Category: MBTA

Alrighty, Eliot, this one’s for you!

So, Eliot isn’t exactly known for being around much. At the station itself, you have some parking (oh my, another park & ride), your usual heated glass shelter, and accessible boarding. There’s also a bike rack on the outbound side (why???), with access from local streets. You’ve also got access from MA-9, but why would you want to cross a wannabe freeway???? Just, why?

The good: It’s got lots of local access from the immediate area. Plus, the usual pluses of the D branch with heated waiting areas.

The bad: The nearby highway kills it. Also, there’s no accessible boarding – DESPITE THE SIGNS DESIGNATING ACCESSIBLE ENTRANCES/EXITS. WHY, HOW, WHY?! WHO THE FUCK IS GOING TO WALK UP/DOWN THE RAMP ON ROUTE 9?!

Nearby points of interest: Not a lot over here.

Transit connections:
Green Line (D)

Overall, this station actually kinda sucks. No accessible boarding and it’s right next to a highway, it’s gonna be pretty bad overall. Ugh.

Rating: 5.5/10

Bustitutions? What are those? Well, I don’t know, and it doesn’t matter because they never stop here! Welcome to Beaconsfield, children!

So, what’s special about Beaconsfield? Well, it’s so small you can’t bustitute it! One side has a heated waiting area typical of the branch, while the other lacks in amenities a bit. Unsurprising, as most people probably aren’t going outbound from here. Well, either way, you got a small amount of parking too making this technically a park & ride! Woohoo!!! Oh yeah, there’s an on-foot transfer to Dean Road on the C branch too. Neat.

The good: It’s a small station primarily for the local residents! Also, it’s nice and quiet, which is to be expected being deep in a residential neighborhood in Brookline.

The bad: It’s not accessible! It also doesn’t help the nearest stations (all on the C branch) aren’t accessible either! Also, it is annoying how D branch bustitutions bypass this station entirely, though to be fair the local streets are absolutely TINY.

Nearby points of interest: Eh, not much. There’s a playground at least.

Transit connections:
Green Line (D)

Overall, it’s alright, however the biggest issue I got with this station is the lack of accessibility. In general, I just don’t have a lot to note about it.

Rating: 6/10

North Station, the north-side terminal for the MBTA, as well as the southern terminus for Amtrak’s Downeaster, stands underneath the TD Garden on the Charles River. Likewise, in recent years, it’s seen heavy development both on street level and inside. Let’s take a look at the rail terminal, shall we?

So, the Green and Orange Line station opened in 2004, as a replacement for the Causeway St. elevated and an older station for the Orange Line (which, in of itself replaced the Charlestown Elevated with the extension to Oak Grove). Some would even call it a “superstation”, and I’d say that would be a fitting description. I’d argue, the energy this place gives is more akin to your average WMATA station, if anything, but with that MBTA twist. Now, what’s the platform configuration? Well, the southbound Green and Orange Lines facilitate a cross-platform transfer. Meanwhile, the northbound Orange Line and Green Line requires some form of “up and over”, however it’s much more straightforward. Also, for “new”, a tunnel opened up between the Commuter Rail platform and the subway concourse in 2019 to connect the two together (yes, they were separate!). And, while it’s a little dingy, it gets better on either end.

HOLY CRAP. This is NICE! The concourse is very, VERY modern, and there’s a few shops located in the concourse as well. Above the station is TD Garden, where the Bruins and Celtics play. On the other end of the concourse is where the Amtrak and MBTA ticket offices are, along with a food court. Outside you have Star Market and a few other shops. There’s also a Quik-Trak machine tucked away in a corner. The fare-controlled section of North Station (yes, there’s faregates!!!) has benches, the Dunkin’, and the platforms. Not much to be said about the platforms, aside from the presence of some helvetica.

The good: It’s modern! Also, the transfers are probably the easiest on the entire system, boiling to either an easy up/over or across the platform. Furthermore, all the north-side Commuter Rail station terminate here, along with the Downeaster. Also, it’s close to the North End, so it’s also a “gateway” to it like Haymarket. Also, the entrance on Causeway Street is pretty nice!

The bad: THOSE. DAMN. FAREGATES. Best hope you don’t end up like Charlie! Also, where does the 4 board? And, it’s a bit of a nuisance than anything, but why is the subway headhouse a few streets over? And, according to a friend, the women’s room is dingy. (I, however, cannot attest for the men’s room, as I never needed to use it.)

Nearby points of interest: The North End and TD Garden are the big ones! Regina Pizzeria is pretty good if you’re in the area. There’s also a few parks and whatnot, and I think there’s probably a few sports bars, if that’s your thing.

Transit connections:
Amtrak (Downeaster)
Commuter Rail (Fitchburg, Lowell, Haverhill, Newburyport, Rockport)
Orange Line
Green Line (D/E)
MBTA bus (4)

Overall, this station is probably the definition of a “10/10” station/terminal. And yes, that’s the score. It’s got everything you’d expect, and amenities relating to the building directly attached to it (TD Garden), plus it’s got a modern subway station underneath that feels like it’s befitting for WMATA.

Rating: 10/10

OOH BOY, NOW WE’RE REALLY BALLS DEEP IN DOWNTOWN! Meet: Downtown Crossing, and the much older conjoined sibling Park Street. Now, because these two stations are interconnected, I’ll have to start with Park Street, which is the smaller of the two stations. With that out of way, here we go.

Say the line, everyone! “The doors will open on both sides of the train. For elevator service, please exit the left side of the train onto the center platform.” This announcement on the Red Line #3s pretty much sum up the unusual platform configuration here: two tracks with sides and an island. The station’s decently lit, and for being the oldest of the five downtown transfer stations, it’s actually not too terrible. The Green Line is a short walk up the stairs (or an elevator ride, for accessibility), and is probably the most straightforward transfer on the system. However, sometimes crossing to the other Green Line tracks can be a bit tricky. Some shops can also be found on the Green Line level, along with the Winter Street concourse and fare control.

And now, welcome to Downtown Crossing! Yep, still in fare control too! The platforms are much of the same as in Park Street, tiles and a little dingy. I was primarily on the Orange Line platform, however there isn’t a lot of difference with the Red Line. Now, speaking of the Red Line, Downtown Crossing is known for a “transfer of death”. Yes, it seems easy on paper if you’re from New York, where transfers from its Red and Blue Lines could be crazy, involving the Purple and Yellow Lines and is likely an ADA violation as well. However, when you have transfers like “up the stairs” at Park or Govvy, or “down & around” at Haymarket, it’s a pain. Also, it’s not friendly to tall people. The mezzanine around DTX is also a maze, which if I tried going around would’ve taken too much time and sanity away from me. However, the best I can tell you is it’s got an entrance to Macy’s and Roche Brothers, and likely a hotel as well. Oh yeah, the SL5 stops on the street at Temple Place. Neat!

The good: It’s two of the most-used stations! Downtown Crossing is also, as the name suggests, in the heart of downtown Boston where all the economic activity takes place, so naturally everyone’s going to be passing through. Park Street is a similar story, though is located on one corner of the Boston Common. So, if you’re looking to take the T to the park, get off at Park Street. Also, the Red-Green transfer is easy! And it’s easy to transfer from Orange (SB) to Green, as the concourse is right there.

The bad: They’re kinda dingy! Also, I didn’t visit it for this particular review, however what’s with that one staircase on one of the Red Line platforms leaving fare control perpetually smelling like piss? It’s always offputting when I’m trying to leave/attempt a transfer at DTX. Also, the transfers between Red and Orange aren’t exactly straightforward, so it’s easy (perhaps TOO easy) to leave fare control.

Nearby points of interest: The big ones here are the Boston Common and the various shops in Downtown Crossing. You’ve got theaters, restaurants (some better than others), Macy’s, Marshalls, and a number of smaller shops. Sam Adams’ grave is close by, too!

Transit connections:
Green Line (B, C, D, E)
Orange Line
Red Line
Silver Line (SL5)
MBTA bus (43 @ Park St, with the 7, 11, 501, 504, and 505 at DTX)

Overall, I’m not too big on either of these, although I’d definitively say Park Street is better. I mean, for one it’s not a freakin’ maze and it’s trying to be a nice station. Furthermore, I just feel more relaxed in general when I’m at a park. As such, I’d have to rate Park higher than DTX.

Ratings:
DTX: 5/10
Park St.: 6.5/10

Transfer station #3!!! Woohooo!!!! So, we’re looking at Haymarket, or as I nickname it: the gateway to the North End.

The headhouse is located on Congress St., underneath a parking garage. This means technically it’s a park & ride in downtown Boston, however you’d have to be batshit crazy to drive here, given there’s other park & rides on both the Orange and Green Lines outside downtown (for instance, Oak Grove and Riverside). The mezzanine is alright, but not a lot to ring home about. And now, the platforms.

So, since the Orange and Green Lines run parallel here, you don’t have any longform up-and-over maneuvers that you see at State Street, so all transfers are up-and-overs and are short. Or, in the case of Green to Green transfers, changing direction, it’s an island platform. I’ll have to admit, though, the Orange Line platform was very dingy, with all sorts of weird stuff dripping onto the floor. What was it? I don’t even want to know.

The Green Line is your standard island platform, with supports dividing it. Not much to say that wasn’t said about the Orange Line here, however someone did draw the GLX onto the system map here.

And now, let’s get to the elephant in the room. I didn’t visit on my trip to review, however I’ve been around in the past – and it’s concerning, to say the least. Take a look.

You see that glass shelter in the above picture? That’s the Haymarket busway. Around all that, is the Government Center garage. It’s been in the process of being razed to the ground. This thing is like a tumor – the source of MANY issues. It’s why the station is shut down and bypassed on weekends as of late. Hell, someone DIED in a collapse of the garage a year ago! And yes, OSHA stepped in on that one. As such, with the demolition of the station, all the stops for Haymarket are on Congress St.

The good: Well, it’s pretty much the gateway to the North End! There’s also quite a bit of shopping nearby. You’ve also got the RMV in the same building, along with various federal government buildings nearby. In other words, it’s in a pretty good spot downtown.

The bad: The Government Center garage is a tumor! Hell, it’s a DEATH TRAP, even! Jesus CHRIST it’s bad! Also, it feels dingy once you get past the mezzanine, and the lack of a busway presently. Though, I can’t fault the station itself for that so much as I should fault car dependency.

Nearby points of interest: You’ve got the Public Market and the RMV in the same building, and it IS the “gateway to the North End” as I stated earlier. You’ve also got the northern end of the Kennedy Greenway, as well. But, good luck crossing the Surface Road.

Transit connections:
Green Line (D, E)
Orange Line
MBTA bus (4, 92, 93, 111, 117, 354, 426, 428, 450)

Overall, if you’re expecting something that’s not dingy or anything, this ain’t it. This station is probably your stereotypical subway station, dinginess and everything. Not to mention, the parking garage for Government Center is a freakin’ death trap. And, because of that, I cannot give this station too high a rating.

Rating: 5.5/10

Alrighty, so now to Boston’s State Street! Yes, yes, I know, I did State Street before and it was pretty good for a secondary station. However, that was a CTrail station. This is one of the transfer stations in Boston. So, let’s get into it.

So, the Blue Line platform is about average, you’ve got some benches and wastebaskets. It’s also pretty well-lit! In terms of what’s further out from here, there’s not a lot, as you only have Government Center and Bowdoin. It’s also well-lit, so there’s that. And then, there’s the Orange Line. The Orange Line is a similar story to the Blue Line’s platform, however it’s a lot more dingy and less tile-ridden. Also, the transfer. IF YOU’RE GOING FROM EITHER BLUE LINE PLATFORM TO THE ORANGE LINE’S SOUTHBOUND PLATFORM, GOOD LUCK. YOU BETTER HAVE THE STAMINA OF A HORSE TO MAKE THE LONG TREK THROUGH THE TUNNELS FROM CONGRESS STREET TO THE GENERAL VICINITY OF THE OLD MEETING HOUSE. YOU KNOW YOU FUCKED UP MAJORLY IF YOU NEED A BENCH IN THE TUNNEL. And yes, the elevator smelled awful. Yeah. Anyways, the headhouses!

Oh yeah, the headhouses! Now, several of them are quite modern, as you’d expect given the fact this is downtown Boston. But, one of them in particular stands out – it IS the old state house! Yeah, who thought that was good? Either way, pretty cool they got a subway station entrance in the state house. Oh yeah, Citizens Bank once owned naming rights to the place, too. Bus connections also exist, but most of them are for express buses.

The good: It’s one of the major transfer points for subway lines! Did I mention the State House headhouse? Yeah, that’s cool despite the dinginess inside. The other headhouses are alright, too!

The bad: THAT DAMN TRANSFER. IT’S ABYSMAL. WHAT WERE THEY THINKING, DRINKING, SMOKING?! Also, no bus shelters for the bus connections. And, why didn’t they renovate the Orange Line platforms when they did the Blue Line’s in 2011?

Nearby points of interest: Faneuil Hall is the big one, along with shopping on Washington St.

Transit connections:
Orange Line
Blue Line
MBTA bus (4, 92, 93, 354)

Overall, it’s not too terrible a station. However, the transfer to the southbound platform pretty much kills it with how much a walk it is.

Rating: 6.5/10

So, here we go. The first of five transfer stations. First up batting is Government Center, aka Scollay Under. Let’s get into this, the first part of the 1 year anniversary special of this blog.

Approaching the station on foot, the headhouse is easily noticed, and I’ll have to admit it’s nice. It’s also new, as it was rebuilt in 2016. It’s also got countdown clocks inside for both the Blue and Green Lines. So, let’s go down the stairs into the station itself.

So, the Green Line platforms are alright, serviceable. You’ve got countdowns, seating, and even a Dunkin’!!!!! Also, LOTS of screeching! And, hey, it’s well-lit! YAY! Now, to transfer between lines is easy as well. Just walk down. As another tidbit with the Green Line, two branches terminate here, with a third terminating track for any shuttles that have this place as their southern terminus. So, let’s walk down.

So, after walking past the historical Scollay Under sign and, for some reason, giving Charlie a sandwich instead of a nickel, we go down to the Blue Line platform which is also VERY well lit. This station used to be the Blue Line’s terminus when Bowdoin had its 9-5 hours, and oftentimes still is used as such with no shuttle service if needed. However, that’s not necessary for now. It’s as you’d expect. Also, the elevator smelled funky. Yeah.

The good: It’s REALLY well lit! Also, I like how there’s natural lighting coming in from the station headhouse. Furthermore, the transfer is arguably among the easiest in the entire system, and it was among the last of the underground stations to be made accessible – AND, done well, at that.

The bad: Eh, there’s not too many benches around. I’d also point the lack of bus connections, but it’s not that big a dealbreaker.

Nearby points of interest: There’s shopping nearby! But, it’s mostly (as the name suggests) government stuff nearby including City Hall.

Transit connections:
Blue Line
Green Line (B, C, D, E)
MBTA bus (354)

Overall, this is probably the best of the transfer stations. Unfortunately, that means it’s probably downhill from here. At least one can dream, though, and go in optimistically!

Rating: 8/10

As an aside, might I recommend M.T.A.?

Woah, Broadway! Why does it seem like EVERY Red Line incident happens here??????

So, for one they clearly went happy with tiling here. Probably because they knew this station was cursed with every incident under the sun happening here: between trains demolishing the platform in derailments, someone having their armed ripped off and subsequently DYING, yeah… But hey, the platforms are nice, and there’s art! Going on up, the headhouses are nice with translucent glass, as well. Buses? Well, three buses stop at street level. No busway here!

The good: Well, it looks nice and is colorful! There’s also countdown clocks outside!

The bad: Eh, there’s not much for transit connections, and it’s not really dense or anything nearby.

Nearby points of interest: Railfans might be interested in Cabot Yard! You can also get a nice view of the skyline from by here. Aside from that, not much.

Transit connections:
Red Line (Ashmont, Braintree)
MBTA bus (9, 11, 47)

Overall, it’s a decent station. It’s among the lesser used stations around here, likely due to the lack of buses. But, being paranoid, I wouldn’t advise being here too long as seemingly every Red Line incident happens here.

Rating: 6/10

Alrighty, so we went from among the best Red Line stations to one of the dingiest. Dear god. Let’s look at the John F. Kennedy-University of Massachusetts Boston station on the Red Line, aka Columbia. Hopefully I-93 isn’t too loud here, like I-90 was in Newton!

So, getting off the Red Line, the platform setup is actually quite unusual here vs. most stations. You have an island platform…..and another one. So, if you’re coming from the street, the Commuter Rail, or a bus, how do you know what platform the Alewife train is coming to next? Well, that’s easy. The signs tell you!

The platforms themselves aren’t much to ring home about. Kinda dingy, but it’s expected given we’re under I-93 and most under-highway stations suffer this fate. Also, I can’t help but feel like the station’s falling apart with how much is peeling. Seriously, give this place a facelift!!!

So, the Commuter Rail platform opened in 2001 (later than all but the Greenbush and South Coast stations), and it’s as you’d expect: fully high-level. There’s also a departure board. Neat! The busway also has all of three connections for MBTA buses, plus various UMASS shuttles.

The good: It’s pretty damn close to UMASS Boston!

The bad: THIS PLACE IS LITERALLY FALLING APART, MAYBE ASIDE FROM THE COMMUTER RAIL PLATFORM! NO, NO, NO!!! THERE’S NO TENANT (unless they open later) FOR WHAT LOOKED TO BE A SHOP, THERE’S PEELING PAINT EVERYWHERE, THE STAIRS ARE RUSTING, SOMEONE COULD DIE HERE DUE TO LACK OF MAINTENANCE!!! ALSO, FUCK YOU IF YOU HAPPEN TO BE ON THE WRONG PLATFORM FOR AN ALEWIFE TRAIN AND CAN’T MOVE QUICKLY!

Nearby points of interest: UMASS Boston and the JFK Library are the big ones!

Transit connections:
Commuter Rail (Middleborough, Kingston, Greenbush)
Red Line (Ashmont, Braintree)
MBTA bus (8, 16, 41)
Various shuttles

Overall, NO, JUST NO!!! IT’S SO DINGY AND IT’S FALLING APART, LITERALLY!!! PLEASE, GIVE IT A FACELIFT LIKE WOLLASTON!

Rating: 3.5/10