Moving to a new city can be intimidating, and learning said city’s public transportation system can be even more intimidating. Here in Boston, we’re lucky to not only be able to walk to many areas, but to also have the MBTA to help us cover larger distances.
Coming from the suburbs, where I’d drive everywhere, it was definitely scary to learn and use public transportation in my daily life, but I eventually learned that it doesn’t need to be scary, and gets much easier as you travel to different areas of the city and use different lines and stations.
The Green Line
Named The Green Line due to one of its stops being at the Boston Public Garden and Common, the Green Line is the most important line for BU students, along with students from other local colleges, like Northeastern.
The main pro of the Green Line is the convenience, especially for BU students living on campus or in Brookline or Allston. Typically, trains will run every five to 10 minutes, but this time can vary by time of day, weather conditions and day of the week — as there are more trains on weekdays. Many stations are within a five minute walk from most areas of Allston, BU, Back Bay and Downtown.
However, trains can be very crowded, especially on the B line during the school week. This is because the Green Line only operates as a two-car train, which can sometimes cause very tight quarters for passengers. Sometimes, not everyone waiting at a stop will actually be able to make it onto the train.
Along with this, there are frequent delays due to the tracks being primarily above-ground, causing the train to be impacted by car and pedestrian traffic.
The Orange Line
The Orange Line gets its name from the street along which it runs, previously named Orange Street, and now known as Washington Street. It runs from Jamaica Plain, through Downtown, and ends in Malden. As for colleges, it mainly serves Northeastern at Ruggles Station, but also served much of Boston during December’s Green Line shutdown.
One pro of the Orange Line is its overall reliability. There are rarely delays, and the trains themselves are modern, efficient and quick. I rode the Orange Line many times during December’s Green Line shutdown, and I didn’t have any delays. Most of the time, trains arrived one to two minutes earlier than their posted arrival time.
Since the trains themselves move much faster than the Green Line, ride durations are much shorter. This is because the Orange Line runs entirely underground, with no above-ground stops, meaning it’s not affected by car or pedestrian traffic.
The Blue Line
The Blue Line starts Downtown, goes through East Boston, and ends in Revere. It gets its name because it goes underwater, under Boston Harbor. This is the line that also stops at Boston Logan Airport.
One pro of the Blue Line, like the Orange Line, is its reliability and efficiency. The trains themselves are very fast and there are rarely delays, ensuring riders can quickly and safely arrive at their destination.
Along with this, the Blue Line operates as a six-car train, ensuring plenty of room for passengers — very rarely have I ever been forced to stand due to lack of seats.
However, note that some of the stations, specifically the ones that are mostly outdoors, can be a bit confusing, and sometimes, trains will arrive on the track that is typically used for trains going in the opposite direction. I had this experience in Orient Heights, where the train labeled as heading towards Bowdoin Station arrived on the track labeled as heading in the direction of Wonderland.
The Red Line
The Red Line serves a very large area, starting in West Cambridge, running through Harvard — the namesake of the red line due to its school-color — and also running through MIT, Downtown, Dorchester and, depending on which line you use, will end in Mattapan or Braintree.
One pro of the Red Line is that it’s the only line that brings riders from Downtown to Cambridge. Also, the Red Line has phased in many newer model trains in recent years, increasing comfort and efficiency.
However, due to some service issues, along with a modernization project, which is set to finish in April, there have been significant delays, causing longer wait times and increased crowds due to the lack of trains.
The Commuter Rail
With its ability to hit up to 79 mph, the commuter rail is the most efficient way to travel from Boston to the suburbs, especially for those who don’t have a car with them in the city, or just want to avoid the city traffic.The commuter rail ensures comfort by using a double-decker seating arrangement to maximize the number of seats, and providing bathrooms on-board.
However, the price can be a bit daunting. While other lines of the MBTA are $2.40 per ride, the commuter rail is $7.00. Along with this, the commuter rail runs much less frequently than other MBTA lines, meaning that if you miss your train, you may be forced to wait up to an hour for the next one
The Silver Line
The Silver Line, unlike the other lines of the MBTA, consists of buses, not trains.
The Silver Line is great for its convenience, as the SL1 provides fare-free, express transport from South Station to Logan Airport. There are also a few special, dedicated tunnels for Silver Line buses located around the city, which can decrease travel time.
However, due to using buses instead of the traditional light-rail system that the other lines use, there are much lower space capacities, and traffic is unavoidable. Even in their dedicated tunnels, there’s a very strict speed limit of 20 mph, whereas the orange line has a speed limit of 55 mph, and the commuter rail can hit up to 79 mph.
Using public transportation in the city of Boston has many benefits over driving. First, it goes around the city traffic, taking what could be a 30 minute drive and turning it into a 15 minute train ride. Overall, although figuring out public transportation in a new city can be a bit nerve-wracking at first, it definitely gets much easier with time.
