info on red and orange line commute times between stations (Boston: train, housing)

[Sunduri]

Hi there,

Can anyone give me an idea of the commute times on the subway between Kendall/MIT red line station and the following:

North Quincy Station
Braintree Station
Alewife Station
Oak Grove Station

Also, what is the likelyhood at each station that I would be able to find parking around 8am during the work week?


Thanks!

[lz1982]

Can't help with parking, but from North Quincy the commute would be about 25 minutes, maybe 30 during rush hour if the trains are backed up. From Braintree, maybe 40 minutes, but I'm not sure as I've never taken the T all the way out there. From Alewife, about 20 minutes, but I'm not sure about rush hour. Oak Grove, in theory, takes 15-20 minutes to get to Downtown Crossing, where you'd switch to the Red Line, and then 5-10 minutes back out to Kendall. But you'd have to wait for two trains, and if there were a problem on either the Orange or Red Line, your commute would be affected.

[HenryAlan]

I recommend trying the trip planner on mbta.com, it will give you good time estimates for these station pairings.

[Sunduri]

THe trip planner is a great idea. Do the trains frequently back up or is that more of a rare occurrence?

[AnonChick]

I've never even tried actually using the T time schedules. I discovered that it's easier to just assume that there'll be a train going where you need it to go, within 20 minutes of the time you get to the station. No matter what time that is. If you missed the last one, the next one will probably be there in 20 minutes. If the last one was late, it means it hasn't gotten there yet, and probably will in 20 minutes. If the last one never showed up at all, then they skipped one, and the next one is due in 20 minutes.

It'll save you a whole lot of stress if you just make this assumption, and deal with exceptions as they occur

Edited to add: except for the last one of the day. If you miss that, you're outta luck. Don't ever miss the last train.

[Sunduri]

Sounds like good advice, AnonChick!

[ItsTimetoGo]

Originally Posted by lz1982

Can't help with parking, but from North Quincy the commute would be about 25 minutes, maybe 30 during rush hour if the trains are backed up. From Braintree, maybe 40 minutes, but I'm not sure as I've never taken the T all the way out there. From Alewife, about 20 minutes, but I'm not sure about rush hour. Oak Grove, in theory, takes 15-20 minutes to get to Downtown Crossing, where you'd switch to the Red Line, and then 5-10 minutes back out to Kendall. But you'd have to wait for two trains, and if there were a problem on either the Orange or Red Line, your commute would be affected.

Add 20minutes to each of the above times (for rush hour).

[Sunduri]

How about parking at the suburban stations around 8am? What's the chance of getting to a station and finding that no parking space is available? If I had to then drive from each station to Kendall Sq, how long would it take around 8-8:30am?

[jayrandom]

I (luckily) don't have to park, but this is what I found:

Not a lot: The economics of parking

It's 9 years old, but other than a $2 hike I don't think much has changed.

[Sunduri]

Well, that article is quite discouraging. Is it everyone else's experience that most lots are full by 8am? Do most people catch a bus, then, to the subway stops? I'm starting to think that finding affordable, decent housing and having a reasonable commute to work will be impossible if I accept this position in Boston, which is disappointing. This morning, I just received another, less desirable job offer that I planned on holding on to just in case the Boston position doesn't come through (highly unlikely), but the housing/parking situation in Boston is making me rethink things.