Planes, Trains, and Commuter Rails

Whether you are traveling through Boston for a vacation, staycation, or the holiday season, planning your travel itinerary can be stressful, especially if you are unfamiliar with the area. Regardless of where you’re headed, keep your travel plans on track by planning and accounting for traffic or delays that could derail your journey. 

Boston drivers spend an average of 83 hours in traffic each year, ranking the city fifth in the nation for congestion, making travel through the historic city by car less than desirable. With direct access to major transportation hubs, such as Amtrak,  Logan International Airport in Boston, or T.F. Green International Airport in Rhode Island, the Commuter Rail is your ticket to a traffic-free and hassle-free travel experience through Boston. 

Traveling on the Commuter Rail

The Commuter Rail serves more than 170 cities and towns throughout Massachusetts and Rhode Island, including major cities such as Boston, Worcester, and Providence, making it an accessible mode of transportation for people of all ages and abilities. Traveling via the Commuter Rail comes with perks beyond leaving your stress at the station. Kids under 11 ride free, and on weekends, you can purchase a $10 pass for an unlimited ride pass. 

Getting Commuter Rail Tickets

You don’t need to book your Commuter Rail ticket in advance in order to secure your seat. However, it is suggested that you buy your tickets before 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 or South 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

Traveling by Amtrak trains is another popular mode of transportation, 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. Depending on your final destination, an Amtrak train can be a viable option when traveling out of New England.

Luckily for your 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 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 take the train to the airport instead, and spare yourself that all-too-familiar movie montage of sprinting through terminals to make your flight.

Logan Airport

Skip stressful parts of airport travel 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, convenient way to reach 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, especially during peak travel times like school vacation or the holiday season. 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 your holiday trip? 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 will be many others 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 or on overhead racks, out of the way.

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.