Commuting from Wilmington/Reading to Cambridge (MIT) (Malden, Fitchburg: transfer to, to live in)

[sushfo]

I'm looking for housing in the area. It looks like I'd have to take the Commuter rail from either North Wilmington or Reading stations, get to North Station or Malden, transfer to either Green line or the Orange line, and then Red line... Has anyone done that commute? Is it worth it or would driving be better?

[yesmaybe]

You know, Acton/Maynard would be more convenient if you were headed to Kendall.

[BosYuppie]

It is not worth it to spend 90+ minutes in transit, especially when that 90 minutes will inevitably turn into 2 hours+ when one of your 3 connections is screwed up. Also, the commuter rail pass + parking costs that far out will probably exceed the cost of parking in Kendall.

Just pay for parking in Kendall.

[simplexsimon]

Originally Posted by yesmaybe

You know, Acton/Maynard would be more convenient if you were headed to Kendall.

This if you must take the train. The Fitchburg line stops at Porter where you can switch to the Red line. Many people split the difference and drive down Rt 2 and park at Alewife.

[robr2]

You would be better off taking the commuter rail from Wilmington station as there are more trains and more parking. From North Station, you would walk 5 minutes to the EZ Ride shuttle that takes you to the Kendall/MIT area. It'll be an hour or so each way.

https://charlesrivertma.org/route-and-stops

If you are MIT staff or faculty, you may be eligible for a significant discount on the commuter rail pass and T parking.

https://web.mit.edu/facilities/trans...mit/index.html

You can drive but it may take 50 minutes or 2 hours.

[Amontillado]

Coming in on the Fitchburg line, which passes through Porter Square, would be much easier than all the fooling around you'd have to do if you live north of the city. You didn't mention your family situation, but do you really have to live in the Reading/Wilmington area? Time spent commuting is time you'll never be paid for. In fact the farther you travel, the more you have to pay.

[gf2020]

Commuting from the north isn't so bad. robr2 has outlined the most common approach for public transportation.

In reality, unless you are working in a lab or manufacturing, most Cambridge-based jobs don't require you to come in to the office 5 days per week. Hybrid work was the norm in Cambridge even before COVID. Further, most of the life science companies provide free or highly reimbursed parking and driving in for just a couple days per week is not really an issue.