Trains, travel, wandering

[wispfox]

Every time I'm on a train (commuter rail, not subway), I have the urge to stay on to see where it goes.

What this _really_ is is that I want to just _go_ somewhere, anywhere. And trains seem like a good way to do it. But not local trains, I would need to go on a long distance train. But I don't know, for example, where the furthest I could go from any random station would be.

I know it'd be further from South Station than pretty much any other Boston station. But where could I get from Woburn? I don't think this would be easy to answer, since there are many train companies and owners. But I want to know!

If I got on a train tomorrow, from South Station, or from Woburn or Littleton, how for could I go without changing trains? I know the ends of the lines in the MTBA system. That's not as interesting (although still periodically tempting, if it weren't that ends of lines tend to not have much near them).

I could check Amtrak, but even that is confusing, and not necessarily the only option.

I have never been able to find an overarching 'I'm here, what public transit - local _and_ long distance - is nearby, and where can I go?' resource.

Give me big picture views, people! I know you're different companies, but... it would be _so nice_.

(why do I not have a travel icon?!)

Comments

[dancingwolfgrrl.livejournal.com]

Outside of the city, I don't think that other trains actually use the MBTA lines!

[wispfox.livejournal.com]

Hmm. I know that Amtrak uses MBTA commuter rail lines. I don't know how one would tell whose lines they are?

[dancingwolfgrrl.livejournal.com]

Ones that point the right way? :) They have so few stops, it's always hard to tell...

[wispfox.livejournal.com]

"We're Amtrak, we use everyone's tracks!"

Train

[staircasewriter.livejournal.com]

Trains travel across borders to Canada.
HINT HINT

Re: Train

[wispfox.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but that doesn't help the 'how do I know where things go when there are too many companies involved' problem. :)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I suspect you would have a wonderful time if you were let loose in western Europe with a Eurail pass for a couple of months. Get on a train and don't bother getting off until you feel like it! If it went somewhere you didn't like, get right back on it again!

[wispfox.livejournal.com]

I keep being charmed by this idea, and keep failing to reply. So here is your reply! :)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Aw, yay! :) I hope you get the chance to do something like that some day.

[metahacker.livejournal.com]

I know at least one answer: the train I've taken to NYC and DB continues down to Richmond, VA -- same train, the Northeast Regional (or the Acela, which stops in DC). You can transfer there and take the Silver Star/Meteor all the way to Miami.

There's only one other Amtrak line out of BOS, the Lake Shore Limited. It goes all the way to Chicago -- but you have to change in Albany.

I assume you found:
http://www.amtrak.com/pdf/national.pdf
and possibly even:
http://tickets.amtrak.com/secure/content/atlas/index.html

[australian-joe.livejournal.com]

I have been told that it's possible to ride one commuter rail after another and get from Boston to New York without any Amtrak. 8-)

Amtrak used to have 14- and 30-day passes only available to international tourists. They are now open to purchase within the USA. So long as a seat is available, you can get on and off the trains wherever you want. They are surprisingly cheap, too.