which boston amtrak station?
 

Which Boston area Amtrak station should somebody use that is dropping off/picking up a young teenager catching the Acela? They will probably want to see the person off at the station rather than just dropping them off, so they will need to park, etc.

They are driving from/to southern NH (right off 93). Pick up/drop off times will be mid-day, non commute hours.

Thanks,
-David

South Station for sure - there's a parking garage (and sometimes one can snag
on-street parking, but don't count on it). Plus it's a much less unpleasant place
to wait.

For what you're proposing, Route 128 is almost surely the best choice.

It's extremely simple to reach by car -- from 93, take Rt 128 (also called I-95) south to University Ave/Railroad Station exit (Exit 13) in Canton. The station is 1/4 mile from the exit, and there is plenty of parking.

Alternatively, you could go to South Station, which would be about 8-10 miles closer. However, South Station is in downtown Boston, which means that parking would be considerably more expensive and that the possibility of traffic delays would be greater.

Excellent! 2 replies, each is sure of the right answer, and each is different.

Gotta love the Internets.

Tiebreaker: The Route 128 station is easier to reach on / off the highway, much easier parking, easier to meet people at ('cos there's only one track / train at a time), and much less chance of traffic delays (I-93 into downtown Boston can clog up in a heartbeat, and the last few miles -- Medford to South Station -- can easily take an hour in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

Another vote for Route 128/Westwood, even though it's more miles. Not having to deal with driving into Boston is a huge plus.

The difference in distance is 20+ miles if you stay on 128/I-95, which I recommend. They're only that close if you go through downtown Boston on I-93, which passes right by South Station and kinda misses the point of going to Westwood in the first place.

Thanks everybody. 128 sounds good.

-David

Another vote for 128. There are some restaurants in the surrounding area as well. Good for a bite to eat before the train (the cafe car sucks).

Good restaurants near the Route 128 train station???

Blue Ginger is on the way, coming in from the North. :)

I guess kinda! Actually, when I use the Route 128 train station, my preferred lunch/dinner spot is the very casual Farm Grill, on Needham Street in Newton (take the Needham Street exit off of Route 128; it's about two miles down on the right). It's 5 minutes off of Route 128 and serves the best gyro sandwich I've ever had!

What's the parking situation typically like at this station? I haven't been in a few years but does the "Commuter" section ($5/day, FastLane accepted) fill up, like Alewife does?

I've never seen it fill up. Pretty sure it's $10/day for overnight parking. And yes FastLane is accepted; if it's mounted on your windshield, just drive in and drive out. No need to take a ticket.

It's nothing like Alewife. Alewife is a disaster. I've never seen 128 full.