If you want rail access to downtown and a harborfront address, the Blue Line is the line to study. It is the simplest map in the MBTA system: one route, no branches, 12 stations. It starts at Bowdoin on the edge of Beacon Hill, runs under downtown and Boston Harbor to East Boston, follows the shore through Orient Heights and into Revere, and ends at Wonderland, a short walk from Revere Beach.
The station list below comes from the MBTA’s route data, checked October 8, 2026. For trip times, use the MBTA’s Blue Line schedule and trip planner; we don’t quote travel times here.
- Bowdoin
- Government Center
- State
- Aquarium
- Maverick
- Airport
- Wood Island
- Orient Heights
- Suffolk Downs
- Beachmont
- Revere Beach
- Wonderland
The four downtown stations
| Station | Connections | Nearby area guides |
|---|---|---|
| Bowdoin | None (Red Line at Charles/MGH is a walk away) | Beacon Hill, West End |
| Government Center | Green Line | Downtown, North End |
| State | Orange Line | Downtown |
| Aquarium | None | North End, waterfront |
Bowdoin is the western end of the line, on Cambridge Street between Beacon Hill and the West End. Beacon Hill’s housing is Federal and Greek Revival brick rowhouses, many divided into condos. The West End is mostly mid-century high-rise condos and apartments plus newer towers near North Station.
Aquarium sits at the harbor end of State Street, the closest Blue Line stop to the North End’s four- and five-story brick buildings and the wharf conversions along the waterfront. Downtown housing near Government Center and State is high-rise condo towers and condos in converted commercial buildings.
Under the harbor to East Boston
After Aquarium, trains cross under the harbor to five East Boston stations: Maverick, Airport, Wood Island, Orient Heights and Suffolk Downs. This is the part of the line where most residential buyers end up looking, because it is the stretch with the most homes within walking distance of a station.
- Maverick is the first stop after the tunnel, in Maverick Square. Streets around it are filled with late 1800s and early 1900s wood triple-deckers and two-families, many now condos. The Victorian rowhouses and mansard-roofed homes of Eagle Hill are north of here, and newer mid-rise buildings line the waterfront toward Jeffries Point and Lewis Mall.
- Airport connects to Logan shuttle buses and to the Silver Line SL3, which runs through Chelsea (Eastern Avenue, Box District, Bellingham Square and Chelsea stations) and on toward South Station. That makes Chelsea’s triple-deckers, rowhouses and loft conversions a Blue Line option by transfer, even though no Blue Line train goes there.
- Wood Island is the next stop out, between Airport and Orient Heights.
- Orient Heights is the hilltop section near the Winthrop line, with more single-family and two-family houses than the blocks near Maverick, and Constitution Beach close by.
- Suffolk Downs sits next to the former racetrack, which is being redeveloped as a large mixed-use district straddling the Revere line.
Revere: Beachmont, Revere Beach and Wonderland
The last three stations are in Revere, a separate city from Boston with its own tax rate, schools and permit offices.
Beachmont is on a hill above the water, with older single-families and multi-families. Revere Beach and Wonderland sit along Revere Beach, which opened in 1896 as the first public beach in the United States. High-rise and mid-rise condo and apartment buildings face the sand on Revere Beach Boulevard and Ocean Avenue. Inland, West Revere and the streets around Revere Center have many two-families, triple-deckers, capes and Colonials, which are generally reached from these stations by bus or car rather than on foot. Wonderland, the northern end of the line, takes its name from an early 1900s amusement park.
As in East Boston, flood risk near the beach, the marshes and the Pines River deserves attention before an offer, and oceanfront condo buyers should look closely at association reserves and planned facade or garage work.
Service changes to know about
The MBTA has not announced any permanent change to Bowdoin or to the Blue Line’s station list that we could confirm on mbta.com as of October 8, 2026.
What it does announce regularly are temporary diversions, such as weekend or multi-day suspensions between Bowdoin and East Boston for tunnel inspections and track work, with shuttle buses replacing trains.
What makes a Blue Line search different
- One line, so the transfer matters. With no branches, everyone on the line rides the same trains. What varies is where you need to get to. Offices near Government Center, State or Aquarium are a direct ride. For Back Bay or the Longwood area, you’ll be changing to the Green or Orange Line downtown, and for Cambridge you’ll make two changes or walk from Bowdoin to Charles/MGH.
- Boston or Revere. The city line falls between Suffolk Downs and Beachmont. That affects your property tax bill and, in Boston, eligibility for the city’s residential exemption on an owner-occupied home. See our page on the residential exemption.
- Water, in both directions. Harbor and beach views are a reason many people look here, and flood zones are a reason to read the FEMA map and get an insurance quote early.
- Multi-family stock. Much of East Boston and inland Revere is two- and three-family houses. If you’re considering owning one and renting the other units, our guide to buying a multi-family in Boston walks through the financing and inspections.
Comparing lines? We also cover the Green Line, the Orange Line and the Red Line.
Start a Blue Line search
If the Blue Line fits your commute, we can help you compare streets near Maverick, Orient Heights or Revere Beach and pull recent sales for the buildings you’re considering. Start a search, or contact the team with the stations on your list.