I am trying to get to Brighams and Womens in Boston from Pittsfield MA on the Lake Shore Limited, and it looks like the Back Bay station is the closest to the hospital. My plan is to get there at about 8 PM, stay the night in a hotel, do my thing at the hospital, and catch the L.S.L. back that day. Anyone familiar with the area that has suggestions, please give them, but my main question is about the Back Bay Station. Do Amtrak trains pick up passengers here on a daily basis? Any help will be greatly appreciated.
Lake Shore Limited and the Back Bay station
- Thread starter dziadzu
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Currently the trains are only running 3 days a week. They will return to 7 days a week late in May or June.
neroden
Engineer
Whenever the LSL runs through there it stops at Back Bay. But right now (until Jun 7) it is simply not running daily -- and in fact is replaced with a bus for a dozen days in early June either. :-(
fdaley
OBS Chief
The Lake Shore does stop at Back Bay in both directions on every day it operates. But be aware that, through mid-June, it's being replaced by buses on most departures because of track work, and the buses don't stop at Back Bay. The train is supposed to resume daily service both directions on June 18, so if your trip is after that, it will be much easier to plan. Until then, the train will at best run only a couple of days a week each way.
Be wary of the bustitution days that are upcoming 4 days a week, check the memo on the Amtrak site for specifics .....Back Bay is not an impressive station, but it is functional. There is a very nice Westin a block away that I have stayed at, but it is a bit pricy. Lads of hotels in that area to choose from.
I live in Cambridge and take trains from both South S. and BBY every week.
On the days they run, every Amtrak train leaving South Station runs through Back Bay as well. This allows all trains to cross with both Orange and Red Line subways (The two major subway lines in Boston).
LSL is notoriously late. I once picked a friend up from SS on that train at 1am. Its possible the train will be on-time, but plan accordingly.
As others have noted, Bustitution is on Monday-Thursdays.
While BBY isn't a very appealing station, its extremely convenient, and puts you right in the heart of Boston. About 5 or 6 different hotels are within a 2 minute walk of the station, and many attractions are nearby as well (Newbury St, Symphony Hall, Public Library, Christian Science HQ, Prudential Center).
Its also a quick hop and a skip over to the Green Line.
On the days they run, every Amtrak train leaving South Station runs through Back Bay as well. This allows all trains to cross with both Orange and Red Line subways (The two major subway lines in Boston).
LSL is notoriously late. I once picked a friend up from SS on that train at 1am. Its possible the train will be on-time, but plan accordingly.
As others have noted, Bustitution is on Monday-Thursdays.
While BBY isn't a very appealing station, its extremely convenient, and puts you right in the heart of Boston. About 5 or 6 different hotels are within a 2 minute walk of the station, and many attractions are nearby as well (Newbury St, Symphony Hall, Public Library, Christian Science HQ, Prudential Center).
Its also a quick hop and a skip over to the Green Line.
I was at the Sheraton Boston for a World Hockey Summit at the Hynes , but that was around the summer of 96. I think I came up in a slumbercoach, one of the last uses of those. Also, a nice stay at the Colonnade, but I understand that has been redone, I don't know what that is like now. But again, no shortage of hotels in that area.
Last time I was in Cambridge I was at the Royal Sonesta in 2009 for the Patty Kazmaier Award. Funny, I ran into someone there I hadn't seen in 40 years, Mike Shalin, who grew up in my neighborhood, used to referee my hockey games before he went off to college to study to be a sportswriter, Settled in the Boston area after a while and never looked back. A fixture at Fenway. Sadly, I heard he passed away last year.
Please also note that almost everyone funnels towards the rather inimidating stairway from the platform level to the street level, but there IS an elevator on the platform. You just have to look for it. If you have luggage or disabilities, you might appreciate it!
