Take the train to these East Coast beaches

On the East Coast, beach road trips often involve math. You have to calculate when to leave the house and how long the drive will take in summer traffic. Then you have to subtract those hours trapped in gridlock from the fleeting sands of beach time.

This summer, we say don’t do math on vacation. Ride the rails to the beach instead.

Amtrak, state transportation authorities and metropolitan public transit systems serve oceanside destinations up and down the Atlantic Coast, dropping off passengers within walking distance of the beach. While beach-bound cars snail-crawl along congested roads, train passengers zip by on tracks relatively free of snarls. (Caveat: The NYC subway and Amtrak can sometimes hit a few snags.)

“You can’t do it everywhere but in the places you can, you just bring all your stuff on the train, have a few drinks and relax, and then when you get off at the right stop, you just carry your beach towel and your little fold-up chair and your umbrella and walk a block or two, and there you are,” said Jim Mathews, president and CEO of the Rail Passengers Association.

Traveling to the beach by train has its upsides and downsides.

Starting with the disadvantages, you will lose a bit of freedom relying on a train schedule and you have to carry all your gear. But popular train routes run frequently. On Saturdays, for example, Boston’s Blue Line subway (called the T) to Revere Beach operates from about 6 a.m. to 4:30 a.m.

Trains also have fairly generous luggage rules. Amtrak, for instance, allots each passenger two free carry-ons weighing up to 100 pounds combined and one personal item. On New York City’s subway, items must fit through the turnstile. This is why our ancestors invented the wheel, to carry our watermelons and Spikeball gear on railway platforms.

On the plus side, the train is likely cheaper than driving. According to AAA, as of Tuesday, the national average price of gas was $4.16 a gallon, and tolls can seriously add up, especially in New Jersey and New York. Many coastal destinations, such as Cape Cod and the Hamptons, charge for parking, assuming you can find a spot.

For additional savings, Mathews recommends Amtrak’s Share Fares, which offers discounts to groups of three or more, such as 60 percent off tickets for eight people traveling together. Also check seasonal specials. With Boston’s Free Summer Fridays, the commuter rail is complimentary through August.

For a car- and stress-free beach getaway, here are some train-accessible options in six East Coast states. Only one, Virginia Beach, requires a bus connection provided by Amtrak. All the others are rails-to-sand pails.

Downeaster to Maine surf

The beaches: South of Portland, Old Orchard Beach is both an idyllic summer resort town and a pristine seven-mile beach stretching from Pine Point to Ocean Park on Saco Bay.

The train: Amtrak’s Downeaster to the Old Orchard Beach stop.

Summer essentials: Rent a board at Corner’s Surf Company and receive a free lesson. Palace Playland, the only beachfront amusement park in New England, is a scream. A block from the beach, Johnny Shucks Maine Lobster, a “trap-to-table” establishment, serves lobster on a roll, in bisque and atop poutine.

T to the Massachusetts coast

The beaches: In Hyannis, Veterans Beach and Kalmus Beach sit in the tricep of Cape Cod, which flexes its beach muscles every summer. Closer to Boston, M Street Beach and Carson Beach dot the South Boston shoreline. In East Boston, Constitution Beach affords views of the Boston skyline and Logan airport. Revere Beach is the oldest public beach in the country, celebrating 131 years in July.

Cape Ann, known as “Other Cape,” is a Winslow Homer painting come to life, with dramatic granite cliffs, harbors full of fishing boats and maritime-steeped villages including Rockport (Front and Back beaches) and Manchester-by-the-Sea (Singing Beach, named for sound the sand grains make when in motion).

The trains: CapeFlyer runs seasonal Friday to Sunday service between Boston and Cape Cod. On the T, catch the Blue Line for Constitution Beach and Revere Beach and the Red Line for Carson Beach. From North Station, take the Newburyport/Rockport commuter rail to Rockport or Manchester-by-the-Sea.

Summer essentials: The John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum explores the Kennedy family’s long-standing love of Hyannis. On Revere Beach, Kelly’s Roast Beef created and, 75 years later, still serves the original three-way roast beef (the trio are mayo, American cheese and James River barbecue sauce). Meander down Rockport's  Bearskin Neck, a tip of land lined with artist studios, boutiques, cafes and a 19th-century red fishing shack that has inspired generations of painters and photographers.

CTrail to Connecticut’s oceanside parks

The beaches: Set on Long Island Sound, Silver Sands State Park in Milford offers the summer trifecta of beach, boardwalk and a sandbar that, during low tide, connects to Charles Island, a 14-acre bird sanctuary. At Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison, the sand stretches for two miles in the state’s largest shoreline park. Ocean Beach in New London is nonstop go with such beach-adjacent attractions as waterslides, a mini-golf course, an Olympic-size pool and thrill rides. Harvey’s Beach is tucked inside picturesque Old Saybrook, a sprightly 391-year-old town.

The trains: CTrail Shore Line East hugs the coastline, stopping in Madison, Old Saybrook and New London. Amtrak’s Northeast Regional also serves the latter two towns. For Milford, grab a seat aboard the Metro-North Railroad.

Summer essentials: Meet the critters that inhabit the land, sea and air at Meigs Point Nature Center at Hammonasset Beach State Park. For even more birds, fix your binoculars on the barrier beach at Coastal Center at Milford Point and Smith-Hubbell Wildlife Refuge, where avian enthusiasts have spotted more than 300 species. The legacy of Golden Age actress Katharine Hepburn, a longtime resident of Old Saybrook, lives on in the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center (often called “The Kate”) and its museum.

Subway to NYC beaches

The beaches: For half a century, the Ramones’ “Rockaway Beach” has been the summer punk anthem of the sandy strip in Queens, the city’s only legal surfing beach. From Rockaway, walk along the 5.5-mileboardwalk to Jacob Riis Park, known as “the People’s Beach” and part of the National Park Service’s bistate Gateway National Recreational Area.

In Brooklyn, Coney Island, shape-shifted from a posh beach getaway in the late 1800s to the birthplace of the modern outdoor amusement park. The 2.7-mile Riegelmann Boardwalk leads to Brighton Beach, known as Little Odessa for its enclave of Eastern European expats.

The trains: On the subway, take the A train to Rockaway (or catch the NYC Ferry from Wall Street); the D, F, N or Q train to Coney Island Beach; or the Q or B train to Brighton Beach.

Summer essentials: Grab a classic hot dog at the original Nathan’s Famous and ride the Coney Island Cyclone at Luna Park, the world’s second-steepest wooden roller coaster. After more than 50 years and $88 million, the Jacob Riis Park Bathhouse will reopen this summer with a renovated boardwalk, new dining establishments, a bar, a private club and a boutique hotel is in development. If you prefer your dips unsalted, purchase a day pool pass at the Rockaway Hotel and Spa.

LIRR to the Hamptons

The beaches: Urbanites fleeing the stifling heat have been riding the rails to Long Beach since 1882, when the railroad first arrived in this Long Island resort town. The South Fork is pavé-diamond-studded with exclusive beach communities, such as Southampton (Coopers Beach), East Hampton (Main Beach), Westhampton (Rogers Beach) and Amagansett (Atlantic Avenue Beach). For Hither Hills State Park, Ditch Plains and other Montauk beaches, travel to the “End” of Long Island.

The trains: The Montauk Branch of the Long Island Rail Road goes to the Hamptons. Stops include Westhampton, Hampton Bays, Southampton, Bridgehampton, East Hampton, Amagansett and, at the very tip, Montauk. In the summer, the LIRR runs the Cannonball express train to the Hamptons and Montauk.

Summer essentials: Marvel Dairy, founded in Long Beach in 1951, keeps heads cool with soft serve ice cream (vegan options, too), slushies, ice cream sandwiches and shakes. Stock up on beach picnic staples at a farm stand, such as Balsam Farms or Amber Waves Farms, a hallmark of the Hamptons’ agrarian roots. Climb the 110-foot-tall Montauk Point Lighthouse, the state’s oldest lighthouse, and search the waves for whales, sharks and other seasonal visitors.

NJ Transit to the Jersey Shore

The beaches: The Jersey Shore is a puka shell necklace of beaches, including Belmar Beach, Spring Lake Beach (the “Jewel of the Jersey Shore”), Sea Girt Beach and Point Pleasant Beach, which attracts families with its mile-long Jenkinson’s Boardwalk. To the north, Bruce Springsteen didn’t just perform in Asbury Park, he named his first studio album after the beach destination (cue “Greetings from Asbury Park N.J.”). Long Branch’s Seven Presidents Oceanfront Park, meanwhile, honors the septet of POTUSes who vacationed in the area in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

In Atlantic City, don’t worry if you lose all your beach tag money in the casinos. The gambling town’s four miles of beach are free, a rarity in Jersey.

The trains: NJ Transit - North Jersey Coast Line or Atlantic City Rail Line - covers the Jersey Shore.

Summer essentials: Spring Lake’s two-mile boardwalk is just that: boards you can walk on, with no T-shirt shops, taffy vendors or arcades obstructing your water views. In Asbury Park, hear the soundtrack of summer at the Stone Pony and Wonder Bar, where Springsteen and other music legends have performed. The Chicken Bone Beach Historical Society in Atlantic City preserves the history of the pre-civil rights African American section of the beach, which is commemorated with a plaque and a summer jazz concert series.

Amtrak to Virginia Beach

The beach: Virginia Beach’s 35 miles of coastline earned it the Guinness World Record for the “longest stretch of pleasure beach.” Its three beach sections, which range in vibe from party central to hushed hideaway, are the Resort Area, Sandbridge Beach and Chesapeake Bay Beach.

The train and bus: Amtrak’s Northeast Regional to Norfolk, then catch an Amtrak Connection bus for the roughly 20-minute trip to the Resort Area.

Summer essentials: For a cetacean‘s-eye-view of Virginia Beach, sail aboard a dolphin-watching boat tour with the Aquarium & Marine Science Center. Hike, bike, swim or kayak in First Landing State Park, the state’s most-visited state park. The birthplace of the orange crush, Maryland’s Ocean City, is accessible by Amtrak’s Northeast Regional and the BayRunner Shuttle, but Virginia Beach serves the citrus cocktail, too. Waterman’s Surfside Grille, for one, claims that its bartenders can concoct a fresh-squeezed orange crush in five seconds or less.