Amtrak System Timetable Updated

[acelafan]

Amtrak posted a new digital-only version of the system timetable, dated September 9, 2016.

You can find it at the top of this page.

 

[Gemuser]

A pretty good effort BUT no hyper links from the index to the actual timetable is a pain. Scrolling thru 130 odd pages is tedious.

 

[GaSteve]

Actually, it's quicker just to go directly to it here: https://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/773/599/System-Timetable-090916.pdf

 

[acelafan]

Actually, it's quicker just to go directly to it here: https://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/773/599/System-Timetable-090916.pdf

Thanks. They will occasionally change the URL with a published revision and so it can become a dead link.

 

[Philly Amtrak Fan]

A pretty good effort BUT no hyper links from the index to the actual timetable is a pain. Scrolling thru 130 odd pages is tedious.

Well if you're looking for a specific route, it's probably easier to download/click on the individual timetable.

I think Amtrak should make "city timetables" for cities that have multiple trains (for a city like Denver, there's only one train so there's no point). I made some for some cities: http://discuss.amtraktrains.com/index.php?/topic/67757-long-distance-quick-reference-schedules-for-phl-nyp-was-chi/

I would like to see an "Atlantic Coast Service" timetable without the Carolinian or Piedmont. If you have a separate timetable/schedule for each, what is the point to include them on the Atlantic Coast Service timetable? Maybe you can then put the full Silver Meteor/Star on a single page like all of the other LD trains.

 

[niemi24s]

I'm saddened by the omission of system map, the fold out double-wide of the old paper version. In my opinion, there's no better way for a newcomer to Amtrak to get familiar with where all the trains go. Scrolling through this pdf file to locate the individual maps of the six different regions is a real pain. Oh well - that's progress, I guess.

 

[Train2104]

All routes that handle baggage have some mention of bike carriage, be it the preexisting ones on the state sponsored routes, or the Viewliner II style ones on other routes.

The only exception I see is the the Coast Starlight, which makes no mention of bikes.

The Capitol Limited mention is the same as the other baggage car routes and says staffed stations only.

 

[TiBike]

Yep, the Coast Starlight-specific section makes no mention of bikes but the Amtrak Cascades and California Coastal compilations have a bike icon at the top of the CS column, consistent with the corridor routes.

Two "pure" case explanations:

1. The CS will not allow unboxed bikes and the bike icon is a mistake.

2. The CS will carry bikes by corridor rules: every station and free in California and $5 in Washington and Oregon.

Many possible permutations in between. Third Rail's post in the Bike Stuff thread indicates that more info is yet to come, though.

(Mods, feel free to to move this post to that thread)

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I'm saddened by the omission of system map, the fold out double-wide of the old paper version. In my opinion, there's no better way for a newcomer to Amtrak to get familiar with where all the trains go.

Agreed.

 

[PaulM]

Yep, the Coast Starlight-specific section makes no mention of bikes but the Amtrak Cascades and California Coastal compilations have a bike icon at the top of the CS column, consistent with the corridor routes.

Two "pure" case explanations:

1. The CS will not allow unboxed bikes and the bike icon is a mistake.

2. The CS will carry bikes by corridor rules: every station and free in California and $5 in Washington and Oregon.

I'm confused regarding the Coast Starlight. Are you saying that you could take an unboxed bike to and from anywhere between Seattle and Eugene for $5, or between San Luis Obispo and San Diego for free? But anywhere else you would need to box it, which requires the originating and arrival stations to have baggage service?

 

[TiBike]

I moved my reply over to the Bike Stuff thread...

Yep, the Coast Starlight-specific section makes no mention of bikes but the Amtrak Cascades and California Coastal compilations have a bike icon at the top of the CS column, consistent with the corridor routes.

Two "pure" case explanations:

1. The CS will not allow unboxed bikes and the bike icon is a mistake.

2. The CS will carry bikes by corridor rules: every station and free in California and $5 in Washington and Oregon.

I'm confused regarding the Coast Starlight. Are you saying that you could take an unboxed bike to and from anywhere between Seattle and Eugene for $5, or between San Luis Obispo and San Diego for free? But anywhere else you would need to box it, which requires the originating and arrival stations to have baggage service?

 

[Philly Amtrak Fan]

Now updated as of October: https://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/405/353/System-Timetable-100316.pdf

Maybe the move to electronic only will result in more frequent updates of the system timetable as opposed to just twice a week.

 

[TiBike]

Not too updated – still shows the Coast Starlight as having no roll up bike service. But the other LD routes have the info.

 

[neroden]

I'm saddened by the omission of system map, the fold out double-wide of the old paper version. In my opinion, there's no better way for a newcomer to Amtrak to get familiar with where all the trains go. Scrolling through this pdf file to locate the individual maps of the six different regions is a real pain. Oh well - that's progress, I guess.

Yeah, Amtrak needs a system map. They should ask Cameron Booth if they can use his map, actually.

 

[Philly Amtrak Fan]

I'm saddened by the omission of system map, the fold out double-wide of the old paper version. In my opinion, there's no better way for a newcomer to Amtrak to get familiar with where all the trains go. Scrolling through this pdf file to locate the individual maps of the six different regions is a real pain. Oh well - that's progress, I guess.

Yeah, Amtrak needs a system map. They should ask Cameron Booth if they can use his map, actually.

It's not as easy to find but:

https://www.amtrak.com/find-train-bus-stations-train-routes

https://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/631/638/SystemMapMar2015.pdf(as of March 2015)

Some of the newer Thruway service is missing (no Wilkes Barre/Scranton to Philly and the Pittsburgh-Indianapolis bus only is shown as far as Columbus).

 

[railbuck]

Maybe the move to electronic only will result in more frequent updates of the system timetable as opposed to just twice a week.

Twice a week might actually be more than frequent enough. If you need real time updates, there's an app for that.

 

[Philly Amtrak Fan]

I meant to say twice a year. Sorry.

 

[Philly Amtrak Fan]

I would like to see an "Atlantic Coast Service" timetable without the Carolinian or Piedmont. If you have a separate timetable/schedule for each, what is the point to include them on the Atlantic Coast Service timetable? Maybe you can then put the full Silver Meteor/Star on a single page like all of the other LD trains.

I don't know if this is a copyright violation but attached is the schedule format I was looking for. You can print it in a single page. It's a bit small but readable. So you can see in one page the schedules between the NEC and Florida on a single page. If you are reading it in Adobe Acrobat and shrink it so it fits in a laptop screen (mine at least) it is real tiny to read.

Silver Service May 2017.pdf

 

[neroden]

I don't know if this is a copyright violation but

No. Factual information is not subject to copyright. Only formatting and "creative" information is subject to copyright.
This is why there used to be lots of third-party railway timetables published, and we can certainly do so again if we have to.