Amtrak to Boston

Four Amtrak routes can take you to Boston: Downeaster, Acela, Lake Shore Limited, and the Northeast Regional. The trip is easiest from cities on the East Coast, including in New England and the Mid-Atlantic. The Lake Shore Limited also provides service to and from the Midwest, making a Chicago to Boston trip possible without changing trains.

In this guide, see what you need to know about traveling to Boston on Amtrak and get average train travel times.

This website is reader supported and we may earn a small commission from links on this page.

Jump to Section

Boston Amtrak Routes Overview

One long-distance train with private rooms and three regional Amtrak routes travel to Boston:

Downeaster: Stops in Maine, New Hampshire, and North Station
Acela: High-speed train that travels between Boston and D.C.
Northeast Regional: Route that connects Massachusetts with Virginia with many stops in between (multiple daily trains stop at different stations)
Lake Shore Limited: Long-distance route that travels between Chicago and Boston with stops in Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York State, and Massachusetts.

If you’re not starting your trip near a station on one of these routes, you’ll have to ride more than one train or train and Amtrak bus to reach Boston. The “Find Trains” search feature on Amtrak.com will show you all your trip options.

Things to Know

Boston has three Amtrak stations: North Station (used by the Downeaster), South Station (in downtown Boston) and Back Bay (next to Copley Place). See which station is best for you.
All stations are in walkable areas, plus rideshare and local transit make it easy to get around without a car once you arrive in Boston.
MBTA is the transit service in Boston. The orange subway line stops at North Station and Back Bay, and red line trains stop at South Station.
If you’re traveling to Boston to sightsee, you can get a discount on Boston attractions with CityPass.
Summer and fall are great times to visit Boston, including to also visit Plymouth, Martha’s Vineyard, and Salem via guided day tours.

Travel Times

View Amtrak travel times to Boston below. Note that the Acela is a high-speed train, but you’ll only notice time savings on longer trips.

Trip	Travel Time
Providence to Boston	30 minutes
New Haven to Boston	2.5 hours
Portland to Boston	2.5 hours
NYC to Boston	4-4.5 hours
Philadelphia to Boston	5 – 6.5 hours
DC to Boston	7-8.5 hours
Chicago to Boston	22 hours (overnight)