Morning rush
20 min 1,414 trips · 81% on paceOBSERVED MBTA TRAVEL TIME · 30 SERVICE DAYS
Downtown CrossingtoAlewife
Red Line
A direct MBTA train from Downtown Crossing to Alewife took a median 20 minutes across 6,218 observed trips; 90% of measured rides finished within approximately 24 minutes.
Source: MBTA Performance Data · 2026-08-20 to 2026-09-18 · Completed direct trips only
Typical20 min50th percentile
Slower trip24 min90th percentile
Scheduled20 minmedian timetable
On pace80%within 2 min of schedule
THE SHORT ANSWER
How long does Downtown Crossing to Alewife take?
The median completed ride from Downtown Crossing to Alewife was 20 minutes; the published schedule’s median was 20 minutes.
Based on 6,218 direct trips between 2026-08-20 and 2026-09-18, the median observed ride was 20 minutes. That was within 0 minutes of the published schedule.
Nine out of ten measured trips finished within approximately 24 minutes. These figures describe completed direct trips; they do not include the time spent waiting for the train.
WHEN YOU TRAVEL
Downtown Crossing to Alewife times by daypart
Off-peak produced the fastest median for Downtown Crossing to Alewife; Evening rush produced the slowest.
Differences can change as the rolling dataset updates.
Midday
20 min 1,290 trips · 81% on paceEvening rush
21 min 1,373 trips · 77% on paceOff-peak
20 min 2,141 trips · 81% on paceMEASUREMENT SAMPLE
How Downtown Crossing to Alewife was measured
The Downtown Crossing to Alewife estimate uses 6,218 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 Downtown Crossing
Trips related to Downtown Crossing to Alewife
The Downtown Crossing to Alewife record is accompanied by 6 other measured direct rides beginning at Downtown Crossing, each with a published median duration.