I take the MBTA. It’s not terrible. It becomes exhausting after a while.

I commute from Attleboro to Boston and it’s not bad. I usually drive but when I take the train it’s super chill and I use the time to catch up on emails. I also have 3 kids and we’ve never had an issue that has required me to rush home.

New train station in The Bucket/CFalls. Use that.

I did the TF Green to S. Station (last stop on line, but one stop after Back Bay) for four years.
A few times a month I would do the Amtrak route from PVD - I found I had to arrive extremely early in the AM to get a parking spot. Cheap as it is to park there, early bird gets the worm. I ask was able to choose my days to be in office, and they were flexible. I recommend being flexible beyond T / W / Th - those are likely the same days chosen as everyone else with such flexibility. Randomly, a Friday in the office that ended with a train ride home was a calming start to the weekend. I knew when I got off the train I was done for a few days. More life balance than budget/convenience I suppose. Get your Amtrak tickets or pass as advanced as possible. Also, just to say you’ve done it, consider doing the commuter rail now and then. Builds character, not that I assume you have none. It’s one of those gotta try it’s if you’re going to be part of the Rhody to Boston masses.

I made that commute for three years. It definitely wears on you. However I did it five days a week vs. three, and on commuter rail vs. Amtrak, so you may have a better experience.

Two things I’d be aware of. The first is that the Amtrak trains are much more infrequent than commuter rail, which itself is at best only once an hour. One of the things I found most annoying wasn’t the time spent on the train, moreso being beholden to the schedules. If something arises back home you’re at best an hour and a half from being there. The second thing is the Amtrak trains are often delayed, especially the one going to Boston since it’s coming from DC. That was a big factor in why I kept with the commuter rail, which was largely on time.

Whatever you decide, congrats on the interview, good luck!

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It’s 30 minutes via amtrak to back bay from pvd. Where is this hour + 15 minutes coming from?

I take the MBTA 2-3x a week to Ruggles. It’s an enjoyable ride, I just zone out with either music or a book. Some days are more crowded than others based on if schools are in session.

For parking - I would park across the street from the station at the Avalon. The early bird price is about $5-6 cheaper.

I have a two year old medically complicated kiddo at home, so I understand the nerves of being totally unreliable if you’re away at the office. It might be harder, but for us better pay and a hybrid schedule made us feel better

Quick edit to add: I’d you purchase your tickets through the app you also save some bucks.

I used to take the commuter rail, then switched to Amtrak. Amtrak was the best option, well worth the price. I really enjoyed the commute- I made friends, we had happy hour every Friday, the ride was smooth and predictable and the quiet car was a good option when I needed to get work done.

I'm not quite as far from Boston but I have the same concern about being unable to get home in case of emergency. But in 5 years, I only ever had to rush home once, and I just took an Uber. A $70 Uber once in 5 years is a lot better than driving and parking in Back Bay

I did the Amtrak thing for a long time from PVD into BBY. If you're right in Back Bay, getting back in an emergency is pretty easy. At best, you hit the next train, whatever it is (MBTA or Amtrak), at worst you just eat a $100 Uber ride. The latter is a last resort, but if the money is alright then it's still a net win if you have to use it.

Your company will also likely understand, in my experience, because you can still get stuff done on the train.

Amtrak goes right to back bay from Providence in 30 minutes

Amtrak doesn’t stop there

Yeah my bad. I was thinking in terms of commuter rail not Amtrak, just reread the post. I never messed with Amtrak for commuting to Boston.

This is really helpful, thanks so much!

thanks so much!

Ha - that's awesome and kind of what I was hoping to hear! I just wasn't sure if it was realistic, so I appreciate you sharing.

Thanks! That's my hope. If they're flexible and I can just plan to be in early / out early, it shouldn't be too bad

The Friday train ride to end the week does sound peaceful! Thanks so much

I did the commute every day for 8 years, and still do at least once a month.

Amtrak is the fastest way into the city with the fewest stops, and is often less crowded, but there are fewer times to choose from and I believe it's a little more expensive than the MBTA commuter rail.

The commuter rail takes longer because there are more stops, but you have far more trains to choose from on the schedule which is helpful for aligning your train schedule with your work schedule, leaving early, or getting home late if you wanted to stay late for an event or drinks with coworkers.

I took the MBTA because it aligned better with my schedule, made stops at TF Green (I lived in Warwick at the time), and was less expensive, which reminds me... most employers in Boston will pay for a monthly commuter pass for the MBTA, but not for Amtrak. Something to consider. The commuter rail isn't the most reliable (can often be 10-15 mins late, sometimes more, though this is rare in my experience), and is much busier, but for the most part it was fine.

Talk to your employer about working your start/stop time around the train schedule. It really sucks leaving work and having to sit around for 45 minutes waiting for the next train home, then sitting around on the train for another hour. This type of commute is already exhausting, so anything you can do to minimize the amount of time commuting will really help.

Where exactly do you live? Parking at Providence can be expensive. If you're open to taking the MBTA commuter rail, look into taking the train from Wickford Junction, TF Green, or the new Pawtucket station. All three would be much cheaper for parking and would probably reduce your drive time.

Appreciate the perspective - totally right about it being no big deal if it's a time or two over years

Great to hear that my worry just might be more concern than anything - definitely appreciate the perspective! Esp. coming from a family with 3 kiddos.

I'm open to any trains, but ideally was looking at the Amtrak - that said, I'll definitely have to look into that station. Wasn't aware they had a new one!

Did that commute for a couple years. My leg on the RI side was shorter than yours. I was doing it 2-3x a week-ish.

Personally, it made me completely miserable. Even though I wasn’t “at work” it added 4 hours to my work day. I suddenly felt like I had no time. Also at least a few years ago the WiFi was not consistent the whole way.

Wow this is really helpful, thank you. I believe they are offering some money to assist with the commute, but it would probably equate to 1 week of the Amtrak (still better than nothing). I honestly think their flexibility with my time in/out of the office will be the deal breaker. I'm in Northern RI - definitely open to both trains and if this comes to an offer, will likely take 2 days off and try the commute in both ways before making a decision to really get a feel for it. We've thought about moving to the south county area which would put me close to Amtrak out of Kingston, or the Wickford Jnc if we're closer to NK.

Oh, also - park at the mall if you're not going in early. It takes the guesswork out of if there's parking right at the station or not. Super short walk across the street, and the rates are similar for a full workday. It's massive, so there's always a spot.

Happy to help! I think trying the commute out for real on a normal workday is a great idea. I did the commute on my way to my interview to make it as realistic as possible. It’ll help you get a sense of how busy it is, how long everything will take, and what your overall morning routine will be like.

Moving further south definitely puts you closer to a train station, but also increases your commuting time. There’s a lot to consider and it can be overwhelming. If you’re not sure, I’d say go with MBTA - there’s a reason a majority of commuters go that route over Amtrak. The flexibility is really nice to have.

If you have any specific questions about the commuter rail, let me know, happy to help.

Good luck!

If you know your schedule enough to buy tickets for >3 weeks in advance, Amtrak is actually CHEAPER than the MBTA Commuter Rail. With enough advance notice, and except for known high-utilization times right before holidays, you can get 1-way Amtrak tickets between Boston and Providence for $6.50 to $8.50 (vs. $12.25 for the MBTA).

One distinction however is that Amtrak tickets are for that specific train at that time, while MBTA tickets are usable on any train making that trip on the route. And to echo what other people said, while the MBTA is usually on-time (with a longer, less comfortable trip) barring catastrophic train/system failures, it is not unusual for northbound Amtrak trains to be 30 minutes or >1hr late, but generally not heading southbound. You may want to consider pre-buying your Amtrak tickets and then making a gametime decision to take the next northbound MBTA, rescheduling your Amtrak ticket to a future date for free via the app on the way in (currently there is no fee for doing so, but this could change back to normal in the future).

Several friends of mine have commuted to Providence from Boston before, so it's definitely doable.

Look to see if your new employer has commuter benefits. This will allow you to buy the train tickets with pre-tax money.

Amtrak is WAY more comfortable than the commuter rail but from PVD to Boston I don’t think that comfort makes a difference. It’s such a short trip. Amtrak is IMO negligibly quicker but definitely quicker

i did this exact commute for 2 years in 2011-2013 and wanted to shoot myself in the head after 6 months. the train was constantly late and the tickets were so expensive (i imagine they’re even more expensive now). even if you never miss your train, my 8-5 job turned into 5-8 (time to get ready, get to the train, etc). i had absolutely no life. on the weekends i was too exhausted to do anything. i honestly cannot recommend it but that was just my experience.

If you can manage it, I highly suggest commuting to TF Green first and taking the T from there if you're close enough. I commuted from TF to Back Bay constantly at my old job and it honestly wasn't bad at all. Especially if you can entertain yourself like I managed to with audiobooks or my kindle. It's a guaranteed seat from there in the AM, too. Took a 7:30(?) train which got me in by 8:45 iirc.

The majority of other folks in my office were beheld to commuter rail schedules as well, you should be able to safely assume your office will be too if it's in/near Back Bay. At my office it was pretty much assumed across the board that everyone was going to arrive at some point between 8:30 and 9:00 and I was never questioned about it.

Back Bay outbound during rush hour though is as much of a madhouse as the rest of the inner-city stations, so just be prepared to have to fight your way through to the doors as soon as that train stops at the station if you want a seat. If you can't manage to find a seat, you're standing in the isle for at least the next 30-45 minutes until you reach Mansfield which always was a bummer.

I take MBTA or Amtrak to get to South Station from Providence or the new Pawtucket station to hop on the the Silver Line to get to Boston Logan.

I prefer Amtrak, because it’s quicker and more comfortable. But I’ll take whichever fits my schedule. The Acela is the only reliably on time option. But it tends to be the most expensive. Personally, I max my train budget at $30 per leg. If it’s more expensive than that I’ll wait for a cheaper one.

Oh no way! That's really great to know. I should probably have a good grasp on what days I'd be in, so I should be able to stick to a normal schedule 95% of the time. Thank you for the great info.

I appreciate the honest feedback! It's my fear that I'd feel that way, but I think I'll have to try this in real time a few times if it comes to an offer. The 3x a week vs 5x a week makes it feel like it wouldn't be too overwhelming, but this is the trade off I'm weighing for a pay bump. I definitely value my time more than money, but if the commute is doable that I'm game for giving it a go - I definitely want to see both sides of everyone's experiences, so thank you!

I'll have to see what TF will look like in a morning commute - thank you for the heads up! Definitely have no problem entertaining myself, haha.

Appreciate you sharing - definitely want to understand all sides of the possible commute!

Article on the new station opening:

https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/politics/2023/01/23/pawtucketcentral-falls-mbta-station-opens-schedule-ticket-price-parking/69831439007/

Anytime! I've done the BOS-PVD trip on both MBTA and Amtrak for years so it's definitely doable. Try to find ways to make the time feel productive and useful, whether that's packing a breakfast/coffee or finding a good headphone and laptop groove. Take a deep breath during unexpected issues.

There was a RIDOT proposal back in 2020 for fare integration, so you could use an MBTA monthly pass to take either the Commuter Rail or Amtrak between Boston or Providence (as well as for RIPTA) - however, it seems that idea has stalled? If anyone on here would benefit from this, it's probably worth sending RIDOT an email to let them know people still want it.

Glad it helped! Also - I was friendly with a conductor that sometimes comped me on the Acela, that was a nice perk.

Wifi on the commuter rail is crap, but if you can do a hotspot from your phone, cellular coverage is pretty good. I’d use the ride to get a head start on work emails (laptop on my backpack on my lap, or at one of the table seats), which justified the shorter day in the actual office. (I commuted PVD to South Station for ~8 years, 2 days/wk).

Same, though the fact that you don’t have to connect to the T helps a lot. I was going to Kendall Square, and it was reliably 2 hours or more each way thanks to the red line.

One other thing to keep in mind is that parking at PVD station is now $18 a day and is a super small lot… but there’s a surface lot next to the Citizen’s/Cafe Nuovo building that’s always available, costs the same, and is a 3 minute walk to the station. Parking availability shouldn’t be a concern (though cost certainly could be).

Definitely do a trial run - ideally more than one, so you can get a feel for timeliness of trains… and don’t do it on the weekend. It takes significantly longer during the week.

The seats on the double decker MBTA cars are the more comfortable ones!

Commuted from east providence to Hyde park but I had a 5am start so without traffic...... it still sucked. You're gonna hate it but if theres any volume on the roads it's borderline impractical. But if it's on the rush hour the purple line isnt bad

I did the same from Providence. Parked in the mall and walked over. The garage there sucks. I found that taking the commuter in the morning and Amtrak at night was best. In the morning, if you miss one (traffic, etc), there will be another one rather quick. With amtrack, you've got one shot, so to speak. Also, with Amtrack, you can book a few weeks ahead and save big bucks, cancel if you have to, and they add your fare back to your account. Used to take the 5:30 home.

Thanks so much, appreciate the advice!

I made the commute from Providence/Warwick to Back Bay about 3-4 days a week for two years. It wasn’t so bad at first, but it becomes exhausting after a while.

As others have mentioned, cost, reliability, and travel time can be an issue. The days can get very long very quickly, especially if you can’t catch an express train for one reason or another. I found that the most reliability issues occurred at the end of the day (southbound). The early express trains were pretty reliable, however.

It’s a hell of lot better than driving, but either way you are getting up much earlier and arriving home much later than you otherwise would.

If it weren’t for COVID closing my office entirely (I now work from home) I probably would have quit by now.

If booked around 2w in advance the Amtrak is cheaper than the commuter rail. Just fyi.

True dat. Commuter rail runs more frequently than Amtrak though.

Depending on how often you end up traveling into Boston for the job, Amtrak also offers ten ride and monthly passes which can help on the cost front: https://www.amtrak.com/tickets/departure-multi-ride.html

Amtrak is much more comfortable the n the MBTA

Appreciate the link!!