Blumie

None of these, other than Park (and maybe Washington, if by Washington you mean Downtown Crossing, although it hasn't been called Washington in 30 years or so), is a good reference point for the Red Line. But if one wants to go to Alewife, the best reference point is to get on an Alewife train. Alewife trains go to Alewife.

momtwins, the Silver Line bus is free from all airport terminals to South Station. Exit the terminal at the baggage claim level and look for the signs to the Silver Line. At Terminal E, the Silver Line bus picks up at the very front of the terminal, so turn right when you come out of the building. The transfer at South Station to the Red Line also is free -- simply look for signs to the Red Line towards Alewife (as violist noted, it's at the back of the bus platform, so turn right as you exit the bus) -- and the elevator probably will be working, although if not you always can ask other passengers for help.

Picking up on violist's point, if you have any doubt about whether you're on the correct train (although, again, as long as you're on an Alewife train, there should be no doubts), the train will stop at the following stations: Downtown Crossing, Park St., Charles/MGH, Kendall/MIT, Central, Harvard, Porter, Davis, and Alewife Station.

I haven't been to Alewife in some time, but my recollection is that there is an escalator to get from the train to the street level. There may be an elevator as well.

octr202

There are both escalators and elevators and/or ramps to get to street level or up into the parking garage. There is a ramp from the station concourse level up to the main pick up/drop off area at street level.

chnxx

I'll be in Boston for 2 days and I want to let me know what is more appropriate to me...

*Where I can just buy the charlie card?
*I can buy it at the South Station by credit card?
*It is true that the SL1 line is free and then I can connect to the red line also free?

Any other comments or suggestions for those 2 days is welcome.

Thanks!

TWToKM

While you can buy a Charlie Ticket at a machine with a credit card, you can't buy a Charlie Card directly from a machine. You will need to seek out an agent to obtain a Charlie Card which you can then bring to a machine to add value with either cash or a credit card. Sometimes, people leave extras at machines, but not a regular occurrence. Not sure when your trip is, but if you have time, you may be able to order a Charlie Card ahead of time at mbta.com.

The silver line is still free when leaving the airport (you still need to pay to go to the airport). Since the silver line and red line connect at south station, your connection to the red line coming from the Airport would also be free.

octr202

There's some issue (either agency or legal) with the MBTA selling CharlieCards like most other transit systems do with their smart cards. So while you don't have to pay, they just make them really, really annoying to obtain. It now looks like you cannot buy them online (they once were available there, just you had to pre-load them with value).

If you dig around counter-intuitively on the website, you can find this page which lists the hours and stations where they are supposed to hand out cards (scroll down to item #3). Keep in mind that agents aren't assigned to booths, so they roam and/or might not even be around when you look for one.

http://www.mbta.com/fares_and_passes/charlie/?id=5592

If you'll be roaming around town a lot, check the math on a week pass. It's $19, but if you can't easily get a CharlieCard that's just a tad over seven single fares at the CharlieTicket rate ($2.65 per boarding), or just over 9 fares if you can get a CharlieCard and pay the lower ($2.10) fare per boarding. As the surcharge is only 55 cents to use a ticket, it's probably not worth going too far out of your way for just a couple boardings (especially since the Silver Line provides free access into the system for arriving passengers at Logan).

s0ssos

How do these free transfers work? I took the redline inbound, got off South station, wandered around a little and then took Silver to airport. Does not count.
Guy said you cannot go inbound to outbound, it has to be the same direction.
But it is the same direction from Harvard to the airport

LoganFlyer

It's not a matter of direction. The Charlie Card free transfer does not allow you to leave the subway system and come back to it. It's designed to let you transfer from subway to above-ground bus for free, from one bus to another bus for free, or above-ground bus to subway by paying the extra $0.55 in fare difference. For better or worse, the assumption is that if you want to transfer from subway to subway, from subway to below-ground bus, or from below-ground bus to subway, you'll do so without leaving the gated area. If you leave the gated area and come back, you're not really transferring but making two separate trips. (Similarly, if you take a bus, get off, and take the same bus route either direction immediately thereafter, you won't get a free transfer.)

s0ssos

Ah, thanks. So not a transfer in the way subway systems around the world consider transfer.

Blumie

No exactly the way a transfer is considered around the world. It's just that in this case, as is often the case around the world, you have to stay in the system to transfer and once you leave a station your trip is over.

Edited to add: Thinking about it, I do understand the confusion, as most free subway-to-bus transfers do require you to leave the subway station to access the bus.

Out of my Element

Works the same in NYC. If you exit the gated area you have to pay to reeneter. But if you stay beyond the fare gates in NYC or in Boston, you can ride all day for one fare

Blumie

In NYC, if you exit the gated are you still can transfer to a bus for free.

Out of my Element

As does the Charlie Card. See post 82, above.

s0ssos

Well, in Hong Kong you can leave to connect to another station, and it counts as a transfer. Same as Tokyo. Your information is stored in the card.

I guess that is because Boston doesn't have an exit tap. Nor does NYC. Because it is a one-fare fits all system.

Cloudship

There are different Silver lines. Not all are connected. SL1, 2, and I think there is a 3 again, all use the tunnel at South Station and go out along the waterfront. One goes to Logan (SL1) while the other only to the Design Center and Black Falcon terminal. Those you can't exit South Station and then reenter. the transfer is within the gates.

However there are also SL 4 and 5, which run down Washington St. Those are the ones that you get a transfer to (I think it is $.50, not free). They don't run in the tunnel and don't go to the waterfront or Logan airport.

But from a many years ago post, yes you can board the Silver Line at Logan, and transfer to the red line subway at South Station and not have to pay a fare.

CMK10

I just learned Charlie Cards expire. I was in Boston last weekend and I tried to use a Charlie Card I'd gotten in 2007 that I'd used as recently as 2011 and was told by the fare machine that my card had expired. I think I lost a few dollars worth of value on there too.