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  1. Stremba

    Changed plans; inform Amtrak?

    If it is a refundable fare, you still probably should cancel that last leg. You might get a refund or at least a travel voucher for it. It wouldn’t be much, but why not claim it?
  2. Stremba

    Amtrak vs spouse/partner

    With my wife, I had to progress from shorter to longer trips. Our first trip happened because she had to go to Philadelphia for a work event. My son and I had to leave a day earlier, so we were going to drive to the event and my son and I take the train home. She decided to just take the train...
  3. Stremba

    Pittsburgh Amtrak Station past, present and future

    That is probably true. There is no high level platform, but there is an elevator from the street/entrance level up to the track level, so with the lift to actually board the train, the station probably is compliant.
  4. Stremba

    Booking question Chicago - Worcester MA

    You can book the lower price room. You would possibly have to move to a different room in a different car in ALB where the train splits. The room you are booking from CHI-ALB is in a car that will end up in New York. For ALB-WOR you would need to be in a car on the portion that ends in Boston.
  5. Stremba

    Trip suggestions using an Amtrak voucher?

    If you aren’t taking the excursion train to the Grand Canyon, I would recommend parking in Tusayan and taking the purple shuttle run by the NPS. You will need to purchase your park admission ahead of time (We had the national park pass so this wasn’t an issue). There are vending machines at the...
  6. Stremba

    Hotels convenient to Amtrak

    Thanks. I got the TRYP. The advertised rate did not include an extra $28 “resort fee” that was listed in the fine print, but even with that fee getting a room within short walking distance of Moynihan for less than $200 seems pretty good.
  7. Stremba

    First time rider - Norfolk to Boston

    Even at the longer stop at Washington, if you get off you might want to just stay on the platform near the train. Washington Union Station is a fairly long walk from the train and can be pretty crowded. The boarding gates also close about 5 minutes before departure. It’s not impossible to...
  8. Stremba

    Hotels convenient to Amtrak

    Thanks for your help. We have stayed in NYC hotels on many occasions so the small room size is expected. We are not hotel snobs, so the security thing is no issue. All I’m really looking for is cleanliness. As long as the place isn’t horribly dirty, infested with roaches or bed bugs, etc., I am...
  9. Stremba

    Hotels convenient to Amtrak

    I am looking at a trip in August to NYC. I checked the New Yorker for my date, based on prior posts, but the rate is $323 per night. I found TRYP by Wyndham nearby for $168 and the Hampton Inn Madison Square Garden (a bit farther away but still walkable) for $178. Hampton Inns usually are pretty...
  10. Stremba

    Nervous First Timer with some questions.

    One tip that you may not think of (at least I didn’t) is that you probably will pass through areas with very spotty cellular data service. If you had planned on watching tv shows or movies to entertain yourself during the trip, I would recommend downloading them ahead of time rather than trying...
  11. Stremba

    Using the Red Cap service at Moynihan

    We just recently travelled from Moynihan over the holiday weekend. My wife was having issues with her knee and was having trouble with stairs. There is a red cap station right at the main Amtrak waiting area. He was able to get us on the train 15 minutes ahead of the main boarding (This was on...
  12. Stremba

    Auto Train discussion

    Like anything else, priority offloading pricing is about supply and demand. For obvious reasons, supply cannot be increased (at least not without devaluing the product). I’ve personally only take a handful of trips on AT but priority offloading has always been fully sold out on all of them. I...
  13. Stremba

    Pittsburgh to New England trip suggestions

    If you wanted an alternative routing for the return to Pittsburgh, you could take a regional or Acela to Washington DC and then the Capitol Limited back to Pittsburgh. Not sure about the connection; this might require an overnight in DC. It will also get you back to Pittsburgh a few hours later...
  14. Stremba

    Fares that don't make sense

    Again, supply and demand. The fare that Amtrak can get for a trip depends on how much demand there is, not on how expensive it s for them to run the train. I suspect that the low bucket fare on both trains is the same. There have just been more seats sold on one, so it has gone into a higher...
  15. Stremba

    Buffalo Depew Station Question

    I am planning a trip in April where we are driving from Pittsburgh to Niagara Falls for a day, then riding the Empire Service train from Depew to NYP, returning a couple days later via the Maple Leaf. I have seen that parking is available at Buffalo-Depew, but is it likely to be full? We would...
  16. Stremba

    Roundtrip Atlanta to California questions

    I also find that using the Amtrak app is pretty much just as useful as talking to agents, at least for relatively standard and simple bookings. It too leaves a bit to be desired though. You can look for itineraries between any city pairs by going to the “book tickets” section f the app, but it...
  17. Stremba

    Hotels convenient to Amtrak

    For those who are more budget conscious and don’t mind staying outside Manhattan and doing a fairly short commute, the Doubletree by Hilton at Newark Penn can also be a viable option. Generally I’ve seen it significantly cheaper than hotels near NYP, usually around $150 per night, and it’s about...
  18. Stremba

    Ohio finally starts the process for new Amtrak service

    Personally if possible (and for admittedly selfish reasons since I live there), I would love to see the 3C+D corridor connected in some useful manner to Pittsburgh. I know I would love to be able to do a day trip from Pittsburgh to Cleveland, but the current connection with a single daily train...
  19. Stremba

    LAX to NYP, NYP to PDX and on to LAX question

    I believe the fastest section of track for the Acela is In Massachusetts between Providence and the Boston area stations. If you’re taking the LSL for your return trip, perhaps you could do an Acela from NYP-BOS then take the Boston section of the LSL. Acelas tend to be not cheap, though. If...
  20. Stremba

    Airo - Amfleet I replacement Siemens Inter City Trainsets (ICT) (2021 - 1Q 2024)

    https://triblive.com/local/regional/western-pa-to-get-new-upgraded-amtrak-airo-trains/ I saw this on the local newspaper website and this was the first I heard of it. Anyone familiar with these new Airo trains? Eliminating the long layover for the engine change in Philly certainly will speed...
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