How to ride the MBTA Commuter Rail: a visitor's guide

The Commuter Rail is how you get from Boston to places like Salem, Rockport, Concord, Worcester and Providence. Here is which station to go to, how to buy a ticket, how boarding works and what changes on weekends.

By Ahmad Haji, founder of Cobblehop · October 29, 2026

North Station, South Station or Back Bay?

Every Commuter Rail line starts at North Station or South Station. No train runs between the two, so check which one your line uses before you set out.

From North Station

From South Station

• North Station is under TD Garden, near the North End. The Orange Line and the Green Line stop there.
• South Station is downtown. The Red Line and the Silver Line stop there, and Amtrak trains and regional buses leave from it too.
• Back Bay is near Copley Square, on the Orange Line. Trains on some South Station lines stop here too, so you can board without going downtown.
• Need to change between North Station and South Station? Take the subway: see North Station to South Station by T.

Tickets, fares and the $10 weekend pass

Commuter Rail fares are separate from subway fares. Each station is in a fare zone, from Zone 1A in central Boston out to Zone 10. If your trip starts or ends in Zone 1A, which includes North Station, South Station and Back Bay, you pay the fare for the zone of the other station.

• A round trip costs the same as two one-way tickets. There's no discount.
• Trips that don't start or end in Zone 1A, like Salem to Rockport, use cheaper interzone fares of $2.75 to $7.25 one way.
• Children 11 and under ride free. People 65 and older pay a reduced fare, $1.10 to $6.50 one way, if they show the conductor or ticket agent a valid government-issued ID.

Where to buy a ticket

• The MBTA mTicket app (free on the App Store and Google Play). Buy one-way or round-trip tickets and the weekend pass with a credit or debit card. Activate a ticket just before you board. It's valid for 3 hours after that and can't be turned off. mTicket tickets don't cover the subway or buses.
• Ticket windows at North Station, South Station and Back Bay take cash and cards. If you don't know your zone, just tell the agent where you're going.
• Fare machines in subway stations, including North Station and South Station, sell one-way and round-trip tickets. You need to know your zone to use them.
• On board. Pay the conductor in cash or by credit card. This can add a $3 fee if you boarded at a station with a fare machine or ticket window.

One-way and round-trip tickets expire 90 days after you buy them, so you can buy ahead.

The $10 weekend pass

The weekend pass covers unlimited Commuter Rail rides on every line and in every zone on Saturday and Sunday. It costs less than a round trip from Boston to any station outside Zone 1A. Buy it in mTicket, at the North Station, South Station or Back Bay ticket windows, or on board with cash or a card. Fare machines and stores don't sell it. In mTicket you can activate it from Saturday morning and use it again for each trip until the weekend is over.

• It doesn't cover the subway, buses, ferries, the CapeFLYER or special event trains, like the trains to Gillette Stadium.
• The MBTA also sells $10 holiday passes. The next ones are for Veterans Day, Wednesday, November 11, and for Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 26 to Sunday, November 29, 2026.

Tap to pay and CharlieCards

• Tapping a contactless card, phone or watch works on the subway, buses and ferries, but not on the Commuter Rail. The Commuter Rail fare gates at North Station and South Station don't take it either.
• Money stored on a CharlieCard doesn't pay for the Commuter Rail. The one exception is the Fairmount Line's Zone 1A stations in Boston, where you tap a CharlieCard on the validator on the platform.
• A 1-day pass ($11) or 7-day pass ($22.50) on a CharlieTicket covers Commuter Rail trips within Zone 1A, plus the subway and local buses. See How to pay for the T in Boston for the subway and bus side.

If you board without a ticket

Tell the conductor where you're going and pay in cash or by credit card. You get a paper ticket, so keep it if you bought a round trip. It can cost $3 extra if your station had a fare machine or ticket window. Buying on board isn't always possible: during the MBTA's Fare Is Fair checks, staff may ask for your ticket before you board or after you get off, and you can't buy one on the train. At North Station and South Station you need a ticket to get through the gates, so buy it first.

At the station: finding your train

North Station and South Station have fare gates between the main hall and the trains. Here is how a first ride works.

1. Get there 10 minutes early. Trains leave at the exact time on the schedule, and the MBTA suggests arriving at least 10 minutes before.
2. Have your ticket ready. You need it to get through the gates. In mTicket, activate your ticket just before you go through.
3. Find your train on the departure board. Trains don't always leave from the same track. The track usually shows on the board in the main hall about 10-15 minutes before the train leaves, and it's announced over the loudspeaker. Cobblehop shows it too, once it's posted.
4. Go through the gates. Scan the QR code in mTicket and hold it there for 2-3 seconds, tap your CharlieTicket, or scan the barcode on a paper ticket. At South Station, wait until your track is announced before you go through. With children 11 and under, ask the staff to open a gate for them.
5. Board and show your ticket. The conductor checks tickets while walking through the train. Show your activated mTicket or your paper ticket. The conductor may tuck a small slip of paper into the seat back in front of you to show you've paid.
6. Keep your ticket. You need it to leave through the gates when you come back to North Station or South Station, and for the ride back if it's a round trip.

Getting off

• Each stop is announced, either automatically or by the conductor. If you're not sure where to get off, ask the conductor.
• Some small stations are flag stops, marked with an "f" on the timetable. The train only stops if someone is getting on or off, so tell the conductor your stop when they check your ticket. To board at one, stand where the crew can see you.
• Platforms vary. At a full high-level platform you step straight out of any car. At a mini-high platform, only 2 cars line up with the raised section. At a low-level platform you climb down 3-4 steps. The conductor can tell you which car to be in.
• Heading back? Trains toward Boston are called inbound, and trains away from Boston are outbound. At some stations, like Salem, the conductor tells you which doors are open for boarding. An "L" next to a time on the timetable means the train may leave that stop early.

Good to know

• Restrooms are on the trains, at the ends of some cars.
• Alcohol isn't allowed on the Commuter Rail.
• On the platform, stand behind the painted or raised markings, and let people off before you get on.
• MBTA staff are at North Station, South Station and Back Bay from 5:30 am to midnight on weekdays, and from 7 am to 11 pm on weekends and holidays.

Weekdays vs weekends

All 12 lines run seven days a week, but weekends have far fewer trains. On the fall 2026 schedule, Saturday and Sunday timetables are the same, and on most lines a train leaves Boston about every 2 hours.

Trains leaving North Station or South Station on Wednesday, November 4, and Saturday, November 7, 2026. Some weekday trains only go part of the way, so check the timetable for your stop.

• No regular weekend trains to Foxboro on the Franklin/Foxboro Line, or to Stoughton, TF Green Airport and Wickford Junction on the Providence/Stoughton Line. Event trains to Gillette Stadium are separate: see Getting to Gillette Stadium by train.
• Salem keeps more trains. On weekends, trains to Salem leave North Station about every hour, and Rockport and Newburyport each get a train about every 2 hours.
• Back Bay. Franklin/Foxboro Line trains don't stop at Back Bay on weekends, so board at South Station.
• Holidays. On Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 26, 2026, the Commuter Rail runs a weekend schedule. See MBTA Thanksgiving 2026 schedule and holiday travel.
• Track work. Weekend work can change the schedule. Check MBTA closures and shuttles this weekend before you go.

Popular day trips from Boston

Typical ride times from Boston on a weekday, on the fall 2026 schedule. Weekend rides take about as long, but there are fewer trains.

• Newburyport/Rockport Line trains split after Beverly. For Manchester-by-the-Sea, Gloucester and Rockport, take a train to Rockport. For Ipswich and Newburyport, take a train to Newburyport. Both stop at Salem.
• No trains stop at Plymouth station on the fall 2026 schedule. For Plymouth, see Boston to Plymouth without a car.
• Red Sox game? Lansdowne station, near Fenway Park, is about 11 minutes from South Station on the Framingham/Worcester Line. See South Station to Fenway Park.
• Patriots game? Event trains to Gillette Stadium need their own ticket, bought ahead in mTicket. Regular tickets and the weekend pass don't work on them.

Want the next train? Ask Cobblehop for the next train to Salem, or anywhere else, and get one clear route with an alert before your stop.

Last trains back to Boston

On weekdays the last trains leave Boston between 9:20 pm and 11:59 pm, depending on the line, and on some lines that is well before the subway stops. Check the last train back before you go: see When does the T stop running? and our pages for the last train from Salem, Rockport, Gloucester, Concord, Lowell, Worcester, Providence and Kingston.

Bikes and accessibility

• Folding bikes are allowed on every train if they're fully folded.
• Full-size bikes are allowed at all times on the Greenbush, Kingston, Fall River/New Bedford and Fairmount lines, and on every line on weekends. On weekdays on the other lines, look for the bike symbol on the timetable. Up to four bikes may be allowed per coach on off-peak trains, and the conductor can turn bikes away when a train is crowded or on some holidays and event days.
• Step-free travel. Most Commuter Rail stations are accessible, but some only have low-level platforms with 3-4 steps up to the train. Check your stations for the wheelchair symbol on the MBTA's list of Commuter Rail stations.
• Level boarding. North Station's platforms are level with every car. At high-level and mini-high platforms, the conductor can put down a bridge plate if you ask.
• On board. Priority seats are near every door, and the restrooms on the trains are accessible.
• Help planning a trip. Call MBTA Customer Support at 617-222-3200.

Riding the Commuter Rail: common questions

Official sources

Cobblehop is independent and isn't affiliated with the MBTA, MassDOT or Keolis. Fares, rules and schedules come from the MBTA. Check its pages for the latest fares and service changes:

• MBTA: Beginner's Guide to the Commuter Rail
• MBTA: Commuter Rail schedules
• MBTA: Commuter Rail fares
• MBTA: Commuter Rail fare zones
• MBTA: $10 Commuter Rail weekend and holiday passes
• MBTA: apps, including mTicket
• MBTA: Commuter Rail station fare gates
• MBTA: Fare Is Fair ticket checks
• MBTA: Fairmount Line, paying with a CharlieCard
• MBTA: reduced fares
• MBTA: Commuter Rail access guide
• MBTA: list of Commuter Rail stations
• MBTA: bikes on the T
• MBTA: bringing your bike on the train
• MBTA: Commuter Rail safety
• MBTA: Boston visitor's guide to the T
• MBTA: North Station
• MBTA: South Station
• MBTA: Back Bay
• MBTA: Commuter Rail alerts

Published October 29, 2026. Fares and rules were checked on mbta.com on October 29, 2026. Train counts and ride times come from the MBTA's fall 2026 schedule data for Wednesday, November 4, and Saturday and Sunday, November 7 and 8, 2026, and were checked against the MBTA's live data. Service changes, so check Cobblehop for live times before you go.