Amtrack from Toronto to NYC
 

I am thinking of booking the Amtrack train to travel from Toronto into NYC with my husband and son. Other than this mode of transport, I would either have to fly or rent a car for the journey and neither appeals to me.

I have been reading some unfavorable reviews and opinions on the Amtrack lately and wondered whether anyone could give me some insight into :

1) are the trains comfortable
2) is this mode of transport indeed not favorable
3) should I think of a different method

Thanks in advance to anyone with knowledge willing to share!!

It is comfortable, it's easy, but it is slow and often delayed. In spite of this, we have found that our 5 hour train ride home to Central New York is just about the same amount of time it takes to us leave the city to get to JFK, go through security, wait at the gate, and finally fly home. The train is actually more convenient for us as we simply go to the train station a half hour or so before departure and walk onto the train and sit down. It is also cheaper (than flying) for our destination, and it's kind of nice at the end of a trip to just sit, read, relax and enjoy a snack that we have brought with us. Our hometown airport is close by so we usually fly down on JetBlue and take the train home.

However, you are coming from much further away than we do; check to see how long your train ride is and see if that is acceptable for you. We have always found our trains clean, comfortable (MUCH more leg room than the plane) and organized as far as boarding/seating - if you don't want to fly or drive, the train is fine, it is just slow!

You might consider flying from Buffalo, NY which isn't that far from Toronto. Prices are usually much cheaper than flying from Toronto. Look on kayak.com for airfare and airline options. Jet Blue is popular. Part of what makes the train often late is the border crossing.

I just flew LGA/YYZ, early Feb. Fare $275 return. 1.5/hrs going north, 1/hr coming south. It was a breeze.

However, Security on the return from YYZ into the US (done at YYZ) can be a pain. Besides the long lines just to get to the Immigration agents, and then bag checks (they go thru everything) and you have to show your ID to about 10/people... but it is what it is.

My brother regularly drives (as he needs car once in NY area). Route he takes is south from Buffalo to PA and across to NJ/NY, rather than thru NY... drive-time between 8-10/hrs depending on traffic.

Hi Flame123

I've taken the train from Montreal to NYC and back many times and here are a few thoughts...

Negatives
1. It's a long ride and often is an hour or two late. (Although the last time I went, we were on-time into NYC and 40-minutes EARLY coming back to Montreal (due to a relatively small number of passengers, border processing went quickly).
2. The border crossing can seem interminable as they process all the passengers.
3. The food on-board is not great, and coming from Canada, you can't bring your own fresh fruit (although dried fruit and nuts are apparently OK).
4. The toilets can start to get grody as the trip wears on if other passengers don't clean up after themselves.

Some people might not be able to tolerate all of the above. For me, however, since I KNOW what I'm in for... I LOVE taking the train (warts and all) since:

Positives:

1. The scenery is truly gorgeous in parts of Upstate NY.
2. I like peering at the towns and villages (Whitehall, Fort Edward, Plattsburgh) and wondering what people's lives are about there.
3. I enjoy the down-time to read a novel.
4. I enjoy the down-time period.
5. Occasionally there's interesting conversation with other passengers in the cafe car...the international nature of the train in part I think lends itself to friendly discourse. Also, I believe that since one does not feel trapped like on an airplane or an a bus... this too lends itself to interhuman communication.
6. If no one's next to me, I can actually sleep horizontally.
7. I like being able to stretch my legs, even if it's just a walk to the cafe car or going up to buy a magazine at Albany's train station.

Have fun deciding! Daniel

It looks like the on-time trip duration is about 13 hours. There's one daily train in each direction, departing at 8:30AM from Toronto, departing NYC 7:15AM for the return.

If you are up for an adventure check out MegaBus... It can cost as little as $1 each way per person... my daughter has used it countless times and the trip is about ten hours with stops along the way... I did a random rate check and found $23 and $41 each way prices for Toronto to NYC... You can also ride it overnight if you can sleep on a bus... just a thought... good luck

Thank you all for your suggestions and observations. I think the most troublesome is the idea of a 12 or 13 hour train ride and not having clean bathrooms. Does anyone know whether there are "porters" or other train personnel who are supposed to take care of cleaning the bathrooms and keeping them in somewhat decent shape (sort of like on the planes, etc.)?

I'm not aware that short-term trains (that is, not overnight) have any cleaning crew. I think it happens only on major stations or end of the trip. I've been on very crowded trains from DC to NYC - only about 5 hours - and had to walk several cars to find a toilet that was usable (some filthy, some not functioning).

The bathrooms are disgusting. The stations are disgusting. The food is gross. We live in Rochester NY and the last time we took the train to NYC they ran out of food in Syracuse (!). Passengers were actually stuck standing because they had overbooked. The delays can seem interminable as freight trains have right-of-way. The big hang up can occur in Albany when you change trains, or the train separates. Definitely don't do this trip during school break. Yeah, it's nice to end up right in NY rather than out at the airport, but for a 13 hour trip (that will almost certainly be longer)?

Easiest, but likely most expensive, will be to fly Porter from Toronto City Airport (YTZ) to Newark. They have about 8 flights a day.

Our schedule has changed a bit and we now will be heading in the other direction, i.e. going from Penn Station in NYC to Toronto.

For those REALLY in the know about Penn Station and the Amtrak trains here is another question please :

We will be around the area of Trenton/Princeton New Jersey. I see there is a train available from that area getting us into Penn Station at 6:45 AM where the Maple Leaf train to Toronto leaves at 7:15 AM.

I am VERY uncomfortable with such a "close call" in schedules especially if the train may be even a bit late getting into Penn Station. Plus we will have lots of luggage as it will be at the back end of our trip.

I understand that we will have to changes trains once in Penn Station. Is there any way of knowing how far the train coming in from New Jersey will be from the one leaving to take us to Toronto and whether we can make it?

Many thanks in advance !!

30 minutes isn't really that close a call for a train. That should give you plenty of time. NJ Transit trains normally run on time, though of course there can be delays.

While I'd strongly strongly urge you to rethink the train option since it's really horrible to go from NYC to Canada by train (which I've done 4 times), it's really your choice. Greyhound offers a service called "NeOn" that is similar to BoltBus between NYC and Toronto, and that cuts the trip down by at least 2 hours (perhaps 3 with all the delays that Amtrak usually has). And it has free Wi-Fi and power ports for computers and chargers. The NeOn service leaves NYC at 8am and arrives in Toronto 6:45 pm.

Neither is, frankly, a very appealing option to me, but it's the most cost-effective way to Toronto from NYC. I'm sure the bathrooms on the bus are worse than those on Amtrak, though.

The OP is referring to an Amtrak connection (not NJ Transit train) as shown on the Maple Leaf schedule, a train from Washington that arrives in NYC.

The trickiest part will be changing tracks, which might require some stairs, but the platforms should not be too far from one another.

I'm also wondering about the options from Philadelphia to Toronto. By the time one is all the way to Trenton, Philadelphia is closer than NYC.

Doug - I am not looking so much for most cost-effective. Rather I am first of all not a happy flyer so that if I can get somewhere without flying I prefer. But more than that, I have read so many instances where these short flights can get very delayed or even cancelled for another day, etc. that I am wary to use them. Aside from them being more expensive of course but as I said it is not my primary concern. I would never take a bus though - I have been told by MANY that such a long long bus ride is usually a disaster so no, thanks.

Ellenem - Philly is the same as starting out in Trenton. It takes you to Penn Station where you have to change to the Maple Leaf.

Any other wisdom?

Thanks!!!

I was thinking a flight from Philly, but since flying is out . . .

Ellenem/Flame123, the reason I mention NJ Transit is because from Trenton, you can come into Penn Station either by Amtrak or NJ Transit. And that may give you more options in terms of timing; I'm not sure, but a quick look at the NJ Transit schedule will tell you. The transfer is the same either way, and you are even more likely to be closer to schedule on NJ Transit than on Amtrak (and you will also probably pay a bit less).

But you normally have to come up to the main waiting area in Penn Station and then go back down to the Amtrak tracks when boarding the Maple Leaf. You will have to come up stairs or an escalator, but it's not a big deal; the area where trains arrive are the same. As long as you have tickets for the Maple Leaf in hand and don't have to print them out at the station, 30 minutes should be plenty of time.

I think you're wrong about the bus, by the way. And I recommended it not because it was a cheaper option but because the ride was shorter and it was likely to be as comfortable if not more comfortable than the train. The new services are not at all like bus travel has been in the past. You have more leg room and a much better ride on the premium bus lines, not to mention the Wi-Fi. But I know I'm not going to be able to convince you otherwise.

All things being equal, I'd still fly.

As Doug pointed out you will little problem transferring from train to train, if the first is one time. The insanity that is Penn Station is the mad dash to the train once the track is posted.

We took the Megabus to Syracuse. The bus itself was quite commodious. The problem in NYC is that you wait in the street for the bus. It is confusing and if the weather is bad there is no protection.

However, taking two trains would be maddening in its own right.

Doug, I understood about NJ Transit. BUt I had looked at the timing already.

Via Amtrak, the train from Trenton departs at 5:45 and arrives at 6:40, to connect with the 7:15am Amtrak Maple Leaf train.

Via NJ Transit, the trip from Trenton departs at 5:24 and arrives at 6:46, 20 minutes added to an already tedious trip and shorter connection time.

Plus, I would hope that making the connection between two Amtrak trains that are actually listed on the same schedule would be made easier at Penn Station than between two different train companies.

Again, if you just need cheap, reliable transport, check MegaBus... quicker, they stop enough to avoid onboard toilet use, and avoids train schedule conflicts... there is no romance in AmTrak...