Planes, Trains, and Commuter Rails

How to Use the Commuter Rail for Holiday Travel

Holiday travel can be stressful, whether you’re visiting family with your children or you’re a college student on school break. Even when the holiday season is months away, if you’re traveling, the sooner you plan, the better. The holidays can be even more stressful when you go by car–nationwide, drivers see travel times increase up to 20% during the holiday season due to traffic.

The Commuter Rail can be a major asset in this year’s holiday travel plans. Skip the highway traffic throughout the Boston area and take a relaxing ride on the train instead. It also can connect you to major transportation hubs, for Amtrak or airports.

Traveling on the Commuter Rail

Not everyone has to travel across the country to visit their loved ones during the holiday season. For some, travel plans remain in-state, but can still be time-consuming due to the increase in traffic. That’s why it’s best to just take the train rather than your car. The Commuter Rail services more than 170 cities and towns throughout Massachusetts and Rhode Island, including major cities like Boston, Worcester, and Providence. So if your destination is near a train station, or a friend can pick you up after you get off the train, it’s one of the most convenient alternatives to driving.

The Commuter Rail is especially great if you’re traveling with children. On top of children 11 and under always riding free, there’s something about taking the train that feels almost magical during the holidays. It’s a time to relax with your family rather than stress out about traffic. Your kids can cuddle up beside you as you read books like The Polar Express and enjoy the scenery drifting by outside the window. 

Getting Commuter Rail Tickets

You don’t need to book your Commuter Rail ticket in advance in order to secure your seat. 

However, we do suggest you buy your tickets prior to boarding. Here are all the ways you can buy Commuter Rail tickets:

• The mTicket app for mobile tickets
• MBTA Fare Vending Machines
• Ticket windows at North, South, or Back Bay stations
• On board from a conductor with cash or credit card

If you’re riding in and out of North Station, you will need to verify your ticket at the Fare Gates to enter and exit the concourse. Learn more about Commuter Rail Fare Gates at MBTA.com/crgates.

Getting to Amtrak

Tons of travelers take Amtrak trains when they visit friends and family during the holidays. With 21,000 route miles in 46 states, the District of Columbia and three Canadian provinces, Amtrak operates more than 300 trains each day to more than 500 destinations. So if you’re looking for a scenic, leisurely ride to another state, Amtrak is the way to go.

Luckily for your holiday travel plans, Boston’s three Amtrak stations are easy to reach for anyone using the Commuter Rail. Amtrak Downeaster trains, which go from Boston to Brunswick, Maine, and include stops in New Hampshire, arrive and depart from Boston North Station. All other Amtrak services in Boston depart from South Station and Back Bay Stations. As all Commuter Rail trains lead to one of these three stations, it’s extremely easy to take the train to connect to Amtrak service.

Routes to Airports

Skip the traffic or parking costs and just take the train to the airport so you aren’t stuck recreating the scene from Home Alone where the family rushes through the airport to catch their flight! Keep your holiday cheer intact and let us help you get there.

Logan Airport

Skip stressful parts of airport travel this year by ditching the drive. Instead take the Commuter Rail into Boston’s South Station, Back Bay, or North Station, then take public transportation over to Logan Airport to catch your flight. Keep in mind that each station has its own unique but convenient way to get to Logan Airport.

• From South Station, hop on the MBTA’s Silver Line 1 (SL1), which is a shuttle that goes directly to all of Logan’s airport terminals.
• From North Station, take the Orange Line to State Street or the Green Line to Government Center and then transfer to the Blue Line, which will take you directly to Airport Station.
• From Back Bay, you can take the Logan Express shuttle directly to Logan Airport.

For more in-depth information on using public transportation to get to Logan Airport, check out their website.

T.F. Green International Airport

Not everyone wants to fly out of Boston, especially because holiday plane fares can be expensive. If you’re looking for an alternative to Logan Airport, on weekdays you can take the Providence/Stoughton Line down to T.F. Green International Airport in Rhode Island. The train stops directly at the T.F. Green Airport Station during the week, which connects directly to the airport terminal. It’s a convenient way to get to the airport, and weekday flights out of T.F. Green can sometimes be cheaper. 

Pro Tips for Holiday Travel

On Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday, Commuter Rail will run on a Regular Weekend Schedule. Visit MBTA.com/holidays for more information.

Use the MBTA Trip Planner

Need a little more help planning out your trip for the holiday season? Enter your origin and destination in the MBTA trip planner at MBTA.com/cr. This will create trip itineraries with station and line information as well as give you an estimated fare. You can also find full timetables and fare information on this website.

If you don’t have a station close to your final destination, you can look at the MBTA system map to find the furthest station from all the city traffic that is on the way and use that as your destination.

Arrive 10 minutes early

Arrive at the platform 5-10 minutes prior to the scheduled departure time and make sure you know if you’re traveling inbound or outbound.

Storage

There are a lot of others who will be traveling on the train, so please be mindful of the space you’re using and give priority seating to those who need it. If you’re bringing bags or luggage, use the dedicated storage on board and keep large personal items on the floor and out of the way or on overhead racks.

Helpful Websites to Use and Apps to Download

• MTicket: get train tickets on your phone
• SeeSay: Anonymously report suspicious activity on MBTA property
• Pay By Phone: Pay for parking with your phone
• Alerts.mbta.com for T-Alerts

Not Sure If You Can Take the Train? 

Check out the MBTA station map and use the MBTA trip planner to help plan your route. Call 617-222-3200 or Tweet @MBTA_CR and we’ll help you with your itinerary.