Commuter Rail reserve seat (Boston, Worcester: buying, live, pricing)

[kamoliddinov]

Hi community.

I am going to reach to Boston at 1:00 pm, then I need to go Westborough. I am planning to go with Commuter Rail. Should i reserve seat 2-3 days in advance? Or I can take it on the way(no need to take reservation)?

thanks.

[Verseau]

There are no reservations on the commuter rail. You'll have no problem getting a seat.

[MikePRU]

Originally Posted by Verseau

There are no reservations on the commuter rail. You'll have no problem getting a seat.

You do, however, have to buy a ticket. I believe (correct me if I'm wrong someone) that if you buy your ticket in advance it's cheaper than if you buy it on the train. Not all stations have a ticketing booth and therefore not all stations offer advance ticketing.

[Verseau]

As I understand it, the only time you get charged more for buying a ticket on board the train is if the station where you boarded actually has a working ticket booth or "contracted vendor." So if you board at a station with no ticket booth (nor a convenience store next door that sells tickets), they won't charge you more to buy your ticket on the train.

Currently the surcharge for purchasing your ticket on board in this situation is $1 during off-peak hours and $2 during peak hours. However, it appears that after the fare pricing changes that go into effect on July 1st, there will no longer be an on board surcharge. Instead, you will receive a $3 discount when purchasing your tickets ahead of time at a ticket window or ticket machine. It's not clear to me whether this discount will also apply to tickets purchased on the train when boarding at stations without ticket windows, but it seems that this will no longer be possible.

Does anyone know if the Westborough station has a ticket office? I can't seem to find that information. The MBTA website does list vendors in the area where you can purchase your tickets ahead of time:

Lucky Farm, 1 West Union St, Ashland
Garbarino's, 438 Waverly St., Framingham
Union Station, 2 Washington Square, Worcester

In your situation, kamoliddinov: if you are traveling before July 1st, I think it would be fine to buy your ticket when you board the train at Westborough. If you are traveling on or after July 1st, you should get your tickets ahead of time at one of the local vendors - it doesn't have to be 2-3 days in advance, just anytime before you board the train.

[jayrandom]

If you're starting from Boston, you'll want to buy your ticket at the station from which you originate (likely South Station, possibly Back Bay) as both have functioning ticket kiosks. If you don't you'll be stuck with a slight surcharge.

[Verseau]

Originally Posted by jayrandom

If you're starting from Boston, you'll want to buy your ticket at the station from which you originate (likely South Station, possibly Back Bay) as both have functioning ticket kiosks. If you don't you'll be stuck with a slight surcharge.

Out of curiosity, where have you had to pay a surcharge after boarding the train? As I posted above, my understanding is that this only applies when the station has a ticket window/vendor but you choose not to get your ticket there (if you're running late, perhaps). I might be wrong, but I don't recall ever paying a surcharge on my tickets when I lived in Waltham...

[jayrandom]

Originally Posted by kamoliddinov

Hi community.

I am going to reach to Boston at 1:00 pm, then I need to go Westborough. I am planning to go with Commuter Rail. Should i reserve seat 2-3 days in advance? Or I can take it on the way(no need to take reservation)?

thanks.

Originally Posted by Verseau

Out of curiosity, where have you had to pay a surcharge after boarding the train? As I posted above, my understanding is that this only applies when the station has a ticket window/vendor but you choose not to get your ticket there (if you're running late, perhaps). I might be wrong, but I don't recall ever paying a surcharge on my tickets when I lived in Waltham...

I interpreted his question to be one on going from Boston to Westborough, arriving at Boston through some non-commuter rail method (Amtrak? airplane?)

I've definitely seen conductors tack on the surcharge to passengers getting on at South Station/Back Bay/Ruggles. All three of those stations have kiosks and I know at least SS/BB have ticket windows. I've seen some conductors let people off with a warning, I've also seen some conductors be very insistent on collecting the fare, and sometimes I've seen no conductor at all and everyone just rode for free. The last is not likely at 1PM.

I've never had to pay myself because I'm on a monthly pass.

[Verseau]

Originally Posted by jayrandom

I interpreted his question to be one on going from Boston to Westborough, arriving at Boston through some non-commuter rail method (Amtrak? airplane?)

Yeah, after re-reading the OP's post, that makes sense.

Originally Posted by jayrandom

I've definitely seen conductors tack on the surcharge to passengers getting on at South Station/Back Bay/Ruggles. All three of those stations have kiosks and I know at least SS/BB have ticket windows.

Right - that's the idea with the surcharge though - it only applies when you board the train at a station that does have a ticket window but you don't buy your ticket there. So if the OP is boarding the train in Boston, he should definitely buy his ticket at a window/machine.

Sorry for the confusion!