Category: Public Transit

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.

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)

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.

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.

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.

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

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?!

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.

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

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

Ah, Wedgemere. Wedgemere is the last station I chronologically visited on the line with Brooke, and is it any decent? Actually, yeah, it’s passable at least. Let’s look at it.

First off, Wedgemere has a modest amount of parking and, unlike most Commuter Rail stations, is elevated. WOOHOO! A NOVELTY! But, there’s more to it. Not only is it elevated, you can partially walk through the station building (and, kinda need to, to get up to the platform). Unfortunately though, it’s otherwise seen better days. Ramps also exist for ADA reasons, as do mini-highs. On the platform, you have your usual amenities of wastebaskets, benches, and sheltered areas (which extend the entire platform on the outbound side, but not the inbound). As another fun tidbit, getting on the low-level bit is like a sobriety test as, like Sharon, it’s on a banked curve. In a sense, that would make Wedgemere the Sharon of the north side. This is presumably also so the Downeaster can fly through at a full 79mph. Also, there’s quite a bit of greenery around here and it’s the start of the Mystic Valley Parkway, so there’s that as well. Neat!

The good: It’s elevated! Furthermore, it’s got a decent amount of parking, greenery, and even some bicycling infrastructure nearby! There’s also a park next to the station, and a beach is a 10 minute walk away as well, if you want to relax by the water on a warm summer day.

The bad: Eh, it feels run-down a bit, and the station building seems of sorry quality. Aside from that, there’s no major faults with the station itself. Just be visible on the platform as it is a flag stop during offpeak hours (though, it’s high ridership even offpeak, so that shouldn’t be an issue)

Nearby points of interest: There’s a park and a beach! If you’re willing to hike a little, Winchester’s town center has more things to do! (alas though, Winchester Center is demolished as of writing this!)

Transit connections:
Commuter Rail (Lowell)
MBTA bus (134, if willing to walk about half a mile)

Overall, I really like Wedgemere, and would quite happily give it a perfect 10 if it weren’t for the relatively sorry state of the platform itself. Also, please give it a full-level high platform if it’s rebuilt in the future! Furthermore, can we deviate the 134 into here, or at least peak-direction runs of the 134?

Rating: 8.5/10