Train from Boston - NYC
 

I'll be in Cambridge for a wedding at the end of this month. We're spending half our time in the Boston/Cambridge area, then we'll be heading to NYC for the rest of our time.<BR><BR>Could anyone tell me how long the train (Amtrak) takes from Boston to NYC? I've read online that it takes approximately 3 hours (equivalent to Vancouver-Seattle here on the west coast)... but on Saturday I was talking to a local from New York who claimed it took 6 hours. I'd appreciate any comments!<BR><BR>Thanks in advance!

amtrak.com

Amtrak is trying to upgrade Northeast corridor service with something called Acela - which they say will eventually be a high-speed connection Boston to NY in under 3 hours. The key word here is eventually. There is a very limited area that has been track upgraded to accomodate these speeds. 4-5 hours is what friends have told me it actually takes. Trains have been improved. I used to take it often when it was cheap and took 6 hours on a good day - but all reports say it has improved greatly and with delays and security, etc. at airports if you are going downtown to downtown, it can make sense. It is no longer cheap.

The train from Boston to NY can take anywhere form 3 to 6 hours, depending not only on delays, but also on which train you take. The Acela Express, very expensive, is just over 3 hours but the trains that make more stops, and are cheaper, take significantly longer.

The Acela is anywhere from 4-6 hours. Most of the stops take place through CT and that is the reason for the slowdown. It costs @ $200 a ticket. We looked into it for a trip to NYC from Boston in March and decided to drive. It took us 4 hours and cost $30 for gas. <BR><BR>Just got an email from Delta advertising an $89 BOS-LGA roundtrip flight. If you only need to go BOS-LGA to get there and then you go elsewhere from NYC, just throw out the return portion (LGA-BOS). It will be cheaper than a 1 way ticket BOS-LGA. Easy enough to get to the airport from Cambridge on the T at Alewife.

Go to www.amtrak.com and look at the schedules for yourself. The Acela can be late but it can also (more often) run pretty much on time, and I would NEVER fly BOS-NYC, even if the choice were between that and the non-Acela trains that take a bit longer. <BR><BR>Think: travel time to Logan from Cambridge: Leave at noon: 45 min. on T, 1 hr. + in worst traffic by cab ($25.-35)<BR>1 pm: Check in 2 hrs. early, 90 minutes in a pinch but be careful -- security lines can be long. <BR>3 pm: Flight time= 1 hr., assuming no delays (always will be delays for LGA).<BR>4 pm: arrive LGA on the first plane ever to arrive on time there. Arrange and get to ground transport to Manhattan ($$$20-25?), transit time 1 hr. Arr. 5 pm.<BR><BR>Vs. leave at noon, get to South Station via T (20 min.) or cab ($15, 20-30 min). Check in 15 min. early or less if you already have your ticket.<BR>1 pm. leave South Station on Acela.<BR>4:15 arr. Penn. Sta. in midtown Manhattan.<BR><BR>Admittedly, the train ride might be longer due to delays or if you aren't on the Acela, but it's almost door-to-door, and you aren't cooling your heels in the airport, standing in line for security, waiting in the conga-line on the taxi-way apron for take-off, circling LGA because of congestion, etc. You are lounging in your seat, watching a video, walking around, munching on (admittedly plastic) food (BYO sandwiches, buy chips and beer or soda on board), looking out the window at the water and landscape.<BR><BR>Yeah, I love trains, but why would anyone fly between BOS and NYC unless they actually lived at the airport?<BR>

I tend to agree with Native - and USAirways is running the same promotion as well. The T is easy to use if you're not traveling with many bags, and will require transfers to get to the Blue Line.<BR><BR>I recall reading about smaller bus companys (often out of Chinatown?) that offer direct service to NYC for something like $25-35 ... maybe you could find info at bostonglobe.com? or perhaps Native can jump back into the thread.

<BR><BR>Six hours?!? Based on my experience, I thought that sounded outrageous, so I just checked Amtrak's timetables. The LONGEST train takes about 4 hours, 20 minutes. I frequently make the NYC-Boston round-trip, and I never book Acela, and 3.5-4 hours is the most I've ever spent on a train. It's a great ride; enjoy.

<BR><BR>P.S. Perhaps I've been lucky, but I've never experienced a delay and usually arrive early. (But I do not travel at rush hours.)

Morning Acela trains leave Boston at 15 minutes after 6, 7, 8, 9, and 1, and arrive 3 hrs. 42 min. later, on average.<BR><BR>Non-Acela trains can take as little as 4 -4 1/2 hrs., although there's one pokey one that takes 6 hrs. -- obviously, you'd want to avoid that one.<BR><BR>Remember, too, you don't have to buy a RT ticket or stay over a Saturday.

One way on Acela is $127; regular train is $64. There are also excursion fares and family rates.

Sorry sorry sorry -- I can't subtract:<BR>Travel time for the Acela 3 hr. 27 min.

Well, not going to get into a pissing contest about the train -vs- plane thing. I guess it all depends on WHEN Robyn plans to leave Boston for NYC and what her budget would be. <BR><BR>No offense but I personally would never ride a bus anywhere but in Disneyworld. So I have no help with bus information.<BR><BR>I would rather deal with an airport and a short flight to NYC than be on a train too. I just can't stand to be cooped out for too long. I can walk around an airport in and out to pass the time waiting for a flight and cab.<BR><BR>I suggest checking with the concierge of the hotel about a van transfer to Logan or the train station.