Public Transit – Page 13 – chelsea's corner

West Natick (MBTA)

West Natick, oh West Natick. Well, it feels like it’s in the middle of nowhere upon getting off the train from Framingham. But, is it really though? Well……

Bye, ya smoking diesel guzzling growler!

Whelp, the Helvetica Condensed is a reassuring sign of things! But, it’s not actually bad??? The station’s accessible, has a sheltered mini-high, has amenities, plenty of parking, a departure board(!!), a sheltered parking lot(!!!), and even a neighborhood map that shows MWRTA connections! Holy crap, they actually put some QOL improvements into this station! As for the area, it’s definitely in a suburban neighborhood with a modest amount of parking. Furthermore, you also have solar panels covering the parking spaces as well, which is nice! However, it’s also a “screw you” Commuter Rail station, as there’s a departure board at the entrance, and if the train’s blocking the crossing, you’ll have to wait up to 2 hours. Yeah…….

Yeah, sorry, no Natick Center review until they’re done with construction!

Sheltered parking – and Transit Police keeping tabs on the area. If you see something, say something!

I don’t believe I’ve seen this at any Commuter Rail station before – only on the subway

Now, as for the area surrounding it, yeah it’s pretty much all suburbia. However, it’s also an almost-front row seat for the Boston Marathon. You can also tell when your train to South Station has left Framingham when the horns start ringing out, as there’s a couple of grade crossings between here and Framingham.

Oh my, another HSP! This time deadheading to Framingham!

The good: It’s located in a decent place, has enough parking, sheltered parking, and overall has amenities you’d expect from your average Commuter Rail station. Furthermore, it also has a map showing MWRTA bus connections! Yeah, I don’t think I’ve seen anything like that anywhere else on the system – not even in Pawtucket or Blue Hill Avenue! I also like how it feels nice and peaceful, being in the middle of suburbia.

The bad: Eh, would be nice if there was a pedestrian bridge instead of a grade crossing, and full-length high platforms.

Nearby points of interest: There’s a small plaza, but aside from that, just take the 10 or 11 to wherever, as it’s all housing. If you’re willing to hike for about an hour, you can get to the Natick Mall!

Transit connections:
Commuter Rail (Worcester Line)
MWRTA (10, 11)

Overall, I like the station and how it feels quiet and tranquil. Heck, if anything, they’re more my personal favorites, and for a Worcester Line station it’s probably one of the best. Now, if only that grade crossing was gone…..

Rating: 8/10

Framingham (MBTA/Amtrak)

Alrighty, Framingham! Framingham, in several ways, is like Stamford in that it divides the Worcester Line into an inner and outer zone. However, this only comes in during peak hours, where some trains express through the inner line or short-turn at Framingham. So, here we go.

So, first thing to note is there’s a mini-high here! Furthermore, you have “BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!” as trains sit at the station. Would it kill them to have “TRAIN APPROACHING, PLEASE REMAIN BEHIND THE YELLOW LINE!” instead like on the NEC? Alright, whatever, you got some benches, wastebaskets, etc., etc., and a footbridge. There’s also an elevator (WHICH BROKE AFTER I LEFT!!!), which unfortunately was a hot mess. That’s probably because of the Marathon passing and this station being a front-row seat. Furthermore, since there’s a CSX yard nearby, you can also get some action on that front here too. Oh yeah, Amtrak stops here once a day in each direction. Receive-only towards Chicago and discharge-only towards Boston, however.

Looking towards the station on the grade crossing!

So, there’s also plenty of parking, and the MetroWest Regional Transportation Authority stops here as well! In fact, they even have a caboose (converted into an office space!) located in the aptly-named banana lot. However, since it’s Patriots Day, MWRTA wasn’t operating.

I legitimately like the MWRTA paint scheme on the caboose.

Yeah, I’m not sure what CSX was doing, however they were moving the freight cars back and forth up the wye

WHY IS IT DISPLAYING THE WINDOWS DESKTOP?!

The good: It’s in downtown Framingham! And, it’s even in a walkable area, has Amtrak service (albeit VERY limited – this is also, as of the end of Amtrak’s 2023 fiscal year, Massachusetts’ least-used Amtrak station), and even has a few short-turns from here to South Station. Also, I seriously dig the MWRTA caboose, it adds a bit of character not found in other stations out here. Like, where’s the GATRA caboose in Mansfield or the RIPTA one in Pawtucket?!

The bad: Really? Mini-highs still? Well, it at least makes some sense out here given heavy freight activity, but wouldn’t gauntlet tracks work? Also, the elevators are probably on the lesser reliable side given they crapped out today during the Boston Marathon.

Nearby points of interest: Well, the station building houses a steakhouse, and there’s a few parks nearby. Furthermore, it’s in the downtown area, and if you’re a railfan it’s a pretty good place to railfan CSX.

Transit connections:
Amtrak (Lake Shore Ltd.)
Commuter Rail (Worcester Line)
MWRTA (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 15)

Overall, I really like this station. Darn, I really need to come out here more often for railfanning purposes (especially for CSX!). Only way it’d be better is if MWRTA had an indoor waiting area with restrooms for commuters and Amtrak passengers. But, as-is, it’s probably one of the better stations on the line.

Rating: 7.5/10

West Newton (MBTA)

Oh jesus Christ, no, no, no, please not the last of the Newton trio….well, at least it’s the last one. So, is it that much worse? Ugh…

Well, there’s not much different here vs. the other Newton stations at Auburndale and Newtonville. You got an anemic amount of amenities, a low-level inaccessible platform, an anemic amount of parking, a silly little shelter, and the Mass Pike! Woohoo! Eventually, the train departed, revealing a wood crossover platform that’s long enough for a singular pair of doors. Yeah, this is how you get service to the other track – which had to be done earlier today because of heavy ridership associated with the Boston Marathon. As for the area around the station? Well, you got some shopping on Washington Street, but at that point just use the 553. As for the other side of the Mass Pike, it’s all residential.

The good: Shopping nearby? And some other stuff??? I’m not exactly sure on this, when the 553 exists.

The bad: THIS STATION ABSOLUTELY SUCKS IT’S NOT ACCESSIBLE, HAS AN ANEMIC AMOUNT OF PARKING, IS LOW-LEVEL, IS NEXT TO THE FUCKING MASSACHUSETTS TURNPIKE, IS LOUD, WHIRRING, TRASH-FILLED, AND DID I MENTION THE INACCESSIBILITY?!

Nearby points of interest: I got my lunch at West Newton Pizza & Grill! And a Dunkies is nearby, but just use the 553.

Transit connections:
Commuter Rail (Worcester)
MBTA bus (553, 554)

Overall, no. Just, no.

Rating: 0.75/10

The pizza was good, but the fries weren’t anything special.

The Mattapan Line

Wait, why is the Ashmont-Mattapan High-Speed Line considered part of the Red Line, yet is functionally separate? Well, who knows, but let’s look at the line, shall we?

First off, the rolling stock. It’s historic in nature and while some consider it a heritage line, it’s very much an integral part of the MBTA’s rapid transit network. And, yes, I did say heritage line. This sucker uses World War II-era PCC LRVs, which not a lot of other transit systems have. Yeah, they’re being rebuilt to milk the last bit of life in them, but they’re still kicking around. And, yes, this puts the MBTA in the same class as SEPTA and Muni in San Francisco, except unlike SEPTA or Muni, the T’s PCCs are in a fully grade-separated ROW, and thus probably runs faster. They were never built with ADA compliance in mind, which means the best solution for accessibility is the hacky one: slap a mini-high at most stations. Unfortunately, this didn’t work with Valley Rd., as that’d require an extensive rebuild, leaving that as one of the few inherently inaccessible stations on the system. Maybe that’ll change when the Type 9s get transplanted here!

On the other hand, some of the stations on this line can provide some unique railfanning opportunities due to grade crossings. Yeah, I know, I said it was fully grade separated. I should’ve clarified and said it didn’t run alongside mixed traffic. Though, given most of the crossings are on quiet residential streets, it’s a nonissue and are in practice fully grade separated. It also runs into Milton for a short bit, which is neat! Woohoo! Furthermore, walking the line is also a nice option if the weather is nice, given the quiet nature of the area (in contrast to the two termini).

So, back to the initial question of why it’s separate but equal to the Red Line. That pretty much boils down to a combination of some tomfoolery with the New Haven Railroad, with the BERy buying the line for rapid transit use, then followed by the BERy deciding to be cheap by converting it into streetcar use rather than extending the Dorchester Line (now the Red Line) all the way to Mattapan.

The good: It’s unique! With the trolleybuses being axed from the Silver Line (thank god, though I’ve already gone on about that elsewhere), this pretty much becomes the shining novelty of Boston’s transit system. It’s fast (by 1940s standards, though 40mph still isn’t something to scoff at) and it gives the people of Mattapan and Milton rapid transit access!

The bad: It’s kinda old and not designed with the ADA in mind! Though, with the Type 9s being slated to be moved here, that shouldn’t be an issue for much longer once the stations get rebuilt. But, the greater issue is that the line isn’t exactly resilient. That, meaning, every time it snows more than 1-2 inches, the MBTA has to break out the light rail equivalent to the BFG-9000.

Meet: Snowzilla. This big ol’ jet engine snowblower is designed specifically with the Mattapan Line in mind. Throw a PCC to clear snow instead? The train will literally DIE. Snow is the kiss of DEATH for the rolling stock on this line, while on the Red, Orange, Green, and Blue Lines, they’ll chug along just fine, while Keolis lights the Commuter Rail tracks on fire.

Nearby points of interest: Eh, there’s a few businesses in Milton, while most of the activity is on either end of the line.

Overall, while it’s a little sad that the PCCs are inevitably going away, it’s for the better, and I think that once the Type 9s come to the Mattapan Line, the future looks bright for it, despite the loss in novelty.

Rating: 7/10 (though 9.5/10 rolling stock!)

Now, if you want another implementation of PCC streetcars and have a lot (or a little, depending on geographic proximity) of money & time to spare, I heard Kenosha, Wisconsin’s light rail system is an interesting one to look at. Maybe I should take a field trip out there some time… Meh, probably once I’m done with the Northeast Corridor.

Red Line (Dorchester/South Shore/Cambridge)

Damn, have I really procrastinated on this for far longer than I should’ve? Eh, whatever. I just needed some time to brew a way to talk about the Red Line without talking about the sorry state it’s presently in (as of 4/8/2023). Oh well, let’s delve into the Red Line.

The Red Line originally opened between Harvard and Park Street in 1912, with extensions to Dorchester happening not long after, with Ashmont opening by 1928. Over time, several other extensions have happened, with the opening of the Mattapan Line (technically considered part of the Red Line, though for the purposes of this blog is considered a separate entity entirely, as it is in practice), and in the ’70s, a new branch opened, heading down the South Shore to Quincy Center. Later, this line would be extended further to Braintree in the ’80s, with Quincy Adams opening after due to delays. This extension also happens to parallel the Old Colony mainline as well, and historically also ended up being the last bastion of exit fares on the MBTA. As a (not-so) fun aside, historically entering the system down there also required a DOUBLE entry fare. Yikes. While this happened, the Northwest Extension was underway as well, and the northern end got extended to Alewife. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t go up to Lexington as hoped due to religious Arlington NIMBYs due to “those kinds of people” (if you know your NIMBY lingo, you’d know what they didn’t want)

A Commuter Rail and Red Line train at Quincy Adams

So, what runs on the Red Line? Well, third rail-powered EMUs, that’s what! Some might give me grief for calling them EMUs, but all in all they’re not really that functionally different from the stuff you’d find on Metro-North or SEPTA. You got all sorts of things, old AND new, with the #1 Pullman fleet, the #2 UTDC fleet supplementing the Pullmans, while the #3 Bombardier fleet were the first with automated announcements and had a variant known as Big Red (high-capacity, minimal seating). Then, there’s the CRRC #4 fleet, however writing about those will send me in a spiral of anger due to how lackluster CRRC is (or, their management with making sure it’s done right) with pumping them out. As another fun aside, the Pullman fleet also once had transverse (commuter rail-style) seating for the Braintree branch, which pretty much suggests it was their attempt at a stadtbahn (regional subway) line. Don’t believe me on the seating? Look.

You don’t see THAT on subway systems a lot these days! Or, you do, just not in the eastern US. I’m not sure, but either way I could care less.

Service? IT’S ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE! THE RED LINE USED TO BE ACTUALLY BEARABLE TO RIDE, EVEN AS RECENTLY AS 2021, FROM WHAT I CAN RECALL! THE ENTIRE FREAKIN’ LINE IS A SLOW ZONE NOW THOUGH, IT SUCKS GREATLY, AND IT SHOULD NOT TAKE IN EXCESS OF 1 AND A HALF HOURS TO GET FROM EITHER SOUTHERN TERMINAL TO ALEWIFE, THANK YOU STEVE POFTAK AND OLD LEADERSHIP FOR FUCKING THE LINE UP GREATLY!!!! WHOOP DE FUCKING DOO!!!! To be honest, I feel bad for Phillip Eng and Jeff Gonneville, for having to take on such a shitshow. I really do. And, I wish Eng the best of luck with wrangling it.

Central, one of the stations on the northern reaches of the line

The good: It’s the most-used subway line in Boston! Furthermore, it reaches all the way into Dorchester, Quincy, and up into Cambridge onto Harvard’s and MIT’s campuses! Also, it can be used as an alternative to the inner Old Colony and Greenbush Lines (assuming there’s no slow zones). Also, it serves UMASS Boston. Neat!

The bad: EXCEPT AS OF WRITING THIS, THE FUCKING ENTIRE LINE IS A SLOW ZONE!!! JFK/UMASS TO NORTH QUINCY?! GOOD FUCKING LUCK! BICYCLING IS FASTER. EVEN WALKING IS PROBABLY FASTER! THAT $6.50 FARE ON THE COMMUTER RAIL IS HELLA APPEALING, AND THEN DOUBLING BACK BY BUS! THE LINE IS SO MUCH A SLOW ZONE, IT’D BE FASTER TO TAKE THE ACELA FROM BOSTON TO NEW YORK TO EXPERIENCE A REAL SUBWAY SYSTEM THAT ACTUALLY WORKS! I’d much rather review Chambers Street on the MTA’s Brown Line, than ride Braintree to Alewife…

Nearby points of interest: So many colleges, as well as Dorchester, Quincy, and downtown! Also, the oldest subway station is on this line (Park Street).

Overall, it’d be alright if the ENTIRE FUCKING LINE WASN’T A SLOW ZONE!!! GOD FUCK!

Rating: 8/10, but with a 3/10 speed restriction.

204 Flex (Westerly, for real this time!)

Alrighty, so what do you do if you fail to catch the 95X in the early morning and can’t afford $8 for an Amtrak ticket? Why, you ride this Flex, of course! Let’s take a look.

Now, unlike my last failed attempt at riding this route (which spawned an anger-filled Karen-grade rant), I boarded the bus at Westerly Station, being one of three bus connections there. And, to be absolutely sure, I confirmed with the operator that she was going to Salt Pond Plaza (she was). So, I boarded the bus, scanned my Wave e-card, and she floored it to our first timepoint.

Oh fucking aye, it’s US-1. And yes, we went express briefly down Rte. 78.

So, after going down Oak Street and express onto Route 78, we turned down Route 1, passing by Westerly Airport, which was essentially your run of the mill stroad. Yawn. But wait, eventually we made it to our first timepoint OH COME ON!!!

Ugh, of course WAL*MART would turn up on my day off from work! Well, whatever, we deviate into Walmart, and some lady comes hobbling towards the Flex van thinking it was hers. However, the operator opens the door, informs the lady “no, the other driver is your trip, and it’s 2:11 currently.” Nevertheless, after a short dwell, we continued on and we started expressing down US-1. And it went on. And on. And on. Eventually, after about 40 minutes in the woods, we made it to the Stedman Center in South Kingstown, and after a 5 minute dwell, we continued on to Salt Pond Plaza, finishing the route.

Now, as a fun aside, there’s all sorts of weird place names down here. Of course, you have Weekapaug, Misquamicut is known for the beach, Ninigrit (DO NOT MISPRONOUNCE!!!) and Burlingame Parks, a road named Kings Factory Road, Breachway (the hell is a Breachway?), Kenyon, Carolina, Shannock, and Perryville. Who the hell is Perry, and since when did we have the northern terminus of MARC’s Penn Line?

Now, some of these can be attributed to the various Native American tribes that historically inhabited the area. However, the others? I got nothing.

Of course, we make it to the Stedman Center, and I’ll have to concede: this is a contender for the sorriest bus shelter on all of RIPTA. I just can’t help but think that. But, we stuck for a few minutes, and pressed on to Salt Pond Plaza, ending the run and marking the final scheduled RIPTA route I’ve yet to ride, ridden.

Two different bus types: a 40ft and a cutaway van!

The good: It’s important to Westerly residents and, to an extent, a lifeline! Furthermore, it serves pretty much the entire town (save for the rich NIMBY bits), so there’s that.

The bad: As I said in my anger-filled rant, if the Flex van nopes out or no-shows, you’re kinda fucked. However, to be fair to RIPTA, I should’ve also dialed ahead of time and placed a reservation, so to be fair I kinda was taking on that risk.

Nearby points of interest: Most of Westerly! Also, the Stedman Center & Salt Pond Plaza!

Rating: 3/10 (originally 2.5/10)

Yeah, not much of a rating boost now that I actually rode it, and I still stand by it being better as a supplement to a fixed route. And, with that, I’ve finally rode all RIPTA routes with a schedule attached to it.

Stonington HOP (SEAT)

Alrighty, so we’re on to SEAT and our first entry is …a dial-a-ride. Oh dear god. Well, it can’t be that bad, right? Let’s look.

So, after downloading Token Transit and the SEAT Connect apps onto my iPhone, I was ready to use the Stonington HOP. After railfanning a bit and having lunch in Mystic Village, I was ready to make my way to Westerly. The drop-off point? Some random gas station near the state line!

After dialing my ride and waiting about 16 minutes, it showed up on the map in the app and, eventually, made its way to the train station. From here, I boarded the bus, put my phone against the Token Transit reader, and confirmed I was heading to Pawcatuck (not Pawtucket!). The driver asked me if I lived in Westerly, to which I said nah and happened to instead be transferring to RIPTA there (which I was, stay tuned!). In terms of the routing, it was pretty much a straight shot down US-1 through Stonington. And, with how Stonington is, it’s pretty much rural the whole way. However, we did end up deviating to Brookside Village to pick up an old lady, who happened to have a change of plans due to the 108 being caught in major I-95 traffic. She, however, got off after I did. But, aside from her, there was pretty much nobody on the cutaway van (which, yes, was plagued with jiggly wheelchair lift syndrome).

Pretty sure this was a veterinarian clinic

The good: It’s a lifeline for Stonington! Yeah, it’s irritating it couldn’t supplement the 10 instead of outright replacing it, but for what it is and the general nature of Stonington, it’s probably the best option for serving the town effectively with transit. Also, the span of service is alright for a rural dial a ride!

The bad: Eh, it can be a little unpredictable at times, but that’s just the nature of dial a ride systems. Furthermore, the fact certain passes aren’t accepted isn’t that great either. The map on the SEAT Connect app can also be a little confusing to some as well (says some bits of Stonington aren’t in the service area? Also placed the pickup point the next building over to the train station?) Also, jiggly wheelchair lift.

Nearby points of interest: Mystic Village, Stonington Center, Pawcatuck, and the entire town of Stonington!

Overall, it gets the job done. It’s not the best solution, but when you’re serving rural areas with public transit, there really isn’t any legitimately “good” solution so much as there is a “least bad” solution. However, I can comfortably give it a decent enough score. And, what’s with dial a ride and flexible route operators seemingly always being more friendly in general than their fixed-route counterparts? Just an observation I’ve made.

Rating: 7/10

Mishawum (MBTA)

On December 14, 2020, Mishawum was shuttered as a byproduct of the MBTA running neutered schedules on the Commuter Rail due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, the station hasn’t opened, and it has held a notorious reputation for being among the worst of the worst on the entirity of the MBTA. How bad is Mishawum? Let’s see.

So, going down the ramp and stairs from the Northern Bank parking lot, Brooke and I reach the inbound platform. All seems normal, however there’s HONOR BOXES for parking (oh dear god). Furthermore, you have the usual amenities of benches, wastebaskets, etc., and a closed-off staircase. A grade crossing connects the two sides as well.

Looking towards North Station – and an out of service bit of platform!

Helvetica Condensed – a telltale sign of a particularly good station!

So, knowing they built a new ramp and the station has mini-highs, surely that would mean it’s accessible? Right? Right?????

YOU MEAN TO TELL ME, THEY SLAPPED MINI-HIGHS HERE, WAS THE CROWN JEWEL OF ROUTE 128 AND FOR REVERSE COMMUTING ONE TIME, HAD LOGAN EXPRESS EVEN, AND WAS THE PARK & RIDE FOR WOBURN, MASSACHUSETTS, ONLY FOR THE LIPS ON THE MINI-HIGHS TO BE HARVESTED IN 2007 TO MAKE ANOTHER STATION ACCESSIBLE?! THIS IS WHAT YOU CALL A PRIME EXAMPLE OF MAJOR CODE RED BULLSHIT! WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?! WHY?! JUST WHY?! THIS IS EVEN BIGGER AN INSULT THAN WEST MEDFORD BECAUSE AT LEAST WEST MEDFORD DIDN’T HAVE ACCESSIBILITY TO START WITH, WHILE HERE THEY REVOKED IT! HOW’S THAT FOR A MAJOR “FUCK YOU”?!

The good: Nah.

The bad: The fact there’s even an ADA accessible ramp – BUILT IN 2010, when they de-ADAified the place in 2007, is an absolute insult. The fact it’s the only T station to LOSE the accessibility status is an insult. There’s hardly any transit connections in the area, the Lowell Line doesn’t even stop here anymore, and even if it did run the reverse-only schedule rendered the station useless to most, and the honor boxes! Also, no dot matrix signs?! They also left the lights on!

Nearby points of interest: Like doing a 9-5 living in Boston? You’ll love this station! (if it were in service, still, that is). Furthermore, it’s actually a decent railfanning spot.

Transit connections: None (is closed)

Overall, this station is an absolute steaming pile of garbage, and it’s a good thing it closed. Seriously, it’s largely useless unless you fit into the niche category of reverse commuters.

Rating: 1.5/10

95 (West Medford)

Oh boy, a second bus entry! Well, we did the 93, now let’s look at the 95. Surely, this isn’t stroad hell. Right? Right?!

Here, have a Haverhill train to mentally prepare yourself

Well, we left Sullivan by doing a loop-de-loop around the parking lot (whiplash much?), and going left. From here, we went up Mystic Avenue and passed a Home Depot. And went under I-93. And passed an exit for I-93. And entered STROAD HELL. Oh dear fucking God, please spare me from my misery. Except, not even God can save me from stroads.

Sorry, expressing is banned on the MBTA!

So, Mystic Avenue is pretty much stroad hell, that’s all folks! End of show!!!

….nah, I’m just kidding. But I do hate stroads for how bland they are. Even woodlands are more amusing. However, we eventually merged with Main Street, deviated to the Council on Aging and City Hall, and went down High Street. From here, it was all suburbia until I got off at the West Medford train station.

From here, the route splits into two: one route to Arlington Center, and the other towards …the end of Playstead Road. Both are residential, though, so I’m not missing a lot, however Arlington Center is more interesting.

The good: West Medford gets a bus connection to Sullivan! Furthermore, it’s nice how it deviates into the senior center and City Hall. And, it also goes to Arlington! The frequency is nice too, being 20ish minutes on weekdays!

The bad: However, the trips to Playstead Road just….end. Nowhere important or anything seemingly. Also, I HATE STROADS. I also hate the branching, which means 2 hour headways on weekends. Yikes!

Nearby points of interest: Medford Center and Arlington Center. Yeah, that’s about it.

Overall, it’s alright but I hate stroads. I really hate stroads. Enough to where I’m greatly biased.

Rating: 6/10

93 (Sullivan Square/State St. via Navy Yard)

Oh boy, a new bus route! I haven’t done one of these in a while! Now, I’ll preface this by saying the pictures aren’t that great, as a result of it being cloudy and very dark out (it was 5:30 AM!), however I still did my best. So, here we go.

So, getting on the bus, we started crawling down the sleepy streets of downtown Boston, and immediately hooked two lefts: one down Milk St., and another onto Congress Street towards Haymarket, passing a sleepy Fanueil Hall in the process. It would be at Haymarket where most of the people would board this route, being downtown’s major bus terminal. Yeah, unsurprisingly most people didn’t board at State Street. And, we dwelled for a bit, and it was at that point I boarded the 93, not the 92 (as signed). Oh well! But, I was well ahead of my schedule anyways so it wasn’t a big deal. From here, we continued up, crossing the Kennedy Greenway, and across the Charles River.

So, from here, we entered Charlestown, where ridership started to fall, presumably with most people being overnight workers trying to get home, as most people were getting off in the residential areas of Charlestown. Which, yeah, it’s mostly residential. We sorta deviated towards the Navy Yard, but not a lot of people got on my particular run (though I’m sure it’s more utilized later in the day, but even at this hour it was more full than I expected). However, after the Navy Yard, it’s a straight shot down Bunker Hill St. to Sullivan, ending the trip.

The good: It serves Charlestown! Furthermore, it’s like that unicorn where you have a bus originating in downtown that ISN’T an express! Yeah, that’s rare! (damn you, 354…). Also, it runs pretty late, with only a 3 hour gap in service overnight! Neat! Moreso when it runs through some major residential areas.

The bad: Eh, the inconsistent headways are a bit annoying. Seems to be every 16-25 minutes??? I’m not sure, though. Also, it runs on a flag stop basis in the chance it has to do the snow route down Medford Street, and Devonshire @ Milk isn’t always the easiest stop to find.

Nearby points of interest: The Navy Yard and Bunker Hill are the big ones!

Overall, it’s alright. It’s not bad, but it gets the job done and it does it pretty well. Though, the headways should be more consistent.

Rating: 7/10