# Getting off at South Station with Back Bay Ticket



## Jeanine (Jul 8, 2021)

I have a ticket NYC to Back Bay. But I now realize I need to be in South Station. Can I stay on the train to South Station and what is the additional cost?


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## MikefromCrete (Jul 8, 2021)

Just stay on the train. They can't throw you off the train until you get to South Station. Seriously, I doubt if anyone will notice or care. I believe the ticket price is the same for both Back Bay and South Station.


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## Cal (Jul 8, 2021)

I believe you can just stay on till South Station, I doubt anybody will stop you.

Price may differ, if you ask for a change in reservation, they might cost you more, and sometimes more than most would think is reasonable. I'm not from the northeast, but I think that quite a bit of people disembark at both stations so I doubt anyone will notice.


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## Brian Battuello (Jul 9, 2021)

I've never seen anybody notice. Usually by that point the crew is as eager to get off as you are. And if they have destination chits over the seats, they often pick them up between Providence and 128, so they wouldn't have any record of your destination anyway.


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## OBS (Jul 9, 2021)

You will have no problem whatsoever. The stations are 3 minutes apart.


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## Tlcooper93 (Jul 9, 2021)

Doesn’t matter. no one will care. If you are by some strange chance thrown off the train, just take a purple line commuter for free to South Station.
I truly doubt this will happen however.


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## OBS (Jul 9, 2021)

Tlcooper93 said:


> Doesn’t matter. no one will care. If you are by some strange chance thrown off the train, just take a purple line commuter for free to South Station.
> I truly doubt this will happen however.


It won't....LOL


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## Tlcooper93 (Jul 9, 2021)

OBS said:


> It won't....LOL


Ive seen a conductor make a fuss about it in the past.


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## Brian Battuello (Jul 9, 2021)

He must have been having a very bad day. Just the type to leave the chits in place and enforce them. Perhaps he thought he was doing the world a favor by making sure you knew the difference between BBY and BOS. 

If one were really worried about it you could hide in the bathroom for a few minutes until you had left BBY. But I've done that route a zillion times and never seen anyone care. In fact, I'm doing it right now. Usually the crew is much more worried about getting off the train as fast as possible. 

And as mentioned, if you think Amtrak conductors care, you should see how little the Purple line conductors care.


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## OBS (Jul 10, 2021)

Tlcooper93 said:


> Ive seen a conductor make a fuss about it in the past.


Wow! That is a first for me....Thanks!


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## johann (Jul 10, 2021)

Continuing from BBY to BOS is easy, but continuing to BON is not.


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## railiner (Jul 10, 2021)

Reminds me of when I would take Amtrak from New York to Philly-30th Street, and would jump on a SEPTA train to Suburban Station. Or vice-versa. Some SEPTA crew didn't check for tickets between the two stations (less than a mile apart), but some others did. The Amtrak ticket or stub was honored, if you had one for that date...


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## PaTrainFan (Jul 10, 2021)

railiner said:


> Reminds me of when I would take Amtrak from New York to Philly-30th Street, and would jump on a SEPTA train to Suburban Station. Or vice-versa. Some SEPTA crew didn't check for tickets between the two stations (less than a mile apart), but some others did. The Amtrak ticket or stub was honored, if you had one for that date...



Still do.


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## JontyMort (Jul 10, 2021)

Brian Battuello said:


> He must have been having a very bad day. Just the type to leave the chits in place and enforce them. Perhaps he thought he was doing the world a favor by making sure you knew the difference between BBY and BOS.
> 
> If one were really worried about it you could hide in the bathroom for a few minutes until you had left BBY. But I've done that route a zillion times and never seen anyone care. In fact, I'm doing it right now. Usually the crew is much more worried about getting off the train as fast as possible.
> 
> And as mentioned, if you think Amtrak conductors care, you should see how little the Purple line conductors care.


Since all northbound trains are “discharge only” at Back Bay, and the fares are the same, it would be most surprising if there were a problem.

My question is the opposite. We’re booked to South Station but are staying at W Brookline Street. It looks walkable from Back Bay. Is this a sensible idea? It will be broad daylight.


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## railiner (Jul 10, 2021)

PaTrainFan said:


> Still do.


Don't you have to pass thru a fare gate now on SEPTA? How does that work with an Amtrak ticket or e-ticket? Will they scan those? Are the gates always attended?


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## PaTrainFan (Jul 10, 2021)

railiner said:


> Don't you have to pass thru a fare gate now on SEPTA? How does that work with an Amtrak ticket or e-ticket? Will they scan those? Are the gates always attended?



You know what? Good point. I hadn't thought of that. I will find out when I go there in a few weeks. And of course I was looking at an old Pennsyvanian schedule that conveniently for Amtrak, isn't up to date.


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## John Santos (Jul 10, 2021)

JontyMort said:


> Since all northbound trains are “discharge only” at Back Bay, and the fares are the same, it would be most surprising if there were a problem.
> 
> My question is the opposite. We’re booked to South Station but are staying at W Brookline Street. It looks walkable from Back Bay. Is this a sensible idea? It will be broad daylight.


Back Bay is a very safe area, if that is your question. Large crowds, many tourists, office workers during the day, Back Bay itself is an expensive residential area. Biggest danger is crossing the street and getting hit by a Lexus or Acura or BMW, use the crosswalks and signals

W Brookline St (not to be confused with Brookline Avenue*) is about a 7-8 minute walk (less than 1/2 mile) South of BBY, which is a more residential area. I didn't see any hotels, but several B&B's show on Google maps.
Back Bay is all fill (it used to be a bay in the 18th century), and is perfectly level. No hills. All the crosswalks have cut-out wheelchair ramps, so no problem pulling luggage with rollers.
Danger: you might encounter yuppies or hipsters!

[*]Brookline Ave is about 3 times farther west, on the other side of the MFA and the Fens, near Fenway Park (Red Sox) and the medical area (Harvard Medical School and many world-class hospitals), making it a good place to get run over if you insist.


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## John Santos (Jul 10, 2021)

PaTrainFan said:


> You know what? Good point. I hadn't thought of that. I will find out when I go there in a few weeks. And of course I was looking at an old Pennsyvanian schedule that conveniently for Amtrak, isn't up to date.



I made about 5-6 business trips to Philly (from Boston) in the last decade, and never figured out how to use my Amtrak ticket to get free subway fare to downtown. (I usually took the subway to the 13th Street Station, which was closest to my hotel.) I'll be going back there again, probably in September.

How do the SEPTA tickets work? I think there were machines to buy a paper/mag-stripe ticket you then insert in the ticket gate last time I was there.

Can you use an Amtrak ticket to ride back to 30th street?

Do you need a paper ticket, or will the digital ticket on my iPhone work?


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## MARC Rider (Jul 10, 2021)

John Santos said:


> I made about 5-6 business trips to Philly (from Boston) in the last decade, and never figured out how to use my Amtrak ticket to get free subway fare to downtown. (I usually took the subway to the 13th Street Station, which was closest to my hotel.) I'll be going back there again, probably in September.
> 
> How do the SEPTA tickets work? I think there were machines to buy a paper/mag-stripe ticket you then insert in the ticket gate last time I was there.
> 
> ...


The last time I passed through, they have actual live human beings as well as the fare gates. Presumably you can show your ticket to one of them, and they will let you pass through. I don't know exactly how it works because I have a SEPTA Senior Key Card which lets me operate the fare gates. However, when I was visiting last October, I went into Jefferson Station, and then realized that the trains were so infrequent (it was Saturday afternoon) that I might miss my train at 30th St. So I decided to use the subway. My Key Card wouldn't let me out through the faregate, but when I explained to the live human on duty, she let me out. Then I took the subway, which was also free for me, because I have the SEPTA Senior key card.

I've never seen a SEPTA conductor ask for tickets between Jefferson and 30th St. Heck, I've been on some SEPTA Regional Rail trains out in the suburbs where the conductor never checks tickets. I think now, you're supposed to scan your Key Card at a station platform, but I'm not sure how it works.


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## MARC Rider (Jul 10, 2021)

JontyMort said:


> Since all northbound trains are “discharge only” at Back Bay, and the fares are the same, it would be most surprising if there were a problem.
> 
> My question is the opposite. We’re booked to South Station but are staying at W Brookline Street. It looks walkable from Back Bay. Is this a sensible idea? It will be broad daylight.


The area around the station is fine. In fact, on my last trip, I got off at Back Bay, even though I had a ticket to South Station,, because it was closer to my hotel. 

However, if I were heading outbound, I'm not sure I'd like to to it. The waiting area is a bit spartan, including hard granite benches to sit on while you wait. The departure board doesn't show Amtrak trains, only the MTBA regional rail. Not sure how you're supposed to know when it's time to go on the platform. Also, you have a better chance of getting good seats if you board at South Station, the origination of all of the Amtrak trains heading south and west. On the other hand, South Station is pretty much a construction site now, so unless you have lounge access, that's pretty spartan, too. But they do have redcaps and a departure board that shows the Amtrak trains.


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## PaTrainFan (Jul 10, 2021)

John Santos said:


> I made about 5-6 business trips to Philly (from Boston) in the last decade, and never figured out how to use my Amtrak ticket to get free subway fare to downtown. (I usually took the subway to the 13th Street Station, which was closest to my hotel.) I'll be going back there again, probably in September.
> 
> How do the SEPTA tickets work? I think there were machines to buy a paper/mag-stripe ticket you then insert in the ticket gate last time I was there.
> 
> ...



To be clear, though, we are talking about Regional Rail to Suburban Station or Jefferson Station. Supposedly you just show your Amtrak ticket to the conductor. ts been awhile since I've done this so I didn't know if things have changed. And, yes, in theory you can also do it to 30th Street.


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## railiner (Jul 10, 2021)

This 'honoring' of tickets goes back to when all the trains were PRR at 30th Street and Suburban Station. It started because before that, the thru trains terminating in Philly all went to the old Broad Street Station, before it was torn down. And it continued into the early Amtrak era, as Amtrak Keystone line trains all went into Suburban Station via the upper level of 30th Street Station. That ended when SEPTA replaced the Reading Terminal with the extension to Market Street East (now Jefferson Station), and thru routed the SEPTA trains between the former PRR and RDG lines. Amtrak arranged for SEPTA to continue honoring Amtrak thru tickets for those wishing to go to Center City...


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## JontyMort (Jul 11, 2021)

John Santos said:


> Back Bay is a very safe area, if that is your question. Large crowds, many tourists, office workers during the day, Back Bay itself is an expensive residential area. Biggest danger is crossing the street and getting hit by a Lexus or Acura or BMW, use the crosswalks and signals
> 
> W Brookline St (not to be confused with Brookline Avenue*) is about a 7-8 minute walk (less than 1/2 mile) South of BBY, which is a more residential area. I didn't see any hotels, but several B&B's show on Google maps.
> Back Bay is all fill (it used to be a bay in the 18th century), and is perfectly level. No hills. All the crosswalks have cut-out wheelchair ramps, so no problem pulling luggage with rollers.
> ...


Thanks for the reply, John. It is indeed a B&B we’re staying in, and it looks very traditional residential. I think we’ll go for getting off at Back Bay.


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## PaTrainFan (Jul 11, 2021)

railiner said:


> Don't you have to pass thru a fare gate now on SEPTA? How does that work with an Amtrak ticket or e-ticket? Will they scan those? Are the gates always attended?



Just confirmed by SEPTA that this is still possible:

Amtrak Tickets | Both Amtrak paper tickets and e-Tickets, purchased for the same date of travel and presented for inspection, will be accepted as a fare to ride on Regional Rail trains between 30th Street Station and Jefferson Station. Customers with e-Ticket confirmations should present their personal device (iPad, laptop computer, smart phone, etc.) to the SEPTA Key Fare Ambassador at the station and the Conductor on the train for visual confirmation of the Amtrak fare.


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## JontyMort (Jul 12, 2021)

MARC Rider said:


> The area around the station is fine. In fact, on my last trip, I got off at Back Bay, even though I had a ticket to South Station,, because it was closer to my hotel.
> 
> However, if I were heading outbound, I'm not sure I'd like to to it. The waiting area is a bit spartan, including hard granite benches to sit on while you wait. The departure board doesn't show Amtrak trains, only the MTBA regional rail. Not sure how you're supposed to know when it's time to go on the platform. Also, you have a better chance of getting good seats if you board at South Station, the origination of all of the Amtrak trains heading south and west. On the other hand, South Station is pretty much a construction site now, so unless you have lounge access, that's pretty spartan, too. But they do have redcaps and a departure board that shows the Amtrak trains.


Thanks. On the way back south we’ll definitely be starting from South Station, as we’ll be arriving back in Boston by rental car. I know we can take the SL1 bus from Logan to South Station.


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## fdaley (Jul 12, 2021)

PaTrainFan said:


> Just confirmed by SEPTA that this is still possible:
> 
> Amtrak Tickets | Both Amtrak paper tickets and e-Tickets, purchased for the same date of travel and presented for inspection, will be accepted as a fare to ride on Regional Rail trains between 30th Street Station and Jefferson Station. Customers with e-Ticket confirmations should present their personal device (iPad, laptop computer, smart phone, etc.) to the SEPTA Key Fare Ambassador at the station and the Conductor on the train for visual confirmation of the Amtrak fare.



I was in Philadelphia a few years ago and managed to make use of this service, riding a Septa commuter train from Market East/Jefferson to 30th Street to connect to #66 to Boston. But when I showed my paper Amtrak ticket to the Septa gate attendant (I didn't know she was called the "Key Fare Ambassador"), she gave me a dubious look. After I explained that this ticket was supposed to entitle me to free passage to 30th Street, she studied the ticket and then shrugged and let me through, but I had the distinct feeling she had never heard of this policy -- nor encountered anyone else trying to make use of it.


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## Tlcooper93 (Jul 14, 2021)

Back Bay being one of the richest neighborhoods in Boston, it’s rather odd the station is so bad. 

Has some of the worse air quality in Boston (and in the country for stations). But it’s our fault for taking so long to electrify our lines, or at least the lines going though back bay. Hell, I’d even pass for electrifying the line that is electrified.


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## neroden (Jul 14, 2021)

MARC Rider said:


> The area around the station is fine. In fact, on my last trip, I got off at Back Bay, even though I had a ticket to South Station,, because it was closer to my hotel.
> 
> However, if I were heading outbound, I'm not sure I'd like to to it. The waiting area is a bit spartan, including hard granite benches to sit on while you wait. The departure board doesn't show Amtrak trains, only the MTBA regional rail. Not sure how you're supposed to know when it's time to go on the platform. Also, you have a better chance of getting good seats if you board at South Station, the origination of all of the Amtrak trains heading south and west. On the other hand, South Station is pretty much a construction site now, so unless you have lounge access, that's pretty spartan, too. But they do have redcaps and a departure board that shows the Amtrak trains.


I've done it. The Worcester Line / Lake Shore Limited platform at Back Bay looks like something out of an urban-decay horror movie. Down the elevator, long walk along the platform, up a ramp to the raised level-boarding area at the end of the platform. One bench. I watched the rats, who looked fat and healthy. I was fine, but someone who looks like more of a crime target might not be comfortable. (I apparently give off a vibe which causes criminals to cross the street to avoid me.) No live train status information either.


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