hi55us

The capitol corridor that runs between RIC and SAC is a state run route that has unreserved tickets, so the above advice does not apply. Reading the terms on unreserved tickets, it sounds like you can board any of the trains on the line except for the Amtrak operated California Zephyr (which has reserved seats).

It is really unclear to me why someone would buy a flexible fare ticket on this route at 2x the cost, when a regular "Value" ticket is freely changeable....

ddlo1982

Great info!!! thanks a lot!!

WineCountryUA

Another missed train question -- looking more recent policy / experience

Have a flight into EWR and upgrade cleared but meeting moved to PHL. So I thought, still go to EWR and take the train to PHL. Have taken many NE Corridor trains from EWR in the past but never Amtrak. In fact it has been years since I have ridden any Amtrak,

So I booked a EWR-PHL reserved Coach seat, somewhat tight connection 40 minutes which I think is doable but figure I would just catch the next train in an hour later if I miss the booked train. Apparently it is not that simple but not sure what I need to do if I arrive to late.

I will (hopefully) have internet on the plane if seriously late and of course a cell phone.

So what is the process today if you miss your train at EWR?

diburning

If you know ahead of time that you will miss your train, try to change the ticket from the app. If this doesn't work, call Amtrak right away. If the train departs without you, your ticket will be cancelled as a no show by the next station or so (it's a manual process done by the conductor on their handheld; if the conductor forgets, unscanned tickets auto cancel after 15 minutes from actual departure I think). Cancelled tickets are forfeited. There is no process for no-show cancelled tickets unless it was cancelled in error and you're on the train.

Your 40 minute connection is doable but dicey. The EWR Airtrain is anything but reliable even when it's running normally.

Change fees are waived until the end of April.

guv1976

I'd suggest switching to the later train now. If you get to the EWR rail station in time to catch the earlier train, go down to the platform and -- before boarding -- tell the train conductor that your flight got in on time for you to make the earlier train. Ask the conductor if (s)he will let you ride with your existing ticket.

If you get to the EWR rail station early enough, you can even try switching your ticket to the earlier train.

Long Train Runnin

I am EWR based and very frequent user of the EWR Airtrain.

I personally would not chance the 40 minute connection to Amtrak at EWR.

The Air Train is anything but reliable right now. It is not running anywhere near the advertised 5 minute headways. (At best it feels like 10 minutes before 9pm where it runs like every 20)

Not to mention coming from UA either from Terminal A means a longer ride, or from certain UA gates at C a longer walk.

I mean being in F does mean you will be off the plane kind of quickly, but that of course assumes you have a good gate arrival ground experience. Also, far from guaranteed at UA.

I mean it is frankly embarrassing to write this, but I think the 40 minutes is almost a coin flip to actually making it.

Now when using NJ Transit this is less of an issue as the tickets are not for anyone train and at least on the NEC line it means that you have 30 minutes to wait if you watch the doors close in your face.

On Amtrak it means you are now ticketless and would need to rebuy a walk up fare.

So, what does that mean? Do you actually save time waiting the full hour and 40 minutes at EWR for the Amtrak train?

Maybe not...you could consider doing the "Trenton Shuffle". This way you are on unreserved trains and can simply take the next NJ Transit train that shows up. You can buy a ticket to 30th Street Station from the NJ Transit ticket vending machine at EWR.

You will get 2 tickets a NJ Transit ticket to Trenton that includes your AirTrain ride fee, and a second ticket for SEPTA that will get you to 30th Street. (You can also buy this ticket on your phone via the NJTransit App). Cost $29.50

At Trenton it is a cross platform transfer over to SEPTA for the trip to Philly. (Average connection time is around 20 minutes during a weekday.)

Total time from getting on NJT Transit to 30th Street is roughly 2 hours 15 minutes.

Overall travel time might be longer, but the flexibility and not waiting around at EWR might make up for that.

Just my 2 cents.

schriste

Your SEPTA train will also continue on to the 2 center city stations which might be more convenient.

serpens

Based on what I've read here, I (an Amtrak enthusiast) suggest utilizing the "Trenton shuffle". I have done it (once; I'm an Amtrak enthusiast), and it was as easy as portrayed, as well as cheaper than Amtrak.
It used to be, and as far as I know still is, the case that an Amtrak ticket to (or from) 30th St Station was good for a ride on SEPTA from (or to) 30th St Station to (or from) Suburban or Jefferson stations. Corrections welcome if my information is out of date. If I recall correctly, I had some inconvenience at the SEPTA entry points because I needed to show my ticket to a gate attendant (and therefore find a gate attendant) because the turnstiles would not accept the Amtrak ticket.

ijgordon

The commuter trains are decidedly less comfortable than Amtrak but it’s probably not a bad idea given the general uncertainties of making a train on arrival into EWR. Especially considering the very high cost of a last-minute Amtrak ticket change.

WineCountryUA

Well based on the near unanimous opinion I was delusional with a 40 min EWR connection (now 37 minutes after minor schedule change), I have changed to the hour later train and may try the earlier train conductor request

Thanks for the feedback, this is what FT is all about.