staying in burlington/bedford area

We will be staying the Burlington/Bedford area in May. What is the easiest way to get into Boston? What is the difference between the T and the commuter rail?

staying in burlington/bedford area

The ';T'; is the ';Transit'; in MTBA (Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority). It includes the subway, commuter rail, buses, and even commuter boats. Some people refer only to the subway as the ';T';, but the view isn%26#39;t correct.

From Burlington, you%26#39;d need to take a bus intown, since I don%26#39;t believe nay of the commuter rail go through and the subway doesn%26#39;t go out that far.

You can ALL that stuff on the ';T'; web site: mbta.com

There%26#39;s even a page there where you can plug in ';start'; place and ';end'; place and it will tell you how to get there.

AlanM

staying in burlington/bedford area

Hi,

There is very limited MBTA bus service from Burlington itself. There%26#39;s one Express Bus which only runs rush hours, but heads directly to downtown Boston. Then, there%26#39;s another bus that has a better schedule, but only goes to Alewife station on the Red Line. It%26#39;s a very long bus ride (30+ minutes).

Your best bet would be to drive to the Anderson Train station in Woburn, on the Lowell Commuter Rail line. There%26#39;s plenty of parking there and the train schedule isn%26#39;t bad.

Another option is driving to Alewife on the Red Line, and parking there. The Red Line is more convenient than a commuter rail train, and has easier connections to the rest of the system.

Hi,

You will have to define which town your staying in, Burlington or Bedford.

The “T” has bus service from both…from Bedford Center the bus travels Great road/Rt225 and will take to you to Elwife Train Station in Cambridge. From there you take the subway to downtown Boston.

From Burlington, the bus travels Cambridge St (Rt 3A) and also takes you to Alwife.

(the roads run sort of parallel to one another).

I think the buses run on the ½ hour.

Approx 90 min to downtown.

I am sorry. I should have specified that we are staying in Burlington at One Mall Road. I don%26#39;t know if anyone is familar with that area. But would appreciate any tips on transportation.

Hi,

I’ll guess and say your staying at the Marriott (I think it’s the only hotel on mall rd). You will be within walking distance to a large shopping mall, the Lahey Clinic, and numerous restaurants (both in the mall and around the mall). For transportation, you can walk to Cambridge Street/Rt 3a and take the bus (like I mentioned above) to the train station in Cambridge and then take the train to a number of areas in Cambridge (Davis Sq, Porter Sq, Harvard Sq ) or continue on the same train to downtown Boston.

I would speak to the hotel concierge, I’m sure he can provide directions. Also, ask him about hotel transportation and about the bus service offered at the mall (an alternative to the “T”). This bus stops outside Macy’s Department store and goes to a few different towns (i.e. Arlington). From Arlington for example, you can catch the bus to Harvard Sq.

And of course there is taxi service all over.

So, without a car, you do have a number of somewhat convenient transportation options. The only word of caution would be the sidewalks (if any) from the hotel. Although a short walk to the places mentioned, Mall Road is not the best walking road (as I recall).

Hi,

If you will have a car with you, I%26#39;d suggest that the most convenient thing for you to do, is to drive to Alewife and park there, and take the Red Line into Boston.

First, the bus ride from Burlington to Alewife is LONG (30+ minutes), and then you first have to get on the Red Line and head downtown. Second, it%26#39;s not all that frequent a schedule; except around rush hours, it only runs once an hour. It might not be so bad catching it at your hotel going inbound, but coming back, if you get delayed and miss your bus, you could be stuck there for an hour waiting for the next one.

Finally, the fare for the bus is $1.50/per person. Parking at Alewife is only $5 for the day.

Definitely, if I were you, I%26#39;d skip the bus and drive to the station.

Thank you for the good advice!

I am staying at the Marriott. I think I might try to avoid the bus. I will definetly ask the concierge about hotel transportation too. My husband will be there on business but I will be traveling into Boston and to Harvard Square. Is it safe to go alone during the day?

Very safe., especially Harvard Square. There would be very little reason for you to be in any area of Boston where there might be a crime problem. I have never felt the least bit nervous traveling back and forth to Boston. Just remember to keep your belongings close, especially on the T. As others have said, driving to Alewife from Burlington is your best option. The Red Line from there stops at Harvard Sq and then on to Boston. (Try to hit the original Filene%26#39;s Basemnt before it closes for renovations.) The only problem is that the parking lot fills up very early, usually by 9. Then after 1 you can usually find a spot. During the summer it may be better as the college students aren%26#39;t using the lot.