Morning rush
11 min 1,411 trips · 96% on paceOBSERVED MBTA TRAVEL TIME · 30 SERVICE DAYS
Downtown CrossingtoHarvard
Red Line
A direct train took 11 minutes on a typical trip. On a slower-than-usual trip, allow up to 13 minutes.
Typical11 min50th percentile
Slower trip13 min90th percentile
Scheduled12 minmedian timetable
On pace96%within 2 min of schedule
THE SHORT ANSWER
How long does Downtown Crossing to Harvard take?
Based on 6,226 direct trips between 2026-08-17 and 2026-09-15, the median observed ride was 11 minutes. That was within 1.5 minutes of the published schedule.
Nine out of ten measured trips finished within approximately 13 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
Off-peak produced the fastest typical result in this window; Morning rush was slowest. Differences can change as the rolling dataset updates.
Midday
11 min 1,318 trips · 96% on paceEvening rush
11 min 1,345 trips · 95% on paceOff-peak
10 min 2,152 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 Downtown Crossing