# L.A. - Santa Fe, NM = 1 zone and other question



## rms492 (Jan 9, 2012)

Hello, I would like to redeem an AGR from Los Angeles to Santa Fe, NM.

I am confused, since Santa Fe (LAMY, NM) is on the border of the redemption zone map.

Would this be a one or two zone?

Also, is this an eligible itinerary to redeem? Question being, is that I have to take the "Lamy Shuttle" from Lamy to Santa Fe (that is NOT an Amtrak Thruway bus, correct)?

Is this a full-size airport shuttle type van? Do they have room for luggage? Will the van meet the train regardless if the train is super late?

So I am confused if AGR will honor this redemption due to that shuttle connection not being an Amtrak bus.

From the SW Chief timetable: Lamy Shuttle Service van meets Trains 3 and 4 daily. From Lamy to Santa Fe, advance

reservations required; call 1-800-USA-RAIL. From Santa Fe to Lamy, shuttle will pick

up at your hotel; call (505) 982-8829 the day prior to departure to arrange pickup.


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## rrdude (Jan 9, 2012)

rms492 said:


> Hello, I would like to redeem an AGR from Los Angeles to Santa Fe, NM.
> 
> I am confused, since Santa Fe (LAMY, NM) is on the border of the redemption zone map.
> 
> ...


From the looks of the ZONE MAP, Lamy is in the CENTRAL REGION, and LA of course is in the WESTERN REGION, so that would technically be a 2 ZONE trip.

You could certainly book a ONE ZONE trip from LAX to ABQ, and then just buy a coach ticket to Lamy/Santa Fe. That should be no problem. And normally, if the trip includes a bus, and you can book the trip (with the bus) on Amtrak's web site, then it's a "Valid Routing" and AGR should also be able to book.

Looking at Amtrak's web site, and running a test schedule there IS a Thruway bus connection from LAMY to SANTA FE, both directions. And YES, if you are ticketed on a Thruway Bus, and the train is "super late" the bus will meet the train, as that is the ONLY reason for that bus in the first place..........

Don't know about size of the shuttle you are talking about, someone else will.

*EDIT*: OK other posters have chimed in, I stand corrected. But WHY is it a one zone award? It is EAST of the "dividing line" of ABQ... My bad, my bad, my bad, I didn't look at the map correctly, thought tha ABQ was the dividing line, I see on a closer look it's actually Trinidad, CO. Sorry.


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## johnny.menhennet (Jan 9, 2012)

Lamy is in fact a one zone... the entire trip from abq-trinidad is flexible and can be counted as in fact a western or central stop... even though u could do that, i would recommend getting off in ABQ and getting on a New Mexico Railrunner train directly to downtown santa fe


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## gswager (Jan 10, 2012)

It's one zone.

You have two options to reach Santa Fe, as posters mentioned above. The shuttle van (not bus) will take you directly to Santa Fe hotels while a RailRunner doesn't. RailRunner stops at Santa Fe train station. There are city buses stop in front. Shuttle van has a trailer to haul suitcases. It's about 15 to 20 minutes ride.

I do not know about AGR reward on Lamy - Santa Fe shuttle.


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## yarrow (Jan 10, 2012)

when we tried a couple years ago you could not book the lamy shuttle as part of an agr redemption.


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## FunNut (Jan 10, 2012)

My "home" station is Lamy. I agree with the person above that the best itinerary would be getting off the SWC in ABQ, then take the Rail Runner to Santa Fe. That's a city center to city center trip. Cost of the Rail Runner is $7-8 versus $28 for the Lamy Shuttle, with a tip on top of the $28. The RRunner leaves from the ABQ Amtrak station, very convenient for incoming/outgoing Amtrak pax. The RRunner arrives/departs from the old depot very near the Santa Fe Plaza.

The sole advantage of the Shuttle would be if you're staying outside the center of Santa Fe and would have to take a taxi to your accommodation from the rail depot downtown. Then the convenience of the Shuttle might override the additional cost.

There are some other threads here about the Lamy Shuttle, just do a search on "Lamy" for more info. The RRunner has its own website at nmrailrunner.com, which shows fares and schedules. Weekend schedules are different from weekday.


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## me_little_me (Jan 12, 2012)

I agree with the others about using the RailRunner.

Besides, there is no cooler door warning signal than the RR "Beep-Beep". Now if they'd only show the cartoons on the train!


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