex! Well, we’re on the southern tip of Manhattan for this one. Unfortunately, this one tends to be a little cursed in the 21st century, in that there’s been several catastrophic disruptions to service here. Well, with that out of the way, let’s get into things.

At the end of line #1 and line W, South Ferry and Whitehall St. (technically two stations, but physically the same station) is the southernmost station in Manhattan, serving the Whitehall St. ferry terminal and the Battery, and the southernmost bits of the Financial District. The stations themselves are pretty modern, with decent amounts of lighting. You also have countdown clocks that actually work, benches, wastebaskets, fare machines, and the usual. There’s also allegedly an in-station connection to each other (I fully believe it exists) but I haven’t seen it anywhere when I was here. Easy to miss? Possibly. Line #1 has big mean mother bumpers at the end of the track (likely because you cannot build tail tracks here – the ocean is 3 feet south!), while line W utilizes a middle pocket track to turn around. On street level, it’s pretty lively overall, with vendors everywhere and modern headhouses that remind me of Hudson Yards – and overall, look nice. And, yes, this is accessible! YAY! There is also a busway here as well, neat!

THE CLOCKS DO WORK?! WHAT THE FUCK, WHY DO THE ONES AT HUDSON YARDS NOT WORK THEN?!

Another headhouse and the Whitehall St. terminal!

Right, getting back to “this station is cursed”. I say that for one reason: there’s been two catastrophic events that killed service here this century already! First off was the 9/11 attacks. Now, we all know what happened with the September 11th incident and the 3000 or so lives lost between here, the Pentagon, and Pennsylvania, and I’m not even going to get into anything about imperialism (this is a transit blog – not “Chelsea’s Political Ramblings”. But if anyone wants to see my political ramblings, let me know!), but between this and the resulting conflicts, there were millions of civilian fatalities. One of the byproducts of the towers falling on that morning was the fact it severed line #1 between Chambers St. and here (Chambers St. was the last turnaround point heading southbound). It also led to service on the Broadway lines to be killed for a while as well, with service beyond being an extension of lines J and M (at the time, line M used the Nassau St. tunnel) into the Montague St. tunnel and towards Bay Ridge and Coney Island. Line #1 would instead be re-routed to New Lots, and these changes would persist for a bit. About a decade later would be Hurricane Sandy. Hurricane Sandy would wreck havoc all over NYC, flooding a decent amount of the city and, unfortunately, South Ferry Station. The salt in the wound here, was that they rebuilt the station in a slightly different location, and that station was completely wrecked. So, with that, they had to reactivate the old station (which was a balloon loop ala Heath St.). This was among the many problems caused by Sandy, among those caused in Queens and Brooklyn. Unfortunately, though, I can’t talk about them as much because there isn’t as much info readily available. But, nevertheless, this station is cursed, and it wouldn’t be opened again until 2017.

These clocks don’t work for counting down. WHY?!

The good: It’s a nice station, it’s modern in design, and it’s well-lit! Furthermore, it’s on the southern tip of Manhattan and has an on-foot connection to the Whitehall St. ferry terminal (stay tuned) for Staten Island ferry service. There’s also a busway and it’s accessible!

The bad: I can’t help but think this station is cursed. In all seriousness though, I don’t have a lot against it. Maybe a better-signed transfer to line #1?

Nearby points of interest: The Financial District, the Battery, and the Statue of Liberty!

Transit connections:
7th Ave. Line (1)
Broadway Line (R, W)
MTA bus (M15, M15 SBS, M20, M55, BM1, BM2, BM3, BM4, QM7, QM8, QM11, QM25, SIM5, SIM15, SIM35)
Staten Island Ferry (at Whitehall St. Terminal)

Overall, it’s a nice and useful station, and I’d say it’s a favorite of mine so far on the system. But, not as much as 33rd-Rawson. Yeah, sorry. But it’s still good.

Rating: 8/10

40th-Lowery St.’s (Line #7)

40th-Lowery is much like 33rd-Rawson. In fact, it’s quite literally a copy-paste of 33rd-Rawson. So, this entry will not be very exciting. Sorry! Here ya go, anyways, as duty calls.

40th-Lowery, quite literally, is a copy-paste of 33rd-Rawson. I’m not even joking. You have the same signage (except reads “40th St.-Lowery St.”), mezzanine design, station design, track configuration, and everything. The only unique thing, as far as I can find, about this station is that it’s the only elevated station on the line WITHOUT a free crossover to the opposite direction. Likewise, there is only one other station on the entire line without a free crossover, being Vernon Blvd. near the LI City LIRR station. Yeah, sorry, but that’s not a good distinction to have. 🙁 The bus connections are also the same as at 33rd St., being the Q32 and Q60.

The skyline view from here is also pretty cool!

The mezzanine! 33rd-Rawson’s looks like this, too.

BIGASS CONCRETE VIADUCT OVER QUEENS BOULEVARD!

The good: It sees frequent service during daylight hours! It also gets the job done, for what it’s worth! It also seems cool for photography. (though, in my opinion, not as much as 33rd-Rawson)

The bad: It’s copy-pasted. That means no ADA compliance here, people! D: Also, no free crossovers.

Nearby points of interest: There’s some restaurants nearby according to Google Maps, including a McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and even a White Castle. There’s also a butcher shop. There’s also a school on the next street over (are NYC public schools really just numbered???)

Transit connections:
Flushing Line (Line #7)
MTA bus (Q32, Q60)

Overall, yeah, I got very little to remark about this station. This might be a common theme with NYC, and a telltale sign of copy-pasted stuff. Sorry. 🙁

Rating: 6/10

33rd-Rawson St.’s (Line #7)

Alrighty, so this entry (apologies for being late – my mental health and work put this on the backburner a bit!) is one of many elevated stations on line #7. The first of many stations on the line with street names (or second – if you factor in the platforms for line E and M at Court Sq. is “Court Sq.-23rd St.”), and the first of many generic elevated stations along the line. Let’s get into this because this is going to probably get monotonous.

33rd-Rawson is on the edge of LI City (going by Google Maps boundaries here), and is on a concrete viaduct over Queens Blvd. Wait, is this what NYC-area foamers call the “Queens Blvd. Line”?

*does research*

Wait, it isn’t? Damn…

Anyways, the station really isn’t much to ring home about. You have two side platforms with wastebaskets, benches, countdown clocks (which means you will hear “THERE IS AN. UPTOWN. LOCAL. SEVEN TRAIN TO FLUSHING-MAIN ST. APPROACHING THE STATION PLEASE STAND AWAY FROM THE PLATFORM EDGE” about once every other minute. We’ll get to that in a minute. The mezzanine has MetroCard machines and turnstiles, however they’re configured in a way to not allow free crossovers. Boo, that sucks! Well, I lied. Apparently, there’s a part-time exit (presumably closed nights or offpeak) that DOES allow free crossovers. Not sure how anyone would think this though if they’re not from the area. Oh well! I must also remark, the skyline view of LI City is pretty sick from here, too!

View of the other platform and the LI City skyline

Countdown clock! Yes, those headways are ACTUALLY REAL.

Line diagram! Where’s the LIRR at Woodside?

Sunnyside is indeed sunny today! (it’s close enough!)

Right, back about those headways. Those headways are actually real, and the trains run at FULL SPEED with those headways. I decided to railfan here a little bit and, I am genuinely not exaggerating, there were moments where trains were pretty much bunched up to the untrained eye, yet they were running full speed and were not holding. Like, DAMN! I’ll explain how it works. This might go over some peoples’ heads, and I probably won’t do the best job explaining, so I apologize in advance. So, here we go:

Line #7 (& Line L, and some sections of the other lines including the Queens Blvd. tunnel, and more recently line G) operate on a different signaling system that operates considerably different than the rest of the subway system, and is considerably different vs. mainline rail (e.g. Amtrak, Metro-North, NJ Transit, the LIRR) or other subway systems (e.g. SEPTA, the MBTA, the CTA). Most of these systems operate their signals with what are called “blocks”, or sections of track that are protected by signals. If you ever sat trackside, you might’ve seen a tri-color light or a gantry with red, yellow, and green. These operate pretty much like traffic lights, and once you enter the block section, they’re supposed to turn red. However, the signaling system on line #7 doesn’t use traditional blocks. Rather, the system, called CBTC, uses what essentially are an infinite amount of blocks and trains can keep as much or as little space as possible to operate safely and at full speed. Furthermore, this technology also allows for, essentially, fully automated subway lines. However, in the context of New York, odds are the unions wouldn’t let that fly because of job security reasons, so if nothing else the operators are there for emergencies and to operate the doors. It’s a bit hard to explain, so my recommendation is to just see it in action if you’re able to. It really is a sight to behold to see 2 11-car trains back to back without any restricted speeds.

If that was hard to understand, I don’t fault you. Here’s a video that can explain it better than I can.

Bye! (there was another train immediately behind it – out of frame)

The good: It’s a cool railfanning spot and, in my opinion, a good place to see CBTC in action! It also serves the Sunnyside and LI City areas of Queens pretty well! Queens Blvd. is pretty nice with what’s on it, even though it may as well be a stroad that happens to have a subway viaduct in the median.

The bad: Eh, not a lot to say outside the station specifically. Again, Queens Blvd. is a stroad. This station also isn’t accessible. Booooo…..

Nearby points of interest: The station itself is pretty cool for railfanning! There’ a YMCA, a gaming store, and a school nearby.

Transit connections:
Flushing Line (Line #7)
MTA bus (Q32, Q39, Q60)

Overall, it’s a pretty cool station for railfanning, but not much to remark beyond that. Sorry!

Rating: 6.5/10

Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall & Chambers St. (Lines #s 4-6, J)

So, here, we have another station complex, although this one isn’t as bad as the 42nd St. megacomplex in terms of how messy it is for me to cover. However, the station itself is kinda in sad condition, but as a terminal, it’s also pretty unique and is the last of its kind in normal service. Welcome to the Brooklyn Bridge/Chambers St. station complex!

Chambers St., on line J (also served by the Z line during peak hours – however we do NOT speak of the Z) is quite possibly among the most depressing subway stations I’ve ever seen. There’s three island platforms, however only two are in use, and only two out of four tracks are used in revenue service. Sometimes, though, if extra trains have to be sent through the Nassau St. tunnel, they might turn around on the middle tracks. But, generally, Chambers St. is a time capsule – and not in a good way. But, it was historically significant, being meant to be a major transfer point between the IRT and BMT before consolidation into the MTA, but that just never panned out. In terms of the station itself, it is just sad. It’s dingy, quite possibly a sorrier state than anything on the MBTA, and it’s just depressing in vibes. At least there’s elevators to render it an ADA accessible station!

In the mezzanine, is your standard faregates and signage to lines #s 4-6, and an exit out to the Municipal Building. Walking down the passage brings one to the ex-IRT platforms, named Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall. The platforms here, just like the ex-BMT platforms, have wastebaskets and clocks, and signage. However, there’s only 4 tracks and 2 islands, with the outer tracks going to the former City Hall balloon loop. This loop, and the fact one can ride through it, makes this station unique as it’s the only in-service balloon loop on the entire MTA subway. The loop is rideable by normal people, and it’s how line #6 turns around back towards Pelham Bay and Parkchester. However, if you are going to ride the loop, PLEASE, PLEASE DO NOT TRESPASS OR SUBWAY SURF INTO THE STATION. IT IS DANGEROUS. I DO NOT ADVOCATE FOR SUBWAY SURFING OR TRESPASSING. AND, YOU WILL LIKELY BE ARRESTED. IT IS NOT WORTH IT. If you MUST check out the old City Hall station, the NYC Transit Museum sometimes does tours. With that aside, Brooklyn Bridge is okay. It’s dingy but it’s not as sorry a state of affairs as Chambers St., and plus the fact that line #6 uses the loop here to turn around is cool! And, there’s also bus connections on street level. Neat!

The good: It’s a transfer point in lower Manhattan between lines #s 4-6 and line J! Furthermore, it’s actually pretty useful for people trying to get to the Municipal Building, various federal buildings nearby, and the Brooklyn Bridge itself. It’s also accessible!

The bad: Unless you’re changing between line #6 and line J specifically, I don’t see why one would change here, rather than at Fulton St. (the next stop over heading downtown), which has express service. Chambers St. specifically is also bad with how sorry a state of affairs it is in. 🙁 If my mental health issues manifested as a subway station, it would probably be best described as Chambers St. (Line J). Yeah, sorry!

Nearby points of interest: This is the closest subway station to various municipal and federal buildings, one of a couple stations to serve City Hall, and the closest station to the Brooklyn Bridge. Pace University is also a stone’s throw away.

Transit connections:
Lexington Ave. (Lines #s 4-6)
Nassau St. (Lines J, Z)
MTA bus (M9, M22, M103, BM1, BM2, BM3, BM4, QM7, QM8, QM11, QM25, SIM15)

Overall, this station is straight-up depression. Yeah, sorry, but I got not a lot of good to say about it. Sorry! The loop is cool, though!

Rating: 3.5/10

34th St.-Hudson Yards (Line #7)

Hudson Yards is among the newest stations on the MTA subway, having opened almost 9 years ago (as of writing this), with only 2nd Ave.-72nd/86th/96th St. being newer than this. The station is, by Manhattan standards, also located in a transit desert otherwise, with 10th, 11th and 12th Ave.’s otherwise having no subway access. This isn’t too big an issue as 8th Ave. is the next best thing, however this location in particular needed a subway connection. With that, let’s get into the station review.

Hudson Yards is one of those kinds of stations where it’s very deep into the ground. However, unlike stations like the LIRR concourse at Grand Central, the various stations in Washington Heights, or Porter Square in Boston, there’s actually half-decent elevators! If I remember right, it took me about 30 seconds to get to the surface – AND IT WAS AN INCLINED ELEVATOR yhfioedpashifopdhsaioufphdsaiofhawdiop INCLINED ELEVATORS ARE AWESOME, OK?! THIS WAS MY FIRST TIME RIDING ONE. Shit, I should make time to ride the Monongahela Incline some time, now that I think of it. I digress. Hudson Yards is pretty nice, the platform is plain but is serviceable. There’s signs pointing to the next train, however there’s one teensy-weensy but crucial problem: THE DEPARTURE BOARDS DON’T WORK OTHERWISE. IS IT THAT HARD TO TELL WHEN THE NEXT TRAIN WILL DEPART?! Anyways, I digress. Going up the inclined elevator (are these called funny colors? fume colors? funiculars? or just simply inclined elevators? what’s the difference anyways?), the station mezzanine is spacious but pretty normal otherwise. The headhouse looks pretty cool, actually. In terms of importance, this station is very important as it’s the closest thing to the Javits Convention Center. For the MTA employees, this is also one of, if not the closest station to the Michael Quill bus garage, so there’s that. Overall, Hudson Yards seems like a cool area.

THIS IS THE LAST STOP ON THIS TRAIN. EVERYONE PLEASE LEAVE THE TRAIN. THANK YOU RIDING MTA NEW YORK CITY TRANSIT.

The Javits Convention Center (apparently a bid for the 2024 DNC was made using this place!)

The good: It serves the up and coming Hudson Yards development, along with the Javits Convention Center! It’s also pretty nice, and the vibes I get from it remind me of my experiences with WMATA from when I went to DC as a child. The mezzanine is also pretty spacious, presumably to accommodate convention crowds from the Javits Center. Also, THE INCLINED ELEVATOR!!!

The bad: WHY ARE THE COUNTDOWN CLOCKS BROKEN?! JUST FUCKING TELL ME WHEN THE TRAIN IS DUE OUT AND WHAT TRACK!

Nearby points of interest: The Javits Center, duh! Furthermore, you have the High Line Park (a rail trail in NYC’s urban core?!), the Vessel, a concerning amount of parking lots, and the Hudson Yards Mall. Yeah, this place largely is probably most comparable to the Prudential Center and Copley Place in Boston.

Transit connections:
Flushing Line (line #7)
MTA bus (M12, M34-SBS)
Megabus (former, long live THE GUY)

Overall, it’s a nice station. It’s pretty modern, serves an important area of NYC, and has some cool stuff around it. And, inclined elevators are pretty cool! DAMMIT MTA, FIX THE COUNTDOWN CLOCKS THOUGH!

Rating: 8/10

Smith-9th St.’s (Lines F & G)

Smith-9th Streets is the highest station on the MTA subway, with an elevation of 87 or so feet above street level. This height made it the highest-elevated subway station in the entire world for a while, until 2022 when Hualongqiao Station on Chongqing’s Line #9 opened (with an elevation of 157 feet above street level – almost double of Smith-9th!!!). Even then, the reason the station was built so high above the ground was actually a simple one – it was cheaper for the Independent Subway System (aka the IND) to build a stupidly oversized viaduct over the Gowanus Canal, than it was to dig a deep tunnel. With that, let’s look at the station.

Nevertheless, you can get a pretty flippin’ good view of the skyline. The station’s layout is your standard 2x side platform with two express tracks. However, typically, the express tracks aren’t used outside two runs of line FX during peak hours (or, <F> if you prefer, but I prefer denoting express lines and routes with the X suffix typically rather than ASCII art). The platform has your standard wastebaskets, benches, countdown clocks, etc., the usual stuff. Going down, there’s escalators going down to street level, where there’s an information booth. There’s also a bus connection, to the B57 and B61 bus routes. Notably, these buses also go to IKEA – and this station is also the nearest one to the Brooklyn IKEA. Neat!!! Just a fair warning though – line G uses 5-car trains and to board, you HAVE to be at the middle of the platform. So, be mindful! And, yes, this station isn’t accessible. Sad!

Why the fuck does one clock only display the current time?

THERE IS A. DOWNTOWN. LOCAL. F. TRAIN TO CONEY ISLAND-STILLWELL AVE. APPROACHING THE STATION PLEASE STAND AWAY FROM THE PLATFORM EDGE.

This operator jumpscared me with the horn 🙁

The good: It’s a cool station! Pretty damn high up! It’s got a nice skyline shot and presents good train photography opportunities – and, really, city skyline opportunities for that matter! There’s also decent bus connections as well! (at face value, anyways)

The bad: It’s not accessible! WHY?! It’s also not a good station if you’re scared of heights. The area is also pretty industrial.

Nearby points of interest: The Brooklyn IKEA is close-ish! Aside from that, there’s some industrial facilities and shipping ports nearby.

Transit connections:
6th Ave. (Line F)
Crosstown (Line G)
MTA bus (B57, B61)

Overall, Smith-9th is a little unique among NYC subways stations, it’s the highest one. It’s pretty tall, has express tracks, and a nice view of the city. However, the accessibility brings it down a bit. IKEA’s close by, though, so long live BLAHAJ. :3

Rating: 7/10

Marble Hill (NYCMTA)

Marble Hill is an oddball station, and quite possibly the only one where the subway and Metro-North almost directly interface with each other outside Harlem and Grand Central. But even then, it’s not a direct physical connection. With that, let’s look at Marble Hill.

225th St.-Marble Hill is your standard ex-IRT (Interborough Rapid Transit, more commonly the A division/numbered lines) MTA elevated subway station, with a pair of side platforms. There’s no elevators, meaning this station is a fuck you to the ADA. Beneath is US-9/Broadway, and a number of Bronx bus routes run through here….even though legally it’s Manhattan. The downtown side has a small headhouse with MetroCard machines, while the uptown side has nothing at all other than a singular OMNY/MetroCard reader. The drawbridge, however, does make for some nice railfanning shots.

THERE IS AN. UPTOWN. ONE. TRAIN TO VAN COURTLANDT PARK-242ND STREET. ONE. MINUTE. AWAY.

The sole OMNY/MetroCard reader heading uptown

Bus connections can be found on Broadway, with the Bx7, Bx9, and Bx20 bus routes providing service to various places around the Bronx, including Riverdale and West Farms Square. Going a block over brings one to the Metro-North station.

And looking towards Van Courtlandt Park and Yonkers!

The Metro-North station is on 225th St. itself, and is also inaccessible. There’s stairs leading down to a rather small island platform, and in the overpass over the tracks is the ticketing machine. The platform is relatively normal otherwise, with a sheltered waiting area, a sign, a wastebasket, and benches. There’s also a departure board in the overpass and lining the platform. Yeah, not a lot to note here. The Hudson River makes for nice scenery though!

Overpass shot towards Spuyten Duyvil and Poughkeepsie!

And towards Yankee Stadium and Grand Central!

The good: It’s a transfer point between the subway and Metro-North! Furthermore, it’s also a good place for railfanning. It’s also a pretty busy area!

The bad: The stations aren’t accessible! The subway station is also pretty normal otherwise. Throw some elevators or ramps in, dammit!!!

Nearby points of interest: There’s a housing development nearby and a shopping mall!

Transit connections:
Metro-North (Hudson Line)
7th Ave. (Line #1)
MTA bus (Bx7, Bx9, Bx20)

Overall, it’s an okay station. Nothing too special to remark aside from the views of the Hudson and the railfanning potential. Yeah, sorry!

Rating: 6/10

42nd St.-Times Square/PABT/Bryant Park/5th Ave. (Lines 1-3, 7, A-F, M, N, Q, R, W, 42nd St. Shuttle)

Times Square…oh how do I even begin this one? Well, it’s the dog days of summer, and this one’s gonna be one hell of a doozy. That is, a 5 in 1 package. Let’s dig into it: the Port Authority Bus Terminal, the associated MTA subway station, the Times Square subway station, and the Bryant Park/5th Ave. station complex. Yes, all of these are attached to one another. So, buckle down, for this will be LONG.

So, to start with this entry, I was intercepted by someone from the Miles in Transit server (this was before I met up with Miranda for Christopher St.’s entry) at Penn Station. I then took my HRT on line E, and continued to the PABT. Commence review.

The platforms are pretty standard as seen elsewhere, two island platforms (albeit staggered), with benches, wayfinding, and a countdown clock. They are also accessible via ramps. The mezzanine is huge, with access to the PABT, and even has shops lining it. The PABT itself is pretty expansive, and while I didn’t have a lot of time to check it out (I would be here all day!), the bus terminal itself is expansive. Information booths can be found for Greyhound, Peter Pan, among other carriers. There’s even shopping and restaurants in the non-subway section of the terminal. Neat! From what I heard, the bus berths are just oversized parking garages, so I wasn’t bothered. The End!

HA! You thought this was the end? LMAO NOPE! Well, after going through a concourse tunnel, we reach 7th Ave. at Broadway. Welcome to Times Square!

This was written and taken during the 2024 Olympics season!

Times Square has lines #s 1-3, 7, N, Q, R, W, and the Grand Central-Times Square shuttle. But first, a poem. It’s actually kinda dark, reading:
“OVERSLEPT, SO TIRED. IF LATE, GET FIRED. WHY BOTHER? WHY THE PAIN?”
Damn. That’s actually very dark, and in a way kinda relatable. Well, we reach Times Square’s mezzanine and it’s pretty big. There’s restrooms nearby (staffed!!!!!!), and stairs to every which way. The station itself, though, is more on the empty side. Now, if you’re expecting the platforms for each set of lines to be different….you’d actually be wrong here. Lines #s 1-3 use a pair of islands, with line #3 in particular being a shuttle between here and 148th St.-Lenox Terminal overnight. Lines N, Q, R, and W also use a pair of islands, albeit oriented diagonally underneath Broadway, rather than 7th Ave. Then, there’s line #7, which is yet another island platform. Historically, this station was the terminus for line #7 until Hudson Yards opened in 2015, and until then there were some big mean mother bumpers at the end of the track. Lastly, there’s the Times Square shuttle platform. There used to be three tracks, however that changed relatively recently with modifications to widen the platform, so now it’s just two with an oversized island. One of the two tracks happens to connect to line #1 at the Times Square end as well. Neat! In terms of platform amenities, you have the usual signage, countdown clocks (yes, even for the shuttle!), benches, and wastebaskets. Nothing exciting. The station is also accessible by elevators – however, the PABT transfer is not due to a steeper than normal grade. Sorry!

Line R – wait, isn’t it supposed to be yellow?

This is, in fact, the busiest station on the MTA subway

On the surface, Times Square is one hell of a busy place. In fact, it is known to be overwhelming to some. Even I felt mildly overwhelmed but GOOD GOD was it an experience. Many express and local buses can be found here at street level, while some can be found near Bryant Park, with the PABT having a number of NJT and intercity buses. One of the entrances to Times Square, a simple staircase, is also reported to cost $30 million. Yikes! Overall, this place is definitely among the most photographed in the world, and being here was certainly an experience. Furthermore, you also have a number of shops and theaters nearby. Moving on!

BUS connection- wait a second, GET OUTTA THE BUS LANE!

Eventually, going back to the shuttle platform, Bryant Park station can be accessed underground from here. It’s a stone’s throw away again, which means in theory you can walk from one #7 line platform to the other! HA! Nice… Anyways, I digress. Bryant Park isn’t too special, with the connections to lines B, D, F, and M along with line #7. Except for one thing… Line #7’s platform has “platform screen doors” – albeit, better, as platform barriers. THEY SUCK. THEY CALL THESE PLATFORM SCREEN DOORS?! THIS AIN’T THE KIND OF STUFF THAT RMTRANSIT MENTIONS IN LITERALLY EVERY VIDEO!!! GOD FUCKING DAMMIT MTA!!!!!!!! THESE ARE NOT GOING TO DETER A MALICIOUS MALFACTOR OR ANYONE ELSE FROM FORCING A LIVING BEING ONTO THE GODDAMN THIRD RAIL!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!! I digress, the mezzanine is your typical ex-Independent Subway mezzanine (the Independent Subway, or IND for short, being one of the three predecessor entities to the modern MTA, forming part of the present-day B division/lettered lines). That’s to say, stupidly overbuilt. That’s it. That’s the entire review. Sorry, no pictures of Bryant Park, but it is a pretty nice place, and I might add pics next time I’m in NYC.

More signage! The fuck is a Culver, though?

Does every subway train in NYC have the US flag on it?

THERE IS A. DOWNTOWN. LOCAL. SEVEN TRAIN TO THIRTYFOURTHSTREET-HUDSONYARDS. APPROACHING THE STATION PLEASE STAND AWAY FROM THE PLATFORM EDGE.

The good: It is HUGE and has connections to almost every line. (it does not connect to lines G, J, L, Z, or the Staten Island Railroad). The areas on the surface are full of activity as well, and the PABT is a major destination. It’s also (relatively) a stone’s throw from Penn Station and Grand Central. There’s also restrooms!

The bad: It can be a little confusing for some! Furthermore, it’s a goddamn sauna during the summer. PLATFORM BARRIERS TOO FHDAIOHFIODPWAYHFIODPASHFA.

Nearby points of interest: Bryant Park, Times Square, the PABT, and the many shops, restaurants, theaters, etc. in the area are the big ones! The main branch of the New York Public Library is at Bryant Park as well. The Rockefeller Center, while not directly here, is a stone’s throw away, as is Grand Central.

Transit connections:
6th Ave. Line (lines B, D, F, FX, M)
7th Ave. Line(lines #s 1, 2, 3)
8th Ave. Line (lines A, C, E)
Broadway Line (lines N, Q, R, W)
Flushing Line (lines #s 7, 7X)
42nd St. Shuttle
MTA bus (M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, M7, M20, M34A SBS, M42, M55, M104, Q32, SIM1C, SIM3, SIM3C, SIM4C, SIM6, SIM8, SIM8X, SIM10, SIM22, SIM23, SIM24 SIM25, SIM26, SIM30, SIM31, BxM2, BxM3, BxM4, BxM6, BxM7, BxM8, BxM9, BxM10, BxM11, BxM18, QM1, QM2, QM3, QM4, QM5, QM6, QM20)
NJ Transit bus (101, 102, 105, 107, 108, 109, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 119, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139, 144, 145, 148, 151, 153, 154, 155, 156, 157, 158, 159, 160, 161, 162, 163, 164, 165, 166, 167, 168, 177, 190, 191, 192, 193, 194, 195, 196, 197, 198, 199, 319, 320, 321, 324, 355)
Bee-Line Bus (BxM4C)
Various intercity buses

Overall, this station complex is the single most important station (or station complex, rather) on the entire MTA subway, connecting almost every line with each other. Just be safe and mindful of pickpocketing people. If you’re ever in NYC as a tourist, I wouldn’t say “don’t come here”, and in fact I say do go for it at least once. But, in terms of the station itself, it’s not too grandiose inside, and the relatively high rating comes from the lively vibes of the surrounding areas. Screw those platform fences on 5th Ave. though.

Rating: 7/10