# Closest car rental to South Boston Amtrak train station?



## Annie

Hi,

Am trying to make it as simple as possible for my husband traveling by train to BOS - South Boston, MA station - to be able to get to a car rental. Any suggestions which car rental company might be closest, and possibly an inexpensive option too?

Great thanks for your help from Gywnn's Island, VA!


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## the_traveler

I'm not familiar with the area near South Station, but I think you can rent from Hertz right from Amtrak. Or for a large choice of rentals, you can take the Silver Line of the "T" directly from South Station directly to Logan Airport.


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## amamba

There is no rental directly in South Station.

However, there is a national car rental at 270 atlantic Ave. It's very close.

https://www.nationalcar.com/en_US/location-details/us/bosc01-boston-downtown.html


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## Lonestar648

I always go to Logan, grab the rental car bus to their lot. I do the reverse when returning. Now I have also used a taxi when I am running late, but that is pricey.


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## jis

Lonestar648 said:


> I always go to Logan, grab the rental car bus to their lot. I do the reverse when returning. Now I have also used a taxi when I am running late, but that is pricey.


The good thing about Logan locations is that they are all open 24/7. There is a Hertz place within longish walking distance of Back Bay, but the hours are pretty inconvenient. So I tend to just go to Logan to pickup and drop of rental cars in Boston. It also helps that most of my work in Boston used to be in the north, which is easier to get to from Logan than from downtown anyway.


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## Lonestar648

Many times I arrived on the delayed LSL, so having 24/7 at Logan was the only option.


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## Acela150

Just hop on the silver line to Logan. It's your best bet.


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## me_little_me

Since airport rentals can be far higher than downtown ones and since it is out of the way to go to the airport, I'd skip the airport rental. When we went to Boston, Hertz at Atlantic Ave reimbursed the taxi cost. Just remember to get a receipt and turn it in to them.

I believe their competitors in the area offer the same deal.


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## Lonestar648

That is true on the cost, the hours open are very inconvenient especially on the weekends for the city rental locations. If you are arriving on the LSL or evening on another train then the airport is your only option. The other thing to consider is departure. You may be leaving before the downtown locations open. So to use the downtown locations you must schedule your arrival and departure within the open hours of the Rental Office and plan for a contingency if your train is late arriving. Also note that some rental locations do NOT accept after hour drop offs due to available parking and security of the vehicle.


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## Acela150

After looking at the OP's location on Google the closest Amtrak station to them is Williamsburg. So the OP would take 66, 94, or 194 from WBG to BOS. 66 arrives into BOS about 8am. 94 and 194 are a toss up as they're delayed so much.


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## Bus Nut

Just for the record, SOUTH Station is not in SOUTH Boston.

It's not that far, but nothing is Boston is that far.

It's not in the SOUTH End either.

Just for the record.

PS: if I were going to Boston I'd probably skip the rental and buy T farecards. But if I were going out of the city and needed the rental I'd still buy a T farecard and ride the **** out of the city and get a rental there. JM2C. There's a train from South Station to Framingham (commuter rail, "purple line") where the cheap motels are. Trust me, a cab in F'ham is a hell of a lot cheaper than a cab to Logan Airport (although Logan rides are capped, if you cab elsewhere who knows what they'll charge a tourist). If you really want to cheap out there's Worcester, drive Mass Pike back to Boston. (You can take Route 9 from Framingham but forget about Rt 9 to Boston from Worcester, not worth it. With the hills you'll double the gas AND the time.)


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## jis

Why would you take a cab from South Station to Logan Airport. Doesn't the Silver Line work just fine? Or is it that you have a mountain of baggage?


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## Lonestar648

For me, it depends on the time of day. The LSL arrived extremely late due to weather one time at 2 AM so I felt safer by cab even though it was costly.


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## Mid_Atlantic

What about car rentals from the Route 128 station? I check a website and found Hertz and Enterprise were the two options. Is that right?


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## Bus Nut

Is the T even running at 2AM?

Not being funny--when I lived there the debate was raging but I've been gone for a while.


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## Lonestar648

During the weekday, Hertz is 1 mile from South Station, open 7 to 7 M-F and has after hours drop off. Weekends have shortened hours, closing about 4 PM and opening later. Avis is also 1 mile away with the same hours. A quick taxi ride works and the agency pays the taxi receipt, actually a credit on your contract. NOTE: many locations do NOT allow you to return to a different location without an additional fee. So if returning after hours you have two choices, drop at the afterhours lot and chance someone doing damage, unlikely. Or dropping at an open location and possibly paying an additional fee.


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## amamba

Lonestar648 said:


> For me, it depends on the time of day. The LSL arrived extremely late due to weather one time at 2 AM so I felt safer by cab even though it was costly.


Not to mention that the T in boston stops running at 1 AM.


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## Green Eye

jis said:


> Why would you take a cab from South Station to Logan Airport. Doesn't the Silver Line work just fine? Or is it that you have a mountain of baggage?


I traveled to Boston last week for a funeral. I took the Silver Line from South Station to Logan Airport (for a rental car) thinking it was a new rapid transit line. It was a bus. Yes, for the first few stations the bus was electric (with an overhead canentary wire) and ran on its own roadway underground. However, after a while we came up on the street and switched to diesel. The bus then ran on crowded streets and ran into traffic jams. It took over 1 hour, 20 minutes to get to the airport. At the airport, it was almost impossible to get off the bus because it was so crowded and people jammed onto it as soon as the doors opened. I was less than impressed.


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## Bob Dylan

Well, there's that. However most airports have this problem, at least the price is sure right!


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## peconicstation

Most of the Rent A Car locations in the greater HUB are located in the residential areas as many locals do not own cars, and frankly you don't need one in the Boston Hub.

That said just contact your favorite agency, most will pick you up at South Station and bring you to their offices, no need to tackle the crowded silver line.

That said when I need to go to Logan I use the Blue Line.

The T runs until 12:30 1 am ish Sun to Thur, and to 2:00 am Fri and Saturday.

Ken


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## jis

Why on earth would you use the Blue Line from South Station to get to Logan? Do you like to walk a lot?


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## VentureForth

Never been to Boston, but per http://www.mbta.com/riding_the_t/logan/#Blue,



> For service to Logan Airport using the Blue Line, take the MBTA Blue Line to the newly renovated Airport Station and board FREE Massport shuttle buses to all airline terminals. For customers coming to Logan Airport from the Green Line, transfer to the Orange Line at Haymarket Station toward Forest Hills (southbound), take the Orange Line one stop to State to transfer to the Blue Line, and exit at Airport Station to board the FREE Massport shuttle buses to all airline terminals.


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## the_traveler

That used to be the only way to take the T to Logan, and still is the best way from many parts of Boston. However, from South Station the easiest (and most direct) way is to get on the Silver Line that starts at South Station and goes right to Logan!


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## jis

VentureForth said:


> Never been to Boston, but per http://www.mbta.com/riding_the_t/logan/#Blue,
> 
> 
> 
> 
> For service to Logan Airport using the Blue Line, take the MBTA Blue Line to the newly renovated Airport Station and board FREE Massport shuttle buses to all airline terminals. For customers coming to Logan Airport from the Green Line, transfer to the Orange Line at Haymarket Station toward Forest Hills (southbound), take the Orange Line one stop to State to transfer to the Blue Line, and exit at Airport Station to board the FREE Massport shuttle buses to all airline terminals.
Click to expand...

Right. It helps a lot to have been to Boston to understand why for getting to Logan Airport Terminals, Silver Line may be preferable to Blue Line specially when coming from any point on the Red Line.  Getting from the Red Line to the Blue Line is an outright pain in the rear end, whereas it is a single change to the Silver Line at South Station. OTOH if you are coming from any point on the Orange Line, the Blue Line is preferable. From the Green Line either Blue Line or Silver Line is OK, though the Silver Line takes you directly to the terminals whereas the Blue Line involves yet another change to a shuttle bus at Airport Station.


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## peconicstation

From the South Station website, it lists the 2 agencies closest to the terminal, and ZipCar info as well.

http://www.south-station.net/menu/

Ken


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