Green Line- C

green line sucks in general

It just sucks. Alas, zero stars is not an option.
The trains show up whenever they feel like it. I could watch two or three of every other green line train in the afternoon at Govt Center before a C train shows up.
The drivers take glee in making the passengers suffer. Whether it’s slamming the door just as you get there or refusing to open the back doors in freezing weather during rush hour, they enjoy their little feeling of power. Most drivers were trained at the Stanford Prison Experiment School for Petty People.
Seriously, there’s no reason to stop on every single street corner. Every two blocks would be just dandy.
At least once per week, somebody decides to send the train express until the end. I once saw them do it after shutting the doors, meaning that anyone stuck on the train would not be able to get off until the next express stop. There are no trains right behind you. There just aren’t.

It’s not easy being Green (Line — C). Sure, the Green C Line stops about every 15 feet on its way from Brookline to downtown, but it’s not that bad people! I’ve lived in New York and Chicago, where daily subway commutes were the norm, and ridden the rails in Paris, London and DC as well. Compared to those, the C Line is a pretty standup train. It’s never THAT crowded, even at rush hour. I have waited four-​people deep just to stuff myself on to the El in Chicago with the door opening and closing on my backside. I have been crammed so tightly into a car on NYC’s F train that my feet were barely touching the floor and my internal organs felt like they had shifted by the time I reached my destination. And don’t get me started on being stuck on the L train when there’s no air on a 80+ degree day. As for close stops, in Paris you can actually see the next underground stop from the one you are standing in!
The C Line (and Boston’s T system in general) is also a lot cleaner and far more safe feeling than public transportation in a lot of other cities. Not once have I seen human feces smeared over the doorway of a train car (thanks NYC!) or watched crack heads smoke crack on my way home from work (way to go Chicago!). It’s not that easy being green, but public transportation is never perfect and it’s way more convenient than trying to find parking!

I’m an occasional Unilocaler 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.

How does the C line not have any reviews?
Not much to say about the green line. It runs, mostly. It’s «on time,» mostly. It’s clean… ish.
It mostly sucks that you have to exit through a crowded train via the front entrance at night, but when has customer satisfaction ever been something the MBTA cares about?