LAX

Thanks to those who replied! I might have more questions later on, though.

LAX

LAX

The points finally posted and reservation is now made! I was surprised my preferred time was completely sold out, coach & business! In any event, how easy or difficult are the kiosks for printing my tickets? Am I better off going to the ticketing window.

I am taking SEPTA down to 30th Street Station, and I should have about 30 min to make the transfer (assuming SEPTA is on time). Is that adequate time to print the ticket and board the train? The tickets, as I understand, are for unreserved coach seats, so is there a particular car that's better than others? Any additional tips/advices to make the trip smoother much appreciated! TIA.

LAX

nerd

That is more than enough time (30 minutes) at 30th St. Station. The station is super-easy to navigate - the Amtrak and SEPTA areas are separate, but there's no way to get lost going between the two.

The QuickTrak is super fast to use, as long as you have you record locator, or a credit card.

LAX

Thanks for the quick reply. By the way, why does the overnight train take close to 8 hours while the day/evening trains take only 6 hours for the same trip? Does the overnight stop some where along the way for an extended period of time?

LAX

nerd

The overnight train has and additional 20-40 minutes of stops in both NY Penn, New Haven, maybe others. The timetables will give you an idea of how the added stops and layovers affect the total time.

AlanB

The overnight train does indeed spend some extra time just sitting in NYC, mainly to avoid getting to Boston too early in the morning. Additionally, the overnight train is the only train to run with a baggage car. The baggage cars limit the train to a slower top speed, so that also adds some time to the schedule. But the bulk of the extra time is just padding to avoid an early arrival time in Boston.

It spends 50 minutes sitting in NY and another 20 minutes at New Haven.

LAX

Will I be just sitting in an idle train or will I be allowed off during that time? I supposed nothing will be open at the station during those hours.

LAX

AlanB

Lax,

Assuming that you're not asleep, you can indeed get off the train. Know that if you go up into the station, unless you know the tricks of how to get back down, you'll end up in the line at the "main" gate waiting to reboard the train. Make sure to keep your eye on your watch too, as the train won't wait for you and there are many areas of the station where you won't hear any announcements.

And while I suspect that many of the places within the station will indeed be closed at that hour, I'm sure that some will be open. After all this is the city that never sleeps, not to mention that both the LIRR and NJ Transit do have trains coming and going pretty much at all hours of the night. It's only 1 or 2 arriving and departing, but the trains do run all night.

LAX

Now the nitty-gritty. From what I understand, what I have is an "unreserved" seat, so it's kind of like early birds get the best selection, right? Will I ever be without a seat if I get on at the last minute? How is luggage stored on these trains? I have a carry-on type rollerboard that easily fits in the overhead compartment on a plane, so that shouldn't be a problem on Amtrak, right? TIA.

LAX

bitburgr

Correct, seating on both the Acela and NEC Regional trains is first-come first-serve. I think you'll find some posts in this forum about trains where people are forced to stand, but those are rare occasions where trains seem to be cancelled and Amtrak is trying to make accommodations.

Regarding luggage space. On the Acela, they have large overhead bins much like on a plane, but probably twice as tall and a little deeper, easily accommodating even a 25" rollaboard. On the Regional train, there is still overhead space but not enclosed. On both trains, there should be racks at one end of each car where you can store luggage if you can't find (or lift up to) the overhead racks.

ClimbGuy

I think the issue of seating could use some clarification here.

You have a reserved ticket, not a reserved seat. So theoretically you are guaranteed a seat somewhere in the train. I say theoretically, because with Amtrak's liberal cancellation policy a lot of people book tickets and never use them. Amtrak knows this so they over sell the trains, if more people then expected show up, there aren't enough seats.

This is different from say the Keystone service between Harrisburg and Philadelphia where the train is unreserved. In that case Amtrak will sell an unlimited number of tickets regardless of the number of seats.

An unreserved ticket is like a SEPTA train.

A reserved ticket is like a Southwest flight (minus the boarding groups).

LAX

Just wanted to say thanks to those who helped. My trip went pretty smoothly because of the info provided here. Amtrak Guest Rewards is definitely a good value when redeeming for rail travels.

LAX