Philly, 30th St to Baltimore Penn - Acela or Regional?
Aug 19, 2011, 9:42 am
#1
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Philly, 30th St to Baltimore Penn - Acela or Regional?
Amtrak noob here; traveling with a colleague from downtown Philly to downtown Baltimore. A couple of questions about the trip:
How terrible is the regional service ($43) vs. the Acela ($83)? The Acela only appears to be 10 minutes faster. What other benefits besides WiFi does it provide?
Price isn't too much of an issue, but I do travel reasonably for work.
Do tickets become more expensive as the trip approaches / do they ever sell out?
Overall, what's the best choice for a 6-7p departure between the two cities?
How terrible is the regional service ($43) vs. the Acela ($83)? The Acela only appears to be 10 minutes faster. What other benefits besides WiFi does it provide?
Price isn't too much of an issue, but I do travel reasonably for work.
Do tickets become more expensive as the trip approaches / do they ever sell out?
Overall, what's the best choice for a 6-7p departure between the two cities?
Aug 19, 2011, 12:46 pm
#2
Join Date: Dec 2006
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Are you talking weekday? Then it looks like there is a 6:07 (75% on time in July) Acela departure and regionals at 6:08 (45% on time in July) and 7:00 (70% on time in july)
Aug 19, 2011, 1:44 pm
#3
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You can make and pay for the reservation online, and as long as you don't print the ticket out, could cancel the reservation for a full refund. If you are going to use the reservation, you can print the ticket at a kiosk in the train station.
Aug 19, 2011, 1:51 pm
#4
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Some additional information:
1) For most "regular" (e.g., no auto train, sleeper etc.) tickets, which I think includes all Philadelphia - Baltimore trains, tickets are fully refundable even after date of travel has passed.
2) Wifi on Acela in my opinion is very shabby. I would personally not let that feature alone sway the decision.
3) At peak business hours, Regional is less crowded in my experience. Thus providing an ironically more comfortable experience at a lower price.
1) For most "regular" (e.g., no auto train, sleeper etc.) tickets, which I think includes all Philadelphia - Baltimore trains, tickets are fully refundable even after date of travel has passed.
2) Wifi on Acela in my opinion is very shabby. I would personally not let that feature alone sway the decision.
3) At peak business hours, Regional is less crowded in my experience. Thus providing an ironically more comfortable experience at a lower price.
Aug 19, 2011, 3:28 pm
#5
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For that short a distance and at basically half the price, I'd go with the Regional. It's a quick ride and the Quiet Car is very nice.
Aug 19, 2011, 10:04 pm
#6
Join Date: Dec 2007
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If you are picky about points and price, then save your money for the Acela on a longer, city pair trip, which will give you more points. Go with the NE Regional because it's less expensive. Of course, if you just gotta get there and pressed for time then take the first train available.