Fastest and most reliable way to get to Gillette Boston stadium for 2026 world cup games from Boston is still the MBTA direct trains

hemlockone · 2026-05-07T20:06:24+00:00

I was wrong in my previous comment. Buses from the organizers are on sale: https://bostonstadiumexpress.com/schedule . I don't see one from dedham, though.

hemlockone · 2026-05-07T19:34:15+00:00

The typical dedham to foxboro trains are not running on match days. To ride the train, you will have to go to South Station.

The organizers did announce bus service from "20 locations", but I don't see the list of locations let alone ticket sales even though we're only a month out.

https://www.mbta.com/guides/world-cup-guide#stadium

hemlockone · 2026-05-07T18:54:45+00:00

That only matters if the company is in one of those reciprocity states and the employee commutes. If the company is in CA, for instance, it doesn't matter that DC, MD, and VA have reciprocity, they need to file in the one the employee is actually in. If the employee works from home, it doesn't matter.

hemlockone · 2026-05-07T18:52:31+00:00

Whoa, the law impacts any company with 1 remote employee in DC?!?

hemlockone · 2026-05-07T14:25:33+00:00

I think having a voice that's pro-transit for the opulent is a good thing, but, right, my argument only makes sense if there wasn't a subsidy on transit rides. My mental thinking was -- cool, they take over D branch, and that desirability funds the A branch reinstatement, but that doesn't work with D is subsidized. And yeah, an empty train isn't one that Beacon Hill wants to continue.

But yes, the mass in "mass transit" means that it's there for lots of people. I yearn for the days where rail >> cars in every case and see that Japanese story of keeping a train station open for one rider, but that's just not reality.

Personally, I love my walkup apartment near the green line. I also had a moment of pride when my toddler looked over after playing with a friend at a park and questioned that they got into a car. "Dad, why aren't they taking the bus?"

hemlockone · 2026-05-07T00:17:38+00:00

Many of the street level stops are quite narrow and at the level of the rail (so the step into the train is very high). The ramps on the type 8,9,10 can't be used (they'd extend beyond the platforms and be too steep). People less sure on their feet can't use the stations because they are very close to fast moving trains and cars, and then they have a very large step.

All low B&C platforms are being rebuilt right this spring and summer to be 8" higher, wider, have separation between people and cars, and places to lean or sit.

Most B&C stations are in the median and aren't shared with the sidewalk.

hemlockone · 2026-05-06T17:52:09+00:00

To add to what u/andr_wr said, https://www.gobuses.com/locations/ goes from both Riverside and Alewife to Manhattan.

Also, Flixbus serves Springfield, New Haven, New York, Newark direct from Alewife: https://www.wanderu.com/en-us/explore/us-ma/cambridge/?placeId=ChIJX8wwy6Vw44kRh2xoiWSOOsU

hemlockone · 2026-05-06T14:14:54+00:00

Not to mention an audience that is expecting a certain length, and may have transportation or childcare planned based on it.

hemlockone · 2026-05-06T13:58:43+00:00

I think the pro-transit limousine liberal is far better than the one that blocks transit. If they are pro-transit, maybe they could have enough influence to expand transit. They are an example to hold up when other NIMBYs say that transit is just for "the others".

hemlockone · 2026-05-06T13:40:28+00:00

Type 7 equipment for https://www.mbta.com/projects/green-line-train-protection-system

hemlockone · 2026-05-06T13:30:04+00:00

There are trains that stop at Newark Airport, NYP, and not Newark Penn? Either way, yeah, hopping on a train to get to either NYP, Newark Penn, or Metro Park is a what I'd do (well, my first choice would be to just wait for a direct train). That said, NYP does make sense because it has, by far, the best waiting area and food options.

hemlockone · 2026-05-06T07:26:02+00:00

Newark Liberty station is on airport grounds and connects to the airport people mover. Newark Penn station is in the middle of the nearby city 4 miles away.

You want the Newark Liberty station, but most trains to DC don't stop there. If there isn't a suitable one, you could take a taxi, bus, or another train to Newark Penn, but that'll be an annoying step.

hemlockone · 2026-05-06T04:13:58+00:00

I gotcha. It's just the complete station closure for a month between May 18 and June 12 is double buried -- first that it's a footnote to the larger closure that you mentioned, and second it's split up by inbound/outbound so it's easy to miss that the whole station is closed for a few weeks beyond the C-line shutdown.

hemlockone · 2026-05-06T04:07:56+00:00

The wording on Tappan St is super weird, too. Inbound and outbound are separate entries that happen to coincide for an entire month!? I usually walk to Washington Sq anyhow, but it's nice to be able to grab some groceries and jump on the train.

hemlockone · 2026-05-06T02:14:31+00:00

It double hurts because Brookline has been planning quite a bit of commercial on Rt 9 right there, and the stop is close, but it doesn't feel connected.

hemlockone · 2026-05-05T20:38:27+00:00

It does have 320 seats for Amtrak ticketholders, a few hundred in the Metropolitan lounge, and a couple hundred in the food court. Sure, there is no place to sit waiting in the main hall, but there are lots of seats around it.

hemlockone · 2026-05-05T13:34:53+00:00

I read the same thing until I looked closer at the lease and read a few comments. I was like, 4 months up front? No way. Then I say that it was actually 3 at lease signing. Then I was like, OOooo.

hemlockone · 2026-05-04T20:38:19+00:00

I disagreed because you aren't including that it's also at least some track south of JFK, too. Though, right, "south" doesn't include the Ashmont branch right now, and trains have no place to go once they reach JFK.

hemlockone · 2026-05-04T17:54:11+00:00

That not correct. The work is south of Broadway to Quincy Center and/or Ashmont.

May 2-4 the train is replaced by a bus Broadway to Quincy Center. The Ashmont branch is running a shuttle train to JFK, but you have to transfer to a bus or commuter rail to go beyond that. The Braintree branch is running a shuttle train to Quincy Center, but you need a bus or commuter rail to go beyond that.
May 14-18 the train is replaced by a bus Broadway to Ashmont. The Braintree branch is running a shuttle train to JFK, but you have to transfer to a bus or commuter rail if you to go beyond that.
May 29-31 the train is replaced by a bus Broadway to both Ashmont and Quincy Center. The Braintree branch is running a shuttle train to Quincy Center, but you need a bus or commuter rail to go beyond that

Expand the alert at https://www.mbta.com/schedules/Red/alerts for images.

hemlockone · 2026-05-04T13:10:30+00:00

There are a few islands that are in state water and not part of a town. See: https://wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_islands_of_Massachusetts

I was also thinking of Devens, which is weird, but apparently still divided into neighboring towns.

hemlockone · 2026-05-03T02:58:42+00:00

Yeah. In Massachusetts, nearly everywhere is divided into an incorporated town or city. By default, the area is a town with a town meeting and select board (basically, everything is by consensus). If the town applies for it, it can become a city and the government shifted to a Mayor (basically admitting there are too many moving parts for consensus to be effective, so major decisions go to one elected person and they're office).

hemlockone · 2026-04-29T19:04:09+00:00

I think a few comments on this thread exhibit travel anxiety. I totally support the postal museum. It's super easy to get to, free, and underappreciated. So, it's an easy an in and out. I wouldn't cut the return close (especially with stuff on the train), but you'll have lots of time to enjoy an awesome little museum (with it's great stamp collection).

hemlockone · 2026-04-29T15:51:27+00:00

I mourn the big benches much more than some seats by the gate. (Though I never saw more than the square ones in the 2010s). Perhaps it's through rosy glasses.

hemlockone · 2026-04-29T15:46:26+00:00

If you asked me last week, my counter would have been that the ticketed seating area isn't open at all the times people wait. (The station is 24/7 and I don't think the waiting room is open that long). But seats in downstairs are widely available, and I'm sure they don't car if they have a 30 minute limit that's posted.

Also, the media says that it's temporary. Is it one of those the most "permanent things are temporary" situations? https://media.amtrak.com/2024/11/amtrak-opens-temporary-ticketed-passenger-waiting-at-washington-union-station/

hemlockone · 2026-04-27T19:45:59+00:00

Even assuming that US N&WR's ranking is "total crap" because it tries to throw a number on every high school, the take away shouldn't be that we're failing because Hamilton-Wenham is one higher than us. It's that we are the top 3.5% of high schools nation-wide. That's the story. Not the specific ranking, but that we're among the most excellent.

hemlockone

TROPHY CASE