{"id":108940,"date":"2026-04-16T09:52:42","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T12:52:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/they-rode-the-t-to-every-single-station-in-one-fell-swoop\/"},"modified":"2026-04-16T09:52:44","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T12:52:44","slug":"they-rode-the-t-to-every-single-station-in-one-fell-swoop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/en\/they-rode-the-t-to-every-single-station-in-one-fell-swoop\/","title":{"rendered":"They rode the T to every single station in one fell swoop"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTransportation\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>
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It took this group of friends an entire Sunday, a heavy dose of patience, and some color-coordinated snacks.<\/h2>\n
\n\tAn Orange Line Train arrives at the Oak Grove MBTA station on Sept. 19, 2022. Carlin Stiehl for The Boston Globe, File<\/em>\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBy Abby Patkin<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

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2 minutes to read<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n

How long could you spend riding the MBTA<\/a>? One hour? Two?<\/p>\n

While most T riders tap out after getting from Point A to Point B, a handful set their sights on a loftier goal: Traveling across all of the agency\u2019s subway lines in a single day and hitting each and every station.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Adam Oppenheimer and Charles Jessup Franklin are two of the latest Boston-area residents to undertake this challenge, completing their marathon last Sunday and clocking in at a staggering 10 hours and 3 minutes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Oppenheimer, a recent college graduate who\u2019s new to the area, said he was inspired by others who had undertaken their own \u201ctransit speedruns\u201d in Boston and other cities.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been loving exploring Boston, and this is just another opportunity to,\u201d he explained in an email interview.<\/p>\n

About 10 people total participated in at least one leg of the journey, most joining for just one or two subway lines, according to Oppenheimer. By day\u2019s end, he and two others had completed the entire challenge, setting out from Alewife shortly after 8:30 a.m. and arriving at their last station \u2014 Union Square \u2014 at 6:36 p.m. <\/p>\n

Franklin, a Cambridge political activist and software engineer, said he\u2019d heard of the \u201cMBTA Iron Man\u201d or \u201cThe T Challenge\u201d long before joining Oppenheimer for Sunday\u2019s ride.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I first heard of it several years ago people doubted whether it could even be done in one day because the T was in such shambles,\u201d he noted in an email interview. \u201cBut with the T now back on track thanks to [MBTA General Manager] Phillip Eng and company,\u201d Franklin said, \u201cI decided to hop on the idea.\u201d<\/p>\n

Indeed, the MBTA has made sizable gains<\/a> under Eng\u2019s tenure, with crews eliminating a historic number of speed restrictions<\/a> and addressing a backlog of repairs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When masters students from the MIT Transit Lab set out to ride each of the T\u2019s rapid transit lines from end to end in 2013, it took them more than 12 hours<\/a> with occasional breaks and bus connections \u2014 and that was before the Green Line Extension added a handful of stops in Somerville and Medford.<\/p>\n

According to TransitRuns, a global database of transit speedruns, the time to beat on the MBTA is now just over 7 hours and 21 minutes<\/a>, a record set in 2025.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Oppenheimer\u2019s group took about an hourlong break for lunch, and he estimated they could have shaved off another 40 minutes to an hour in wait times had they \u201chustled a bit more.\u201d Still, he said the day \u201cjust flew by,\u201d with few delays and an \u201cexceptionally smooth\u201d ride.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He organized themed, color-coordinated snacks for the trip and spent some time chatting with strangers on the train, including a Braintree-bound rider carrying a sousaphone. Reflecting on their journey, both Oppenheimer and Franklin pointed to the Mattapan Line as personal favorites.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had never been on the Mattapan Line before, so riding the virtually indestructible PCC cars was fun. It felt like I was riding a bus from history class,\u201d Franklin explained. \u201cIt was also pretty exciting to see the Red and Orange lines operate at 50+ MPH.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Franklin praised the Orange Line\u2019s speed and the views from the Red and Blue lines, as well as the forward-facing seats on the Green Line\u2019s older model Type 7 cars.\u00a0<\/p>\n

His advice for others looking to hit each of the MBTA\u2019s subway stations?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cBring friends, enjoy the view, and don\u2019t get stressed about just barely missing that train,\u201d Franklin said. \u201cThere will be another one.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\"Profile\t<\/div>\n<\/header>\n
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Abby Patkin is a general assignment news reporter whose work touches on public transit, crime, health, and everything in between.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n

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