BWI to Amtrak transfer, 30min enough?
 

I see there are a few threads that mention a 10-15 minute shuttle ride between BWI and the BWI Amtrak station. However I'm wondering, do you think 30 minutes is enough to transfer from the plane seat to the Amtrak station?

I'm looking at a flight that lands at 9:15am Sunday morning, and hoping to catch a 9:45 Amtrak train. Of course flight reliability plays a big factor so I'm hoping that this 96% on time frequency helps my flight land on time.

Also, carry on bag only.

Thanks for the help!

I'd say you're pushing it. The shuttle officially runs every 12 minutes. So if you just miss one - plus the time to walk trough the terminal and travel time, you are cutting it close for sure!
Maybe others who use it frequently can chime in.

Simply, no. Not sure how in the world you could get off the plane (at least 10 minutes for this nowadays waiting for doofuses with heavy roller bags), walk outside (BWI is a -big- airport), wait up to 12 minutes for a shuttle, then get there and over the bridge to the train platform in 30 minutes. No way.

I definitely wouldn't.

I do the transfer frequently, in both directions, using Amtrak or MARC. Presumably you're angling for a northbound Amtrak service because there's no reason to fixate on a particular southbound train to DC; there are several of those per hour.

If you made it in 30 minutes from arrival at gate to northbound Amtrak platform it would be a very lucky thing. Figure five minutes for the plane door to open and for you to get to the jetway; ten minutes to walk out of the concourse and downstairs to the bus stop; another five to ten minutes on average to await the bus; an eight-minute (or so) bus ride; and then a few minutes to buy your Amtrak ticket via agent or kiosk if you haven't got it printed out already.

If the bus pulled up literally as you emerged from the terminal you might make it, but that is a long shot. And if your plane is five or ten minutes late (remember "on time" is defined as within 15 minutes of published arrival, so there's a devil in that 96% figure), you're sunk.

The chances that the shuttle will be pulling up right as you get out are slim and my experience has been that the shuttle doesn't actually run on schedule. You should give yourself at least 45 minutes from arrival time to train departure time. As BearX220 said, a train to Baltimore or DC is easy, especially during the business week, but if it is a weekend or your destination is elsewhere, you'll need more planning and more time.

This part at least can be skipped now that Amtrak has gone to e-ticketing. Easy to purchase ahead of time, even if you do so on your smartphone on the shuttle bus from the airport to the train station.

To the OP: Please report back with success/failure story.

Amtrak to/from car rental facility
 

Any idea what the best way is to get from the BWI Amtrak station to the car rental facility?

• Shuttle to terminal, then shuttle to car rental facility? That could take 40 min if you hit it just wrong.
• I called Enterprise at the airport, and they won't pick you up. Maybe one of the off-site Enterprises will?
• Will one of the other on-site car rental companies pick you up?
• Uber

Suggestions are welcome...

There's a taxi rank there at the Amtrak station. That's probably the best option. They're all hoping for runs into DC, though, so I would give the cabbie $20 to make the quick trip to the rental car center worthwhile.

Plan B would be the two-free-shuttle trick into BWI and out again to the rental center. That could take 18-20 minutes if you hit it right, 40 minutes if you just miss buses.

Plan C would be Uber but I can't estimate wait time or cost.

I expect none of the central-facility car rental companies will come fetch you because none have their own dedicated shuttles anymore.

Uber's fare estimate for train station to rental car facility is $6-$8. I think availability should be good, given all the Ubers dropping off (and maybe picking up?) at the terminal.

I think that no central-facility car rental companies will come fetch you because they don't have the drivers for it. Shuttle buses aren't the issue -- they could in theory, pick you up in a rental car. (Some non-airport Enterprises seem to have dedicated drivers to come pick you up.)

40 min with the two shuttles is crazy. Google says the walk is only 29 min!

Sure, but the shuttles into and out of the airport terminal complex cover three or four times the point-to-point mileage from Amtrak to car rental center.

Off topic, that stupid, remote car rental center transformed BWI from one of the best airports in the US to collect a rental car (old model: trot across the arrivals driveway to central parking complex, jump into car, be on your way in three minutes) to one of the worst.

And besides, all of that assumes that the flight is exactly on time! I'd give to 5:1 odds you won't make it.

Well that was four months ago so by now he's either made it or not.

Now that you can book Amtrak on the app, there is no reason to book in advance unless it's the day before Thanksgiving and it's an Acela or some such. You can actually book and purchase once you board as there's always time before the Conductor reaches you.

With Acela, NER and MARC, there are three fare structures (not to mention Acela F and NER J).