Category: Massachusetts

John Quincy Adams was the 6th president of the United States. He was known for a few things, but the most infamous thing he’s known for (to my awareness) was the election of 1824. The election of 1824 was the only time, that I’m aware of, that the Electoral College got sent to the US House and Senate.

Now what the HELL does that have to do with the price of tea in China? Well, I’ll tell you. They named the largest parking garage on the MBTA after him!

Alrighty, well, it’s a park & ride. You got benches and it’s sheltered with an island platform. The Old Colony and Greenbush Lines run through a single track through here as well, and speaking of which the Greenbush Line splits off just past here. The mezzanine isn’t much to ring home about, you have CharlieCard machines and the elevators. Street access? Go all the way up to the 5th floor and follow the sign to the Independence Ave. entrance. Nice, that there’s local neighborhood access to such a monolithic structure. And no, not much in the way of bus service to here.

The good: It’s a giant park & ride! I mean, if you drive here, you’ll almost certainly find a parking space and can take the Red Line into Boston. Plus, it’s pretty much fully sheltered due to being inside a parking garage. Essentially, it’s like the subway version of T.F. Green. It also gets a LOT of natural sunlight, but it wasn’t clear on this day as, well, it was raining.

The bad: The area doesn’t seem like the most pedestrian-friendly area. At least, Burgin Parkway isn’t. Even then, this is more of a car-first station than a pedestrian-first station. It also feels a little dingy.

Nearby points of interest: Not much. A few shops, if you’re into that, I guess.

Transit connections:
Red Line (Braintree)
MBTA bus (230, 238)

Overall, it’s a park and ride. Not much to say about it. It’s also kinda okay for foaming the Old Colony Lines, if you’re tall enough.

Rating: 6.5/10

Another Fairmount station, oh my. Yeah, I just don’t have much to say here.

The station can be found on, you guessed it, Blue Hill Avenue in Mattapan. And yes, it’s easily distinguished by the MBTA globe thingy on the street. Heading in is a ramp and, because this is the newest Commuter Rail station on the whole system (that is, as of October 2022), full high level platforms. There’s also a CharlieCard reader, some benches, canopies, wastebins, and electronic signage. There also happened to be people from the MBTA present swapping out the schedule plaques for updated ones that go into effect shortly after me writing this. However, there’s also another entrance from Cummins Highway, which I didn’t take a look at but I have no reason to believe it’s anything special.

The good: It’s pretty much located in central-ish Mattapan. Also being a zone 1A station, it’s $2.40 to take the train from here to South Station, while similarly-distanced stations (e.g. Hyde Park or Roslindale) would cost $6.50 for a zone 1 fare. It’s also within walking distance of the Mattapan light rail line, being half a mile. The cut-in aesthetic with the rocks is also nice, giving it some character.

The bad: I mean, there’s not much to write home about. Furthermore, the fact you can’t pay for zone 2 fares with a CharlieCard is kinda a bummer here. But I’m not sure how many people actually go from here to Readville.

Nearby points of interest: You have the Mattapan line nearby! There’s also a few shops lining Blue Hill Ave., and a number of churches nearby.

Transit connections:
Commuter Rail (Fairmount)
MBTA bus (28, 29, 31 at Blue Hill Ave., 30 at Cummins Hwy.)

Overall, it’s a pretty good station. Just, COME ON MBTA, LET US PAY COMMUTER RAIL FARES WITH CHARLIECARDS FOR ZONES OTHER THAN 1A, AND PLEASE INSTALL CHARLIECARD READERS AT THE OTHER ZONE 1A STATIONS!

Rating: 8.5/10

Alrighty, so we’re now on the far side of the MBTA subway system! Well, welcome to the suburban hellscape known as Braintree, I guess.

Chronologically, my friend and I came here after Quincy Adams (which was after North Quincy, Charles/MGH, and Alewife). After getting off the bus (which the operator almost forgot about us hitting “stop request”), we were in the Braintree busway. The mezzanine is standard in design, not much to complain about. The busway seems a little overkill in size, but comes in handy. There’s also a bridge linking the mezzanine areas with the parking garage. The station is also directly connected to MA-3. Neat.

The area was under construction, but moving on to the Commuter Rail platform, it seems normal enough with the island platform and a shelter. Wait, what?

WHY IS THERE A GRADE CROSSING HERE?! WHY?! JUST, WHAT KIND OF CRACK WERE THEY SNORTING ON IN THE ’90S WHEN THEY BUILT THIS SECTION OF THE STATION?! I- I don’t even KNOW why they couldn’t just build a tunnel and a set of stairs+an elevator to the island platform. But hey, if you like hearing DINGDINGDINGDINGDING when a Boston-bound train is coming through, you’ll LOVE this station. Holy FUCK! This also happens to be where the two Old Colony lines split.

Now, the Red Line. It’s fully sheltered, while still outdoorsy. It’s not bad, and the countdown clocks will tell you what track the next train departs, with this being a terminal (and thus both tracks are inbound).

The good: It’s a decent-sized park & ride, with options for people heading into Boston & the surrounding suburbs, and those heading out to the Cape, as well as towards Middleborough and Kingston. Plus, you have plenty of parking and a few bus routes.

The bad: THAT. DAMN. GRADE. CROSSING. Also, the seemingly overkill busway. and the relative lack of a more accessible way to access the Commuter Rail platform.

Nearby points of interest: I mean, you’ve got some businesses, but nothing stands out immediately around the area. The South Shore Plaza is a little ways away, but isn’t accessible by any bus routes unfortunately. Furthermore, it’s not exactly a walkable area.

Transit connections:
CapeFlyer
Commuter Rail (Fall River, New Bedford, Kingston)
Red Line (Braintree)
MBTA bus (226, 230, 236)

Overall, it’s an alright station, but the grade crossing is kinda sketchy.

Rating: 7/10

Alrighty, another Commuter Rail station, and we’re on the Fairmount Line today! Well, let’s look at Newmarket.

Alrighty. Newmarket is located in an industrial area, however it’s not so much industrial as it’s revitalized with a major shopping center. See, the South Bay Center. But, I’m not here to talk about the neighborhood. The station itself is pretty standard, with benches, a fairly long platform, and wastebins. There’s also a CharlieCard validator as well. Now, since there’s no crossover via bridges, how do you change sides? Well, that’s easy. You take the ramp and use the underpass.

Fortunately, changing sides isn’t as sketchy as in Milford. Plus, you also have a few local bus connections and some bike racks. Furthermore, downtown Boston makes a cool backdrop for foamer pictures, so there’s that too.

The good: It’s located pretty much at the South Bay Center! I mean, it’s decently located for a shopping trip, or if you work or live in Newmarket Square.

The bad: Unfortunately, it’s not pedestrian friendly. I’ll also add that this is also the least-used Fairmount station. Furthermore, there’s just nothing that stands out about the station in particular, and there’s a lack of long-ish term parking in the area. I mean, you could walk from the South Bay Center, but at that point just take the bus.

Nearby points of interest: The South Bay Center! Yeah, not much in the area stands out here either.

Transit connections:
Commuter Rail (Fairmount)
MBTA bus (8, 10, 16, CT3)

Overall, as a station, it gets the job done. But, like, there’s just not much to say about it. Sure, the South Bay Center is close, but that’s not enough for a 10/10 station in the city. It does provide for some nice foamer shots though.

Rating: 5.5/10

Ah, Boylston. Welcome to the first of the two-oldest subway stations in the entire United States. Well, ho- OH GOD THE NOISE!!!

So, getting off the train, first off there’s no mezzanine area. Plus, the waiting area is a bit small to start with. I’ll also add it looks kinda dingy. But, the headhouses? It’s a time capsule, as it’s been present since the end of the 19th century. That’s the late 1800s!!! However, as nice as the station seems on paper, it’s very dingy and it’s lacking GREATLY in accessibility. Yikes. Oh yeah, the inbound side has a PCC hidden behind a fence.

Oh yeah, the station is also served by the SL5. It’s nothing special though, just a bus sign. Kinda shitty, if you ask me, actually.

The good: Well, it’s located in the Boston Common in downtown Boston. It’s also pretty significant historically so there’s that.

The bad: Screw you and your ADA needs! Seriously, this place has no elevator! Also, the screeching of the Green Line trains is deafening! In fact, I think I might have tinnitus and a headache now as a result. Speaking of the screeching, it’s so loud you can even hear it from OUTSIDE THE STATION. That’s a MAJOR code red.

Nearby points of interest: Boston Common is the big one! Hell, the station itself can be considered one for its historical significance.

Transit connections:
Green Line (B, C, D, E)
Silver Line (SL5)
MBTA bus (43)

Overall, just pass on this station unless absolutely necessary. Yes, it’s nice historically, but it’s dingy and deafening. Don’t go here unless you’re already deaf.

Rating: 3.5/10

Alrighty, we’re heading to the North Shore! Original plan called for my friend and I to ride the SL3 and a Newburyport/Rockport train to Salem, but shit timing ended up leading to a Blue Line transfer at Airport. Shittier timing led to a 30 minute wait for the 455 at Wonderland. Eventually the bus arrived, and after putting up with a loud bunch of about 10 teenagers, they quieted down boarding the bus. Thank GOD.

So, we pulled out of Wonderland’s busway and we made our way up to Revere Street. From here, we turned left, and picked up a few people. Fortunately, it wasn’t long until we went through a roundabout and on the Salem Turnpike, where the operator decided to hightail and floor it down Rte. 107 through the wetlands between Revere and Lynn.

So we floored it, passing some buildings on either side, but no stops as this was essentially a highway. Among these buildings were GE’s Riverworks plant which also housed a train station. Naturally, no deviation. Now that it was Western Avenue, people were getting on and off, primarily for local travel within Lynn. It was a bit dense, about as much as Revere, and to be honest this place could use a Blue Line extension with a stop or three. Of course, this route wouldn’t be complete without us going down Center and Market Streets, deviating into the Lynn Center busway. Yes, people got on here. No, noone transferred to the Commuter Rail which was expressing (station closed a day prior for repairs). Nevertheless, we pressed on through Lynn, as well as Swampscott, by following Union and Essex Streets.

Of course, after passing through Governor Charlie Baker’s hometown of Swampscott, the road became Loring Ave., which we still followed all the way into Salem. It was largely residential. Going into Salem, we passed Salem State University, and eventually houses started getting a bit more grandiose and historic-looking. We turned down Lafayette Street, and a couple of more turns brought us into the crowded downtown Salem. Yes, this was during peak tourism season. Fortunately, soon after, and after everyone got off the bus along Washington St., we made it to Salem Depot (aka Salem Station).

Run time? About an hour.

The good: Well, you can’t say it doesn’t serve a lot! Ridership seems to be primarily concentrated at Wonderland, Lynn, and downtown Salem for sure. Salem itself is pretty nice, both in the tourism regard and with its historical context (the witch trials and whatnot, even had an Arthur Miller play based on it). Even outside peak tourism season (October), during the summer it’s a nice place to walk around and whatnot.

The bad: The headways kinda suck though relative to the rest of the MBTA, being hourly. Vs. other RTAs it’d be alright, but this is the MBTA we’re talking. Then again, they also have subway lines running on upwards of 15-20 minute headways as of me writing this. But hey, maybe hourly isn’t as bad for Lynn and Salem as it seems at first glance, as the route does take around an hour from end to end.

Nearby points of interest: Wonderland has the Blue Line! You also have whatever there is in Lynn (sorry, I’m unfamiliar with the area), as well as Salem. I even went candlepin bowling at a nearby alley.

Overall, while I’d increase headways to half-hourly during the tourism season, maybe it isn’t as necessary as, say, half-hour headways on a Salem express. Hell, odds are most tourists are taking the train in if they’re going to take transit to/from Salem.

Rating: 7/10