# Seating advice on Northeast Regional



## Na zdrowie

New to the forum, and have looked around, but could not find an answer, so hopefully this is not a repeat request. I am going to be traveling with a 11-year old girl this Summer from Washington DC to Boston, and we wanted to take Amtrak just one way, from DC to Boston. We can find coach tickets for just $105 for both of us. Business class jumps to $238.50 for both. Does anyone have any experience with this specific line? In particular any challenges of seating in coach. I am trying to avoid the situation where we would not be able to sit together, or have to stand in line for hours to ensure we do sit together. Thus the thought of getting business class, and getting reserved seats. THANKS in advance for any advice. -- Jim


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## Acela150

It's because the $105 is a Child and Adult fare just a guess. This  link will give you more info on how to get a cheaper price. I think you might be getting a 25% fare. Which is that link. You must click adult on both to get the low fare. NO Business Class upgrades allowed on that fare.


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## DKpartyguy

I have ridden the NE corridor train many times, both in coach and in business class.

Personally, I don't think higher cost of business class is worth it.

The seats are a bit roomier in business, but that's about the only advantage.

Also, you shouldn't have any problem sitting together, as these trains are not usually very crowded. Just get to the station a little early and you should be fine.

Enjoy your trip!

David


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## jb64

If you are getting on in WAS and heading north, you should be able to get two seats together. It can get crowded on the NER, but they board seniors and families with children first, so make sure you board at that earlier opportunity so that you can get two seats together. I don't think business class will be worth that big of price difference as that will really only get you a small can of soda and slightly larger seats. Hope you have a great trip.


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## the_traveler

You can also ask for a Red Cap, and they will get you to the train well before the rest of the crowd! (It is well worth the few bucks tip!




)

Personally, I have done both (getting business class - BC - as part of an AGR award) - and would only consider BC if the trip was on #66 or #67 (the overnight trains) which have better seats in BC!





As said, the price you got may be a discounted fare. You do not receive that discount for BC.

Also, if you have not yet done so, I would highly recommend that you *BOTH* sign up for Amtrak Guest Rewards (AGR)! If you need to sign up, I'll be g;ad to refer you. Just send me a PM (Private Message) with your email addresses. (Both accounts must have separate email addresses.)


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## amamba

Ugh, you are getting some misinformation in this thread that I am not comfortable with.

First, I have never seen them board "seniors and families with children" first in BOS. What they do is announce the track/platform, and then a line forms at the "gate" which is just a little rope with an agent who checks tickets. Once the ticket has been checked, you proceed down to the platform and get on and sit in any open seat. Since you are boarding in BOS & WAS, I don't anticipate that you should have trouble getting seats together since these are both origination points for many trains. Just get to the station early, because they start boarding the regionals about 20 minutes early in BOS. If you are very concerned, you can follow the excellent advice of getting a red cap to get you on board early. just be sure to tip them for their service.

Personally, I would not upgrade to BC on this route because there isn't that great of a difference in the seats. And when they say "reserved" that doesn't necessarily mean that you get assigned a seat like on a plane - that just means that theoretically the train should not be overbooked. The seating is still first come first serve once you are on board.

Also, depending on the time of year, the NER trains can be VERY crowded and are often sold out. If you were boarding in some place mid -route like PVD or New Haven, there is absolutely a chance that you would not be able to find two seats together. However, since you are doing BOS - WAS I feel pretty comfortable that you should be fine.

EDIT: My bad, I got the direction reversed!!! Ignore my points about boarding in BOS.


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## afigg

Since you are getting on in DC, you should be able to get 2 seats together. No need to stand in line for hours because a line is not likely to start forming until 20-25 minutes before departure. Since you are going north, I would suggest you get seats on the right side of the train which will have some better views on the coastal or along the water parts of the trip, especially in CT along the Shore Line route; can also see the skyscrapers in NYC as you approach in northern NJ.

As for BC versus coach, if the extra cost is an issue, then go with coach. The legroom for coach on an Amtrak train is close to that of business class on an domestic flight airliner. What you get in Business class on a NE Regional is 60 seats per passenger car with the same 2x2 seating (4 seats across) compared to 70 seats in a coach car. And a free 8 oz soda which is so minor, I'm not sure why they bother.

You can also bring food and soda bottles on the train; for a long trip like this, it is a good idea to bring some soda or water bottles and some snacks to eat. There will be a café car on the train which you can get hot meals at.

Other basic newbie info: make sure you hang on to your ticket stubs becaus`e you likely will have to show them again after the crew change at Penn Station in NYC. If you have heavy luggage, there is a luggage storage area at the end of each car. Oh, if you have not been to Union Station in DC before, worth checking out the main hall in the front of the building.

Enjoy the trip.


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## Na zdrowie

THANK YOU ALL for the information so far. This is great. I will be sure to jot down all of these notes for the trip. I used to ride Amtrak out of Buffalo when I was a kid, so I am really looking forward to this trip. Union Station is a beautiful place to visit. We will be taking the MARC train from Brunswick, MD into Union Station first, then onto Amtrak. Will make for a long day, but a most enjoyable one for me and my daughter. And best yet, I do not have to drive. I'll keep my eyes out for any more advice, but it looks like we'll be trying the coach seating and go for the cheaper option (and yes, I am trying to take advantage of the 25% off deal from Amtrak). -- Jim


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## Bob Dylan

The OP is riding From WAS-BOS Only so Dave is Correct!(much as I hate to admit it! :lol: )People with Children and Special Needs are Boarded First in WAS! . I agree that the BC Fare is NOT Worth It for this Trip, a small Can of Warm Pepsi and maybe a WAS Post or NY Times is Not Worth the Extra $$$! Try to get Seats on the Righthand Side of the train for the Best Overall Scenery!


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## afigg

Na zdrowie said:


> THANK YOU ALL for the information so far. This is great. I will be sure to jot down all of these notes for the trip. I used to ride Amtrak out of Buffalo when I was a kid, so I am really looking forward to this trip. Union Station is a beautiful place to visit. ...


If you have not taken Amtrak in a long time, one other piece of info is that there will be standard power outlet plugs by each pair of seats. So if you bring a laptop, tablet computer, smartphone, or some other electronic gadget that needs more frequent charging, bring the charger (as opposed to burying it in the luggage) so you keep it going for the 7-1/2 hour trip.

Amtrak is in the process of installing WiFi equipment in the Amfleet 1 cars used for the Regionals for free WiFi access, but they have not indicated when it will be ready to be turned on for passenger use.


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## Dovecote

Na zdrowie said:


> THANK YOU ALL for the information so far. This is great. I will be sure to jot down all of these notes for the trip. I used to ride Amtrak out of Buffalo when I was a kid, so I am really looking forward to this trip. Union Station is a beautiful place to visit. We will be taking the MARC train from Brunswick, MD into Union Station first, then onto Amtrak. Will make for a long day, but a most enjoyable one for me and my daughter. And best yet, I do not have to drive. I'll keep my eyes out for any more advice, but it looks like we'll be trying the coach seating and go for the cheaper option (and yes, I am trying to take advantage of the 25% off deal from Amtrak). -- Jim


I also take the Brunswick Line train to Union Station when I reside in Harpers Ferry and travel to the northeast. In case you do not know, MARC trains do not operate on weekends and most holidays. Also, make sure you give yourself plenty of time between your scheduled arrival time into WAS on MARC and the departure time on Amtrak to BOS. MARC's reliability on the Brunswick Line of arriving on time to Union Station during the summer months is poor. If it was me I would arrive at least one hour before the Amtrak scheduled departure time. Better safe than sorry.


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## amamba

jimhudson said:


> The OP is riding From WAS-BOS Only so Dave is Correct!(much as I hate to admit it! :lol: )People with Children and Special Needs are Boarded First in WAS! . I agree that the BC Fare is NOT Worth It for this Trip, a small Can of Warm Pepsi and maybe a WAS Post or NY Times is Not Worth the Extra $$$! Try to get Seats on the Righthand Side of the train for the Best Overall Scenery!


My bad! Reading comprehension FAIL. Sorry folks.


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## dlagrua

If you want basic comfortable and affordable transportaion coach class is perfectly fine. IMO, business class gives little more room for the money but not that much. If cost is not an issue the Acela (at about 3-4x the coach price) is a good step up and will get you to your destination much faster.


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## jb64

amamba said:


> Ugh, you are getting some misinformation in this thread that I am not comfortable with.
> 
> First, I have never seen them board "seniors and families with children" first in BOS....



Maybe not in Boston, but they most certainly do in Washington. So, plan to be able to have priority boarding in Washington with your daughter and plan on not having that in Boston. Either way, since they are pretty much endpoints, you will most likely be able to get seats together. Last time I was at Washington, it pretty much filled up there, so take advantage of the early boarding.


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## the_traveler

afigg said:


> The legroom for coach on an Amtrak train is close to that of business class on an domestic flight airliner.


While that comparison is true for Superliners and Amfleet II cars, the Regionals use Amfleet I cars. The seats are much righter, but I still think more than domestic coach on a plane.


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## afigg

the_traveler said:


> While that comparison is true for Superliners and Amfleet II cars, the Regionals use Amfleet I cars. The seats are much righter, but I still think more than domestic coach on a plane.


There is no comparison between a Amfleet 1 and domestic airline coach class seat pitch and width these days. There is no leg room to speak of in standard coach seats on most domestic flights anymore.

I googled the seat pitch and width for the Amfleet I. Best I could find on a short search was a pitch of ~39" and seat width of 20.5" or 21". The Acela business class is provided on Amtrak's website as seat width = 23", pitch = 43".

For the airlines, found a website http://www.seatguru.com/ which has seat pitch and width for all the airlines and plane types under Comparison Charts. Skimming the main US airlines, domestic short-haul coach seats generally have a seat pitch of 31" to 33" (with some 30" pitches in the table, ouch), seat width of 17" to 17.5", sometimes 18". Domestic short-haul business and first class generally have seat pitches of around 36" to 38", widths of 20" to 21".

If the numbers for the Amfleet 1 are correct, even standard corridor coach on Amtrak match or exceed most airline domestic business class seats.


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## Na zdrowie

I just booked our trip, and we decided to give coach a try. Cannot really pass on a $105 one-way trip from Washington to Boston for me and my daughter. I will make sure I keep track of what we encounter, and post another reply when the trip was done. You never know. Maybe someone else can use all of this information. THANKS AGAIN to all for your input. Great forum. Safe travels everyone!


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## Anthony

jb64 said:


> amamba said:
> 
> 
> 
> Ugh, you are getting some misinformation in this thread that I am not comfortable with.
> 
> First, I have never seen them board "seniors and families with children" first in BOS....
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Maybe not in Boston, but they most certainly do in Washington. So, plan to be able to have priority boarding in Washington with your daughter and plan on not having that in Boston. Either way, since they are pretty much endpoints, you will most likely be able to get seats together. Last time I was at Washington, it pretty much filled up there, so take advantage of the early boarding.
Click to expand...

I find that this varies with the employee at the gate. Some do, some don't offer preboarding to certain groups.


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## BLOND37

maybe i missed but i didnt see any mention of the quiet car (QC).. you know about this right?

its a car thats quiet (obviously).. cell phones not permitted.. hushed talking only.. i have heard it called a "library atmosphere."

and fellow passengers in the QC arent shy about shushing people LOL


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## had8ley

BLOND37 said:


> and fellow passengers in the QC arent shy about shushing people LOL


Maybe that's a good thing in today's world...


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## GG-1

BLOND37 said:


> and fellow passengers in the QC arent shy about shushing people LOL


Aloha

I don't know how quiet a car would be if 40 people shush someone. :lol: :giggle:


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## gatelouse

Na zdrowie said:


> I just booked our trip, and we decided to give coach a try. Cannot really pass on a $105 one-way trip from Washington to Boston for me and my daughter. I will make sure I keep track of what we encounter, and post another reply when the trip was done. You never know. Maybe someone else can use all of this information. THANKS AGAIN to all for your input. Great forum. Safe travels everyone!


You'll be fine in Regional coach.

If you're interested in breaking up the trip into two or more segments, you can do so using the multi-city option on the website. Stopovers under 24 hours are free. And if you carefully pick trains that all offer the lowest available fare bucket, then your price will be the same: $105 for two.


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## Na zdrowie

Since I stared this topic, I thought I would end it with a summary of our trip and add a few things which may help others taking the Northeast Regional.

First, THANKS for all of the advice on this forum. The coach seats were very roomy, comfortable, and perfect for this trip (we had a 8-hour train ride). Two outlets at the seats are an added bonus if you need the power. Even when the seats in front of you are reclined, there is more than enough room (this is nothing like airline seating). Again, with advice from the group, we sat on the right hand side of the train, which gave us beautiful views throughout the trip (especially in Rhode Island and Connecticut). The cafe car seating was always full (apparently some groups use those tables for their entire trip), so we just grabbed our food and drink and ate at our seats. We brought some drink and snacks with us, so just needed a late lunch which I thought was quite reasonable in price. The conductors were all very polite. We did not use the quiet car, but overall, our car was quite quiet and once we sat down, we never changed seats, although you can change seats anytime if needed. The train was full, so we did notice that some families struggled sitting near each other as the ride went along. But for the most part people tried to accommodate others who were in groups. Also, the first rows of coach cars have an open area in front of them if you need the leg room, and the last rows have an open area behind them. It is used for extra luggage and some people even sat on the floors to spread out, but it was a nice area to get some extra space.

In Union Station, they do allow groups with children (must be 12 and under) and anyone with special needs to board first. That helped, since the line for the gate started forming about 9:30 for a 10:20 departure (they started boarding about 10). The line got quite long so it helped not having to stand in the line. So my daughter and I jumped to the front of the line and had our choice of seating. I would say we had about 5 minutes or so before general boarding to get to our seats.

We are already talking about doing this trip again next year. Overall, I was very impressed with Amtrak, their cars, and their crews. Our train was on time almost the entire trip as well.

THANKS to this forum for GREAT advice and for Amtrak for giving us a great trip. :hi:


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## hoodatbe

hi folks - the comments above have been helpful for me, as I am about to book an August trip for my toddler son and myself from CVS (Charlottesville, VA) into NYP . . . and then back again. I am feeling good about the trip there, as our station is tiny, but wonder how early we should arrive back at Penn Station for the return - is the track easy to find? ALSO - I see the NER #176 and #145 trains seem to run on-time about 80% . . . wondering if anyone can provide more detailed feedback about frequency and length of delays - that would be very helpful. THANK YOU!!


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## jb64

hoodatbe said:


> hi folks - the comments above have been helpful for me, as I am about to book an August trip for my toddler son and myself from CVS (Charlottesville, VA) into NYP . . . and then back again. I am feeling good about the trip there, as our station is tiny, but wonder how early we should arrive back at Penn Station for the return - is the track easy to find? ALSO - I see the NER #176 and #145 trains seem to run on-time about 80% . . . wondering if anyone can provide more detailed feedback about frequency and length of delays - that would be very helpful. THANK YOU!!


Hi, welcome to the forum. I generally use the CVS station, myself. While it is a tiny little station, they usually have pretty good crowds boarding there so I just wanted to prepare you for that. If the weather is nice, you may want to go ahead and walk over to the underpass to await for the train so that you can be earlier in line to board. This makes it easier to find two seats together. You never know which door they are going to open to board, so keep your eyes open for them opening a door and head in that direction. Regionals can run a little late, but I have never experienced them more than 8 minutes late into CVS headed north.

NYP is a different matter. As many here have mentioned, it may be helpful to request redcap assistance at NYP. They can help you with all the toddler things and get you on the right train usually ahead of the crowds. They would expect a tip and it would be money well spent.

Enjoy your trip.


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## FunNut

I will add to this old discussion for people traveling with children and using Union Station in WAS. The building itself is wonderful to explore and a great introduction to the special architecture of great train stations. Just walking around the station is interesting, for children or adults. There is a large food court downstairs from the main level and quite a few shops on the main and upper level. If you have an extra hour you can walk across the driveway to the Postal Museum, quite interesting with exhibits about the history of the postal system. I love grand old stations and WAS is one of the best.


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