Boston's South Station is the northern terminus of the Northeast Corridor, the most heavily trafficked rail route in the country, and one of the few routes serviced by Amtrak with a high frequency of service. Trains from New York reach Boston in about 3.5 hours; trains from Washington take about twice as long. The faster Acela trains shave about an hour off those journeys, and although they cost more, they generally present a more enjoyable trip.
Boston's North Station is served by the Downeaster which goes to New Hampshire and Maine.
Springfield is also served by Amtrak with trains entering from the north, south, east, and west. It is accessible by Amtrak's Northeast Regional Service, the Vermonter from the north and south, and the Lake Shore Limited from the east and west. With the renovation of Springfield's Union Station, Springfield will receive an increase in rail traffic in the next several years, so be aware that schedules will change.
Other Western and Central Massachusetts cities are also served by Amtrak, although much less frequently than Boston. Pittsfield, Worcester, and Framingham are served by Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited from the east and west. The college mecca of Amherst is served by the Vermonter, but the stop is scheduled to be re-routed to Northampton with the completion of the Pioneer Valley intercity commuter rail. With all of the current train-building in Western Massachusetts, it's best to check ahead regarding stops.
Though easily accessible by train, if traveling from Pennsylvania or further away, it is frequently cheaper and almost always faster to fly to Massachusetts than take the train (however, traveling on the Lake Shore Limited from Chicago and all points in between is often less than $100).
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Massachusetts
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Massachusetts - updated Apr 2024
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Massachusetts Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
