MBTA Route

[sungold123.livejournal.com]

Hi everyone,

I'm moving soon from the middle of Davis Square to nearby Ball Square, and I'm looking for some commuting advice - the MBTA trip planner has let me down on many an occasion so I think it's a better idea to ask the people who actually make the trip!

I'll be leaving from Ball Square (near Willow), and ending up between North Station and Haymarket. These are the options I'm aware of:

1. Walking to Davis and taking the Red Line to the Green Line
2. Taking the bus to Sullivan and taking the Orange Line
3. Taking the bus to Sullivan and then another bus downtown
4. Taking the bus to Lechmere to the Green Line

Any advice from experienced commuters is greatly appreciated - thanks!

Comments

[anomie666.livejournal.com]

IMHO, bus to Sullivan, train to North Station.

[myselftheliar.livejournal.com]

Seconded. I find the buses that go to/from the orange line to be rather reliable

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

The traffic is terrible about Sullivan, though. That can add a good five to ten minutes to your commute.

[anomie666.livejournal.com]

Depends on the time of day. In the morning it isn't that bad getting into Sullivan from Broadway and you usually don't have long to wait for a bus (you have several options). Plus, the Orange line into North Station seems a lot faster to me than going into Lechmere and taking the slower green line (depending on the bus, I do either one and always prefer the Orange Line).

Sullivan at night can delay the bus routes, so I'd recommend going the Lechmere way then.

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

The wait times are pretty good, yeah. It's just when you get close to Sullivan, it's a crawl.

[sonofabish.livejournal.com]

I've found it's sometimes quicker to get off at the stop before Sullivan and walk the rest of the way.

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

When I lived on Winter Hill and regularly rode the 89/101, that's EXACTLY what I did.

[sonofabish.livejournal.com]

Same here, taking the 90 from Highland Ave. That was before I discovered the 85 bus that runs from Spring Hill half a block away to Kendall. I can make it to Park St in 25 minutes or so, which is really sweet.

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

That's not bad, that's about what it would take going from Davis to Park on the Red during rush hour.

[sonofabish.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's a good 10-20 minutes shorter than the other routes I could take heading inbound during rush hour. Coming home, the 85 stops running at 8:30 so I grab the 88 from Lechmere. At that time, there's no traffic on the McGrath and it takes no time to get home. But at 6pm- that route can take 15-20 minutes and in the morning- forget about it. 20-30 heading inbound.

[mderidder.livejournal.com]

Thirded. The bus from Sullivan to Haymarket is a reliable back-up if the Orange Line is FUBAR, but 99.9% of the time it's quick

[anomie666.livejournal.com]

That would take forever! :)

[josephineave.livejournal.com]

It actually might be just as fast as the other trips, but require the greatest output of energy. It takes about 20 minutes or so to walk from Ball Square to Porter. The train takes 12 minutes to get to North Station.

The advantage would be the reliability of the commuter rail vs. other modes and the ability to jump on the Red Line if there are commuter rail problems.

I used to get off the T at Porter to shop and then walk home to Ball Square all the time, even with my computer bag and some groceries. Commit to this route and sell off the Stairmaster.

[sungold123.livejournal.com]

Doesn't it cost extra $$ to ride the commuter rail? I have a monthly linkpass right now...

[boblothrope.livejournal.com]

A Zone 1A commuter rail pass, which covers Porter to North Station (plus all the subways and local buses, and inner harbor ferries), costs $59, the same as a Link Pass. The only difference is that you can only get a Zone 1A pass on a CharlieTicket, since they can't read CharlieCards on the Commuter Rail yet.

[rikchik.livejournal.com]

Yes, a linkpass won't get you on the commuter rail (grr grr - combo passes did, damn you charlie) so you'll be out an extra 1.70.

[chenoameg.livejournal.com]

You would have to buy a different kind of pass, but it would also work on subways and buses, and cost the same $59/month.

[ron_newman]

That's my suggestion too, provided the weather is decent, you want the exercise, and you can work with the commuter rail's schedule. You'll need the Zone 1A monthly pass (on annoying inconvenient CharlieTicket) instead of the LinkPass (on convenient CharlieCard), but the price is still $59/month.

[valadil.livejournal.com]

I think the buses for Sullivan and Lechmere use the same stops, so you could probably just wait at those and catch whichever comes first.

[anomie666.livejournal.com]

Depends on where she is getting the bus. Since she said Ball Square, I'm assuming she is on Broadway and would be getting on the 89 bus. If she is closer to Highland, she would have the option of the 90 or the 88.

[sungold123.livejournal.com]

Yes, I'll be getting the bus on Broadway - I believe the two buses are the 80 (to Lechmere) and the 89 (to Sullivan)

[rufinia.livejournal.com]

Up by Willow and Broadway, she can also grab the 80, which goes to Lechmere.

I would go with whatever bus comes first, though I do think the subway from Sullivan to North Station is faster than the Lechemre-North Station trip.

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

I would test the two Lechmere routes. You want to avoid Sullivan if you can: it's a MESS.

[bikergeek.livejournal.com]

Sullivan is also really cold and windy and nasty in the winter, IME. Not sure why; I think the design of the station sucks wind through it or something.

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

That's exactly it. It's pretty much a wind tunnel. I remember some bad, bad days on the Sullivan platform, not so long ago.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

Best route if your final destination is a closer walk from North Station:

#80 bus to Lechmere, Green line to North Station


If it's a closer walk from Haymarket:

#89 to Sullivan, Orange Line to Haymarket

[chumbolly.livejournal.com]

Taking you up on your "any advice" request, I'd suggest you ride a bike. Except for the portion passing the Science Museum, that would be a easy ride in a bike path for most of the route. I'd bet it would be faster that any bus/T combo, and bikes are fun.

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

Except in winter.

[0bsessions.livejournal.com]

Dog sleds.

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

And if you keep eight huskies in your apartment, your heating bills will drop like a rock!

[koshmom.livejournal.com]

Skijoring is better than dog sleds. You only need one dog, and on non-snowy days you can use roller skates. Bring an umbrella on wet days! Lots less poo to clean up than if you had 8 dogs! Also, it's easier to get one dog and a set of skis in an elevator to go up to your office; imagine trying to fit 8 dogs and a sled in an elevator. And one dog fits nicely under a desk all day; 8 dogs can be a little...cramped.

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

:::laughs::: I bet anything we'll see someone doing this in Davis, someday.

[hrafn.livejournal.com]

It might be faster even then.

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

Depends on icing conditions.

[chumbolly.livejournal.com]

That's what wool and Hakkapelittas are for.

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

My concern would be more about road conditions than warm-weather gear.

[chumbolly.livejournal.com]

Hakkapelittas are tires for ice and snow. You'd be surprised how little they are necessary even in Boston during an average winter. That said, its easier to bike in the warm months, but it's perfectly doable to ride year-round.

[qwrrty.livejournal.com]

Nah. Bikes are still faster than buses in winter!

[lac.livejournal.com]

You can do either the Orange line to Sullivan to Haymarket or the 80 to Lechmere to Haymarket. Either will get you there in good stead. I take both daily. I generally prefer the Orange line but the route to Sullivan is a straight shot and I like that. Whichever works into your schedule or comes first will do. I generally get on whichever one comes first. I take the 80 home because at the end of the day I am too lazy or tired to walk back to the Orange line.

[0bsessions.livejournal.com]

You could just take the Red Line to MGH and hoof it. I work around the corner from North Station, but live on the red line and I find the walk to be more than manageable. I'd peg it at about a fifteen minute walk if you take your time, less if you're quick.

Taking the bus and everything would certainly be easier on your feet, but I'm one of those people who'd rather go five minutes out of his way walking than wait ten for a bus.

[sungold123.livejournal.com]

That's what I do now... but I'm awful lazy/cold in the winter :)

[0bsessions.livejournal.com]

It's really not terrible at all in the winter except on the worst of the worst days. There's so much traffic through there that it tends to heat the air well enough. I much prefer it to the thought of getting on a crowded bus with the heat on and about forty some odd people wearing thick winter coats. Then you're just going to get off the bus in a horrible sweat and the only thing worse than walking in cold air is walking in cold air after sweating.

[sungold123.livejournal.com]

These are excellent points.

[nuns.livejournal.com]

That's a not-too-bad bike ride, also, if biking is feasible.

[curiositykt.livejournal.com]

it really depends on when you are going..

you can also take the bus from ball square or powderhouse to davis.

[obie119.livejournal.com]

The 89 is much quicker than the 80, at least when I was taking it (about 5 years ago). Then again, I was really only taking the bus in bad weather (which usually brings traffic) so YMMV.

However, I'll third the suggestion to try out a bike, even just once a week as a diversion. It's much quicker and more reliable as far as timing is concerned. Plus: fun! People get scared off from bike commuting because it's often presented as all-or-nothing. You don't have to commute in bad or cold weather if you don't want to!

[suzybuzz.livejournal.com]

dude, eff the bus. you can take the commuter rail from porter directly to north station in ten minutes if you plan ahead! it's only one stop! from davis, you could bike to Porter. i do it all the time.

[watchamacallit.livejournal.com]

Definitely bus to Sullivan to orange line. I did that from Winter Hill to BMC for a long time and it was fine (even including my transfer to the Silver Line at NEMC).

Getting into Sullivan Station in the morning is really not a big problem, despite what others have said here. In the winter you can wait semi-inside in the station and run down the stairs when the train approaches.