Amtrak, +1 800 872-7245, , the national passenger rail service, serves Boston. Boston has three intercity rail stations, which serve both Amtrak and MBTA commuter rail trains.
South Station: Trains coming from west and south of Boston terminate here. Connections with the MBTA's Red Line and all branches of the Silver Line except the SL5.
Back Bay: Many trains coming from west and south of Boston stop here and then continue to South Station. This station is convenient to the Back Bay neighborhood, and is served by the MBTA's Orange Line.
North Station: Trains from north of Boston terminate here. This station is located underneath the TD Garden sports arena, and is served by the MBTA's Orange and Green Lines.
Downeaster runs daily from Portland, Maine to Boston. Note that this is the only Amtrak route to teminate at North Station.
Lake Shore Limited runs daily from Chicago to Boston. The trip is about 21 hours, so bring a book!
Northeast Regional runs daily from Virginia up to Boston. Follows roughly the same route at the Acela Express, but with more local stops.
There is no direct train service between Canada and Boston. The Amtrak schedule is arranged such that transfers are impractical, especially going from Canada to Boston. You can do it if you're willing to stay overnight in New York City, Albany, Syracuse, or Rochester, but you'll pay for two trips.
The local regional rail system is the MBTA Commuter Rail. If you are coming from Providence, the Commuter Rail is significantly cheaper ($7.75 versus $16) and more frequent than Amtrak. Remember, the North-South rule applies to which station you use. Trains to Plymouth, Worcester, Providence and the South Shore leave from South Station (note, Plymouth trains do NOT service Back Bay). North Station will get you to Rockport, Gloucester, Salem and all other points on the North Shore.
Arriving by train has the advantage of putting you within easy reach of most downtown destinations by public transit. Remember, Boston is NOT a city for cars!
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Boston
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Boston - updated May 2024
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Boston Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
