JFK to Penn Station at midnight
May 20, 2011, 11:48 pm
#1
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JFK to Penn Station at midnight
I'm thinking of taking a flight to JFK that is scheduled to arrive at 11:25 pm. To get the trip to work, I'd need to be at the megabus stop by Penn station for a bus to PHL that departs at 1:15 am. This would all be on a Sunday night. Is this possible?
I don't mind cutting things close, but I think this might be way too close. Any flight delay would throw me off, and there is nothing else (I think) I can do at this hour to get back to Philadelphia the same night if I were to miss the bus. But before writing it off, it's probably best to ask the more experienced. I've never been on Airtrain/LIRR from Jamaica this late, and I'm not familiar with how much frequency reductions extend the duration of the trip to Penn station. Thanks!
I don't mind cutting things close, but I think this might be way too close. Any flight delay would throw me off, and there is nothing else (I think) I can do at this hour to get back to Philadelphia the same night if I were to miss the bus. But before writing it off, it's probably best to ask the more experienced. I've never been on Airtrain/LIRR from Jamaica this late, and I'm not familiar with how much frequency reductions extend the duration of the trip to Penn station. Thanks!
May 21, 2011, 9:21 am
#2
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Why not take a cab? At that time of night, especially on a Sunday, I can't see much in the way of traffic heading into Manhattan. Plus perhaps if the flight is delayed you can get rebooked to PHL by your airline. It certainly wouldn't hurt to ask. I'd risk your routing, worst came to worst you could rent a car and drive.
May 21, 2011, 9:39 am
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I'm thinking of taking a flight to JFK that is scheduled to arrive at 11:25 pm. To get the trip to work, I'd need to be at the megabus stop by Penn station for a bus to PHL that departs at 1:15 am. This would all be on a Sunday night. Is this possible?
I don't mind cutting things close, but I think this might be way too close. Any flight delay would throw me off, and there is nothing else (I think) I can do at this hour to get back to Philadelphia the same night if I were to miss the bus. But before writing it off, it's probably best to ask the more experienced. I've never been on Airtrain/LIRR from Jamaica this late, and I'm not familiar with how much frequency reductions extend the duration of the trip to Penn station. Thanks!
I don't mind cutting things close, but I think this might be way too close. Any flight delay would throw me off, and there is nothing else (I think) I can do at this hour to get back to Philadelphia the same night if I were to miss the bus. But before writing it off, it's probably best to ask the more experienced. I've never been on Airtrain/LIRR from Jamaica this late, and I'm not familiar with how much frequency reductions extend the duration of the trip to Penn station. Thanks!
I'd probably cab it. Perhaps you could even find someone at the taxi ranks willing to split a cab, although that will mean whomever gets dropped next by the taxi will have to (also) pay a (new) fare from the first drop-off point in the city to the final drop-off point.
May 21, 2011, 10:11 am
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go to www.mta.info and check train schedules for the LIRR from Jamaica Station to Penn Station. Its about a five minute walk to the Mega Bus Stop from there. Assuming your flight is on time you should have enough time.
May 21, 2011, 10:46 am
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Cab is flat rate $46 + tolls + tip (roughly $60). If you can swing that, it's worth it for a hassle-free trip. Another simpler and faster alternative is to do a one-way rental to downtown Philadelphia. Roughly 2 1/4 hours drive time. If you are in your car by Midnight (which you should be xJFK at that time of night), you will be in Philadelphia about 1 1/2 hours earlier than JFK-NYP-Megabus-PHL. Just make sure you get a car w. GPS unless you are familar with current traffic patterns.
May 21, 2011, 11:04 am
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There's a 12:22 AM LIRR train from Jamaica to NYP. That's the train that the OP would have to be on to catch his bus. If he can be at the JFK AirTrain station serving his airline terminal by ~ 11:45 PM, he should be fine; otherwise, a taxi from JFK to Jamaica Station might be a reasonable alternative.
If the OP misses his bus, Amtrak has a 3:00 AM departure from NYP that arrives PHL at 4:35 AM.
There's a 12:22 AM LIRR train from Jamaica to NYP. That's the train that the OP would have to be on to catch his bus. If he can be at the JFK AirTrain station serving his airline terminal by ~ 11:45 PM, he should be fine; otherwise, a taxi from JFK to Jamaica Station might be a reasonable alternative.
If the OP misses his bus, Amtrak has a 3:00 AM departure from NYP that arrives PHL at 4:35 AM.
Last edited by guv1976; May 21, 2011 at 5:15 pm
May 21, 2011, 5:17 pm
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If the OP does end up taking the LIRR from Jamaica, and if he can get to an LIRR ticket machine by 11:59 PM Sunday night, he can buy the discounted "City Ticket" from Jamaica to NYP. The ticket itself would be valid until 4:00 AM Monday morning, but is not sold after 11:59 PM Sunday night.
Otherwise, the regular off-peak rail fare from Jamaica to NYP is $6.25.
If the OP does end up taking the LIRR from Jamaica, and if he can get to an LIRR ticket machine by 11:59 PM Sunday night, he can buy the discounted "City Ticket" from Jamaica to NYP. The ticket itself would be valid until 4:00 AM Monday morning, but is not sold after 11:59 PM Sunday night.
Otherwise, the regular off-peak rail fare from Jamaica to NYP is $6.25.
May 30, 2011, 12:14 am
#9
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Thanks everyone for your help! The additional cost for a flight to PHL dropped just enough to be not much more than cab (cab fare posted here, if the flight were to run a little late) from JFK + bus.
Makes things much more convenient, but I miss out on the adventure to make the bus.
Makes things much more convenient, but I miss out on the adventure to make the bus.
Jun 1, 2011, 7:05 am
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In reality - you have no problems if you landed in JFK.
As long as AirTrain gets you to Jamaica by 12:15am - you can board the E train to Penn Station for only $2.25. LIRR is much faster but the subway works to allow you transport to Penn Station within 50 minutes.
I know some of the recommendations are cab but you are taking MegaBus so I wouldn't propose a cab which is probably 3x-4x the cost of your MegaBus trip.
As long as AirTrain gets you to Jamaica by 12:15am - you can board the E train to Penn Station for only $2.25. LIRR is much faster but the subway works to allow you transport to Penn Station within 50 minutes.
I know some of the recommendations are cab but you are taking MegaBus so I wouldn't propose a cab which is probably 3x-4x the cost of your MegaBus trip.