Party 2007: Projected Transit CostsThe MBTA now uses a universal Charlie Ticket or Charlie Card for payment of all fares. The Charlie Card is for discounted fares on a monthly basis. The Charlie Ticket is a stored-value instrument not unlike New York's Metrocard. You must load the card with the desired value, and then the cost of each trip is deducted upon entry into the system.
| Entry into system | Adult cost * |
|---|---|
| South Station (Red) | $2.00 |
| Boston College (Green) | $2.00 |
| Lechmere (Green) | $2.00 |
Since individual rail tickets are not available over the internet or by advance purchase, you will have to bring some money with you, and take care of the ticket purchases upon arrival in Boston. This can best be accomplished at the AMTRAK ticket windows in South, North, or Back Bay Stations. There are now also ticket machines in the stations so you can do your complicated, huge purchases without raising eyebrows.
Your "shopping list" will be all or some of the following, depending on how long you plan to partipate with the group. When you purchase your tickets, you can request them by zone. For example, somebody participating in the entire fest, paying one adult fare would ask for six Zone 8, two Zone 6, two Zone 4, and two Interzone 4 tickets (for travel between Zones 5 and 8). If you are staying in hotels that are along commuter rail lines, don't forget to include the appropriate tickets for those trips as well.
Below are the commuter rail fares, based on the current itinerary:
| Train # | Trip | Zone | Adult fare |
|---|---|---|---|
| 909 | South Station to Stoughton | 1A-4 | $5.75 |
| 910 | Stoughton to Back Bay Station | 4-1A | $5.75 |
| 805 | Back Bay Station to Providence | 1A-8 | $7.75 |
| 818 | Providence to South Station | 8-1A | $7.75 |
| 017 | South Station to Middleborough/Lakeville | 1A-8 | $7.75 |
| 020 | Middleborough/Lakeville to South Station | 8-1A | $7.75 |
| 1071 | South Station to Greenbush | 1A-6 | $6.75 |
| 1072 | Greenbush to JFK/U-Mass | 6-1A | $6.75 |
| 1033 | JFK/U-Mass to Kingston/Route 3 | 1A-8 | $7.75 |
| 1036 | Kingston/Route 3 to Whitman | 8-5 | $2.75 |
| 1053 | Whitman to Cordage/Plymouth | 5-8 | $2.75 |
| 1056 | Cordage/Plymouth to South Station | 8-1A | $7.75 |
| TOTAL | $77.00 | ||
For those who don't have tickets, you can also pay on the train. However, you will be surcharged $1 if a ticket office is open at the time of departure. Surcharge is $2 during peak hours.