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Has anyone used the Southborough train station recently, as in post-pandemic? I ask because as big as the lot is, it was full by 7 a.m. pre-pandemic. I only had to use it a few times for conferences, but pulling into one of the last spots at 6:55 was *stressful*. OP - when you visit, make sure to do a drive-by of the train station parking lot on a Wednesday or Thursday AM to see what the volume looks like.
I wouldn't call that a "big" lot. When living out that way, between the slowness and lack of parking I found that CR line utterly useless whenever I had to go into Boston. Such a waste it is, in a time when we should be getting as many commuters as possible off the grossly deficient roads. It seems like it would be much less to upgrade the Commuter Rail than bringing the local roads to adequate capacity.
Re Shewsburry - I am struggling to think I can go past the 495 circle.
THx for the other info
Northborough, Southborough, Westborough, Marlborough.
They all used to be one town (Marlborough) along with Hudson. They split off from Marlborough in the mid 1700s.
Quote:
Originally Posted by westcoastbound1
Thanks, I am yet to get a feel on timing but I am going to say I will need to be there around 8-830 am. Return will be not sure but may be 6 pm.
How do you define a "delay"?
The rail lines are owned by CSX, and freight takes priority. Trying to get into the city at 8:30, I've sat in place for 10 minutes for freight traffic multiple times. On the early trains I had two delays:
- 10± minutes after we hit a deer and they checked all the hoses and connections
- 30± minutes when a drunk/high guy got on the track and was hit overnight.
Keen to know more! Any rough ideas of the commute may look like if I had to start work around 8 am and leave at 6 pm?
It was pre-covid so keep that in mind. For me it was paramount to leave around 6AM in the morning when trying to beat the traffic. So to get close to Boston a tiny bit earlier than 7, the traffic on my route was not terrible in Boston at 7 AM. You want to be in Boston at that time though, the traffic outside starts earlier because of people trying to do what you will be doing.
For me getting around Framingham on I-90 around 6:30 was ok, 6:45 much worse. 7:00 and later, bad.
Leaving at 6PM means you are going to get traffic in Boston but the traffic is going to start dying when you get out, most people are having dinner around 6:30-7:00.
If for whatever reason you need to leave earlier it's going to be brutal. For me the commute became around 2:30-3hrs when leaving at 4PM. So if there is an emergency, you need to pick up the kid from school, there is a problem at the house etc you basically will not be able to be of any help.
BTW, I hate to be stuck in traffic so I ended up abandoning I-90 and do other roads, then again I was getting to work much later, around 10:00 AM.
I wouldn't call that a "big" lot. When living out that way, between the slowness and lack of parking I found that CR line utterly useless whenever I had to go into Boston. Such a waste it is, in a time when we should be getting as many commuters as possible off the grossly deficient roads. It seems like it would be much less to upgrade the Commuter Rail than bringing the local roads to adequate capacity.
Sad to hear - I can't say Septa here in Philly is very well run but its fairly reliable and lots use it. If you can't rely on something there is no point. I was researching, MBTA is very expensive as well (comparatively).
re lots: here in Philly suburbs the bigger lots of definitely not even 50% back to pre-pandemic FWIW
It was pre-covid so keep that in mind. For me it was paramount to leave around 6AM in the morning when trying to beat the traffic. So to get close to Boston a tiny bit earlier than 7, the traffic on my route was not terrible in Boston at 7 AM. You want to be in Boston at that time though, the traffic outside starts earlier because of people trying to do what you will be doing.
For me getting around Framingham on I-90 around 6:30 was ok, 6:45 much worse. 7:00 and later, bad.
Leaving at 6PM means you are going to get traffic in Boston but the traffic is going to start dying when you get out, most people are having dinner around 6:30-7:00.
If for whatever reason you need to leave earlier it's going to be brutal. For me the commute became around 2:30-3hrs when leaving at 4PM. So if there is an emergency, you need to pick up the kid from school, there is a problem at the house etc you basically will not be able to be of any help.
BTW, I hate to be stuck in traffic so I ended up abandoning I-90 and do other roads, then again I was getting to work much later, around 10:00 AM.
Thanks. It reminds me of my days in LA. If I were not on a certain freeway at 615 am I was doomed...and every additional 5 mins form the 615 am is 20 mins add. There is always the option to catch express lanes but that thing adds up very very quickly.
It's not even that our budget is particularly little and to get closer to Boston the budget needs to be added on 3-4-50% more so its not even a cost benefit analysis you can undertake.
I have done so much driving that I dont think I can do that regularly so I am inclined to think commuter rail is going to be most of the times what I take but if that is not reliable then I am back to square one.
Take your point on emergencies. We can't effectively plan for those
Northborough, Southborough, Westborough, Marlborough.
They all used to be one town (Marlborough) along with Hudson. They split off from Marlborough in the mid 1700s.
The rail lines are owned by CSX, and freight takes priority. Trying to get into the city at 8:30, I've sat in place for 10 minutes for freight traffic multiple times. On the early trains I had two delays:
- 10± minutes after we hit a deer and they checked all the hoses and connections
- 30± minutes when a drunk/high guy got on the track and was hit overnight.
Thanks for the definition.
I am not worried about the delays that happen every now and then. Its the same here in Philly.
Amtrak owns the rail lines so sometimes we have to wait for that. Or a sick person on the train. Or mechanical issues..frozen lines..overheating of the cables etc. From time to time those are bound to happen.
My worry is reliability over the year. I need to check if MBTA publishes any stats...I am also used to the issues during winter but Boston is another animal so snow storms etc will add to the issues. Then again, if there is a snow storm I am sure the office is not going to force people in.
I have done so much driving that I dont think I can do that regularly so I am inclined to think commuter rail is going to be most of the times what I take but if that is not reliable then I am back to square one.
In winter the MBTA can be bad. I had a few collogues using the commuter train in. If it's very snowy and/or cold the delays can be massive (to be fair the delays are going to be there even if you drive when it's snowy) regular delays are not uncommon in winter anyways.
For me the problem with the train was that it was hard to be able to leave at exactly a certain time in my job and if you miss your train the wait can be very long. The train is also quite expensive when you travel far, even with some help from your employer, compound that with the lack of flexibility and it didn't make sense for me. Had I been in your situation, (having to be at work around 8) it would have been different.
Regardless, make sure to get to the station early enough to park. Some stations fill up quite early (or at least they did pre-covid. Something to keep in mind).
There may be an opportunity on the horizon for me in Boston. We are a family of three of Asian background (11 year old boy). We have been around (significant time on west coast, and now 6 years on the east coast currently in Philly suburbs).
Job will be in Boston proper. 3 days a week (but sense I get is it would be 3 or 4). Wife WFM.
School, safety and travel to/back very important. Given that, the question is where to live. Initially we started to research into/ around the 95 circle but budget doesn't work for areas that qualify for the criteria above). Budget is about 1.2-1.4m. Looking for decent space, hopefully good appeal, some yard space where the little one can hang up a hoop etc.
So then we moved our research to 495 circle and Southborough, and Hopkinton come up. Obviously thats 30+ miles away (depending) from Boston which would need a drive (which I want to avoid) or the MBTA (think similar to Septa here). I am thinking later works. I am fine with 50 min one-way commute. I am not opposed to driving but I hear that's a rough undertaking 3 days a week (or even 4 may be).
I will stop there - any guidance/ suggestions/ questions much appreciated.
Thx in advance
I made the same move with the same criteria, so I know exactly what you're looking for.
Where are you near Philly?
For what you want you will need 1.8M at the very least, but I think Lexington fits the bill (it's the cheapest of the top-tier towns). The part closest to Boston would give you a decent commute (East of Lexington center).
Other than Lexington (in no particular order): Winchester, Belmont, Newton, Brookline are the top towns closest to Boston. Wellesley is too far IMO. These are the equivalent in prestige/schools to the Main Line.
Avoid Cambridge/Boston, the public schools are **** and they have a lottery for like the 2 good schools.
If you're willing to have a longer commute, Framingham/Hopkinton/Wayland have good schools according to the rankings, but it's a looong ride to Boston... When people say it takes 1h... That's optimistic. Zillow has a very good commute estimator in the listings (for non-rush and rush hours). I verified it to be very accurate.
House prices here are going to make you feel Philly is a cheap area. I'll tell right off the bat you will not find the same level of house (size-wise). Also forget public transportation here, it makes SEPTA look like a well-oiled machine. It takes me 50 mns to go to Boston by rail and 20 mns by bike. Big joke.
I would strongly advise renting for a while to get a feel for the area before you commit to buying a house. People on forums like this give very bad advice on locations (everyone thinks their town is awesome just because they live in it...), so you need to make up your own mind by living here.
I made the same move with the same criteria, so I know exactly what you're looking for.
Where are you near Philly?
For what you want you will need 1.8M at the very least, but I think Lexington fits the bill (it's the cheapest of the top-tier towns). The part closest to Boston would give you a decent commute (East of Lexington center).
Other than Lexington (in no particular order): Winchester, Belmont, Newton, Brookline are the top towns closest to Boston. Wellesley is too far IMO. These are the equivalent in prestige/schools to the Main Line.
Avoid Cambridge/Boston, the public schools are **** and they have a lottery for like the 2 good schools.
If you're willing to have a longer commute, Framingham/Hopkinton/Wayland have good schools according to the rankings, but it's a looong ride to Boston... When people say it takes 1h... That's optimistic. Zillow has a very good commute estimator in the listings (for non-rush and rush hours). I verified it to be very accurate.
House prices here are going to make you feel Philly is a cheap area. I'll tell right off the bat you will not find the same level of house (size-wise). Also forget public transportation here, it makes SEPTA look like a well-oiled machine. It takes me 50 mns to go to Boston by rail and 20 mns by bike. Big joke.
I would strongly advise renting for a while to get a feel for the area before you commit to buying a house. People on forums like this give very bad advice on locations (everyone thinks their town is awesome just because they live in it...), so you need to make up your own mind by living here.
Thanks. Yes, mainline also!
If we progress through the process then it will be a phased move i.e., definitely will be renting before we commit to anything and likely family will join little later so I get the scan the area and family does multiple trips to get a feel.
I am already getting the sense that Philly suburbs are cheaper. Even at 1.5m I don't see comparable (travel, safety, schools etc.) in the Boston burbs..unless I am 30+ mins out.
I have to get out there and get a sense. Forums are subjective advice but a good starting point. People generally want to give their unbiased opinions.
Other than Lexington (in no particular order): Winchester, Belmont, Newton, Brookline are the top towns closest to Boston. Wellesley is too far IMO. These are the equivalent in prestige/schools to the Main Line.
Wellesley is "too far"??? It's almost the same distance from Boston as Lexington. "As the crow flies" we're talking about a 2 mile difference between the two towns and that's if you're in the center of town heading to the center of Boston. Also, if you're driving . . . RT2 according to traffic studies is the worst traffic in the entire state. It's heavily congested more of the day than any other stretch of road in MA. I'd rather drive I90 any day of the week. Plus, there's no public transportation options in Lexington either whereas Wellesley has multiple commuter rail stations.
Also, where's Weston on your list? That's not a top tier town?
I think you also missed the part where the OP stated they're commuting to the Fenway area. No way I'd want to commute from Lexington to that part of Boston.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ca1337
I would strongly advise renting for a while to get a feel for the area before you commit to buying a house. People on forums like this give very bad advice on locations (everyone thinks their town is awesome just because they live in it...), so you need to make up your own mind by living here.
Couldn't agree with this statement more. A lot of people will make recommendations based on what's important to THEM rather than what's important to YOU.
I hate when people ask for recommendations on the Needham Facebook page. You get people making suggestions for all kinds of reasons like "this guy grew up in Needham" or "this guy lives in Needham" or "I went to High School with this guy." Those may be reasons why YOU want to hire a plumber but my criteria is "does a good job for a reasonable price." I could care less where my plumber lives or grew up.
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