Morning rush
19 min 1,343 trips · 90% on paceOBSERVED MBTA TRAVEL TIME · 30 SERVICE DAYS
AlewifetoDowntown Crossing
Red Line
A direct MBTA train from Alewife to Downtown Crossing took a median 19 minutes across 6,237 observed trips; 90% of measured rides finished within approximately 21 minutes.
Source: MBTA Performance Data · 2026-08-20 to 2026-09-18 · Completed direct trips only
Typical19 min50th percentile
Slower trip21 min90th percentile
Scheduled19 minmedian timetable
On pace86%within 2 min of schedule
THE SHORT ANSWER
How long does Alewife to Downtown Crossing take?
The median completed ride from Alewife to Downtown Crossing was 19 minutes; the published schedule’s median was 19 minutes.
Based on 6,237 direct trips between 2026-08-20 and 2026-09-18, the median observed ride was 19 minutes. That was within 0.5 minutes of the published schedule.
Nine out of ten measured trips finished within approximately 21 minutes. These figures describe completed direct trips; they do not include the time spent waiting for the train.
WHEN YOU TRAVEL
Alewife to Downtown Crossing times by daypart
Off-peak produced the fastest median for Alewife to Downtown Crossing; Evening rush produced the slowest.
Differences can change as the rolling dataset updates.
Midday
19 min 1,620 trips · 88% on paceEvening rush
19 min 1,355 trips · 78% on paceOff-peak
18 min 1,919 trips · 87% on paceMEASUREMENT SAMPLE
How Alewife to Downtown Crossing was measured
The Alewife to Downtown Crossing estimate uses 6,237 completed direct-trip stop-timestamp pairs matched to the schedule active for each observed train.
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
Trips related to Alewife to Downtown Crossing
The Alewife to Downtown Crossing record is accompanied by 6 other measured direct rides beginning at Alewife, each with a published median duration.