What do you think of the Boston subway train system?
The MBTA has a lot of room for improvement. It’s been running a budget deficit for many years now, partly because of endemic fare evasion and partly because of a lack of funding from the state. In 2015, it gained notoriety after heavy snowfall left commuters stranded for hours due to excessive train delays. Having ridden the subways countless times over the past 6 years, I’ve noticed a few other minor but equally annoying problems:inconsistency: sometimes the trains run at 40–50 mph; sometimes they slow to a crawl (i.e. walking speed); and sometimes they just idle on the tracks between stops for up to five minutesmore inconsistency: many a time I have waited more than 20 minutes for a D train on the Green Line because only D trains go to the stop near my house. An A train will pass by, and then a C train, and then three consecutive E trains, and then another two C trains, and then another E train, and then an “out-of-service” train before a D train finally arrivespoor communication: multiple times the train I’m riding along the D Line has “gone express” (straight to the last stop) at the stop right before mine, meaning I have to get off and wait to board the next train. It’s never been communicated to the passengers more than a couple stops in advance, not to mention the conductor on the following train doesn’t check tickets because we were forced to disembark — which is essentially extending an invitation to fare evadersThat being said, I’ve also experienced a share of other subway networks around the world: in Washington, D.C., London, New York, and Shanghai. Compared to those, Boston’s isn’t so bad. The fares are relatively low; the subway maps are pretty straightforward; and unlike in Shanghai and Tokyo, the trains rarely ever reach full capacity.
What is the average cost of an Amtrak trip from Boston to New York?
Edited (08/15/12) to add:The article at http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/1... says that Acela fares between New York and Washington range from an average of $145 for regular business class to $351 for first class; New York to Boston, $104 to $251; and Boston to Washington, $163 to $393.Non-Acela train fares between New York and Washington average $49 to $153 for coach and $120 to $193 for business class; New York to Boston, $49 to $133 for coach and $104 to $168 for business; and Boston to Washington, $70 to $185 coach and $144 to $233 for business class.----Amtrak prices fares in "buckets," meaning that the first N tickets are the lowest possible fare, then the next one, and so on. Therefore, if you book early enough, the fare will be the lowest fare for your route.For BOS-NYP on the Northeast Regional, that lowest fare is $49 if you book at least two weeks in advance, $69 otherwise. The next bucket is $98, and so on. In general, if you book even a day or two in advance for a not-very-popular time on the Northeast Regional, you can get one of the lowest fares. For Friday nights, weekends, Monday mornings, or holidays, the prices jump up sharply.For Acela trains, the lowest fare is $101. The next buckets on Acela are $118, $134, and $151. From my experience, booking a few weeks early will almost guarantee the lowest fare, and booking a few days or a week early might land you in the second or third fare bucket.(all prices current as of January 2012)----Regarding actual averages: Amtrak releases some monthly data on their website (see Monthly Performance Reports at http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/Co...). There probably is better data out there, but my cursory google search was unsuccessful.For example, the October 2011 report indicates that ridership on the Acela was approximately 300,418, with ticket revenue at $45,840,158, meaning an average ticket price of about $152. This is for the entire route, however. Assuming that most of the tickets are BOS-NYP or NYP-WAS or the reverse routes, and they each cost about the same, this would give an approximate average of $152 for the Acela BOS-NYP route during October 2011, for example.
Is it possible to survive in Boston with a dependent on a postdoc's salary? Follow ups: how expensive is a one BR apartment near MIT or Harvard? If it's cheaper to live far away, where and how is the commute (cost, time, crowded or not)?
Is it possible to survive in Boston with a dependent on a postdoc's salary? Follow ups: how expensive is a one BR apartment near MIT or Harvard? If it's cheaper to live far away, where and how is the commute (cost, time, crowded or not)?Hundreds, or even thousands of people do it. Although you might not find an affordable apartment near MIT or Harvard, both are on the subway (aka MBTA aka T), and you can find a more affordable place in Greater Boston on the T. A lot of students live in Allston/Brighton, which is near BU, I’ve know some who lived in Mission Hill (which is close to the medical district), and I know a post-doc at Harvard who I recall lived in Jamaica Plain (aka JP).Most universities — including Harvard and MIT — have housing offices, which can help you find a place. Also, it is common for people to have roommates, so renting a two BR apartment for example.A monthly T pass costs $84.50 (Nov 2017) and is good for the subway and buses. There is zero reason to own a car if you are working at a university in Boston.
Why do so few big American cities have subway/metro systems?
so tell me...if congestion has gotten so bad that they would expand or build a metro..why doesn't los angeles have better public transport even though it has worse congestion than new york city which is twice its size in population?
Which US city has the highest subway fares?
The US has only a handful of subway systems:New York MTA Subway (mostly subway)Chicago CTA L (has both elevated and subway, mostly elevated)Boston MBTA SubwayLos Angeles Metro Rail Subway LinesSan Francisco Bay Area (BART) - some parts at gradeWashington DC Metro - some parts at gradeAtlanta MARTA - Mostly at grade or elevated or in a cutCleveland RTA Red Line - partially subwayPhiladelphia SEPTA - mostly above groundOf these, only New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, Atlanta, and Cleveland use a fixed fare system, the rest use zone-based fares. Of these the most expensive that I can find is actually Cleveland ($2.50) which I find surprising. However, the most expensive Subway ride you can take in the US will be on one of the Zone-based systems, likely BART or the DC Metro.
Public transit Vs. cars? what do you think?
PUBLIC TRANSIT!! Public transit is better for the environment, people will tend to walk a little more so areas w/ good public transit tend to have lower rates of obesity and public transit alleviates traffic. Unforunately transit is not a reasonable alternative in many communities. This is mainly because of the way development has happened in the united states. There are tons of sprawling suburban communities which are very difficult and expensive to serve w/ public transportation. Public transportation only works well in areas with high densities of population. However, due to how far many americans commute to work traffic has become a serious problem. Due to the way the US Interstate system was originally built, many of the highways have completely reached capacity and would be impossible or ridiculously expensive to widen any further. The only solution to alleviate these congestion (and environmental) especially with how quickly population is growing. Another factor to take into consideration is the aging of the baby boomers. As they become to old to drive, having a good public transportation system that provides a lot of service will become increasingly important. Public transportation is a great solution to many problems american communities, cities, and towns are and will be facing. This is widely recognized so transportation agencies are beginning to provide incentives to cities and developers for building high density mixed use developments that will be easy to serve with public transportation and are also walkable communities (can easily walk to the grocery store and other necessary destinations).