WooSox Opening Day: How To Ride Transit To Polar Park

WORCESTER, MA — There's been a lot of talk about parking in and around the new Polar Park ahead of the Worcester Red Sox home opener on Tuesday with an estimated 80 percent of spectators expected to drive to games.

But driving isn't the only way to get to the new stadium. Both Worcester Regional Transit Authority (WRTA) buses and MBTA commuter rail will get you to Polar Park without the need to scout one of the 20 parking lots that have been highlighted for use during games. The transit options are also much cheaper (free in some cases).

The WooSox will face off against the Syracuse Mets Tuesday at 3:05 p.m. The stadium has a capacity of about 9,500, but won't host that many fans due to coronavirus restrictions. The stadium will be at about 25 percent capacity for the home-opener and for the foreseeable future.

If you're planning a visit on opening day or later this season, here's how you can get to the stadium without driving.

WRTA buses

Two bus lines will take you directly to Polar Park, but many others will get you within a very short walk of the stadium.

Route 11 — This line runs between the Union Station bus hub along Foster Street and a shopping plaza (344 Greenwood St.) near the borders of Worcester, Auburn and Millbury. The bus stops right outside Polar Park in Kelley Square.

Route 4 — This line runs along Route 146 between downtown Millbury, the Shoppes at Blackstone Valley and the downtown Worcester bus hub. Route 4 and Route 11 share the same Green Street circuit near Polar Park.

These two lines might be a good option for fans coming from Millbury and Auburn. But almost every other WRTA route begins and ends at the downtown bus hub along Foster Street. The hub is less than a half-mile walk from Polar Park. You could take a WRTA bus from as far away as downtown Southbridge (Route 29) and get very close to the stadium.

And a bonus: WRTA buses are free until June 30.

MBTA commuter rail

Worcester's commuter rail station is right next to the bus hub, which means you could leave home in Westborough, for example, and be at Polar Park (including the walk from Union Station) in about 25 minutes, according to train schedules.

The commuter rail is also pretty cost-effective. A ride from Westborough is about $6.50 round-trip. But it costs $8 to park for two hours in the city's Union Station garage — if you can find a spot.