Quincy Center Quincy, MA 02169

"Hi uh i noticed that this place is called quincy, and i was wondering if this was like ermmm the bleach thing. yk the race in bleach. i mean i live here but i always wondered what cuincy really stood for! I really love this train station and the lawn in front of the city hall is now a water falls!."

"Quincy Center MBTA station stands as a monument to urban decay and neglect. The moment you step onto the platform, you're greeted by a stench that assaults the senses—a pungent mix of urine, stale sweat, and unidentifiable grime. Homeless individuals camp out in every available corner, their makeshift shelters and belongings strewn haphazardly around, adding to the chaotic and uninviting atmosphere. Trash overflows from neglected bins, and the once-bright walls are now stained and peeling, bearing witness to years of disregard. Riding the Red Line from Quincy Center is a test of endurance and patience. Trains are perpetually late, often by significant margins, and when they do arrive, they're overcrowded and uncomfortable. Delays and mechanical failures are the norm rather than the exception, with crackling announcements of "signal problems" and "disabled trains" echoing through the dimly lit station. Commuters stand packed like sardines, frustration etched on their faces, as they grip the greasy handrails and sway with every jolt of the decrepit train. The commuter rail is no better, with its own set of reliability issues. Trains frequently run off-schedule, and the archaic infrastructure means breakdowns and cancellations are routine. The platforms are poorly maintained, with puddles forming in depressions that never seem to dry, and broken benches that offer no respite. For many, the experience at Quincy Center is emblematic of a broader systemic failure—a daily reminder that the public transportation system is in desperate need of reform and investment. Despite its potential as a transit hub, Quincy Center MBTA station remains the epitome of the worst train station experience imaginable."

"If you had to pick a single MBTA station to exemplify the numerous shortcomings both on the state and local level to provide adequate transportation needs to the public, few stations would fit the overall portfolio than QC. Let's work our way from least-worst to worst-worst, beginning with one bright spot: Taxis: Taxis may be the only bright spot as a mode of transport. You can pretty much guarantee that, as you alight from the Red Line and/or Commuter Rail, there will be at least 1-3 cabs parked, ready to whisk you to other points around Quincy/Weymouth/Braintree. Parking: Beginning with the least-worst, we look at the parking situation. While not the most favorable amenity to urbanists, park-and-ride SHOULD be included as part of the fabric of any suburban station, to help solve the "last mile" issues not adequately compensated for by any other means of travel. There is a small but condemned garage sitting atop the Red Line platform, behind the main busway, plus another decrepit looking, but semi-functional garage just south of the station--off limits to all but certain municipal employees and Stop & Shop administrative workers. Still the alternative, as many urbanists cheer, is the myriad transit-oriented-development (TOD)--which is great if you're wealthy enough to live within walking distance of the station from the new luxury condos and apartments nearby. Cycling: Next, we look at cycling as the second-least-worst. The bike infrastructure is abysmal at best, with no covered OR locked storage for such a large, busy station, and the available rack options being either a rack situated in the dirt of a large planter across from the main entrance of the station or another rack that--no kidding--is anchored to the left side of the same planter, so close to the planter that you can't even properly park your bike's front wheel. Thanks to Quincy's do-nothing Mayor Tom Koch, Quincy also has the infamous title of largest city-suburb of Boston with ZERO connection to the Blue Bikes network. At least you can take bikes on the Red Line and Commuter Rail most of the day. Walking/Mobility Use: The biggest issue with walking and mobility use at QC is that it suffers from the same one-way-in-one-way-out design that plagues much of the Red Line expansions and Orange Line realignments of the 1970s and 1980s, respectively. It's not like there's NO room to add a second entrance/egress at the north end of the station, with fare gate access potentially where the aforementioned condemned garage lot sits and direct access from the main busway as well as secondary busway off Burgin Pkwy. Red Line: So, now we're down to the three worst of the worst, beginning with the least-worst, the Red Line. You'd think it would be higher, but service, while abysmal, still bests the buses and Commuter Rail services in terms of hours of operation and frequency. A word of caution though: as sleepy as Quincy is, bar/restaurants DO stay open until 1:00 am, but the last inbound train is at 12:16-sharp! Buses: Quincy Area bus services boast frequencies of 30-45 minutes, FAR beyond the 10-15-minute window urbanists agree makes bus ridership attractive and feasible--and that's WHEN there aren't the myriad bus breakdowns or traffic delays pushing wait times AN EXTRA 25-35 minutes! Again, we look to do-nothing Mayor Koch who, unlike the Progressive Mayors in Boston, Cambridge, Everett and Malden, refuses to implement bus lanes to speed up bus service. Lastly, the last three outbound Red Line trains don't connect to any buses except the 216 (which goes to the rich neighborhood *shocker*). Hence, a lot of walking or taking cabs, as mentioned. Commuter Rail: Why is Commuter Rail the worst of the worst? Costs about 200% more than the subway fare to go, on average, 40% faster--that's the easiest example of a "Poor Tax" ever. Abysmal frequencies outside of rush hour: three trains in/out of the city 10-15 minutes apart and then no service for over 1:15. Single-track bottlenecks that should've been addressed over 25 YEARS ago, including at QC and JFK/UMass."

"If my corgi could ride the train all day, he probably would. I loved it. Every time we walk near Quincy Center, he tries to drag me to the station to get on the train!"

"It took a long time but Quincy center really looks amazing! The lawn in front of City hall is now a few small water falls. There are benches where Hancock St used to run. It will be a great place to take the kids in the summer. It will also be a comfortable, peaceful place to sit, have your coffee or lunch, and relax. I'm really impressed with the improvements to the center. I hadn't been there in a while and I didn't recognize it! I hope the city utilizes the space. I also hope that the area is patrolled, so the drug activity stays away."