Morning rush
10 min 1,340 trips · 98% on paceOBSERVED MBTA TRAVEL TIME · 30 SERVICE DAYS
AlewifetoCentral
Red Line
A direct train took 10 minutes on a typical trip. On a slower-than-usual trip, allow up to 12 minutes.
Typical10 min50th percentile
Slower trip12 min90th percentile
Scheduled11 minmedian timetable
On pace96%within 2 min of schedule
THE SHORT ANSWER
How long does Alewife to Central take?
Based on 6,264 direct trips between 2026-08-17 and 2026-09-15, the median observed ride was 10 minutes. That was within 1 minutes of the published schedule.
Nine out of ten measured trips finished within approximately 12 minutes. These figures describe completed direct trips; they do not include the time spent waiting for the train.
WHEN YOU TRAVEL
Time-of-day breakdown
Evening rush produced the fastest typical result in this window; Off-peak was slowest. Differences can change as the rolling dataset updates.
Midday
10 min 1,629 trips · 98% on paceEvening rush
10 min 1,383 trips · 95% on paceOff-peak
10 min 1,912 trips · 95% on paceHOW TO READ THIS
Measured, not promised.
TransitMeter pairs vehicle stop timestamps with the schedule active for each trip. We publish the median because one dramatic delay should not define an everyday journey, and the 90th percentile because riders still need to understand the bad end of normal.
We do not infer why a trip ran slowly. Construction, incidents, crowding and weather require separate evidence.
Read the complete method →MORE FROM Alewife