MBTA Framingham/Worcester Line: Full Ride on Train

Of the commuter-rail lines that the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) operates, the Framingham/Worcester line is currently the second busiest line by daily ridership. The line runs from South Station in Boston, Massachusetts to Union Station in Worcester, Massachusetts, the largest and second largest cities in the New England region respectively. The total line-length is exactly 44.3 miles (71.3 km).

The line operates all seven days of the week, with most trains running the full-route between South Station and Union Station, with a few weekday-only trains terminating at Framingham station. The entire line is owned by the MBTA, but is also shared with CSX freight-trains and Amtrak's daily "Lake Shore Limited" Boston to Chicago overnight train. The maximum speed for trains operating along the line is 79 MPH, however the average speed is a lot lower.

In this video we're on-board Framingham/Worcester Line train #518, the weekday off-peak inbound train to Boston South Station, making most stops along the way. Our train consists of several Hyundai-Rotem BTC-4D bi-level coaches with BTC-4D cabcar #1818 leading the train. Shoving on the rear of the train is EMD GP40MC Locomotive #1122. Since we're an inbound train we are operating in "push-mode" where the locomotive is on the rear of the train and a cab car is leading at the front end.

Our station stops along the way are Grafton, Westborough, Southborough, Ashland, Framingham, West Natick, Natick Center, Wellesley Square, Wellesley Hills, Wellesley Farms, Boston Landing, Yawkey, Back Bay, and South Station. Departure time from Worcester is 1:55 PM and arrival time into Boston South Station is 3:22 PM.

Video recorded on Tuesday, October 9, 2018 with an Apple iPhone 6S. Rendered and edited using Sony Vegas Pro 15.

Video Timetable Index:
0:00 - Departing from Worcester Union Station
4:10 - Passing Amtrak Lake Shore Limited Train #449
12:35 - Paramenter Lane Grade Crossing
14:00 - Grafton Station
18:10 - Westborough Station
22:55 - CSX Southborough Yard
26:30 - Southborough Station
30:15 - Ashland Station
32:07 - Cherry Street Grade Crossing
32:20 - Main Street (Ashland) Grade Crossing
35:45 - CSX Framingham Yard
39:00 - Framingham Station
40:30 - Concord Street Grade Crossing
42:15 - Waverly Street Grade Crossing
43:44 - West Natick Station
47:50 - Natick Center Station
50:10 - Passing an outbound Framingham/Worcester train.
52:05 - Wellesley Square Station
54:50 - Wellesley Hills Station
56:53 - Wellesley Farms Station
1:06:40 - Boston Landing Station
1:08:15 - Former CSX Beacon Park Yard that closed in 2013
1:11:50 - Yawkey Station
1:13:42 - Back Bay Station
1:17:20 - Slowly crawling into South Station