# Connecting Meteor to LSL



## Slasharoo (Dec 6, 2014)

I am looking to book a return trip from Hollywood, Florida to Milwaukee. I would like to connect from the Meteor, scheduled to arrive in NYP at 11:06 am, to the Lake Shore Limited departing at 3:40 pm. I know this is not a route that comes up on Arrow, but is there any way to book this that would make it a guaranteed connection?


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## OlympianHiawatha (Dec 7, 2014)

That should be a good legal connection as I have done it twice on an AGR redemption with no problems booking. Assuming you are going Sleeper you need to book on the phone; so he or she should be able to get it all set up no problems.


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## the_traveler (Dec 7, 2014)

Even if going coach, you will need to phone AGR since the award involves a connection. Only direct train awards can be done online.


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## pennyk (Dec 7, 2014)

I have done that connection many times from Orlando using AGR points. Last summer, I went to Salt Lake City, connecting in NYP from the Meteor, using points. I believe the routing showed up in Arrow. Of course, I phoned AGR to make the reservation.


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## Ryan (Dec 7, 2014)

98/29 is the only routing that comes up. 

If you want to go through NYP, you're going to have to break the trip into two legs to force the preferred routing.

98/49 comes up if you try and book HOL-TOL, so you can do it as two separate 1-zone redemptions HOL-TOL and TOL-MKE.


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## pennyk (Dec 7, 2014)

RyanS said:


> 98/29 is the only routing that comes up.
> 
> If you want to go through NYP, you're going to have to break the trip into two legs to force the preferred routing.
> 
> 98/49 comes up if you try and book HOL-TOL, so you can do it as two separate 1-zone redemptions HOL-TOL and TOL-MKE.


98/49 came up for me when I tried to book HOL-CHI. I think the CHI-MKE segment may be the problem.


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## Anderson (Dec 8, 2014)

I was thinking that...CHI-MKE is a _cheap_ leg, too, so I'd say just book to CHI and pay the $10 or so for the last leg on the Hiawatha.


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## Ryan (Dec 8, 2014)

Agreed completely. It's sad that so many perfectly legal connections just aren't programmed in properly.


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## Anderson (Dec 9, 2014)

RyanS said:


> Agreed completely. It's sad that so many perfectly legal connections just aren't programmed in properly.


I'll agree with this. On the one hand, there's a fine line between loading everything conceivable into the system and overloading people with somewhat-odd routings (most of the issues at this point seem to be cases where more than one connection is involved, though there's also the issue of connection-heavy stations and wanting to book a later-than-offered connection).


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## Orie (Dec 9, 2014)

The avg delay for the Meteor into NYP the past month is only 26 minutes too, so you should have no problems making the connection.


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## Slasharoo (Dec 11, 2014)

Thanks for the responses. Sorry it took a couple of days to reply, but we had a little emergency here that is cleared up now. I hate not being able to participate in a discussion I started.

Thanks for figuring out that Milwaukee was the problem with the routing snafu. I don't have pathways in my brain that can figure out something that nonsensical. Obviously, I haven't been dealing with Amtrak on as fine a level as the rest of you, and I am extremely grateful for all your help. Our last trip to Florida was only marred by a late arrival into New York, meaning we missed the daylight ride down the Hudson Valley. I would like to rectify that with our May trip.


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## PaulM (Dec 16, 2014)

Anderson said:


> RyanS said:
> 
> 
> > Agreed completely. It's sad that so many perfectly legal connections just aren't programmed in properly.
> ...


There is nothing odd about Florida to MKE via NYP. On the other hand, there are a lot of very odd routes that are published. But the real oddity is AGR not allowing sensible routes even it takes a multi-city routing. The network is sparse enough without arbitrarily disallowing sensible itineraries.

By the way, didn't the AGR Insider promise to try to get sensible routes published? Seems like it would be less trouble to just allow the routing on an ad hoc basis than to fight with operations.


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## Ryan (Dec 16, 2014)

That puts the judgement call in the hands of the agents, which is exactly what management is trying to get away from.

The correct answer is to have routings programmed correctly.


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## Slasharoo (Jan 6, 2015)

I just made reservations for our May round trip Milwaukee to Hollywood, FL. Out on the Cardinal/bus/Meteor and back on Meteor/Lake Shore Limited. I did have to talk the agent through the problem of it not showing up on Arrow. I had to agree that the final leg, Chicago to Milwaukee, would not be a guaranteed connection. If the train is anything less than 8 hours late, I should be ok. (knocking wood) Thanks for all the help, now I just need help waiting till May.


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## VentureForth (Jan 7, 2015)

This is really weird. When sorted by "Duration" the 26 hour routing on the Pennsylvanian through Pittsburgh to the CL to CHI then Hiawatha #333 is shown before the 24 hour routing of taking the LSL to CHI and then Hiawatha #335.

It would make sense IF there was a rule that award redemptions had to take the most efficient (or cheapest) routing, which would indeed be Hollywood-Washington DC-CHI-Milwaukee.

However, as far as I know, no such rule exists.


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## Anderson (Jan 8, 2015)

VentureForth said:


> This is really weird. When sorted by "Duration" the 26 hour routing on the Pennsylvanian through Pittsburgh to the CL to CHI then Hiawatha #333 is shown before the 24 hour routing of taking the LSL to CHI and then Hiawatha #335.
> 
> It would make sense IF there was a rule that award redemptions had to take the most efficient (or cheapest) routing, which would indeed be Hollywood-Washington DC-CHI-Milwaukee.
> 
> However, as far as I know, no such rule exists.


"Most efficient" could shunt people on to more expensive routings, while the "cheapest" routing can easily vary on a day-to-day basis (i.e. there are probably times when people would be blocked from the LSL on an NYP-CHI routing or you'd get some goofy CVS-WAS-CHI routing in lieu of the Cardinal).


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