Commuting from South Shore towns into Boston - Tell me how you do it!

[ozgal]

I think the only time most anyone drives further than the closest computer rail station is if they are on the edge of a zone change and driving 5 more minutes (usually on surface roads, not the freeway) to the next stop on the line will save you money.

As tribechamy said, once you get into major traffic to get to another station, you generally lose out on any advantage.

[xo_kizzy_xo]

Originally Posted by shanhou3

Thanks for the tips - where do your family members commute from?

Marshfield and Duxbury. They both catch the commuter rail in Scituate. A friend's husband catches it in either Middleboro or Bridgewater -- I don't remember which one. One of the former leaves home early enough to catch the first train of the day.

[shanhou3]

thanks, all, this is really helpful!!

[csnavely]

I took the commuter rail from Kingston to Boston for 4 years. It's slow and ridiculously expensive. I now have taken Plymouth and Brockton Street Railway Company's commuter bus service for about 3 years; at worst, it's as slow as the commuter rail, but it's usually faster. The huge advantage is that it's dirt cheap. $6.60 each way from Plymouth or Kingston to South Station or Park Square in Boston if you buy the 10-trip commuter pack of tickets. Parking is free, so you save an additional $4/day compared to the commuter rail. The commuter rail is $330/month from Kingston, plus $4/day for parking = about $410/month vs. about $264/month with P&B bus.

[NewfieMama]

I realize this is an old thread, but just wanted to share my experience. I live in Norwell and take the Greenbush line from Weymouth. Technically Weymouth is not the closest stop, but it's in a closer zone (less $, less time on train) and I take back roads to the station, so I end up saving time.

I love Duxbury (in-laws live there) and commuted for a short time prior to the Greenbush line being put in. We'd either drive to Braintree and take the T or drive to the Hingham Ferry. Either ways was 1.5 hours each way and just too much for me. Even now with the Greenbush line--if you drove to Scituate, that's an hour on the train + driving time and walking time (to office). So you're probably still at 1.5 hours.

Glad to hear you're renting for a bit. We rented homes in Duxbury, Scituate, Hingham, Quincy and Weymouth before finally deciding to buy in Norwell. It definitely helped to have spent time in all of those towns before buying.

[Southshoredriver02332]

Good Morning,
Due to an office relocation, I am now commuting from exit 10 on route 3 to very North Quincy on the Neponset River. The commuter line estimate is near 2 hours.
Could you please suggestions on driving? Am I right working 9-5 is better than 8-4 during the school year. Traffic so far this school year is a nightmare. Ninety minutes to drive the 29 miles.
Creative suggestions welcome. I do have parking at my office. I don't make a lot of money.

[Bruins_Fan]

Based on my limited experience, the Southeast Expressway is the worst commuter road in the state. I commuted it regularly in the mid-late 90s and it sucked. Then I moved to the North Shore with occasional commutes to Weymouth in the early 2000s. The traffic was worse than in the 90s, it seemed to be constantly backed up in BOTH directions, even commuting outbound to Weymouth in the morning and towards the city in the late afternoon.

Nowadays I rarely drive that road, but recently bought a car in Quincy and sure enough found myself in gridlock (both directions) on 2 trips to the car dealer. IMHO, I would avoid that daily commute at all costs.

[NewfieMama]

If there is one reason I would be okay with moving away from Boston, it's the traffic. Specifically south shore traffic as it's impossible to go anywhere (especially in the summer) without getting caught in it.

South Shore Driver--is your office near the North Quincy T stop? If I were you, I'd probably take the commuter rail from Kingston to Braintree, then jump on the T if possible. Not sure if there are other commuter rail options? Switching trains is kind of a pain (and time consuming), but much less stressful than driving.

If you're intent on driving, I'd probably take back roads. Either 3A or 53 (to Quincy Ave. to Burgin). The traffic lights are no fun, but at least you're not completely gridlocked. Not sure if it would end up adding time to your commute. I'd try some options until you find something you can live with.