Ryan
Court Jester
Inspired by this thread by Tracktwentynine:
http://discuss.amtraktrains.com/index.php?/topic/35761-a-look-at-fares-on-the-crescent/
I finally had some free time to devote to this. In the thread linked above, I included some of my early attempts using the Silver Meteor. I redid the charts to be a little bit nicer, here is NYP-MIA:
Nothing too remarkable, except the fat that the fares go flat once you get to JAX (there's a small $3 uptick in the base coach fare at the last 3 stops).
Headed the other way, MIA-NYP:
Again, nothing too unusual. Really cheap to Orlando, then a huge spike in the bedroom price at Winter Park and Beyond. Roomette fares increase a little more slowly, but start increasing a little more quickly between JAX (not labeled) and SAV. Also interesting is the fact that the most expensive destination from Miami is Alexandria. It's a little cheaper to go to Washington, and then the fare is the same regardless of where you leave the train on the corridor.
Contrast that with the Cardinal, which has some interesting pricing indeed.
Starting in Chicago:
Coach and Roomettes have a fairly normal distribution, but the Bedroom pricing has some oddities, likely driven by their scarity. First up, is an inability to book a Bedroom for any point short of Montgomery, WV (they show up as "SOLD OUT" regardless of the date. There's also an interesting peak from White Sulpher Springs to Charlottesville - I guess that Amtrak really wants to keep people in those sleepers though to closer to Washington. After CVS, Culpepper and Manassas are cheaper, then they spike back up for Alexandria and points beyond. Unlike Roomettes and Coach on the Cardinal (and all 3 accommodations on the Silver Meteor), prices for bedrooms on the Cardinal climb as you head up the NEC (prices on the Crescent also do this).
Finally, the Cardinal running the other way, NYP-CHI:
Much more normal. The big takeaway from this one is that you can save yourself $200 by getting your Bedroom ticket as far as Dyer and then getting a coach ticket for the run into Chicago (or if you're in a Roomette, the same trick will save you about $75).
Next up will be the Capitol Limited and the Silver Star (probably).
http://discuss.amtraktrains.com/index.php?/topic/35761-a-look-at-fares-on-the-crescent/
I finally had some free time to devote to this. In the thread linked above, I included some of my early attempts using the Silver Meteor. I redid the charts to be a little bit nicer, here is NYP-MIA:
Nothing too remarkable, except the fat that the fares go flat once you get to JAX (there's a small $3 uptick in the base coach fare at the last 3 stops).
Headed the other way, MIA-NYP:
Again, nothing too unusual. Really cheap to Orlando, then a huge spike in the bedroom price at Winter Park and Beyond. Roomette fares increase a little more slowly, but start increasing a little more quickly between JAX (not labeled) and SAV. Also interesting is the fact that the most expensive destination from Miami is Alexandria. It's a little cheaper to go to Washington, and then the fare is the same regardless of where you leave the train on the corridor.
Contrast that with the Cardinal, which has some interesting pricing indeed.
Starting in Chicago:
Coach and Roomettes have a fairly normal distribution, but the Bedroom pricing has some oddities, likely driven by their scarity. First up, is an inability to book a Bedroom for any point short of Montgomery, WV (they show up as "SOLD OUT" regardless of the date. There's also an interesting peak from White Sulpher Springs to Charlottesville - I guess that Amtrak really wants to keep people in those sleepers though to closer to Washington. After CVS, Culpepper and Manassas are cheaper, then they spike back up for Alexandria and points beyond. Unlike Roomettes and Coach on the Cardinal (and all 3 accommodations on the Silver Meteor), prices for bedrooms on the Cardinal climb as you head up the NEC (prices on the Crescent also do this).
Finally, the Cardinal running the other way, NYP-CHI:
Much more normal. The big takeaway from this one is that you can save yourself $200 by getting your Bedroom ticket as far as Dyer and then getting a coach ticket for the run into Chicago (or if you're in a Roomette, the same trick will save you about $75).
Next up will be the Capitol Limited and the Silver Star (probably).
