# Northeast Regional or Acela



## CajunLiner (Aug 25, 2008)

We're a family of four, looking to use Amtrak to go from NYP to WAS. I notice that Acela Express is considerably more expensive than the Northeast Regional. What is the differnence, especially in comfort and crowding?

Also, is upgrading to business class on the Northeast Regional a good move? What do you get when you do so?


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## Acela150 (Aug 25, 2008)

The differnence between Acela & NE Regional trains is

A ) Acela is aimed at Business Travelers and is higher cost because of the costs.

B ) NE Regional is aimed at family travelers and is slower.

An idea is take Acela one way and an NE Regional the other. I would upgrade to Business Class if you are looking to sit across from each other. I think thier are tables in Business Class and your family can sit their and be together.


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## the_traveler (Aug 25, 2008)

The biggest difference between AE and Regionals is speed. You hear the hype of the AE going 150 MPH, but between NYP and WAS, AE is limited to 135 MPH. (Regionals in the same stretch go 125 MPH.)

Many people say that if they are paying, they'll go Regional. But if the company is paying, they'll go AE.


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## BobWeaver (Aug 26, 2008)

Acela150 said:


> The differnence between Acela & NE Regional trains is
> A ) Acela is aimed at Business Travelers and is higher cost because of the costs.
> 
> B ) NE Regional is aimed at family travelers and is slower.
> ...


As far as I know, there are no Amfleet Business class cars with tables in them. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong on this.


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## jackal (Aug 26, 2008)

Acela is newer, and, as one of my friends put it, is "very Star Trek." (I didn't know you could use "Star Trek" as an adverb, but he's an English teacher, so I guess it's OK.)

Acela's benefits, at least as compared to Northeast Regional:

*Speed (10-25 mph faster at the most, and more often, the same speed)

*Fewer stops

*Larger windows

*Brighter, cheerier interior

That's really all.

Acela first class gets you all the above, plus:

*2x1 seating (some rows have tables)

*Free hot meals

*Free drinks (including alcoholic, IIRC)

*Complimentary newspaper

It's very nice, but again, it's much easier to justify if someone else is paying (or if it's a once-in-a-lifetime thing).

Regional business is much more variable. It gets you complimentary non-alcoholic beverages and could get you any of the following:

*Half of the Club-Dinette car, with 2x1 seating and faux-leather seats

*An Amfleet business-class car with 2x2 seating but slightly more legroom

*An Amfleet I coach car with the word "BusinessClass" taped over the word "CoachClass"

If it's the first one, it's definitely worth it (though the only train that reliably has this is the overnight one, trains #66/67). If it's the second one, it's probably not unless you're really tall. If it's the third, it's definitely not worth it, as the only thing you'd get is a free soda and a slightly more upscale crowd of traveling companions (but probably fewer screaming babies).

If you get a Club-Dinette car, you can always attempt to upgrade on-board--though I'm not sure if you can do that on NEC services. Otherwise, save your money.

I'd concur with the above recommendation to do Acela one way and Regional the other. That way, you can try out both services to say you've done them (and make the decision for yourself if Acela is worth the premium). If you do that, I'd probably go ahead and splurge on Acela F--just once, though.


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## Walt (Aug 26, 2008)

BobWeaver said:


> As far as I know, there are no Amfleet Business class cars with tables in them. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong on this.


The NE Regional I was in, just a month ago, had a table in our BC car. Of course, with two seats on either side, with one of them riding backward, kind of like a booth.


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## CajunLiner (Aug 26, 2008)

Thank you all for your replies.

Actually, we'll only need the service one-way, as we'll be boarding the Crescent in WAS to go home to Louisiana.

It doesn't sound like business class on the Northeast Regional is going to be that big of a treat. I think I'd really like to try the Acela Express just for the experience, but I'll wait and see if anyone else has anything to add.

Thanks again.

CL


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## Walt (Aug 26, 2008)

jackal said:


> Regional business is much more variable. It gets you complimentary non-alcoholic beverages and ...


From my experience, BC passenger's "complimentary non-alcoholic beverage" is a 1/2 size can of soda, that's left out and therefore served at room temperature. Coach passengers, instead, are sold full size cans of soda, that are refrigerated and therefore served cold.

IMHO, a small can of warm soda, isn't much of a perk.


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## AlanB (Aug 26, 2008)

jackal said:


> Acela's benefits, at least as compared to Northeast Regional:
> *Speed (10-25 mph faster at the most, and more often, the same speed)
> 
> *Fewer stops
> ...


There are also some tables interspersed in the BC section of Acela. The FC car has more, but they can be found in business too.


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## CajunLiner (Aug 26, 2008)

I noticed that the Carolinian also appears to be an option. With the Carolinian, I think we'd be able to check our luggage, which would be very helpful. The one minus is that the Carolinian departs NYP at something like 0700.

Does anyone know anything about the Carolinian? Experience? Coach or Business Class?

CL


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## Joel N. Weber II (Aug 26, 2008)

You may not have to take the same train your checked luggage does, although I'm not sure if having your luggage on a different train would help you.


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## VentureForth (Aug 26, 2008)

Note that the time difference is only about 1/2 hour from NYP to WAS. That's a savings of almost 14%. Keep in mind that if you're a FIRST class passenger on Acela or a sleeping car passenger on the Crescent, you'll have access to the Acela Lounge in DC. Depending on the time of your layover, this could be a nice place to store your luggage while you roam the streets of DC, or provide a nice little oasis if your wait time isn't that long. Sleeper and First Class on the Acela ain't cheap, so consider the cost vs benefit.


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## RailFanLNK (Aug 26, 2008)

Oh the Carolinian...I have fond memories of that trip I took on it this summer. Helga the Asst Conductor marched me to the back of the coach car in ***** fashion and told me I could NOT take ANY pictures on any Amtrak train. I started to laugh a bit and said, "I have always taken pictures on Amtrak and even with the conductors by my side." She then asked, "where?" And I replied, "on the CZ and SWC". Then she got full of bull.....said that you could take pictures on western trains with Sightseer Lounge cars. So packed the camera up, put it away since I was going to get booted off the train if caught again. Than I sat back and watch others take pictures to thier hearts content! :angry: I figured she had lost her job with the SS, then lost her job with the KGB, and then applied at Amtrak for the Carolinian! :lol:

About the differnce? I would go with the Carolinian if it doesn't get you to DC too early for your connection. I liked Acela, but the speed difference wasn't that much but the price sure was. I was paying for a family of 4 and splitting the cost. We did enjoy Acela, but pricewise, the Regional was fine.


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## the_traveler (Aug 26, 2008)

CajunLiner said:


> I noticed that the Carolinian also appears to be an option. With the Carolinian, I think we'd be able to check our luggage, which would be very helpful. The one minus is that the Carolinian departs NYP at something like 0700.


Actually, you can check you bag on *ANY* train that goes between NYP and WAS that offers checked baggage service (Silver Service, Crescent, #66/67, Carolinian), even if you may not be able to ride locally on that particular train. As long as you check baggage prior to the departure of those trains, they will be placed on those trains. The bad thing is that because you may not be allowed to travel on that train, your bag may get to WAS either before or after you do. If after, you may need to return to the station to get your bags!


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## VentureForth (Aug 26, 2008)

CajunLiner said:


> I noticed that the Carolinian also appears to be an option. With the Carolinian, I think we'd be able to check our luggage, which would be very helpful. The one minus is that the Carolinian departs NYP at something like 0700.
> Does anyone know anything about the Carolinian? Experience? Coach or Business Class?
> 
> CL


In my not-so-humble opinion, Business Class on the Carolinian falls into the following category:



jackal said:


> Regional business is much more variable. It gets you complimentary non-alcoholic beverages and could get you any of the following:
> *An Amfleet I coach car with the word "BusinessClass" taped over the word "CoachClass"
> 
> ...it's definitely not worth it, as the only thing you'd get is a free soda and a slightly more upscale crowd of traveling companions (but probably fewer screaming babies).


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## Green Maned Lion (Aug 30, 2008)

BobWeaver said:


> Acela150 said:
> 
> 
> > The differnence between Acela & NE Regional trains is
> ...


Some Regional Business class cars have tables. Most do not.


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## Brett (May 24, 2012)

I know both Acela and NE Regionals offer wi-fi; is there any reason to believe that the wi-fi offered on Acela is better / faster / more reliable than the wi-fi on the NE Regionals? If it were, that *might* be a reason to justify the higher cost of Acela for a business traveler.

I've used the wi-fi on the NE Regional, and it was quite slow. Assuming the Acela uses the same trackside hardware, there would be no reason to think the Acela's service would be better. But maybe a techie out there could elaborate on this!


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## OBS (May 24, 2012)

Brett said:


> I know both Acela and NE Regionals offer wi-fi; is there any reason to believe that the wi-fi offered on Acela is better / faster / more reliable than the wi-fi on the NE Regionals? If it were, that *might* be a reason to justify the higher cost of Acela for a business traveler.
> 
> I've used the wi-fi on the NE Regional, and it was quite slow. Assuming the Acela uses the same trackside hardware, there would be no reason to think the Acela's service would be better. But maybe a techie out there could elaborate on this!



I am no techie, but based on comments from passengers, I can almost assure you that Acela wifi is no faster. It may be more reliable, just because of closer attention paid to mechanical needs, but faster, I think not.


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## Trogdor (May 24, 2012)

This thread is four years old. Amtrak was charging higher fares for Acela long before wi-fi was introduced to either service.

In fact, Amtrak was charging higher fares for Metroliners vs. regular trains long before the concept of the internet was part of everyday conversation.

They are targeted at different markets, and that is why the fares are different. No other explanation really needed.


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## NETrainfan (May 24, 2012)

Realize this is an old thread- but am quite amazed by the high cost of the Acela recently.

We travel on the Northeast Regional frequently and have been on the Acela a few times, but never paid an "amazing" price.

Does anyone know if the cost of the Acela has changed recently?


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## Ozark Southern (May 24, 2012)

OBS said:


> Brett said:
> 
> 
> > I know both Acela and NE Regionals offer wi-fi; is there any reason to believe that the wi-fi offered on Acela is better / faster / more reliable than the wi-fi on the NE Regionals? If it were, that *might* be a reason to justify the higher cost of Acela for a business traveler.
> ...


I have not ridden the routes, but I know wifi (I used to be a Geek Squad agent). If they're using the same trackside hardware (the onboard access points will be identical), then all trains which use those tracks will have the same experience. The only variable is the number of people using the wifi, and given Acela's clientele, it's entirely possible, nay probable, that more people on it will be using wifi and therefore the service is actually slower.


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## Anderson (May 24, 2012)

NETrainfan said:


> Realize this is an old thread- but am quite amazed by the high cost of the Acela recently.
> 
> We travel on the Northeast Regional frequently and have been on the Acela a few times, but never paid an "amazing" price.
> 
> Does anyone know if the cost of the Acela has changed recently?


I don't have a copy of the older buckets on the Acela, but from what I can tell, Amtrak has been riding PPR on it for all it's worth. Average PPR was $126.46 in '07; it was $145.50 in '11, and YTD it's $146.89 (vs. $143.30 through this time last year); even though it's being held down at least somewhat by cannibalization from the Regionals (due to the Wi-Fi situation and the sheer cost), this is still a respectable jump in per-ticket costs since '07.


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## AlanB (May 24, 2012)

The "trackside hardware" is nothing more than the regular cell phone towers used by anyone with a cell phone. All of Amtrak's WiFi systems use cellular data modems from all the big carriers. The system automatically switches between the carrier's providing the strongest signal at any given moment.

So depending on signal strength of the various modems, and the number of people using the WiFi, one can see good results or poor results. Now I suppose that the odds are good that you might find a few more people tying to use the WiFi on an Acela, but I sure wouldn't want to make book on that either.


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## Ozark Southern (May 24, 2012)

AlanB said:


> The "trackside hardware" is nothing more than the regular cell phone towers used by anyone with a cell phone. All of Amtrak's WiFi systems use cellular data modems from all the big carriers. The system automatically switches between the carrier's providing the strongest signal at any given moment.


As expected. That's the standard setup.



> So depending on signal strength of the various modems, and the number of people using the WiFi, one can see good results or poor results. Now I suppose that the odds are good that you might find a few more people tying to use the WiFi on an Acela, but I sure wouldn't want to make book on that either.


Perhaps the NER have quite a number of wifi users. I haven't seen a lot of computers on the corridor trains I've traveled on, but I suppose it may be an "if you build it, they will come" sort of thing.


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## amamba (May 24, 2012)

NETrainfan said:


> Realize this is an old thread- but am quite amazed by the high cost of the Acela recently.
> 
> We travel on the Northeast Regional frequently and have been on the Acela a few times, but never paid an "amazing" price.
> 
> Does anyone know if the cost of the Acela has changed recently?


Yes, they did. In the last 12 months I noticed that fares went up, but mostly just by a few dollars. For example, low bucket BOS - PHL became $150 (instead of $147) and low bucket BOS - NYP went to $104 from $99. And actually I think there have been two price jumps because at one point low bucket was $101 BOS - NYP.


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## Acela150 (May 24, 2012)

amamba said:


> NETrainfan said:
> 
> 
> > Realize this is an old thread- but am quite amazed by the high cost of the Acela recently.
> ...


They raised PHL-BOS again?? WHYYYYYYYYY!!!! :help: :help:


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## amamba (May 24, 2012)

I know, high bucket BOS - PHl will now set one back $250. :angry:


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## afigg (May 24, 2012)

AlanB said:


> The "trackside hardware" is nothing more than the regular cell phone towers used by anyone with a cell phone. All of Amtrak's WiFi systems use cellular data modems from all the big carriers. The system automatically switches between the carrier's providing the strongest signal at any given moment.
> 
> So depending on signal strength of the various modems, and the number of people using the WiFi, one can see good results or poor results. Now I suppose that the odds are good that you might find a few more people tying to use the WiFi on an Acela, but I sure wouldn't want to make book on that either.


There may be a higher percentage of passengers on the Acela using internet connections, but there is likely to be a higher percentage using their own 3G/4G hookup, paid for by their business, to get on the net.

Another consideration is that the Acela carries a maximum of 304 passengers. An NE Regional with, for example, 6 coach cars (6 * 72 seats) and a business class car (62 seats) can carry 494 passengers. That is a lot more people potentially using the single WiFi server connection on the Regional. In my experience, WiFi access can slow to a crawl on either the Acela or the Regional when the train is close to full. It is up to the cell phone service providers to boost 3G/4G capacity along the route of the NEC.


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## Anderson (May 24, 2012)

amamba said:


> I know, high bucket BOS - PHl will now set one back $250. :angry:


Alright, though I omitted it, I'm now going to include a batch of Acela and Regional pairs in my list. Probably WAS-NYP, NYP-BOS, and WAS-BOS for both...as well as NPN-WAS, RVR-WAS, and LYH-WAS on the Regional for personal interest.


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## afigg (May 24, 2012)

Acela150 said:


> They raised PHL-BOS again?? WHYYYYYYYYY!!!! :help: :help:


Excerpt from the Amtrak March 2012 Monthly report comments on the ridership and revenue for the NEC: "Northeast Regional

travel in the endpoint markets of NY-Boston (+32%) and NY-DC (+16%) was strong in March. The top markets through New York including Boston-Philadelphia (+90%) and Philadelphia-Providence (+84%) were up significantly due to a drop in airline service."

Welcome to revenue maximization management!


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## Acela150 (May 25, 2012)

amamba said:


> I know, high bucket BOS - PHl will now set one back $250. :angry:


WHHHATTT!! Just wait till Thanksgiving weekend where buckets are maxed out by ARROW. ARROW will push the buckets beyond the normal highest bucket to make that money! 



afigg said:


> Acela150 said:
> 
> 
> > They raised PHL-BOS again?? WHYYYYYYYYY!!!! :help: :help:
> ...


Good solid numbers. I'm interested to see what the Regional High Bucket is. I know SW Airlines dropped there PHL-BOS area service. SW air was always the air carrier of choice to go to the Boston area now it seems Amtrak is the way to go.


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## Anderson (May 25, 2012)

WAS-NYP (Acela)

Bucket 1: $145

Bucket 2: $169

Bucket 3: $194

Bucket 4: $218

Bucket 5: $242

First Class: $109 additional

WAS-NYP (Regional)

Bucket E: $49

Bucket 1: $80

Bucket 2: $113

Bucket 3: $136

Bucket 4: $153

Business Class: $40 additional

WAS-BOS (Acela)

Bucket 1: $163

Bucket 2: $190

Bucket 3: $217

Bucket 4: $244

Bucket 5: $271

First Class: $122 additional

WAS-BOS (Regional)

Bucket E: $70

Bucket 1: $96

Bucket 2: $137

Bucket 3: $165

Bucket 4: $185

Business Class: $48 additional

NYP-BOS (Acela)

Bucket 1: $104

Bucket 2: $121

Bucket 3: $138

Bucket 4: $156

Bucket 5: $173

First Class: $78 additional

NYP-BOS (Regional)

Bucket E: $49

Bucket 1: $69

Bucket 2: $98

Bucket 3: $118

Bucket 4: $133

Business Class: $35 additional

Note: These were all pulled from the next 3-5 days, and should therefore not include any "special" fares.


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## amamba (May 25, 2012)

Anderson, I think you should also pull the "E" bucket fares for the NEC. These are the ones that are available with a 14 day advance purchase and are pretty common to get if you book in advance. That fare is $49 BOS - NYP.

And I should note that Southwest DID abolish their PVD - PHL service earlier this year - which is when I noticed that it was impossible find a low bucket acela ticket from BOS - PHL.


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## Anderson (May 25, 2012)

Done. It's $49 WAS-NYP and $70 WAS-BOS as well, btw.


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## NETrainfan (May 25, 2012)

The high cost of the Acela- I noted-was for Thanksgiving week. Is that the highest of all during the year?


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## Anderson (May 25, 2012)

NETrainfan said:


> The high cost of the Acela- I noted-was for Thanksgiving week. Is that the highest of all during the year?


It is, though I would note that sometimes a fare of the high bucket plus the FC charge may appear if BC is sold out.

A number of Acelas this weekend are running top bucket (or are sold out), for example, and those top bucket prices often show up at peak commuting hours as well. A note would be that, for example, the 2PM, 3 PM, and 4 PM Acelas out of WAS are already at $242 to NYP (I have to go into late July to find trains at those times for less than $200 on a Friday, and the 4 PM Acela on July 25 is already at $242 as well). Basically, at peak hours at present, Amtrak can probably average $200 or so per available seat on the Acela WAS-NYP.


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## afigg (May 25, 2012)

Anderson said:


> WAS-NYP (Acela)
> 
> Bucket 1: $145
> 
> ...


The price difference between the WAS-NYP and NYP-BOS segments show how demand driven the pricing now is. It also highlights the faster the trip, the more Amtrak can charge per mile. Useful to see the bucket price comparisons laid out in a single list. If Amtrak were able to achieve 3:15 NYP-BOS or had been able to reach the long sought 3 hour NYP-BOS trip time, they would be charging more for the NYP-BOS Acelas and making more money off of the Acelas.


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## Anderson (May 25, 2012)

Agreed. At peak hours, I think the Acelas could reach RASM of over $1 on the southern leg...but good luck getting too far over $.60 on the northern leg. It's actually a shame that Amtrak couldn't dedicate the 40 cars to the southern leg in some fashion, considering the demand picture there.


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## Texan Eagle (May 25, 2012)

Just for fun I decided to check out one-way flight fares between these city pairs and this is how the lowest available fares stack up-



Anderson said:


> WAS-NYP (Acela)
> 
> Bucket 1: $145
> 
> ...


*$65* on Delta and United on different days. DCA-LGA, DCA-JFK, IAD-LGA, IAD-JFK. All combinations not available on all days



> WAS-BOS (Acela)
> 
> Bucket 1: $163
> 
> ...


*$60* on US Airways. DCA-BOS.



> NYP-BOS (Acela)
> 
> Bucket 1: $104
> 
> ...


*$60* on Delta and American. JFK-BOS, but if you are traveling after September. For closer dates its $72 available 14 days in advance.

Its interesting how dollar-to-dollar Amtrak is costlier than flying on all three sectors but still the passengers prefer train over planes. I guess the extra time and money spent in getting to and from airports tilts the scales in favor of Amtrak.


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## PRR 60 (May 25, 2012)

Texan Eagle said:


> Just for fun I decided to check out one-way flight fares between these city pairs and this is how the lowest available fares stack up-
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Amtrak does not have a significant share of the air/rail market between WAS and BOS. For that city pair, the rail trip length is well over the tipping point.


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## Anderson (May 25, 2012)

Well, on NYP-BOS per your note, low-bucket Regionals are cheaper for the trips within a few weeks. Also, per your note on WAS-BOS:

-Getting to Dulles is a hassle (it's a ways out of town to the west, and traffic in DC is not always cooperative);

-It's quite possible that you could, in theory, get stuck with a flight one way involving Dulles and the other way involving National, leaving you with an "interesting" car situation;

-For many trips, taking the Metro to Union Station is going to be cheaper than parking at either airport; and

-What are the refund/exchange policies on those airline tickets again? I highly doubt that you're going to get fares that low _and_ 100% exchangability/90% refundability (or 100% pre-printing refundability).

To throw a hypothetical out there, let's do a three-day trip from DC to NYC. Assume a $5 charge getting to/from Union Station in DC (i.e. a mid-cost round trip on the Metro, with transfers available at low cost in many cases). Now, even ignoring the cost of getting _to_ Dulles, that's $30 or so in the economy lot or $51 in the non-economy lot (which involves a shuttle). Right there, you're out a net of $25 to $46. That puts the cost of a cheap WAS-NYP fare up to $90-111 at the airport vs. $85 for the Regional without the special offer. For WAS-BOS, it's $101 for Amtrak vs. $90-111 for the airport. At National, the numbers get even worse (add $6 for the economy lot cost and $9 for the regular lots, for $36/60).

Moreover...how many fares exist at those low rates (and yes, that's a serious question...I don't know)?


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## gatelouse (May 25, 2012)

Unless I missed it, no one's posted a claim that WAS-BOS has seen a surge in ridership. There are significant convenience advantages of the train for NYP-BOS and NYP-WAS: a midtown arrival, a suburban station at each end, and reasonable travel times.

I'll bet the air and rail fares track each other pretty well when comparing apples-to-apples: day of week, time of day, holiday peak periods, and advance purchase.

P.S. The actual bucket codes, low to high, for Regional are E, D, B, A and full (Y). For Acela, D, C, B, A, and full (J).


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## PRR 60 (May 25, 2012)

Anderson said:


> Well, on NYP-BOS per your note, low-bucket Regionals are cheaper for the trips within a few weeks. Also, per your note on WAS-BOS:
> 
> -Getting to Dulles is a hassle (it's a ways out of town to the west, and traffic in DC is not always cooperative);
> 
> ...


If someone could take the Metro to Union Station, why would they have to drive to National Airport? Metro stops there as well.


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## Anderson (May 25, 2012)

PRR 60 said:


> Anderson said:
> 
> 
> > Well, on NYP-BOS per your note, low-bucket Regionals are cheaper for the trips within a few weeks. Also, per your note on WAS-BOS:
> ...


Ok, that's actually my bad. I knew there was a stop at Crystal City, and I thought people were just talking about going from there to the airport (which seemed like a bit of a hike) or from another station in that strip in Alexandria along Route 1, not a station more or less within the airport. I'd never seen that stop personally (I've been through National a few times in the past), and while I've been on the Metro many times, I've rarely had any reason to look on the southern side of the map (usually I'm going from WAUS to Potomac, MD)/


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## Ozark Southern (May 25, 2012)

Anderson said:


> PRR 60 said:
> 
> 
> > Anderson said:
> ...


Yep, National Airport is one stop south of Crystal City on blue/yellow lines. It's right at one of the terminals (forget which one; it's been about 15 years since I've flown to DCA).


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## Anderson (May 26, 2012)

Ok, so National may be convenient if your flight leaves from there. The big problem, as far as I can tell, is going to be getting to Dulles (which from the center of DC is about 35-40 minutes in good traffic, but knowing DC traffic...allow 1:15 or more near rush hour). If you're coming from the eastern side of the DC area, just start adding time (IIRC, part of the justification for building one highway in MD was trouble accessing Dulles from the northern suburbs).

Also, I'm just wondering, but what were the lowest fares from BWI? That seems relevant since BWI isn't too much further from DC proper, and because once you get east of town, it's _far_ closer.


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## PRR 60 (May 26, 2012)

Anderson said:


> Ok, so National may be convenient if your flight leaves from there. The big problem, as far as I can tell, is going to be getting to Dulles (which from the center of DC is about 35-40 minutes in good traffic, but knowing DC traffic...allow 1:15 or more near rush hour). If you're coming from the eastern side of the DC area, just start adding time (IIRC, part of the justification for building one highway in MD was trouble accessing Dulles from the northern suburbs).
> 
> Also, I'm just wondering, but what were the lowest fares from BWI? That seems relevant since BWI isn't too much further from DC proper, and because once you get east of town, it's _far_ closer.


Getting to and from Dulles (IAD) is not fun. There is a Metro/bus option, but as soon as you add a connection and shuttle, it makes the trip much less convenient. For that reason, National (DCA), located close to central Washington and on the Metro, has always been preferred for short hops over IAD.

BWI is great for those living in the Maryland DC burbs, plus it is "hub" for Southwest, so fares are good. (Southwest does not concede to having hubs, but if it quacks like a duck...)

In an earlier post, you mentioned about the possibility of being booked out of one Washington airport and back into another. It is pretty unlikely that someone would do this on purpose, but I sure know it can happen by accident. My daughter used to live in the DC area, and she booked a trip to visit a friend out west. As is our habit, she e-mailed me her confirmation a couple of days before leaving. Oh oh. She was outbound from IAD, and inbound into DCA. I gave her a call, and she was not a happy camper. She had simply searched from "Washington DC." Oops. Since her outbound flight was early morning, she drove to IAD, and when she got back, she did the DCA-IAD Metro-bus shuffle.


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## Texan Eagle (May 26, 2012)

Anderson said:


> Also, I'm just wondering, but what were the lowest fares from BWI? That seems relevant since BWI isn't too much further from DC proper, and because once you get east of town, it's _far_ closer.


BWI-JFK *$91* on Delta

BWI-BOS* $62* on AirTran

I checked all fares on Google Flights. This site has a neat feature that shows the lowest fares for every day for a period of 3-4 months as a bar graph. The lowest fares I quoted are available on plenty of days, sometimes on only one flight, sometimes on multiple flights per day. This is not any different from Amtrak, where the low bucket fares may or may not be available on the day one wants to travel.

Edit: Google Flights does not pull up results from Southwest, checked those separately. Turns out Southwest offers exact same lowest fares- $91 to LGA (not JFK), and $62 to BOS.


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