New England - BOS Airport to Train

How does one get from BOS to an Amtrak station in Boston? I hope this is a simple process. I'm flying in, then taking a train down to CT.

I see that Amtrak serves three stations - and it looks like the easiest way is to hop on the silver line from the airport to South Station, but I just saw another post here about how terrible the silver bus line is. Would it be better to take the blue/yellow line to Back Bay - or blue/green to North Station? Are the Back Bay / North Station MBTA stops the same as the Amtrak stations (I have to ask, because here in Italy, two different stations in two different places can have the same name!)

Finally - do I need advanced tickets? I'm used to Italy, where you can almost always walk up and still get tickets 10 mins before the train's departure.

Grazie!

Unless you have a lot of luggage or oversized suitcases, the Silver Line from the airport to Boston South Station is the way to go. It provides a convenient one-seat ride to South Station, with no transfers required. The Silver Line buses can get crowded, but I still think that it is the easiest way to get to Amtrak, other than taking a taxi, which will be significantly more expensive.

Boston North Station is not an option if you are going to Connecticut. The only Amtrak service that operates out of North Station goes North, to New Hampshire and Maine. All Amtrak trains from Boston to Connecticut (both the "Regional" service and the more expensive "Acela" service) originate at South Station, and pick up passengers a few minutes later at Back Bay Station.

Most Amtrak service -- including all service between Boston and Connecticut -- is reserved, meaning that a particular train can sell out. So if you want to be assured of being able to travel on a particular train, you should make a reservation in advance if possible. Amtrak also sells seats on most of its trains -- including all service between Boston and Connecticut -- on a "fare bucket" basis. When all seats in the cheapest "bucket" are sold, Amtrak starts selling seats from the next cheapest bucket. So if there is a lot of demand for the train you want, you might end up paying more if you wait until just before train departure to reserve a seat and purchase your ticket, assuming that there are still seats left for sale at that point. If you are able to purchase your train ticket several days in advance (either over the phone or via the Internet), check out http://www.railserve.com for available advance-purchase discounts on Amtrak.

And yes, the MBTA T stops for North Station, South Station, and Back Bay are located at the corresponding Amtrak stations with the same name.

Where are you going on Amtrak, north or south? You need to get to north or south station respectively... If it's south station, just take the silver line. The bus isn't "that bad" like in the other threads, it's just misleading since they make it look like it's another subway/trolley but in fact, just a bus.

Edit: Just reread and saw you're going down to Conn. So you need to get to south station. Again, don't try to overthink this one, just hop on the silver line right outside the terminal and hop off at south station. Go upstairs and follow the signs for the Commuter rail/ Amtrak which will take you right into South Station, not across the street.

Where are you going on Amtrak, north or south? You need to get to north or south station
respectively...

Connecticut is generally regarded as south, which makes
life easy.

If it's south station, just take the silver line.

Correct. Don't pay attention to the naysayers. The Silver Line
works just fine, though it's not particularly comfortable.

Thanks for the tips, everyone!

Correct. Don't pay attention to the naysayers. The Silver Line
works just fine, though it's not particularly comfortable.

No more or less than any other mode of public transportation in Boston, and they provide space to store your luggage.

The Silver Line works just fine, though it's not particularly comfortable.

No more or less than any other mode of public transportation in Boston, and they provide space to store your luggage.I agre with tkey. Having just taken the Silver Line to BOS, followed 90 minutes later by the MTA's Q33 bus from LGA, I can assure you that the Silver Line was just as comfortable (probably more so) than the Q33.

As to luggage storage, I also happened to notice -- because we debated this in a recent thread -- that some of the Silver Line buses do not have luggage racks, while others do. Perhaps it was the intent of the MBTA to use those with luggage racks on the airport route, but my bus to Logan this morning did not have one. That said, based on my extensive experience on the Silver Line (literally dozens and dozens of trips), I can assure readers that this rarely, if ever, is an issue. Yes, the bus can, on occasion, get crowded, but I've never witnessed an occasion where all passengers and their luggage could not be accommodated.

Finally - do I need advanced tickets? I'm used to Italy, where you can almost always walk up and still get tickets 10 mins before the train's departure.



Unless you are traveling during peak travel periods (holidays, or Fri/Sun evening, or Mon morning) it is highly unlikely that the train will simply sell out. So yes, you generally could "walk up" and buy a ticket. But as guv1976 noted, it is typically cheaper--and sometimes significantly--to buy the ticket in advance. It's not an e-ticket, but you'll be able to pick it up when you arrive at South Station (just bring the print-out from when you bought it online).

If your flight is late and you miss the train, you can take the next one. Just see an agent. Unfortunately, this will typically mean you have to pay the difference in fare between the advance purchase and the walk-up fare. So, unless you are in a terrible hurry you'll want to buy a ticket for a train that leaves roughly 2+ hours from when your flight is due to arrive in BOS. That will give you time to clear customs, catch the Silver Line bus, pick up your ticket, and catch your breath. (If arriving on a domestic flight you can probably figure a 90-minute connection time to Amtrak). It's possible to do the connection in less time of course...and you could speed things up by catching a cab if your flight is late...but if it's your first time in the BOS area you may wish to give yourself some breathing room.

I find the Silver line to be the most civilived part of MAss transit in Boston. Not that other modes are crummy, just that the buses in my experience are clean, I've not boon on an airport one without luggage storage (though that would be annoying).

In a hurry in a snowstorm, I once took a cab from the airport to South Station. Cose me nearly $20 with the tunnel fee and whatever else. Plus, I had to climb over a snowbank at the curb. The silver line is $2 and drops you under South Station indoors.

I'm just noting that, if you're tired from a long flight, taking a cab isn't guaranteed to be massively easier the way it usually is compared to mass transit, depending on weather and such. If you have many bags, definitely cab is easier. But if you travel light, it's only a little easier for your 10 fold increase in price.

One consideration could also be the terminal at which you're arriving. A Silver Line trip from Terminal A (DL and others) could easily take 10-15 minute longer than a trip from Terminal E (Southwest, Int'l arrivials)

I'll be flying in on Lufthansa, so I presume Terminal E.

Thanks!