After Medford, we were in the central subway on the Green Line. Wait, who’s that in the Princeton beanie? Well, if it ain’t Conor! Yeah, I met him at the Silver Line meetup with Miles, but here we were again by chance this time. We also coordinated to meet up with Lynx at Riverway, but instead he got on at Heath Street. I didn’t even realize it was him at first, only to find out he was only 13. Yeah, I was surprised myself. Anyways, moving on, I eventually parted ways with the two of them, as Lynx had to go to school and Conor went to the Ball Square festivities. And, that brings us (you, the reader, and I) to East Somervile.
The signage
I encountered Toby on the train, with him getting on and me off, quickly asking if there was anything to note about East Somerville. He said no, nothing of note. And yes, he was right.
The platform
You’ve got benches, artwork, vending machines, and a grade crossing for access. There’s also a Pedal & Park at the other side of the grade crossing, as well as what looks like a 3rd track. Yeah, there’s not much special about this one.
A Type 8!The system map“LET’S GET KINKI!”Another Type 7!The crossing and the Pedal & Parkgeepeefourty
The good: It’s got a Pedal & Park!
The bad: Yeah, there’s not a lot to the station. No TOD or anything to make it stand out. And, as such, it feels kinda “middle of nowhere”
Nearby points of interest: I’m not exactly familiar with the area, but it seems mostly industrial and suburban in nature. Union Square isn’t far, though!
Transit connections: Green Line (E) MBTA bus (86, 91)
Overall, this one’s a dud. I mean, I’m sure in due time it’ll get decent ridership, however it feels very “middle of nowhere” at the current time. At least it has a Pedal & Park and bus connections!
Rating: 6/10
Fortunately, after this, I wasn’t too insane, so I went up to Ball Square for some breakfast. Stay tuned!
Thursday, November 17, 2022. To this point, we’ve only heard the Medford branch of the Green Line was scheduled to open in “late November”, however that was seeming more and more like horse crap. But there was a board meeting scheduled for the day, so maybe there was hope for an announcement of a date. While I couldn’t attend, someone else did.
Meet: Brooke.
She was sick and had the day off from work, and as such (despite unfortunate circumstances) were able to attend the virtual board meeting. Then it gets to the 10 AM hour and the moment of truth……
December 12, 2022. 4:45 AM.
However, I still did not have my work schedule for the day yet. But, some hope was in me still, as I had two options: 1. pray I had Monday and either Sunday or Tuesday off that week 2. Call out if I had to go in Monday and either Sunday or Tuesday.
Fortunately, come Saturday after Black Friday, I got my work schedule: Sunday & Monday off. Perfect, I thought, as I proceeded to begin prepping. To have a rat’s chance in Hell at succeeding, I needed: – a $20 for a day pass (on CharlieCard or a Commuter Rail zone 1A ticket) – enough money for an Uber to Medford from South Station – a ticket for Regional #166 (departs 12:26 AM on Monday) – a zone 8 Commuter Rail ticket (for the return) – something to snack on – money for breakfast (I was planning on going to Kelly’s Diner in Ball Square)
This was, by far, the most deranged, insane, sadistic, masochistic, unhinged idea I’ve conjured up. And I was going to fucking do it. I was committed, and nothing could stop me. Not even the forecasted snow.
Fast forward to December 11th. I wake up at 5:30ish in the morning and bathe, as usual. Before meeting up with a friend, I had planned to buy some snacks for later at my local CVS. From there, I spent the day with them, with their mom being nice enough to offer English muffins for breakfast (thanks!). From here, after hanging with her for a bit, I decided on an impromptu visit to my dad, who lived in the same area, as the 22 was being useless as usual. Of course, after spending the rest of the day with him, he dropped me off at Providence Station relatively early, at 7:30 PM. I had 5 hours to spare.
The last inbound MBTA of the night!And an Amtrak!
I managed to get a couple of shots of trains, and after about 6 hours and a 20 minute train delay on the last train, I finally made it to Boston. To be quite honest, Boston feels like an entirely different place at 1:30 AM. Hell, I’ve never seen downtown Boston as sleepy as I had. Even taking the Uber to Medford, with the view of the casino in Everett was an entirely different feeling. With my dropoff being a 7-Eleven, I had a mile walk ahead of me after buying some water. Of course, me being me, I braved the walk (it wasn’t bad), and I made a deviation on the way to admire the Boston skyline from afar, from Ball Square.
This feels weird, but relaxing at the same timeBoston at 2 AM!Ball Square!
Of course, we’re not here to talk about Ball Square. We’re here to talk about Medford/Tufts University. So, I made my way there, and when I did there was a big wig from Tufts, along with some MBTA personnel, some of whom I talked to about the GLX, mainly more at the fact it’s finally finished after more than a lifetime of effort. So, thankfully, I wasn’t alone.
The tracks!
The station is sandwiched between College Avenue, Boston Avenue, and the Lowell Line’s right of way. A small bridge goes over one of the tracks, where fare vending machines, elevators, and a restroom(?!) can be found. No fare control though, so looks like it’s the honor system again. Moving down to the platform, you have two track stubs for the Green Line to terminate, some artwork, the Helvetica signage, a system map, and a sign indicating which track is departing like at Forest Hills, Alewife, and Braintree. Neat! A Pedal & Park can also be found at the station entrance.
The Helvetica signage!Pedal & Park! Also, meet Toby!Another peek inside!Never challenge a Tufts student to a transit grand opening at odd hours, Mr. Poftak!RELEASE THE HOUNDS!Bathroom!Union had nonfunctional elevators, this has dead pixels!Helvetica at track level!We made it!The first train pulling in – with a type 8 leading!There was an attempt (don’t worry, I got on the type 8!)
The good: It’s a very, VERY important location! Tufts University formerly had (and barely, at that, with a hill in the way) Davis Square, and just Davis Square, for rapid transit. Now, they get the Green Line to the front door! Also, there’s bathrooms! You don’t see that at many stations not named “North, South, or Back Bay Stations”!
The bad: Really? Honor system still?! Yeah, they just yelled at us to not worry about validating for the first train. Still had to pay for the return from Heath Street, but that was to be expected. Also, the bus stops aren’t well signed.
Nearby points of interest: Tufts University is the big name here!
Transit connections: Green Line (E) MBTA bus (80, 94, 96)
Overall, this station is major, and is probably going to be the source of heavy ridership for the branch. Furthermore, the nature of the station (bringing rapid transit directly to Tufts) makes it quite a historic day for the area. Will the rest of the stations hold up? Stay tuned to find out!
Rating: 8/10
From here, I rode the train all the way to Heath St., and tried to go back up, meeting up with Conor on the train, and Lynx at Heath St. Unfortunately for us, the train was taken out of service at Park St., and we had to wait. And, while they all went to Ball Square for festivities, I skipped out, instead opting to check out East Somerville. Stay tuned!
What, no transit-oriented entry for today? Yeah, sorry, I’m holding out until the Green Line Extension to Medford opens. However, that aside, let’s look at some food, shall we?
Nuking the food
So, the food itself is tasty, and kinda soft. It’s got the taste you’d expect from taquitos, so it’s not disappointing or anything like that. For $4 and change, you can’t go wrong (if you’re not banned from your local WAL*MART, that is). However, I would strongly recommend baking or air frying over microwaving. So, with that in mind, how would I rate this?
Easy. 7/10 if you nuke it, 10/10 if you bake it in the oven or an air fryer.
Man, did I think Madison was the worst Shore Line East station. I mean, I still stand by that statement largely due to the fact it’s single-tracked. But, that didn’t prepare me for the nightmare of Guilford. So, how bad is it? Well, let’s find out.
to Guilford StationThere’s the signage!
So, getting off the train, the station already looks decrepit. Like, why?! Why are there benches taped off? Furthermore, why does the stairs look decrepit as hell?! The elevators? Nah, I don’t trust them. The worst part of this is that the station was rebuilt in 2005. Yeah, this thing is newer than South Attleboro and it’s already looking like its falling apart.
The obligatory track picWHY?!Bike racks
I’ll at least give it credit: it has bike racks and a dropoff/pickup area on the westbound side. Furthermore, it’s triple-tracked so parked Shore Line East trains aren’t obstructing the mainline.
UhhhhWestbound from the bridgeAnd eastbound!The majority of the parking – it looks like a high-ish ridership stationA train coming in from New HavenOH NO.The bridge from outsideAn Acela!The other side – with the old red dot matrix signAnother shotUHHHHHHHHHHHH
The good: It’s in the middle of a residential neighborhood! Largely, that means (I presume) a decent amount of ridership is (probably) local. Plus, it’s decently used, given how full the parking lot is.
The bad: Why is this place falling apart?! Just, why?! It’s too new for that. Also, why is the ceiling in the indoor stair area netted?
Transit connections: CTrail (Shore Line East)
Nearby points of interest: The town of Guilford. Doesn’t seem too interesting, though.
Overall, it could be a decent station. It’s hindered greatly by the fact it’s just so decrepit-looking. C’mon ConnDOT, repair this place!
WARNING: reader’s discretion is advised. I don’t even know what this translates to.
FROM: x9nw8r DATE: 9/10/22 POST: 9x (Pascoag/Chepachet) ATTEMPTED TO COMMENT:
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I don’t know the typeface, but it’s not Helvetica Bold.
Alrighty, so Madison isn’t much. You have a big parking lot, presumably intended for a park & ride. Needless to say, parking was plenty and the lot was about half-full. That’s normal. What isn’t normal, however, is the platform.
No second platform?!
Yup. It’s just a singular side platform. This means not every run of the SLE can stop here. So, how does scheduling work? Well, in the morning rush hour period, trains are ran only westbound, while all other times have eastbound-only trains stopping here.
Empty track looking towards Old Saybrook and New London
The station is pretty much fully sheltered, with a facade of a station building. However, it’s not a building, but there are benches and some partly enclosed space.
The “building”And outside!
Fortunately, there are benches and wastebins, so there’s some amenities. However, is it enough to save the lack of a second platform? No.
A Regional flying through
The good: It’s a park & ride off the interstate! It’s also fairly close to Madison’s town center, which seems like a nice place.
The bad: NO, NO, NO! WHY IS THERE ONLY ONE PLATFORM?! The single platform not only greatly hinders the Shore Line East’s service here, but also the Regional and Acela heading either way! Just, AUGH! No, just no! If there was a platform, this station could’ve scraped by with a 6, but NO!
Nearby points of interest: Madison’s town center! I’m not too familiar with the area, but it seems like a pretty nice place to relax and unwind.
Transit connections: CTrail (Shore Line East) CTtransit (201) 9 Town Transit (641)
Overall, why? I think it’s the least-used SLE station, given it’s the only one that’s still single platform. However, a “least used” station still deserves at least two platforms, one for each direction. And if it doesn’t have that, it’s kinda a bad station. Sorry, Madison, but you deserve better.
Rating: 4/10
A nearby lake!The Acela, after delays started to clear up!A Regional!Is it me or do these things sound like geese honking?
Alrighty, the eastern terminus of the Shore Line East! And, boy, does this one look nice!
The bus waiting area
So, the bus waiting area is a little ways up the street from the station, but it’s within view of the station, so it’s not far. It consists of a shelter and a bunch of benches. For it being SEAT’s New London hub, I’d expect more but whatever. Walking to the station, the platforms are in a similar configuration to what one would find on the Providence Line’s MBTA stations if anything, with a mini-high (though these are several cars long, not just one) and a low-level platform area on the other side of the street. Fortunately, the mini-highs are sheltered, but you better run to track 2 before the gates come down.
Down the tracks!The high platform for track 2The Amtrak sign
Moving into the waiting area in the station building, it’s quite nice. In a way, it feels like something you’d expect from a modern station, while retaining the vintage feel of the building. Here, Amtrak and Greyhound ticketing can be found, along with a cafe area. Apparently the womens’ bathroom smelled like fish, per a friend.
The waiting areaTrack 1’s mini-highThis is nice.The station buildingWestbound from the low platform on track 2Track 6’s decrepit platform, unusedOh look, an M8!
The good: It’s centrally located in downtown New London! And, for a station serving a small town of about 25000, it’s pretty well used with similar ridership figures to Kingston/URI. Furthermore, most Shore Line East trains end here, along with many Regional trains stopping here. The station building itself is also pretty nice.
The bad: However, the bus area could be better. Yeah, it’s nice it’s sheltered, but I’d think a dedicated berth or three would be better. I mean, you have Greyhound and SEAT primarily. Also, the grade crossing. It’s a major “screw you” should you be running late. Shoulda kept the footbridge instead of demolishing it. And, why is track 6 unused and un-electrified? I think it’d be better to have the M8s lay over there instead of obstructing one of the two mainline tracks. Also, would countdown signs outside like at Kingston or Old Saybrook have been too much?
Nearby points of interest: Pretty much all of New London, plus SEAT’s reach. There’s also Block and Long Islands via the ferries.
Overall, I like this station as well. It managed to survive into the 21st century retaining its vintage feel, but with a modern refurb. The fact track 6 isn’t used is irritating though. It’s also a scenic place to railfan, if that’s your thing.
Rating: 7/10
HOLY FUCKING SHIT, THE VETERAN’S LIVERY!There it is!Oh yeah, it blocks the street.Another Regional, wrong trackOh, that’s why.
Up next on the Amtrak to-do list, Old Saybrook! So, not only does Amtrak stop here, so does CTrail’s Shore Line East. Oh, it’s also a central hub for 9 Town Transit as well.
See ya!
So getting off the platform, I immediately noticed that it is much shorter than Kingston’s (the point of comparison for this station, as Mystic’s was Westerly). But, it’s also high-level, which is nice. And, wouldn’t ya believe it, track 3 is actually useful here. That is, the Shore Line East uses it to dwell and to allow Amtrak to also stop (or express) past the station. Meanwhile, over to the east, track 3 is pretty much never used as the MBTA doesn’t go that far south. Now, moving on to the station building, it’s split into two essentially. One section is the Amtrak waiting area, meant for both Amtrak and Shore Line East (of which Amtrak operates under contract with ConnDOT) passengers. The other section is where I got my lunch, which brings us to…
DEVIATION SENSATION TIME!!!!!
The bathroomsThis feels like it’s straight from the ’50s. I like it.The Amtrak area of the building
Alrighty, today’s lunch consists of a meat lovers’ pizza from Pizza Works, located at Old Saybrook Station. The downstairs area is nothing to ring home about, however they do have a model railroad and a live feed of the tracks on the upper level. I got some Coke for a beverage, while my friend only got a water, nothing crazy. And boy, was the pizza good. In fact, I’m writing this at 10PM, 10 hours after eating most of the pizza, and I’m still not hungry. In terms of service and food quality, I’d give it a 5/5, however the prices can be a bit much for just one person.
Model railroad!More model goodness!
And now back to our regularly scheduled program!
Moving on, in the parking lot, you can see a bus shelter. Wait, where’s the promised “transit hub” for 9 Town Transit? Well, it is the shelter. Yep. You mean to tell me 9 Town Transit’s central hub, is a dinky shelter?! Oh for God’s sake…
For Fucks’ sake!
Now, there’s one last area I’ve yet to touch on. The bridge itself is much like Kingston’s, however unlike Kingston it has a display so you know how screwed you are, running for the Shore Line East train you’re about to miss. It does look nice, though, and the elevator doesn’t smell like urine.
Down the stairs!Across the bridge with Amtrak signageLooking down the tracksThe platformsOh right, ConnDOT procured y’all recently.Amtrak pulling inThe bridgeAnother M8, from above this timea 9 Town Transit van
The good: It’s a nice station! It’s got some charm and, unlike Kingston, has some transit-oriented development around it, namely Saybrook Junction Marketplace. This is also something Wickford should’ve had happened, but it just never came to be. Furthermore, you got commuter trains to New Haven from here, as well as most Northeast Regional trains. As for ridership, it’s on the lower side of things, however it’s still not bad vs. other Connecticut stations. Lastly, you also have 9 Town Transit, despite the bus shelter being all you get.
The bad: The biggest complaint is easily the platform length. Sure, it’s fine for the SLE, which uses 4 car trains (or 3+locomotive, before the M8s went into service), but for the Regional, it’s a bit of an issue given train lengths are oftentimes double or triple that. Furthermore, with it essentially being 9 Town Transit’s hub, it’s not exactly great at that, with the sole bus shelter.
Nearby points of interest: You have Saybrook Junction! The town center is to the south on Main St. as well. There’s also connections to places served by 9 Town Transit.
Transit connections: Amtrak (Northeast Regional) CTrail (Shore Line East) River Valley Transit (640, 641, 642, 643, 644, Xtramile) CTtransit (921)
Overall, this isn’t a bad station. The platform length might be an issue, as with the shitty bus hub, but in terms of character, I like this station. It reminds me quite a bit of Kingston. However, I’d definitely lengthen the platform a bit.
So, coming off the heels of RIPTA and a Miles meet in Boston, along with some MBTA shenanigans, let’s settle down in a more quiet, slightly more remote town. Ooh, why not Mystic?
Water tower and station signage!
Alrighty, so because this is the first station in Connecticut, I got nothing to compare it to, and as a result, I’ll be using Westerly as my point of reference primarily (for context, that got a 3.5/10). Is Mystic as bad as Westerly? Is there any saving grace? Or, am I going to be denied access to track 2 due to a southbound Regional or Acela at the wrong time?
Deboarding the Regional
So, getting off the Regional, immediately I notice the station doesn’t have level boarding, or even a mini-high, for that matter. Supposedly there’s a wheelchair lift, but I don’t buy that for one minute. The station building is a cafe that’s open 7 days, 8-2, and houses the Quik-Trak machine. I think it also has a restroom, but don’t quote me there. Wait, what’s that right ahead? Oh no…
Oh no.Oh dear god please no.
What is that? No……not a grade crossing! THERE ARE ELEVEN OF THESE ALONG THE NORTHEAST CORRIDOR, ALL IN CONNECTICUT. THE ACELA RUNS DOWN THESE TRACKS. THESE ELEVEN GRADE CROSSINGS ARE WHY THE ACELA RUNS AT A FREAKIN’ SNAIL’S PACE OVER HERE. Never mind that, it’s a safety issue! What if a wheelchair gets caught on the tracks?! Well, apparently this is how you get to track 1 (northbound).
Parking!
There aren’t many parking spaces, but this station isn’t heavily used, either. Some spots are reserved for the cafe (which is, of course, a separate entity), but from what I’m aware, what’s pictured is all of the Amtrak parking. There’s a canopy from the cafe where southbound passengers can wait, should it be raining or snowing, while northbound passengers have what’s essentially a prefab shed that one can buy from Home Depot or Lowe’s. Also, why is the southbound platform much longer than the northbound one?
The station buildingLooking northbound. Look at how long the southbound platform is!And southbound, past the gates!The shackOh, a glorified Regional.The Quik-Trak machine inside the station building. And, look, brochures! Admittedly, I didn’t notice them earlier.
The good: It’s a small town train station, and I like the feel of these! Plus, Mystic Seaport (and Old Mistick Village to the north) are both major tourist destinations in the area, so it’s good that the train station is close by. Furthermore, SEAT (the local transit agency) runs 6 days a week in the area with the Stonington HOP microtransit service. Review on that coming eventually.
The bad: Really? Only 3 trains a day in either direction stopping here? If I did this on a weekday, I wouldn’t have gotten home until 10pm rightabout. Furthermore, the low-level platform without a wheelchair lift in sight is a major “oh no”. If there is not, in fact, one, screw you if you need accessibility. They really couldn’t put a mini-high near the street? Thirdly, the grade crossing. That’s a “screw you” if you’re in a hurry, because you could very well run the risk of missing a train due to it coming down at the last minute.
Nearby points of interest: I spent the day in Mystic Seaport, and got a lunch at Mystic Pizza (thanks mom, for giving me $20 to do so!). If you utilize SEAT’s Stonington HOP, you can get to other places in Stonington like Mystic Aquarium, where you can connect to the 108 to Foxwoods and New London.
Overall, I really like this station. I really do. Even in spite of its shortcomings, this is definitely a personal favorite of mine, and I feel like this is what Westerly should’ve been. However, I’d rather have seen a tunnel or bridge/ramp instead of hailing Mary across the tracks for getting to the other side. I’d also personally throw up a mini-high somewhere towards either end of the platforms.
Rating: 5.5/10 (but the train ride to/from is a 10/10 in scenery!)
BONUS: pictures from my journey that aren’t train-related!
Mystic Seaport!Up goes the road!A slice of heaven indeed. 10/10, would recommend.Lunch!Peeking into the ocean at the end of the Broadway extensionGod, what’s with the CT section of the NEC being so darn scenic?!
