Access to Trains in Boston

[Fred Rabin]

In order to board an Amtrak train at South Station, you have to show your ticket before proceeding down the platform. However, at Back Bay (and also at Providence, Kingston, New Haven etc) this does not happen. Does anyone know why South Station passengers have to run this gauntlet.

[trainlvr7]

My guess is becuase of the 9/11 ordeal they stepped up security. Also Acela Express does take on passengers in South Station and I am not sure if the Acela stops in Back Bay.

[3rdrail]

Acela does stop at Back Bay. Fred- suffice to say, just be happy that we haven't suffered another blow since 9/11 and go through the gauntlet.

[Rockingham Racer]

Not one single train skips Back Bay, if I'm not mistaken.

[jp1822]

South Station is the "beginning of your trip" on any Northeast Corridor train. I would say this is pretty standard for any train that originates at a particular station (i.e. you are not allowed on the platform until the train is ready for boarding). Chicago has this in place, Washington DC - to name a few. In New York Penn Station or Philly 30th Street Station (for through trains) you don't get access to the platform (per say) until the train arrives but that has always been. They'd rather hold you near the track area (up in the concourse) until they are sure that the train will definitely come in on a certain track, for example. Back Bay is an intermediate stop for example so you get access at will. Plus Amtrak typically always comes in on certain tracks at some stations, so one often gets free reign (i.e. Back Bay or Providence). Boston and NYP are also major hubs for commuter trains, so often Amtrak staff wants to make sure you are getting on not only the right train, but also the right Amtrak train.

[Noel Weaver]

At South Station access to the platforms is not normally restricted but Amtrak chooses to restrict access to their trains.
You can walk down any of the commuter train platforms and Amtrak does not use a specific platform for the most part.
They just put up a rope and have somebody checking tickets before allowing you to pass to the train.
At the other stops and especially Back Bay and Route 128 it would not be practical to restrict platform access as the trains
go through one right after another and they are close together. At the stations in Connecticut they do not have the personnel to restrict platform access and check every ticket. In my opinion for the most part Amtrak could get along
without this formality, it is a waste of employees and can be a pain for the passengers as well especially in bad weather
conditions which are not really uncommon at Boston.
Noel Weaver

[gprimr1]

Amtrak almost always checks tickets at Washington DC, I've also frequently been checked at 30th St Station.

[CHTT]

It's just a security measure. Amtrak restricts access to its trains at Chicago Union Station to ticket holders, but Metra passengers have open access to platforms. In fact, some of the north side platforms are used as a walk way from Madison Street to the main station building.
Restricting access to platforms at intermediate stations is just not practical.
I'm not sure how any of this actually prevents any kind of security problems, but I suppose it keeps unnecessary people out of the way.

[peconicstation]

At stations like South Station, 30th Street, NYP and the like, the controlled boarding process also gives Amtrak the ability to "pre-board"
the disabled, elderly, groups and the like. This process usually means that Amtrak can move the process along and leave on-time.

As mentioned some stations are not set up for this type of boarding process, but some should be (albiet they might require renovations).

Back Bay in Boston comes to mind, as we one got caught with a convention group who insisted on boarding at Back Bay.
The group had 4 cars reserved for them and it took almost 45 minutes to complete the process.

Since then Amtrak has told me that any groups with reserved cars are required to board at South Station, no exceptions.

Ken

[Jersey_Mike]

It has more to do with non-ticketed pax or MBTA riders sneaking/blundering onto Amtrak trains and then having to get booted off later than any "9/11" type BS. I also helps deal with issues with using reserved tickets on the wrong train.

[boblothrope]

How equivalent are reservations for the Boston stations?

For example, if I have a ticket from BBY to NYP, will I have any trouble from the guy checking tickets on the platform if I try to board at BOS instead?

[peconicstation]

How equivalent are reservations for the Boston stations?

For example, if I have a ticket from BBY to NYP, will I have any trouble from the guy checking tickets on the platform if I try to board at BOS instead?

Tickets for Back Bay and South Station are honored at either station.
As we go to Boston frequently we often have tickets booked to one station and use the other with no problem.

Boston has the unique advantage of (2) full-time, all trains stop, Amtrak stations along the NEC route, within it's core area, or HUB as it's called
in Boston.

Ken

[Stmtrolleyguy]

I never really saw it as a security measure in Boston either. You've got a lot of passengers wandering around, and it makes sense to do a pre-boarding check to make sure everyone has tickets for the right train. It doesn't help that many people just know they're taking the train - not weather its an Acela, a regional, or MBTA commuter rail. South Station is really an MBTA station, with a few Amtrak trains thrown in. There are a LOT of confused passengers floating around.

At your main boarding station, why not have someone there to check tickets as people board? Yeah, it stinks when you're forced to stand around outside in the middle of winter in Boston before you board the train. . .but I don't see it being that much of a big deal. Maybe if the station is ever expanded, they'll be able to have a controlled waiting area inside.

I completely see the value of it in Chicago, where it really matters not just which train you board, but which car as well, since not all the trains have full-length platforms, or they really want to group passengers by general destination.

[boblothrope]

You've got a lot of passengers wandering around, and it makes sense to do a pre-boarding check to make sure everyone has tickets for the right train. It doesn't help that many people just know they're taking the train - not weather its an Acela, a regional, or MBTA commuter rail. South Station is really an MBTA station, with a few Amtrak trains thrown in. There are a LOT of confused passengers floating around.

Care to provide a cite for an actual incident where someone didn't know the difference between an MBTA and Amtrak train they were looking for?

Even if someone doesn't know which railroad is which, they'd also have to screw up the departure time and platform to end up on the wrong train. If they're *that* confused, an Amtrak gate ticket check isn't enough.

And we shouldn't have to inconvenience the vast majority of people who are headed for the correct train, just to prevent this theoretical confused person from taking an involuntary trip to Providence when they were headed to Framingham.

If Amtrak wants to make it easier to find the right train, they should put signs on the outside of every boarding door with the destination and train number. (A well-designed electronic sign could also show the scheduled departure time from the current station, but that might be more trouble than it's worth.) Not make people trudge in a cattle call and dig out their tickets while carrying luggage.

[FP10]

Jeez...

They pre-board at South Station because there are often several Amtrak trains laying over at a time, and they don't post the track number until 15 minutes or so before departure. If the weather isn't horrible (and sometimes even if it is) people start to que up on the platform a half hour before the track number is announced. The platforms are also directly accessible from the street, so if you're getting dropped off there is a good chance you will never have seen the board in the first place.

Typically there will be two or three Regionals, an Acela or two, and even the LSL sitting there, plus MBTA trains pulling in and out. Lots of opportunity for people to board the wrong train. Having someone check tickets is a lot easier than dealing with an Acela passenger on a Regional or vice versa, or worse someone getting on a train and taking a ride through the wash racks and into Widett Circle.

Back Bay and other through stations are different. The track is announced, it pulls up, people get on, and it pulls out. I doubt it has much of anything to do with security, although I guess while the train is sitting idle there is the chance for someone to sneak on and do something so it may be a small deterrent. I can't speak for the crew, but I assume its also easier for them to get their jobs done readying the train for departure without passengers boarding early, asking questions, and generally getting in the way.

Also,

Care to provide a cite for an actual incident where someone didn't know the difference between an MBTA and Amtrak train they were looking for?

This happens all the time. I've been taking the train between BOS and NYP every three months or so going on a decade now. At last four times I've personally overheard conversation between the conductor and a confused passenger with an Metro North/MBTA/NJT ticket who has to get dumped off halfway down the line. If I've seen it happen riding relatively infrequently, I can't imagine how often it actually does happen.