The reality of public transit in Newton is that there is only one high quality service within Newton, namely, the D branch of the Green line. There is somewhat decent service into Boston via the B branch of the Green line at Commonwealth Ave next to Brighton and via 3 Newton Corner buses {57, 501, 504}. The other transit services that exist in Newton are quite limited due to infrequent schedules.
A deeper problem with the public transit in Newton is that there is no network connectivity. If you pick two random points A and B in Newton, there is usually no way to take a modest walk from A to transit, then take transit, then take a modest walk from transit to B. The only case when you may do this easily is when A and B are near one of the 7 stops on the D branch of the Green line. You may do this with more difficulty if A and B are near one of the infrequent bus lines that passes through Newton. In all other cases, you cannot get from A to B using public transit.
The Google map allows a user to do any standard Google manipulation with the map.
The PDF schedules and routes for individual services are not set up as permanent links. Therefore, we will link to copies of the PDF schedules and routes downloaded in January 2023. After each link, we will summarize the most important information.
In both documents, the maps show the Red Line, Orange Line, Green Line, Blue Line, and Silver Line.
The Green Line has the best frequency of service among the rapid transit lines with an estimated gap of 6-12 minutes between trains at all time periods on all days of the week.
The B branch of the Green Line runs between Boston College and Government Center.
The D branch of the Green Line runs between Riverside and Union Square Somerville.
For both the B and D branches, the weekend schedules have only slightly different start and end times.
Overall, the Green Line service is excellent.
The commuter rail in Newton is complex because currently there are stations only on the south side of the tracks. Because of this situation, there are three possiblibilities:
The other complexity is that a train may start or terminate in Worcester or in Framingham. A train that starts or terminates in Worcester always stops in Framingham.
Let us consider in depth the weekday inbound and outbound schedules. Here inbound means heads to South Station Boston and outbound means starts at South Station Boston. The 4 inbound stops towards Boston are Boston Landing, Lansdowne, Back Bay, and South Station.
We will describe the simpler weekend schedules much more briefly.
A brief comparison with commuter rail service in Wellesley is worthwhile.
Like Newton, Wellesley has 3 commuter rail stops: Wellesley Farms, Wellesley Hills, and Wellesley Square. All Wellesley stops are definite stops rather than flag stops.
The service to Wellesley is much better on weekdays than the service to Newton. The weekend service is identical. This weekend service is poor given the 2 hour time gaps.
Weekday service emphasizes the “commuter” aspect of the name “commuter rail”.
The weekend schedule, in contrast, offers absolute uniformity. The time gaps are always 2 hours. Newton receives alternating outbound and inbound service on the odd and even hours respectively. The 2 hour time gaps though predictable are also enormous.
In comparison to the 6 to 12 minute time gaps for the Green Line service that runs from 5 AM to until past midnight, the commuter rail service must be rated as extremely poor.
At present, there are 11 bus routes that touch Newton. Each route has a number and a name. The name has the following format: outbound terminus - inbound terminus. The outbound terminus is the terminus farthest from the center of Boston.
In studying bus routes, we found it helpful to examine the PDF schedules that show full schedules at selected stops on a single page and to look at the interactive schedules that provide more detailed information about all stops. We therefore decided to provide links to both the PDF and the interactive schedules.
Bus 505 Waltham Center - Federal St & Franklin St {via West Newton & turnpike to downtown}
The inbound route starts at the Riverside MBTA station in Newton and takes I-95 North to Commonweath Av; Commonweath Av to Lexington St; Lexington St to Rumford Av; Rumford Av to Woerd Av; Woerd Av to Crescent St in Waltham. Crescent St to Moody St to the Fitchburg commuter rail stop in Waltham Center. Then River St to Watertown where it becomes Pleasant St. Pleasant St to Bridge St where the route crosses the Charles River to California St in Newton. California St to Chapel St; Chapel St to Watertown St; Watertown St to Adams St; Adams St to Washington St near Newton Corner; Washington St to Newton Corner.
There is no service on weekends.
Weekdays:
13 trips: 7 inbound trips and 6 outbound trips.
There are 7 inbound trips, with 3 trips in early morning and 4 trips in late afternoon.
There are 6 outbound trips, with 3 trips in early morning and 3 trips in late afternoon.
The start times for inbound trips are:
Early morning: 6:25 AM, 7:45 AM, 9:10 AM
Late afternoon: 3:12 PM, 4:30 PM, 5:55 PM, 7:15 PM
The start times for outbound trips are:
Early morning: 7:10 AM, 8:35 AM, 9:50 AM
Late afternoon: 3:50 PM, 5:15 PM, 6:35 PM
The time gaps between morning trips or between afternoon trips is about 1.5 hour.
The major gap between early morning trips and late afternoon trips is 6 hours for inbound trips and 6 hours for outbound trips.
The service time for inbound trips is 3 hours for early morning and 4 hours for late afternoon.
The service time for outbound trips is 2.5 hours for early morning and 3 hours for late afternoon.
Data Summary Based on the MBTA Schedules
This summary is based on the official MBTA Schedules and may not reflect what is happening on the ground on a daily basis due to serious problems with the MBTA.
Green Line
- The Green Line has the best frequency of service among the rapid transit lines with an estimated gap of 6-12 minutes between trains at all time periods on all days of the week.
- Weekday and weekend schedules are almost identical.
- Trains start at around 5 AM and end after midnight.
- Overall, the Green Line service is excellent.
Commuter Rail
- Weekday service emphasizes the “commuter” aspect of the name “commuter rail”.
-
- Inbound service offers 7 trains with an arrival time before 11:06 AM. The average time gap is 1 hour. The 3 remaining inbound trains arrive with large time gaps of 2 hours, 6 hours, and 2 hours.
- Outbound service does not begin until after noon. In affect, this is an initial time gap of 6.5 hours. After noon, most time gaps are about an hour. Two time gaps are a bit smaller and two time gaps are somewhat larger.
- The weekday schedule is friendly to the person commuting to work in Boston for a typical 8 hour day but is not friendly to people who wish or need to travel in and out of Boston for a few hours of activities.
- The weekend schedule, in contrast, offers absolute uniformity. The time gaps are always 2 hours. Newton and every other community receives alternating outbound and inbound service on the odd and even hours respectively. The 2 hour time gaps though predictable are also enormous.
- In comparison to the 6 to 12 minute time gaps for the Green Line service that runs from 5 AM to until past midnight, the commuter rail service must be rated as extremely poor.
Bus Routes
I will rank the 11 bus routes that touch Newton from best to worst with the criterion being: the total number of inbound and outbound trips per day on a weekday. The comments on each route will be extracted from the more extensive data above.
To compare apples-to-apples, I will separate routes into Local Bus Routes and Express Bus Routes.
When the ranking is done, I will comment on the quality of service of the bus routes.
Local Bus Routes [8 routes]
Bus 57 Watertown Yard - Kenmore Station
Bus 57 touches Newton for only a brief time.
There are so many bus trips on the 57 route that the PDF schedule does not list all of them individually.
There is service 7 days a week.
The service is almost identical on weekdays and Saturday.
There is somewhat less service on Sunday but the service is still very good.
Weekdays and Saturday:
The service time is 20.5 hours inbound and 20 hours outbound.
The time gaps are about 15 minutes early on, then become 10 minutes or less for most of the day, then become 15 minutes in the evening, and finally become 20 minutes late at night.
Sunday:
The service time is 19 hours in both directions.
The time gaps are 20 minutes or less throughout most of the day.
The service on Bus 57 is excellent.
Bus 60 Chestnut Hill Mall - Kenmore Station
Bus 60 touches Newton for only a brief time.
There is service 7 days a week.
Weekday:
66 trips: 33 inbound trips and 33 outbound trips.
The service time is just over 19.5 hours.
The time gaps are 20-30 minutes in the morning, then one 40 minute gap, then three gaps of about 70 minutes in the afternoon; then gaps of 25-30 minutes until 9 PM, then gaps of about 60 minutes until midnight.
Saturday:
62 trips: 31 inbound trips and 31 outbound trips.
The service time is 20 hours.
The time gaps are mostly 30 minutes until 9 AM, 35 minutes until 1 PM, 35-40 minutes until 9 PM, then 50-60 minutes until after midnight.
Sunday:
28 trips: 14 inbound trips and 14 outbound trips.
The number of Sunday trips is less than half of either weekdays or Saturdays.
The service time is about 15.5 hours.
The time gaps are 60-70 minutes all day.
Bus 59 Needham Junction - Watertown Square
There is service 7 days a week.
Weekday:
41 trips: 21 inbound trips and 20 outbound trips.
The service time is 14 hours inbound and 13.5 hours outbound.
The time gaps are 30-35 minutes in the morning, 50-55 minutes in the afternoon; 30-35 minutes in the evening.
Although Bus 59 has all day service, the afternoon time gaps are twice as large as the morning or evening time gaps.
Saturday:
18 trips: 9 inbound trips and 9 outbound trips.
The service time is 12.5 hours.
The time gaps are about 90 minutes all day.
Sunday:
16 trips: 8 inbound trips and 8 outbound trips.
The service time is 11 hours.
The time gaps are about 90 minutes all day.
Bus 553 Roberts, Waltham - Newton Corner
There is no service on Sunday.
Weekdays:
40 trips: 20 inbound trips and 20 outbound trips.
The service time is between 14.5 and 15 hours.
The time gaps are usually 45 minutes.
Saturday:
20 trips: 10 inbound trips and 10 outbound trips.
The service time is between 12.5 and 13 hours.
The time gaps are between 1 and 1.5 hours.
Bus 52 Dedham Mall - Watertown Yard
There is no service on weekends.
Weekdays:
30 trips: 15 inbound and 15 outbound trips.
The service time is 12.5 hours on each weekday.
Most time gaps are 40-50 minutes but there are two 80 minute gaps at midday in each direction.
Bus 556 Waltham Highlands - Newton Corner
There is no service on weekends.
The inbound and outbound trips split between early morning and late afternoon trips.
Weekdays:
16 trips: 9 inbound trips and 7 outbound trips.
9 inbound trips: 4 trips in early morning and 5 trips in late afternoon.
The service time for inbound trips is 3 hours for early morning and 4 hours for late afternoon.
7 outbound trips: 3 trips in early morning and 4 trips in late afternoon.
The service time for outbound trips is 2 hours for early morning and 3 hours for late afternoon.
The time gaps between morning trips or between afternoon trips is about 1 hour.
The major gap between early morning trips and late afternoon trips is 6 hours for inbound trips and 7 hours for outbound trips.
Bus 558 Riverside Station - Newton Corner
There is no service on weekends.
The inbound and outbound trips split between early morning and late afternoon trips.
Weekdays:
13 trips: 7 inbound trips and 6 outbound trips.
There are 7 inbound trips, with 3 trips in early morning and 4 trips in late afternoon.
The service time for inbound trips is 3 hours for early morning and 4 hours for late afternoon.
There are 6 outbound trips, with 3 trips in early morning and 3 trips in late afternoon.
The service time for outbound trips is 2.5 hours for early morning and 3 hours for late afternoon.
The time gaps between morning trips or between afternoon trips is about 1.5 hour.
The major gap between early morning trips and late afternoon trips is 6 hours for inbound trips and 6 hours for outbound trips.
Bus 554 Waverley Square, Belmont - Newton Corner
There is no service on weekends.
The inbound and outbound trips split between early morning and late afternoon trips.
Weekdays:
12 trips: 6 inbound trips and 6 outbound trips, each with 3 trips in early morning and 3 trips in late afternoon.
The service time within early morning or late afternoon time periods is 3.5 hours.
The time gaps between early morning trips or between late afternoon trips is about 1.5 hours.
The major gap between early morning trips and late afternoon trips is about 6.5 hours.
Express Bus Routes [3 routes]
Bus 504 Watertown Yard - Federal St & Franklin St {via Copley}
Bus 504 touches Newton for only a brief time
This is an express bus to Boston.
There is no service on Sunday.
Weekdays:
85 trips: 42 inbound trips and 43 outbound trips.
The service time is 13.5 hours inbound and 14 hours outbound.
The time gaps are 10-15 minutes until about 9 AM, gradually increase to 30-35 minutes in the afternoon, and return to 10-15 minutes in early evening. The final two trips have a gap of 20 and 30 minutes.
Saturday:
24 trips: 12 inbound trips and 12 outbound trips.
The number of Saturday trips is less than a third of weekdays.
The service time is 12 hours.
The time gaps are 50-70 minutes.
Bus 505 Waltham Center - Federal St & Franklin St {via West Newton & turnpike to downtown}
This is an express bus to Boston.
There are 12 stops along this route in Newton.
There is no service on weekends.
37 trips: 18 inbound trips and 19 outbound trips.
The inbound and outbound trips split between early morning and late afternoon trips.
Weekdays Inbound:
18 inbound trips: 11 early morning trips and 7 late afternoon trips.
The service time for early morning trips is 4 hours.
The service time for late afternoon trips is 3 hours.
The time gaps for early morning trips are 20-25 minutes and for late afternoon trips are 25-30 minutes.
The major gap between early morning trips and late afternoon trips is 6 hours 45 minutes.
Weekdays Oubound:
19 outbound trips: 7 early morning trips and 12 late afternoon trips.
The service time for early morning trips is 3 hours.
The service time for late afternoon trips is 4.5 hours.
The time gaps for early morning trips are 20-30 minutes and for late afternoon trips are 20-25 minutes.
The major gap between early morning trips and late afternoon trips is 6 hours 35 minutes.
Bus 501 Brighton Center - Federal St & Franklin St {via Copley}
Bus 501 touches Newton for only a brief time.
This is an express bus to Boston.
On weekdays, only certain routes pass through Newton Corner. These are the only routes that will be discussed here.
There is no service on weekends.
Weekdays Inbound - via Brighton to Newton Corner only in the morning:
16 inbound trips via Newton Corner.
The inbound service time is 3.5 hours.
The time gaps are 10-14 minutes.
Weekdays Outbound - via Newton Corner to Brighton only in the later afternoon:
19 outbound trips via Newton Corner.
The outbound service time is normally 5 hours.
The time gaps are normally 10-14 minutes.
Discussion of the Data Summary Based on the MBTA Schedules
Assessment of the quality of service of a transit line or bus route
To assess the quality of service of a transit line or bus route there are several matters to consider.
- On what days is the service available?
-
- Is the service 7 days a week?
- Is the service weekdays + Saturday only?
- Is the service weekdays only?
- What is the amount of service on the route?
-
- What is the number of inbound routes, the number of outbound routes, and the total of these numbers on a weekday, on a Saturday, on a Sunday?
- What is the length of service in hours for a transit line or bus route on a weekday, on a Saturday, on a Sunday?
- What are the time gaps between successive trains/buses?
-
- What is the normal time gap on a weekday, on a Saturday, on a Sunday?
- Is there a dramatic change between weekday time gaps and weekend time gaps?
- Are there large time gaps during the day when there is no service whatsoever?
- Does the service operate only during peak time periods such as early morning and/or late afternoon?
- Time gap considerations in detail:
-
- Time gaps of less than 15 minutes encourage people to use the train/bus without even thinking of the schedule. Such small time gaps are excellent.
- Time gaps of less than 30 minutes may cause people to think about the service schedule but they are probably good to acceptable for using the train/bus.
- Time gaps of more than 30 minutes are problematic and may cause people to have serious thoughts about not using the train/bus.
- Time gaps of an hour or more are quite inconvenient. People will use the train/bus only if they must make the trip and they have no alternative.
- A transit user knows that there is a significant time penalty if they miss a train/bus with time gaps of more than 30 minutes. The time penalty is enormous if the train/bus has time gaps of one hour or more.
- Does the route provide significant intra-city transportation or does it simply touch Newton?
- Does the route meet the needs of families with children, that is, more specifically, of parents traveling with children?
- How reliable is the service on the route?
I will use these considerations in assessing the train/bus transportation in Newton except that I will leave the final question to later in this document..
Discussion of the Green Line routes
The Green Line D Branch (Riverside Line) is the best transit in Newton by far. The scheduled frequency is excellent with an estimated gap of 6-12 minutes between trains at all time periods on all days of the week. There are 7 transit stops in Newton (Chestnut Hill, Newton Centre, Newton Highlands, Eliot, Waban, Woodland, and Riverside). This provides excellent intra-city transportation, at least for people whose home and destination are within walking distance of these 7 transit stops. The D Branch goes into downtown Boston via Brookline and then on to Union Sq Somerville. There are connections to the other lines in the rapid transit system in downtown Boston.
The Green Line B Branch (Boston College Line) provides transportation into downtown Boston via Brighton with the last stop at Government Center. However, there is only one stop in Newton (Boston College) so this line provides no intra-city transportation. The scheduled frequency is excellent with an estimated gap of 6-12 minutes between trains at all time periods on all days of the week. There are connections to the other lines in the rapid transit system in downtown Boston.
Discussion of the Framingham/Worcester commuter rail line
The Framingham/Worcester commuter rail line has limited service along the entire line but has especially pathetic service in Newton. Let me summarize the service on weekdays and then contrast Wellesley and Newton.
- Framingham/Worcester commuter rail service on weekdays
-
- There are 25 inbound trains, 12 that start before noon and 13 that start after noon. Of these 25 trains, 20 start in Worcester and 5 start in Framingham.
- There are 23 outbound trains, 8 that start before noon and 15 that start after noon. Of these 23 trains, 20 terminate in Worcester and 3 terminate in Framingham.
- Wellesley commuter rail service on weekdays
-
- Of the 25 inbound trains, 21 stop in Wellesley.
- Of the 23 outbound trains, 19 stop in Wellesley.
- The time gap between trains averages about 1 hour.
- Newton commuter rail service on weekdays
-
- Of the 25 inbound trains, only 10 stop in Newton with 5 definite stops and 5 flag stops.
- Of the 23 outbound trains, only 11 stop in Newton with 4 definite stops and 7 flag stops.
- A flag stop requires special action by passengers:
-
- Passengers on a train must tell the conductor that they wish to leave.
- Passengers waiting to board a train must be visible on the platform for the train to stop.
- The inbound time gap is about an hour in the morning but the last three time gaps between trains are 2 hours, 6.5 hours, 2 hours.
- The outbound service starts with a huge time gap since there is no service until after noon. This amounts to a time gap of 6.5 hours. Then there is a time gap of 2 hours followed by time gaps of about 1 hour.
The Framingham/Worcester commuter rail service on weekends is limited for all stops. There are 10 inbound and 10 outbound trains and the time gaps between trains is always about 2 hours. Thus the time gaps are twice as long as on weekdays. On weekends, all stops in Newton are flag stops whereas the stops for other stations are almost always definite stops.
The problems with the Framingham/Worcester commuter rail line service in Newton stem from decisions made 60 years ago when the turnpike was extended from Route 128 {now I-95} into Boston via Newton. Long before the turnpike, the railroad had 4 tracks, 2 local tracks on the outside with stops at Newton Corner, Newtonville, West Newton, and Auburndale and 2 express tracks in the center for trains that would bypass these stops. In order to fit the turnpike extension into Newton, three critical decisions were made to:
- Reduce the number of train tracks to 2.
- Provide station platforms only on the south side of the tracks between the tracks and the turnpike.
- Eliminate the Newton Corner train stop as part of the rail/highway right of way discussions that preceded the building of the turnpike. Allow tall buildings in Newton Corner with air rights over both the commuter rail and the turnpike. Have the turnpike entrance and exit ramps feed directly into the village center of Newton Corner thus creating the Newton Corner traffic circle known as the “circle of death”.
Let me discuss the consequences of the second decision:
Provide station platforms only on the south side of the tracks between the tracks and the turnpike.
Here are the consequences:
- All three Newton stations are highly inaccessible to people with mobility challenges. For instance, the stairway from Walnut St to the Newtonville station has 36 steps and has no covering to mitigate conditions in rain or snow.
- The normal way to arrange train travel on a 2 track system would be to have all eastbound trains use the south side track and all westbound trains use the north side track. However, in Newton, any westbound train that has a stop must switch to the south side track. This switch interferes with possible eastbound trains. The “solution” implemented by MBTA management to reduce this interference is to provide Newton with very few stops. This is why, for example, there are no outbound (westbound) stops in Newton before noon. During that time period, eastbound trains have priority.
There is now discussion by the MBTA of creating handicap accessible stations that will serve both tracks in the three stations in Newton. This will be costly. This will take years. If and when the task is done, it will enable Newton to have the same level of service as Wellesley.
However, unless there is a dramatic improvement in the overall Framingham/Worcester commuter rail level of service this will mean 1 hour time gaps on weekdays and 2 hour time gaps on weekends. This will be much better than now for Newton but it will still not be great. The time gaps between commuter rail trains will still be quite inconvenient.
Advocacy groups such as Transit Matters have proposed many times that the older diesel locomotives in use by the MBTA be replaced by electric cars in which each car supplies it own power. This idea goes by the acronym EMU which means a multiple-unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages using electricity as the motive power. Using an EMU system, trains could run all day with small time gaps and provide service from Boston to Worcester that is comparable to the rapid transit systems close to Boston. This would be such an improvement that it might really be the incentive for people to commute by rail rather than by auto. However, these ideas reach the MBTA and seem to fall on deaf ears. The recent MBTA proposal to purchase the land at Widett Circle in order to buy more diesel locomotives and then store these locomotives at Widett Circle during mid-day off-peak periods shows a leadership stuck with past practices and with no concept of high quality all day service. This MBTA thinking is why I am doubtful about a dramatic improvement in the overall Framingham/Worcester commuter rail level of service.
The following article by Congressman Auchincloss, Mayor Fuller, et al, might be of interest:
The following article by members of Transit Matters might be of interest:
Discussion of Local Bus Routes [8 Routes]
Bus 57 and Bus 60 have the best local bus service in Newton but their routes touch Newton for only a brief time.
Bus 57 Watertown Yard - Kenmore Station serves as a major route from Watertown Yard through Newton Corner into Brighton and eventually to Kenmore Square. The bus takes Galen St in Watertown to Centre St in Newton, goes around the traffic circle to Park St, then to Tremont St, and then into Brighton.
There is service 7 days a week. The service parameters of the number of trips and the time gaps are excellent.
Newton citizens may access Bus 57 by walking and by using buses 52, 59, 553, 554, 556, and 558.
Bus 60 Chestnut Hill Mall - Kenmore Station serves as a major route from Chestnut Hill Mall and Thompsonville to Brookline via Route 9 and eventually to Kenmore Square via Brookline Ave passing the hospitals along the way.
There is service 7 days a week.
The time gaps on weekdays vary from 20-30 minutes in the morning, 40-70 minutes in the middle of the day, 25-30 minutes in the early evening, and 60 minutes until midnight. This is spotty service that is good at some times and quite inconvenient at others.
The time gaps on Saturday are less than 30-40 minutes until about 9PM, which is fairly good, and 50-60 minutes until after midnight. This service is mostly good but then more problematic.
The time gaps on Sunday are 1 hour or more, which is quite inconvenient.
There is no Newton bus route that connects with Bus 60. However, Bus 60 has a stop near the Star Market in the mall next to Hammond St and this stop is within 1/4 mile of the Chestnut Hill Green Line stop so Newton citizens may use this means to connect with Bus 60.
The next routes in terms of levels of service are Bus 59 and the pair of buses Bus 553 and Bus 554 which should be considered together since they have the same route within Newton.
Bus 59 Needham Junction - Watertown Square serves a route from Watertown Square along Watertown St through Nonantum, along Walnut St through Newtonville past Newton North High School and City Hall, then into Newton Highlands, and then along Needham St into Needham.
There is service 7 days a week.
On weekdays, there are 41 trips and the service time is about 14 hours. The time gaps are 30-35 minutes in the morning, 50-55 minutes in the afternoon; 30-35 minutes in the evening. This is good in the morning and evening but problematic in the afternoon for intra-city travel.
On Saturday and Sunday, there are fewer trips and the time gaps are 90 minutes which is quite inconvenient for intra-city travel.
Newton citizens may access Bus 59 by walking, by using buses 52, 57, 553, 554, 556, and 558, and by using the Newton Highlands Green Line stop.
Bus 553 Roberts, Waltham - Newton Corner and Bus 554 Waverley Square, Belmont - Newton Corner follow the same route from Waltham Center [at the Fitchburg commuter rail] into Auburndale and West Newton and then along Washington St to Newton Corner.
Bus 553 has service on weekdays and Saturday. Bus 554 has limited service on weekdays and no service on weekends. Nevertheless, on weekdays, one may consider the Bus 554 service as an addition to the Bus 553 service.
On weekdays:
- Bus 553 has 40 trips: 20 inbound trips and 20 outbound trips.
- Bus 554 has 12 trips: 6 inbound trips and 6 outbound trips, each with 3 trips in early morning and 3 trips in late afternoon.
- The time gaps for Bus 553 are usually 45 minutes. This is improved in early morning and late afternoon by the addition of 3 Bus 554 trips in each direction.
- The time gaps must be viewed as problematic for intra-city travel.
On Saturday:
- Bus 553 has 20 trips: 10 inbound trips and 10 outbound trips.
- The time gaps are between 1 and 1.5 hours and these time gaps are quite inconvenient for intra-city travel.
The next route in terms of level of service is Bus 52.
Bus 52 Dedham Mall - Watertown Yard follows Centre St and Parker St in Newton and goes close to Newton South High School. The route continues south to the Dedham Mall.
There is no service on weekends. On weekdays, there are 30 trips: 15 inbound and 15 outbound trips. Most time gaps are 40-50 minutes but there are two 80 minute gaps at midday in each direction so the time gaps range from problematic to quite inconvenient for intra-city travel.
Newton citizens may access Bus 52 by walking, by using buses 57, 59, 553, 554, 556, and 558, and by using the Newton Centre Green Line stop.
The final two local routes are Bus 556 and Bus 558.
Bus 556 Waltham Highlands - Newton Corner and Bus 558 Riverside Station - Newton Corner serve primarily as routes to connect to the express bus Bus 504 in Newton Corner since the services operate only during the peak time periods of early morning and late afternoon.
There is no service on weekends. On weekdays, Bus 556 has 16 trips and Bus 558 has 13 trips. When the services are running, the time gaps are 1 to 1.5 hours and the large midday gaps are 6 to 7 hours. The services are quite inconvenient for intra-city travel.
Discussion of Express Bus Routes [3 Routes]
Bus 504 Watertown Yard - Federal St & Franklin St {via Copley} and Bus 501 Brighton Center - Federal St & Franklin St {via Copley} are express bus routes that pass through Newton Corner.
Bus 504 has 85 trips on weekdays and 24 trips on Saturday. Bus 501 may be viewed as a supplement to Bus 504. Bus 501 operates only on weekdays and goes through Newton Corner with 16 inbound trips in the morning and 19 outbound trips in the later afternoon. When Bus 501 operates at other times, it takes a route that does not pass through Newton.
The weekday time gaps for the combined services are excellent in the morning and later afternoon but are more limited in the middle of the day. The Saturday times gaps of 50-70 minutes for Bus 504 [running alone] are long enough to be inconvenient.
Bus 505 Waltham Center - Federal St & Franklin St {via West Newton & turnpike to downtown} is a weekday express bus route with 12 stops in Newton that uses the turnpike interchange at West Newton to go downtown.
Bus 505 has 37 trips split between early morning and late afternoon trips. When the bus is operating, the time gaps between buses is 20-30 minutes which is good. However, the middle of the day time gap in each direction is about 6.5 hours.
Assessment of Intra-City Transit in Newton
One important criterion that I proposed is:
Does the route meet the needs of families with children, that is, more specifically, of parents traveling with children?
Parents may travel with children to bring them to social activities, sports activities, after school art or music lessons, parks, museums, appointments, and shopping. On weekdays, between the end of the school day and dinner, there is precious little time to get children to these destinations and then home. Long waits for transit do not work. On weekends, it is still important for parents to have an efficient transit experience.
To assess intra-city transit in Newton, I would posit that for parents:
- If a transit route has time gaps of 1 hour or more during the day then that route is unacceptable.
- If a transit route has time gaps of 30 minutes to an hour during the day then that route is quite problematic.
Indeed, for parents, time gaps of 15 minutes or less are best.
Let me sort the 14 Newton transit routes into various categories.
Transit routes that just touch Newton and thus provide no intra-city transit
- Green Line B Branch (Boston College Line)
- Bus 57 Watertown Yard - Kenmore Station
- Bus 60 Chestnut Hill Mall - Kenmore Station
- Bus 504 Watertown Yard - Federal St & Franklin St {via Copley}
- paired with Bus 501 Brighton Center - Federal St & Franklin St {via Copley}
Transit routes that have some time gaps of 1 hour or more on weekdays and thus do not provide an acceptable level of service for convenient all-day-long intra-city transit
- Framingham/Worcester commuter rail line
- Bus 52 Dedham Mall - Watertown Yard
- Bus 556 Waltham Highlands - Newton Corner
- Bus 558 Riverside Station - Newton Corner
- Bus 505 Waltham Center - Federal St & Franklin St {via West Newton & turnpike to downtown}
The transit routes that remain
- Green Line D Branch (Riverside Line)
- Bus 59 Needham Junction - Watertown Square
- Bus 553 Roberts, Waltham - Newton Corner
- paired with Bus 554 Waverley Square, Belmont - Newton Corner
Only the last three routes above merit consideration when thinking of intra-city transit for parents traveling with children.
The Green Line D Branch (Riverside Line) is the best transit in Newton by far. The scheduled frequency is excellent with an estimated gap of 6-12 minutes between trains at all time periods on all days of the week. There are 7 transit stops in Newton (Chestnut Hill, Newton Centre, Newton Highlands, Eliot, Waban, Woodland, and Riverside). This provides excellent intra-city transportation, at least for people whose home and destination are within walking distance of these 7 transit stops.
Bus 59 has service 7 days a week.
On weekdays, there are 41 trips and the service time is about 14 hours. The time gaps are 30-35 minutes in the morning, 50-55 minutes in the afternoon; 30-35 minutes in the evening. This is good in the morning and evening but quite problematic in the afternoon for intra-city travel by parents traveling with children.
On Saturday and Sunday, there are fewer trips and the time gaps are 90 minutes which is unacceptable for intra-city travel by parents traveling with children.
On weekdays, Bus 553 and Bus 554 combined have 52 trips: 26 inbound and 26 outbound. The normal time gaps during the day are 45 minutes which is somewhat problematic for intra-city transit by parents traveling with children. The Bus 554 routes in the morning and the afternoon reduce the time gaps during these periods.
On Saturday, Bus 553 has 20 trips with time gaps between 1 and 1.5 hours and these time gaps are unacceptable for intra-city travel by parents traveling with children.
There is no service on Sunday.
So how do the above three routes stack up as far as being suitable for parents traveling with children?
- The Green Line D Branch (Riverside Line) has high quality intra-city transportation 7 days a week.
- Bus 59 and the pair Bus 553 and Bus 554
-
- On weekdays, the services have quite problematic time gaps of 45 minutes or more.
- On weekends, the services have unacceptable time gaps of 1 hour or more, or do not run at all.
For parents traveling with children within Newton:
- Only the Green Line D Branch (Riverside Line) has high quality intra-city transportation 7 days a week.
- Bus 59 and the pair Bus 553/554 have quite problematic intra-city service on weekdays and unacceptable or non-existent intra-city service on weekends.
- No other public transit options in Newton have a level of intra-city service that is even worth consideration for parents traveling with children.
The Actual Reality of Transit in Newton
Preamble - Remarks that Provide Context
In January and February of 2023, I collected MBTA schedule data to determine what routes could serve Newton well as commuter routes and what routes could serve Newton well as all-day intra-city transit routes. About two thirds of this document was completed at this time.
Meanwhile, I was reading more and more news reports about how the MBTA was unable to meet its basic schedule commitments for trains and buses and how the MBTA was also unable to ensure the safety of its workers and its riders on the rapid transit lines, on the platforms, and on stairways. I decided to put this document aside because the MBTA situation was so depressing.
On April 24, 2023, the Newton Planning Department rolled out Version 2.0 of the Village Center Overlay District (VCOD) maps and plans. Version 2.0 of the detailed draft ordinance was released in May 2023 and Version 2.1 was released in June 2023.
A central aspect of the 2.0 proposals was the elimination of minimum parking requirements for both Residential and Commercial buildings:
Vehicular Parking May Be Provided On-Site, But Not Required
For Residential buildings, this idea replaced the moderate proposal in Version 1.0 of:
a minimum of one parking space per residential unit
with the more radical proposal in Version 2.0 of:
the elimination of minimum parking requirements altogether
This decision seems to be based on two forms of magical thinking:
- The residential buildings will be built in transit-oriented areas and families will be able travel in Newton or into Boston by walking, by biking, and by use of the existing public transit.
- Developers, as a business proposition, will realize that residential parking is actually necessary and will create some residential parking despite what the zoning regulations do or do not require.
The subtext of the elimination of minimum parking requirements was that the Planning Dept could then count on enabling more residential units on a given lot than if minimum parking had been required. The consequence of this was that it would be easier to meet the MBTA Communities Law requirements.
The data in this transit document shows that families especially families with children cannot rely on existing public transit to meet their family’s needs. Using the words transit-oriented is simply waving a verbal magic wand. Saying these words cannot change the reality of transit in Newton.
The argument that developers may provide some residential parking is passing the responsibility of the city to require reasonable parking onto developers whose decisions cannot be predicted. It is hard to imagine that in any other zoning context the city would cede its responsibility to a private individual or to a commercial entity.
It was the decision of the Planning Dept to propose no minimum parking requirement for residential buildings in the VCOD zoning that made it clear to me that I should complete this document to let Newton citizens and Newton leaders know what in reality transit-oriented means on the ground.
Discussion of the Actual Reality of Transit in Newton
The Actual Reality of Transit in Newton is worse than an examination of the MBTA schedules suggests.
Here are two recent Boston Globe articles that describe the actual transit situation. The first article has lots of links to earlier articles.
Let me talk about some of the issues that plague the MBTA with bullet points followed by discussion.
- The MBTA is unable to attract and hire sufficient qualified personnel to drive the rapid transit trains and buses in the system.
The immediate consequence of this reality is that schedules for rapid transit trains and buses cannot be met. Scheduled routes are dropped due to lack of personnel. In many cases, it appears that the public has no idea when a particular train or bus will be dropped.
In particular, the actual MBTA service is worse than the limited service described above based on the 2022 MBTA schedules.
Note: On the Green Line, each train requires a driver in the first car and a conductor in each subsequent car. If personnel is short, one or more cars may be dropped from the train rather than dropping the entire train. This action still has consquences for passengers.
- The MBTA has discovered substantial problems with the railroad tracks and ties on the rapid transit system. This has led to:
-
- Shutdowns of various systems for extended periods in order to do repairs.
- Slow zones across all systems where train drivers must drive slowly because it is not safe to drive the train at normal speed due to the risk of train derailment. The slow down speed may be a little as 10 MPH or 6 minutes to travel one mile.
On the rapid transit system, slow downs are a second reason for the inability to meet MBTA schedules.
Despite MBTA reports of progress on track repairs, new track problems are being discovered each day so that the percentage of subway track with speed restrictions remains nearly unchanged since late March at around 23 percent.
To me, it is not clear that the MBTA has the engineering expertise and the technical tools to be able to slowly travel the tracks and determine exactly where the safety issues are. Instead, new problems are constantly being found. An outside consultant was hired in April to figure out how the T was unable to account for so many track problems. The consultant was supposed to report in 3 months. Now that report has been postponed until Labor Day. So, even with outside help, the situation remains murky.
The Boston Globe article above on slows zone tells a disturbing story of Green Line track between Science Park and Lechmere being repaired in 2022 and then being repaired again in June 2023 and yet slow zones still remain in place on that route. This calls into question the ability of the MBTA to thoroughly carry out repairs.
- Electrification of the transit system, both commuter rail and buses, seems to be a dream and a promise but actual implementation seems far off in the future.
This is discussed in the Boston Globe article above on July 23, 2023. Let me extract some quotes from that article.
Quote #1
In 2019, the T’s former oversight board directed the agency to “transform the current commuter rail line into a significantly more productive, equitable and decarbonized enterprise.” The commuter rail of the near future should not just be for commuters, the board ordered, but should provide all day service every 15 to 20 minutes and “be largely electrified.”
Instead, the commuter rail remains powered by outdated diesel locomotives and wait times between trains can be longer than an hour.
Quote #2
Also last year, the MBTA put out a call for bids to provide as many as 460 battery electric buses that were supposed to start arriving by last month. New electric bus garages were supposed to start opening as soon as this year.
Instead, the T’s first electric bus garages in North Cambridge and Quincy are years behind schedule and millions of dollars over their original budgets. The T said in April it would ask its board of directors to approve an order for the new battery electric buses in the “spring.”
It’s summer, and still no order.
In a statement, MBTA general manager Phillip Eng said the board will vote on the battery electric bus contract at a meeting next week. The T faces “an historically challenging construction market” and “unprecedented challenges in filling front line operator positions to operate our trains and buses,” he said in a statement.
Still, “the T remains committed to its decarbonization and service improvement goals.”
Electrification and decarbonization seem far off. Service improvement goals seem far off.
Concerning electrification vis-a-vis commuter rail, see also my discussion above:
Conclusions
- The MBTA is in a deep abyss of troubles.
- Years of neglect of basic safety testing and prompt repairs for the rapid transit system have put the MBTA into a situation in which it has no idea of the full scope of its safety problems and no idea when the rapid transit system will be able to run safely at normal speeds.
- The MBTA has not improved its quality of service but rather has allowed this quality to degrade over time. The service available now does not meet 1990 standards. The service available now does not even meet the lower standards of the 2022 MBTA schedules.
- The lack of service quality is a huge disincentive for people to ride the T.
- Improvement in service quality back to the standards of the 2022 MBTA schedules will require the hiring of a substantial number of new drivers for trains and buses. However, is it any surprise that people are reluctant to work for the MBTA with so much public disarray in the news almost every day?
- The MBTA also seems to lack imagination both at the engineering and the management level. Time and again, they will speak of electrification and decarbonization and then propose ideas such as the purchase of land at Widett Circle in order to then purchase more diesel locomotives in order that these locomotives will then be parked at Widett Circle during off peak hours. One asks: What are they thinking? Or, perhaps: Are they thinking at all?
Conclusions for Newton:
- The best that Newton can hope in terms of level of service is a return to the standards of the 2022 MBTA schedules. This is contingent on MBTA hiring that has proved to be problematic.
- There is no scenario where the level of service would become better than the 2022 standards in the near future.
- Newton has viable commuter options into Boston via the Green Line D Branch, the Green Line B Branch, Bus 57, Bus 60, Bus 504/501, and Bus 505. The connections of Buses 52, 553, 554, 556, and 558 into Newton Corner plus the connection of Bus 59 into Watertown Square increases the usefulness of Bus 504/501 as a route into Boston.
- Buses 553, 554, 556, and 558 also provide access to the Fitchburg commuter rail in Waltham Center.
- The connections of Buses 52, 57, and 59 into the Watertown Square area enable commuter access to bus routes that go into Cambridge and the Red Line rapid transit and outbound into Waltham.
- For parents traveling with children within Newton:
-
- Only the Green Line D Branch (Riverside Line) has high quality intra-city transportation 7 days a week.
- Bus 59 and the pair Bus 553/554 have quite problematic intra-city service on weekdays and unacceptable or non-existent intra-city service on weekends.
- No other public transit options in Newton have a level of intra-city service that is even worth consideration for parents traveling with children.
- Concerning commuter rail: The possibility of accessible platforms that serve both tracks on the commuter rail system in Newton is better than it has ever been. However, the time frame is still years away. Further, these accessible two-track stations will only bring service levels to Wellesley levels, that is, 1 hour time gaps on weekdays and 2 hour time gaps on weekends. Reducing time gaps to the MBTA dream of 15-20 minutes will require electrification and there is no strong evidence of MBTA commitment to do that.
Implications of the Transit Reality for Newton Zoning
The need for families to be able to move about Newton
The data in this transit document shows that families especially families with children cannot rely on existing public transit to meet their family’s needs. Using the words transit-oriented is simply waving a verbal magic wand. Saying these words cannot change the reality of transit in Newton.
The only quality intra-city transit in Newton is the Green Line D Branch (Riverside Line). All other transit routes have problematic intra-city transit or no intra-city transit whatever.
The purpose of the MBTA Communities Law is to enable housing for families especially families with children. Our goal as a city should be not only to enable the building of housing units where such families may live (dwell) but also to enable such families to have a life in Newton as a city. This requires that these families be able to move about Newton conveniently.
Implications for MRT Zoning
For most families the ability to move conveniently requires the ability to own at least one car. Walking or biking or public transit will not get a family everywhere conveniently. The decision to own a car or to manage by using alternatives that require a car (taxi, ride share, car rental, etc) is a decision that should be made by the family. The decision should not be made by a Newton zoning law that will permit 3-unit and 4-unit family homes to be built with no requirement for parking.
Therefore:
- MRT zoning should require a minimum of one car parking space per housing unit in each home.
Implications for VC2 and VC3 Zoning
There are also questions about parking requirements for village centers in VCOD zoning (VC1, VC2, VC3). It is my hope that VC1 disappears and that all residential zoning be MRT. Let me therefore focus on VC2 and VC3 that are intended to enable larger apartment buildings and mixed-use buildings that have ground floor commercial spaces with apartment style housing units on the upper floors.
There are two questions to examine concerning parking requirements in VC2 and VC3:
- What should the minimum parking requirements be related to units in apartment style housing?
- What should the minimum parking requirements be so that residents from other areas in Newton may visit a village center and patronize the commercial spaces created there?
These questions are important since the inadequate nature of intra-city transit in Newton will also affect people living in apartments in a village center and people from other areas in Newton who wish to visit a village center.
Let me first discuss:
- What should the minimum parking requirements be related to units in apartment style housing?
I am aware that people who have studied parking in apartment style housing know that there can be too much parking allocated and that the excess parking will never be used. I suspect that one car parking space per housing unit may be too much for apartments. So, the question is how to find the right parking formula?
I have studied the
West Newton Armory Affordable Housing Project. The data may be found
here.
The West Newton Armory Project design calls for:
- 43 housing units
- 28 car parking spaces
- 43 bike storage spaces
In this example, the number of car parking spaces is 2/3 of the number of housing units.
I think that 2/3 is a reasonable fraction to use as a parking guideline so I recommend:
- In VC2 and VC3, the minimum number of parking spaces associated with the housing component of a project should be 2/3 of the number of housing units in the project.
I certainly think that the ratio of (parking spaces) to (housing units) in a regular apartment project should not be less than that being specified for the West Newton Armory Affordable Housing Project.
Let me now discuss:
- What should the minimum parking requirements be so that residents from other areas in Newton may visit a village center and patronize the commercial spaces created there?
It is much harder to come up with a simple formula for the amount of parking needed to support commercial spaces. Let me consider as an example the Trio mixed-use complex in Newtonville. On visiting the Trio outdoor parking lot in off hours, there seems to be plenty of parking to go to CVS, the Chase Bank, the Barn, and the smaller shops. However, the Trio complex also has 4 restaurants: MIDA, Fuji at Newton, Clover Food Lab, and Chipotle. During lunch and dinner hours, the Trio parking lot is often full and there is precious little on street parking. So, is there really enough parking?
I don't know what the zoning answer is for public parking associated with commercial spaces. But I do not believe that the answer is let the developer decide. The city must have formal involvement with large scale mixed-use developments so there is genuine discussion about parking. Perhaps, large scale VC projects should require a special permit or at least require a serious site plan review. Perhaps, the city should orchestrate shared public parking for multiple VC projects. - But, I must admit that these are not answers, just thoughts.
Final Remarks
One thing that is certain is that the MBTA transit system that we have in Newton in 2023 does not support a car free life style. It is irresponsible to base zoning decisions on an idealized transit system that does not exist now and that may never exist. Substantive changes to the MBTA will take years if such changes come at all. The zoning rules we make now must be based on the reality we see now and can reasonably project into the near future, that is, 5 to 10 years out.
This document on the reality of transit has ended up being developed in parallel with a document on Village Center zoning and MBTA Communities zoning:
I believe that this “Thoughts” document, Version 2, suggests a much more reasonable approach to MBTA zoning and to VC zoning. I hope that the public, the City Council, and the Planning Dept will take this document seriously.