The 71 is the 73’s brother, down to the shared legacy of using trolleybuses until 2022. With that in mind, here’s the 73’s more urban twin.
The Harvard busway…Street level!
The route begins by exiting out of the Harvard busway and into Harvard Square, turning down Mt. Auburn Street, where the route follows the 73. However, since riding the 73, the route is detoured due to construction, and some narrow side-streets have to be used. The MBTA attributed the decommissioning of the trolleybus catenary (& the buses themselves by extension) to this construction, which is supposed to be long-term. However, advocates called total bullshit. Well, I’m here to call total bullshit because instead of taking everything down, they could’ve used this for a multi-year rehabilitation project for the infrastructure AND have ordered new buses. Does anyone even still make trolleybuses for the U.S. market, though, or does New Flyer hold a monopoly? Anyways, I digress, one detour later and we’re back on track. Passing a graveyard, a bunch of shops, and entering Watertown, the 73 splits off at Belmont Street, and eventually reaching the Watertown Square bus loop. Now, why the HELL doesn’t this serve the Watertown Yard bus loop instead?! Who knows.
HAHVAHDUkraine and Greenland! (pls don’t invade)DETOUR TIMERichy-rich inner suburbs…U.S. Route 3?Aberdeen Avenue!Less wealthy (but presumably still wealthy) suburbsEww, cars.There’s a hill over yonder!No parking, please!Watertown Square!
The good: It’s a direct route between Watertown and Harvard! It’s also rather frequent.
The bad: WHY THE FUCK DID THEY DELETE THE TROLLEYBUS INFRASTRUCTURE, WHAT WAS THE MBTA OF THE CHARLIE BAKER ERA SMOKING?! FURTHERMORE, WHY?! JUST WHY?! ALSO, WHY IS THIS NOT GOING TO THE WATERTOWN YARD?! WHY DOES WATERTOWN NEED TWO BUS LOOPS MERE FEET FROM EACH OTHER?!
Nearby points of interest: Mt. Auburn Hospital, various restaurants in Watertown Square, and apparently there’s even an Armenian museum! Interesting.
Overall, it’s not a bad route, it’s not terribly deviatory (with a rather low EDI), but I do have to ask “why the square and not the yard?”.
Rating: 8/10, but a 1/10 on the MBTA removing the electrical infrastructure for trolleybuses.
Alrighty, so to go with the runner-up result in the poll I posted for what to do for this year’s Christmas special, “H E L L” got the runner-up. So, welcome to HELL.
Signage!
Eltingville is an inaccessible station on the Staten Island Railway. The platform is pretty standard with questionably accurate countdown clocks, benches, trash bins, and even a (locked at the time of visiting) station house! Neat! As it isn’t an accessible station, however, one has to access platforms by stairs and only stairs. Yeah, sorry. It does, however, have a number of bus connections at street level. Sorry, not too much to remark about this station.
YOU FOAM REALLY WELL.Looking southboundPlatform shotAnother signage photoChrist…Locked station houseNot the worst offender for “locked station house”Public Works Administration plaque dated to the DepressionAnother look insideHonaj took this photoTimetables?!
The good: It exists, and the area is relatively dense-ish? Even though it’s very suburban, the houses are a bit packed tightly. Also, there’s a decent amount of bus connections.
The bad: IT’S NOT ACCESSIBLE! NOT EVEN A TACTILE STRIP. And, the station house was locked with zero indication of when they’re open.
Nearby points of interest: Not much, given it’s suburban Staten Island. I mean, there is a YMCA and some marshes. But that may be stretching it a bit.
Transit connections: SI Railway MTA bus (S59, S79-“SBS”, S89, SIM1, SIM1C, SIM7, SIM10, SIM22)
Overall, this station is hell. But is it as bad as Tottenville? Not quite. But, it’s still not a good station. At least it has more buses?
Myrtle/Broadway is an express station shared by the J and M lines, but since I took the Z to get here, I kinda need to acknowledge the fact that the Z is real. It’s also not an accessible station, and has relics of the subway system’s past.
Signage!
First off, the history. The station was originally a 2-level stop, with the upper level running between Metropolitan Avenue and the Brooklyn Bridge. However, since service across the Brooklyn Bridge was killed in the ’40s, service to what’s now Jay St.-MetroTech via the Myrtle Avenue elevated was on life support and eventually was killed south of Broadway in 1969. The elevated still exists, albeit with a flat junction, towards Middle Village as today’s M line. Also, presently, the B54 bus largely replaced service down Myrtle Avenue’s elevated viaduct.
As for the station itself, it’s not an accessible station. However, platforms have countdown clocks, benches, wastebaskets, the usual affair. There’s restrooms in the station mezzanine (they are probably traumatizingly bad), a station agent, an OMNY machine, among other standard affairs. Street level has the aforementioned connection to the B54 bus along with the B46 and B47 towards the Williamsburg Bridge and a hospital nearby. The station was also the site of a rather viral photo.
Not my photo, but this image did go viral!This one is mine. I did not, however, find God.It can get quite crowded at rush hourM(entioned!)The head of the beastNew tech!Z IS REAL 2025Mezzanine stairsFare control, station staff, and the shitters!Dingy!
The good: It went viral. Also, it’s a transfer station between the J and M.
The bad: Mostly the accessibility. Also, I presume it’s a tad sketchy at night.
Nearby points of interest: THE HOLY LAND. In all seriousness though, there’s a couple of bars, a church, and section 8 housing.
Transit connections: 6th Ave. (M) Nassau St. (J) MTA bus (B46, B47, B54)
Overall, it’s not miserable as far as inaccessible stations go. However, I do presume it can get rather sketchy, and it did feel somewhat sketch while I was here. But, given this is NYC, there are much worse places.
Next stop on the subway, I decided to deviate to 96th Street-Lexington Avenue. Now, some people will question my sanity and ask “why 96th?” to which I just simply say, “The Google Maps picture looked cool and I wanted to check it out.” I know, lame excuse. But, whatever. Without further ado, here’s 96th Street Station.
Yet another standard sign. Bleh.NOW THIS IS MORE LIKE IT!
96th St. is your standard local station with two sides. In the case of the Lexington Ave. Line, the express tracks are underneath the local tracks, so you won’t really get any express action. The station’s largely standard. On the wall, there’s a mosaic that reads “96TH STREET”, presumably original to the station, and there’s stairs up to the mezzanine. In the mezzanine is an area dubbed “the balcony” where you can look down onto the tracks. Quite truthfully, it’s kinda cool and I’ve yet to find any other station like it. Going up into the mezzanine, you have benches, the windows looking down onto the tracks, the faregates, and MetroCard machines. There are no elevators, and the station isn’t accessible, sadly. For accessibility, one would have to utilize bus connections, namely the M101 or M102 from Harlem-125th.
A Bombardier R62A on the #6 Lexington Ave. LineLooking south towards the city center!And north towards the Bronx!The stairs upLooking down to track levelAnother train!BUS connection.The headhouse! Look, Brookie, a Starbies!
The good: It serves the local neighborhood, and it has some standout qualities, namely the window overlooking the platform! It’s also served 24/7 (as is most of the subway network).
The bad: It’s not accessible, and one would have to change for a bus at Harlem-125th for accessibility…
Nearby points of interest: It’s on the edge of the Carnegie Hill neighborhood, and there’s an Islamic cultural center halfway between here and the Q route’s 96th St. station. And, for the railfans out there, Metro-North’s portal at 97th St. is nearby as well. Neat!
Transit connections: Lexington Ave. (6) MTA bus (M96, M101, M102, M103)
Overall, it’s a passable station. In the grand scheme of things, it’s about average with little special going for it. Sorry! But at least it’s not dogshit though!
Okay, okay, I know I’m going to get some heat for reviewing a station undergoing major renovations, and for calling it “Lynn Center”. However, I REFUSE to call it “Central Square” because one already exists in Cambridge. Wait, waht? Oh, I called that blog entry “Central Square (Cambridge) (Red Line)”? Well shit, guess March ’23 me was already very aware that I’d have to do Lynn eventually. Well, here we go. Duty calls, I guess.
Very imposing concourse with Helvetica obstructed by the winter sunlight
I arrived here via the 426 express bus, taking almost a full hour to traverse the local streets of Revere, Saugus, Lynn, and the expressways out of Boston. The busway itself, serving as the North Shore’s primary transfer point, isn’t too much to scoff at. You have some shelters, a couple of bus stops, the “Downtown Lynn Bus Finder” thingy which is completely outdated. Hell, officially, the station actually has TWO entrances (one was blocked off, the other was via the busway), and you can’t even go up to the platform. There’s a lot of parking to go around though, and as stated earlier, the North Shore’s bus routes all converge here. There’s even a pair of CharlieCard machines, very rare outside rapid transit territory! Did I mention this place is very imposing, even moreso than Westborough or Canton Junction with their very, VERY big pedestrian bridges??? Yeah… Honestly though, the viaduct through downtown is kinda vibey though. But the station is insanely imposing, even by MBTA standards. Whelp, that’s all! Review over!
Bye!CharlieCard machines!
The good: It’s a very short and sweet station review! It’s also ADA accessible! The bad: You really thought I was done? Nearby points of interest: Downtown Lynn! Transit connections: All of the North Shore routes! Rating: 3/10, this is pure depression!
Alright, review over! NEXT!
Oh dear god…That’s very far…Parking!Sheltered crosswalk?! That’s a new one.The garage entrance
…wait, what? You mean to tell me COMMUTER RAIL SERVICE IS A COUPLE BLOCKS OVER OFF SILSBEE STREET, OFF FRIEND & ELLIS STREETS?! Oh you’ve gotta be shitting me….goddammit, Ben, Brooke, and Mx. Stuffundefined…, y’all are lucky I’m actually unhinged enough to do this, and that I’m a glutton for punishment. Well, duty calls…
Onwards…
So, I started to walk from the Lynn busway to what’ll be dubbed as “Lynnterim” from henceforth (portmanteau of “Lynn” and “interim”, if anyone is wondering on etymology). This station opened this past Monday (as of me writing this, on 12/21/23) as an accelerated method proposed by Keolis to get service to Lynn faster than originally anticipated (9 months ahead of schedule!!!). Announcements at North Station advise those needing accessibility to board the two cars closest to the locomotive. Why? Well, the platform is essentially an elongated mini-high, about as long as the platforms at Old Saybrook or any Shore Line East station. And, quite truthfully, while the walk felt long (it was only 10 minutes of walking, even passing the Capitol Diner), the station itself is actually….pretty decent, all things considered! The PA system is surprisingly very beefy (much more than Pawtucket’s!) and the entire platform is covered, and also has benches and wastebaskets, which is nice. They even went through the trouble of installing proper departure boards! I repeat, DEPARTURE BOARDS FOR A TEMPORARY STATION! Oh, it’s also fully ADA accessible. Neat! There’s also a lot on the inbound side, however it’s a municipal lot and not an MBTA one. Honestly, very good even by normal Commuter Rail standards, all things considered.
DINER!The almighty Lynn ViaductMore wayfinding and ARTNo commuter parking on the outbound side!The way to the platformI spy the inbound platform…Yep. Still difficult to photograph.A fully covered platform?! That’s a new one!Helvetica!Municipal parking!Oh, cool, a train!The train coming to a halt
The good: The busway is in downtown and serves all the North Shore routes, which is nice! Furthermore, there’s A LOT of parking. The Lynnterim station is also pretty decent for a temporary one, with a fully covered platform, benches, a decent PA system, more parking, and level boarding.
The bad: The garage is very depressing. Like, I hate saying it because it stands out a lot and it’s very imposing, but I can’t help but feel it’s an eyesore… Furthermore, barely any buses serve Lynnterim. I guess this isn’t a problem if you’re able-bodied, but I can’t help but feel it might be dicey for someone who needs an ADA accessible bus to CR transfer…
Nearby points of interest: Downtown Lynn, of course! Near the CR platforms? Well, you got the Council on Aging right next door and a lot of suburban sprawl close by… sorry!
Overall, the station itself is pretty good. However, it just feels very spread apart, which is to be expected given the temporary nature and the context this exists in. But still, it’s just annoying. At least there’s also a copious amount of parking, which is neat!
Alrighty, the last Metro-North entry for now! Welcome to Darien!
Welcome to Darien!The CTtransit bus I took here!
So, after taking the 344 to here, it’s pretty much got the same general stuff as most other Metro-North stations. Wait, what’s that? A sign pointing to elevators?! Naturally, I had to do the piss test…..except I can’t. Actually, neither elevator was working. The fact neither elevator works, would mean this station is accessible ONLY ON PAPER. WHAT, WHY, HOW, WHY?! This would NEVER happen on the MBTA!!! Oh yeah, track work necessitated bridge plates over one track. Vending machines can be found on the Grand Central side.
Looking towards Grand Central!And towards New Haven!Woah, elevators?!Except they DIDN’T WORK!The crossover on US-1And the other side!Parking!
At least the station building was open…with not a lot of seating. Actually, there wasn’t much of anything, aside from a pair of restrooms and a bench. They seemed clean, but why was there an emergency exit and a fire alarm pull station INSIDE the restroom?! That’s a new one! But yeah, I think this one is open primarily because of CTtransit.
An Acela!Bye!The departure board was updating, so yes it works.Brookville, more like BROKEville.
The good: Well, the station building being open is one! Granted, it’s in a minimal manner, but it’s better than nothing! It’s also located in Darien’s city center, so there’s that as well. Also, the fact the 344 terminates in the station parking lot, with the 341 running curbside on US-1 is neat.
The bad: The station building just feels empty though! Like, it’s nice that it’s open, but it feels unlively. Also, the 341 not deviating into the station lot feels weird. But, whatever. However, the fact it’s accessible only on paper is BAD.
Nearby points of interest: Darien’s city center seems interesting. The library’s a short bus ride away too, however the area is car dependency hell due to US-1 being largely that.
Transit connections: Metro-North (New Haven) CTtransit (341, 344)
Overall, it’s a nice station. It’d be among the best, even, IF THE ELEVATORS WORKED!!! Holy SHIT! That flaw, right there, is enough for me to singlehandedly reduce what otherwise could’ve been an 8.5 or 9. And it’s unfortunate, too.
Born in 1903, Tom Yawkey was an important figure in the MLB, having owned the Red Sox for most of his life. At first glance, he might seem like a reasonable enough man, even taking in Latino players when integration was key. However, this time also drew controversy towards him because of him allegedly (and, I’ll note, I haven’t found much to prove or disprove this) being particularly racist towards the Black community and being dead last to have a Black player on the team’s roster. He’d eventually go on to pass away due to leukemia in the ’70s.
Now what the HELL does baseball or MLB executives have to do with anything I write about here?! Well, I’ll tell you.
This station was formerly named after him, that’s what! Meet: Lansdowne (formerly Yawkey)
A Worcester train!Bye!
Now, getting off the train after going through the literal pits of hell known as Tracks 5 & 7 at BBY, the first thing that I noticed was the unusual platform configuration. You’ve got two side platforms, but both platforms have the yellow line facing the Mass Pike. Now, while this is unusual, there’s a good reason in that it was built with minimizing the gap between the train and platform, as the station is built on a relatively sharp curve. There’s also elevators, and unlike most of the Worcester Line (including Back Bay!), it’s got level boarding, as the mini-high was demolished with a 2012-2014 rebuild. There’s also an overpass, both towards Beacon Street and over the South Station-bound track. Just be ready to deal with rabid Sox fans during the season, and the cars of the Mass Pike whirring by. Luckily, Kenmore is also in walking distance from here. Neat!
Woah.A bunch of numbers (retired? I don’t really follow baseball.)Woo, Mass Pike!Looking towards Framingham and WorcesterHelvetica!Looking towards Fenway ParkLooking up towards South Station, at track levelThis gives off mini “pits of Hell” vibesThe Citgo sign looms…
The good: It’s got level boarding! Also, walking distance to the Green Line at Kenmore, along with commuting potential to Longwood, BU, and Brookline. And, the sports atmosphere, if that’s your thing. (it isn’t mine personally, but I know a couple of people).
The bad: It’s a bit tucked away, like it wants to be hidden. Aesthetics? Not the best, but whatever.
Nearby points of interest: Fenway Park is the big one!
Transit connections: Commuter Rail (Worcester) MBTA bus (8, 19, 60, 65 on Brookline Ave.)
Overall, it’s an alright station. Being here in the middle of winter, I’m not sure if it’s enough to handle game day crowds for Fenway Park, but since they rebuilt it in 2014 I’m sure it’s probably not a major issue. Plus, the Green Line is a short walk away!
Alrighty, now to the northernmost station on the subway system! And dear GOD is it ugly!
Helvetica!
So, of course, getting off and it seems like they were high on concrete when they built this. But, whatever, it was popular in the ’70s. The platform has a sheltered area and a bit of lighting, with benches, so there’s that. Meanwhile, the mezzanine is also well-lit, to say the least. I didn’t get much of a further look since the Orange Line is (as of me writing this) in a bad state with headways. But, parking is also plentiful, and two bus routes stop here. Vs. Malden Center, it’s clear this station’s much lesser-used on the subway and, presumably, the Haverhill Line.
Now THAT’s a lot of concrete!OH DEAR GOD.BEEPBEEP.The mezzanine!
I’ll also add: you can’t access the Commuter Rail platform from the mezzanine. You need to go down and access it from the parking lot. HOW’S ANYONE SUPPOSED TO FIGURE THAT OUT THEIR FIRST TIME UP HERE?!
The good: Well, it’s the terminus of the Orange Line and it’s one of the primary park & ride stations, like Braintree is to the Red. There’s also bus connections and a Pedal & Park!
The bad: WHY, JUST WHY, IS THE COMMUTER RAIL PLATFORM SO GOD-AWFUL?! THIS IS LITERALLY A LAST-MINUTE HACKJOB! THAT PLATFORM IS ONLY MEANT FOR EMERGENCIES, AND NOW IT’S OPEN FULL TIME. YES, IT’S NICE TO HAVE, BUT THERE’S NOTHING! NO DEPARTURE BOARD OR COUNTDOWN SIGNS LIKE AT MALDEN CENTER! FURTHERMORE, YOU CAN’T EVEN DO A TRANSFER FROM THE ORANGE LINE FROM WITHIN THE MEZZANINE – YOU NEED TO GO UP, OUT, DOWN, AND AROUND. HOLY SHIT, THAT’S EVEN WORSE THAN QUINCY CENTER!
Nearby points of interest: Well, there’s a park at least. But, it’s largely suburbia so not a lot.
Transit connections: Commuter Rail (Haverhill) Orange Line MBTA bus (131, 137)
Overall, it’s alright for an Orange Line station. It’s a sizable park & ride that fits the area well enough, maybe save for the ugly concrete. However, THAT COMMUTER RAIL PLATFORM IS A SORRY EXCUSE FOR A STATION. At least it’s accessible. Unfortunately, it neuters the score a bit.
So, since everything’s on hold until the spring, that’s not necessarily that I’m going radio silent in the winter. What DO I have planned? Well, not much, but here’s the tea:
– Green Line Medford Extension (Medford-Tufts, Ball Square, Magoun Square, Gilman Square, E. Somerville, Lechmere, Science Park) (12/12/22) – Pawtucket-Central Falls (Commuter Rail) (date TBD, as close to day 1 as doable) – Happy birthday! (Stamford, Greenwich stations, New Canaan branch, & a few CTtransit entries) (2/14/23) – 1 year anniversary (DTX, Park St., Haymarket, Govt. Ctr., State St., North & South Stations) (March ’23)
