Attn: Milton Residents -- Commuting Options (Boston, Cambridge: vs, rail, office)

[pristinepetals]

Hello Milton! My fiancee and I are looking at properties in Milton -- and we just fell in love with the town. Here's the catch -- he works in Braintree, and I work in Cambridge (right next to Alewife). One of us isn't going to be too thrilled with the commute ;-)

So what are my options?
95 N to 2 east? How long is that at 7 am vs 8 am. How about the reverse at 4 or 5? Can I do it in 45 minutes?
Hyde Park to South Station, SS to Alewife -- Looks like it's just under an hour. Does this match your experience?
93 N - How early do I really have to leave to make this work?

Thanks everyone
-A

[jellybean23]

I used to commute from East Milton to Alewife (and later from Lower Mills to Kendall) and it can be a long commute. Can you walk to your office from the Alewife station? If so, it might be easiest to take the T. North Quincy is the easiest station to use if you're in East Milton. From the other side of town, you could take the trolley from one of the Milton stops to Ashmont, then go in from there. If you're west of the parkway, then the commuter rail might be your best option but it runs much less frequently than the Red Line so it's less convenient. I think any of these options would take you about an hour (maybe more if you need to use the trolley, it tends to break down pretty frequently in the winter).

I have only driven between Cambridge and Milton during non-rush hour times but it can range anywhere from 25 min to over an hour, depending on traffic. I don't think there would be much difference between 7am and 8am (you would really need to go in at 6 or earlier or after 9 to avoid the traffic).

[pristinepetals]

Thanks so much for the reply! We're looking at places in east Milton/ West Quincy. But also interested at a few located closer to the Hyde Park station.

I can definitely walk to my office from Alewife, but my feeling on the redline is that it will take ages to get from end to end :S

[pristinepetals]

Out of curiosity.... Is there any way to commute up through Boston? Not up 93?