# Missed Connection from Silver Meteor to Empire Service to upstate NY from Penn Station



## dande (Sep 28, 2019)

If I miss my next train, Empire Service to Westchester I assume I can just catch the next one using the same ticket. Is that correct? If it were yesterday I would not have made it. The train into Penn was 3 hours late. I have 2 1/2 hours between trains in the perfect world


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## pennyk (Sep 28, 2019)

I have missed connections from the Meteor to Empire Service and Acela a few times. When I know I will miss my connection, I phone Amtrak and have the reservation changed. When I get to the station, I get a new ticket printed.


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## dande (Sep 28, 2019)

pennyk said:


> I have missed connections from the Meteor to Empire Service and Acela a few times. When I know I will miss my connection, I phone Amtrak and have the reservation changed. When I get to the station, I get a new ticket printed.


Thanks for all your help with my questions. I thought you could just board a later train. Glad I asked as I checked yesterdays Silver Meteor and it was 3 hours late getting into Penn. Luckily there are several trains I can take after the scheduled one. Hope it doesn't happen


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## pennyk (Sep 28, 2019)

Sometimes, the conductor can be helpful. They usually hang out in the cafe car on the Silver Meteor (when not scanning tickets, etc.)


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## dande (Sep 29, 2019)

pennyk said:


> Sometimes, the conductor can be helpful. They usually hang out in the cafe car on the Silver Meteor (when not scanning tickets, etc.)


If we should miss our connection in Penn station and then get a new ticket for the later train to Westchester will I still be able to use the ticket that I have already printed out for the return trip? The entire round trip is on one ticket.


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## pennyk (Sep 29, 2019)

dande said:


> If we should miss our connection in Penn station and then get a new ticket for the later train to Westchester will I still be able to use the ticket that I have already printed out for the return trip? The entire round trip is on one ticket.


If your round trip is on the same reservation, then your return trip should not be affected if you change the Empire Service segment. I am not sure if you would still use the original e-ticket for your return or the return segment would show up on your modified ticket if you miss your connection. I normally do not put a round trip on one reservation, so I personally have not been faced with that situation (however, I just got off the phone with AGR making a reservation for a long cross country trip in December with 7 different trains, all on one reservation).


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## dande (Sep 29, 2019)

pennyk said:


> If your round trip is on the same reservation, then your return trip should not be affected if you change the Empire Service segment. I am not sure if you would still use the original e-ticket for your return or the return segment would show up on your modified ticket if you miss your connection. I normally do not put a round trip on one reservation, so I personally have not been faced with that situation (however, I just got off the phone with AGR making a reservation for a long cross country trip in December with 7 different trains, all on one reservation).


Yeah I never thought about it. I have 4 segments on one ticket. Florida to Penn, Penn to Westchester, Westchester back to Penn (spending the night there) then Penn back to Florida.


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## pennyk (Sep 29, 2019)

dande said:


> Yeah I never thought about it. I have 4 segments on one ticket. Florida to Penn, Penn to Westchester, Westchester back to Penn (spending the night there) then Penn back to Florida.


When you have more than one segment on a reservation, you should be vigilent to make sure your ticket is scanned by a conductor for each segment in order to insure that you were not considered a "no show" and avoid the possibility of future segments being canceled.
The upside of having segments on the same reservation is that they are considered guaranteed (which is the reason I chose to put all of mine on one reservation just in case one of the western trains is really really really really late).


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## Winecliff Station (Sep 30, 2019)

I've used the app to change my Empire train if running late on a connection, but then again I don't usually book on the same ticket because I'm never sure how long I'll want to stop over in NY. And I sometimes don't like what they assign on a single ticket..... for example coming up on the Star in a a couple of weeks, they wanted to make me sit around for two hours and I wanted to see if by some miracle the Star is on time I could make an earlier one. I'm also working in NY the next day, so I have to decide if I'm sending DH alone with the baggage and staying over, or doing the quick 12 hour turnaround going home and coming back in the morning. Still haven't made up my mind


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## dande (Sep 30, 2019)

Winecliff Station said:


> I've used the app to change my Empire train if running late on a connection, but then again I don't usually book on the same ticket because I'm never sure how long I'll want to stop over in NY. And I sometimes don't like what they assign on a single ticket..... for example coming up on the Star in a a couple of weeks, they wanted to make me sit around for two hours and I wanted to see if by some miracle the Star is on time I could make an earlier one. I'm also working in NY the next day, so I have to decide if I'm sending DH alone with the baggage and staying over, or doing the quick 12 hour turnaround going home and coming back in the morning. Still haven't made up my mind


It has been many years since we have taken a long distance train so we are like novices. We have 2 1/2 hours in NYC before our connecting train to Westchester this week. I though that might be a lot of time but watching the Silver Meteors on time record we actually would have missed the train if it were a few days ago

All that said if we do this again I will make separate reservations.


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## dande (Sep 30, 2019)

Winecliff Station said:


> I've used the app to change my Empire train if running late on a connection, but then again I don't usually book on the same ticket because I'm never sure how long I'll want to stop over in NY. And I sometimes don't like what they assign on a single ticket..... for example coming up on the Star in a a couple of weeks, they wanted to make me sit around for two hours and I wanted to see if by some miracle the Star is on time I could make an earlier one. I'm also working in NY the next day, so I have to decide if I'm sending DH alone with the baggage and staying over, or doing the quick 12 hour turnaround going home and coming back in the morning. Still haven't made up my mind


Just installed the app and there is no modify button only a place to cancel the reservation. Same thing when I go to the Amtrak website and click modify there are only options to send a booking confirmation or cancel the booking


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## pennyk (Sep 30, 2019)

dande said:


> Just installed the app and there is no modify button only a place to cancel the reservation. Same thing when I go to the Amtrak website and click modify there are only options to send a booking confirmation or cancel the booking



I recommend calling Amtrak to modify. If you change a reservation because of a late connecting train, they will generally switch you without an extra charge if the new train has a higher fare.


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## Winecliff Station (Sep 30, 2019)

dande said:


> Just installed the app and there is no modify button only a place to cancel the reservation. Same thing when I go to the Amtrak website and click modify there are only options to send a booking confirmation or cancel the booking



Ok then it must only work with separate reservations. Forget what I said


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## dande (Sep 30, 2019)

pennyk said:


> I recommend calling Amtrak to modify. If you change a reservation because of a late connecting train, they will generally switch you without an extra charge if the new train has a higher fare.


Thanks After I posted I thought about the fact that the new train might cost more and that might not work since it would not be our fault that we missed it

Will try to call should that happen (hope not) but don't know about their call wait times. I tried calling a few days ago about one of these questions and hung up after being on hold for 10 minutes


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## pennyk (Sep 30, 2019)

dande said:


> Thanks After I posted I thought about the fact that the new train might cost more and that might not work since it would not be our fault that we missed it
> 
> Will try to call should that happen (hope not) but don't know about their call wait times. I tried calling a few days ago about one of these questions and hung up after being on hold for 10 minutes



If you are an AGR member, call the AGR number. The wait times are not that long. However, I would check with the conductor first. He/she will know who on the train has connections and will have a good idea if the connections will be made or missed. If the Silver Meteor is late and you miss your Empire Service connection because the connection was impossible, it is not your fault and Amtrak will accommodate you. The few times this has happened to me, I was not charged anything extra. I phoned Amtrak each time as soon as I was certain I would miss the connection and certainly well before the departure time of the connecting train. I am at an advantage being Select Executive and my hold times are allegedly shorter. (However, I have waited longer than 10 minutes to speak to an agent - I put on my patience hat and remember my yoga breathing).


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## PVD (Sep 30, 2019)

That is a prime reason to accept the guaranteed connection, even if an on time arrival might make a short connection possible. If a guaranteed connection is blown, Amtrak will accommodate you with later transportation if possible, and in some cases, an overnight hotel room. If you do get in early enough to make an earlier connection, and space is available, there is rarely a problem getting changed to the earlier train. I've done that a few times at WAS on the CL to an available NER. But if the CL had a melt down, I'd be protected. Without a guaranteed connection, you may be on your own.


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