Feasibility of Lynnfield - Financial District via Blue Line (Boston: houses, purchase)

[tallmanatlarge]

Hello. We are a family of 5 who have lived in Cambridge and then Arlington. We are looking to purchase a 4 bedroom single family home. We like the idea of staying in Arlington and are watching the market there. I work in the Financial District in Boston. We are currently 10 minutes from the red line which makes getting downtown not too difficult (40-45 minute commute with walking from Downtown Crossing)

As an alternative, we have started looking at Reading and Lynnfield because we'd get more house and the schools are good (we like Arlington's schools as well). I know Reading has the commuter rail but arriving in North Station still puts me 1 mile from work like many North Shore commuters. I have been considering houses in the southern half of Lynnfield under the following 3 commuting scenarios.

1. Driving to commuter rail in Reading or Wakefield -- doesn't appear feasible due to limited parking
2. Driving to Oak Grove (parking lot fills up very early), Malden Center (not much parking), or Wellington (bigger parking lot but driving there from Lynnfield looks like it would take awhile unless I left very early in morning).
3. Driving to Wonderland by going through Lynn via Rt 129 and then Rt 1A. In a weekend no traffic situation, it appears it's faster going Rt 1 South but during rush hour, Google maps tells me I could potentially make it to Wonderland in 30 minutes via Rt 129 without much traffic until I hit Rt 1A.

I have been checking Google Maps from Lynnfield to Wellington and Lynnfield to Oak Grove at various points between 6:45 - 8 am weekday mornings to simulate drive. The time to drive to Wellington expands quickly as rush hour hits. The time to drive to Wonderland gets longer but doesn't seem to inflate as much. There does not look to be much traffic on Rt 129 through Lynn during rush hour, just the normal stop and go of traffic lights until you hit Rt 1A and experience traffic on that portion.

Even though Lynnfield doesn't have a commuter rail, by driving to Wonderland and then taking the blue line to State Street, I am thinking I could get to Financial District in 50-55 minutes from parts of Lynnfield. If we moved to northern half of Arlington where all the single family homes are, my current commute of 45 minutes would easily expand to 55 minutes anyway (bike to Alewife or park at Alewife).

Does anyone know of others who have commuted from Lynnfield to Boston via the Blue line?

Thanks in advance for any comments you have on the commute or desirability of Reading vs Lynnfield. I gather Reading has more shopping/businesses and Lynnfield is smaller/sleepier but has recently gained from the addition of MarketStreet. Have a great day!

[gf2020]

Welcome to C-D!

I live in Lynnfield.

The preferred MBTA commute from Lynnfield is the Orange Line from Oak Grove. You need to be there by 7:10 AM to ensure parking. I no longer work in Boston but when I did I took this route for many years. Leaving my house at 6:30 AM, I was at my desk in the Back Bay in under 55 minutes each day. State Street would be even less. It's certainly possible to drive to the Blue Line at Wonderland but that drive is further and the train ride is longer.

[Boston_Burbs]

Why not Marblehead? There is an express bus to downtown crossing or you can get off at wonderland

[Shizim]

129 after 7am. schools and busses galore. I live in Lynnfield and that's not the fastest route to Wonderland.

you can get from Lynnfield to Wellington in about 30 min.

ultimately I found it wasn't worth the hassle. I just drive in and pay to park. less than an hr each way. and I work in the financial district too.

[alidmc]

If you end up in Lynnfield, you can park at Greenwood Station in Wakefield (right along Main Street) if you want to take the commuter rail. As of a few years ago, at least, there was plenty of parking.
Oak Grove is definitely the easiest of the subway stations.
Parking at Reading Depot fills up pretty fast, but there are resident only spots that may not fill up as quickly. In addition, from Reading Depot, there is a bus to Oak Grove. This would definitely not be the fastest option, but if the commuter rail is delayed, you have another option.
Both Reading and Lynnfield are great towns. Reading is a bit more congested with 93 and 128 going through the town. While Reading may have more amenities, Lynnfield is so close to everything, you can take advantage of amenities in all of the nearby towns.

[BostonMike7]

Originally Posted by Shizim

129 after 7am. schools and busses galore. I live in Lynnfield and that's not the fastest route to Wonderland.
.

Yeah. After 7AM that route definitely is not quick.

[Shizim]

Originally Posted by BostonMike7

Yeah. After 7AM that route definitely is not quick.

My wife goes over to 1A every morning and goes walnut St to Boston St, across the common and by Lynn Tech. Faster than 1A. but still terrible. Lynn is just very dense and rush hour is bad trying to get through.

I have a buddy that lives in Reading and takes the commuter rail every AM to north station. says its uneventful and convenient. he does get the resident parking pass though. i believe its $25 for the full year.

[BostonMike7]

Originally Posted by Shizim

My wife goes over to 1A every morning and goes walnut St to Boston St, across the common and by Lynn Tech. Faster than 1A. but still terrible. Lynn is just very dense and rush hour is bad trying to get through.

I used to live over in Salem and take 129 to work. After 7AM that area does get dense. I used to try to get out before 7 and it would be a huge difference in commute time. If I left 10-15 mins late, it translated to an extra 30 mins of commute.


I'm over in W. Peabody now and crossing Rt 1 made a huge difference, although Main St in Lynnfield gets backed up as well after 7 AM.

[tallmanatlarge]

Thanks all for your responses.

gf2020, I appreciate the feedback on preferring the Orange line over the Blue line for travel downtown from Lynnfield.
Boston_Burbs, I have a colleague who does the Wonderland commute from Marblehead. Marblehead is another good town but we are currently focused on Reading/Lynnfield because we already know people in each of those towns and it's closer to our current community in Arlington.

Shizim and BostonMike, thanks for the info on 129 getting backed up after 7 am. My observations were based on a few mornings of checking Google Maps in the morning for driving times to various destinations from Lynnfield. So not based on a high level of observations.

Overall, it sounds like Oak Grove is preferable to Wonderland. I heard reports that Oak Grove was difficult to get a parking spot so maybe I overestimated how early you had to get there. MBTA lists Oak Grove with 788 spots and Wonderland with 1862. It sounds like Oak Grove is feasible if you get there by 7/7:10 am.

As for the commuter rail, MBTA lists Reading with 71 parking spaces, Wakefield with 117, and Greenwood with 76 so it seems like parking could be tricky. I understand towns like Reading have additional spaces available only to residents (another co-worker is in Reading and pays the $25 town fee for parking which Shizim referenced).
Alidmc, you said as of a few years ago, there was plenty of parking at Greenwood. How early in the morning were you arriving to park at Greenwood? 76 spots doesn't sound like a lot.

Thanks again!

[alidmc]

I used to get to Greenwood between 7:30 and 8:00 and there was plenty of parking. Like I said, this was several years ago so you may want to verify availability during those times. The parking is not in a lot, but along Main St. It's kind of a pain because you have to park, walk to the pay kiosk, and then put the receipt on your windshield. It used to be free, but the town decided they wanted to make money.