Commuting from Tiverton, RI to Boston (University of Boston) (Providence: house, to buy)

[iman44]

HI All,
We are leaving the Washington, DC area and we have secured a beautiful home in Tiverton, RI due to my husband's job with the Navy at Newport Naval Base. I have found a wonderful job opportunity with Boston University (Commonwealth Ave and Buick St) and I am trying to figure out the best way to commute there. Any advise or resources would be helpful. Thanks so much!!

[independent man]

Congratulations on finding a great house in Tiverton! A beautiful town and special Rhode Island place. The ease of you're commute might depend on how deep south you will be living into Tiverton. Climbing out of South Tiverton to Rt. 24 in Fall River may take a little time, but once you're out, the commute should be pretty straight forward. 24 to 128 to SE Expressway into Boston. While I've never taken that exact route, Tiverton to Comm. Av., my guess is it will take you a little over an hour by car - once you're out of Tiverton. Good luck!

[Hollytree]

Your husband will need to buy an EZ pass so he can commute to Newport over the Sakonnet bridge (previously free).

If you drive to BU will you be able to park in a lot there? Most people who commute to Boston from RI do so by MBTA so they can avoid the parking issues in the city.

[beth98]

The route independent man describes would be the only option I can think of, but I'm less optimistic on the time. I will depend a bit on the hours you are commuting. If you have to work 9-5, I would say plan on 2 hours to get there and 1 1/2 to get home. 24 can back up pretty quickly, particularly if there is an accident. 93N into Boston from where 24 hits could easily take an hour by itself at rush hour. Think getting from Rockville to Tyson's on the Beltway during rush hour. Sorry to be a bit of a downer.

If you have off hours and maybe the option of working from home one or two days a week things things would get much easier.

I suppose there is probably some sort of variation on driving to a commuter rail stop, parking and then taking the T to BU, but I don't know the lines well enough to advice. It would still be a long commute but at least you would get some time back because you could do work rather than sit in traffic.

Welcome to RI!

[independent man]

Originally Posted by beth98

The route independent man describes would be the only option I can think of, but I'm less optimistic on the time. I will depend a bit on the hours you are commuting. If you have to work 9-5, I would say plan on 2 hours to get there and 1 1/2 to get home. 24 can back up pretty quickly, particularly if there is an accident. 93N into Boston from where 24 hits could easily take an hour by itself at rush hour. Think getting from Rockville to Tyson's on the Beltway during rush hour. Sorry to be a bit of a downer.

If you have off hours and maybe the option of working from home one or two days a week things things would get much easier.

I suppose there is probably some sort of variation on driving to a commuter rail stop, parking and then taking the T to BU, but I don't know the lines well enough to advice. It would still be a long commute but at least you would get some time back because you could do work rather than sit in traffic.

Welcome to RI!

Less optimistic on the time is an understatement Beth98. A 2 hour commute sounds like a nightmare, but you could be right.

[sandsonik]

You have a few options for rail commute, if parking isn't a good option at BU. Whether you drive or take mass transit, I don't envy your commute.

You can drive via Rte 24 to 195 to 95 to South Attleboro and take the train from there. That would be at least a 30 minute drive for you, and an hour on the train. You'd then either take the red line from South Station to Park St to switch to the Green B line, or get off the commuter rail at Back Bay and walk 2 blocks to Copley and get directly on the green line. I prefer the second option, unless it's raining. (For BU, you always want to make sure you're on a B train - those go all the way down Comm Ave.)

Or you could go the other direction and take the Old Colony line from Lakeville/Middleborough. I'm not familiar with this route or the rail line, but Google tells me it's a 35 minute drive from Tiverton, via 24 and 495. The train trip is very similar, but it doesn't stop at Back Bay so you'd get off at South Station and do the Red line to Park/switch to Green line deal. It's a zone 8, while South Attleboro is a zone 7 so you'd pay more. But like I said, I'm not familiar with the commute around there, so maybe it's easer than going to So. Attleboro.

PS - Providence is actually closer to Tiverton than South Attleboro and on the same line but since the fares are higher and the parking garage is much higher, most commuters travel the extra 5 minutes to the South Attleboro stop.

[elston]

I commuted from Providence to grad school at BU.....many years ago! It is quite a haul. However I remember times in the winter when I left early in the snow and made it to class in time...only to find that the class had been cancelled due to snow.....by the professor or sometimes by the University. LOL now, not then. I don't envy you doing it everyday.....in fact I would try to find some other arrangement.....like not taking the job at BU or staying over in Boston during the week.

[sandsonik]

I didn't mention this one, but you could drive to the Quincy Adams station, park there and take the red line in.
It's my go-to option when I have an event in the city and the probability that I'm getting out after the last rail leaves. The T runs more often, more frequently and is cheaper than commuter rail.

I didn't mention it because I doubt that would be as attractive for a daily work commute - you'd still be driving a long distance and through some really heavy traffic. The pros are large covered garage, T fare rather than commuter rail fare avoiding the worst leg of traffic. The cons are that you still drove most of the way to Boston and have a long subway ride.

In the end, I think you'll find driving in is the best option to be honest. If Tiverton were closer to a commuter rail station and if BU didn't involve at least one more subway ride from the rail station, I'd vote for public transit. On the other hand, I have no familiarity at all with Boston buses, and maybe there's one that goes directly from the station to BU....hmmm

I went to BU and my last semester I drove in, but not daily, and my classes were east campus so I don't even have any secret parking tips, LOL.

[dh1989]

I used to work at BU and commute from the Providence area. I worked 4pm-12am so traffic wasn't that bad. 1 hr 30 min was the average going in, 1:15 coming back. I took I-95 to Route 9, occasionally took the Mass Pike if there was an accident or construction on 9. Second shift traffic was pretty consistent and predictable. BU parking was somewhere around $300/yr for 2nd shift. Day shift a LOT more, around $1500/yr as I recall, first-come-first-serve on spots. They would also kick you out of certain lots for events...

On a few rare occasions I worked first shift. It was about a 1:45 to 2 hr drive each way in GOOD weather. The absolute worst was an icy, snowy day, where it took me over THREE HOURS to get to work. If you decide to take the train, S. Attleboro will get you there in an hour, add another 15-20 min for walking from Back Bay to Copley and waiting for the green line (the slowest of them all). I became frustrated pretty quickly trying MBTA. If it's snowing, Amtrak is working on the tracks, or a train breaks down ahead of you, expect to be going nowhere anytime fast. Between $4 a day to park, the expensive MBTA pass, and the gas I spent driving from home to the MBTA station, I found just driving to be a better deal.

I did it for 3 years and found work closer to home. Now I like to be within 30 minutes of everything

[QuilterChick]

Originally Posted by iman44

HI All,
We are leaving the Washington, DC area and we have secured a beautiful home in Tiverton, RI due to my husband's job with the Navy at Newport Naval Base. I have found a wonderful job opportunity with Boston University (Commonwealth Ave and Buick St) and I am trying to figure out the best way to commute there. Any advise or resources would be helpful. Thanks so much!!

Quick question: Did you try the commute during business hours, or any hours, prior to accepting the job at BU?

My brother-in-law did it for a while too after they moved back to Dartmouth after living in CA, and said it's the commute from hell. He had to leave at 5:30 am every morning to be there seated in his office at 8:00 am and many nights did not get home before 8:30 pm. And they live along I-140, Rt. 24 area. 2 miles to the entrance/exit. My nephew went to BU but boarded there. Even coming home for holidays, breaks, etc. my sister had to pick him up and take him back for 4 years. He got his grad degree from Brown Un. and commuted a straight shot into Providence. My granddaughter went to Simmons College in Boston from northern RI, took the Amtrak, but it was pretty rough on her, many times my daughter had to drive to Franklin or Quincy to pick her up because of train issues and weather issues.

I'd think three times about a Tiverton to Boston commute. You will come to regret a Boston commute, most people do. But I wish you the best of course.