Westborough to Boston commute (Worcester, Newton: home, school, closing)

[suprabhaker]

I currently live in Newton and take the T into my office in Back Bay (very easy thirty-minute commute). I'm moving out to Westborough in a few weeks but am keeping my job in the city, and am trying to figure out the most sensible commute from there. Westborough commuter line into Back Bay? I could save a few dollars by driving into Southborough station and picking up the train from there, but will the rush hour traffic be prohibitive? I could also drive into the city and park there (parking downtown costs about as much as a commuter rail pass), but is the inbound rush hour traffic as unpleasant as I imagine? Would anyone recommend splitting the difference and driving to Riverside station, parking there, and taking the T, or is that a terrible idea?

[Parsec]

I take the Worcester line everyday and feel your best bet would be to keep your commute to 1 mode of transportation, i.e. either take the commuter rail or drive all the way. Driving to Riverside and taking the green line gives you the worst of both worlds - you're still stuck in the worst of the traffic, then you have to deal with the slow green line (not to mention the expensive parking at Riverside).

If you work normal hours, I would suggest taking the train to the closest station (if you need to drive west to get to the Westborough stop, then just drive east to Southborough instead). If you tend to work late (past 7pm), it might be better to drive because you will be able to shave 30 minutes off your commute home.

Also driving is much more expensive than you think. Parking in Boston might cost about the same as a commuter rail pass plus parking in the suburbs, but you have to take into consideration the car usage costs too. Southborough to Boston is about 60 miles round trip per day. That's about $30 in gas, maintenance and wear-and-tear on your car plus $4+ in tolls, which adds another $750/mo to your commuting costs. Add that to the parking and you're looking at over $1000/mo to drive into Boston every month. People always forget about maintenance and wear-and-tear on the car because money isn't coming out of their wallet immediately. You can always do the math if you want to personalize it for your situation. For example a new set of tires costs $800 which lasts 40,000 miles. That's 2 cents per mile right there. Now add in fluid changes, brake pads, rotors, etc. and it adds up.

[suprabhaker]

That makes a lot of sense -- thanks for weighing in. I'll plan to try out the commuter line from Southborough.

[Slipperman]

does Peter Pan still run bus service up there? i know they used to pick up at my complex (Edgewater Hills) and go straight into Boston on Rt 9.

[cawiau]

We currently live in Clinton and my wife commutes into Boston everyday. She drives to the Westborough station and take the T into the city. It's been 9 months since we moved to MA and she hasn't had many issues with it (except for a few delays here and there).

We will be closing on our home in Northborough in August and that will put her 7-10 minutes from the Westborough station. If you have a steady schedule like my wife with maybe a few late evenings here and there, I think the Westboroufh station will be more than accommodating.

Rate is $9.25 or 18.50 round trip vs $8.75 or $17.50 in Southborough.
Parking is $4 but I usual try to drop her off / pick her up 2-4 times a week.

Good luck!!!

[sblumberg]

My husband took commuter rail from Southborough (we live in Westborough). There are a lot of back roads with no traffic that take you to the Southborough train station. The most traffic is getting out of the station at night, or if you get stuck behind a school bus in the am, but you will figure all that out. There is a 12 minute difference between the Southborough and Westborough stops and we lived equidistant from both stations.

[suprabhaker]

Thanks! Wish I could hire you all to be on my retainer all the time...