Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Massachusetts
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 10-29-2017, 08:07 PM
 
23 posts, read 29,298 times
Reputation: 16

Advertisements

Hi, all... I need to relocate to Boston, and will be working in the Seaport. Where I buy a house will be highly dependent on how long it will take on the commuter rail.

It's easy enough to go on the MBTA website and find train times, but what I'm having trouble grasping is how parking works. For example - how do I know whether the commuter rail parking lot fills up each day, and if so, by what time? I don't want to buy a house and discover on the first day of work that the closest commuter rail parking lot is full by 5 am...

Also, I'm not sure I even understand how the commuter rail parking lots work. Are they owned by the towns they are in and are most spaces reserved for people from that town? Or is it a free or all? Or can I pay for a reserved space?

I'm totally confused... would welcome any thoughts / tips / advice / knowledge on this topic... it's the big "question mark" for me in figuring out where to move...

Thanks!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 10-29-2017, 08:25 PM
 
Location: Westwood, MA
5,037 posts, read 6,918,347 times
Reputation: 5961
Quote:
Originally Posted by seventythree View Post
Hi, all... I need to relocate to Boston, and will be working in the Seaport. Where I buy a house will be highly dependent on how long it will take on the commuter rail.

It's easy enough to go on the MBTA website and find train times, but what I'm having trouble grasping is how parking works. For example - how do I know whether the commuter rail parking lot fills up each day, and if so, by what time? I don't want to buy a house and discover on the first day of work that the closest commuter rail parking lot is full by 5 am...

Also, I'm not sure I even understand how the commuter rail parking lots work. Are they owned by the towns they are in and are most spaces reserved for people from that town? Or is it a free or all? Or can I pay for a reserved space?

I'm totally confused... would welcome any thoughts / tips / advice / knowledge on this topic... it's the big "question mark" for me in figuring out where to move...

Thanks!
This is the sort of question we're here for. Ask us.

As for lots, there are all sorts. Some are owned by the towns, some are owned by the MBTA (and operated by a contractor). Some have reserved spots, some are free for all. You can look on the MBTA website and get an idea about who owns the lot. I've never once seen a full lot at the three stations I've used (Route 128 / Islington / Dedham Corporate), but I've heard stories about parking being gone after the first train at other places.

Tip: If you can, live within walking distance. Not having to use a car at all is great.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-29-2017, 08:39 PM
 
23 posts, read 29,298 times
Reputation: 16
Jayrandom - thanks for the quick reply! I would love to live within walking distance to a commuter rail line, but given house prices etc it's not likely...

Currently we are thinking about Acton, Andover, or Hamilton/Wenham...

Any ideas if those lots tend to fill up?

Thanks!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-29-2017, 09:10 PM
 
Location: Westwood, MA
5,037 posts, read 6,918,347 times
Reputation: 5961
Quote:
Originally Posted by seventythree View Post
Jayrandom - thanks for the quick reply! I would love to live within walking distance to a commuter rail line, but given house prices etc it's not likely...

Currently we are thinking about Acton, Andover, or Hamilton/Wenham...

Any ideas if those lots tend to fill up?

Thanks!
No idea about those three. I have coworkers in Acton that take the first train; I suspect the lot may fill early.

I thought you were going to the Seaport. Why are you looking at lines that end at North Station? South Station commuter rail is generally better and it's closer to the Seaport. As someone who started looking North of Boston because I didn't know any better, you might consider looking South.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-29-2017, 11:25 PM
 
Location: New England
2,190 posts, read 2,230,657 times
Reputation: 1969
North Station is not convenient at all to the Seaport. Like others have said i'd look South.

In fact i'd say that North Station is badly placed, as it's a good bit of a walk from the financial center and all of the towers. You also have to jump on another packed train to get to the Back Bay. That's why the state should really look at the NSRL.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-30-2017, 03:03 AM
 
513 posts, read 646,225 times
Reputation: 703
Hamilton/Wenham has plenty of space to park. It is $4 per day to park.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-30-2017, 04:46 AM
 
1,708 posts, read 2,909,169 times
Reputation: 2167
Lots of buildings in the seaport have shuttles to north station.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-30-2017, 05:31 AM
 
Location: Westwood, MA
5,037 posts, read 6,918,347 times
Reputation: 5961
Quote:
Originally Posted by Boston_Burbs View Post
Lots of buildings in the seaport have shuttles to north station.
It’s certainly doable, but unless there’s a compelling reason to be on the north side of Boston, South Station lines make more sense. Sharon schools are just as good if not better than Acton schools and the train ride is much faster.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-30-2017, 07:12 AM
 
649 posts, read 815,839 times
Reputation: 1240
Every town's lot can be different. Some are resident-permit only and there is a waitlist for permits, some are combo of permit and meter, some are big public commuting hubs and some are 14 spaces in the woods. Acton is full by 7:30 easily. Andover is further so less competition. As other have said living on the north shore or even metro-west and working at the SeaPort is a recipe for misery.

Ideally you would only take one form of transportation to work, if you can afford it. When I worked in Fort Point I took the subway to south station and hoofed it in the icy wind over the bridge daily.

Sharon and Canton are the more affordable decent-schooled of the (i think we are calling it) neponset valley zone. Actual south shore schools town I think Hingham then Cohasset. Look at the MBTA greenbush line. I think you can also take a ferry to from Hingham.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-30-2017, 09:06 AM
 
161 posts, read 230,856 times
Reputation: 236
I am an Acton resident and used to commute to the Seaport. The South Acton commuter rail lot fills completely with the express train in the morning. West Concord always has spots, and I used to go there instead. Also, commuting to Seaport from Acton is really painful. I recommend looking at the lines that go to South Station instead.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram

Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Massachusetts

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top