MA: Amtrak's Lakeshore Limited now sell tickets between Boston, Worcester

Worcester commuters to Boston now have another option to travel by train, other than the MBTA railway.

The MBTA working group of the city announced on Monday that it has successfully pleaded for Amtrak to sell tickets between the two cities of Lakeshore Limited. Lakeshore Limited is a train between Chicago and Boston with stops in other cities, including New York and Albany, New York, according to Amtrak.

Previously, passengers in Boston or Worcester could buy a ticket for a trip to Chicago and back. The commuters have not been able to buy a ticket from Worcester to Boston or Boston to Worcester at Amtrak service so far. Tickets can now be purchased on the Amtrak website.

“It made sense,” said Mayor Worcester, Joseph Petty, about the commuters took Amtrak between the two cities.

Lakeshore Limited leaves Boston’s South Station Station for seven days a week at 12:50 pm and arrives at the Worcester’s Union Station at 14:00, according to Amtrak.com. The train makes two stops before reaching the destination: one at Framingham and one at the Back Bay station.

The return trip from Union Station to South Station leaves at 19:32 seven days a week and reaches 20:32, according to Amtrak. Like the Boston-to-Worcester trip, the train stops at Back Bay and Framingham.

The minimum ticket price for a trip between the two cities varies from 27 to $ 42, according to the site. All trains stop at the South Station in Boston.

Compared to the MBTA railway, Amtrak service is faster, travel between Boston and Worcester on the shuttle rail that lasts more than an hour and 10 minutes. There are also only two stops on the Lakeshore limited route. Meanwhile, a MBTA railway railway can have up to 18 stops on the Framingham/ Worcester line.

However, the MBTA shuttle railway has several trains running throughout the day, compared to the Lakeshore limited train traveling from Worcester to Boston and back. Tickets on the railway shuttle are also cheaper, with a ticket that costs $ 12.25 between both cities, according to the MBTA site.

In a press release, the manager of Worcester, Eric D. Batista, applauded the working group for his activity in support of ticket sales.

“This is a significant step forward for Worcester’s transport options and congratulate the working group for his victory and for the continuous support of a robust train network,” Batista said. “Worcester’s transport options must keep up with our growing population, and improvements like them are essential for residents who are looking for accessible, sustainable and trustworthy in both the city and outside the city.”

The MBTA working group is a team of 10 people collaborating with MBTA officials to improve the railway service in Worcester.

Petty and Batista are two of the 10 members of the group.

The group also supported an express full -time service from Worcester to Boston on the Framingham/Worcester MBTA railway line. Currently, MBTA offers a Worcester to Boston Express, stopping at Framingham, Lansdowne and Back Bay. There is no express service after -to -work at Boston to Worcester, according to the MTBA program.

Despite the new train travel between the two cities, Petty told Masslive that the working group still advocates for returning Express, as well as to improve the city’s relationship with MBTA.

“It’s one of our priorities,” Petty said.