"Standby" ok on earlier or later train?
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Earth
Posts: 1,797
"Standby" ok on earlier or later train?
Suppose I buy a ticket to ride train #5 scheduled to depart at noon, 7 days from date of purchase. If I show up at the station on the scheduled day of departure, and try to ride earlier on train#4 or later on train #6 on the same routing that I purchase, and assuming there are plenty of open seats for this one segment....
(1) will I be able to ride without problems, or will the
conductor say I can only ride train#5?
(2) assuming I can ride train#4, when the
AGR points post, will they post as riding train#4 or
as riding train#5?
Thank you.
(1) will I be able to ride without problems, or will the
conductor say I can only ride train#5?
(2) assuming I can ride train#4, when the
AGR points post, will they post as riding train#4 or
as riding train#5?
Thank you.
#2
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Here! (Or there - I'm not sure)
Programs: Peon in all
Posts: 4,358
Originally Posted by crankyusi
Suppose I buy a ticket to ride train #5 scheduled to depart at noon, 7 days from date of purchase. If I show up at the station on the scheduled day of departure, and try to ride earlier on train#4 or later on train #6 on the same routing that I purchase, and assuming there are plenty of open seats for this one segment....
(1) will I be able to ride without problems, or will the
conductor say I can only ride train#5?
(2) assuming I can ride train#4, when the
AGR points post, will they post as riding train#4 or
as riding train#5?
Thank you.
(1) will I be able to ride without problems, or will the
conductor say I can only ride train#5?
(2) assuming I can ride train#4, when the
AGR points post, will they post as riding train#4 or
as riding train#5?
Thank you.
I had an experience where I had a res on a 9 AM train that allowed only a 45 minute connection. I wanted to get on the 7 AM train, but they said that I would need a new ticket for the 7 AM train. But to get the new ticket, I would have to pay the 10% penalty also!
I chose to remain on the 9 AM train. Luckily, it was on time!
#3
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: New York, N.Y.
Posts: 308
Depends on the train, the conductor you get, the number of other passengers. The rule is that if you're on a reserved train, you need a ticket for that train on that day.
In reality, I've seen conductors who will accept same-day tickets for a different train, but I've also seen conductions who will ask passengers to get off at the next station and either exchange their ticket for a later train or to ride their ticketed train. Most of the time I've seen conductors accept a ticket for a different train it's been on fairly short NEC runs, something like NYP-PHL.
In reality, I've seen conductors who will accept same-day tickets for a different train, but I've also seen conductions who will ask passengers to get off at the next station and either exchange their ticket for a later train or to ride their ticketed train. Most of the time I've seen conductors accept a ticket for a different train it's been on fairly short NEC runs, something like NYP-PHL.
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Earth
Posts: 1,797
Originally Posted by DCAview
Most of the time I've seen conductors accept a ticket for a different train it's been on fairly short NEC runs, something like NYP-PHL.
#5
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: OAK/SFO/SJC
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Posts: 1,158
On the capitol corridors (unreserved trains making the 2 hour round trip between Oakland (or sometimes San Jose) and Sacramento, the seats are unreserved, and it doesn't seem to be a problem which train you ride.
I suppose if they were really full and there were no seats, then people would just sit in the aisles like they do on Deutsche Bahn's ICE trains--but I can't imagine they'd kick you off the train.
-Hayden
I suppose if they were really full and there were no seats, then people would just sit in the aisles like they do on Deutsche Bahn's ICE trains--but I can't imagine they'd kick you off the train.
-Hayden
#7
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: New York, N.Y.
Posts: 308
Originally Posted by crankyusi
If that was for your personal situation, did the points post for the unplanned trip, or the originally scheduled trip? Thanks again.
#8
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Palm Beach/ New England
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Posts: 4,376
If you are taking an earlier or later train, same day, same routing, same class-of-service (Acela First, Acela Business, Regional Business, Regional Coach), I don't think the conductor is going to split hairs about the train number on the ticket. I've done it frequently. However, the platform guards check tickets in some stations, and they can be stickly about it.
#9
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Earth
Posts: 1,797
Originally Posted by fastflyer
If you are taking an earlier or later train, same day, same routing, same class-of-service ....... I've done it frequently.
Thank you for the input. Do you recall if the AGR points posted on the new train you actually took, or on the train that you were scheduled to ride? (assuming that an AGR account shows which train # you rode)
#10
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Here! (Or there - I'm not sure)
Programs: Peon in all
Posts: 4,358
Originally Posted by crankyusi
Thank you for the input. Do you recall if the AGR points posted on the new train you actually took, or on the train that you were scheduled to ride? (assuming that an AGR account shows which train # you rode)
#11
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Palm Beach/ New England
Programs: AA EXP 3MM, DL GM, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 4,376
Originally Posted by the_traveler
AGR postings only show (at least for me) "station A" to "station B" and the points earned. So it wouldn't show what train (#x or #y) that you took. (At least my account does not show it.)
#12
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: Washington, DC
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Posts: 5,015
Originally Posted by the_traveler
I can not say for certain, but I believe with an all-reserved train, you can only ride on that specific train, without a new ticket for the new train.
I had an experience where I had a res on a 9 AM train that allowed only a 45 minute connection. I wanted to get on the 7 AM train, but they said that I would need a new ticket for the 7 AM train. But to get the new ticket, I would have to pay the 10% penalty also!
I chose to remain on the 9 AM train. Luckily, it was on time!
I had an experience where I had a res on a 9 AM train that allowed only a 45 minute connection. I wanted to get on the 7 AM train, but they said that I would need a new ticket for the 7 AM train. But to get the new ticket, I would have to pay the 10% penalty also!
I chose to remain on the 9 AM train. Luckily, it was on time!
#13
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 647
Does anybody know what is likely to happen on the Keystone? Thinking my husband was flying out early on Monday morning for a business trip, I booked myself on an 11 AM train back to New York from Hershey where we have a wedding. Now it turns out he doesn't need to be at MSP until 8 PM, meaning he can leave from MDT as late as 4 PM and get there in time.
I don't mind paying the fare difference because the price went up a little, but I don't want to pay an administrative fee and I'm also on an H570 ticket, which warns that there may be restrictions on ability to exchange tickets. Thoughts?
I don't mind paying the fare difference because the price went up a little, but I don't want to pay an administrative fee and I'm also on an H570 ticket, which warns that there may be restrictions on ability to exchange tickets. Thoughts?
#15
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 71
Originally Posted by MSP2000
I had to leave earlier on the same day from DC. I had no problems exchanging the ticket. I was also using the the H570 discount code.
Yesterday, I was coming back from DC to NYC on a discounted ticket and I was told that if I switched to an earlier train I would pay the difference between the 15% discounted fare and the full fare. Ended up not mattering because the earlier train was completely full anyway. Why they had to charge me the extra $$, I don't know because it seems I am doing them a favor by switching to an earlier train. Maybe I just need to beg that much more.
Traveling on a free/AGR ticket I have had no problem switching to an earlier train or even a later one if I missed my train. Simply a space availability issue.
Traveling on the Acela with a ticket paid for by my employer usually allowed me to switch to an earlier train if I wanted to at no extra charge. Then again, my employer would have paid for the extra charge anyway, so long as it wasn't too much.
Seems like everybody has a different experience on this and Amtrak is sorely lacking in consistency!