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We've actually become pretty big users of the $10 weekend pass. We've used it to go to 2 WooSox games, visit family/friends on the South Coast (and skip the SE Expressway mess), 3 trips to Providence for dinner/drinks with friends, and probably a dozen runs up to Salem and Beverly to look at homes, "practice" the future commute, and a couple of Beverly Beer Mile brewery crawls (including the "official" ones). I'm a near daily commuter on the Blue Line (which is also pretty crowded again on weekdays), but the Commuter Rail has been great for getting out of the city - always cheaper than gas/tolls/parking, and often faster (especially on the Salem and Providence trips). Those Salem trains are almost always pretty full regardless of day/time, and Providence has great weekend ridership too. Worcester isn't terrible, but the rest are pretty sparse at off hours.
That's interesting and an awesome way to utilize the CR from Boston.
Funny that the South Side Commuter Rail fared better than the North Side over the years and actually expanded.
Actually the history of eastern Massachusetts explains this. Many communities north of Boston were job centers in their own right before becoming suburbs of Boston in the latter half of the 20th century: Lowell, Lawrence, Haverhill, Newburyport, Woburn, Waltham, Peabody and Malden to name a few. Even today most of the towns north of Boston have a strong mix of office space, lab space and light industrial space which means people living north of Boston have always had more employment options than just commuting into Boston. The south suburbs are more heavily weighted to residential so people south of Boston have been more likely to seek out jobs in Boston. When I worked in Boston I always had more coworkers from south of Boston than north of Boston. Employees from north of Boston were always in the minority.
That's interesting and an awesome way to utilize the CR from Boston.
It's been great. I also think they've done a terrible job marketing it locally. Most of our friends are unaware that it's an option. I actually mentioned it in a group chat yesterday to a few local friends who are thinking of going to Salem this coming Saturday. They're (understandably) concerned about parking/traffic and I mentioned the pass which they're going to do instead of driving. The major downside (apart from schedule flexibility which really isn't that bad) is that only a handful of commuter rail stations are comfortably walkable from town/city centers or local attractions.
Actually the history of eastern Massachusetts explains this. Many communities north of Boston were job centers in their own right before becoming suburbs of Boston in the latter half of the 20th century: Lowell, Lawrence, Haverhill, Newburyport, Woburn, Waltham, Peabody and Malden to name a few. Even today most of the towns north of Boston have a strong mix of office space, lab space and light industrial space which means people living north of Boston have always had more employment options than just commuting into Boston. The south suburbs are more heavily weighted to residential so people south of Boston have been more likely to seek out jobs in Boston. When I worked in Boston I always had more coworkers from south of Boston than north of Boston. Employees from north of Boston were always in the minority.
I never really took much note of this over the years but now that you mention it, it's spot on. The only big job areas south of Boston were Brockton (declined years ago) and then industry very far south like New Bedford/FR which are beyond the scope of discussion and began failing years and years ago. And the south shore never had anything like the 128 tech belt which grew around Hanscom, as far as I know.
It's been great. I also think they've done a terrible job marketing it locally. Most of our friends are unaware that it's an option. I actually mentioned it in a group chat yesterday to a few local friends who are thinking of going to Salem this coming Saturday. They're (understandably) concerned about parking/traffic and I mentioned the pass which they're going to do instead of driving. The major downside (apart from schedule flexibility which really isn't that bad) is that only a handful of commuter rail stations are comfortably walkable from town/city centers or local attractions.
We share that concern. It seems that the CR is well-suited to someone who can drive to a CR station (or is dropped off) and then takes the train in to Boston. Going the other way, though, I'm either limited to going to places close to the station, waiting for someone to pick me up, or waiting on a rideshare (which, at least in some towns, are surprisingly slim pickings).
Somewhere like Worcester or Providence isn't too bad, but I've also done some trips to places like Walpole or Needham where my only walkable options are a shopping center or a couple of restaurants. It's really nice to get out to those places in half the time, but then instead of spending the other half in traffic, I'm spending it waiting on a car.
I just rode the GLX to the (new) Lechmere and Union Square Station for the first time today. Overall, I am not impressed with the design at all. Lechmere Station is now further away from most of the commercial buildings it used to serve and patrons have to actually cross the ultra-busy McGrath Highway. The fare-validation system is ripe for fare evasion; I simply cannot see how the T is going to enforce fare collection without turnstiles. I mean Hong Kong has a successful fare-validation system for its light rail system but the fare validation machines are right on the platforms and easily recognizable, not so with the T's machines which look just like fare vending machines. Everyone validates over there, it's a culturally different society however where society and the law really comes down hard on fare evaders. There's a sign that says whoever that did not validate before boarding needs to tap their card or pay their fare onboard but the Green Line drivers don't even turn on their fare vending machines on the GLX, they simply let everyone board all doors. I don't get it. Install turnstiles at North Station for the commuter rail but none for the GLX? Union Square Station's design is especially problematic. There is no longer a turnaround loop like old Lechmere and the tail track is not long enough to fit an entire train. Every time a third train approaches and the tracks are already occupied by two trains, the third train must wait until one clears. We ended up waiting over 10 minutes just for the jam to clear. These delays have got to add to the aggravation of riders who need to go places quickly or who have connecting routes to catch. The whole GLX just looks and feels like a fancy new EL (elevated line). Sheesh, Toronto is getting rid of their Scarborough RT and we're looking like we've just constructed a similar line to stay. The T is not only physically in a state of disrepair but mentally as well. This whole GLX was done like the grub lady serving lunch at your high school cafeteria who doesn't care if the food tastes bad, is not nutritious, or you like it or not. "I COOKED it, you EAT it!"
I just rode the GLX to the (new) Lechmere and Union Square Station for the first time today. Overall, I am not impressed with the design at all. Lechmere Station is now further away from most of the commercial buildings it used to serve and patrons have to actually cross the ultra-busy McGrath Highway. The fare-validation system is ripe for fare evasion; I simply cannot see how the T is going to enforce fare collection without turnstiles. I mean Hong Kong has a successful fare-validation system for its light rail system but the fare validation machines are right on the platforms and easily recognizable, not so with the T's machines which look just like fare vending machines. Everyone validates over there, it's a culturally different society however where society and the law really comes down hard on fare evaders. There's a sign that says whoever that did not validate before boarding needs to tap their card or pay their fare onboard but the Green Line drivers don't even turn on their fare vending machines on the GLX, they simply let everyone board all doors. I don't get it. Install turnstiles at North Station for the commuter rail but none for the GLX? Union Square Station's design is especially problematic. There is no longer a turnaround loop like old Lechmere and the tail track is not long enough to fit an entire train. Every time a third train approaches and the tracks are already occupied by two trains, the third train must wait until one clears. We ended up waiting over 10 minutes just for the jam to clear. These delays have got to add to the aggravation of riders who need to go places quickly or who have connecting routes to catch. The whole GLX just looks and feels like a fancy new EL (elevated line). Sheesh, Toronto is getting rid of their Scarborough RT and we're looking like we've just constructed a similar line to stay. The T is not only physically in a state of disrepair but mentally as well. This whole GLX was done like the grub lady serving lunch at your high school cafeteria who doesn't care if the food tastes bad, is not nutritious, or you like it or not. "I COOKED it, you EAT it!"
As one who (as you) has ridden transit systems all over the modern world, it's very disappointing to hear that, even given the rare opportunity and investment $$, that the MBTA has apparently chosen to hold on to antiquated concepts. That Boston has risen to world class prominence despite its poor transportation infrastructure continues to amaze me.
I just rode the GLX to the (new) Lechmere and Union Square Station for the first time today. Overall, I am not impressed with the design at all. Lechmere Station is now further away from most of the commercial buildings it used to serve and patrons have to actually cross the ultra-busy McGrath Highway. The fare-validation system is ripe for fare evasion; I simply cannot see how the T is going to enforce fare collection without turnstiles. I mean Hong Kong has a successful fare-validation system for its light rail system but the fare validation machines are right on the platforms and easily recognizable, not so with the T's machines which look just like fare vending machines. Everyone validates over there, it's a culturally different society however where society and the law really comes down hard on fare evaders. There's a sign that says whoever that did not validate before boarding needs to tap their card or pay their fare onboard but the Green Line drivers don't even turn on their fare vending machines on the GLX, they simply let everyone board all doors. I don't get it. Install turnstiles at North Station for the commuter rail but none for the GLX? Union Square Station's design is especially problematic. There is no longer a turnaround loop like old Lechmere and the tail track is not long enough to fit an entire train. Every time a third train approaches and the tracks are already occupied by two trains, the third train must wait until one clears. We ended up waiting over 10 minutes just for the jam to clear. These delays have got to add to the aggravation of riders who need to go places quickly or who have connecting routes to catch. The whole GLX just looks and feels like a fancy new EL (elevated line). Sheesh, Toronto is getting rid of their Scarborough RT and we're looking like we've just constructed a similar line to stay. The T is not only physically in a state of disrepair but mentally as well. This whole GLX was done like the grub lady serving lunch at your high school cafeteria who doesn't care if the food tastes bad, is not nutritious, or you like it or not. "I COOKED it, you EAT it!"
I think the big issue with the GLX right now is that even though service is running (to Union, at least), it's still fairly incomplete. I've ridden it a few times now (as recently as yesterday to get over to Cambridge Crossing) and am holding back full judgement until it's fully operational.
I'm with you that crossing the McGrath is less than ideal. That crossing is pretty terrible. The old Lechmere site is being redeveloped with First St being extended across the old site. A big component of the project is to improve the pedestrian crossing. The distance from Lechmere to, say, Cambridgeside isn't the issue for me (it's really only a few hundred feet further than the old station), but the additional crossing(s) add a minute or two and really aren't as pedestrian friendly as the old setup (though I never enjoyed walking alongt he busway to the tunnel with a throng of passengers).
The fare collection is a mess at the moment because the GLX was banking on AFC 2.0 being complete by the time it began operating. Obviously that's not the case. The key feature of AFC 2.0 on the GLX is allowing riders to tap cards or phones at all doors. The new stations were designed assuming that everyone would be able to do this on day one. Since AFC 2.0 was delayed, they've had to implement the half-measure system and as you can see, many drivers simply don't want to put in the extra effort. Of course, even when it's implemented, the T is going to need some means for enforcement. On San Francisco's MUNI Metro (very similar to the Green Line), they've had a similar system for a decade or longer. They frequently have transit officials board trains at random stops and check with every passenger for proof of payment (easily done by scanning a card or checking a transfer slip). A passenger who cannot prove it is ticketed on the spot. The T will need to do something similar if they want to minimize evaders as fare gates just don't make sense at most above ground stops (none of the stations west of Kenmore have ever had them) which is hardly a certainty.
The waiting at Union is a huge headache. Even if there is space at the platform, the approach is painfully slow. I'd hope that this will be addressed eventually as work is still going on in/around the Union Station area, but I'm not holding my breath. I do think the issue of 3 trains at the station should be alleviated when the Medford branch opens. The new maintenance/storage yard is along that branch, and the current trains will be spread out better along the network. Union is designed similarly to Alewife (with a switch system rather than a loop) which works OK. Once the larger portion of the GLX is open, we shouldn't see as many trains queuing up at Union. But again I'm not holding my breath.
Prior to the shut down, it took about 6 minutes longer than scheduled for the OL to make an end-to-end run. Now it's nearly 15 minutes longer. Additional slow zones were expected for a week or so, but we're going on a month.
Last edited by lrfox; 10-12-2022 at 11:29 AM..
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