Public Transit – chelsea's corner

96th St./2nd Ave. (Line Q)

On New Years Day in 2017, a new MTA subway line opened, with service to three new stations underneath 2nd Ave. in Manhattan’s East Side: 72nd, 86th, and 96th St.’s. However, there’s plans for extensions both north to 125th/Lexington & Park, and down to Hanover Square and Manhattan’s Seaport. This happens to be the northernmost of the 3 stations, and the current-day (as of writing this) terminus of the Q line. Welcome to 96th St./2nd Ave.

For some weird reason, despite it being defunct for many years now, these stations are all classed as ex-IND stations. Not sure why given only the MTA exists, and as far as I could find the IND was killed off in the ’50s when the system was unified into the present-day MTA (& as such also the ex-BMT and ex-IRT sections were merged in too, though only the BMT and IND are inter-operable, as the B division of the present-day system. If you need to know, numbered lines are the A division, lettered are the B division, essentially.) Anyways, with that out of the way, and the fact it took a REALLY LONG TIME just for these three stations to be built (& with phases 2, 3, and 4 in limbo presently), the station itself is really, REALLY overbuilt. Was the MTA really trying to channel the inner ex-IND energy here?! Like, gee, I get the IND in particular was overbuilt to handle the potential for crowding, but I don’t exactly think that’s an issue that needs apply here. This isn’t a major transfer station in lower Manhattan, for crying out loud! Nevertheless, while it feels a little sterile, it’s not to an extreme to where it’s overbearing. The stone accents are pretty cool, and the platforms all have standard amenities. There’s even countdown clocks and signs pointing to the next platform departing. Neat! The escalators down have a cool light installation (it was nighttime when I was here and was able to see it!). However, though, while the restrooms are closed overnights and between 12 and 1, Rome informed me the women’s restroom was essentially unusable. I didn’t even want to look in the men’s room for fear of being traumatized. On the upside, for buses, you primarily have the M15 which runs down 2nd Ave. between 125th St. and South Ferry, and the M96 crosstown route (that is, east-west). I do have one question though: WHY WASN’T THIS SECTION OF THE SYSTEM BUILT WITH CBTC FROM THE OUTSET?! I digress. Overall, not a bad station! And, I’m sure 72nd and 86th St.’s will hold up pretty well (given they’re largely carbon copies).

WAY OVERBUILT MEZZANINE, IF THE IND EXISTED TODAY!

The good: The lights outside look cool, as does the headhouse! The station itself is relatively pretty damn clean vs. the rest of the system (can be attributed to it still being a very new station), restrooms at least exist, and overall it’s a pretty decent station. Elevators also exist, with it still being new.

The bad: The women’s restroom is unusable (per Rome) and I am presuming the men’s room is outright traumatizing. This station is kinda overbuilt, too.

Nearby points of interest: There’s some section 8 housing nearby, along with some playgrounds and other green spaces. The Harlem River is also a stone’s toss away, if you can cross FDR Drive somehow.

Transit connections:
Broadway Line (Line Q)
MTA bus (M15, M15-SBS, M96)

Overall, this station isn’t that bad. A bit overbuilt, yeah, and admittedly not the best place to turn trains or to terminate them, but it really isn’t that bad in the grand scheme of things. And, given phase 2 of the 2nd Ave. tunnel has funding (that’s to build the tunnel to Park/Lexington Ave.’s, and to build stations at 106th, 116th, and 125th & Park/Lexington for a transfer to the #s 4-6 lines, which I think is a better place to terminate than in the middle of relatively nowhere), there’s actually a decent future for this station. Not bad! But, I do have a question though: Why IS this station classed as an IND station, if the IND is long dead?!

Rating: 8.5/10

Queensborough Plaza (Lines #7, N, W)

Queensborough Plaza is a particularly unique station on the MTA subway system, and has the distinction of being the sole cross-platform A/B division transfer station. That meaning, you can change lines on the same island platform, but they’re on opposite tracks. In this case, uptown 7s and N’s/W’s are on the same level, but opposite tracks. Same with downtown 7s/N’s/W’s. Either way, welcome to Long Island City!

This station is pretty standard in layout. On the lower level, you have downtown trains into Manhattan, with the next stop on the N and W being 59th/Lexington, and on the #7 line being 45th Rd.-Courthouse Square. Of course, this is not to be confused with Courthouse/ICA on the Silver Line in Boston. The upper levels have the uptown tracks for both lines, with the N and W heading to Ditmars Blvd. in Astoria, and the next stop on the #7 line being one covered here – 33rd/Rawson St.’s. This is also a pretty cool railfanning spot for the subway with how the tracks curve away in both directions, to be honest. There’s also elevators to the mezzanine, different countdown clocks for the A and B divisions, and otherwise nothing much to remark. The mezzanine is pretty standard with faregates, Metrocard machines, but no OMNY machine. There’s also restrooms here, but given this is the MTA…….yeah no thanks, I would rather not be traumatized. Sorry! Heading outside, you have stairs to street level and another elevator, of which Rome and I rode (they’re new and didn’t have time to let the piss scent kick in yet). Weirdly, they had “yes” and “no” buttons – cue the looks of confusion. As for buses, the B62 will bring you from here to Hoyt-Schermerhorn and the NYC Transit Museum in downtown Brooklyn, while the other routes will bring you to other places around Queens, including the Q39 to Ridgewood, the Q69 (hehe nice) to Astoria, and the Q102 to Roosevelt Island. Overall, not a bad station! And, pretty cool actually!

BROADWAY EXP (even though it stops at 49th St.)

The #7 line cresting the curve between Court Square and Queensborough!

The good: It’s an important transfer station between the A and B divisions and, weirdly enough, the only chance to do such a transfer in Queens (yeah, the IRT didn’t really do much in Queens). It’s also accessible, and primarily exists to serve LI City. It also serves as an accessible alternative to inaccessible stations nearby on the N line in particular (the #7 line doesn’t face this issue as badly, as Court Square’s #7 platform is accessible, and 33rd St. is not too close by). It’s also a cool spot for railfanning!

The bad: Yes???? no????? On a more serious note, the station looks a bit old, but functionally there’s really nothing offensively bad. However, I am kinda scared to peek into the restroom.

Nearby points of interest: For railfans, the station itself is a point of interest! The Northeast Corridor is also a short walk away! For stuff outside the station, there’s a USCIS office nearby, Silvercup Studios (you can see the famed sign from the #7 line!), JetBlue HQ, and even an Ecuadorian consulate! Other than that, it’s mostly corporate offices and your usual Dunkin’, Checkers, etc., albeit in a heavily gentrified neighborhood. Make as you wish of that.

Transit connections:
Flushing Line (#7)
Broadway Line (N, W)
MTA bus (B62, Q32, Q39, Q60, Q66, Q67, Q69, Q100, Q101, Q102)

Overall, it’s actually a pretty cool station, and I don’t have much to say negatively about it, and in terms of functionality, it’s one of my favorites on the MTA subway. Woohoo! However, the fact there’s restrooms scare me with what horrors lie within. D:

Rating: 7.5/10

Halifax (MBTA)

Halifax is the least-used currently open station on the MBTA’s Kingston Line. With that intro out of the way, let’s see what this least-used station has in store for us……oh fuck.

Whelp, the sense of existential dread is real. Granted, I was stuck here for all of 30 minutes, but it was still the middle of absolutely nowhere. Legit, there’s LITERALLY NOTHING AROUND. THIS STATION IS WHAT ROWLEY AND LITTLETON ARE TO THE NORTH SIDE. This station is so rural, one might be forgiven for thinking this was northern New Hampshire or something. The nearest thing that isn’t sparse housing, is a Walmart located almost 3 miles away (about an hour on foot). There’s some stables close by as well, if you’re into horses, I guess. However, Halifax is quite possibly as rural as things get on the MBTA. And, I looked into it for shits & giggles, Halifax is also one of the reddest towns served by the T (only Freetown and Middleborough are redder). So, yeah. As for the station itself, it isn’t too much. You have two platforms (one is only used for train meets), a parking lot, bicycle racks, a grade crossing, and the usual Kingston Line affair. Not much to say. Not bad, though.

The only signage suggesting this place *exists*

The good: I mean, it’s a park and ride for the people nearby without access to Rte. 3, and by extension can’t get to Kingston as easily! It is also the closest MBTA station to various parts of Pembroke and Plympton! It’s also fully accessible and has the usual Old Colony station amenities. Neat!

The bad: The land use, really. And that’s a pretty big one given the remoteness of this. Not even some TOD? But, given this is Halifax and it’s probably a very hardcore conservative place (given how they voted at the federal level), TOD might be asking for a lot.

Nearby points of interest: Not much.

Transit connections: Commuter Rail (Kingston)

Overall, while the remoteness hurts the station, it’s pretty usable and actually otherwise a very useful station given it’s the least-used on the line.

Rating: 7/10

Haverhill (MBTA/Amtrak) & Washington Square TC (MeVa)

Here we are. The last northside Commuter Rail station entry on this blog. Holy fucking shit. (well, unless you include the Downeaster and the proposed Northern Tier Rail stops, and the proposed South Salem CR stop, but the Downeaster isn’t in MBTA jurisdiction beyond here and Northern Tier and South Salem are both concepts of plans presently.) The finish line for visiting every T station is in sight. With that in mind, here’s the final northside Commuter Rail station, HAVERHILL!

The walk from Bradford, from last spring

Welcome to beautiful downtown Haverhill!

Now, I will stipulate, I had to visit Haverhill twice because my first round had me missing something rather important that I completely overlooked. So, I still had to come back. Nevertheless, this still turned out to be the final station. Entering the station from street level, you have signs pointing towards Boston, similarly to Uphams Corner underneath the tracks. There’s a bigass parking lot operated, I’m pretty sure, by MeVa. The station layout is a standard 2x side platform configuration, which leaves a question: what do MBTA trains terminating do? Well, it’s simple actually! There’s a pocket track ahead that MBTA trains pull into and turn around. At least, that’s what Open Railway Map suggests. I actually don’t have an answer. Nevertheless, the station has a standard mini-high setup commonly seen around the system, is served also by Amtrak with the Downeaster, and grade crossings to change sides. I’m not sure if plans exist to reconfigure into full-length platforms, but I kinda hope there are because I feel like that’d help both Amtrak and the MBTA here. Both platforms have the usual shelter, benches, wastebaskets, yellow dot matrix signage, and all that. Though, I feel like a departure board with Amtrak times might help here too. Anyways, not a bad station!

So, that leaves just the bus terminal. I forgot about this one entirely, so how is it? Well…….kinda sad, actually. There’s a building that you can’t even enter unless you work for MeVa, and on a cold and windy day like when I came here, it was BAD. Yikes. Yeah, that ain’t good.

The good: It’s a serviceable train station in downtown Haverhill! It gets both Amtrak and MBTA service! It also has what you’d expect.

The bad: For an Amtrak station, it’s kinda lackluster. There’s no indoor waiting area, no Quik-Trak machine, it only has a mini-high platform, and there’s really no amenities you’d expect at an Amtrak station, especially one in a downtown area. For an MBTA station, it’s average, but c’mon. The nearby bus terminal is also sad too, with a building not open to the public anymore.

Nearby points of interest: Downtown Haverhill and MeVa’s bus network!

Transit connections:
Amtrak (Downeaster)
Commuter Rail (Haverhill)
MeVa (1, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)

Overall, it’s actually a little disappointing. But, whatever, there’s always worse, I guess!

Rating: 6/10

Winchester Center (MBTA)

If this was before 2022, I’d probably be giving this station a rather negative take, on the basis of it being both stupidly close to Wedgemere and having the bus connections in place of Wedgemere, and being inaccessible in the town center. However, last October, they reopened the station in an accessible form. Now, it’s still not complete, but it’s complete enough to where I’m considering it “close enough”. With that in mind, let’s look at this station, shall we?

The station layout is pretty bogstandard, with two full-length high-level platforms. At present, only the rear half of the platforms are open and only the two cars closest to the locomotive platform. But, if you happen to board elsewhere on the train and need accessibility, they do tell you to let the crew know so the appropriate doors platform. A little annoying, but given it’s a stopgap, I’m not holding it against anyone. The elevators didn’t smell of piss (this is Winchester, I sure as fuck hope they don’t!), and to change sides you physically have to go to street level and use the sidewalk. Yeah, no mezzanine, but whatever. It is, however, a little sus to me that they went with a full-length high level platform, yet they couldn’t be arsed to build a second high-level platform at every South Coast Rail station. And, yet, this is the northside’s primary freight corridor! But, whatever, I’ll complain about that when I get around to doing New Bedford-Whale’s Tooth and Fall River-Downtown. The platforms are serviceable, with departure boards, benches, wastebaskets, and all that fun stuff. There’s also parking both on the streets nearby, and in the Waterfield Rd. and Aberjona River lots, and there would also be one lining Laraway Rd., if construction wasn’t happening. Overall though, pretty decent! The 134 also stops nearby (if you count a 7 minute walk as “nearby”), but that’s relatively infrequent.

The good: It’s located in Winchester’s town center, and generally has more around it vs. Wedgemere! You have the local town hall, a church, a downtown area, and you even have a jr. high school and Winchester High nearby! Neat!

The bad: Unlike Wedgemere, however, it is not a parking sink for the surrounding neighborhoods. Or, at least, it’s not intended to be one. Also, the connection to the 134 is just so far away relatively. I’m not quite sure how many people are making the connection between the 134 and the Commuter Rail, but it’s still annoying.

Nearby points of interest: There’s a walking trail nearby, and downtown Winchester is right here! There’s also the Middlesex Fells Reservation somewhat close by, too.

Transit connections:
Commuter Rail (Lowell)
MBTA bus (134)

Overall, it’s not a bad station. Just, it’s annoying the bus connection is a ways away, and the biggest handicap here otherwise is the Lowell Line’s shit schedule (as of writing this). The station itself is pretty good.

Rating: 7/10

57 (Watertown/Oak Square/BU/Kenmore)

Okay! This one’s a bit delayed because of a lack of willpower, but I finally found the willpower to do this one! Meet: the 57. Or, the bus that’s seemingly perpetually crowded and a replacement to the B branch.

So, the route begins at Watertown Yard, but I boarded at the Newton Supercollider. It’s not a lot that I’m missing here. Anyways, I digress. From where I boarded, the route goes through the Supercollider into Brighton, through Newton Corner. It’s largely very suburban as it does this, but as it goes further down, it slowly begins getting progressively more urban, and the next neighborhoods here are Brighton and Oak Square (with its connection to the 64 to Kendall/MIT!). Of course, we pass by a number of houses and businesses, things progressively get denser, and we even pass a couple of churches. Cambridge St. becomes Brighton Avenue, and it gets pretty dense as we enter Allston and Packards Corner, where we meet the B branch. Oh, look, Packards Corner Station and the B branch!

So, we keep going down the B branch’s routing, crossing over the Pike, passing by Amory and Babcock Streets, numerous shops including Raising Canes and Landry’s (if you’re looking for cycling stuff, I cannot recommend them enough!), and even Boston University! Go Terriers! Soon enough, however, we pass Blandford Street and arrive in Kenmore. We made it to the end of the 57.

The end of U.S. Route 20. The other end is in Oregon, 3300 someodd miles away

The good: It serves important (if quiet at face value!) communities in Watertown and Allston, and BU! It’s also one of the MBTA’s busiest bus corridors (this also used to be a Green Line branch). Furthermore, it’s very frequent with 12-15 minute headways for much of the day, every day. Peak service also has Oak Square short-turns as the 57A (though at the time of riding, this was not yet in service). Given all this, it’s one of the MBTA’s most important corridors.

The bad: It’s pretty prone to bunching. Capacity can also be an issue, and truthfully, this is one bus route that could benefit from having a few bendy boys running on it. Another alternative to fixing capacity issues could be to revive the A branch to Watertown, but that has its own set of issues. Some crazy souls might even suggest trolleybus-ifying the route, but…eh………no. But, my biggest gripe mostly comes down to capacity issues. 40 foot buses are NOT enough for this route, especially when school is in session at BU. And given it makes little sense for people to get off and transfer to the Green Line at Babcock St. or Packards Corner (unless they’re heading towards Boston College), it really is a problem. Please, get some bendy boys on this route!

Nearby points of interest: Packards Corner looks cool! BU is also right on the route. Brighton and Newton Corner are a little more suburban, but Oak Square has a number of shopping destinations too. There’s also St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center, as well!

Overall, it’s an important route for the MBTA and local communities, and is one that desperately needs better capacity and throughput. But, all things considered, not a bad route.

Rating: 8/10

Ayer (MBTA)

Merry Christmas, happy Hanukkah, happy Kwanzaa (if you celebrate – I do not know anyone that celebrates it), and happy holidays overall! Hopefully you (the reader) are enjoying your Wednesday. Today’s entry, is a special gift. Welcome to Ayer!

Ayer, in particular, has a reputation among Boston-area railfans – and, in a way, is a rite of passage. It’s a major freight rail hub, and is the most likely place to see freight trains in MBTA territory. That is not to say you can’t see them elsewhere – you absolutely can! I’ve personally seen CSX running on the Northeast Corridor, the outer Haverhill Line, and the Franklin Line. I digress though. The station itself is pretty modest, if not ADA accessible – as there are two low level platforms, a grade crossing between them, a red dot matrix sign on the inbound platform, seating on both sides, a nice-ish shelter, a bus shelter (both on the inbound side, naturally), and even a modest amount of parking. The station is also pretty much in Ayer’s town center, which is nice. There’s also a parking garage operated and managed by MART a little ways away. As for bus connections, however, there really aren’t any. Wait, what’s that? A horse racing down the track? What?! HOLY FUCKING SHIT, A NORFOLK SOUTHERN LOCOMOTIVE TRIO COUPLING TO A CRAPTON OF AUTORACKS?! Of course, I wasn’t the only one here, as a number of railfans had the same idea on the day I was out here. But, that wasn’t even the only catch! Later, I’d also see a CSX train taking the wye to head south towards Devens and Harvard. Unfortunately, it ended up becoming disabled, and I guess it broke the signaling system and switches (forcing the Keolis conductor on my train to Boston to hand-throw it), but hey, it was still cool to see!

Wrong-railing! But, there was a good reason!

The good: It’s located in downtown Ayer! The walkshed is actually pretty good, and at face value, Ayer is the kind of place where you could easily take the train out, get lunch, do a little bit of shopping, and take the train back. There’s also plenty of parking for park & ride users, as well – even if it’s not a lot (given Littleton is better-suited for this, being at the junction of MA-2 and I-495). It’s also a freakin’ cool place to railfan freight trains too, for what it’s worth.

The bad: Really, the worst, is that it’s inaccessible, and freight trains could easily block the crossing. I genuinely don’t have anything else bad to say about it, surprisingly. Actually, I do have ONE thing to say. The outbound platform is a little barren!

Nearby points of interest: Ayer’s town center looks like it has some cool places! Furthermore, there’s a rail trail!

Transit connections:
Commuter Rail (Fitchburg)

Overall, it’s actually not that bad, as far as inaccessible Commuter Rail stations. I mean, yeah, it could (& should) be better. But, given far worse stations exist on this very same line, I think this is deserving of an okay score.

Rating: 6/10

Belmont Center (MBTA)

Belmont Center is the other Commuter Station in, well, Belmont. I’ve already covered Waverley Square with its hideous salmon walled glory. Now, let’s check out its equally inaccessible, but less hideous, counterpart in the town center.

The station, much like Waverley, is a pair of low-level and rather inaccessible platforms located on the Fitchburg Line. However, unlike Waverley, it’s not in a trench and theoretically could be made accessible with a lift and ramp on each side. However, unlike Waverley, negotiating boarding/alighting here involves what amounts to a sobriety test as the train is VERY, VERY TILTED. The outbound platform has fuck all for anything aside from a couple wastebaskets. That’s right – you don’t even get BENCHES heading outbound. Granted, officially, you don’t get anything inbound either, but AT LEAST you get the Lions Club staircase as a makeshift shelter! Speaking of, the Lions Club has taken on residence in the old station house – and as of me being here, was holding a Christmas tree sale. Neat! There’s also buses, but none of them stop directly at the station and require a walk that’s about 3-5 minutes and some j-walking. Why a bus stop can’t be located at Royal Road in front of the Lions Club is beyond me. Hmm…I wonder if this connection issue changes with the BNRD?

*does research*

Well, I actually have an answer, and that answer is actually YES. So, the 74/75 presumably would get a new stop closer to the Lions Club, and in the town center itself, AND the proposed route 54 would run right past the outbound platform on its way between Waltham and Arlington. Now, whether or not it comes to fruition, I don’t know, but it’d solve a major issue with the station. Nevertheless, the current setup kinda works, as annoying as it is with the lack of crosswalks in the area.

The Lions Club while doing an on-foot transfer

And another! This looks kinda cool, I guess?

I spy….the Encore? Never thought it could be visible from out here.

This train left SPARKS when it was leaving

This F40-pulled train ran EXPRESS through the station. OFFPEAK.

The good: You can get a bus from here to Harvard for $1.70! Meanwhile, going from here to Porter costs upwards of $6, if memory is right. (WHY?!) In all seriousness, it serves the town center. Yeah, I don’t have much. At least the Lions Club is there???

The bad: WHY WHY WHY?! THERE’S NO SHELTER ON EITHER PLATFORM UNLESS YOU HIDE IN THE STAIRS BY THE LIONS CLUB, THERE’S NO PEDESTRIAN-FRIENDLY ACCESS FROM THE OUTBOUND 74/75’S LAST STOP – OR FROM AN INBOUND RUN’S FIRST STOP (PRESENTLY), BUSES DON’T EVEN GO FURTHER INTO BELMONT FROM HERE, IT ISN’T ACCESSIBLE, WALKING THROUGH A TRAIN HERE IS A GODDAMN FREAKIN’ SOBRIETY TEST WORSE THAN WESTERLY OR SHARON– YA BETTER NOT BE DRUNK! JUST, WHY?! WAVERLEY AT LEAST HAS PLANS TO BECOME ACCESSIBLE IN THE WORKS, BUT NOTHING FOR THIS SHITHOLE OF A STATION. IF IT WEREN’T FOR THE FACT THE TOWN LOOKS COOL FROM THE WINDOW OF A TRAIN, AND THIS WAS MY ONLY IMPRESSION OF BELMONT, I’D PRESUME THE TOWN WAS A SHITHOLE! YA KNOW WHAT, MAYBE BELMONT IS FULL OF NIMBYS WHO HATE TRAINS. I’M SORRY EVERYONE BUT I CANNOT GIVE THIS STATION A HIGH SCORE. NO WONDER WHY NOBODY USES IT! FURTHERMORE, WHY IN THE NAME OF PHILLIP ENG DOES IT COST LESS TO DO BUS+RED LINE, THAN IT COSTS TO GO LITERALL ONE FREAKIN’ STOP, ALSO TO THE RED LINE?!?! YOU DON’T EVEN GET AN INTEGRATED TRANSFER! WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?! WHAT WERE THEY SMOKING?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!? FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCKING FUCK THIS STATION SUCKS AND MAKES ME ANGRY! I CAN’T EVEN WRITE ANYTHING FUNNY ABOUT IT, IT’S THAT BAD! AT LEAST WAVERLEY HAS THE SALMON WALLS!

Nearby points of interest: There’s actually Belmont Center, the Lions Club, and some local businesses and even a bookstore!

Transit connections:
Commuter Rail (Fitchburg)
MBTA bus (74, 75)

Overall, THIS STATION SUCKS AND WOULD’VE BEEN HORRIFICALLY BAD TO END THE FITCHBURG LINE ON IF THE CHRISTMAS SPECIAL ISN’T ALSO ON THE FITCHBURG LINE!

Rating: 1.5/10

South Acton (MBTA)

South Acton is a small commuter station that, while still in a rural area, isn’t exactly “middle of nowhere” like Littleton is. It’s also the last stop before trains run express to Porter Square during rush hour. So, with that in mind, let’s look at this station.

South Acton is a pretty bogstandard new-build Commuter Rail station with two side platforms, an overpass, and an elevator on each side for accessibility. Entrances also exist on each side towards local streets, and a sizable parking lot exists on the outbound side as well. The platforms are standard with wastebaskets, benches, and yellow dot matrix signage. There’s even a bike locker and …a busway? What bus could possibly stop here?!

*takes a look*

Oh….

WAIT YOU MEAN THE SIGNAGE FOR THE CAT BUS STILL EXISTS?! Well shit. Apparently, the bus actually DID pull in as well, so the CAT does in fact live on in a post-COVID world. Noone got on or off though, which has me thinking its ridership is nonexistent. Well, that’s sad. Apparently a Boxborough bus serves here too, but nothing came in so as far as I’m concerned, it’s just a concept of a plan. And, if you’re willing to walk, you can actually reach the town center. It’s just a mile! Overall, not bad though!

The good: It’s got buses! Furthermore, it’s fully accessible, has an overpass, elevators that don’t reek of piss, and there’s actually something close by!

The bad: There really isn’t that much, but it’s still better than nothing. I genuinely don’t have a lot negative to say.

Nearby points of interest: There isn’t a lot in the immediate vicinity, but I heard the Discovery Museum is pretty cool! (walk north on Main St.!)

Transit connections:
Commuter Rail (Fitchburg)
Cross-Acton Transit
Boxborough Fixed Route (allegedly???)

Overall, I don’t have anything bad to say. Pretty good and inoffensive. Yay!

Rating: 8.5/10

Littleton/I-495 (MBTA)

Littleton/495 is a big park & ride station out in, well, Littleton. Located adjacent to the interchange between Rte. 2 and I-495 off Foster Street, it’s surprisingly very rural. Well, I endured an arctic blast to be able to talk about this station. So, here we are, at Littleton/I-495.

The station is like most park & ride locations in that it does not have a station house or anything. It’s also located pretty far from anything walkable and, as such, gets most of its ridership from people driving in from places like Boxborough, Westford, and Harvard. Hell, MART even runs a peak-hour shuttle from here to Harvard’s town hall. Outside that, the platform is an island with a pretty standard setup. Two tracks, and a ramp to the parking lots. Yellow dot matrix signs exist, as does some history and benches. Nevertheless, this station is a big improvement from what existed before 2013. Just imagine a rinky dinky little shitty microstation with about 20 spots, similar to Ayer in appearance. Yeah. This one’s a big improvement.

Train departing to lay over past the point of the crossing circuit activating

Overpass shot and the Foster St. crossing

LITTLETON/RTE 495 yet Forge Park just says FORGE PARK/495

The old station was at the location of the northbound track here

The good: It’s a bigass park & ride off the junction of two highways! It’s also fully accessible!

The bad: …there’s nothing nearby.

Nearby points of interest: Absolutely nothing. Seriously. Absolutely freakin’ nothing.

Transit connections:
Commuter Rail (Fitchburg)
MART (Boston Shuttle, Harvard Commuter)

Overall, yeah it’s nothing special to go home about. Sorry. 🙁

Rating: 6/10