Find trains from New York to Boston

When you board a train from New York to Boston, you’ll travel through a large urban region, the Northeast megalopolis. Most trains running on the route from New York to Boston are direct, operated by Amtrak Northeast Regional service. You’ll leave from New York Penn Station, sticking to the East Coast and passing through the woodland scenery of upstate New York and Connecticut. On your train from New York to Boston, the first major town you’ll pass through is Stamford, where you can’t miss the Landmark Tower as you go by. After going through Silver Sands State Park, New Haven is the next city, known for Yale University and its eclectic architecture by the likes of Frank Lloyd Wright. You’ll then travel straight east, still following the coastline, passing Hammonasset Beach State Park, before crossing the Connecticut River and travelling through Great Island Wildlife Area and Rocky Neck State Park. Rather quaintly, you’ll then go through the town of New London, before crossing the Thames River. Turning north, you’ll go through Providence and Pawtucket, the latter known as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution in America. Next you’ll cross into Massachusetts, moving through the scenic towns of Mansfield and Foxborough, before arriving either at Boston South Station or Boston Back Bay Station.

New York Penn Station is the main departure station to travel by rail from New York to Boston. It’s an Amtrak-operated station with plenty of facilities for passengers. There’s a large food court where you can enjoy snacks, fast food or sit-down meals. Families or mothers travelling with infants have free use of lactation rooms, and accessibility services are top notch. These include wheelchair hire, accessible waiting rooms, restrooms and water fountains and dedicated ticket facilities. Cash machines are provided throughout the concourse, as are Quik-Trak kiosks, if you need to change your ticket at the last minute. You can also download the Amtrak app to keep track of train status, route delay information and any other alerts that might affect your journey, in real time. You can also use it to select your seat on the train, if it’s not full. The station has e-ticket scanning turnstiles for a seamless boarding procedure for your trip from New York to Boston.

There’s no need for a passport to travel from New York to Boston by train, as it’s only an inter-state trip. You also won’t need to show any ID to buy train tickets from New York to Boston, but you should always travel with your photo ID document, as on-board Amtrak personnel may ask for it while you’re en route. You’ll need your ID to exchange tickets/get refunds or if you need your ticket reprinted. If you’re storing your luggage at New York Penn Station, an ID document will also be required.

Boston South Station is virtually right in the centre of the city, and it will only take a few minutes to get there, either on the Line 7 bus operated by MBTA or taking the MBTA Red Line subway train. The distance is also easily walkable, if you only have light hand luggage or a backpack. Back Bay Station is a little further out from central Boston, but not by much. You can take the MBTA Line 504 bus or subway train, and you can also use the B, C, D or E trams to Park Street tram stop. A hire car or taxi will get you there in just a few minutes. Use momondo to get cheap train tickets from New York to Boston, and you can choose your arrival station according to your needs.

3h 36m is the fastest available option to arrive in Boston Logan Intl from New York by train. Your arrival can differ by about 0h 38m. This largely depends on whether your train ride includes stops or a direct route from New York to Boston Logan Intl. Consider Amtrak for the quickest available option to your destination.

You can find train tickets for Amtrak and Acela which service this route currently. Amtrak is the cheapest option recently available with prices starting at £40 for a return ticket.

While Boston Logan Intl is 187.5 mi away from New York, the distance by train is longer depending on the route. The train journey is around 3h 36m long.

Taking a train to Boston Logan Intl from New York has a carbon footprint of 44lb, on average. Carbon emissions for flights between these two cities are around 109lb. This journey by bus would lower emissions to around 27lb.

The quickest way is to book a flight from New York to Boston, which can be as quick as 1h 05m onboard JetBlue. You can also get a train from New York to Boston, or a bus from New York to Boston which can take you longer to arrive at your destination.

A bus from New York to Boston from £18 can save you up to 73% on the cost of your trip compared to booking a flight from New York to Boston or a train from New York to Boston.