There's no live music here, that's for sure. |
The station shelter. |
Looking down the platform. |
The boarding platform. |
The station's third entrance, |
The station's larger parking lot. |
No train pictures this time, so here's Roslindale Square! Hard to believe we're still in Boston. |
Ridership: This is the fourth-busiest station on the Needham Line, with 423 inbound riders per weekday. I'm honestly surprised that the ridership is so high, considering there are so many buses that go from Roslindale to Forest Hills. If you use the Orange Line to get downtown from there, you save almost four dollars! Of course, the Commuter Rail's more direct, though.
Pros: Well, I literally said this a sentence ago, but the Commuter Rail provides a fast, direct route from here to Boston. In addition, Roslindale has a huge amount of parking, considering that it's in a dense area. Finally, the station is accessible, which is always good.
Cons: It's so boring and bland! I mean, this is the Needham Line, that's nothing new, but still! Aside from the fact that the station is elevated, there's nothing aesthetically pleasing about it. The shelter is boring, the platform is just asphalt, and the boarding platform literally just that - a platform with no benches at all. Yes, I know that's the norm for the Needham Line, but that doesn't make it a good thing.
Nearby and Noteworthy: Roslindale Village has a bunch of restaurants and businesses, as well as the Bay State Model Railroad Museum. Unfortunately, I just missed the Holiday Open House, but mark your calendars for March 5-6, the Spring Open House. If you think you might be interested in visiting the museum, check out my post from way back when about my visit. I was so young back then...
Final Verdict: 4/10
The sad thing about this score is that I really love Roslindale Village. Honestly, it's a very nice place that feels like a suburban downtown, and yet it's right in Boston. But...this station is so bad. It's mostly bare, with the only bench being a million miles away from the boarding platform, and under a really bland shelter. The final blow, though, is the fact that bus service from here to Forest Hills is so frequent. I get that the Commuter Rail is much faster, but if I were here on a Saturday, I wouldn't even consider it. Sorry, Roslindale...but you're in a great little neighborhood, at least.
Latest MBTA News: Service Updates
I would be remiss not to talk about the runaway train this morning. Luckily, no one was hurt, but you can find more info here.
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