Italophile

Hi friendly Fodorites, looking for advice on trains. I intend the following:

New York to Philadelphia
Philadephia to Washington DC and return (as day trip)
Philadelphia to Boston
Boston to Providence and return (as day trip)
Boston to New York

Should I book now [from Australia] for September, or would I be fine booking a few days prior (after arrival in NY)? Do the trains get booked out?? Also, the coach seats look fine on the Amtrak website, but there look to be some good deals with business class - is it worth the extra cost? Look forward to recs/insight.

nytraveler

Coach seats are fine. If you can find discounts now buy tickets. There are lots of trains and they are typically only busy Friday and Sunday evenings (people doing weekend trips). In that case the trains are sometimes so crowded that you have to stand.

And IMHO Philly to DC is VERY long for a day trip. (Trains are often late, although rarely more than 30 minutes on these routes.)

You should be aware that trains are fairly expensive and there are discount buses that do these routes for way less (but not good for day return since they take longer).

111op

Hi, as far as I am aware, you don't have to book so far ahead of time. The trains normally don't sell out, but the fares for the trains you want to take may get more expensive.

I've more experience with the NYC-DC leg. The regional trains are not much slower than the Acela and can be about 50% cheaper sometimes. I think coach is fine (but I thought coach is actually called business -- I forget exactly -- and there's something else that's better that I've not tried before, but maybe I'm wrong).

If I were you I'd check the trains I'd take and get a sense for what the fares are like (and compare with other trains) and then book when I'm ready.

Other options you can consider: There are buses that run these routes. NYC-Philadelphia takes about 2 hours on the bus, and I think the regional train takes about 1h 25 minutes. However the train drops you off at the 30th St station in Philadelphia, so you have to make it downtown anyway, whereas the bus will drop you off within walking distance of downtown (in the case of Megabus, you can get off right near Independence Hall).

Recently I took the Megabus for $10.95 or something like that for r/t NYC-Philly. One leg cost $9 and the other $1 (yes, $1) and the reservation fee was $0.95 or something like that.

So if the bus is ok for you, you can consider that. There are also Chinatown buses and Greyhound and something called Boltbus.

And of course there are flights too. You can fly NYC-Boston and NYC-DCA on the Delta shuttle (and I think US Air). There are more or less hourly flights. It may make sense to consider flying for Philadelphia-Boston and Boston-NYC. I've flown NYC-DCA r/t on the same day when I wanted to take a day trip and didn't feel like taking the train.

mclaurie

Here are the disounts for Amtrak trains. Some need to be purchased 14-21 days in advance. http://www.railserve.com/amtrak_coupons.html

If you're on a tight budget, you can take a commuter train between NYC and Philadelphia that's less $$ than Amtrak but it takes longer and requires a change in Trenton. Btw, Phildelphia is an easy daytrip from NYC and easily done in a day. Washington is worth much more than a day.

Anonymous

You can also take a commuter train between Boston and Providence, saving money and with more schedule options. But if you plan to travel on a weekend, make sure that they haven't changed the schedule, as dropping the weekend runs has been proposed as a cost-cutting measure.

You could also stop off in Prov on your way between NYC/Philly and Boston, buying the spendy Amtrak ticket only between NYC or Philly and Prov, and not needing a roundtrip ticket for Prov/Boston, just a one-way Commuter Rail fare.

As mentioned above, there are many competitive buses that will be much cheaper than trains and sometimes drop you at more convenient locations (or in some cities at the same location as the train station). Along that corridor, look into Megabus and Bolt bus. The latter is run by the huge Greyhound company but is more upscale; they offer onboard Wifi that usually works. They offer a few $1 seats on each run, which of course sell out far in advance.

An alternate itinerary would be to fly between DC and Boston rather than doing all that backtracking. That is, do NYC/Philly/DC, then fly to Boston and do Boston/Prov/NYC. This would save you at least a full day of train (or bus) travel time.

Ackislander

Look at AMTRAK's website for schedules and discounts (concessions). For over-60's, they are significant.

Beware that the discount buses are just that: the seating is like economy in aircraft. My very thrifty friend recently took the Bolt Bus from Boston to NY and said that the experience was hellish. She is not small, and if you are 5'6" or less and weigh no more than say, 10 stone, you may find it fine.

doug_stallings

Ackislander, I'm in complete disagreement with you on the legroom issue with regard to Boltbus. The seating on these buses (both Megabus and Boltbus) is actually pretty comfortable, and the experience is not that bad at all, though the Wi-Fi doesn't always work and the schedules aren't always kept. But this is the deal around.

suzdal

Hi - can i hijack 111op for a minute
I'm arriving into JFK from Ireland on Tuesday July 7th on route to DC. I don't like flying and so have decided to get the train from Penn station to Union station in DC. Do you have any hints or tips - best way to get from JFK to Penn, if i book in advance and don't make the train is my ticket transferrable onto the next train? Any info would be great as i'll be on my own. Ps - i will have medium suitcase with me - can i carry on?

doug_stallings

Getting from JFK to Penn Station is the easiest thing in the world. Take the Airtrain to the Long Island Rail Road and then hop on the next train bound for NYC. The total trip takes a bit over 30 minutes from most terminals (more if you arrive at an odd time and have to wait for a train). The total cost just went up a bit with new fare increases, so if you are traveling on peak schedules, you pay $8 for the LIRR. The Airtrain itself costs $5, then you pay separately for a train ticket. If you are traveling after NYC rush hour (after 9:45 am), the fare goes down a couple of dollars. It goes up again after 4:30 pm.

All trains between Penn Station and DC are carry-on only (you actually can't check bags). The prices do go down if you book in advance, but these trains are all reserved or even reserved seating on the Metroliners, so I'm not sure about cancellations or changes.

jroth

From JFK to Penn Station: Take the air train at JFK. It leaves you off at the Jamaica station of the Long Island RailRoad where you can get a train to Penn Station. Not sure what kind of ticket you have for train to DC. But if I was taking a train to DC - I'd just go to Penn Station, buy a ticket and get on the next train. I am not aware that there are tickets for specific trains. But there are higher priced tickets on the Acela (fast) and lower priced for the other trains.

111op

Hi, regarding WiFi on buses, I think Megabus has WiFi too (though I didn't use it when I took it). I haven't tried Boltbus yet, but I tried afterwards to look for fares and I was unable to find $1 fares. Obviously one should check both to see what's cheaper.

Also I should mention that Megabus (for the Philly route at least) seems to share some of their runs with a Chinatown bus (called Eastern). So on my way back I took Eastern, and the bus was actually delayed for quite a while because of some issues with tickets (I couldn't figure out what it was, just that the bus wouldn't leave).

As far as I can remember the commuter train route with switch in Septa doesn't seem to be competitive timewise with the bus. But it's good to know there's another option.

I'll check those coupons and use them for myself though. I've always wondered about Amtrak coupons.

jroth

Sorry,Doug - did not see your very extensive reply re getting from JFK to Penn Station including all necessary info.

111op

Hi suzdal, people have answered the JFK-Penn station. If there's something I'd add, it'd be to consider the E train from Jamaica station to Penn. It's probably slower, but since it's the subway, it runs more frequently. The fare is $2.

There's probably a bus too that goes from JFK to Penn Station, but I haven't used it.

I actually haven't used the LIRR method myself because in my case, the subway is always more convenient as I can get to an E stop easier than I can reach Penn.

Regarding Amtrak, I'm not sure what the rules are. I think that the tickets are probably train specific, but I think they are probably refundable (I'm pretty sure that I've gotten refunds before -- but before the train left). So if you miss a train, you may be able to get a refund and pay to get on the next train (however, you'll be at the mercy of walkup fares -- and also there could be long lines at Penn station).

But this is my guess and I don't have any actual experience with missing a train. You should probably call Amtrak to find out what the rules are.

bardo1

suzdal,

No, your train ticket would not be transferable. In your case, I might buy yuour train ticket after you land or build in some time - your flight might get delayed (it will costs a few dollars more but at least you won't have a worthless ticket).

JFK to Penn Station: Take a shuttle van. Simple and cheap ($17).
http://www.goairlinkshuttle.com/

Also consider one of the express busses between NYC and DC - much cheaper and only about 30 minutes longer than the train:
https://www.boltbus.com/
http://www.megabus.com/us/
http://www.greyhound.com/home/
http://www.peterpanbus.com/


"medium" suitcase? What are the dimensions?
Here is a guide to some airlines - if your airline isn't here go to their website and find out what your airlines policy is.

http://www.luggagesource.com/IBS/Sim..._ID/19231.html

111op

Actually, another thought: I don't know what your itinerary is like, but consider flying JFK-DCA? That way you can save on the time getting to the train station, etc.

I don't think it's necessarily that expensive to fly, and you may make up the difference in fares with the savings in time and hassle.

You can also fly out of LGA, but you'll have to take a taxi between JFK and LGA.

Regarding suitcases on Amtrak, I don't know what the rules are exactly. I've seen what seem to me are fairly large suitcases. Amtrak may have the precise limitations for you.

rkkwan

Took Boltbus on Tuesday. All their buses I saw in Boston and NYC are new Prevost models. Very comfortable seats, and good pitch. I believe only about 52-53 seats on each bus. Lots of legroom, like premium economy on a plane. I cannot see how one can be uncomfortable on one, unless one's sitting next to an oversized person, or have super super long legs. Or if one's comparing to legroom on a train.

Italophile

Well I now have a problemw with the buses - few seem to offer direct services! I checked out NYC to Philadelphia and it takes 8 hours 20 mins with 3 changes of bus! I'd rather catch a direct train any day, even at twice the price, than waste 1/2 day of my precious trip travelling/waiting at bus stations.

Anonymous

Bolt Bus goes direct and takes an hour and 40 minutes.

doug_stallings

All Boltbus and Megabus routes are basically nonstop. I'm perplexed at how you could possibly find a 3-connection route between New York and Philadelphia. It's simply not possible. You are definitely not checking the correct place.

If you want to take the train, I don't find it that difficult to take the NJ Transit/Septa trains to Philly. It might take a few minutes more than the bus, but the bus can be caught up in traffic. Septa schedules coincide with those of NJ Transit at Trenton, so it's a very easy connection to make, though more expensive than Bolt Bus or Megabus.

111op

Hi, check the Megabus website here:
http://www.megabus.com/us/