# What's the longest trip possible using commuter rail?



## DET63 (Oct 27, 2009)

Sometimes airline passengers make trips using only regional or commuter airlines, prop planes, etc., requiring numerous connections that are usually completed via a nonstop or at least direct flight (no plane changes).

How far can one travel using only commuter-rail services, whether or not alternative Amtrak service is available between the same places? (Assume that a service is non-Amtrak, even if Amtrak operates the service on a contract, if it's not marketed or advertised or ticketed as an Amtrak service; i.e., not in the Amtrak computer.)


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## wayman (Oct 28, 2009)

DET63 said:


> Sometimes airline passengers make trips using only regional or commuter airlines, prop planes, etc., requiring numerous connections that are usually completed via a nonstop or at least direct flight (no plane changes).
> How far can one travel using only commuter-rail services, whether or not alternative Amtrak service is available between the same places? (Assume that a service is non-Amtrak, even if Amtrak operates the service on a contract, if it's not marketed or advertised or ticketed as an Amtrak service; i.e., not in the Amtrak computer.)


This includes two short and unavoidable bus-bridges (using three different services), plus one ferry (which isn't strictly necessary, but makes things more interesting by involving the Long Island RR without requiring backtracking).

You can't do this same-day ... I suspect it would take a week, given connection times, but you could do:

Boston to Providence, MBTA

Providence to New London, Greyhound

New London to New Haven, Shore Line East

New Haven to Bridgeport, Metro-North

Bridgeport to Port Jefferson, Port Jefferson Ferry

Port Jefferson to Jamaica, Long Island RR

Jamaica to New York Penn Station, MTA

New York Penn Station to Newark Penn Station, PATH

Newark to Trenton, New Jersey Transit

Trenton to Camden, New Jersey Trainsit RiverLine

Camden to Philadelphia 8th St, PATCO

Philadelphia 8th St to Suburban Station, SEPTA Market-Frankford Line

Suburban Station to Newark, Delaware, SEPTA R2

Newark, DE to Elkton, DART bus 65

Elkton to Perryville, "The Bus -- Perryville Connection" (this is the service's actual name)

Perryville to Washington, MARC

Washington to Manassas, VRE

Seventeen legs, on not-quite seventeen transit agencies. (Two NJT, but one heavy and one lighter rail; two SEPTA, but one commuter rail and one subway; and then MTA, Metro-North, and LIRR are all connected on some level.)

You could start beyond Boston, and if you started way out at the end of a green line the two MBTA trips would be very different. There may be bus systems you could pick up to further points south of Manassas, but I don't know.


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## wayman (Oct 28, 2009)

wayman said:


> Suburban Station to Newark, Delaware, SEPTA R2Newark, DE to Elkton, DART
> 
> Elkton to Perryville, "The Bus" (this is the service's actual name)
> 
> ...


This is the only stretch I've actually planned out with a timetable. It's doable as follows, on a weekday:

SEPTA R2 $4.75

dep. Suburban Station 5:44 AM (yes, you have to start this early, to make the connections)

arr. Newark DE 6:56 AM

DART bus 65 $1.15

dep. Newark DE station 7:12 AM

arr. Elkton MD, 214 North St bus-stop 7:27 AM

"The Bus -- Perryville Connection" $3

dep. Elkton MD, 241 North St bus-stop 7:35 AM

arr. Perryville MD MARC station 8:12 AM

MARC Penn Line $11

dep. Perryville 9.01 AM

arr. Washington 10.47 AM

So, for $19.90, and five hours three minutes, you can get from Suburban Station to Washington Union Station, with barely any walking. Just hope everything's on time, as the DART-The Bus connection is tight.

I didn't actually work out whether the return is possible; I was just planning to take Amtrak home!!!


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## Green Maned Lion (Oct 28, 2009)

I'd say the longest would be New London, CT to Newark, Delaware on a Giants game day.

Itinerary: SLE:NLC-NHV;MNCR:NHV-SEC;NJT:SEC-TRE;SEPTA:TRE-NRK.

It is possible that this is longer:

LRR:MTK-NYP;NJT:NYP-TRE;SEPTA:TRE-NRK.


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## AlanB (Oct 28, 2009)

Green Maned Lion said:


> I'd say the longest would be New London, CT to Newark, Delaware on a Giants game day.
> Itinerary: SLE:NLC-NHV;MNCR:NHV-SEC;NJT:SEC-TRE;SEPTA:TRE-NRK.
> 
> It is possible that this is longer:
> ...


New London to Newark is 254 miles.

Montauk to Penn is 118 miles, Penn to Newark is 128 miles, for a total of 246.


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## Konrad (Oct 28, 2009)

DET63 said:


> Sometimes airline passengers make trips using only regional or commuter airlines, prop planes, etc., requiring numerous connections that are usually completed via a nonstop or at least direct flight (no plane changes).
> How far can one travel using only commuter-rail services, whether or not alternative Amtrak service is available between the same places? (Assume that a service is non-Amtrak, even if Amtrak operates the service on a contract, if it's not marketed or advertised or ticketed as an Amtrak service; i.e., not in the Amtrak computer.)


Dungog to Bomaderry - all on CityRail trains for a total cost of $3:50 if you're over 60. Total distance travelled 380 kilometres or about 240 miles.

Of course you have to add the airfare to Sydney...


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## The Metropolitan (Oct 28, 2009)

Darn,

I was hoping to beat you guys - I was thinking Martinsburg to Perryville or Kenosha to South Bend, but both of these are in the 150-160 range.


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## afigg (Oct 28, 2009)

Green Maned Lion said:


> I'd say the longest would be New London, CT to Newark, Delaware on a Giants game day.
> Itinerary: SLE:NLC-NHV;MNCR:NHV-SEC;NJT:SEC-TRE;SEPTA:TRE-NRK.


Exactly how many miles is it from 30th street station to Newark, DE? I get 37 miles from a station list. Checking SEPTA routes on Wikipedia, Thorndale on the Main line is at 35.2 miles, presumably from Suburban station and Doylestown is 34.4 miles. If SEPTA were still running out to Parkesburg, PA on the Main line, I think that would be further than the distance to Newark, DE.

I checked the Wiki entry on the Newark DE station and it covers this same topic, noting it as the end of the longest continuous trip using commuter rail. If MTA follows through on extending MARC service to Newark, DE then one can get all the way to Fredericksburg, VA by commuter train. The gap from New London to MBTA service is likely to remain for a long time.

When LIRR starts service to Grand Central, then one can take LIRR from there to NYP and not need to take the subway or wait for a gameday. But what would be the acceptable route by the rules: shortest possible distance via LIRR or longest route that does not involve doubling back on a route? :unsure:


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## DET63 (Oct 29, 2009)

afigg said:


> Green Maned Lion said:
> 
> 
> > I'd say the longest would be New London, CT to Newark, Delaware on a Giants game day.
> ...


Rules? Who said anything about rules?

Who started this thread? Oh, I guess I did. Well, since I started it, the only rule I'll make is that there shouldn't be any doubling back on a route. I have no problem with "short" bus bridges or ferries, though I'd like to see someone make a trip that was completely by train. I don't think doubling back on a route should be included, unless it's unavoidable.

Oh, if anyone gets stressed about this, remember that I started this thread here for fun.

We will be expecting the_traveler to make one of these trips, however.


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## Heading North (Oct 29, 2009)

I don't have the timetables in front of me, but what about Waterbury, CT to Atlantic City, NJ, through New York and Philadelphia (i.e. taking NJT & SEPTA & NJT again, not the ACES service)? That definitely looks like 200+ miles. Of course, New London-Atlantic City would be longer still.


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## tp49 (Oct 29, 2009)

afigg said:


> When LIRR starts service to Grand Central, then one can take LIRR from there to NYP and not need to take the subway or wait for a gameday.


When the LIRR begins service to Grand Central it will not directly connect NYP and GCT. To get between the two without leaving Manhattan will still require either a subway, bus or taxi ride or a walk.


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## tp49 (Oct 29, 2009)

wayman said:


> This includes two short and unavoidable bus-bridges (using three different services), plus one ferry (which isn't strictly necessary, but makes things more interesting by involving the Long Island RR without requiring backtracking).
> You can't do this same-day ... I suspect it would take a week, given connection times, but you could do:
> 
> Boston to Providence, MBTA
> ...


I don't quite understand switching at Jamaica there from the Port Jefferson branch considering the switch to an MU is always at Huntington outside of rush hour for a train directly to Penn Station.

I have done the LIRR-NJT-SEPTA way to Philly many times because the round trip is considerably cheaper then taking Amtrak between the two even if it takes twice as long.


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## Rumpled (Oct 29, 2009)

Staying solely on Metrolink trains, one could go from Oxnard to Oceanside for 154 miles.

Add the Coaster to San Diego for a total of 195.


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## afigg (Oct 29, 2009)

tp49 said:


> When the LIRR begins service to Grand Central it will not directly connect NYP and GCT. To get between the two without leaving Manhattan will still require either a subway, bus or taxi ride or a walk.


Well, of course. The idea is that if the rule is to take only commuter rail, then one will be able to take LIRR west across the river into Queens and back east into NYP. But I am not familiar enough with LIRR and the project to know what the practical routes would be. OTOH, one could argue that taking NYC subway from Grand Central to NYP is acceptable as one would still be on trains.


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## DET63 (Oct 29, 2009)

For clarification (since I started this), I would see no problem with someone taking a subway or other rapid-transit system in lieu of a commuter-rail service. So long as the connecting service is not Amtrak (or a long trip on a bus), the trip is valid.


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## tp49 (Oct 29, 2009)

afigg said:


> tp49 said:
> 
> 
> > When the LIRR begins service to Grand Central it will not directly connect NYP and GCT. To get between the two without leaving Manhattan will still require either a subway, bus or taxi ride or a walk.
> ...


The East Side Access (ESA) will branch off of the main line into Penn Station from a point roughly in the vicinity of the Sunnyside Yard and Harold Interlocking utilizing the 63d Street subway tunnel's lower level then south on Park Avenue to Grand Central. They'd been talking about this project since the 63d Street tunnel was built years ago. I'm looking forward to seeing it completed.


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## battalion51 (Oct 30, 2009)

You know, I have no idea how to even begin to attack this, but I'm willing to guess you could probably come up with something pretty lengthy in New Jersey alone. TRE-SEC-Port Jervis maybe?


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## Guest (Oct 30, 2009)

The second post's idea is good, but it's using Greyhound Bus, which I think isn't a good idea. Here's one, albeit with a gap:

MBTA, Haverhill-Boston North

MBTA, Boston North-Back Bay

MBTA, Boston-Providence

RIPTA, Providence-Westerly

--GAP--

SLE, New London-New Haven

MNCRR, New Haven-GCT

NYCT, GCT-TSQ

NYCT, TSQ-NYP

NJT, NYP-TRE

SEPTA, TRE-PHL

SEPTA, PHL-NRK

DART, NRK-Elkton

The Bus, Elkton-Perryville

MARC, Perryville-WAS

VRE, WAS-Fredricksburg

GRTC, Fredricksburg-Richmond

Anyone have info on SEAT Route 10? It may fill the gap to Mystic.


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