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    MBTA - Back Bay Station

    2.7 (90 reviews)

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    Tracks 5 & 7 - Platform
    Mark T.

    So... let me see if I have this right. There are 7 tracks. On one side are 5 & 7, and on the other are 3, 1, & 2, in that order. I assume tracks 4 and 6 are the Orange Line. When I first started working in Back Bay, this would confuse the heck out of me. My train is departing from track 2? Okay, great! But where is track 2?! Also important to note: the main departure board hangs on the ticket counter side (by tracks 3, 1, 2). Those above the platforms are only for that specific platform. Okay, so after a week you figured out where the platforms are, and the occasional zig-zag to and from the departure board. There's just two more problems: 1. Sometimes there are last minute track changes. It's happened to me: I go to my platform, double check it's the right one, and wait for my train. Well, they switched tracks on me! There I was running up and back down. Don't remember if I made my train or not, but thank you for the impromptu exercise., 2. It is not always clear where passengers should wait to board. Me and another person were waiting on the raised platform (no stairs to get onto train). The train arrived, stopped, and started leaving. Turns out the only door(s) that opened were much further down. We had no way of knowing - thus some kind of signage or system would be welcome. Other than these criticisms, Back Bay is solid as far as stations go. It is generally clean and feels safe. The restrooms especially get a shoutout. They aren't perfect, but leaps and bounds ahead of South Station. The only area that is less-than-pleasant is part of the platform between tracks 5 & 7. Feels like a platform in the middle of a tunnel.

    Maria G.

    The MBTA Back Bay station looks large on the outside, but the actual commuter rail tracks are just on both sides. During peak hours, like others mentioned, they would change track as at the last minute so be sure you keep a close eye on the arriving trains. If you take Amtrak, honestly probably better to board at South Station than Back Bay for better chances of finding seats. The air ventilation/CO2 level is always poor on commuter rails.

    Whitney D.

    This station has the commuter rail and Amtrak come through it. It's nothing fancy at all. This station has very, very few food/ beverage options. There are TWO Dunkin Donuts yes you heard that correct... two in very close proximity. There is a Starbucks a block away from here. I avoid using the bathrooms here though.

    Station
    Steve A.

    Back Bay is a crappy station for Amtrak and MBTA. It connects these two pretty easily. Mostly east to make a transfer. Convenient to get to Copley Square and nearby areas. The station is located in a good place but it's filthy and stinks. It has such a good location but that's the only good thing about it. It serves the Orange Line. This is a good place for making a transfer. Get on a bus. This connects to the commuter railway. Amtrak also makes a stop here. This is convenient to get to. All these connections and still it sucks ass bad. It's a filthy place to be in. This is also freezing cold in winter.

    Back Bay MBTA Station
    Bruce K.

    In addition to being a stop on the MBTA's Orange line, Back Bay services the Commuter Rail and Amtrak. It's a busy station. There are automated ticket machines for buying tickets for all of the above and when I was here, an "I can help!" person in a bright red jacket. Some food options here for quick grab and go. Not as much as South Station further up the line, but decent. Escalators and elevators from the street level to the platform level. Back Bay is between Tufts Medical Center and Massachusetts Ave.

    Vaulted ceiling on the main level, across from ticket counter.
    Jen W.

    Back bay is a busy stop in the heart of Boston having both Orange Line and commuter rail stops. I commented to a friend about the derelict condition of this station and was informed how much is has improved over the years. Hmmm, OK. Good to know. There are what appear to be newer seating by the ticket counter area and a small electronic sign notifying which trains will depart on which tracks at what time. This station is across from Copley Plaza and just a few blocks from Boston Common. Entering from Stuart Street, the ticket office is against the wall on the right. There is also a small coffee shop. The building appears to be old and is blackened by soot. Loose wires are hanging from the ceiling, but it's not a museum, it's a train station and most people are just rushing through. The ticket counter agent let us know you can purchase a weekend pass on the train or from a ticket window agent: purchase on a Saturday or Sunday with a return no later than Sunday evening, and the round trip price is the same as a one way purchase. Sweet 2 for 1 weekend deal. The stair cases down to the commuter rail platforms are numbered above the doorway. It is dark and grimy down there with no seating for your wait. As this is a commuter rail platform, benches would probably just get in the way. It is also open to the elements of course so dress appropriately. The trains are older, but serviceable. There are overhead bins which we used for our luggage and were plenty big for our trolley bags. The second train also had hooks for small bags or jackets by the window. The seats on that train were 3 wide on one side and 2 wide on the other making the aisle slightly off center. The first train were bench seats of equal proportion on either side of a center aisle. There were seats by the door designated for elderly patrons on the trains we took. The conductors were all very friendly (we left Friday afternoon and returned on Sunday) and helpful, answering our questions and letting us know we were approaching our station; which we asked them to do. We purchased our inbound ticket on the train and are happy to learn they now accept credit card payment on the train.

    The fumes are really strong down here.  Hope I don't pass....zzzzzz
    Bill T.

    Super convenient to Copley Square with easy access to the T, Regional/Commuter Trains and Amtrak. Amtrak platform was super fume-y when I was waiting for the 135 back to NYC. It also reminds me of getting on the train at Newark when heading south on a train out of NY Penn because the train fills up at South Station so if you get on here, you have to search for a seat. There's some fast food available, but I say go across the street to the Au Bon Pain if you need a bit while waiting for a train.

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    3 months ago

    It is cold and dirty. It is home to too many pigeons. I should have gone to the South Station.

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    Great convenient MBTA station in this part of the city. There are Dunkin' Donuts here as well.

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    3 years ago

    dirty, dark,noisy, impossible to hear announcement since they are screaming

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    Ask the Community - MBTA - Back Bay Station

    Review Highlights - MBTA - Back Bay Station

    The tracks are super easy to navigate to, staff is always super friendly, and there's a Dunkin Donuts right by the seating area.

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    Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority

    Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority

    2.0(379 reviews)
    0.5 mi

    Don't get the low rating and 1 star reviews here. I love good public transportation and have lived…read morein places with some good ones. Coming from Los Angeles where I live with transportation that's struggling, Boston's system is a breath of fresh air. Not perfect, there are some delays and a bit of confusion - I'd get over it fast if I'd live there! But it's reliable, comes fast, takes you everywhere in the city, great connections. You can take it to and from the Airport (Logan) which it's a major plus! Pretty fast and easy. It is the oldest in USA (Bolyston station has a small nice museum inside, very cool!), so many stops don't have AC, but they have fans. Staff- some folks nice and helpful, some just OK. Not the cleanest, a tad squeaky, but it extends to ferry lines as well. A few nitpicks, but a solid transportation system that takes you everywhere. Love the lines that take you above ground. I got a pass on a Charlie Card and I used it a lot during my Boston visit. My husband lived here in college and told me it's still has the same smell. Nothing bad for him. More like Proust's madeleine.

    Crap service on the Boston T today…read more Bought a 7 day card for $22 yesterday, today the turnstile tells me "invalid card". Service person: "Not my problem. Go to xyz address to fix. I said, "How am I gonna get there with this broken card?" Service person: "Not my problem." @MTA

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    Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
    Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
    Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority

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    Charlie Card

    Charlie Card

    3.2(78 reviews)
    0.5 mi

    The Charlie Card is the ONLY way to travel around Boston! Don't bother renting a card because the…read moreCharlie Card is so much cheaper and far more convenient. We were here for 5 days and bought the 7 day pass. This got us full access to the trains, buses and ferries for our entire trip. We stayed in an AirBnB close to Cambridge and took the Red Line into the city everyday. From there we also took the Green Line multiple times and the Blue Line to get to the airport. If you don't mind public transportation and walking just a short distance to where you need to go, the Charlie Card is well worth the value and even though we had to buy the 7 day pass for a 5 day visit, we got our money worth and then some. We checked Uber some days and the price of one Uber was the same as the Charlie Card for a week.

    Don't trust the MBTA CharlieCard! I have two CharlieCards that worked fine last year. This spring…read morethey suddenly stopped working. I checked with MBTA customer service and was told that the cards had a $0 balance. This was totally untrue. I then checked with another source and confirmed that there was a balance of over $10 but it was expired. This is ridiculous because the cards have "Expiration Date: 6/20/2028" printed on them. How could MBTA let them expire more than 4 years in advance! One of my cards is a Senior CharlieCard and I can renew the card online. MBTA posted that "If you renew current or expired [senior] card, your balance from your old card will be automatically transferred to your new card." However, when I received the new senior card, it had $0.00 transferred into it. So, the CharlieCard issuer has fooled me (the customer) at least three times in a short period of time (card expired 4 years before the printed date; told me the balance was $0; claimed the balance could be transferred when it actually couldn't). The CharlieCard is a transportation debit card. When customers made a deposit into their bank accounts, no bank dares to wipe the money off for no reason. However, the CharlieCard issuer dares to do such illegal things.

    Photos
    Charlie Card - Charlie.  Who looks enitrely too nice to ride the T

    Charlie. Who looks enitrely too nice to ride the T

    Charlie Card - Not all Charlie Card have to be cards. http://www.ringtheory.com

    Not all Charlie Card have to be cards. http://www.ringtheory.com

    Charlie Card

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    MBTA - Back Bay Station - publictransport - Updated May 2026

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