Morning rush
17 min 602 trips · 94% on paceOBSERVED MBTA TRAVEL TIME · 30 SERVICE DAYS
Downtown CrossingtoAshmont
Red Line
A direct train took 17 minutes on a typical trip. On a slower-than-usual trip, allow up to 20 minutes.
Typical17 min50th percentile
Slower trip20 min90th percentile
Scheduled18 minmedian timetable
On pace88%within 2 min of schedule
THE SHORT ANSWER
How long does Downtown Crossing to Ashmont take?
Based on 3,128 direct trips between 2026-08-17 and 2026-09-15, the median observed ride was 17 minutes. That was within 1 minutes of the published schedule.
Nine out of ten measured trips finished within approximately 20 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
Morning rush produced the fastest typical result in this window; Midday was slowest. Differences can change as the rolling dataset updates.
Midday
17 min 855 trips · 84% on paceEvening rush
17 min 692 trips · 91% on paceOff-peak
17 min 979 trips · 87% 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 Downtown Crossing