Planning PHL to Gloucester Mass. in May. No connect to North station?? MBTA service choices lacking.
Might drive.
Any ideas?
Might drive.
Any ideas?
Railroad Forums
NoBoston South to Boston North?
- Discussion related to Amtrak also known as the National Railroad Passenger Corp.
Moderators: GirlOnTheTrain, mtuandrew, Tadman
Get off Amtrak at Back Bay Boston and hop on Orange Line subway to North Station to catch T commuter rail to Gloucester.
Or if you have minimal luggage, it's a pleasant 20 minute to half hour walk up the Greenway park from South Station to North Station.
And if neither the direct subway connection at Back Bay nor walking appeals to you, there are plenty of taxis available at South Station and it's a short one-mile taxi ride.
The easiest transfer is Boston Back Bay to Boston North station via the Orange line. Subway service is pretty frequent.
Back in the day, it was two different railroads serving Boston, and they didn't build a tunnel to connect them. The tunnel wasn't funded as part of the big dig, so for the foreseeable future, they won't be connected.
Back in the day, it was two different railroads serving Boston, and they didn't build a tunnel to connect them. The tunnel wasn't funded as part of the big dig, so for the foreseeable future, they won't be connected.
-Greg Primrose
Co-Owner, Railroad.Net
Ave Atque Vale
Co-Owner, Railroad.Net
Ave Atque Vale
gprimr1 wrote:The easiest transfer is Boston Back Bay to Boston North station via the Orange line. Subway service is pretty frequent.and will never be....unless via the Grand Jct.
Back in the day, it was two different railroads serving Boston, and they didn't build a tunnel to connect them. The tunnel wasn't funded as part of the big dig, so for the foreseeable future, they won't be connected.
North-South rail link was quoted at $1 - $2 Billion, which was before the "Big Dig" ballooned to ~$16 Billion+. To justify that cost you need New York City levels of train traffic. Essentially a replacement for the Atlantic Ave. El and the old street running freight.
Grand Junction - to serve as a rail link, at a minimum needs a loop track around Beacon Park. Easy and cheap to design and build now, will be impossible after Harvard & Ma$$Pike redevelop.
Grand Junction - to serve as a rail link, at a minimum needs a loop track around Beacon Park. Easy and cheap to design and build now, will be impossible after Harvard & Ma$$Pike redevelop.
BandA wrote:North-South rail link was quoted at $1 - $2 Billion, which was before the "Big Dig" ballooned to ~$16 Billion+. To justify that cost you need New York City levels of train traffic. Essentially a replacement for the Atlantic Ave. El and the old street running freight.They could alway bring back the Union Freight Railroad.
Grand Junction - to serve as a rail link, at a minimum needs a loop track around Beacon Park. Easy and cheap to design and build now, will be impossible after Harvard & Ma$$Pike redevelop.
They could alway bring back the Union Freight Railroad. [/quote]exactly! I didn't visit downtown until 5-6yrs after they ripped it out the tracks (1969 or 1970?) [ot] I remember the wooden boat terminal waiting room on Rowes Wharf, and Quincy Market when it first opened but before the North or South buildings were converted (I think they had been emptied), the new aquarium with a rotted wharf next to it.
[/quote]exactly! I didn't visit downtown until 5-6yrs after they ripped it out the tracks (1969 or 1970?) [ot] I remember the wooden boat terminal waiting room on Rowes Wharf, and Quincy Market when it first opened but before the North or South buildings were converted (I think they had been emptied), the new aquarium with a rotted wharf next to it.When Amtrak has to move equipment back and forth from South and North, do they have to do an end-around or do they have more direct access?
Trainer wrote:When Amtrak has to move equipment back and forth from South and North, do they have to do an end-around or do they have more direct access?Equipment transfers for both Amtrak and the MBTA change ends at Beacon Park.
"The destination of this train is [BEEP BEEP]" -announcement on an Ashmont train.
BandA wrote:North-South rail link was quoted at $1 - $2 Billion, which was before the "Big Dig" ballooned to ~$16 Billion+. To justify that cost you need New York City levels of train traffic. Essentially a replacement for the Atlantic Ave. El and the old street running freight.Was that $1-2B before or after NSRW turned into the six(?)-portal + Central Station massive proposal it became? (Cue F-Line...
Grand Junction - to serve as a rail link, at a minimum needs a loop track around Beacon Park. Easy and cheap to design and build now, will be impossible after Harvard & Ma$$Pike redevelop.
)Regarding the actual question asked in the thread, one other point to keep in mind is that Back Bay Station doesn't handle checked luggage, so if you're on the pseudo-Shoreliner and check your bags, you'll need to go all the way to BOS. Otherwise, I agree with the others in the thread: BBY and the Orange Line if you're traveling light, BOS and either walk or take a cab (usually said to be c. $10) if you have more than you want to bring on the subway.
If you're going to be staying in Cape Ann for a while, their bus service is here. Your driving decision may depend more on whether you'll need the car once you're there than on the "getting there" part.
"...And then I thought, every time some company creates a more powerful locomotive does Superman become more powerful as well or is he stuck at 1938 locomotive power levels?" - A friend of mine elsewhere
Anything I post here is mine alone and does not represent the views of my employer.
Anything I post here is mine alone and does not represent the views of my employer.
You can also take the Red Line and transfer at Park St. or Downtown Crossing if you find yourself having to go all the way to BOS for whatever reason. It's really not that much more of a hassle.
|=| R. Novosielski |=|
I have old Boston Globe articles saved in a notebook that showed the routes for through-running commuter rail services (i.e. you could hop on a train in Lowell and stay seated all the way to Providence). At the time, they were talking 4 portals (North side on the Fitchburg line and another for Lowell/Haverhill/Rockport - South Side had one for the NEC and one around the Fairmont branh - none for Old Colony), electrification for $1B and an *optional* central Station who's main additive feature would have been connecting the Blue Line to the commuter rail network.