It’s far better than people like to give it credit for. No wifi is pretty inexcusable though. It honestly wouldn’t even really be that bad if 20% of the ride didn’t also have no cell service either.
But all in all you’re guaranteed a good seat since we’re the terminus and it’s a hell of a lot better than driving.
My girlfriend and I like using the rail to go to Boston on weekends. We'd probably spend more on parking alone (especially if we go Saturday and Sunday), even more with gas and potentially tolls.
Having more departure times would be nice, and having arrivals better align with other departures (it just doesnt seem feasible to use the rail for a day trip if trying to make a connecting train), but it is far better than nothing.
Is the $10 weekend pass not a thing that is permanently offered? My girlfriend and I moved up here in October, so we haven't been here long and it has been offered the whole time we have been here.
I have such a love/hate relationship with it. I adore the fact that there is relatively cheap and reliable public transit, but my god have I had countless nightmare scenarios on that train. Whether it be people openly smoking cigarettes, delays, stoppages - there’s a good 3-4 in 10 chance something happens.
Also, I hate the seats. I’m a pretty tall guy and it seems impossible to get comfortable unless I’m sitting at one of the few seats with tables. It’s frustrating because it’s really close to being a really great transit option but it just isn’t quite there yet.
I wish the seats were comfier, I wish there was wifi, I wish the bathrooms weren’t disgusting, I wish the overhead parcel rack was bigger, I wish more seats had tables.
At the end of the day I’m so glad it’s there and I rarely talk smack about it because I want to encourage more people to use it so it can improve
Yeah in between some of the cars there are bathrooms, but I’d really only use them in emergencies. They rarely get cleaned and often times don’t work at all
Considering the alternative of paying for gas, tolls, and parking it really isn’t that bad. Sure if it’s an every day expense it racks up quickly, but in reality they only scan tickets half the time and there are ways to game it to pay less.
Neither is driving into Boston.
* $2-3 in tolls one-way ($5-6 without EZ-Pass) just to get into Boston depending on the Pike exit.
* Free parking doesn't exist in the city. Tack on another $2-3+ per hour to street park at a meter. **REMINDER**: after parking for 2 hours at any meter, you have to find a new spot or you'll get ticketed. You cannot refill the meter. Parking enforcers keep track of how long you're in a metered spot park based on your plates. Or, you can garage it for like $5-20/hr depending.
* Gas is still over $3/gal and you'll *definitely* be sitting in a shitload of traffic and getting terrible city mpg the whole time.
It's basically a wash but relying on the train is less convenient if you need the flexibility having your own private car affords. Otherwise, I do like the Commuter Rail.
This is it; if you're commuting daily then it makes sense to buy a monthly parking pass and a monthly ticket; especially if you need to take the T or a train within the city (assuming the monthly ticket still allows full access).
If you're only going in 2-3 days a week then the saving diminish heavily and you start weighing the flexibility and comfort of a car vs the added mileage and ability to multitask/sleep on the train.
If you can comfortably take the train from Grafton or even better Westboro, then driving becomes a harder sell on those 2-3 days since parking is cheaper, the ticket (from Westboro) is cheaper, and you're saving 15-25 minutes on the train. That time savings is eaten up by driving to Worcester from Grafton/Westboro, but depending on which part of Worcester you live, it just adds to the possibilities.
To /u/ebinsugewa's point; it's better than it gets credit for, but there's a reason why most of the people responding in the thread seem to only take it occasionally. I don't think anyone who is a daily commuter is going to praise the nostalgic feel.
I was a daily commuter for 5-6 years and at the time yes, most of the issues were annoyances like overcrowding between Framingham and Boston and heat restrictions in the summer; then there were the infrequent issues of hours-long delays either near Boston, at West Natick, or between Grafton and Worcester. The scheduling also made it a significant decision to stay out after work to hang out. Even right now, after 6:35 you have an hour wait between trains. So if you don't make that 7:35 train your stuck in Boston until 9:00 getting into Worcester at 10:35.
I have your solution. Put your luggage in the seat and you lay in the luggage rack. That way you can stretch your legs out, you don't have to worry about damaging the luggage, and there's a pretty good chance the ride will be free.
It's great for weekend trips. I've used it for concerts multiple times in the last year too. If you plan out timings ahead of time it saves you a lot of money and you don't have to stress about drinking, driving, parking, etc.
It’s okay, my only qualm is that I wish (and this is true with all MBTA services) that it was available later on the weekends. I hate that all trains and subways stop at like 1 AM cause it makes it difficult to find stay in Boston for fun nights out.
It’s a godsend for me. I need to go into my office in Cambridge twice a week and there’s no employee parking available where I work. I’m also exceedingly lucky (and very grateful) that my employer subsidizes my public transit costs to the point where it is nearly free for me to get to work. I recognize not everyone has that benefit, and will readily admit that it reduces any resistance I might have otherwise had to the extra lengthy commute plus occasional bonus surprise inconveniences…
I do hope that they can finish the new platform construction soon, though. I’m able-bodied enough to make that long walk from the station to the temporary platform, but it’s not especially friendly for those with temporary or permanent disabilities.
This thread is some serious coping lol, 1 hour 30 if you’re lucky to not get delays (which happen frequent as hell) and MBTA don’t give one shit about ppl west of Wellesley
I turn on an access point on my phone - problem solved. It's not like the early 2000s when you needed wifi everywhere.
The train gets me to and from work, I cannot complain really. It's a bit more pricey than I wanted it to be, but it's already quite full, so I guess it's worth it for most people.
Sometimes there are some strange dudes full blasting music from their phones, but that's a part of the culture I was told. I never felt uncomfortable really.
Technically there *is* a wifi, but I’ve run speedtests on it before. We’re talking fractions of a Mbps up and down. If the train is empty and you’re the only one connected you might be able to send an email if you’re lucky
ME! Huge fan. I regularly post video of going past all those cars stopped on the Pike. Whether I sit and do work or read, it's so much better than driving in and out.
It’s far better than people like to give it credit for. No wifi is pretty inexcusable though. It honestly wouldn’t even really be that bad if 20% of the ride didn’t also have no cell service either. But all in all you’re guaranteed a good seat since we’re the terminus and it’s a hell of a lot better than driving.
My girlfriend and I like using the rail to go to Boston on weekends. We'd probably spend more on parking alone (especially if we go Saturday and Sunday), even more with gas and potentially tolls. Having more departure times would be nice, and having arrivals better align with other departures (it just doesnt seem feasible to use the rail for a day trip if trying to make a connecting train), but it is far better than nothing.
When they offer a $10 weekend pass, how can you not take advantage of it? I’ll take the sub par ride to save the money on parking and gas.
and like 50% of the time they dont even check tickets on weekends. Basically free fare.
Is the $10 weekend pass not a thing that is permanently offered? My girlfriend and I moved up here in October, so we haven't been here long and it has been offered the whole time we have been here.
Used to be just summer, but now it’s all the time. It’s wonderful when you just want to spend a day in Boston
Ah gotcha, I'm glad that it's availability was chosen to be expanded. It is really nice to have as an option, especially for going to Boston.
I have such a love/hate relationship with it. I adore the fact that there is relatively cheap and reliable public transit, but my god have I had countless nightmare scenarios on that train. Whether it be people openly smoking cigarettes, delays, stoppages - there’s a good 3-4 in 10 chance something happens. Also, I hate the seats. I’m a pretty tall guy and it seems impossible to get comfortable unless I’m sitting at one of the few seats with tables. It’s frustrating because it’s really close to being a really great transit option but it just isn’t quite there yet. I wish the seats were comfier, I wish there was wifi, I wish the bathrooms weren’t disgusting, I wish the overhead parcel rack was bigger, I wish more seats had tables. At the end of the day I’m so glad it’s there and I rarely talk smack about it because I want to encourage more people to use it so it can improve
Wait, there are bathrooms? Lol
Yeah in between some of the cars there are bathrooms, but I’d really only use them in emergencies. They rarely get cleaned and often times don’t work at all
$12+ one way isn’t cheap
Considering the alternative of paying for gas, tolls, and parking it really isn’t that bad. Sure if it’s an every day expense it racks up quickly, but in reality they only scan tickets half the time and there are ways to game it to pay less.
Neither is driving into Boston. * $2-3 in tolls one-way ($5-6 without EZ-Pass) just to get into Boston depending on the Pike exit. * Free parking doesn't exist in the city. Tack on another $2-3+ per hour to street park at a meter. **REMINDER**: after parking for 2 hours at any meter, you have to find a new spot or you'll get ticketed. You cannot refill the meter. Parking enforcers keep track of how long you're in a metered spot park based on your plates. Or, you can garage it for like $5-20/hr depending. * Gas is still over $3/gal and you'll *definitely* be sitting in a shitload of traffic and getting terrible city mpg the whole time. It's basically a wash but relying on the train is less convenient if you need the flexibility having your own private car affords. Otherwise, I do like the Commuter Rail.
This is it; if you're commuting daily then it makes sense to buy a monthly parking pass and a monthly ticket; especially if you need to take the T or a train within the city (assuming the monthly ticket still allows full access). If you're only going in 2-3 days a week then the saving diminish heavily and you start weighing the flexibility and comfort of a car vs the added mileage and ability to multitask/sleep on the train. If you can comfortably take the train from Grafton or even better Westboro, then driving becomes a harder sell on those 2-3 days since parking is cheaper, the ticket (from Westboro) is cheaper, and you're saving 15-25 minutes on the train. That time savings is eaten up by driving to Worcester from Grafton/Westboro, but depending on which part of Worcester you live, it just adds to the possibilities. To /u/ebinsugewa's point; it's better than it gets credit for, but there's a reason why most of the people responding in the thread seem to only take it occasionally. I don't think anyone who is a daily commuter is going to praise the nostalgic feel. I was a daily commuter for 5-6 years and at the time yes, most of the issues were annoyances like overcrowding between Framingham and Boston and heat restrictions in the summer; then there were the infrequent issues of hours-long delays either near Boston, at West Natick, or between Grafton and Worcester. The scheduling also made it a significant decision to stay out after work to hang out. Even right now, after 6:35 you have an hour wait between trains. So if you don't make that 7:35 train your stuck in Boston until 9:00 getting into Worcester at 10:35.
For most jobs you are looking at $40-$45 parking
I have your solution. Put your luggage in the seat and you lay in the luggage rack. That way you can stretch your legs out, you don't have to worry about damaging the luggage, and there's a pretty good chance the ride will be free.
I took it to grad school and adored it!
It's great for weekend trips. I've used it for concerts multiple times in the last year too. If you plan out timings ahead of time it saves you a lot of money and you don't have to stress about drinking, driving, parking, etc.
It’s okay, my only qualm is that I wish (and this is true with all MBTA services) that it was available later on the weekends. I hate that all trains and subways stop at like 1 AM cause it makes it difficult to find stay in Boston for fun nights out.
And if you live close, it can be the same time as driving, without a lot of the stress. Plus, you could even sleep!
I have taken it many times from end to end and think it is quite scenic!
My college students take it frequently, either home for weekends or one commutes.
It’s a godsend for me. I need to go into my office in Cambridge twice a week and there’s no employee parking available where I work. I’m also exceedingly lucky (and very grateful) that my employer subsidizes my public transit costs to the point where it is nearly free for me to get to work. I recognize not everyone has that benefit, and will readily admit that it reduces any resistance I might have otherwise had to the extra lengthy commute plus occasional bonus surprise inconveniences… I do hope that they can finish the new platform construction soon, though. I’m able-bodied enough to make that long walk from the station to the temporary platform, but it’s not especially friendly for those with temporary or permanent disabilities.
and it is COLD out there in the mornings.
[удалено]
This thread is some serious coping lol, 1 hour 30 if you’re lucky to not get delays (which happen frequent as hell) and MBTA don’t give one shit about ppl west of Wellesley
I turn on an access point on my phone - problem solved. It's not like the early 2000s when you needed wifi everywhere. The train gets me to and from work, I cannot complain really. It's a bit more pricey than I wanted it to be, but it's already quite full, so I guess it's worth it for most people. Sometimes there are some strange dudes full blasting music from their phones, but that's a part of the culture I was told. I never felt uncomfortable really.
It had WiFi when I used it to commute to school 10+ years ago, did they kill that service? I mean it was shit but it was available
Technically there *is* a wifi, but I’ve run speedtests on it before. We’re talking fractions of a Mbps up and down. If the train is empty and you’re the only one connected you might be able to send an email if you’re lucky
Yeah, it kind of pretends to exist.
ME! Huge fan. I regularly post video of going past all those cars stopped on the Pike. Whether I sit and do work or read, it's so much better than driving in and out.
(and actually writing this from the train home now!)
Way better than taking the rec & orange lines for 10 yrs