Capitol Limited discussion 2023 Q4 - 2024

[MARC Rider]

Both serve Flex meals and have No Lounge, and have High Bucket Sleepers!

Flying is a much better deal IMO. YMMV.

Flying is a better deal unless what you're interested in is the train ride. Unfortunately, if you want a train ride between Chicago and the east coast, all that's available is flex meals and high bucket sleepers

On the Cap, they usually let you hang out in the Cross Country Cafe between meals.

I've hung out in the Cafe car of the Cardinal, and the Lake Shore Limited plates the flex meals for better service, and I think there's a full cafe car for hanging out.

 

[zephyr17]

Both serve Flex meals and have No Lounge, and have High Bucket Sleepers!

Flying is a much better deal IMO. YMMV.

Flying is almost always a better deal than sleepers. No news there.

 

[NEPATrainTraveler]

Flying is a better deal unless what you're interested in is the train ride. Unfortunately, if you want a train ride between Chicago and the east coast, all that's available is flex meals and high bucket sleepers

On the Cap, they usually let you hang out in the Cross Country Cafe between meals.

I've hung out in the Cafe car of the Cardinal, and the Lake Shore Limited plates the flex meals for better service, and I think there's a full cafe car for hanging out.

Admittedly, yes it is. While one can occasionally find low bucket sleepers, a round trip in economy would cost just as much if not significantly less than one way in a sleeper. Having done both flying and sleeper to get to/from the northeast to Chicago, flying is the more practical option (from a time and money saving perspective), but the sleeper is the more fun option (if one is a train fan like myself). While I do have fond memories attached to the trips where I flew, it is stuff like riding Metra's NCS and CTA's blue line for the first time that I remember fondly from those trips as opposed to the actual flying part (though I will admit that seeing downtown Chicago out of the window of my United airlines flights was pretty cool).

 

[joelkfla]

Both serve Flex meals and have No Lounge, and have High Bucket Sleepers!

Flying is a much better deal IMO. YMMV.

Not necessarily High Buckets. On mid-month Thursdays:

Cap Ltd Roomette CHI to Was in Sept & Oct is $686, which is middle bucket.

Cardinal Roomette CHI to NYP in Nov is $623, which is 2nd lowest on the chart; LSL is $558 (chart appears to be missing some buckets.) Cap Ltd to WAS is $488, which is below low bucket on chart.

In Dec, LSL to NYP is a steal at $502! Card is still $623 to NYP. and is $544 to WAS.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Not necessarily High Buckets. On mid-month Thursdays:

Cap Ltd Roomette CHI to Was in Sept & Oct is $686, which is middle bucket.

Cardinal Roomette CHI to NYP in Nov is $623, which is 2nd lowest on the chart; LSL is $558 (chart appears to be missing some buckets.) Cap Ltd to WAS is $488, which is below low bucket on chart.

In Dec, LSL to NYP is a steal at $502! Card is still $623 to NYP. and is $544 to WAS.

Guess with the Cap going to Single Level Equipment helps with Roomettes, but with Fewer Bedrooms it'll no doubt be more Expensive!

 

[cocojacoby]

I did a search a while ago testing this exact situation. The Chicago - Cleveland city pair is the only place where you can compare Superliner and Viewliner rates since it offers both equipment types either on the Lake Shore Limited or the Capitol Limited. To my surprise the Lake Shore was cheaper than the Capitol for similar rooms. Doesn't make sense maybe but that was the result.

 

[B&Ofan]

I did a search a while ago testing this exact situation. The Capitol is the only train where you can compare Superliner and Viewliner rates since it offers both equipment types between Chicago and Cleveland. To my surprise the Lake Shore was cheaper than the Capitol for similar rooms. Doesn't make sense maybe but that was the result.

That may be because the LSL always has 3 sleepers where the Cap might only have 1.