OH SHIT, WE’RE IN NEW YORK CITY?! Yes! We’re in NYC! And I’ll be doing not one but SEVERAL station entries on stuff in NYC. Because I’m working my way south down into the core of Manhattan Island (henceforth simply Manhattan), I’ll be starting with Fordham (even though this was in the early afternoon and I did four stations before this chronologically). So, with that out of the way, welcome to the Bronx!
Station sign – in BLUE?!
The station is located on its namesake road (Fordham Rd.), and is also named Fordham-East 190th St. on timetables. However, nobody mentions East 190th St. when mentioning this station, not even Metro-North on station signage, so it’s just gonna be “Fordham” for this entry. Naming is gonna get a little messy for NYC, so there’s gonna be an entry about that too. Stay tuned. Anyways, I digress. I walked from Fordham Rd. station (the one at the intersection of Jerome Ave., not at Grand Concourse) and got lunch before coming here, and the area’s pretty freakin’ dense. You have shopping plazas everywhere and in general, it’s just so damn lively. I vibe with it, honestly. You also have Fordham University next door as well. Outside are some BlueBi- oh, they’re called Citibikes here? Sorry, force of habit. Outside are CitiBikes, bus connections to both the MTA bus network and Bee-Line’s 62. In fact, there’s even signage pointing to the “Bronx Zoo Bus” (the Bx9 to West Farms Square)
Some shopping on the Grand Concourse!Some more shopping on E. Fordham Rd.!Bendy bus!Fordham PlazaNot BlueBikes, but rather CitiBikes!Wayfinding!And even MORE shopping!
Anyways, the station itself! The station has a historic headhouse that’s still intact, has a small indoor waiting area with ticket office, vending machines, and ticket machines. There’s also exits to the platform directly from outside. The platforms are also pretty standard, but they go REALLY FAR. Or, at least, they feel very long. In reality, they’re 800ft long like your standard MBTA full high-level platform. There isn’t really much in the way of heated waiting areas down here, but why would you need that when the station headhouse is open? Elevators, of course, also exist for accessibility. Yay! This is actually pretty freakin’ good. I must admit, though, I find it amusing the inbound platform’s signage reads “To New York” as if the Bronx isn’t New York.
Express train!That’s a rather long tunnel…The platformThe headhouse from track levelThe interior of the headhouseThe headhouse from street level
The good: It’s in the middle of the freakin’ Bronx! It has all the amenities one would reasonably need (maybe aside from restroom? I didn’t see one…). Furthermore, it’s around a lot of shopping and is next door to Fordham University. Neat! There’s also plenty of bus connections to both Bee-Line and the MTA, and even Select Bus.
The bad: The platforms underneath the headhouse can feel a little dingy… Also, the hike to the subway stations on Grand Concourse and Jerome Ave. can be a bit annoying at times. I also didn’t notice any bus shelters for the bus connections. Boooooo.
Nearby points of interest: There’s a lot of shopping nearby, along with Fordham University! The New York Botanical Garden is also close by, however there’s a stop closer to that.
Transit connections: Metro-North (Harlem, New Haven) MTA bus (Bx9, Bx12, Bx12-SBS, Bx15, Bx17, Bx22, Bx41, Bx41-SBS) Bee-Line (60, 61, 62)
Overall, it’s a really good station in all honesty. Sure, some things could use better signage, but all things considered it’s not bad, and it’s good that I started the NYC section of this blog on a good note. 😀 I also dig the vintage headhouse interior as well.
Mt. Vernon East is the last station on the New Haven Line before entering NYC proper. So, is there even anything of note here? I actually don’t know, but let’s look at it, shall we?
Station signage!
The station is your standard 4 tracks/2 sides setup with express tracks in the middle going unserved. There’s a pedestrian overpass with elevator access, but no heated waiting area. Furthermore, you have a lot of parking to go around here, and there’s even a ticket office that was closed. To the west of the station, there’s also a busway (I didn’t know it existed when I came here). Furthermore, there’s ticket machines in the aforementioned overpass. Neat. Just one annoying thing: as I was reviewing this station, I ran into a bunch of teenagers HOTBOXING the station overpass. YES, I REPEAT, THERE WERE A BUNCH OF TEENAGERS SMOKING A BIG FAT DOINK IN THE OVERPASS FILLING IT UP WITH THE FUMES OF THE DEVIL’S LETTUCE! OH DEAR GOD! AND THE SAD PART IS – THIS WAS THE ONLY PLACE ONE CAN KEEP WARM AT THE STATION!
Towards New Haven!The other side!Overpass!Platform shotParking!View from the overpass!And a view towards the Bronx!Ticketing machines!The shuttered ticket officeThe headhouseThe kiss & ride?EXPRESS!!!
The good: It’s in a pretty dense area and is right next to Mt. Vernon’s town center! While it’s not in a rich suburban area like Mamaroneck or Harrison, it’s still in a pretty major center for activity. Bus connections are also close by!
The bad: THE PEDESTRIAN OVERPASS IS THE ONLY PLACE TO STAY WARM ON A COLD DAY, AND A BUNCH OF FUCKING TEENAGERS WERE HOTBOXING THE DAMN THING. OH GOD….
Nearby points of interest: Mt. Vernon’s town center is next to here. There’s also an industrial area and suburbia nearby too.
Transit connections: Metro-North (New Haven) Bee-Line (7, 41, 43, 53, 54, 55 at East Prospect & North 3rd Ave.’s)
Overall, it’s an alright station. However, admittedly, I’m biased against the station because it was too windy and there was nowhere to stay warm when I did this station review. Sorry! On the upside, I kinda want to explore Mt. Vernon some more.
Pelham is a station in the namesake village in Westchester County, New York. The station itself is located in suburban sprawl and is largely unassuming. However, there’s something a little special here though…
Station signage!
So, the station itself is pretty bogstandard at face value. You have heated waiting areas outside, benches, wastebaskets, a tunnel to change sides, and a shuttered station house. Much like the rest of the New Haven Line, there’s also plenty of parking to go around. Unfortunately, though, it’s only partly accessible. Pelham itself is also pretty suburban, so sadly it doesn’t really stand out that much either. However, for railfanning, there IS something that stands out. So, Metro-North uses both third rail and overhead catenary for electrification on the New Haven Line. Where does the change-over happen? Well, it actually happens in the Pelham area. Or, rather, the change-over happens anywhere between Mt. Vernon (where the catenary begins) and the curve approaching New Rochelle (about as far as a train can coast without power).
An M8The catenary AND, if you look carefully, you might also see third rail!See ya!Heated waiting area!Southbound train!Parking!Tunnel!Slightly less sketch than Larchmont!Station headhouse!Pelhamwood Ave.!Some green space!Bee-Line!
The good: It’s a cool spot to railfan with Metro-North changing power sources here! Furthermore, it’s a decently sized park & ride station and there’s some shopping and restaurants nearby.
The bad: There isn’t as much as around the rest of the New Haven Line stations in New York. Yeah, sorry! It also isn’t fully accessible. 🙁
Nearby points of interest: There’s a 9/11 memorial nearby! Yeah, sorry, not a lot here.
Transit connections: Metro-North (New Haven) Bee-Line (53)
Overall, I just don’t have anything special to remark. Yeah, sorry. 🙁 But at least you can railfan a power change!
New Rochelle is one of the busiest stations on Metro-North’s New Haven Line between the city limits and Stamford (this, of course, excludes Stamford, Fordham, Harlem-125th, and Grand Central). Also at the station can be found the bus terminal for Bee-Line and other things. Let’s look at it.
So, New Rochelle is honestly a nice little station. The station house looks unique in the middle of a mini-downtown with high rises and whatnot, for one. The station layout is also unique because of how the interlockings are set up. For context on this, the Northeast Corridor splits off from the line to Grand Central just past here, and the way the interlocking is set up only allows for NEC trains to cross over before the station. The platforms are pretty normal, with departure boards lining them. You also have heated waiting areas – and the station building is OPEN! Sweet! Going inside, you have MTA transit police and a ticket office, the Quik-Trak machine, and a cafe. There’s even some artwork lining the walls and a departure board. Neat! I actually ordered some food here and it’s alright, for what it is. You also have an overpass, which harbors an entrance, and the New Rochelle Transportation Center. This has a busway for Bee-Line buses, a parking garage, and a car rental facility. Why the fuck is there even a car rental facility? I don’t know, but whatever. Moving right along!
An M8!Towards StamfordTowards the splitHeh, nice…Overpass shot!Elevator shot!The sheltered area on track 3The New Rochelle Transit Center!And another shot of the busway!The ticket office!The departure board and some art!An M8!A pair of M8sOnwards!Now THIS is a vibe!
The good: The station’s just so charming, being a small station headhouse in the middle of an urban center. Furthermore, even the inside is charming with the artwork being painted on the walls and AAAAAAAA IT’S JUST SO AMAZING. The platforms are also serviceable with the heated waiting areas in the cold, too. Amtrak boarding is also clearly signed, always being tracks 2 and 4. On top of all this, there’s also plenty of parking and even rental scooters from what I was told (though I didn’t see any. Thanks, David, for telling me about this!).
The bad: I can’t help but feel it’s out of place somewhat. Also, it’s up against I-95, though that’s less of an issue here. The busway also feels dingy due to being in a parking garage, so there’s that…
Nearby points of interest: Downtown New Rochelle is close by! Furthermore, you have Bee-Line buses.
Overall, I really find this station to be quite charming and a nice place to railfan, and quite truthfully I kinda want to come back and explore New Rochelle further in the future and check out Bee-Line Bus.
Oh fuck, not this again. WAHT? I CAN’T HEAR YOU OVER THE WHIRRING OF THE CARS ON I-95!!! WHELP, GUESS I’LL HAVE TO YELL IN THIS LIKE I HAD TO WITH FREAKIN’ NEWTONVILLE. ANYWAYS, HERE WE GO. HOPEFULLY I DON’T RUN MY MOUTH DRY OR INHALE TOO MANY GASOLINE FUMES!
THE DAMN STATION SIGNAGE
SO, LARCHMONT IS RIGHT NEXT TO I-95, IN FACT I’D ARGUE IT’S CLOSER TO I-95 THAN THE MASS PIKE IS TO NEWTONVILLE. IT’S SO CLOSE THAT THE STATION PARKING LITERALLY HAS TO REST ATOP THE EXPRESSWAY. ANYWAYS, WHAT IS HERE? WELL, NOT MUCH ACTUALLY. A WHOLE LOTTA SHOPPING BUT IT’S THE ASS SIDE OF SAID BUILDINGS AS THERE’S OOPS! ALL PARKING! YOU ALSO HAVE SOME STUFF LINING PALMER AVE. AND WHATNOT. THERE’S ALSO SOME GREENSPACES NEARBY. NEAT! AS FOR THE OTHER SIDE, YOU HAVE A TUNNEL GOING ALL THE WAY TO THE OTHER SIDE OF I-95 AND A TICKET OFFICE. LET’S CHECK IT OUT!
*enters ticket office, is quieter*
Okay, I can actually talk at a reasonable volume here! So, the ticket office is small but surprisingly it’s unlocked. There’s also some seats in here as well, and overpasses. Good Service? What the hell is that supposed to mean? Oh well.
SEE YA!LOOKING TOWARDS PENN STA.-NEW YORKAND TOWARDS STAMFORD AND NEW HAVENLOTS AND LOTS OF PARKING AND THE ASS SIDE OF BUSINESSES!THIS IS KINDA SKETCHYOH MYTHE OTHER SIDEYEH, VERY DINGY!LOOKING FROM THE PENN/GRAND CENTRAL PLATFORMI SPY A HEATED WAITING AREAThe ticketed waiting room. Surprisingly, was unlocked!Even when closed, you can smell the cafe!Overpass shot!Bleh.The overpass and an exit to parkingGOOD SERVICE? The fuck does that mean?!OH JOY, THE TICKET OFFICE FROM AFARNEXT TO ARRIVE ON TRACK FOUR!M8!
The good: IT’S NEXT TO THE TOWN CENTER, KINDA! THAT’S KINDA EASY THOUGH WHEN THE ENTIRE DAMN TOWN IS SUBURBAN SPRAWL OTHERWISE. THE TICKET OFFICE IS UNLOCKED DURING OFFPEAK HOURS TOO!
The bad: IT’S FUCKING NEXT TO I-95 AND YOU CAN’T HEAR A DAMN THING!
Nearby points of interest: THE TOWN CENTER AND SOME GREEN SPACES. NOT A LOT ELSE, REALLY.
Next stop on the line is Mamaroneck! Now, this one is pretty popular for Amtrak and Metro-North railfanning because this and Larchmont are on the fastest stretch of track between New Haven and New Rochelle (where the lines split), with speeds up to 80 miles an hour. So, let’s look at this station, shall we?
Signage!
The northbound platform is the usual, has seating and sheltered waiting areas, but nothing special. The southbound platform, however, has a ticket office – AND IT WAS OPEN! Well, more like a ticket room with vending machines but hey, it counts! Furthermore, there’s a tunnel connecting the two sides and, I think, the Italian restaurant that sits in the old station headhouse. I haven’t had the chance to try it myself personally, but I heard it’s good. Furthermore, the station is in a decent enough area as well with a decent walkshed. Neat!
See ya!Towards Stamford!The local streetsWHY THE FUCK ARE THERE SHOPPING CARTS HERE?!The tunnel to the other side and the restaurantThe ticket office and parkingInside the ticket “office”Express!
The good: It’s in a walkable area and there’s an open ticket office! Neat! Furthermore, there’s a restaurant in the old headhouse as well. Aside from that, it’s pretty normal.
The bad: The tunnel feels a little dingy, not gonna lie…
Nearby points of interest: There’s a park nearby and shopping along Mamaroneck Ave.! There’s also a beach somewhat close by.
Transit connections: Metro-North (New Haven) Bee-Line (60, 61)
Overall, it’s an alright station. The area itself is nice, and it’s worth railfanning here during the warmer season. However, the tunnel feels kinda dingy though…
Next stop is Harrison! So, like Rye, the walkshed around here is pretty decent, but it’s even better in that you have some TOD as well. Neat! Let’s take a look, shall we?
Station sign!A more normal sign
So, the station is located in the main population center of Harrison, adjacent to the town center and some TOD. There’s a ticket office on the inbound platform, however I didn’t notice if it was open or not. The platforms are still your standard affair with an overpass, parking, elevators, and so on. At the point of me doing this, it was beginning to reach the PM peak and I had to make haste before any weirdness in the timetables kicked in (& peak fares! Yikes!), so I wasn’t here TOO long. However, bus connections are found on Halstead Ave. and NY-127, and plenty of parking can be found. The overpass also serves as an entrance as well. Neat! All things considered, it’s normal.
The evening winter sunLooking towards Stamford & BostonThe overpass and an exitOverpass shot!And the other way!Some TOD?The ticket office. I wasn’t sure if it was open or not.An M8Bye!
The good: It has some TOD! Furthermore, there’s plenty of parking and Bee-Line connections! On top of all that, the area is relatively walkable as well! Nice! There’s also nearby green spaces and even the town clerk’s office adjacent to the station as well.
The bad: Eh, it’s about average. There’s nothing wrong that stands out, but the biggest issue boils to the trains terminating here can sometimes create gaps in the timetable that can be annoying to work around if heading north during the PM peak.
Nearby points of interest: The town center looks interesting! Furthermore, you can get to Yonkers from here by bus!
Transit connections: Metro North (New Haven) Bee-Line (5, 61)
Overall, it’s an okay station. It’s average at everything, it works, but nothing really makes it stand out too much. There’s TOD though!
Well, I did it. I started to trek deeper and closer to the heart of NYC. This, along with several other entries, are part of an adventure I decided to go on, on my 23rd birthday (happy belated birthday to myself!). So, first stop for this blog is Rye, NY.
Station signage!
The station itself is pretty standard, but slightly unusual in that there’s not one but two overpasses. There’s also heated waiting areas on both sides of the track, which on a cold and windy day is VERY, VERY HELPFUL. There’s also a ticket office that, sadly, like at most commuter stations on the NEC, was closed. However, here, they cited “staffing shortages and a remodel.” but it looked like it wasn’t touched in several months. Uhhhhhhhhh….. At least the station’s fully accessible with elevators, though! Yay! And, there’s a lot of parking and even Bee-Line connections!
Parking and catenary!An M8!That overpass is US-1.Looking towards Penn Station and Grand Central!Overpass shot!Another overpass shot!Parking on the southbound side – and I-95This train ran express.The ticketing office, which was closedNot sure how long since someone’s been here…
The good: It’s got some parking, Bee-Line connections, and a somewhat decent walkshed! There’s plenty of shopping and restaurants to the south, and a residential neighborhood to the north. Unfortunately though that requires crossing I-95.
The bad: Eh, the bus connections are infrequent at the station proper, and you’d have to walk to NY-120 for regular connections to Bee-Line’s 61 to New Rochelle, Fordham, and Port Chester. The 13 only brings you to Ossining, Tarrytown, and Playland at select times. Also, I-95 is literally right next to the station. 🙁
Nearby points of interest: You have the aforementioned shopping area south of the station, along with a country club.
Transit connections: Metro-North (New Haven) Bee-Line (13 at station proper, 61 at NY-120)
Overall, it’s an okay station. If anything, I’d say it’s about average with not a lot to make it stand out. Sorry! But, sometimes that’s a good thing.
Well, I never thought I’d be writing this. By the time this blog entry comes out, I should have the end result of my efforts here, but until then this will remain a draft. For context, I started writing this on 11/9/2023. It will almost likely be January or February of 2024. Maybe even March. Maybe I’ll be 23 by the time the end result turns up at my doorstep. Maybe Chelsea vs. NYC: The Nomenclature Rant(TM) will be written and completed by then. Who knows. (spoiler: it was 12/12/23, much earlier than anticipated) But, until then, I will be documenting my misadventures involving the State Department and obtaining a passport.
The first attempt starts when a friend texts me and pesters me about getting a passport. Now, anyone who knows me would know I’m staunchly against getting one on two grounds: 1. They’re stupidly overpriced (over $200?! Really?!) and 2. …why do we need to carry a freakin’ book around, when a normal ID has all the info that a police officer would need?
Anyone who also knows me well enough, also knows I’m not one to bail out on commitments, either made by myself or someone else (if that “someone else” is overly pushy, I’ll do it to shut them up – if it’s not illegal), as I otherwise feel like an asshole if I bail out. Of course, that “commitment” can be something as simple as getting a paper in by week’s end, or something as elaborate as documenting every train and rapid transit station in southern New England. And, so, I felt obligated to buy a passport now that I got put into that predicament. So, upon being told by my friend they made an appointment in my name, on my behalf, for Thursday (2023-11-09), I obliged. I go through everything, print everything out, go crazy looking for my birth certificate to photocopy, photocopy everything I need, and bring it in, and I pay the $200+……or it would be so, IF THE DAMN DEPARTMENT OF STATE WASN’T SO DAMN NEEDY! YEAH, NOT ONLY DO YOU NEED TO PHOTOCOPY EVERYTHING, THEY ALSO DEMAND YOU HAVE ORIGINALS ON HAND TOO! Like, why even photocopy at that point?! Just save the damn trees! And I say this, as someone who prefers double-tracking through the Needham wetlands and sending the Orange Line through it, over a double extension solution! (that is, Orange Line to Millennium Park & double branching the Green Line to split at Newton Highlands)
And so, I walked away from the Garden City post office defeated and (thankfully) not short $200+…….for now, went back to West Warwick to run some errands, and picked up a non-photocopied, well, copy of my birth certificate to cover my ass (hopefully they’ll take it!), and got lunch at a local restaurant. Next attempt would have me go down to the Nooseneck Hill Post Office, just outside Woodland Manor, on 2023-11-20.
The long corridor of Post Office Plaza – the office building housing the Garden City Post Office in Cranston
ATTEMPT #2: 2023-11-09 to 2023-11-20 “APPROACHING: Rhode Island Route 3…and…Reservoir Road…..”
Okay, so after waiting for about 2 weeks from the last part, I took the trip out to Woodland Manor in the borderlands. Scheduled appointment time: 10:30 AM. My bus arrived at the end of my street at about 9:40ish, and would get to Woodland Manor for 10:06, about 3-4 minutes ahead of schedule. Neat! This gave me about 24 minutes to spare in the borderlands. While annoying, it wasn’t too bad to work with since I was hungry and there was a Cumberland Farms right there. And then came 10:30ish.
One of the clerks asked me what I needed, and I told them I was there for a passport appointment. I hung tight for the passport lady to call me up (under deadname, sadly, but oh well!), and…..well, it actually wasn’t painful! She looked over the paperwork, confirmed that I needed photo services done too (admittedly, I didn’t trust myself with this part DIYed), and went over everything in a clear and concise manner, right down to correcting any erroneous information or the offchance the photo taken got rejected. But, with that all taken care of, everything was all submitted for a grand total of…….drumroll please……
*drumrolls*
$212. Yikes. But, I knew what I was getting myself into here (at least moreso than the original plan for the 2023 Thanksgiving Special, which got canned for a combination of self-preservation and an inability to find a fitting helmet in time). Besides, I had 2 and a half hours to spare before work, and what better way to spend it from there than to buy lunch? From there, I opted to go down to Arctic, buy a burger (with 2x hot weenies, fries, and hot chocolate!) from Ferrucci’s NY System, and then go to work. Overall, good food if you’re willing to tolerate eating in a locally-owned establishment plastered with some right-wing propaganda.
The borderlands…Burgers & Fries!Hot weenies! (no onions!)HOT CHOCOLATE!!!THE MUGSHOT!
PART 3: THE ARRIVAL (2023-11-20 to 2023-12-12) *ding dong!* “[DEADNAME], YOU GOT SOME MAIL FROM THE STATE DEPARTMENT!” -stepdad, probably (yeah sadly they deadname me. Oh well!)
Well, this happened MUCH earlier than anticipated! All of….THREE WEEKS?! Huh, interesting. Actually, the issuing date was listed for just last week (as of me writing this), which lines up with when I got a phone call from a 617 number that I didn’t recognize. Turns out, it was, in fact, the State department, and they wanted to double check that “X” was, in fact, my gender. Yep! And then came the morning of 12/12/23, as I was about to go shower and get ready for work. So, I go shower, open the packages from the State Department, and wouldn’t ya know it: I got my birth certificate copy back! Furthermore, I got a US passport! What’s in it? Well……not a lot, actually. I’m not even sure what it’s made out of, but it feels like a hardcover book. I also admittedly don’t dig the monochromatic color scheme, but whatever. I’m also not sure what the square-shaped Pokeball thing is supposed to be. The first page is a picture of what looks to be from the Civil War the War of 1812 and some lyrics from the national anthem (thanks Avery for letting me in on this!), and the page adjacent has a Lincoln quote and a bit about the Secretary of State (Anthony Blinken as of the writing of this!) requesting that the bearer be let into a country without delay or hindrance. How often is this request honored? I don’t know, and I’m a bit scared to find out.
The cover!The first two pages
Well, up next is the actual “ID” bit of the passport. For the sake of my own safety, I can’t really show this part as applicable to me specifically, however below is an example. Here we go describing what’s on it, from top to bottom. On the top row you have your passport type (P is for your standard US passport. Not sure if this holds true for other countries, nor do I know what the code is for special-variant US passports), your country’s code (the USA in this case), and the number. Then, you have your surname, your legal first & middle names, nationality (is usually the same as country’s code in long form), birthday, gender marker (X in my case. This may not be an option elsewhere, and most places don’t allow one to self-declare gender), place of birth (how is this relevant?????), followed by issuance and expiration dates. There’s also a bunch of characters at the bottom that I’m not sure what they’re for.
The ID page (not mine)
The next page goes into detail about security measures implemented, along with a blank to fill in emergency contact info. Lastly, you have about 26 or so blank pages. Apparently they’re called “visa pages” however I’m not exactly sure what a debit card company has to do with this. Then there’s the rear, which has a QR code that brings you to the State Department’s website. Neat!
The back page
So, overall, was this worth it? Eh, I guess it depends on which lens you look through at it. If you don’t have even an inkling of interest in international travel? Not worth it, and you just wasted $200+. But, if you have even the slightest of interest in international travel, why not? Granted, it’s steep, but look at it this way: for every time you use it, the cost per use goes down, and there’s 26 blank pages, which brings it to…..$8.15 a use if used fully (for clarification, the math here is $212 divided by 26 pages, or 212/26). While I still don’t exactly see how $200+ is a “good” price, I’m sure if I find myself in situations where it’s actually needed, I might see how valuable it actually is. And, with that, concludes Chelsea vs. the State Department.
Ah, another MBTA terminal station, this time shared with the LRTA! Welcome to Lowell, I guess! So, after taking the Lowell Line from West Medford, I made it my goal to review the entire line in the span of one day. So, let’s see how the Gallagher Transit- wait, it’s just Lowell? Oh ok- wait, that’s also wrong? The Kennedy Center? WHY IS THERE SUCH AN INCONSISTENCY HERE?!
*sighs*
Well, whatever, it’s gonna be the Gallagher TC for the purposes of this blog, so let’s go into it.
Bus berths!More berths!
Starting off, there’s a small pickup/dropoff area along with several bus berths. I think they might be heated, but I’m not sure. However, there is an information booth out here, along with benches and wastebaskets. Neat! You can also see the Commuter Rail ROW as well.
Footbridge!Yes, there’s an indoor waiting area!Choose your wrap!
The indoor waiting area was warm, and is alright. You have NECN on the television inside, along with a 7 segment clock display and brochures. Also, there’s restrooms here. And, HOLY SHIT A CHARLIECARD MACHINE?! Yeah, that’s REALLY rare for outside Boston! In here, you can also take the stairs or elevator up to the 3rd floor, where access to the Commuter Rail can be had.
Brochures!The indoor waiting area!This feels wrong.Parking!Footbridge!Access to the Commuter Rail!
As for the Commuter Rail area, it’s “meh”. It’s in a bit sorry shape, but I’ve seen worse. Although, if I were reviewing this solely based on the Commuter Rail, it’d get a dogshit score. Yeah, you have your footbridge, elevator, and a 2 car long (!!) mini-high, along with wastebaskets, benches, and a red dot matrix sign, but it could be better with a full-length high. Also, the elevator just scares me. Didn’t do the piss test, but it probably smells of urine.
I don’t like this.I REALLY don’t like this!TO LOWELLNorthbound towards Nashua & Concord (NH)!Southbound with freight cars. And, yes, it’s mostly low-level.Helvetica!
The good: Intermodal transfers between the MBTA, Meva, and LRTA! WOOHOO! Furthermore, you’ve got a heated waiting area which is nice! It’s also got plenty of parking to cater to those who drive in as well. Neat!
The bad: Eh, the Commuter Rail bit has seen better days.
Nearby points of interest: Pretty much the entire city of Lowell via the LRTA, but in the immediate area? Not much.
Overall, I like this station but it feels like a reverse Pawtucket: the bus terminal is pretty good, however the Commuter Rail platform is a bit of a sorry state. Even then, I’ve certainly seen worse *cough Newtonville* but either way, it’s a pretty decent station.
