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Logan Express

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Logan Express
A Logan Express bus at Terminal E in 2024
ParentMassport
Founded1986
HeadquartersBoston
LocaleGreater Boston, Massachusetts
Service typeAirport shuttle
Routes5
DestinationsLogan International Airport
Stations4 suburban terminals
2 urban stops
Annual ridership2.5 million passengers (2024)[1]
Fuel typeDiesel, compressed natural gas
OperatorMultiple private operators
Websitehttps://www.massport.com/logan-airport/getting-to-logan/logan-express

The Logan Express (LEX) is an airport bus shuttle network which operates between Boston's Logan International Airport and Massachusetts suburbs. The service, which is funded by Massport, consists of four routes serving suburban park-and-ride terminals in Braintree, Danvers, Framingham, and Woburn, plus an urban route serving the Boston neighborhood of Back Bay. The service began in 1986 with a route from Quincy Adams station, which later became the Braintree route, and was expanded over the following decades.

Routes

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The Logan Express system has five routes: four suburban routes plus a route to the Back Bay section of Boston. Each route stops at all terminals. The routes vary in operating hours; most operate from the early morning to late evening with half-hour headways, except for the Danvers route which has hourly headways.[2] Logan Express fares are priced below market rate to encourage use of the service rather than on-airport parking.[3] As of 2025, the suburban services are $9 one-way, while the Back Bay route is $3 to Logan and free to Back Bay.[2] The suburban routes use motorcoach-style buses with striping colored by route, while the Back Bay route uses Massport-owned transit buses.

Route Terminal(s) Operator Color
Back Bay Hynes Convention Center, Back Bay station Academy Bus Orange
Braintree Lot near Braintree Split Paul Revere Bus Blue
Danvers Liberty Tree Mall McGinn Bus Company Purple
Framingham Natick Mall (temporary) Fox Bus Lines Red
Woburn Anderson Regional Transportation Center Paul Revere Bus Green

History

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From November 17 to 23, 1985, the MBTA ran free service from Quincy Adams station and Riverside station to the airport.[4] Full-time service on the Quincy Adams route (with a fare required) began on September 29, 1986.[5] In 1990, the terminal was moved from Quincy Adams to a parking lot in Braintree near the South Shore Plaza and the Braintree Split.[6][7] The Braintree route was the second-most-used Logan Express route by 2019, with 580,000 annual riders.[8]

A route from Shopper's World in Framingham, operated by Peter Pan Bus Lines, began on November 16, 1986. The initial terminal in the mall's parking lot had limited parking spots and a ten-year lease. In 1990, Massport proposed to move the terminal to a former Trailways bus station off Speen Road in Natick to the east.[9] In 1994, with demolition and replacement of the mall about to begin, Massport proposed a site off Route 30 at Burr Street.[10] Objections from the city, which planned to develop the site as a park, led Massport to consider other locations.[11][12] The terminal temporarily moved to the south side of the mall on October 1, 1994, due to construction.[13] On July 1, 1995, it moved again to a different site on Burr Street.[14] That became the permanent site; a terminal building opened in February 1997.[15]

A route from Mishawum station in Woburn was added on November 16, 1992.[16] An expanded parking lot and terminal building were added in 1993.[17] Originally operated by Peter Pan, the route was taken over by Paul Revere Transportation in November 1995.[6] The Woburn terminal was moved to the new Anderson Regional Transportation Center on April 8, 2001.[18]

A route from Peabody was added on September 7, 2001. It was slow to gain ridership due to the post-September 11 drop in air travel and frequency was halfed on November 3, 2001.[19][20] The terminal moved from the Northshore Mall in Peabody to the Liberty Tree Mall in Danvers on August 6, 2024.[21]

By 2001, the 350-space lot at Framingham was insufficient; Massport leased additional overflow parking spots in nearby commercial lots to meet demand. In early 2001, Massport received approval to build a four-level, 1,081-space parking garage, but it was not built after the September 11 attacks.[22][23] The plans were revived in the early 2010s as ridership increased.[23] Service temporarily moved to a lot on the Mathworks campus in Natick on June 23, 2014, to allow construction.[24][25] The garage opened on April 16, 2015.[26]

The Framingham route was the most-used Logan Express route by 2019, with 740,000 annual riders.[8] Service temporarily moved to the Natick Mall on January 6, 2025, for construction of three additional floors in the garage. The expanded garage is expected to be completed in late 2025. It will allow frequency to be increased to every 20 minutes.[27]

By 2019, Massport planned to add a route to North Station and an additional suburban route.[28][29][8]

References

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  1. ^ "Boston Logan Breaks Passenger Record, Celebrates Year Full of Growth" (Press release). Massachusetts Port Authority. December 18, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Logan Express". Massachusetts Port Authority. Retrieved January 27, 2025.
  3. ^ Addante, Evelyn; Ricard, Diane. "Implementation of Passenger and Employee Trip-Reduction Strategies at Boston Logan International Airport" (PDF). Transportation Research Circular Number 445: Airports of Tomorrow (PDF). Transportation Research Board. pp. 88–93. ISSN 0097-8515.
  4. ^ Massport (November 17, 1985). "This week, to park at Logan you'll need to be driving one of these [advertisement]". The Boston Globe. p. 94 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Transportation alternatives to Logan are catching on". The Daily Item. October 18, 986. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ a b Belcher, Jonathan. "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). Boston Street Railway Association.
  7. ^ Rosenberg, Ronald (July 9, 1990). "And now, training for concert-goers". The Boston Globe. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ a b c "Massport Unveils Overall Transportation Strategy to Reduce Congestion and Double Logan Express Ridership". Massachusetts Port Authority. Archived from the original on October 9, 2019. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
  9. ^ Zuckoff, Michael (March 11, 1990). "Logan Express move worries officials". The Boston Globe. pp. West 1, West 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Moroney, Tom (August 21, 1994). "Dispute over new site snarls Logan Express". The Boston Globe. p. West 1, West 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Anand, Geeta (October 9, 1994). "Massport widens search for new Logan Shuttle site". The Boston Globe. p. West 5 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Anand, Geeta (October 23, 1994). "Massport revises bid for Logan Shuttle site". The Boston Globe. p. West 5 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Massport (October 2, 1994). "We don't want you to get lost on your way to the airport [advertisement]". The Boston Globe. p. West 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ Massport (June 25, 1995). "We're moving. (Something people who drive themselves to the airport rarely say.) [advertisement]". The Boston Globe. p. West 12 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ Pfeiffer, Sacha (February 16, 1997). "Around the Towns". The Boston Globe. p. West 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Express bus to Logan starts tomorrow". The Boston Globe. November 15, 1992. p. NorthWest 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ Bushnell, Davis (February 28, 1993). "Express bus a 'best-kept secret'". Boston Globe. p. 72 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "Woburn Logan Express Service Moves To New Anderson Regional Transportation Center" (Press release). Massachusetts Port Authority. April 3, 2001. Archived from the original on March 23, 2017.
  19. ^ Palmer, Thomas C. Jr. (September 2, 2001). "Aquarium T to open on schedule". The Boston Globe. p. B2 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ McCabe, Kathy (October 28, 2001). "Ripples spread wide from attack". The Boston Globe. p. North Weekly 1, 7 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ "Massport Plans Upgrades for Two Logan Express Locations" (Press release). Massachusetts Port Authority. July 24, 2024.
  22. ^ Kooker, Naomi R. (March 15, 2001). "For park-and-fly crowd, a promise". The Boston Globe. pp. W1, W5 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ a b Fay, Spofford & Thorndike, LLC (January 2014). Environmental Notification Form: Logan Express Parking Garage: Framingham, Massachusetts (PDF). Massachusetts Port Authority. p. 3.
  24. ^ "Logan Express Framingham Service Advisory". Massachusetts Port Authority. June 23, 2014. Archived from the original on June 25, 2014.
  25. ^ "Temporary Relocation of Logan Express to Natick". Town of Natick Newsletter. Town of Natick, Massachusetts. Summer 2014. p. 2.
  26. ^ "Logan Express Framingham Service Advisory". Massachusetts Port Authority. April 2015. Archived from the original on April 16, 2015.
  27. ^ "Massport Begins Upgrades to Framingham Logan Express Location" (Press release). Massachusetts Port Authority. December 9, 2024.
  28. ^ Acitelli, Tom (July 31, 2019). "Logan Express bus ridership from Back Bay doubles due to fare drops, incentives". Curbed Boston. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
  29. ^ Vaughn, Alyssa (July 31, 2019). "Massport Has Some Big Plans for Improving Traffic at Logan". Boston. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
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