Bowdoin MBTA Station – Blue Line

Nice Beacon Hill subway station that almost always guarantees a seat. Surrounded by some restaurants and stores, namely Whole Foods. Is useful while Government Center is closed. Additionally, one could walk down Cambridge Street to transfer from Bowdoin to Charles/​MGH for a quick transfer between the blue and red lines.

Bowdoin Station is close to the Court House and a short walk to Whole Foods on Cambridge Street. I am saddened to hear that this cozy little station will be closing after the new and improved Government Center Station re-​opens. Instead of closing Bowdoin, how about putting in an elevator to make it more accessible (for those of us lugging our groceries down long flights of stairs)?
If I have time, I board the Blue Line at Bowdoin where I can always get a seat instead of competing with the huge crowd at State Street. You can cross over the platform and catch the same train going to Wonderland after it travels around the loop for the outbound trip. Passengers must push a button to open the train doors here. Bowdoin Station has lots of benches and fewer riders so waiting for the train here is far less stressful.

Most people that have used the MBTA transit system may never even known that Bowdoin station even exists. With the two year closure of Government Center it forced the MBTA to keep the station open on weekdays & weekends. It is quite a unique station nestled right next to a small park & office buildings plus the trains are the only ones to use a push button system to open the doors. It gives you access to the heart of the West End. So only the doors with people at them will open. Like the ones in Europe. Being a mid-​sized terminus it is rarely crowded & you are almost always able to get a spot to sit. The station itself is an odd shape & is not intuitive to anyone who has not been there before. It is always clean & well lit but it is not always staffed by MBTA personnel. Hopefully after the reopening of Government Center, Bowdoin will continue to maintain its extended opening hours.

I like this train station… clean for the most part and the trains are rather clean also … I’d take this train over green any day!

Ahh, Bowdoin. The old, crochety grandma of the T system.
There is essentially no reason to go to Bowdoin except to say you’ve been to Bowdoin. Which is why I’ve been to Bowdoin. I guess it’s also kinda convenient if you live off the Blue Line and work in Beacon Hill.
Warnings about Bowdoin:
–It’s only open 5:15 AM — 6:30 PM Monday through Friday and is not open on holidays.
–It’s silly to get on at Bowdoin unless you intend to travel for some length along the blue line. If you want to get on the Green Line, you should just walk the short distance to the Government Center Station. Orange Line– just walk to State; Red Line– just walk to Charles/​MGH (note that there is NO direct transfer between the Blue and Red lines. They are the only subway lines in Boston that never cross.)
–Due to the short platform for outgoing trains, you might have to press a little button on the side of the train car to board. I actually think that is kind of cool.