Route 128, Massachusetts — Local services in Dedham

Poorly maintained. Could be so much better. Note: 12/17 update below.

Pricing. The pricing is $7/ first 14 hours and $14/each day thereafter. Not cheap or $4/day like similar stations in the area.

Condition. Not old at all but cracking in multiple locations. On a rainy or snowy day water seeps through the parking structure ceilings. Enjoy dodging the water. In the winter that water leaves black ice patches inside the dark parking structure. Walk carefully. You also could see a little crumbled concrete on the top of your car when you leave. The platform escalators currently work. One escalator was out for more than a year. That brings a lot of foot traffic (for rush hour standards) to narrow concrete sets of steep stairs on each platform. Ever sat in line trying to drive out of the structure? That sensation you are feeling is your car is bouncing up and down as cars move on the ramp. Not comforting.

Parking. Cars can pay for parking with EZPass. Nice idea. The trouble is that a LAZ employee now has to hang out at the gates every afternoon/evening because invariably there will be cars that cannot leave (machine malfunctions, driver transponder not working, driver account low, confused driver, etc.). The LAZ employee and driver then talk about the matter for a while and complete paperwork as other drivers beep. It causes additional 10-minute traffic jams just to exit the structure.

UPDATE: As of December 2017, a new parking company with new exit machines is managing the site. Even worse! The new machines are more sketchy/less reliable than before and often the company does not have an employee downstairs to help with problems. During rush hour, add between 10-25 minutes just to exit the parking structure.

Oversight: The Transit Police provide no oversight. Some drivers speed in that little parking structure. Watch out when you walk to your car or to the station. Keep children close to you. Some drivers just park in the middle of the aisles, blocking walking access into the station or your ability to drive out of the structure. The same BMV SUV is parked in a parking lane most weekdays. There are spaces, but those drivers know that there is no enforcement so it is easier to make a space in the center of an aisle instead of parking a little further away. Likewise, you can see a fight about once a week in the drop off area as private taxi cab drivers argue with each other or aggressive drivers picking up riders yell at each other and refuse to stop for pedestrians.

Cleanliness. The bathrooms are checked and interior waiting area is pretty good. Thank you. The trash containers (especially walking from the structure to the the 2nd floor waiting area) are not full but overflowing with trash. Trash in outer areas of the parking structure are not cleaned at all. Ex: A DD iced tea cup sat on the back stairs for more than three months as its lemon disintegrated.

All in all - the station was a nice idea. Some architect or MBTA official is very proud. It's too bad that the station apparently has no oversight. The MBTA and Transit Police take between no and little responsibility in...

The Rt 128 University Park train station is the most convenient to reach for me, even though I am in the Merrimack Valley/I-495 region, north of the station's Metro-West area. There is a simple route to take (Route 3 to Rt 128 South) compared with access to South Station or Back Bay - even though Rt-3 and Rt-128 are often congested. Moreover, when I reach the Westwood station, the easy parking and the reasonably well laid out and equipped site is hard to beat. Yes, at times, certain apparatus can be out of order (an escalator or a rest room), but one learns to cope. On my most recent visit, when I was leaving the facility in my car after returning from a trip, the network facilitating operation of ticket reading and exit gate raising was out of order; several minutes expired before a nice attendant appeared and manually opened the gate arm to let me out. Apparently, I will not be charged for parking - the silver lining!

By the way, this station was one of the first USA passenger rail facilities specifically designed to serve travelers arriving by automobile. I recall the the current building wasopened in 2000!!

Here is an interesting quote from The Great American Stations giving you a better sense of the interior look: "On both floors, tall bands of glass wrap around the structure, emphasizing its horizontal orientation while also flooding the lofty passenger areas with bright light that bounces off the highly polished floors. At the southeast corner of the waiting room, the whole wall is glass and offers wonderful views of the arriving and departing trains. Reflecting the building’s post-modern aesthetic, the ceiling is crisscrossed by ducts and electrical conduits, and the structural girders are visible, thereby revealing how the building is assembled and how its basic systems function. To access the northbound platform, passengers must take an escalator or stairs to the second floor and then walk across a glass enclosed bridge to reach the other side. The north and south bound platforms are sheltered by wide canopies that protect passengers from...

Overall one of the best stations on the MBTA Commuter Rail network. Station is completely high level, so wheelchair users may board any car (Though wheelchaired passengers going to Hyde Park, Canton Junction and Center, Stoughton, Sharon, Mansfield and Attleboro should be in the southern two cars). Amtrak Northeast Regional and Acela trains to NYC, Philly, DC and Virginia also stop here, with service in each direction at least once an hour. MBTA Commuter Rail trains to/from Providence/Wickford Junction, RI and Stoughton also stop here, with service to/from each terminal also at least once an hour (more frequent during rush hour). The station has lots of signage, clear announcements saying the train number, destination, station stops, and for Amtrak where certain cars on the train are. The station building is nice and modern, with plenty of signs showing upcoming trains, plenty of seating, shops and a big...