Boston

blue

Axios Boston Partners

Axios Boston

Standard

Boston Alerts

Alert

Axios Boston Thought Bubble

Thought Bubble

Boston Members

Membership

The Northeast saw a boost in train ridership during the World Cup, from Amtrak rides to and from Boston to the Commuter Rail to Foxborough.

The big picture: State and federal officials consider the ridership increase a win, but it remains to be seen whether these public transit systems actually profited from the international tournament.

State of rail: Amtrak saw a roughly 9% increase in ridership out of the Boston area last month compared to June 2025, says Marc Magliari, an Amtrak spokesperson. 

The agency attributed much of that traffic to soccer fans hopping from city to city during the FIFA tournament.

Determining ridership increases for the Commuter Rail trains to Foxborough is trickier because the special train service only runs around major events at Gillette.

The MBTA and Keolis Commuter Services did say that the World Cup trains set a new record.

What they're saying: The World Cup traffic was a one-off, but Amtrak is banking on converting first-time domestic passengers into regulars after the tournament.

"What we're hoping is that the people who've not ridden us before … who've had a chance to ride us to these matches will come back and say that was a better way than I-95," Magliari tells Axios.

Stunning stat: The Commuter Rail sold 10 times as many round-trip tickets for the World Cup matches as it did for the 2023 Army-Navy game, which held the last ridership record at 11,000.

By the numbers: The Commuter Rail sold nearly 109,000 round-trip tickets between South Station and Foxborough from June 13 to July 9.

Keolis and the MBTA charged $80 a ticket, which translates to $8.7 million in revenue from those tickets alone.

Amtrak reported 410,000 passengers. That includes the South Station, North Station, Back Bay and Route 128 stops.

Yes, but: The Commuter Rail also added more signage, deployed 700 workers to the train system on match days and set up queues at South Station and a temporary field maintenance facility in Mansfield, per the governor's office.

Reality check: Gov. Maura Healey and Interim Transportation Secretary Phil Eng called the World Cup a transit success, at least operationally.

But it's not clear yet whether the train accommodations, which disrupted weekday commutes, were an economic win for the state.

What's next: The MBTA plans to present its post-tournament findings in September.

World Cup boosted train ridership, but the financial picture's unclear

Amtrak saw a roughly 9% increase in ridership last month compared to June 2025.

Illustration of a soccer ball wearing a conductor hat.

The Northeast saw a boost in train ridership during the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="World Cup" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/07/09/world-cup-boston-economic-impact" data-vars-content-id="2310e1b2-9bde-4d8f-9afa-ccd649236924" data-vars-headline="World Cup boosted train ridership, but the financial picture&#x27;s unclear" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/07/09/world-cup-boston-economic-impact" target="_self">World Cup</a>, from Amtrak rides to and from Boston to the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Commuter Rail" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/03/30/commuter-rail-world-cup-tickets" data-vars-content-id="2310e1b2-9bde-4d8f-9afa-ccd649236924" data-vars-headline="World Cup boosted train ridership, but the financial picture&#x27;s unclear" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/03/30/commuter-rail-world-cup-tickets" target="_self">Commuter Rail</a> to Foxborough.The big picture: State and federal officials consider the ridership increase a win, but it remains to be seen whether these public transit systems actually profited from the international tournament.

Transit

Latest news on Wall Street, Corporate America and financial regulation.

Business

Politics

Arriving soon at Logan Airport: A Scottish keepsake for Boston.

The intrigue: The cone is the latest gesture of goodwill between Glasgow and Boston, which recently became sister cities.

Zoom in: Scottish influencer Andrew Dobbie couldn't make the World Cup matches that drew throngs of Tartan Army members to Massachusetts.

But he is shepherding a decked-out traffic cone on a flight across the pond on an invitation from Gov. Maura Healey and Mayor Michelle Wu. 

It has the Boston Red Sox, a duckling and, of course, the words "No Scotland, no party!"

What's next: Healey and Wu will welcome the cone to Boston Tuesday and sign it.

Then, the cone begins its journey around the city fundraising for Scottish and Massachusetts mental health organizations.

Scottish keepsake: Glasgow influencer brings cone to Boston

A decked-out cone cements the good vibes between the new sister cities.

Inside a Delta airplane cabin, a red water bottle with Boston Red Sox graphics sits on a seat with black headphones draped over it; Delta logo visible on a curved grey partition in the background.

The traffic cone in first class on a Delta Air Lines flight. Photo: Courtesy of MeetBoston/Delta Airlines

Arriving soon at Logan Airport: A Scottish keepsake for Boston.The intrigue: The cone is the latest gesture of goodwill between Glasgow and Boston, which recently became <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="sister cities" data-vars-click-url="https://www.boston.gov/news/mayor-michelle-wu-signs-formal-declaration-intent-establish-partnership-glasgow-scotland" data-vars-content-id="4a58972f-7b0c-4df9-8bdb-c5574dae609c" data-vars-headline="Scottish keepsake: Glasgow influencer brings cone to Boston" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.boston.gov/news/mayor-michelle-wu-signs-formal-declaration-intent-establish-partnership-glasgow-scotland" target="_blank">sister cities</a>.Zoom in: Scottish influencer Andrew Dobbie couldn&#x27;t make the World Cup matches that drew throngs of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Tartan Army members" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/06/14/scotland-world-cup-boston-stadium" data-vars-content-id="4a58972f-7b0c-4df9-8bdb-c5574dae609c" data-vars-headline="Scottish keepsake: Glasgow influencer brings cone to Boston" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/06/14/scotland-world-cup-boston-stadium" target="_self">Tartan Army members</a> to Massachusetts.<ul><li>But he is shepherding a decked-out traffic cone on a flight across the pond on an invitation from Gov. Maura Healey and Mayor Michelle Wu. </li><li>It has the Boston Red Sox, a duckling and, of course, the words &quot;No Scotland, no party!&quot;</li></ul>What&#x27;s next: Healey and Wu will welcome the cone to Boston Tuesday and sign it.<ul><li>Then, the cone begins its journey around the city fundraising for Scottish and Massachusetts mental health organizations.</li></ul>

News

Sports

Culture

Sail Boston and the Colombian tall ship's visit brought something I've never experienced with my family in Medellín: a chance to learn about our nation's maritime history.

So I put on my Colombia jersey and headed to Pier 11 in Charlestown on Sunday.

Why it matters: Massachusetts has the sixth-largest Colombian population with more than 42,000 residents here.

Thousands have gone to Menino Park with their families to see the naval ship, some for the first time.

What they're saying: "Boston is one of the cities where we've seen the most Colombians," says Marine Guard Laura Valentina Suarez Sanchez in Spanish.

Flashback: The Gloria dates back to 1968 when the Colombian Navy approved the construction of a training ship.

The three-masted, 212-foot ship has since trained generations of naval officers and traveled the world as Colombia's "ambassador of the seas."

State of play: The crew played music by Colombian artists Joe Arroyo and Carlos Vives on Sunday, which made the 45-minute wait more bearable.

Once I boarded, I got a tour of each level, including the Admiral Padilla Salon.

Zoom in: The room displays a replica of the Gloria, handmade lanyards and a bust of José Prudencio Padilla, who fought for Colombia's independence and founded the nation's Armada in 1823.

I'm embarrassed to say I didn't know who he was before Sunday.

It's been two years since I've visited Medellín.

I feel a twinge of sadness whenever my aunt asks when I'll return (in this economy?).

The bottom line: That's another function of the Gloria — bringing a piece of Colombia to people like my mom and me living thousands of miles away, Suarez says.

Boarding the Gloria doesn't get me back there any faster, but it does give me a memento of home.

How Sail250 connects a diaspora

Dozens of military ships from 21 countries are berthed along the Boston Harbor until Thursday.

A Colombian tall ship with three masts draws long lines at Pier 11 in Charlestown.

The ARC Gloria at Pier 11 in Charlestown. Photo: Steph Solis/Axios

Sail Boston and the Colombian tall ship&#x27;s visit brought something I&#x27;ve never experienced with my family in Medellín: a chance to learn about our nation&#x27;s maritime history.<ul><li>So I put on my Colombia jersey and headed to Pier 11 in Charlestown on Sunday.</li></ul>

America at 250

Immigration

An Islamic cultural center, a temple, a zen garden — these are some of the sites being recognized as Boston celebrates the nation's semiquincentennial.

Why it matters: These institutions haven't drawn massive crowds of patriotic tourists, but their legacies paint a picture of the communities that shaped one of the nation's oldest cities.

Catch up quick: The nonprofit Embrace Boston unveiled a marker last year commemorating the 1965 Freedom Rally on the Boston Common as part of the Everyone250 historical monuments and markers initiative.

The collection of sites has grown to include King's Chapel's Memorial to Enslaved Persons, the Vilna Shul, the North American Indian Center in Jamaica Plain and others.

🇵🇷 The latest: The next plaque commemorates the Puerto Rican enclave surrounding Plaza Betances in the South End, mobilized by the nonprofit Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción.

It will be unveiled during the annual Festival Betances on Saturday.

Local officials and leaders unveil a bronze plaque commemorating Boston's school desegregation movement at the former site of the Boston School Department at 15 Beacon St., which today is the upscale steakhouse Moo....Beacon Hill.

A marker unveiled in June commemorates Boston's school desegregation movement at the former Boston School Department site (present-day Mooo.... Beacon Hill). Photo: Courtesy of Embrace

📚 Dedication to the Boston Public Schools Desegregation Movement

👧🏻 Barker Center for Children and Families (founder of the Manville School)

⛪️ Union Church, a hub for Black activism in the South End

👩🏾‍🦱 League of Women for Community Service

⛪️ Peoples Baptist Church, the oldest Black church congregation in New England

👨🏽‍🏫  Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts

⛪️  Twelfth Baptist Church, the First African Baptist Church of Boston's current home in Roxbury

🕌 Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center

🌱 The Daniel and Marlena Open Space and Community Garden

Dedication to the Boston Public Schools Desegregation Movement

Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center

The Daniel and Marlena Open Space and Community Garden

Garrison Trotter Neighborhood Association – The Alma Wright Zen Garden

The Boston legacies you won't see on the freedom trail

Several new and upcoming markers highlight the city's diverse history.

 Jean-Luc Pierite, board president of the North American Indian Center of Boston, holds a mic and speaks at a lectern in June 2026 before the unveiling of a marker commemorating NAICOB's legacy.

 Jean-Luc Pierite, board president of the North American Indian Center of Boston, at the unveiling of a marker for the 59-year-old institution. Photo: Courtesy of Embrace 

An Islamic cultural center, a temple, a zen garden — these are some of the sites being recognized as Boston celebrates the nation&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="semiquincentennial" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/07/03/america-250-christianity-founders" data-vars-content-id="cc23f7a0-3196-42e2-ad24-d0e846e5a06c" data-vars-headline="The Boston legacies you won&#x27;t see on the freedom trail" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/07/03/america-250-christianity-founders" target="_self">semiquincentennial</a>.Why it matters: These institutions haven&#x27;t drawn massive crowds of patriotic tourists, but their legacies paint a picture of the communities that shaped one of the nation&#x27;s oldest cities.

History

Think you're up to speed on the week's news? Take our quiz to prove it!

Send a screenshot of your perfect score to boston+quiz@axios.com Friday morning for a shoutout next week!

Take the Axios Boston news quiz!

Animated illustration of a 1970s game show sign reading NEWS QUIZ, with an Axios logo on it, and a bright green outline expanding around them. 

An illustration of a sign in flashing lights with the Axios logo and the phrase "News Quiz."

Think you&#x27;re up to speed on the week&#x27;s news? Take our quiz to prove it!

Steph Solis

Featured stories

Take the Axios Boston news quiz!

The Boston legacies you won't see on the freedom trail

How Sail250 connects a diaspora

Scottish keepsake: Glasgow influencer brings cone to Boston

World Cup boosted train ridership, but the financial picture's unclear