By Shawn Gallagher
Super commuting is uncommon, but it doesn’t mean it isn’t a thing. Especially along the Northeast Corridor, there are people who travel a good amount of distance multiple times a month (or even multiple times a week).
I frequently travel between New York City and Boston, and I occasionally turn these trips into commutes to make the most of my time. For example, I’d leave New York early in the morning so I’d arrive in Boston with a whole day ahead of me. Or, I’d leave Boston after work and arrive later that night, and I’d have the whole day in New York City the next day. Travel is time consuming, so I have to get creative.
The luxury of traveling between New York and Boston is the multiple transportation options to choose from. I usually try to take Amtrak, but I’ve also flown and taken the bus many times.
I’ll be going over my most recent Amtrak trip in this post. Let’s go to New York Penn Station!
Waking Up, Heading To Penn Station
I woke up at around 5:15 in the morning. After a quick shower and getting my stuff together, I left the New York apartment at 6am.
I hopped on the 8th Ave line and headed to 34th St Penn Station.
I arrived just before 6:30am. Moynihan Train Hall was still quiet at this time. I stopped by the Duane Reade inside the station before lining up for my train.
Although track numbers aren’t announced until boarding, Amtrak employees often know ahead of time and will sometimes announce it themselves. It’s a good idea to stay close by and keep your ears open.
We boarded and departed on time at 7am.
On Board
I like to board the Quiet Car. Loud conversations and phone calls are not allowed in this car, making it a great place to get rest or focus on independent work.
Amtrak also dims the lights in this car, which is great for early or late night trains.
Related: Amtrak Quiet Car Review, Northeast Regional Boston To New York
The Cafe Car is a great place to grab food during your trip. Especially during a commute where maximizing time is critical, it’s great to get a meal out of the way during the journey.
Amtrak has its cafe car menus published online. Take a look at them here.
Meanwhile, I got some writing done while I was on the train.
I even booked my next Amtrak ticket while on this train. Talk about living on Amtrak trains!
The Northeast Regional has a top speed of 125mph in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Once I reached Providence, it was quick from there.
Concluding Thoughts
This trip ended up taking 5 hours door to door. I consider this to be an average duration by train. However, the fact that I can maximize productivity by getting sleep, getting work done, and getting a meal in the cafe car is a huge plus.
Flying can be faster if it all goes well. I’ve had flights where it took a total of 4 hours door to door. However, there is a higher chance of seeing a delay. Amtrak is the most reliable option when traveling between New York and Boston. I have a flying commute coming up soon, so I’ll make sure to make a post about that.
The fastest Amtrak service I’ve found between the two cities is an Acela Express that takes 3 hours and 35 minutes. I expect this one to take a little over 4 hours, which would be a great trip. I have a ride scheduled on this soon, so keep an eye out for a post on that as well.
All photos taken by the author.