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folks....i am interested in knowing how good or bad is the daily commute from Boston to Providence or to West kingston, RI?
I would be leaving boston (6.30am) and traveling to Providence or West Kingston, RI everyday and returning around 5.15pm.
Is this daily commute doable by car? Or I am better off taking a train? How many minutes or hours would it take each way?
Let me know your thoughts.
I used to do it, but the reverse...West Kingston to Boston. There's limited service to South County...by that I mean few trains...so if you can build your schedule around Amtrak so you don't miss the train, it can be done. I needed more flexibility, so I used to drive to South Attleboro and take the MBTA commuter rail. Door to door took me 2 hours each way.
Oh yeah...Amtrak is expensive compared to MBTA.
I would think it is doable by car since you're going the opposite commute of most folks. Lots of RI folks working in Boston.
I wouldn't want to do it but it is doable. Leaving Boston at 6:30 you may hit a little bit of traffic getting through Providence, but it shouldn't be too bad at that hour. The ride from Providence to Kingstown would be long but little traffic. Getting through Providence returning home would be hit or miss traffic for the most part. I'd take the MBTA if I were you, atleast the days you're working in Providence. Amtrak is the only train from boston to Kingston and keep in mind there's little or no bus service to Kingston so you'd have to be working within walking distance of the train station.
The West Kingston commute would be brutal especially on the return trip. Boston to Providence is a lot more reasonable and doable in my opinion. What part of Boston and what part of Providence? That would have some impact on your travel times, but I'd say probably an hour each way for the BOS-PVD commute. Could be a bit less if you're close to the highway at each end and get lucky with traffic.
The West Kingston commute would be brutal especially on the return trip. Boston to Providence is a lot more reasonable and doable in my opinion. What part of Boston and what part of Providence? That would have some impact on your travel times, but I'd say probably an hour each way for the BOS-PVD commute. Could be a bit less if you're close to the highway at each end and get lucky with traffic.
Let me add, yes it is doable, but as riexpat said it would be brutal. I did the Kingston to Boston commute and after 2 years was ready to dumpster dive and sell the stuff on eBay for a living.
my wife currently lives right off I-93 in boston (south station).
i have a few follow-up questions -
Is there a city somewhere in the middle between Providence and Boston where both my wife and I can live and commute peacefully. I am looking to live in an area for young couples...with nightlife and things to do? My wife currently works in back-bay and we're both new to the boston area.
How much does a 1 bedroom apt. cost in Providence or West Kingston...in a decent area . The other option I was thinking about was to rent an apartment and live in Providence or West Kingston and commute back to boston during the weekends.
I'd say you could find a 1BR in Providence for anywhere from 650/month to well over 1000. I used to rent a decent sized 1BR for 750 that included all the utilities.
If I were in you situation, I would move with my wife to Providence. Then, she could hop on the train daily to get to work (get right off the Providence line at Back Bay) and you could drive down to Kingston, or walk downtown depending on where you'd work. She'd have about an hour commute by train and you'd have a good 45 minute commute by car to Kingston. Your living costs would be much less and you'd probly only need one car if you found a place within walking distance to the train station downtown. Granted, Providence is no Boston, but it does have great restaurants, great nightlife and a pretty cool vibe downtown. If you're looking for a cool young place to live, it would beat any of the smaller towns between Providence and Boston.
^I agree. The commuter train is frequent enough and very convenient to Back Bay from Providence. You would really enjoy the lifestyle in Providence as well - great neighborhoods and nice restaurants. Plus, you wouldn't be far from the beach in the summer or, if you really wanted a night out in the city, you could just jump on the train or drive up to Boston for the night.
Not to steal this thread, but can some of the Kingston-Boston commuters weigh in on how plausible this is. I work for the federal government so I can get up to $230 per month in transit vouchers. I know the reality is Amtrak must cost 5-600 a month though. How often is it on time? And I'm sure the T is a big part of it.
Anyone hear anything about the new station in Wickford or the Airport? Are these feasible? They would easily be affordable, especially with my transit benefit, but I think the time might be too much with those.
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