Station Review #7: Mattapan Station (MBTA)

PCC Trolley at Mattapan Station

Mattapan Station is the southwestern terminus station for MBTA's Mattapan Trolley. The station is located in the southern portion of the Mattapan neighborhood of Boston, immediately north of the Neponset River (and thus north of Milton). 

History

The old station in 2006, before renovation. Credit to Frank Herbert for the photo

Mattapan station was made in the late 1920s and opened on December 21st, 1929. The station used this stone depot for many years until 2006 or so when the new station was built. 

Station Tour

View from Mattapan Station

Mattapan Station has shelters with benches, as well as shelters without them. The architecture style is similar to Temple University Station (SEPTA), but only specifically with the bench spacing and the general resemblance to gas station canopies. The station also has two bus loops, for all of the bus routes that either deviate to or terminate at the station. 

I'd write about the various other features at the station, but there isn't much else there. There is the depot for the Mattapan Line trollies themselves, but that is of little use to most passengers. Mattapan station has very little in the name of facilities, and with what it does have, many feel oddly hostile to use. 

Transit Connections

The sign for Mattapan Station, showing bus schedules

Mattapan Station has two bus loops, the North and the South loops. From the North Loop, you can transfer to these buses:

• 24 to Ashmont and Hyde Park
• 30 to Forest Hills Station via Cummins Highway
• 33 to Readville
• 245 to Quincy Center
• 716 to Cobbs Corner

And from the South Loop:

• 28 to Ruggles
• 29 to Jackson Square
• 31 to Forest Hills Station via Morton Street


In all, eight buses go directly to Mattapan station. Additionally, the station is a 10-minute walk from Blue Hill Avenue station, allowing a transfer to the Franklin/Foxborough and Fairmount commuter lines. 

Nearby Points of Interest
Southern Mattapan

There are many nearby points of interest, these including Mattapan itself, and the Neponset River trail, among others. 

Now, onto the checklist:

Mid-Sized Train Station Amenities:


Accessible: ✓
Bathrooms: ×
Clean Station: ✓
Connections to other transit routes: ✓
Easy passage for each side: ✓
Fare Payment Kiosks (if applicable): ×
Indoor Shelters: ×
Maps: ✓
Multiple entrances/exits: ✓
Parking: × 
Seating: ✓ (albeit scant)
Shelters: ✓ 
Station In Good Condition: ✓ 
Ticket Kiosks (if applicable): n/a
Ticket Offices: n/a
TOD: ✓
Train Departure/Arrival Info (signs that update/screens): ✓
Updated Signage: ✓ 

Final Verdict: This station gets a much-deserved 4.5/10. 

Station Directory

--------Suffolk County--------
Mattapan
--------Norfolk County--------
Capen Street
Valley Road
Central Avenue
Milton
--------Suffolk County--------
Butler
Ashmont

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Station Review #73: Glenside (SEPTA)

Image
Glenside is a station serving multiple SEPTA Regional Rail lines, located at Easton Road and Glenside Avenue in Glenside, PA.  History Glenside station was built in 1873 by the North Pennsylvania Railroad, one of the few original NPRR station houses to remain to this day. Just six years later, the NPRR was bought by the Philadelphia and Reading Railway, the predecessor to the Reading Railroad. Glenside station was originally named Abington station, and was renamed sometime later to Glenside.  In 2000, a café opened in the station building called Elcy's Café.  Routes that Serve Glenside Station  There are four Regional Rail routes that go to Glenside station, these are:  Airport Line: These trains go to Center City via the SEPTA Main line, before then going to Philadelphia International Airport. Oftentimes, these are combined with Warminister Line trains.  Glenside Combined Line: These trains usually just go from 30th Stre...
Read more

Station Review #54: Gwynedd Valley (SEPTA)

Image
Gwynedd Valley is a station on SEPTA's Lansdale - Doylestown line at its intersection with Plymouth Avenue in the small village of Gwynedd Valley, PA.  History Information about the history of Gwynedd Valley station is scarce. This station dates back to the 1850s. It's unknown if the station building is that old, or if it's actually a newer station built by the Reading Railroad after the acquisition of the North Penn Railroad main line. Not long after Gwynedd Valley station was built, wealthy people started moving to that area in droves. Today, many very wealthy people still live in the area.  Gwynedd Valley station is well known for an illustration of it being on the October 7th, 1961 cover of the Saturday Evening Post . This is illustrated by well-known illustrator John Falter, at the time a resident of Whitpain Township, PA.   Tour Much as you'd expect, this station really has not changed all that much in the last ce...
Read more

Station Review #14: Wilmington (Greyhound)

Image
Schedule changes on the door Greyhound has a bus station in Wilmington. It's not the largest bus station that they've had, but at least it still exists. Let's look around inside! Tour Side of the building. The outside of the building is made to fit in with the rest of the Furness Transit district, anchored by  Wilmington (Amtrak/SEPTA) . Thus, it attempts to look like it's made of red bricks, failing miserably at doing this upon closer inspection. To enter, you must go to the other side of the building.  Going inside the building, you enter to see a large number of chairs, and not much else. There is a vending machine or two, bathrooms, and an American flag, and that's all you get. There is so much empty space here. Greyhound didn't even add a TV, or anything similar for waiting customers.  Much of the area you wait in Ad for the Greyest Hound on the window of the Greyhound waiting station Rest of the s...
Read more