Boston South Station Bus Terminal Opens 16 New Docks Following Five-Year Project

A new wing of Boston's South Station bus terminal has opened after five years of planning and construction. It has added 16 bus docks, bringing the total to 42.

The terminal is an Amtrak and MBTA rail terminal with connections to subway lines and a bike-share program, promoting seamless multimodal transfers.

According to a Smart Cities Dive report, FlixBus and Greyhound gained three additional docks, bringing their combined total to 10 across the two brands, while Our Bus plans curbside operations to serve up to 10 bus lines.

According to Joseph Schwieterman, director of the Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development at DePaul University, intercity bus travel remains strong. It served approximately 50 million riders in 2023, with a projected 4% increase in 2025 along the Boston–New York corridor, which is served by multiple carriers.

From July through September, the terminal averaged approximately 5,500 daily departures per month, with monthly traveler counts ranging from roughly 279,000 to 331,000. January and February are typically slower, noted Mark Richardson, general manager of the bus terminal for Avison Young, the MBTA's property manager.

According to Smart Cities Dive, more passenger amenities are coming to the South Station bus terminal in the year ahead. That includes three retail spaces, with additional food and beverage options anticipated beyond McDonald's and McCafé in the terminal's atrium.

Additionally, rail access will improve once stairs, escalators, and elevators connecting directly from the train station are completed, reducing the walking distance for passengers.

Richardson said that growth in nearby districts, such as the Financial, Seaport, and Waterfront, is expected to draw more customers to the expanded terminal, benefiting bus carriers and supporting the terminal's increased gate capacity.

According to Smart Cities Dive, the South Station expansion was financed in part by air rights over South Station, which were sold in 2019 for a mixed-use development. This development includes a 51-story tower, new train platforms, a larger outdoor concourse, and the expansion of the bus terminal.