Category: MBTA

Ah, the venerable Kenmore. The closest rapid transit stop to Fenway Park, and the one where all the sports nuts flood to during baseball season. What do you hide?

Walking to here from Lansdowne proved to be an easy enough affair: just walk down Brookline Avenue, and right down US-20. And, sure enough, I was soon met with Kenmore’s glass-canopied busway.

So, I went into the station itself with its old school-feeling stairs down, and was greeted with a lot of green. There’s also plenty of sports-themed advertising around here, and even some history! Neat! Unfortunately, the platforms aren’t much to talk about aside from the quad-tracking design.

The good: It’s not dingy like Hynes or Arlington! I’ll give it that much, and it’s better-lit! Furthermore, it has an actual busway! I’m also sure it’s enough to handle a bunch of rowdy Sox fans. The tracks are also organized, with the B branch getting two, and the C and D sharing two. You also have multiple ways in, via passageways and elevators!

The bad: Eh, I’m not sure if light rail can handle sports surges, but whatever. They sure like pipes, though!

Nearby points of interest: Fenway Park & the Citgo sign!

Transit connections:
Green Line (B, C, D)
MBTA bus (8, 19, 57, 60, 65)

Overall, it’s a decent enough station. At the least, it’s better than Hynes, and isn’t as grossly dingy. Plus, it’s accessible! Furthermore, buses actually have a proper busway to turn in and out of!

Rating: 7.5/10

Oh boy, Hynes! Let’s take a look at one of Boston’s conv- wait, what? OH, it’s a Green Line station. Alright. Goddammit. Let’s look at the Hynes Green Line station.

Alrighty, so I got off the train after arriving from Kenmore and WHEW IS IT DINGY AS HELL! Oh GOD. Buzzing lights, concrete, bricks everywhere. Dear GOD is it terrible! Bleugh! Even the mezzanine is the same way. Accessibility? Forget about it! Although, I’ll at least give the T credit for investing in the installation of elevators here for accessibility. The headhouse is signed though, and there’s a bus stop with a large shelter across from the station, serving….just the 1. Yeah. It’s dingy, but not much else to say aside from the lack of ADA compliance.

The good: It’s by the namesake convention center! There’s also plenty of shopping around Newbury Street, with it even being closed to vehicles at times. The bus shelter is also decently-sized, if it’s still there.

The bad: It’s really dingy! And it’s not accessible! And did I mention how disgusting it is?

Nearby points of interest: The station’s namesake and Newbury Street!

Transit connections:
Green Line (B, C, D)
MBTA bus (1)

Overall, I’m not big on this one. Yes, there’s a lot of shopping and a convention center, but the station itself is dingy and grossly dated. At least there’s also bus service!

Rating: 3/10

Um, yeah, this is a bit awkward. So, I guess, I’ll say that the rule kinda is “if there’s helvetica, it counts”. Which, to my awareness, means these four stops + City Point all count. Now, there’s more to Columbus Avenue as well, including a bit of a unique thing that sets it apart from other busways in the region. Let’s look.

Now, all these stops have LED displays showing when the next buses are coming, have benches, T lollipops, and the Helvetica signage. But that’s not what sets these apart. What sets these apart, are how they’re configured in the road: in the center lanes.

Going out to Egelston Square, I was convinced these were absolutely dangerous and death traps, and overall just poorly placed/designed. Well, it turns out……I was proven wrong firsthand, and genuinely surprised. Walking down the 1/2 mile or so of center-running bus lanes from Walnut Ave. to Dimock St., I was genuinely surprised at how often people were actually respecting the paint, as well as how surprisingly easy it was to jaywalk. Actually, it also felt safe, I’ll add. Yeah, shocker, I’m used to yelling “HAIL MARY!” when jaywalking, but given they shrunk the lanes down to as small as doable, I was shocked to find that yes, I can actually jaywalk and not run the risk of being struck. Now, is it psychological in nature? Probably. But then I heard an ambulance rushing down Columbus Avenue and, they too used said bus lanes. Hell, even SCHOOL BUSES were using it. So, seeing all that firsthand and that they actually work BETTER, I got just one question:

WHY THE FUCK ISN’T THIS ON WASHINGTON STREET?! WHY CAN’T WE HAVE THIS FOR THE SL4 AND SL5 INSTEAD?! HOLY FUCK! THIS WOULD MAKE MILES UPON MILES OF DIFFERENCE!!!

Also, the lights looked funky like the lights on the Green Line’s median-running sections.

The good: THESE WORK A WHOLE LOT FUCKING BETTER THAN WASHINGTON STREET’S BUS LANES – OR HELL, LITERALLY ANY IMPLEMENTATION OF BUS LANES I’VE SEEN IN MY ENTIRE LIFE, MAYBE SAVE FOR THE CTFASTRAK BUSWAY OR THE TRANSITWAY/CHELSEA BUSWAY!!! WHY THE FUCK DON’T WE HAVE THESE ON NORTH MAIN STREET, RIDOT?! WHY CAN’T WE HAVE THESE ON WASHINGTON STREET, MBTA? MAYOR WU?!

The bad: You kinda can’t turn left, but if you’re a pedestrian, that’s a nonissue.

Nearby points of interest: Egelston Square!

Overall, HOLY FUCK WAS I WRONG ON MY PRECONCEIVED NOTIONS! WHY CAN’T WE HAVE THESE?! JUST, WHY?! THEY WORK HELLA BETTER, FEEL CONSIDERABLY SAFER, AND ARE MUCH MORE LIKELY TO BE RESPECTED!

Rating: 10/10

Yeah, I just pulled a 10/10. Rare, ain’t it? This is the kind of shit we NEED to see more often! And, for once, I’ll have to admit the T actually did something right here.

Alrighty, the last one! Let’s look at the final Silver Line station (that is, barring South Station, but that’s a special one 😉 Stay tuned!). Meet: Eastern Avenue.

So, it’s literally the same as Box District, Bellingham Square, and Chelsea. Yeah, not much new to see here. Heated shelters and the usual. Oh, but there’s a bike rack! Albeit, it’s no Pedal & Park. That would’ve been nicer, given the proximity to the Chelsea Greenway. Oh yeah, Massport’s shuttles stop here! There’s also a parking garage for, I think, airport employees. Yeah, there’s just not a lot here. Let’s get to it.

The good: Well, it’s your usual Chelsea bus station. Heated shelters and whatnot are the norm. Massport also stops here, which is a bonus.

The bad: You’ll PROBABLY learn to hate this station should the drawbridge be up, if buses are held here. Also, not a lot to note.

Nearby points of interest: Airport parking and a few parks nearby!

Transit connections:
Silver Line (SL3)
MBTA bus (112)
Massport (77)

Overall, not a lot to say here. Next entry!

Rating: 6/10

So, we’ve done the SL2, SL4, and SL5, and the short-turns. All that remains are the SL1 and SL3. And hell, the SL1’s the only one I’ve never ridden as I’ve done the SL3 plenty of times. So, let’s look at this “BRT” route.

First off, before even boarding, at South Station, I noticed there were flight departures. Woah, I genuinely never noticed them before despite riding the Silver numerous times. But, that’s probably because I never ride the SL1. So, the bus pulls up, it’s crowded (highest ridership of the three Transitway routes!), and off to Logan Airport!

So, after running through the usual Transitway affair and express onto the Pike, we pull off onto what I think is the last exit, and right into the terminals. Get ready, because this might perplex a few people.

First stop was Terminal A. Nothing to note here, there’s at least signage here (and at all the stops). Terminals B’s two stops, and C’s stop were much of the same, as we weaved by every terminal. Terminal E, internationals, was also largely the same. People got on and off at each stop (predictably), with slightly longer dwell times than normal at each one due to loading luggage onto the racks. Yes, these Neoplans had luggage racks! After Terminal E, we were back onto the Pike and into the Transitway. You’ll ask, “where’s Terminal D?” Well, that doesn’t exactly “exist”, so to say.

The good: Well, if we look at the Silver Line as a rapid bus (e.g. same class as the R Line), then the SL1 is a pretty damn decent airport express bus. Sure, it’ll get clogged up on the Pike pretty easily, but for what it is, it stops curbside at the terminals, and runs express to the Transitway. Besides, unlike most other airport buses I’ve ridden to this point, it’s got luggage racks! The terminals are also your only officially free entryway into the subway system, too!

The bad: Unfortunately, it’s not true “rapid transit”. In fact, I’d argue the case for a people mover between the terminals, and some combination of Airport and South Station. Moreso, given that the Silver Line (and the SL1 mostly) is at the behest of mixed traffic beyond the Transitway.

Nearby points of interest: You’re not gonna get a lot in the way of points of interest at Logan. But you can change for the Red Line, Commuter Rail, Amtrak, and the other Silver Line routes at South Station!

Overall, it’s alright. As a normal or rapid bus route, it’s pretty good. But, as BRT, as the T advertises, it kinda sucks. But, hey, you can get into the subway for free! Neat! Hmmm, I wonder how many terminals one could touch before needing to leave fare control?

Rating: 5/10

So, we go from the end of the line to the middle of downtown Boston. Let’s look at Chinatown, shall we?

So, the platform is a little dark, but the signage is also shiny weirdly. But, hey, I’ll take it. Fare control is a little small as well, and there’s stairs and elevators up to Washington and Essex Streets. Yeah, not a lot to talk about with the mezzanine, but it’s your standard affair. The headhouses are also alright, with patterned fencing things. However, there’s one major issue: no free crossovers. Yeah, that’s a yikes. But hey, it’s likely you’ll encounter tourists here along with the SL4 and SL5 at street level! Except there’s no shelter or anything. Oh well! Apparently there’s also a pair of abandoned entrances, but I didn’t seem to find them on street level.

The good: Well, it’s in a tourist destination (Chinatown), although relative to others it’s not that big a place. But, still, Boston’s Chinatown is still a place worth checking out if you have the time.

The bad: No free crossovers?! WHY?! Also, the lackluster Silver Line stop. I couldn’t even tell at a quick glance due to the lack of signage or shelters!

Nearby points of interest: Well, you’ve got Chinatown! Alternatively, Boston Common is a stone’s throw away as is Boylston, along with a few theaters.

Transit connections:
Orange Line
Silver Line (SL4, SL5)
MBTA bus (11)

Overall, it’s not the best of stations. Yeah, I’m not sure what it is with downtown stations just overall being grade A trash seemingly, but this fits the bill. Hopefully that changes when I check out the transfer stations and Tufts Medical later down the road. Just maybe…

Rating: 4/10