Category: MBTA

Alrighty. So, I mentioned Islington was pretty deep into suburbia. Well, meet its twin, Endicott. Endicott is waist-deep into suburbia. I’m talking, so deep that you’ll be walking for at least 30-40 minutes to reach any transit connection that isn’t the Franklin Line. With that in mind, here we go.

Endicott, like Islington, is deep into suburbia. However, buses don’t even run out here. To describe how far into suburbia it is, it’s so deep I had to walk 40 minutes for a bus connection – at Readville. Yeah. But, the station is essentially a copy-paste of Islington. You have bicycle infrastructure (sorta), shelters, benches, wastebaskets, the classic red dot matrix signage, a grade crossing to change sides, and a small amount of parking. There’s more parking lining Grant Avenue, however I didn’t check it out, as I wanted to get to Readville to meet up with Brooke. But, it exists. There used to be a path to the inbound platform, however that’s now an entire street. Boooooooo… Parking is also permit-only, Dedham residents only. So, bugger off to Dedham Corporate Center! Overall, I kinda like the station, and the area is a vibe in general. Hell, it’s probably a treat to railfan during the autumn months as well.

The good: It’s in a suburban neighborhood and isn’t car-oriented! It’s also rather peaceful like Islington and has the amenities one might need – including shelter.

The bad: Eh, it’s inaccessible. There’s also little in the way of transit out here. It’s also, if memory serves, the least-used station on the Franklin Line, for what it’s worth, so maybe it’s also better off a flag stop. But, like, if you’re driving – just use Readville or Dedham Corporate Center! Hell, if you’re not doing anything in the immediate area, you may as well use either anyways as there’s no T buses out here! Not even the Dedham Local Bus runs here!

Nearby points of interest: Not a lot, and even less than Islington’s list of interesting places (somehow)

Transit connections:
Commuter Rail (Franklin, Foxboro)

Overall, good god, just why???? This station’s literally balls-deep in suburbia with no connections. It literally only exists to serve the walkshed and little else, and it doesn’t even do that well. Even West Gloucester fills this better! Sorry, Endicott!

Rating: 4.5/10

So, after doing the Norwood duo, I took the 34E back, however there were two pieces of unfinished business. The first, was a block and a half away from the 34E in Islington. In fact, it was Islington’s Commuter Rail station. Let’s look at this station located in suburbia, shall we? To describe from what a reader said to me, “they built a station in someone’s backyard”, to which I say there’s two stations that fit the bill here. The other station will be the next entry on this blog. (wink wink nudge nudge)

So, who here remembers the 10ft6 bridge at East St. in Westwood? Anybody? If not, here’s a video to remind y’all of what it was. It’s since been raised to 13ft3 (or rather, more likely, the road was lowered to make that the clearance) and now trucks aren’t careening into it and exploding spectacularly like in years prior. See, look!

The walk was actually rather pleasant. Crossing East Street into Carroll Street, the entrance to the inbound platform seems innocent enough – enough so to where as Miles put it in his entry on this station, one could easily mistake it for someone’s driveway! It’s such a cute little station! I mean, it’s got a small amount of parking, a 135ft low level platform on each side, crossovers, some benches, shelters, and if memory serves me right even a bicycle rack! There’s also a red dot matrix sign. Bleugh. But, overall, a decent (if inaccessible) station. It’s so cute, too!!! And, it’s in walking distance of the 34E!!!

The good: It’s such a cute little station! Furthermore, Islington is kinda town center-y, so it’s in a relatively dense (vs. the rest of the town, which doesn’t say much as it’s still single-family housing) area. It’s also relatively walkable too, although it’s a shame US-1 is close by. Furthermore, the 34E is close by, too!

The bad: It’s all single-family housing!!! Yikes. It’s also inaccessible, which stinks. Also, it’s so damn close to Dedham Corporate Center (which is also cheaper!) that, odds are, if you’re driving, it’s better to drive there and park.

Nearby points of interest: Not a lot… A couple of businesses exist on Washington Street, but nothing stood out.

Transit connections:
Commuter Rail (Franklin, Foxboro)
MBTA bus (34E on Washington St.)

Overall, it’s a cute little station. I like it. Sometimes, a nice small suburban station without a major parking sink is nice to have, even. But, inaccessibility does take away from it, as does proximity to Dedham Corp. Eww.

Rating: 5.5/10

And now we’re at the OTHER Norwood station! Norwood Depot doesn’t have a depot, but it is in Norwood Center. Did someone swap the name plates for these?! Well, whatever.

The station has the mini-highs at the grade crossing, which is convenient, AND they have stuff on them. Benches, no less! Furthermore, they line the platform, which extends into the woods a bit. There’s also some parking, and a red dot matrix sign as well. Ugh. Well, whatever. You also have some suburban TOD in the form of apartment complexes, a kiss & ride, and even some bicycle racks. Yeah, this is actually pretty decent! Nice! Just no station building.

The good: It’s in the town center, has some parking, stuff on the mini-high, and some TOD around it!

The bad: I guess the worst thing this station has going for it is being too damn close to Norwood Central. I legitimately can’t think of much. Raise the platforms a bit?

Nearby points of interest: Norwood Center!

Transit connections:
Commuter Rail (Franklin, Foxboro)
MBTA bus (34E, on Washington St.)

Overall, I like this station. There’s not much wrong with it, however the best change would be a full length high platform and some kind of up & over/down & under to change sides.

Rating: 7/10

Next stop on the Franklin Line that I visited, when I did my trip on 11/30/23, were the Norwood duo. First stop here, is Norwood Central.

The station is sorta similar to West Natick in some ways. It’s a giant parking sink, except instead the area is much more suburban than in Natick. You have your standard mini-high with amenities, a proper departure board on both platforms, crossings, and a LOT of parking. There’s also solar panels covering the parking. Neat! There’s also a station building which isn’t leased out presently. As for the neighborhood, it’s suburbia, and you have Norwood Hospital under construction. It’s also kinda industrial, but it’s also seen a lot of redevelopment in recent years, which is nice.

The good: It’s in a somewhat dense area! It’s also seen immense amounts of redevelopment as of late as well, which is nice. There’s also A LOT of parking.

The bad: WHY ARE THE MINI-HIGHS BARREN?! Is this the freakin’ Needham Line?! Also, it’s not really in Norwood Center – in spite of the name.

Nearby points of interest: Norwood Center is a short walk away! Norwood Hospital is also nearby along with some TOD!

Transit connections:
Commuter Rail (Franklin, Foxboro)
MBTA bus (34E on Washington St.)

Overall, just, why? Why?! THIS STATION COULD’VE BEEN A 7 OR 8 IF THEY DIDN’T MAKE THE MINI-HIGH BARREN!!!!!

Rating: 5.5/10

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALPOLE!!!!!!! Yeah, it’s one of those kinds of stations. Let’s take a look.

Okay, so this station weirds me out. You have a decrepit station building that has nothing in it, a low-level platform, a lot of parking spread out between two or three lots, a grade crossing for the southeastern leg of Lewis’s Wye for both cars AND a second one for pedestrians, and it’s a short walk from the 34E bus (yes, the MBTA runs BUSES out here!), AND Foxboro trains can’t serve the station. Oh yeah, you do have your usual amenities and a red dot matrix sign. And it’s inaccessible.

The good: It’s got a lot of parking and is close to Walpole’s town center! It’s also just flat-out unusual being in the middle of a diamond junction. Furthermore, you (sorta) have a connection for the 34E as well. The station building is cool – even if unused.

The bad: THIS IS THE MOST-USED INACCESSIBLE STATION AS OF LAST COUNT! YEAH. ALL 700 SOMEODD PEOPLE WHO USED THIS STATION AT LAST COUNT BETTER BE ABLE-BODIED OR ELSE THEY’RE GONNA HAVE A REALLY BAD TIME – OR THEY’D BE BETTER OFF USING THE 34E. HOW ABOUT THAT AS A FUCK YOU?!

Nearby points of interest: There seemed to be a few cool spots in Walpole Center!

Transit connections:
Commuter Rail (Franklin)
MBTA bus (34E)

Overall, this station could be good. Raise the damn platforms and/or bring the 34E closer! Please!

Rating: 4.5/10

In terms of total length, the 70 is one of the longer local bus routes in MBTA bus territory, clocking in at about 10 miles. So, what do those 10 miles have in store? Let’s take a look.

So, some runs of the route originate at Market Basket, and a couple does a deviatory loop around the Cedarwood neighborhood before going to Waltham’s Commuter Rail station. However, my run originates at Waltham as a short-turn. The run begins by going down US-20 and going over the Commuter Rail tracks. There’s some semblances of density around here, however the majority of it isn’t until Watertown. It’s largely a suburban stroad. Hey, we also passed by the Gore Estate (no, not Al Gore! A historical figure named Christopher Gore. Never heard of him until writing this.), and US-20 began becoming more lined with smaller businesses until we reached Watertown Square (the former Green Line’s A branch terminal). Across the river is the Watertown bus terminal – the only bus-only terminal with parking. However, we didn’t serve it. We continued down and turned onto Arsenal Street. Now, on the side of the bus I sat on, it was very, VERY dense, in stark contrast to the suburban housing across the street. Now, is this what they mean by upzoning in practice?

Continuing further down Arsenal Street, we passed by both the Watertown Mall (on my side) and Arsenal Yards (the other side), both were pretty sizable shopping centers. Then, we crossed the Charles River, cut through Allston- IS THAT A ROMAN COLISEUM?! No. It’s actually just Harvard’s stadium. DAMN, they got some taste though! Anyways, we crossed the Charles again, this time into Cambridge, turning onto Memorial Drive and River Street, through some neighborhoods and to Central Square. Lastly, we turned down Mass. Ave. I got off on Mass. Ave., however the bus still continues for another block and turns around on a side street.

The good: It’s a largely direct route from Waltham to Central Square and almost Kendall/MIT. Furthermore, it serves a couple of malls and Watertown Square as well! Neat! Headways are pretty decent too and it’s the only bus to (relatively frequently) serve Waltham on Saturdays (and is the only one on Sundays).

The bad: I mean, a consistent 15/20/30/etc. minute headway would be nice. There’s also too many damn variants of the route (to Cedarwood on weekdays, sometimes to Market Basket???). At that point, just send to Kendal Green!

Nearby points of interest: Waltham’s Central Square, Cambridge’s Central Square, Watertown Square, Arsenal & Watertown Malls, MIT, and even Market Basket to name some! Also Harvard’s stadium!

Overall, it’s an alright route. But, why the inconsistent headways and why are there too many variants of it?!

Rating: 6.5/10

WALTUH! Wait, Waltham? Ohhhhh….okay! Well, here’s Waltham. It’s currently barely past midnight and here I am rambling about a Commuter Rail station in one of the inner suburbs of Boston. Whoop de doo! Here we go!

First off, the station layout. It’s weird. Why are there two platforms? Why are they on the same track, at that? Why were they too lazy to double track and/or viaduct? Oh well, whatever. Both have mini-highs at least, along with the same amenities (wastebaskets, dot matrix signs, benches, shelter). Furthermore, the outbound platform also has parking. It’s also at the outbound platform where the track split into two. Cool! Furthermore, you also have Central Square (the third in the Boston area, after Cambridge and Lynn????). Buses are found here as well, with the 61, 70, 505, 553, 554, 556, and 558 all stopping here. Unfortunately, most are weekday-only. Oh well! The inbound platform also has cycling infrastructure as well.

The good: It’s in Waltham’s town center! Furthermore, it’s a major transfer between local buses and the 505 express bus. Waltham Tower is pretty cool, too. Also, bus connections aplenty.

The bad: Most of said connections are weekday-only. Furthermore, I hate the platform layout. Why, just WHY?! JUST USE A SINGLE TRACK!!! TRAINS CAN’T PASS ANYWAYS!

Nearby points of interest: There’s a visitor’s center! The Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation is also nearby.

Transit connections:
Commuter Rail (Fitchburg)
MBTA bus (61, 70, 505, 553, 554, 556, 558)

Overall, this station is weird. Plus, double track the damn thing! It’d help a lot! Hell, elevate it even!!! Just, do SOMETHING to axe this bottleneck. OR MAYBE EVEN JUST CONSOLIDATE THE TWO PLATFORMS INTO ONE!!!

Rating: 5/10

Alrighty, so, Waverley Square is at the end of the 73, being its only bus connection on weekends. Weekdays also has the 554 stopping and turning around here in its very deviatory (3.8 EDI!!!!!!!) route back to Newton Corner. So, what is it like?

Well, the station is freakin’ hideous. The salmon walls disgust me. Why are the retaining walls colored salmon red? It’s not a look that goes well here. Furthermore, they’re dirty as all hell. They could probably cover the station and turn the above area into a park and nothing of value would be lost. Well, aside from what would become copious amounts of diesel fumes. NIMBYs like to say this station is an eyesore and I’d be inclined to agree here. The stairs are covered, yes, but it’s all metal. There’s biking infrastructure. There’s also two bus shelters for the 73 and 554. Furthermore, there’s benches and wastebaskets and what appears to be a salt storage room. I’d hope, anyways, because it looks dingy as hell like the rest of the station. Did I mention this station is dingy yet? There’s also unused catenary wires above the streets. I already ranted about that in my entry on the 73. There’s some parking! The station is also inaccessible. Raise the damn platform!

The good: It’s in a walkable area! Plus the 73 is frequent enough to supplement the Fitchburg Line as a way into Boston (or more accurately, the Red Line) while taking about as long. There’s also cycling infrastructure!

The bad: The station is ugly. It’s dingy. The walls are salmon-colored. Did I mention the dinginess and salmon walls? It’s also inaccessible. Also the unused catenary at street level. Give this sucker a power wash.

Nearby points of interest: Not much, there are some local businesses but nothing stood out.

Transit connections:
Commuter Rail (Fitchburg)
MBTA bus (73, 554)

Overall, this station needs a power wash. Maybe repaint it too. Did I mention how ugly it is? It’s pretty ugly. Also, raise the platforms.

Rating: 3/10

Oh goody, I actually get to use the Harvard busway for once! YAY! So, what was the first bus ride of the day? Well, the 73! Let’s see how it is.

First off, the bus was 7 minutes late! Yikes! But yet, somehow we ended up 2-3 minutes early arriving into Waverley Square. Not sure how that happens, but it’s probably schedule padding. The route itself is largely a straight shot as well. After exiting the busway, we made a couple of turns onto Brattle Street and Mt. Auburn Street, and we started going straight. And, wouldn’t ya know it, unlike the other bus route operating out of Harvard, we actually had some SPEED. We passed Mt. Auburn Hospital and Cemetary, turned down Belmont Street and eventually entered Belmont and- wait, what???

THERE’S CATENARY ABOVE US! WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA WHY ARE WE RUNNING DIESEL UNDER CATENARY?! DID THE FUCKING SILVER LINE RUN THROUGH HERE AT SOME POINT?! JUST, FHUJOIADHGUJDIOAPHGUIPOADSHNG WHY WHY JUST FUCKING WHY?! IF THE SILVER LINE WAS ABLE TO RUN DIESEL AND ON WIRE, WHY COULDN’T THE 73?! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA GOD FUCKING DAMMIT THIS PISSES ME OFF. I KNOW I’M SUPPOSED TO HAVE MIXED OPINIONS THAT ARE MOSTLY NEGATIVE ON TROLLEYBUSES, BUT, YOU DO NOT FUCKING RUN DIESEL UNDER CATENARY!!!!!!!!

Of course, Belmont is a suburban town, and there’s a lot of housing. But, more businesses started coming up as we passed down Trapelo Road, and eventually reached Waverley Square where one can change with the Fitchburg Line.

The good: It’s direct and frequent! It’s also got a connection with the Fitchburg Line as well, which is convenient. However, you can’t use the station to circumvent non-interzone fares if you don’t have a CharlieCard with fare loaded on it already. But if you do, the 73 is a cheat of sorts for avoiding those costly zonal fares.

The bad: WHY IS IT DIESEL UNDER FUCKING CATENARY?! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA WHY, WHY, JUST FUCKING WHY GOD FUCKING DAMMIT!!! *flips desk over in anger*

Also, weekend headways may or may not be “meh”

Nearby points of interest: Mt. Auburn Hospital, there’s also businesses at each end, and Harvard.

Overall, this route pisses me off. No, not because of the routing itself. But, it pisses me off because….well, see “the bad”. IT’S DIESEL UNDER CATENARY WHY WHY JUST FUCKING WHY WHAT WERE THEY SMOKING?!

Rating: 10/10 routing and in practice, 1.5/10 if diesel under catenary making me irrationally angry is accounted for.