Boston Public Transportation Options
Ride the "T" and Commuter Rail to Navigate the City
Oct 12, 2009
Boston has a reputation for being difficult to navigate. The streets are narrow, the drivers are impatient and roads are constantly closed. However, visitors to Boston do not need to drive to get around the city. Here are some options for getting around the Boston area without a car.
Taking the “T” Around Boston
The country’s oldest subway system has three actual subway lines (assigned colors of red, orange and blue), one street car line (green) and a bus that is assigned a color (silver) and is thought to be an actual subway line. The “T” runs until about 12:45am each night.
The “T”, short for the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority (MBTA), can be taken all around downtown Boston and somewhat into the suburbs. It is fairly reliable, coming every five to seven minutes during rush hour, and with the introduction of the new self-service ticketing system in each station, is easy to figure out. If visitors have any trouble, they can ask an MBTA employee for assistance.
The Red Line begins south of the city in the town of Braintree and runs through downtown, through Harvard Square and ends a few miles north of the city in the town of Arlington.
The Orange Line begins southwest of the city in Jamaica Plain, runs through downtown and ends a few miles north of the city in the town of Melrose.
The Blue Line begins downtown and stretches east, going past the airport, and ends in the town of Lynn.
The Green Line begins in East Cambridge and runs through downtown via the Museum of Science and the TD Banknorth Garden and splits into four branches where it becomes a streetcar. The four branches are labeled B, C, D and E. The B and C lines run past Boston University and out to Boston College and are the slowest since they stop at every traffic light. The E line runs by the Museum of Fine Arts but it also goes by Northeastern University and can be slow as well.
The Silver Line appears on the MBTA map as a subway line but is really a bus. It is fairly new to the city and connects parts of Boston to downtown that previously had no public transportation at all. One of the best things about the silver line is the direct connection from downtown Boston to Logan airport.
Getting From Logan Airport to Downtown Boston
There are two ways to get to downtown Boston from Logan International Airport via public transportation.
Silver Line: This is probably the easiest option as the silver line picks up at all of the terminals in the bus lane and goes directly to South Station. From there, travelers can connect to the red line and the commuter rail going west and south of the city.
Bus to the Blue Line: This option requires looking for a bus that will go to the blue line. The time on the bus only takes a few minutes but the blue line stop is not downtown and unless visitors are going somewhere on the blue line it is usually more trouble that it is worth to go this option, as they will have to switch trains again somewhere along the line.
MBTA Commuter Rail
The commuter rail stretches in every direction all over greater Boston. Most lines have wireless internet and are generally comfortable. Unlike the regular “T”, the commuter rail doesn’t come very often. Even at rush hour times most lines run only every 30 minutes. The commuter rail requires planning, but is generally effective at getting passengers where they need to go. One thing to note is that all trains coming from the north of the city all stop at North Station. Trains coming from the west and the south all go to South Station. There is no commuter rail tunnel that connects the two so unless North Station or South Station is the final destination, getting around the city usually requires taking the “T” in addition to the commuter rail.
Boston is a very walkable city and when traveling, walking between a couple of “T” stations can be very scenic as well as possibly more efficient than navigating the “T”. However, when going longer distances, most residents and visitors will find the public transportation system in Boston able to serve their needs effectively.
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