Tracks 7 - 8 are also fair game for Empire trains.
Yes. If you’re on the upper Amtrak level of Penn station, you first have to go to the lower LIRR level. On the LIRR level follow the signs for Amtrak - you go through the entrance to the 8th avenue ACE subway station and after that you’ll end up in the West End Concourse which is the lower level of Moynihan. There are then escalators and elevators to get from there to the train hall. Do the opposite to get to Penn station from Moynihan.It is possible to transition between Penn Station and Moynihan without going outdoors, but the signage is sometimes not helpful.
The Amtrak website does not list Albany as a station that offers Red Cap service. On the other hand, I absolutely have received excellent baggage assistance there. Perhaps they are the checked baggage folks doing "double duty" and are not technically red caps, but certainly filled that role.Redcap review from my trip to upstate New York:
Getting off a Regional — really nice redcap (Sam—I’ve had him before) met me at the train and took me to the Moynihan lounge. Sam came back for me to put me on the Empire Service but passed me on to another redcap —also very nice —because he was dealing with a bunch of people for another train.
Albany—wonderful redcaps — one met the train coming in and took several of us up in the elevator, and another took several of us down today.
The wilderness area of tracks 5 and 6 at NYP today:
No redcap in sight, elevator way at the other end of the platform, and several staircases in front of me. Staircase 1 said “To NJT trains” so I skipped that and went up staircase 2. I think I did pretty much what Just-Thinking-51 did—ended up in a dumpy underground and emerged in the old Penn Station and had to cross the road. I asked directions of one employee and she said to go up the escalator and cross the road.
Well, I did it—emerged out into the wilds of NYC (surprisingly calm and tame compared to what I thought it would be like) and crossed the road to Moynihan and from there it was fairly easy to follow the signs and get to the lounge.
I took the Acela First Class from NYP to PHL, and one of the desk attendants took me and two others down.
To summarize: Going north, redcap service at NYP good. At Albany: wonderful in both directions. Going south and changing trains at NYP: just remind yourself that travel is an adventure and congratulate yourself on getting so many staircase credits on your Fitbit.
I agree with no red caps, but the station is very busy and with that setup it’s well staffed. So someone is able to assist the passengers up and down from the platform, this is good.The Amtrak website does not list Albany as a station that offers Red Cap service. On the other hand, I absolutely have received excellent baggage assistance there. Perhaps they are the checked baggage folks doing "double duty" and are not technically red caps, but certainly filled that role.
Exactly, someone from the baggage area helped me, and was very good.I agree with no red caps, but the station is very busy and with that setup it’s well staffed. So someone is able to assist the passengers up and down from the platform, this is good.
America's large cities are not as dangerous as a lot of the discourse going about makes them out to be. I would definitely prefer to cross 8th Avenue to get from the Old Penn Station to Moynihan than cross Park Heights Ave. or Reisterstown Road, two of the main arterials in my suburban Baltimore neighborhood. (The main danger comes from the auto traffic, not any scruffy-looking characters that may or may not be about.)Well, I did it—emerged out into the wilds of NYC (surprisingly calm and tame compared to what I thought it would be like) and crossed the road to Moynihan and from there it was fairly easy to follow the signs and get to the lounge.
I can walk that distance easily. It’s a balance issue. Once the trains have left, I get a panicky feeling that I could veer off and fall onto the tracks. A redcap at PHL told me it’s very common—a lot of people feel like that. So going up a staircase with a railing and being away from the tracks is easier for me, even if the walk is longer.If you're arriving on Amtrak and want to get up into the Moynihan hall, I do think the easiest way is to follow the yellow to that elevator at the far west end of the platform. If the arriving train pulls east along the platform, it can be a long hike, but it saves having to navigate the maze of the lower level of the old Penn Station. Going up and out to the street is not a bad second choice if the weather is decent, but it almost certainly involves longer hike.
Actually, I wasn’t worried about crime at all—it was the middle of the day on a weekend. It’s more a claustrophobic feeling—I’ve always assumed, from looking out the train windows and seeing all those buildings up against each other, that the streets were like that, too—people jam-packed against each other on the sidewalk with no room to move. But it was fine—I’ve been on more crowded sidewalks in Philly.America's large cities are not as dangerous as a lot of the discourse going about makes them out to be. I would definitely prefer to cross 8th Avenue to get from the Old Penn Station to Moynihan than cross Park Heights Ave. or Reisterstown Road, two of the main arterials in my suburban Baltimore neighborhood. (The main danger comes from the auto traffic, not any scruffy-looking characters that may or may not be about.)
That said, it's easy to get directly from train to Moynihan without dealing with the old Penn Station at all. If you're coming in from Albany, just walk towards the rear of the train, which will be the west end of the platform. Take the last escalator going up, and that will take you right into Moynihan. There's also an elevator as well, for those who need it.
It must have been the baggage guys, then. They had a little room and were wearing red jackets, so I just assumed they had started redcap service. I love the Albany station. I was supposed to travel the day the bridge mess near Yonkers messed everything up and had arrived at the station before I knew about it. I got a hotel room, rebooked my tickets at no charge, and got a sandwich and cheesecake from the delightful cafe, and sat for a few minutes before I got a Lyft to the hotel, so I was able to see how the Albany staff handled the situation. I was super impressed. They were polite and helpful to everyone. One Amtrak employee seemed to act as a “floater”— helping people figure out their best options. And the ticket agent rebooked my ticket cheerfully. Announcements were made routinely with updates.The Amtrak website does not list Albany as a station that offers Red Cap service. On the other hand, I absolutely have received excellent baggage assistance there. Perhaps they are the checked baggage folks doing "double duty" and are not technically red caps, but certainly filled that role.
Oh, that must be really disconcerting. In that case, yes, taking the nearest route upstairs is much better than a walk along the length of the platform. If you go up to the old Amtrak concourse on the 8th Avenue side, it's easy to just go out to Eighth Avenue and cross the street to Moynihan.It’s a balance issue. Once the trains have left, I get a panicky feeling that I could veer off and fall onto the tracks.
Large stations like NYP, have “Red Caps” as a separate craft, and are dedicated to only that service. Usually the most senior (able-bodied) employees in the Clerk’s union will bid for those jobs, as they are the most lucrative by far, earning good hourly wage plus tips.The Amtrak website does not list Albany as a station that offers Red Cap service. On the other hand, I absolutely have received excellent baggage assistance there. Perhaps they are the checked baggage folks doing "double duty" and are not technically red caps, but certainly filled that role.
Probably particularly bad in a station like NYP, being underground, high level platform, and the platforms are mostly narrowOh, that must be really disconcerting. In that case, yes, taking the nearest route upstairs is much better than a walk along the length of the platform. If you go up to the old Amtrak concourse on the 8th Avenue side, it's easy to just go out to Eighth Avenue and cross the street to Moynihan.
Not to mention that third rail lurking down there, at least for the tracks that connect to the Hudson River lines. I still remember my first experience with high level platforms, at Park Street Under when I was about 5. My dad took us (the three oldest boys) into Boston on a shopping expedition (I think he was buying a new suit.) We drove to a trolley station (I think it was the then brand-new Riverside MTA station) and took the trolley in. I somehow intuitively expected the trolley and how to deal with it, but when we took the stairs down to the subway (not yet called the Red Line), the gaps between the platforms freaked me out a little. They did not yet have the yellow lines or the modern tactile bumpy floor panels, and if there were warning signs, I hadn't learned to read yet. Besides which I was responsible for preventing my idiot younger brothers from falling in. I did somehow know about the third rail. Ah, the 1950's.Probably particularly bad in a station like NYP, being underground, high level platform, and the platforms are mostly narrow
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