Explore

The connection between the Starlight and Sunset in Los Angeles is just one hour, though apparently guaranteed. Recently the Starlight seems to have been arriving early, but of course that's no guarantee of future performance. The Sunset operates just tri-weekly.

Let's say I book a sleeper on both trains, and the connection is missed. How will Amtrak get me to my destination on the Sunset in a timely manner, i.e. without waiting for the next tri-weekly train? If they won't fly me, will they offer a partial refund (unlikely to cover last-minute airfare)? What if the travel is booked on points?

Thanks.....

ambyr

If you somehow miss the guaranteed connection, Amtrak will either use a bus to catch you up to the train later down the route or put you up in a hotel until the next train comes through (and if that train is sold out of sleepers, they will downgrade you to coach). If they think you are likely to miss the connection, they may take you off the first train early in hopes that a bus can make up the time and get you onto the second train at the original transfer station. They are not going to fly you.

Explore

Do they issue a partial points refund or credit in the event sleeping car travel is missed?

jebr

In my experience, yes. You should, at minimum, get the difference between coach and sleeper for the connection with the missed leg.

The one time I had a missed connection in Chicago (between two long distance trains, missed by a couple minutes! Long list of failures on that trip...) I was given a room on the next day's train, along with a taxi voucher, a $10 food voucher, and a room at the Swissotel for the night. After talking with the agent, she said we also had the option of going to the Greyhound counter and getting tickets on Greyhound if we wanted. We went that route as we desperately wanted to get back that day, and there was an itinerary that would do so. (There were multiple a day, and the agent was flexible enough to get us on the earlier one that left from the Greyhound station and would get us home earlier, even though the stops were slightly different than what the Amtrak-coded one normally allows.) Once we were on board the bus, we called AGR and we got a full refund for that segment of the trip, even though Amtrak did pay for the bus home from Chicago.

FrensicPic

A couple of years ago on a late Starlight #11 , it was announced that Sunset Limited passengers would de-train in Santa Barbara and be bused to Palm Springs to meet the SL.

zephyr17

It varies by the train and the circumstances. It is NOT a guarantee that the outbound train will be held, only that Amtrak will get you to the destination.

Since the Sunset only runs 3 times if the Starlight is only a little late, chances are they might hold it, but only a little late (probably <30 minute delay to the Sunset). Otherwise the most common solution is to take you off the Starlight up the line at Santa Barbara or Oxnard and bus you to catch the Sunset at Palm Springs. If the Starlight is already really late by the time you get into Sacramento and the Bay Area, they'll likely take you off the Starlight at Sacramento, Martinez, or Emeryville and put the Sunset passengers on the San Joaquin train/bus connection to LA, which is much faster than the Starlight.