Morning rush
12 min 682 trips · 90% on paceOBSERVED MBTA TRAVEL TIME · 30 SERVICE DAYS
Sullivan SquaretoBack Bay
Orange Line
A direct train took 12 minutes on a typical trip. On a slower-than-usual trip, allow up to 15 minutes.
Typical12 min50th percentile
Slower trip15 min90th percentile
Scheduled12 minmedian timetable
On pace88%within 2 min of schedule
THE SHORT ANSWER
How long does Sullivan Square to Back Bay take?
Based on 3,387 direct trips between 2026-08-17 and 2026-09-15, the median observed ride was 12 minutes. That was within 0.5 minutes of the published schedule.
Nine out of ten measured trips finished within approximately 15 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
12 min 608 trips · 88% on paceEvening rush
12 min 696 trips · 85% on paceOff-peak
12 min 1,401 trips · 89% 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 Sullivan Square