33 replies to this topic

[MrFSS]

There will be a number of us, myself included, who have never ridden the Boston subway system. Maybe some of you who are familiar with the system can answer some basic questions to get us started off correctly.

Some questions that come to mind are:

Where are the stations that serve BOS and BON located in relationship to the Amtrak areas? That is, if I take the subway to the BON stop, when I get off the subway will I be in the station? Or, will I have to go to street level and then enter the station through another access point?

Same for BOS. Is the subway station right in the Amtrak station?

What about the Downtown Crossing Station? Is changing from one color train to another a cross platform change, or are different levels involved? Is there good signage that will tell us where to go when changing trains and which platform to be on for the direction we need to go?

Do all/most stations have ticket machines in them?

I'm sure there are questions others may have. This is the place to ask them and look for answers.

Thanks!!!

[jack615]

Thats a good question about the correlation between Amtrak and the T when it comes to BOS and BON, I will try to help you guys out on that and the other questions.

BOS also known as South Station (Red Line and Silver Lines as well as MBCR commuter rail to points South and west). Now assuming you are coming off an Amtrak train at South Station, you go through the concourse with Stores, Restaurants, and Amtrak typical station areas, til you find an escalator in the middle (there are Elevators off to the side) go down that and through a corridor to you will see the ticket machines and turnstiles to Enter the MBTA system. Once you enter the system follow the signs to where you want to go Inbound takes you towards Park Street and Cambridge and Outbound takes you towards Andrew, Ashmont, and Braintree.

BON also known as North Station (Green and Orange Lines as well as MBCR commuter rail to points north and west including Salem) Assuming you are entering North Station from either the Green or Orange lines coming from the south. You would go up the escalator/elevator on the north side of the platform (there are signs for TD Garden and Commuter Rail follow them) Go through the turnstiles pass the ticket machines (lot of them so good place to buy any T ones if you need to) then on the left side there is a corridor go through that, and then go up escalator/elevator go outside briefly then enter the TD Garden on the left, Go up the stairs, there is a ramp I believe, then go through the doors, and the concourse to North Station is on your right and platforms are as well.

BBY also known as Back Bay (Orange Lines and Commuter Rail South and West) is probably the easiest of the 3 to make the train to subway transfer. Assuming you are coming from Amtrak train get off the train go up the stairs/escalator/elevator go up to lobby turn right and you will be in a larger area and you should see ticket machines to your left and turnstiles to your right. Go through turnstiles then go down stairs, yes theres an elevator, and Orange line platforms right there, Outbound to Forest Hills on your left, and Right is Inbound to Downtown Crossing, North Station and Oak Grove.

At Downtown Crossing the Orange Line is above the Red Line so you would need to change levels to change trains there, but there are Elevators and the signage is good there where to go to make those transfers. It is a big station, one of the most New York like ones we have, so could be a bit confusing to a newcomer, but follow the signs and you should be fine.

And lastly with the introduction of the Charlie Card system couple years ago, all stations should have ticket machines there so you can rest assured you should have no problem getting ticket, reloading it if needed and all that good stuff.

Any other questions feel free to let me know, and if you guys have any questions or corrections to the information feel free to let me know.

Jack

[MrFSS]

Thats a good question about the correlation between Amtrak and the T when it comes to BOS and BON, I will try to help you guys out on that and the other questions.

BOS also known as South Station (Red Line and Silver Lines as well as MBCR commuter rail to points South and west). Now assuming you are coming off an Amtrak train at South Station, you go through the concourse with Stores, Restaurants, and Amtrak typical station areas, til you find an escalator in the middle (there are Elevators off to the side) go down that and through a corridor to you will see the ticket machines and turnstiles to Enter the MBTA system. Once you enter the system follow the signs to where you want to go Inbound takes you towards Park Street and Cambridge and Outbound takes you towards Andrew, Ashmont, and Braintree.

BON also known as North Station (Green and Orange Lines as well as MBCR commuter rail to points north and west including Salem) Assuming you are entering North Station from either the Green or Orange lines coming from the south. You would go up the escalator/elevator on the north side of the platform (there are signs for TD Garden and Commuter Rail follow them) Go through the turnstiles pass the ticket machines (lot of them so good place to buy any T ones if you need to) then on the left side there is a corridor go through that, and then go up escalator/elevator go outside briefly then enter the TD Garden on the left, Go up the stairs, there is a ramp I believe, then go through the doors, and the concourse to North Station is on your right and platforms are as well.

BBY also known as Back Bay (Orange Lines and Commuter Rail South and West) is probably the easiest of the 3 to make the train to subway transfer. Assuming you are coming from Amtrak train get off the train go up the stairs/escalator/elevator go up to lobby turn right and you will be in a larger area and you should see ticket machines to your left and turnstiles to your right. Go through turnstiles then go down stairs, yes theres an elevator, and Orange line platforms right there, Outbound to Forest Hills on your left, and Right is Inbound to Downtown Crossing, North Station and Oak Grove.

At Downtown Crossing the Orange Line is above the Red Line so you would need to change levels to change trains there, but there are Elevators and the signage is good there where to go to make those transfers. It is a big station, one of the most New York like ones we have, so could be a bit confusing to a newcomer, but follow the signs and you should be fine.

And lastly with the introduction of the Charlie Card system couple years ago, all stations should have ticket machines there so you can rest assured you should have no problem getting ticket, reloading it if needed and all that good stuff.

Any other questions feel free to let me know, and if you guys have any questions or corrections to the information feel free to let me know.

Jack

Jack - thanks - that helps a lot.

I will be riding Red Line from my hotel. Do I understand there is more than one place to change to the train that goes to BON In other words, do I have to change at Downtown Crossing or is there another station that might be less of a hassle?

I just looked at the Subway map and answered my own question. Downtown Crossing is the only place I can change trains to go to BON.

Edited by MrFSS, 24 October 2009 - 09:59 AM.

[the_traveler]

A little further information to get to the hotels.

I know some are staying at the Marriott in Quincy. To get there from South Station, take the Red Line OUTBOUND towards Braintree/Ashmont. But BE SURE to board a train to Braintree! (These two lines split before the Marriott!) Take this to QUINCY ADAMS (not Quincy Center or North Quincy.)

For those staying at the Doubletree-Bayside, you can take either outbound route to the JFK/UMass stop. (This is before the split.)

[jack615]

No Downtown Crossing is not the only place, you can take the Red Line to Park Street and also take the Green Line. But if you are coming from Quincy or JFK/Umass then you should get off at Downtown Crossing and get Orange Line. One thing to warn you all about frequencies on weekend, especially on the Orange line i mornings and later at night is that you could have to wait a while for your next train, could be at times as much as 15-20 min, if you time it wrong. Just something to consider when you make your plans.

Jack

[AlanB]

I know some are staying at the Marriott in Quincy. To get there from South Station, take the Red Line OUTBOUND towards Braintree/Ashmont. But BE SURE to board a train to Braintree! (These two lines split before the Marriott!) Take this to QUINCY ADAMS (not Quincy Center or North Quincy.)

Thanks for that tidbit, but I've got the Quincy group covered. They'll all just tag along with me to and fro.

[AlanB]

No Downtown Crossing is not the only place, you can take the Red Line to Park Street and also take the Green Line. But if you are coming from Quincy or JFK/Umass then you should get off at Downtown Crossing and get Orange Line. One thing to warn you all about frequencies on weekend, especially on the Orange line i mornings and later at night is that you could have to wait a while for your next train, could be at times as much as 15-20 min, if you time it wrong. Just something to consider when you make your plans.

Jack

The problem with the Green line is that not all trains run to North Station, so one has to be careful which Green line train you catch.

So I just prefer the Orange Line instead.

[MrFSS]

I found a nice little map of BOS.

[JackieTakestheTrain]

Hi: Two things that haven't been mentioned.

1. North Station has two parts to it -- the Commuter Rail part and the Subway part. These are separated by a walkway between the two terminals or you can walk outside up the street (past the Beerworks, in fact) and cross the street. There are signs to direct passengers which way to go. My husband said that the legend has it that when the station was built that the commuter rail company and the subway company could not agree on where to make an easy exchange between the 2, so they just didn't bother!

2. It is possible to take the commuter rail trains between South Station and Back Bay Station to switch between the Orange and Red Lines, if it fits your schedule and needs. I had a schedule sent to me from the MBTA that showed the schedule between these two stations, but in careful observation of it, I noticed that some of the trains don't exist anymore or have different times. (It was last printed last in 2008.) There is a board posted at Back Bay that lists the commuter rail trains and you can also use the MBTA's Trip Planner on its website. On the MBTA, select South Station and Back Bay as start and end destinations and it will show you what commuter rails are running between the two stations. Just remember that the commuter rails run more frequently on weekdays during rush hours than on off-peak weekday hours and weekends, so it might not always be the best option.

-- Jackie

[jack615]

Jackie there is no walkway at North Station that directly connects the two, you have to go outside briefly no matter which end of the station you exit at to connect between the two.

Yes you can take commuter rail trains from South Station to Back Bay, but that is no longer free ride so it is possible that they might charge you for that ride.

Jack

[AAARGH!]

I know some are staying at the Marriott in Quincy. To get there from South Station, take the Red Line OUTBOUND towards Braintree/Ashmont. But BE SURE to board a train to Braintree! (These two lines split before the Marriott!) Take this to QUINCY ADAMS (not Quincy Center or North Quincy.)

Thanks for that tidbit, but I've got the Quincy group covered. They'll all just tag along with me to and fro.

Alan, being that you and "your group" will be passing through the stop for those of us staying at the Doubletree Bayside. perhaps we could coordinate which train to catch each morning. Thoughts?

[JackieTakestheTrain]

Jackie there is no walkway at North Station that directly connects the two, you have to go outside briefly no matter which end of the station you exit at to connect between the two.

Yes you can take commuter rail trains from South Station to Back Bay, but that is no longer free ride so it is possible that they might charge you for that ride.

Jack

Jack: Hmmm..I do that pretty frequently and never have to pay and no conductor has ever asked me to. So I guess you may be right but my experience tells me differently.....

[jack615]

They probably wouldnt charge, mostly due to short distance there, how ever I did read recently that officially that free ride policy doesnt exist anymore. But I am not surprised to hear that you do that still and they dont charge for that. I was more warning the others that other possibility does exist.

Jack

[AlanB]

I know some are staying at the Marriott in Quincy. To get there from South Station, take the Red Line OUTBOUND towards Braintree/Ashmont. But BE SURE to board a train to Braintree! (These two lines split before the Marriott!) Take this to QUINCY ADAMS (not Quincy Center or North Quincy.)

Thanks for that tidbit, but I've got the Quincy group covered. They'll all just tag along with me to and fro.

Alan, being that you and "your group" will be passing through the stop for those of us staying at the Doubletree Bayside. perhaps we could coordinate which train to catch each morning. Thoughts?

That can certainly be worked out, yes. In fact, I'm already working to coordinate picking up one group at Andrew and possibly another at South Station, so working out the logistics for JFK-UMass isn't a problem. And in fact, you'll have it easier compared to the other two groups, as the station at JFK-UMass is where the two branches separate/combine. So for you it will be easy to know if it's my train coming in, as it arrives on a different platform from the trains on the other branch.

Those further downline will have to pay more attention that they get on the correct train, as they'll have multiple choices.

And in fact as I think about it, perhaps what we'll do is to have the Andrew group ride out to JFK-UMass and meet you there. For them it's only a one stop ride in the wrong direction, so they won't be going that far out of their way, and it offers a nice station to wait in where Tom and other's would have cell phone service, unlike Andrew. It will also make it easier to coordinate their hotel shuttle, or perhaps I should say make it less necessary to get the timings on the shuttle right. It would also reduce the number of phone calls that I have to make.

Let me ponder things for a bit before I make a final decision on this.

[Everydaymatters]

About meeting in south station at 2:45 on Friday, the schedule shows we leave south station at 3:15, leave Boston back bay and 3:20.

Is it only 5 minutes between those two stations?

Don't we first have to go from south station to downtowncrossing, get on the orange line and go to back bay?

[the_traveler]

By T that would be true, but by Regional, AE or Commuter Rail, it is a totally different line that runs between South Station and Back Bay Station directly. And the distance is about 1 mile.

[AlanB]

About meeting in south station at 2:45 on Friday, the schedule shows we leave south station at 3:15, leave Boston back bay and 3:20.

Is it only 5 minutes between those two stations?

Don't we first have to go from south station to downtowncrossing, get on the orange line and go to back bay?

Betty,

I think that you're confusing two different things. When we get back from the morning commuter run, we will have to go from North Station to South Station. For that we'll use the subways, Orange to Downtown Crossing, then Red to South Station. At that point we'll have lunch in South Station, since they have a better food court.

Then we board the Acela at South Station. That will take us through Back Bay, but we won't be getting off there as we have no need to get off there.

Now if we were transfering directly from the Downeaster, or even if we had limited time after our commuter run, then we might have taken the Orange Line from North directly to Back Bay because that's faster, to catch our Acela. But we have all the time in the world, and with over 30 people in our group, I wanted to board at South Station so that we have a better chance at getting all of us into the same car.

[Everydaymatters]

What confused me was I thought we had to go to Back Bay to get on the Acela.

Are you saying that we get on the Acela at South Station?

Also, on the return trip, does the T Train #822 go beyond Boston Back Bay, or is that where it ends?

Is #822 an MBTA train? If so, what line. Is that the orange line?

Where are you finding the train numbers?

Sorry for so many questions.

Edited by Everydaymatters, 24 October 2009 - 07:00 PM.

[AlanB]

Yes, Betty, the Acela originates at South Station. Back Bay is not a terminus for any trains, it's a through station only.

And our train that we'll take back from Providence to Boston terminates at South Station. We'll however get off one stop early at Back Bay because it's a short walk from there to the resturant. Since, IIRC, you and Winnie are not coming to dinner at Joe's with the group, you have the option of getting off in BBY or staying on to South Station depending on just what you want to do that night.

[AlanB]

Is #822 an MBTA train? If so, what line. Is that the orange line?

Where are you finding the train numbers?

Sorry for so many questions.

You were busy modifying your post, even as I was responding. So I'll answer these seperately.

The MBTA runs subways, buses, trolley, and commuter rail. The commuter rail is sometimes referred to as MBCR. You could call train #822 an MBTA train and not really be considered wrong, and you can also call it an MBCR train.

It is not an Orange line train. The subways remain basically in Boston proper, while the commuter lines run way outside Boston. If you go to the MBTA website and click on Commuter rail, you can see the various lines. On any map the commuter lines are typically in purple.

The subway lines are usually in the same color as their designation.

And I found the train numbers for the commuter rides by going to the online timetables. They are at the top of the column for each train.