North Station

I hate those gates you have to go through!!! It's constantly not reading the ticket and if you go out to grab McDonald's (which is right there) or to use the bathroom, you can't just go back through the gates. It will decline. Said something about has to be more than 10 minutes to use it again. And during October it was just wild due to all the people going to Salem. Also a lot of people sleeping or asking for money etc. It's a bit unnerving to be honest.

Visited TD Arena for a Hockey game. Metro is right downstairs. IF YOUR BAG is bigger than a VERY THIN WALLET.. It WILL cost you 15.00 to store it. STORE IT PRIOR to getting in Line!! Similar setup as MSG.

It has always been a dream to see Bruins at home. The experience was once in a lifetime experience, to say the least. Staff was super helpful, the food and drinks at 1928 Club (a speakeasy) was amazing. Definitely looking forward to going back!

I took the down Easter from here. The food hall adjacent to the station was a great place to wait (Mike's pastries is highly recommended!). The station itself was surprisingly small (I'm a Brit and expected a huge number of platforms!) but was well run and announcements were clear.

I have visited North Station 🚉 in the past. I am finding the convenience of being near or part of locations I was looking for, such as TD Garden, very helpful. Now if only the 🚆 trains ran later! The North Station was in decent shape.

Very vibrant place.

Very beautiful building ..sports and concerts! North Station Boston Massachusetts

Not open as late as the trains are easy exit into Boston but leaving was upsetting. No restrooms open. But McDonalds was and it was 10pm. Also the trains didn't run as late as neasary so plan an alternative way back if you will be after 12. Busy.

North station is everything all in one--and it's been renovated recently so it's really nice. It's a transportation hub for the subway and commuter rail, it houses the Bruins and Celtics games, and it even hosts large entertainment events. It also now has a hub hall (food court) which has cool dining options. Plus if you're not here for a huge event, they have an AMC, a night club, and hotel attached as well. Whether you're visiting from the suburbs or the inner-city, it's really accessible. If you'd prefer to drive they have parking garages. The commuter rail now is now blocked off and you must scan your ticket before you can enter the area which is new. They are pushing for people to buy them on the mTicket app, however there is still a ticket window off to the side.

My comments are for the commuter rail, not for the mood lighting, the Orange and Green lines or the Dunkin' if there is one. The setup is strange. No ticket machines are available. You can buy a ticket with a credit card from someone at the gate, or go over to a ticket selling window. To exit you must use a bar code to open the gate. Not only is this different than normal commuter rails like LIRR, it isn't even done at Back Bay and South Station.

Great station. Very clean. friendly workers. Has a nice food court with many options

This train comes fast . Thai is usually the case unless there is an accident. It's the standard fare for Boston trains . You can Google the appropriate fares online @ www.mbta.com. The train is fun. It also beats paying an Uber or parking . You can also get Charly Card to save on train fares .

The trains run on time, staff is helpful and organized, and tickets are affordable and easy to obtain.

Conveniently located at the TD Garden and the Commuter Rail with a ton of transfers into the city. The MBTA office is there with time frame guides. There are employees at the entrance of the gates to help you if you need it. The waiting area is fairly big with kiosks for snacks and drinks. Once your train arrives the screen will tell you what track to go on.

Ok I use the commuter rail from the burbs to get into Boston while I'm here for a visit. I've not taken the regular T trains of the orange line and the other lines so I can't say much about that. I purchase my ticket on the train and gotta remember to bring it with you cause you need to scan it when you get out. They have places to wait for your train but I had hoped for someplace to charge up your phone unless you have your own wireless charger. A few Dunkin Donuts around plus some restaurants inside. They do have cashiers so you can buy all your tickets to ride. It's a tidy as it can be as a commuter station it is what it is. The MTA staff is available but they all just seem aggrieved by patrons who don't know the drill either that or they have all just had a day. Not everyone who is using the system from Boston/suburbs. The crew on the commuter trains are great and helpful.

An MBTA station is on the North End. It seems like one of the better ones. Mostly clean and easy to get around unlike many others it seems. Close to a few main attractions. There's also some chances to transfer. It seems like a pretty busy station but it's not hard to get around. It serves the Green and Orange Lines. This is the last chance to make a transfer between these two before they go their separate ways. Amtrak also has a connection. Getting there is kind of confusing because you have to take a few concourses to get there. Also it connects to the T Commuter Rail. This is also confusing getting from here to over there. Basically you can change between systems but you need to know before you go. There's not a lot of clarity on how to get to these other systems. Getting around the actual subway part is okay. The location is cool if you're looking for some fun stuff. Close to many good entertainment. It's near the Garden where the Bruins and the Celtics play. This is also near the pretty cool Lovejoy Wharf.

We had a hart time navigating the purple line late on a Saturday night it was a mess the person on the train wasn't exactly clear.

New to the city and still learning how everything works here. The staff was wonderful in its aid. Don't do like I did and enter the ticket gate before going to the latrine. It's outside the gate. If you do however speak to the agent at the gate. She let me out and back in and took the time to answer my questions. The staff here is what really sold it for the commuter rail.

Large station though not as big as South Station. The do have a bunch of food vendors so that you can get a bite while you wait for your train. There is a decent amount of construction right now. Getting from the Commuter Rail platforms to the Green Line is a bit of a walk, but they do tell you how to get there. Big departures board has all the upcoming trains but they don't announce until only a little bit before departing. Annoying but consistent with other trains.

I've been really surprised by how much the subway does pass frequently which btw is both underground as well as outside on the street. That was prettuy unic to me even if I know we kinda got the same thing in Toronto I'm from Montreal where the subway's only underground. Plus I also been really surprised by the efficacity of their transport system and i didn't felt insecure at all during my ride Good Job Boston you did amazed me with your public services

This is an extremely poorly run and fairly incompetent transportation system. They advertise all summer long to switch from car commute to train/subway/bus in order to allow construction on major tunnels in Boston and avoid traffic and yet have major delays on subway lines causing you to miss trains. I've only been commuting via MBTA for three weeks and have already missed two trains due to two separate subway delays (I got on the subway a good 40 minutes before my train left north station and still missed it) and have also had one train cancelled shortly before boarding and another train delayed shortly before boarding. I would rather rot in traffic than take this commuter service and will not be renewing my monthly pass. I shouldn't have to pay almost 400 a month for a pass to then have to pay for an Uber to get me to north station on time because the subways can't stick to a schedule. As I'm writing this my train is sitting at the station 20 minutes late for departure and we've just been asked to deboard and board on another track. The MBTA oozes incompetence.

If you're traveling inbound, and you need to transfer between the orange and green lines, the only way they could have made it any easier is if they had someone carry you from one train to the other. It's more functional than friendly (not that it's unfriendly), being easy to get around and over to the Amtrak part as well, but not someplace where you have a lot of extra options. That's fine for me, because I'm usually either using this station to get from one point to another, or maybe going to the Garden for something. If I'm looking for food and drink, I'll get that outside, or at my next destination. As others have put it, it's a well organized hub.

My first time at the North Station. Wow. So bad. 1) Bathrooms - dirty, graffiti, doors missing locks and no soap in the dispensers. Some people don't even bother with the sinks & skip washing hands altogether. Welcome to Boston ! 2) Employees at station - not helpful. Asked for directions, map indicted was wrong. Need help? Forget about it. 3) Food options - pizza, ice cream, donuts - unhealthy high sugar & fat - next stop Mass General cardiology department. 4) General "ambience" if you want to call it that, is urban grime meets anxious travelers. Not a lot of people smiling. Most look like they can't wait to get out of there 5) Location - this is the worst part. When you take the Amtrak from New York, they make you transfer to another Amtrak station located in a completely different area. This means you either have to take the subway or a taxi. The subway requires a transfer for the South station but is direct to Back Bay. Basically there are three separate Amtrak stations, different trains connecting them, and staff handing out little to no instructions while laughing as you walk away confused. The entire experience was unpleasant. I had planned to spend a few hours in Boston but thanks to multiple hour delays & no one to remedy the connections, I ended up skipping Boston completely. Not that I care. I love New York & would rather spend my money there anyway.

This travel hub takes me into NH. I prefer South Station because of the food options. There was a McDonald's, but that has closed. This station is a serious commuter hub. There just so happens to be Amtrak trains that go to Maine. They could add more seats to the lobby. It would slow down the people running for trains. It reminds me of Penn Station, at the NJ Transit train area. There's always a mad dash for the train gate. If they had better food options, I'd give it 4 stars. There are a ton of restaurants and bars around but I don't wanna run for a train.

North station really needs to be redesigned. I understand they have space issues being in Boston, but its poorly designed. And not-secure. They need to have more visible security as well. They never have enough transit police around except when there's Celtics or bruins games at the garden. They need regular transit police statined there. The new MBTA commuter fare gates are horrible and hard for people to learn to use and understand. They should make it so you can put money on your charlie card that you use for the subway and be able to use for your ticket and scan it on the fare gates. They are forcing you to get a smart-phone because everything has to be done on the phoen these days. What about older folks who dont want to use a phoen or cant learn tech as easily? What about people who can't afford phones??? They need to make it so you can add money onto your charlie card and use that to pay for the fare, and scan at the fare gates, so you dont have to go onto an app and have it consume time. Also what if your phone dies? They have not thought this through. Rush hour is ridiculous at the station due to the new fare gates. I understand it is to prevent people from skipping paying the fares, but there's got to be better way. The station is too crowded, too small, and it doesnt help they have TD garden right above it. Which jams everything up even more when there's a game. The TD garden needs to develop more entrances rather than have everyone come to one spot up the escalators to check in. Other arenas I've been to such as the AMWAY Center for the orlando magic in Florida have entrances and scanners /security on all four corners of the arena. They need to develop more entry for the garden on all corners of the building. Or maybe have escalators going up to the balcony from the outside where they have a separate entry way for the garden, from the balcony level and a separate entry way escalator for the premium levels. The food court is nice, but way too overpriced, and extremely crowded, especially on game days. The bahtroom you can smell from the outside and is usually not kept too clean. I usually use the bathroom down in star-marke. They have a few good new additions like Guy Fieris restauraunt, star market, and Big Night live a music venue, but overall not much else has changed and its gotten worse. Also they need to figure out a way that non commuters can access the convenience store in the station or Dunkins. Can you please move the fare gates or allow a walkway to the convenience store for non commuters if we want to grab a drink or something??? You cant access the convenience store unless you are a commuter without going through a big hassle to find a T employee to let you in. They need to station security officers from securitas or transit cops there to let people come and go if they want to use the store. Or they need to move the store outside the gates. They should close the Dunkin Donuts in the corner on the right side....and put the convenience store there. They have another dunkins already. Poorly designed , high priced, and overcrowded.

This is a major hub for the north Boston area- with a whole bunch of train lines coming together and connecting on the 1st floor of the TD Garden, so it's a busy place. There's a whole lot going on here- between all the normal commuter stuff happening, to the Bruins and Celtics games- it keeps this place hustling! With the commuter platforms being run by the MBTA, it seems that they could do better of showing route maps, a diagrams of the transit system. A lot of it was left to guessing and online transit apps. The platforms were clean, and there were restrooms available. I was a bit disappointed that my unlimited 7-day pass didn't work on the ride out to Salem on the purple line. I thought that the thing was good for all area transit, but guess not. It cost $15 round trip to Salem. There are plenty of escalators to get you around, and the signs are good- they just need more maps.

I've been to North Station many, many times over the years, both through the commuter rail and the T. It's pretty small and outdated compared to South Station, but it has TD Garden so there's that. Still has pretty decent amenities overall, even though it's not always the cleanest. (I do wish security would do a better job at dealing with panhandlers though...) There are two times you want to avoid being here if possible: rush hour during the work week, and whenever there's a Celtics game. It's pretty quiet if you're there late at night, after 9-10pm. Since North Station is a stop on both the Green and Orange lines, you can get to pretty much anywhere in Boston through this station. You can switch to the Red Line via Park Street (also on both the Green and Orange lines). You can also take an Amtrak ride (about two and a half hours) to Portland, ME via the Downeaster. There's several self-help kiosks available where you can purchase commuter rail tickets. Right before the entrance to the T there's also a bunch of kiosks where you can reload your Charlie Card or purchase tickets for the T. If you want to use a power outlet you'll most likely be sitting on the floor in an awkward place, which I wouldn't recommend for various reasons. Food and drink options include McDonald's, Crazy Dough pizza, Emack & Bolio's, a small bar, a newspaper/snack stand, and, for some reason, two Dunkin' Donuts (it's Boston, that's really the only explanation for this). There's also a CVS right across the street if you need to kill time or pick up something on your way to or from the station. Best advice for North Station and Boston in general is to stay vigilant, move quickly, and know where you're going (or at least back it look like you do).

This is one of the best train stations I have ever used. It's clean, organized, easy to navigate and lots of places to choose from if you need a quick bite to eat.

MBTA North Station is the most station I utilized the most during my stay in Boston, since my hotel is only 2 minute walk from the station. I can get on to the Green/Purple or Orange Line from here so basically it is really accessible from here to other part of Boston. Even with 3 lines, there are enough signage so I don't feel like I am lost or in a maze. I guess I was lucky to have miss game days traffic and excitement... maybe I should be back in town next time to catch a game at TD Garden?

Utilitarian, nothing fancy but with plenty of commercial space for Dunkin and other food shops. Not too easy to get to from the subway because of the construction. You have to go to the street, walk across through this breezeway and then into the doors for the station. At least the restrooms were clean.

busy train station with very very poor air quality imo. the bathrooms are gross too. this station is like the main one in boston so ofc it smells bad and is messy.

First time using the MBTA, and I have to say it was a really good experience. The train from Swampscott to Boston was delayed, but once we got on, they did not charge us which was nice. After that it was a short ride in. Enjoyed the day in Boston, Took the T to the aquarium and had fun. The whole transit system was super easy to navigate and everybody was very helpful. Got back to the north station, and there was a friendly employee answering questions for people. He gave us a schedule, and Showed us an app we could get to be getting our tickets super easy. He was a really nice guy. Wish we would've got his name, but a very nice representative of the MBTA

In all honesty, it's a pretty terrible train station, especially for one that may be making a first impression on someone coming to Boston. The subway portion is fine, nothing really wrong with it, but it also doesn't matter as much, since that's mostly used by locals or people from the suburbs coming in for games or concerts. It serves the Orange and Green Lines, which can get you to most places in Boston. However, the commuter rail/Amtrak terminal is sad. It's the basement of TD Garden, and it really does feel like a basement. The seating is not only inadequate, but also uncomfortable. When you finally do get your hands on a bench, it's a warped wooden one that you'd find in an unkempt park. The food options are 2 Dunkin Donuts 50 feet from each other and the famously over-priced, underly-delicious ice cream shop, Emack & Bolio's. Okay, there are others too (Crispy Dough is actually pretty bomb), but there isn't much to choose from, they close early, and there's no where to eat it. Don't even think about going to the bathroom here, as hardly any of the doors lock and the walls under the hand dryers are covered in mold. This one probably has more to do with the MBTA in general and less with North Station, but it drives me insane that they only announce the track of an outbound train 10 minutes before it leaves, and you can only board on certain cars. I'm comparing this to Chicago's Ogilvie Transportation Center, which is beautiful, has a ton of food, and doesn't include a mad dash to try to get a good seat, so it may be a bit unfair, but I do wish those coming in from out-of-state train rides could get a better first impression of this city.

This place is less horrifying compared to Penn Station. There are usually a few pigeons walking around inside. This is where you take the Amtrak and Commuter rail. There are a few take out places in case you need food for the train ride. You have to walk a tiny bit to get to the T. I do not love hanging out here, but it gets the job done.

DO NOT EVER use the public bathrooms at the North Station MBTA - they are filthy!!! What is more amazing is you can always see one of those yellow buckets outside with mops and one of those cones that remind you the floors are wet which may lead you to think someone is actually cleaning these bathrooms but this could not possibly be the case as they are disgusting. The toilets have not seen a genuine cleaner since 1965 and the walls are grimed and full of graffiti - this restroom is commonly used by hundreds of commuters and its condition is a disgrace - welcome to Boston!!!

It takes you places. It does, for real cause it's a train station. Duh. It has both the green and orange line inside and the out in the Garden first level is the commuter rail. Inside the T stop it's really nice, fairly new and it's like a hub for control for the T cause they have a big window area with lots of screens and equipment. Lots of Charlie machines, I have a monthly link but there's a lot of machines. Game nights or event nights, yaaaa good luck over here hahaa, I mean I'm okay with it it's busy as all hell but it doesn't bother me. What does bother me about it is stupid people complaining about it. You may get shoved, accidentally of course. The layout is pretty good the green line outbound is bottom across from orange inbound and the orange outbound you go upstairs to get back downstairs to the other side and then green in is uptop above green. Confused yet? Very easy once you actually see it. Come stop by NS it's a good stop.

Highly organized. Trains seem to run on time & navigating is pretty straightforward. Lots of dining options while you wait!

One of the cleaner mbta stations and very simple to navigate. Easily accessible and lots of space.

Well the subway or T station is in need of an update. The floors are all cracked and tiles missing. But its well lit and safe. Better than Haymarket station. Then upstairs is the commuter rail station lobby. Its new. They have an elevator or stairs that can get you there. Some food shops are up there. Some homeless people hang out sometimes but its not too bad. The ceil has some funny signs on it and i once saw someone left a grill in the bathroom. You can get your charlie tickets downstairs by the subway trains. Those also have tickets for the commuter rail. Dunkin has free wifi. They got a grumpy old man cop who is here a lot. The train conductors are cool tho.

I like North Station for three reasons: The Downeaster, TD Garden, and the green and orange lines. Tavern in the Square across the street is a good addition to my list of likes. The dislikes? The bathrooms. The smells. No ventilation during the hot summer months. I had a 9am train to Maine on a March morning, and I wanted to use the ladies room. I walked in, and there was feces all over the walls. I thought...oh hell no...and waited till I got on the train to use the bathroom. Much cleaner and better than what I saw in the ladies room at North Station. And that's sad. I mean, South Station had just gotten renovated and their improvements were by far better than North Station. Eeew. Just learned my lesson to not even try anymore. I agree with Robert H, it has been "upgraded" since the dog days of way back when, but not by much it seems.

This is specifically for my experience with the Green Line and Orange Line. My daily commute has me pass through North Station and it gets the job done. I haven't had many issues with the Orange Line here besides traffic delays at further stops, but waiting for the outbound Green Line trains here can be a real pain. It's nice to look at the updated ticker to see which train is coming next, but it's totally unhelpful when the train you do want doesn't show up for up to a half hour. Otherwise, the entire station is pretty clean and very roomy. Just make sure to watch out when criss crossing after a train just releases its passengers. I enjoy the Celtics advertisements as I wait for my train though :)

Great way to get around Boston. Easy to follow the maps and friendly help if you have questions. I'm glad we chose this option rather than driving into the city and fighting for parking.

This place is crazy at 1st to figure out at 1st if you have never used the train system. Overall the people were helpful to us.

Having grown up in Boston, I know North Station is a hub for lots of things. Boston Bruins, Boston Celtics games, MBTA Green/Orange lines, MBTA Commuter Rail, Amtrak. I like the recent updates with different types of food/drink choices. Easy to get around with lots of places to sit and eat any food/drink purchases. Lots of staff around to help too. Why not 5 stars? Lots of construction going on here too, and maybe that's for improvements...but for now, it takes a star away.

three stars for people watching. Oh man you will see some of the funniest things here. I have stories I love to tell for years, that have happened here. yeah it maybe late and overcrowded, but its a complete freak show. Was there tonight, saw a woman con guys out of money by flirting with them for a little bit. Two guys were standing outside rapping (not for the crowd literally just to themselves, it was odd). I never leave with out some story

There was a time in America when train stations were objects of public pride. North Station, Boston, isn't that. The station is almost tacked on to a building owned by TD Garden as an afterthought. It looks like a warehouse, with exposed metal beams, and badly glaring lights, not designed with PEOPLE in mind. To ofset this, great minds decided to give train passengers in-your-face big screen advertisements, uncomfortable seating, bad signage, drunks sleeping on benches, pan handlers asking for money, pigeons flying everywhere INSIDE, and a HORRIBLE sound system full of reverb: "Next train to mmmph wggg mummmpph thrrrsssss now boarding on track mumggggfffff!" Staff seems nice, but try speaking to a security officer if you have to. I was in the station for over an hour the other day, had a problem, and didn't see a single one walking around. They share an office with the Transit Police in a concrete cubicle behind Dunkin'Donuts. (No doubt they have their own door TO Dunkin Donuts.) No public service window though, no intercom, just a door with an alarm and a key pad. I guess of you scream loud enough, someone will hear you. Security at North Station is provided by TD Garden by the way, not Keolis/Amtrack. North Station is all about the Celtics and TD Garden. Heck, TD Garden would push the train station out if it could. Millions spent by the Garden on behalf of sports fans, many of whom get TO the Garden via run down trains and a crappy station. The latest "commuters be damned" incident was, "The TD Garden board of directors has decided to move the Amtrack ticket windows to an almost invisible location, because we want to put more Celtic's crap where it is now." True story. South Station is the complete opposite. Great old architecture, tables and chairs, benches, potted palms, even an occasional string quartet. A real shame that North Station has become such a dump. I go there because I have to when I travel to points north by train. I hate it every time.

Aight so you are in Beantown and want to go see the killer B's or the Celtics. Why I couldn't fathom, unless your team is in town and about to throwdown on either team. Well this is the easiest way to get to this joint. Parking is a nightmare around here but this MBTE Station is underneath the Gawden. Thus it is extremely handy and well located to facilitate a quick trip in to see a game. This location is also a key change point to switch trains between the green and orange lines. The munchkin and I did just that. We came down from the outskirts of town and hopped a train to make it over to the Science Museum. Pro Tip: Do not sit on the floor and be careful since this place is grody. It definitely needs a serious heavy duty POWER WASH sometime. I bet the place would be very attractive aesthetically if only it had a deep cleaning hence a heavy duty power wash or two =) Ohhh make sure that you don't try and take your bike on the train at the wrong time of day. They wont let you on the train and the train will not move until you get off of it if you do put your bike on the train. Heck the conductor may even come down and eject you! The signage is all clearly marked and allows for easy access around the entire system with clearly designated paths to travel to go from one platform to another in order to get to the right place. I like this place other than the cleanliness factor which it clearly has none of. But as a key point to go from A to B on mass transit, this place was very nice, helpful, and added to the ease of my vacay with the munchkin.

Gets me where I need to go. Come here for the commuter rail or subway transfers (green and orange line). There are also fast food choices available. On game nights (Celtics or Bruins), good luck not getting shoved!!

Very helpful employees at the North Station. We wanted to go to Manchester by the Sea and they helped us with the tickets as well as where we wanted to get off. I thought everything at the North Station was clear and the train was comfortable, But on the return trip home, we arrived 25 min early and sat down on the benches carefully watching the display giving us the time and when the train was expected. Imagine our surprise when the train stopped considerably down the track at the entrance to the station and then started up again and PASSED US BY. Apparently you have to wait on a raised platform. We found out that there were signs further down the track but not near the benches at the station nor on the digital display. So another hour plus waiting for the next train and a missed luncheon appointment on our last day here. You cannot expect all the riders to be familiar to go to the far end of the station on a raised platform. PUT IT ON THE DIGITAL DISPLAY. And thank you to the local who clued us in after the train passed us by.

Excellent location, but dingy and gross. Love that I can get from Lowell to the TD or the North End so easily, but otherwise this place is a mess. No cab lane. No direct access to the Green Line without leaving the building. Cold and breezy. Bathrooms are small and dirty.

I really wish North Station was more like South Station. I have lost count of the number of times I have missed my commuter rail train, have a couple of hours to kill, it's raining/snowing outside, and the only eating options are the bar that is only open on gamedays, two Dunkins that close at 9p prompt, a pizza place that flatters to deceive (cheese has never smelt more like feet), an Emack & Bolio's and a Mickey D's. At least the Mickey D's is open till 10, and sometimes 11. Otherwise it's ice cream or a hot chocolate at the E&B. Not counting food, I do like North Station though. It is mostly clean, has functioning bathrooms and water fountains, and huge signboards. Now if only the MBTA could do something about having some more trains out to the boonies where some of us live!

North Station is a really good place to decide whether you want to take the green line or the orange line. Oh the places you can go from North Station. I miss living in a place that has great affordable public transportation. I seriously made it from Ipswich to Logan in about 1.5 hours with luggage and it cost me $8 (actually $11 because I couldn't buy t fare for less than $5 even though I only needed $2, so I gave my leftover voucher to a nice looking man once safely on the blue line at State). Why must you be so cold Boston? Seriously, SoCal only has 1 really great thing, but it's so great that it makes returning to Boston impossible to conceive.

North Station rests on the first floor of Boston's TD Garden - Home of the Bruins and Celtics - and serves as the Hubs primary commuter rail terminal for service north of the city, as well as providing access to the Green and Orange subway lines. Greater Boston's public transit system is one of the most expansive and well maintained in America - no need for a car to get wherever your heart may lead you! In this city, it is much easier to be a pedestrian than a driver - just be sure to bring your GPS since Boston's streets were designed by a 2 year old with a color crayon and it can be easy to get geographically confused. North Station is the gateway between north shore commuters and the great inner city of Boston. The spacious lobby, perpetually bustling with commuters and MBTA staff, offers five restuarants, including a sports bar, MacDonalds, and a Dunkin Donuts. Adjacent to quite a few bars, all of them sure to be packed on game days!

I recently started commuting into Boston again from the north and this part of my commute is the worst. Whoever designed / redesigned this place did not take in to account the daily user. First of all, the garden should have it's own entrance. I hate having to push my way past drunken sports fans while trying to catch my train. Second, the path off the train with 800 or so of my fellow commuters is impeded many times along the way. The doors leading from the train platform to the building are too small causing everyone to bottleneck, then there is a heard of morons standing waiting for their outgoing train. Next you have to go outside, get snowed or rained on for 30 seconds till you can enter the subway station. Why couldn't there be stairs inside the building to the subway platform? So we walk down some wet steps to get to a way-too-narrow sidewalk filled with people smoking and trying to come in the station. Recently they have put up barriers because they don't want people to walk in the drop off zone. Dumb place for this. so OK, we are outside, now there is a steady stream of people coming out of the subway that collides with the mob of commuters going to the subway. I can't tell you how many times I've been intentionally body checked by some self absorbed jack hole who refuses to move. Finally you get tot he turnstiles and half don't work and the other half are smart cards only. I know this will accomplish nothing because the MBTA is so in debt it raised the fares without improving service and they just did a cosmetic re- design of the place, but I had to vent.

I like North Station. For a laundry list of reasons at that. Although in comparison to South Station, this one is an easy 3 stars. The prime reason being - North Station is old and needs a lot of work. Here are some of the pros and cons and some tips for first time visitors: Read the signs for directions: Literally. Depending on which line you are getting off of or which line you would like to get on, one good thing despite the chaos is that there are signs for each of the lines - Green, Orange and Commuter rail. TD Garden: Clearly the biggest advantage about this station is that it brings you straight into the arena. Whether for a concert or for catching the Bruins or the Celtics. Waiting area for Commuter Rail: Too small for the volume of people who traverse through it. Where nothing as compared to the crowd you come across in NYC, still during rush hours, this area is packed. Eating options: Yes, there is definitely a Dunkin Donuts bang in the middle of the waiting area - 2 actually within few steps from each other. There are plenty of options to choose from at the very expensive TD Garden food stands or if you plan on taking a short walk out of the building. But at the main station itself, the choices are limited. There is a bar near track one. Also, a news stand for your reading and munching needs. For daily commuters, this is an absolute blessing because driving in and out of the city during rush hours is a nightmare to say the least. Hope in time, the MBTA makes it more user friendly and cleaner like some of the other stations.

Nice station they have gotten a lot more food vendors here in the past few years. One perk if you are taking the Downeaster Amtrak train to Maine you know exactly which track it's on because you can see all the trains. You can even wander out onto the platform and wait outside to beat the crowds. The crowd who commutes north of Boston are also friendly.

Better than the old North Station- that's for sure (memories from childhood...). All I can say is that it's the T; so don't expect glitz and glamor. The station itself is ok, looking more run down now that it did prior, as a reviewer here said it needs a few solid power washes - I agree. You've got a McDonald's, Two Dunkin Donuts shops, a newsstand, pizza place, Emack and Bolio's and the wonderful, yet random branded bar by track one. The bar comes in handy if you're A) really early for your train, B) The train outbound is delayed, which is common or C) you really don't feel like dealing with the crowds for rush hour trains. Speaking of crowds, this place is a nightmare at around 4:00PM on weekdays and gets worse until the evening rush is over. There's not enough room for us regular commuters to wait without getting trampled when your train is called. The doors to the tracks are too narrow, causing gigantic bottlenecks, which are no fun. There is part of that commuter crowd that follows the conductor en-mass to the train prior to boarding call or, my personal favorite, lurks around waiting for an engineer (driver of the train for those unfamiliar) they recognize then line up outside the train doors on the platform prior to boarding...hence my prior point with the bar...it's fun to watch the mania unfold while you're drinking a beer. Win. When it comes to boarding calls- they're either right on point, calling boarding ten minutes prior to departure, or more commonly after about 4:30PM M-F, calling your train 5 minutes or less before departure. It is as if they have no idea what track the certain departing line is going to. It can be messy for sure. Other than that, it's a train station with close access to the Orange and Green line, a short walk to the Charlestown Navy Yard, and MGH. It's my daily ride in and out of Boston, and it's a heck of a lot better than sitting in Northbound traffic on 95/93 every night like I was doing.