Category: Massachusetts

Oh boy, a second bus entry! Well, we did the 93, now let’s look at the 95. Surely, this isn’t stroad hell. Right? Right?!

Well, we left Sullivan by doing a loop-de-loop around the parking lot (whiplash much?), and going left. From here, we went up Mystic Avenue and passed a Home Depot. And went under I-93. And passed an exit for I-93. And entered STROAD HELL. Oh dear fucking God, please spare me from my misery. Except, not even God can save me from stroads.

So, Mystic Avenue is pretty much stroad hell, that’s all folks! End of show!!!



….nah, I’m just kidding. But I do hate stroads for how bland they are. Even woodlands are more amusing. However, we eventually merged with Main Street, deviated to the Council on Aging and City Hall, and went down High Street. From here, it was all suburbia until I got off at the West Medford train station.

From here, the route splits into two: one route to Arlington Center, and the other towards …the end of Playstead Road. Both are residential, though, so I’m not missing a lot, however Arlington Center is more interesting.

The good: West Medford gets a bus connection to Sullivan! Furthermore, it’s nice how it deviates into the senior center and City Hall. And, it also goes to Arlington! The frequency is nice too, being 20ish minutes on weekdays!

The bad: However, the trips to Playstead Road just….end. Nowhere important or anything seemingly. Also, I HATE STROADS. I also hate the branching, which means 2 hour headways on weekends. Yikes!

Nearby points of interest: Medford Center and Arlington Center. Yeah, that’s about it.

Overall, it’s alright but I hate stroads. I really hate stroads. Enough to where I’m greatly biased.

Rating: 6/10

Oh boy, a new bus route! I haven’t done one of these in a while! Now, I’ll preface this by saying the pictures aren’t that great, as a result of it being cloudy and very dark out (it was 5:30 AM!), however I still did my best. So, here we go.

So, getting on the bus, we started crawling down the sleepy streets of downtown Boston, and immediately hooked two lefts: one down Milk St., and another onto Congress Street towards Haymarket, passing a sleepy Fanueil Hall in the process. It would be at Haymarket where most of the people would board this route, being downtown’s major bus terminal. Yeah, unsurprisingly most people didn’t board at State Street. And, we dwelled for a bit, and it was at that point I boarded the 93, not the 92 (as signed). Oh well! But, I was well ahead of my schedule anyways so it wasn’t a big deal. From here, we continued up, crossing the Kennedy Greenway, and across the Charles River.

So, from here, we entered Charlestown, where ridership started to fall, presumably with most people being overnight workers trying to get home, as most people were getting off in the residential areas of Charlestown. Which, yeah, it’s mostly residential. We sorta deviated towards the Navy Yard, but not a lot of people got on my particular run (though I’m sure it’s more utilized later in the day, but even at this hour it was more full than I expected). However, after the Navy Yard, it’s a straight shot down Bunker Hill St. to Sullivan, ending the trip.

The good: It serves Charlestown! Furthermore, it’s like that unicorn where you have a bus originating in downtown that ISN’T an express! Yeah, that’s rare! (damn you, 354…). Also, it runs pretty late, with only a 3 hour gap in service overnight! Neat! Moreso when it runs through some major residential areas.

The bad: Eh, the inconsistent headways are a bit annoying. Seems to be every 16-25 minutes??? I’m not sure, though. Also, it runs on a flag stop basis in the chance it has to do the snow route down Medford Street, and Devonshire @ Milk isn’t always the easiest stop to find.

Nearby points of interest: The Navy Yard and Bunker Hill are the big ones!

Overall, it’s alright. It’s not bad, but it gets the job done and it does it pretty well. Though, the headways should be more consistent.

Rating: 7/10

Ah, Wedgemere. Wedgemere is the last station I chronologically visited on the line with Brooke, and is it any decent? Actually, yeah, it’s passable at least. Let’s look at it.

First off, Wedgemere has a modest amount of parking and, unlike most Commuter Rail stations, is elevated. WOOHOO! A NOVELTY! But, there’s more to it. Not only is it elevated, you can partially walk through the station building (and, kinda need to, to get up to the platform). Unfortunately though, it’s otherwise seen better days. Ramps also exist for ADA reasons, as do mini-highs. On the platform, you have your usual amenities of wastebaskets, benches, and sheltered areas (which extend the entire platform on the outbound side, but not the inbound). As another fun tidbit, getting on the low-level bit is like a sobriety test as, like Sharon, it’s on a banked curve. In a sense, that would make Wedgemere the Sharon of the north side. This is presumably also so the Downeaster can fly through at a full 79mph. Also, there’s quite a bit of greenery around here and it’s the start of the Mystic Valley Parkway, so there’s that as well. Neat!

The good: It’s elevated! Furthermore, it’s got a decent amount of parking, greenery, and even some bicycling infrastructure nearby! There’s also a park next to the station, and a beach is a 10 minute walk away as well, if you want to relax by the water on a warm summer day.

The bad: Eh, it feels run-down a bit, and the station building seems of sorry quality. Aside from that, there’s no major faults with the station itself. Just be visible on the platform as it is a flag stop during offpeak hours (though, it’s high ridership even offpeak, so that shouldn’t be an issue)

Nearby points of interest: There’s a park and a beach! If you’re willing to hike a little, Winchester’s town center has more things to do! (alas though, Winchester Center is demolished as of writing this!)

Transit connections:
Commuter Rail (Lowell)
MBTA bus (134, if willing to walk about half a mile)

Overall, I really like Wedgemere, and would quite happily give it a perfect 10 if it weren’t for the relatively sorry state of the platform itself. Also, please give it a full-level high platform if it’s rebuilt in the future! Furthermore, can we deviate the 134 into here, or at least peak-direction runs of the 134?

Rating: 8.5/10

Next stop after Billerica is Wilmington! Well, the line is so far, so good (save for West Medford). So, what’s up with Wilmington?

So, after meeting up with Brooke (same one from Tufts Medical and Mass. Ave.!), she and I went to Wilmington and, shortly after we got out of the car, we hear the Main St. grade crossing going off, and I ran to the mini-high on the outbound platform. Lo and behold, the Downeaster was coming through! There’s also a form of the “TRAIN APPROACHING, PLEASE STAND BEHIND THE YELLOW LINE” warning on the NEC – albeit as a computer-generated beep and a strobe flashing. Boooo. After it left, the station review commenced.

Due to the junction with the Wildcat Branch being placed here, the platforms are staggered and offset. Of course, every platform has shelters (inbound being longer), benches, wastebaskets, the usual stuff. There’s also a red dot matrix sign on the outbound platform for some reason (really, shouldn’t that be on the inbound side if only one exists?). Lastly, there’s also plenty of parking to be had here. As for the station building, it’s an Indian restaurant now. But, the inbound platform has pedestrian access to some TOD at least! YAY!

The good: It’s got TOD! Aside from that, it’s a nice railfanning spot and it has your usual amenities. It also has a decent amount of parking. Also, the long shelter on the inbound platform’s a plus! It’s also in a walkable area.

The bad: Eh, a departure board would be nice along with a dot matrix sign on the inbound side!

Nearby points of interest: Eh, yeah there’s TOD, but the only real point of interest is probably the Indian restaurant in the station building. Of course, it’s closed ON THE ONE DAY I’M IN THE AREA!!!

Transit connections:
Commuter Rail (Lowell)
LRTA (12)

Overall, the station’s not bad, in fact it’s actually pretty good. However, in terms of what’s in the area, there just isn’t too much. But the existence of TOD is nice!

Rating: 8/10

So, next stop is North Billerica after going to Lowell. How bad is North Billerica? Well…………

So, the platform is your standard mini-high setup, wastebaskets and everything. Departure boards exist, the ONLY place on the line where they do (not even at Anderson!!!). There’s also a copious amount of parking. Going towards the station building, which as of 5 years ago was still open, it’s no longer open. WHY?! GOD FUCKING DAMMIT LRTA, MBTA, OR WHOEVER THE FUCK OWNS IT! GODDAMMIT! Ugh, nevertheless, there’s a lot of parking, and there’s a couple of LRTA bus connections!

The good: It’s got some housing nearby! The mini-highs are also alright, there’s plenty of parking, and you have some LRTA connections.

The bad: WHY IS THE STATION BUILDING CLOSED?!

Nearby points of interest: Eh, not a lot. Housing?

Transit connections:
Commuter Rail (Lowell)
LRTA (3, 4, 13)

Overall, this could’ve been a great station. Maybe even a 10/10. But, they just had to screw it up BY KEEPING THE STATION BUILDING SHUTTERED!!! Just, WHY?! At least you can kinda walk to it!

Rating: 7/10

Alrighty, so the next several Commuter Rail-related posts are going to be related to the Lowell Line! So, let’s look at the line’s stations, starting with West Medford!

So, entering the station is as simple as stepping onto the platform from the grade crossing. Or, if you’re coming from Playstead Road, just walk up the steps. It’s low level, meaning “fuck you” for accessibility, and it’s next to a grade crossing. But, what makes this bad? Well, let’s see..

That picture. If you’re in text-only, it’s congestion spilling into the High St. crossing WITH A TRAIN COMING. UHHHH, I THINK ANYONE WITH HALF A BRAIN CELL CAN FIGURE OUT WHY THAT’S A REALLY, REALLY BAD THING! Fortunately, the crossing guard ushered everyone out of the crossing quickly as an outbound and inbound came to a meet. However, that STILL wasn’t enough as someone is stationed here specifically to flag the crossing. Yikes.

In terms of amenities, they don’t really exist. You got a shelter on the inbound side, but that’s it. Benches and wastebaskets also exist, and there’s a Dunkin’ nearby! There’s also a couple of bus connections as well.

The good: It exists! And it has bus connections! And is a short ride to downtown!

The bad: EVERYTHING ELSE, WHY IS IT ALL LOW LEVEL, THE GRADE CROSSING IS TOO DANGEROUS, THE OUTBOUND SIDE BARELY HAS ANY AMENITIES, AND IT’S NOT EVEN ACCESSIBLE! THE CROSSING EVEN NEEDS TO BE FLAGGED!!!

Nearby points of interest: There’s a few shops, restaurants, and a church in walking distance! Also the Dunkies! (probably the only station on the line aside from North Station to have one!)

Transit connections:
Commuter Rail (Lowell)
MBTA bus (94, 95, 101)

Overall, this station sucks greatly. It’s quite possibly among the worst stations I’ve ever had to review (so far), it’s dangerous, and needs to be grade separated!

Rating: 2/10

The Orange Line is one of the most historically significant lines on the MBTA (then again, they’re all significant). For one, it’s been through the equivalent of Hell and back, and the MBTA is trying to bring it back out of Hell again. So, let’s look at the line.

The southern end of the line begins on the Northeast (here called Southwest) Corridor, paralleling the ROW used for the Providence, Needham, and Franklin Lines along with Amtrak’s Regional and Acela. It’s here that the two least-used stations on the line (Green St. & Stony Brook), going through a cut-out trench into Roxbury and towards Northeastern University. From here, past Massachusetts Avenue, the line goes into a tunnel through diesel hell and various downtown stations (inc. Tufts Medical & Chinatown), coming back onto the surface past North Station. This section, Haymarket North, was built in the ’70s and replaced the Charlestown Elevated and is very BRUTAL in architecture style. Of course, from here the line parallels the Haverhill, crosses the Mystic River (where a particularly infamous incident happened where the a Hawker CAUGHT FIRE and someone leaped out into the river), and runs into Malden, terminating at Oak Grove with a Haverhill interchange.

Formerly, the Orange Line ran to Forest Hills via Washington St. & Nubian, however they demolished and eventually replaced with the SL4 and SL5. However, I have my bones to pick with that and I don’t feel like regurgitating my “equal or better” rant.

The good: It serves a lot, and it reaches pretty far into the northern suburbs! Also, it’s got history associated with it and has a number of connections to the NEC and Haverhill Line.

The bad: Seymour! The Orange Line is on fire! Yeah, the Orange Line’s got a bit of a shaky recent history with rolling stock, namely with the Hawkers failing catastrophically and the CRRCs having quality control issues, mostly stemming from any lack of regard from the Springfield factory’s management.

Nearby points of interest: A lot! TD Garden is above North Station, while BHCC and Malden’s town center are within reach, along with Northeastern and the Arborway.

Overall, the Orange Line is good. There’s a lot of history and I think it deserves to be treated a little better. However, the CRRC rolling stock is probably its biggest pain, and it’s a major one.

Rating: 7/10

Whelp, here we are. Almost a whole year later, and exactly a year after my first ever entry on this site, I guess Harvard is the “true” 1 year anniversary entry, and what better way to mark a full year than to take care of the last subway station that I’ve yet to cover? Well, here we go, out onto the crimson yards, Big Red’s namesake even.

So, getting off the Red Line and a short victory dance of sorts later, I’m finally at Harvard, and HOLY SHIT is this station massive! Well, it’s not as grand as South or North Station, but it IS THE transfer point for Cambridge. So, let’s start with the Red Line platforms.

The platforms are set up in a way that’s relatively unusual: stacked atop one another. Why, the setup? I’m not sure, but maybe it has to do with Porter Square having to be bored over 150ft underneath Cambridge, since that station has a similar setup. There’s also two busways, but only one is in use, and they’re set up in a similar way as well. I’m not sure why there’s two if only one is ever used. Anyways, the mezzanine is spacious if you enter from Harvard Square proper, however the Church St. station gets a small mezzanine. But hey, you can see the rest of the station from here!

From here, I opted to instead check out what’s on the surface before going to the other mezzanine to check it out further. On the surface, you have the busy Harvard Square, with buses every which way you look. Massachusetts Avenue has a bus stop (why? the busway is right there!), as does Holyoke St. (again, why?!), and there’s a few statues in Harvard Yard. There’s also plenty of stuff to do around here, and even a protest happening on the college campus. I’m not sure what the protest is for, but knowing college students it’s probably over something silly. Either way, you have a few shopping centers nearby.

So, inside the main headhouse, you have access to the two busways, a few shops (there’s what looked to be a gift store halfway down the stairs into the station!), the customer service booth, and a few CharlieCard machines. It’s also very well lit down here, I’ll add. Lastly, the busways. The lower busway shouldn’t even exist given it’s closed, and furthermore, WHY ARE THERE EVEN TWO BUSWAYS?! Even furthermore, WHY ARE THERE CATENARIES DOWN HERE?! WHO’S RUNNING LIGHT RAIL DOWN INTO THESE TUNNELS?!

It turns out, there’s an answer to that. About a year ago (as of me writing this), the MBTA killed off their catenary-powered bus network up here, which primarily used the lower busway. Now, many people got salty over this, however I haven’t had much in the way of experience on those Neoplans and if the Silver Line is any indication (of which I’m far more familiar with), it’s probably a good thing they’re killing off catenary-powered buses. They’re old, dated, loud, slow, and can’t even maneuver around obstacles. Furthermore, retracting the pantographs take so inhumanely long that even IF there were a speed benefit like on trains, they’d be nullified the instant the pantographs need to be retracted. Something obstructing the road? Nope, can’t go around them! Now, unlike the Neoplans on the Silver Line, these buses (for whatever reason) boarded on the LEFT, which means YES, YOU COULD VERY EASILY FARE EVADE. WHY WOULD THEY HAVE BOARDING ON THE LEFT?! WHY, WHEN THAT SPACE COULD BE USED FOR A FEW EXTRA SEATS?! As for the upper busway, diesel underwire! Yeah, I absolutely hate catenary and how horribly inefficient they are for buses, but diesel underwire is STILL a far bigger crime! YES, THEY RUN DIESEL IN HERE! Apparently CNG is banned though, something about the catenaries still being live and the risk of going kablooay.

The good: It’s pretty freakin’ important! It serves Harvard University, the square, and all the shopping nearby. Furthermore, you have plenty of green space, a LOT of bus connections, the Red Line (the school IS the line’s namesake, after all!), and did I mention the historical importance of the area?

The bad: WHY ARE WE RUNNING DIESEL UNDERWIRE?! WHY IS THERE EVEN A SECOND BUSWAY THAT GOES UNUSED? WHY IS THERE EVEN STREET STOPS NEARBY FOR BUSES IF THE BUSWAY EVEN EXISTS?!

ALSO, DIESEL UNDERWIRE YFHGIEAODSPYHGEDIUAOPHGDIASOPHG
CATENARY MAY SUCK GREATLY FOR BUSES DUE TO THE LACK OF ANY ADVANTAGES (AND MOST DEFINITELY THE LACK OF SPEED!), BUT DIESEL AND CNG UNDERWIRE WILL ALWAYS BE A FAR BIGGER SIN!

Nearby points of interest: Harvard, duh! You also have the Cambridge Common, various shops, restaurants, several museums associated with the school, a few churches even. Did I mention the historical significance, of Harvard being the oldest college in the US? Lesley University is also nearby, but who gives a shit about that? (fun fact: I submitted an application to there, actually got accepted but ultimately opted for community college due to the cost). As a fun aside, you might also see the old Harvard/Holyoke station if you head southbound from here and look to the right. Below is a picture someone else took, not mine.

Transit connections:
Red Line (Ashmont, Braintree)
MBTA bus (71, 73, 74, 75, 77, 78, 86, 96 in busway, 1, 68, 69 on Holyoke St., 66 at Garden St.)
Various Harvard and LMA shuttles

Overall, I like this station. It’s the third most-used station on the system, is of considerable importance, and serves a lot around it. Furthermore, it’s also a major bus terminal, and with its thought-out design, I think it’s worthy of quite the high score. On the upside, it’s also ventilated! Yay!

Rating: 10/10

And, that concludes the subway saga. Thank you to everyone who came along for the journey, whether you actually came to review stations with me, or just read along at home. However, there’s still some unfinished business in this story arc, as I still have six Commuter Rail stations (w/ a $2.40 fare), and the East Boston Ferry. Then, from there, I guess I’ll start working on the Commuter Rail, the ferry, and the various bus networks around the state (& continue in Connecticut).











































What? You thought there’s more to it? Go home! There’s nothing to be seen here!