MBTA Will Run Special ‘Rails and Trails’ Excursion Train to Newburyport On Nov. 7
The MBTA will bring back its special “Fall Ride” excursion train on Saturday, Nov. 7th with a Boston-to-Newburyport express train and guided bike tours of the region’s trail network.
Tickets will go on sale today at 11 a.m. on the mTicket app. The T urges riders to buy tickets early, as last year’s fall excursion train to Concord sold out quickly.
Every $20 ticket serves as a weekend pass to the commuter rail system, and also reserves a spot on the special round-trip train from North Station to Newburyport.
The excursion train will include special amenities, including a bike car that will accommodate up to 75 bikes, and a cafe car stocked with beverages from North Shore breweries and a fall-themed menu of snacks and souvenir t-shirts. The T will also have free activity bags for kids.
The outbound train will leave North Station at 11 a.m. and arrive in Newburyport at noon. The return trip will depart at 4 p.m. and arrive back in Boston at 5.
Upon the train’s arrival in Newburyport, MassDOT bicycle and pedestrian coordinator Pete Sutton and his colleagues will offer a guided tour of the Coastal Trails Coalition’s growing network of off-street paths that connect Newburyport, Amesbury, and Salisbury.
Two tour options will be available:
- A 16-mile bike tour that will head north through Salisbury on the Marsh Trail to the New Hampshire border, then loop back to Newburyport via the Ghost Trail and the Garrison Trail over the Merrimack River;
- A shorter 4.5-mile, kid-friendly bike loop around Newburyport on the Clipper City Rail Trail and Newburyport Harborwalk.
A very limited number of bicycles may also be available for rent from Newburyport’s Port Bikeshare.
Passengers without bikes can also hike the Clipper City Rail Trail from the Newburyport MBTA station to downtown Newburyport, a flat, one-mile walk (20-25 minutes).
MeVa’s Route 19 and Route 20 also run hourly between the commuter rail station and downtown Newburyport.
Find more details about the excursion train on the MBTA website.
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