I'm an occasional yelper and recently noticed I don't have any 1-star reviews. In the interest of fairness, I thought I should think of the absolute worst thing in Boston and then write my first 1 star review. Congratulations, C Line, you're the winner! (disclosure: I have only ridden the B line once, and it's admittedly worse, but the C is not far behind).
For starters, go on youtube and search for "tokyo subway at rush hour." That comes CLOSE to demonstrating what the C train is like at rush hour. Nothing like starting your morning with a grouchy driver calling repeatedly through the speakers "Pack it in people, pack it in," as you are already cheek to cheek with three other people (I know, that sounds impossible, right? It's not.) and there are 10 more people trying to squeeze through each door. Forget getting a seat; you're lucky if you even get ON the train.
And do NOT listen to the drivers when they say "doors are closing; there's another train right behind me." They are lying. If you can't see the next train, it isn't there. Sometimes it's 15 minutes before the next train comes. And when it does come, it might be too full to get on.
The trains are supposed to come about every 7 minutes during rush hour. Sometimes they do, but it is not unusual to wait 20-30 minutes for a C train from Park Street.
And don't even get me started with how often the trains break down or lose power. I would say AT LEAST weekly the power goes out, lights go off, and you have to sit there while it tries to find power again. Not to mention that there are 4 train lines that all use the same tracks once you get past Kenmore, so the trains get backed up and have to stop multiple times before pulling into each station. Do the drivers try to stop slowly? No, they hit the breaks to send you flying in a game of human dominoes since if you're packed into the middle of the train there isn't even anything within reach to hang on to.
The stops on the C line are insanely close together. About every 2 blocks. And because the trains are so crowded, it takes ages for the people getting off to squeeze their way out and for other people to squeeze in. If you actually need to get somewhere at a certain time, plan on at LEAST 35 minutes to go 3 miles on the train, and well over an hour if you count time waiting for the train to arrive. read more