Hey Salem State! Did you know there's more than just the 455 bus to get around?

I have been attending Salem State University for 3 years now and am very familiar with the MBTA bus 455, which goes to Wonderland and to the north end at the Salem train station. I am very familiar with how packed this bus route gets because they go through dense neighborhoods in Salem and Lynn, picking up passengers, as well as the numerous SSU students boarding and it is always very slow to get to where they are going as a result. (This is primarily an issue on trips going to/from Wonderland). It usually takes on average an hour to get to Wonderland from SSU. I have searched for alternatives and luckily, there are some, and I've tested them all, as I either am sick of waiting for the bus to show up at SSU or I just miss the 455 at Wonderland and don't feel like waiting for the next one to come. So if you're sick and tired of waiting forever for the bus and being in packed buses for a while (and you're up for some walking), here are some alternatives! These directions assume you are at Central Campus and the times are approximate, if one "fast walks".

Alternative 1: Route 450/450W

Path to the 450 from Central Campus in pink.

Route Profile: The 450 goes from Salem Depot to Haymarket, with some trips going only to West Lynn, and all weekend trips running as the 450W to Wonderland. All trips run along Highland Ave. in Salem and Western Ave. in Lynn before running to Haymarket or Wonderland. Alternative midday trips run as Route 456 to Central Square, Lynn, but honestly, if you're going there, it's just faster to get on the 455 at SSU. The stop you want to board on, assuming you're going inbound, is Highland Ave at Valley St. and the stop you want to get off at if you're coming from Boston/Lynn and going to SSU is Highland Ave. at Willson St.

Schedule (follow directions on website): https://mbta.com/schedules/450/schedule?direction_id=1

Fares: Express bus fare if going to/coming from Haymarket, Local bus fare if bus is going to West Lynn or Wonderland or you tell driver when you board that you are getting off before Haymarket. See https://mbta.com/fares/bus-fares for more details.

Time to/from Haymarket on bus (weekdays): approx. 50 min.
Time to/from Wonderland on bus (weekends only): approx. 35-40 min.

How to get to the 450: Cross the street at the crosswalk in front of Viking Hall and go up Jefferson Ave, passing the convenience store. Go over the railroad bridge and keep following Jefferson St. until you approach Willson St. Take a left onto Willson St. Follow Willson St. until the end at Highland Ave. Cross the street at Highland Ave and take a left and go up the street until you get to the stop at the bridge (Valley St.). Do the reverse of this to get to SSU from the 450.

Distance: 1.3 miles/approx. 20-25 minutes "fast walking".

Alternative 2: Route 441 at Vinnin Square

Path to Vinnin Sq. from Central Campus in blue.

Route Profile: The 441 runs from Marblehead to Wonderland, via Paradise Rd and the Lynnway. The stop you want to board on if you're going inbound is 1000 Paradise Rd. and the stop you want to get off at if you're coming from Wonderland is Paradise Rd at Vinnin St.

Schedule: https://mbta.com/schedules/441/schedule?direction_id=1#direction-filter

Fare: Regular (local) bus fare.

Time to/from Wonderland on bus: approx. 35 min.

How to get to the 441 at Vinnin Square: Follow Loring Ave, going past South Campus, all the way to the light at Fantasy Island, taking a left at the fork, onto Paradise Rd. At the next light, cross the street. Continue down Paradise Rd. until you get to the stop at 1000 Paradise Rd. (across from the Walgreens). Do the reverse of this to get to SSU from Vinnin Sq.

Distance: 1.4 miles/20 min "fast walking" (15 min. from South Campus).

Path to the 441/442 at Humphrey and Glendale from Central Campus in orange.

Alternative 3: Routes 441 and 442 in Marblehead (Humphrey St at Glendale Rd.)

Route Profile: The 441 which stops at Vinnin Sq. in the previous stop profile also stops further up the route in Marblehead at Humphrey St and Glendale Rd. A second route, the 442, also stops here, but continues down Humphrey St. on its way to Wonderland instead of going to Vinnin Square and Paradise Rd like the 441 does. The stop you want to board on is Humphrey St. opposite Glendale Rd. and the stop you want to get off at when coming from Wonderland is Humphrey St. at Glendale Rd.

Schedule (Route 441): https://mbta.com/schedules/441/schedule
Schedule (Route 442): https://mbta.com/schedules/442/schedule

Fare for both routes: Regular (local) bus fare.

Time to/from Wonderland on 441: approx. 40 min.
Time to/from Wonderland on 442: approx. 35-40 min.

How to get to the 441/442 at Glendale Rd: Go on the bike path behind Bertolon and follow it until you get to Lafayette St. Take a right on Lafayette St, going into Marblehead until you reach the light at the fork after the top of the hill. At the light, take a right, going down the hill until you reach another light. Cross the street and take a right on Humphrey St (not Tedesco St.) where the stop is. Do the reverse of this to get to SSU from Marblehead.

Distance: 1.2 miles/20 min "fast walking". This stop is also accessible enough and takes the same time if one is going/coming from North Campus. Instead of using the bike path, start/stay on Lafayette St. further up (on the Dunkin's side of Meier) and go down the hill until you meet up with the bike path, then follow the rest of the original directions listed above.

Pro tip: I consider these routes (441/442) the "hidden expresses" to Salem State, as most of the time, they, along with walking the last mile to SSU, are considerably faster than the regular buses that pick up on Loring Ave in front of SSU, as these routes run in a mostly straight direction and aren't as curvy or deviation-prone as the 455 is going through Salem and Lynn, and almost always you will get a seat on these buses. I would especially stick to these routes around October, as they don't go to downtown Salem, meaning you won't be waiting forever for the bus to come pick you up because it's still stuck in Downtown Salem!

Alternative 4: The Commuter Rail

Path to the Commuter Rail in purple.

Route Profile: The Newburyport/Rockport Commuter Rail line runs from North Station in Boston to those two destinations, stopping at Salem along the way. You can take either train to Salem. The train station is located at the northern end of downtown Salem.

Schedule: https://mbta.com/stops/Salem?tab=departures

Fare: Zone 3 commuter rail fare for a trip into Boston or Chelsea, interzone fare for travel to all other destinations on the line from Salem. The Commuter Rail is going to be more expensive than the bus to go to Boston, so if you're on a budget, it may not be a good idea.

Time to North Station: approx. 30-35 min.

How to get to the Salem train station: Follow Canal St., going by O'Keefe, all the way to Downtown Salem. Keep going straight all the way through downtown Salem until you get to the station.

Distance: 1.8 miles/approx. half an hour "fast walking".

Pro tip: I know it looks like a straight, easy route to walk, and it looks closer than what it really is, but it isn't. I've walked it before and trust me, it takes a while, even "fast walking" before you get to SSU. The train is also very expensive and by the time I get one of the shorter length bus routes (aka 441/442) and the subway together to Boston, I'm almost there and the walking/commuter rail combo only saves me about 10 minutes as I have to get on the subway anyways when I get to North Station, and I save myself a good amount of money by taking the bus to the subway at Wonderland instead. If you absolutely have to take the commuter rail, take the bus that picks up in front of SSU to the end at Salem Depot and get the train there, although around October, I can't guarantee that will be much faster either.

So, I have presented all the alternative routes that are near SSU. If you walk, there's actually quite a few to choose from. I hope this helps SSU students in getting to their destinations a little better, and good luck in your travels!