video: T.F. Green to Boston: New Train vs. Car
Wednesday, December 08, 2010
Two commuters, one commute to Boston. GoLocalProv put the new commuter rail service from T.F. Green Airport to the test, sending one reporter by train, and another by car. Who got there first? How much did it cost?
We embarked from a shopping plaza on Division Road in East Greenwich at approximately 7 a.m. yesterday morning. Even though our driver hit 20-plus minutes of stop-and-go traffic on Interstate 93 and had his car stall out on the exit ramp—he still beat the train by nearly 10 minutes, arriving outside South Station in Boston at 8:49 a.m. The train did not arrive until 8:57 a.m., which was six minutes behind schedule.
A bit of bad news for Rhode Island commuters of all stripes: whether by train or automobile, it is unlikely that either one of us would have been on time for an office in Boston that opens at 9 in the morning, even though we both had left two hours beforehand.GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST
While the train may not beat the car in speed, it more than makes up for that in other ways.
For one thing, it is likely cheaper than driving. The cost of parking at T.F. Green airport, plus a one-way ticket on the MBTA came out to about $15, while we estimated the combined cost of gas and parking in Boston for the equivalent amount of time would have been about $4 more.
Beyond the numbers, the train was the clear winner of the day in other less tangible, but perhaps more important ways. Our train-bound reporter had access to wireless Internet, the time to read a book or newspaper, and didn’t have to deal with the hand-wringing anxiety of traffic jams. He arrived in Boston ready and rested for work. Our driver, on the other hand, was exhausted and stressed—hardly a good way to begin the work day.
Editor's Note
We have been asked how the cost of gas was calculated. This was based solely on the cost of the gas needed to make the trip. At the current IRS reimbursement rate of .50 cents per mile, the total cost of making the trip by car - including wear and tear - would have been much higher - $34.4. Our reporters did not keep their cars parked at the airport and Boston all day, but those costs would have been as follows: parking all day at the Interlink West Garage is a flat $6.75. At the Prudential Center garage it's $35 for 2 to 10 hours. The bottom line: taking the train appears to be noticeably cheaper than driving.
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