Commuter rail to an Amtrak station

[Joe from PA]

In our Philadelphia local news was the recent addition of track about 5 miles long to a new station offering a 600 car parking garage, as well as a raised station platforms. Most of the stations along our Media line have parking lots way too small for the number of commuters wanting to use them, and only a few stations have raised platforms for old folks, like myself, to have a easy entrance/exit to the train. This line has a stop for the Amtrak Philadelphia 30th Street Station.
Do you have rail service to a Amtrak station?

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Wilmington, DE
Washington DC
Baltimore
New York City
Dallas
San Jose, CA

To name a few

 

[joelkfla]

I regularly use KIS south of Orlando because it's shared with SunRail commuter service, which has a free city-owned parking ramp. The Amtrak ticket agent gives passengers a dashboard pass allowing overnight parking. I've never gone to the upper levels of the garage, but I think SunRail ridership is low enough that the garage doesn't fill up.

The Orlando and Winter Park stations are also shared, but don't have as extensive parking available for overnight use.

 

[Metra Electric Rider]

In theory I could take my train to Homewood to board Amtrak, since there isn't direct service to CUS by my line or rapid transit.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Wilmington, DE
Washington DC
Baltimore
New York City
Dallas
San Jose, CA

To name a few

Fort Worth
LAX
San Diego
Sacramento
Portland
Seattle
Salt Lake
Denver
St Louis
Boston

 

[MisterUptempo]

I have taken Metra-Rock Island from my regular stop to Joliet to board Lincoln Service trains, when they synch up time-wise, and have the option to take Metra-Southwest Service trains to Chicago Union Station for Amtrak routes there.

Once the Lincoln Service starts to roll on the Rock between Chicago and Joliet, I might be able to pick it up at my home station, depending on which station along the line they designate as a stop.

 

[BCL]

In the San Francisco Bay Area there's:

FMT: ACE
GAC: ACE
SCC: ACE and Caltrain
SJC: ACE and Caltrain

There used to be even more ways to tap into the Amtrak network, such as the bus stop at the 4th and King Caltrain station in San Francisco.

I've recently been to the LA/OC area where Metrolink and Amtrak (especially Pacific Surfliner) use the same tracks and stations. Then there's the San Diego area with Coaster and Sprinter.

 

[PVD]

Metro North certainly overlaps with Amtrak on the NEC through New Haven, and along the Hudson through Poughkeepsie. CT Rail along the Hartford routes, A bunch of MBTA routes can get you to Amtrak in a few spots, as can NJT in NJ. There are so many others. But on a personal level, there is a bus on my corner that will take me to the subway $2.75 and an hour 20 mins or so gets me to NYP. But if it is a busy hour, or if I have bags, car service to LIRR Jamaica station gets me there in about 40 mins total but $$$. Coming home on a train that arrives later in the evening, and the LIRR is 20 mins to Jamaica, and I can usually get a friend to drive me home....

 

[pennyk]

I regularly use KIS south of Orlando because it's shared with SunRail commuter service, which has a free city-owned parking ramp. The Amtrak ticket agent gives passengers a dashboard pass allowing overnight parking. I've never gone to the upper levels of the garage, but I think SunRail ridership is low enough that the garage doesn't fill up.

The Orlando and Winter Park stations are also shared, but don't have as extensive parking available for overnight use.

I often take SunRail to ORL to start an Amtrak trip. I live fairly close to a SunRail station so (weather permitting), I can walk and not have to worry about parking (which there is none at the downtown SunRail station I use).

 

[blueman271]

Every Amtrak stop between Hollywood and West Palm Beach Florida is also a Tri-Rail stop.

 

[Joe from PA]

Every Amtrak stop between Hollywood and West Palm Beach Florida is also a Tri-Rail stop.

True, but are they "shared" stations? What is the difference between Brightline and Tri-Rail?

 

[CaptPete 43]

Boston has commuter rail into Back Bay Station, South Stain, Route 128 and North Station which are all AMTRAK stations. Further one can take the MBTA Silver Line from South Station to Logan Airport with drop off at each terminal

 

[Trollopian]

Fort Worth
LAX
San Diego
Sacramento
Portland
Seattle
Salt Lake
Denver
St Louis
Boston

+ Albuquerque (NM's Rail Runner)

 

[MARC Rider]

True, but are they "shared" stations? What is the difference between Brightline and Tri-Rail?

Amtrak and Tr-Rail share the same stations. Brightline is on a different route and has no interchange with Amtrak. Eventually, there will be some Tri-Rail trains that will operate on the Brightline route, but that hasn't started yet.

 

[railiner]

Amtrak and Tr-Rail share the same stations. Brightline is on a different route and has no interchange with Amtrak. Eventually, there will be some Tri-Rail trains that will operate on the Brightline route, but that hasn't started yet.

At West Palm Beach, my “home station”, Tri-Rail and Amtrak share the platform, but Amtrak occupies the former SAL station building, waiting room, ticket office, baggage, and restrooms. And the snack bar.
Tri-Rail has their own facilities at the north end of the platform.

 

[mitako]

When we take Amtrak out of Los Angeles Union Station, we ride the Metrolink from Santa Clarita to Union Station. Metrolink is commuter train throughout a great deal of Southern CA. It's quite convenient to get off the Metrolink and be right inside Union Station.

 

[joelkfla]

True, but are they "shared" stations? What is the difference between Brightline and Tri-Rail?

Brightline is privately-owned intercity rail. Current stops are 30 minutes apart; there are a couple of infill stations under construction. Service to Orlando initially will be several hours non-stop.

Tri-Rail & SunRail are government-operated commuter rail with frequent stops.

At shared SunRail stations, the platforms are stacked end-to-end, because SunRail platforms are slightly elevated while Amtrak platforms are at ground level. SunRail has no station facilities other than parking. All ticketing is handled by machines on the platforms.

 

[zephyr17]

Wilmington, DE
Washington DC
Baltimore
New York City
Dallas
San Jose, CA

To name a few

Fort Worth
LAX
San Diego
Sacramento
Portland
Seattle
Salt Lake
Denver
St Louis
Boston

Everett
Edmonds
Fullerton
Santa Ana
Van Nuys
(Not including commuter rail owned stations that Amtrak uses like Croton Harmon, Yonkers, Poughkeepsie, Burbank, Tukwila, Naperville, Glenview, etc, etc, etc)

 

[blueman271]

True, but are they "shared" stations? What is the difference between Brightline and Tri-Rail?

Bright line and Amtrak/Tri-Rail use different tracks. Brightline tracks run parallel to US-1 through most of South Florida whereas the Amtrak/Tri-Rail tracks run parallel to I-95 from northern Dade County to West Palm Beach. Eventually Tri-Rail will use the southernmost portion of the Brightline tracks (from roughly 71st ST south) to reach MiamiCentral.

 

[BCL]

LA was mentioned, but the map is something else. I do understand that it's slower, but there are some programs that include Amtrak Pacific Surfliner travel on a Metrolink pass or ticket. It's restricted to certain stations and also subject to suspension of the program. Pacific Surfliner is in gray, and many of its stations are also used by the Coast Starlight.

I can't seem to find a good standalone image of the Coaster map that also shows shared Amtrak stations.

 

[Cal]

In our Philadelphia local news was the recent addition of track about 5 miles long to a new station offering a 600 car parking garage,

Tad bit off topic, but I feel like this is a great example of how American transit isn't very well designed overall. Maybe it's the best we can do in current America, but it's not the way, in my opinion, to get optimal transit. Anyways.. I kind of have commuter rail to my local Amtrak station. The main two local commuter rail stations are both served by Amtrak, with another one closer but with very limited service, and it connects to Amtrak in a way where it would make more sense to just go directly to an Amtrak station.

 

[Rambling Robert]

Boston has commuter rail into Back Bay Station, South Stain, Route 128 and North Station which are all AMTRAK stations. Further one can take the MBTA Silver Line from South Station to Logan Airport with drop off at each terminal

The Amtrak DownEaster is out of BON and served by two Commuter Rail stations: Woburn/Anderson on the Lowell Line and Haverhill on the Haverhill Line.

 

[Arctifox]

Around DC there are some stations served both by commuter rail and Amtrak (besides Washington DC Union Station).

Shared with VRE south of DC:

• Alexandria, VA
• Burke, VA
• Manassas, VA
• Quantico, VA
• Fredericksburg, VA

Shared with MARC north of DC:

• Rockville, MD
• Harpers Ferry, WV
• Martinsburg, WV
• New Carrollton, MD
• BWI Airport, MD
• Baltimore, MD

 

[MARC Rider]

It seems that most commuter rail systems connect to Amtrak at some point on their network. Thus, using commuter rail as a first or last segment of an Amtrak trip would be definitely possible. The real issue may be that the commuter schedules may not be that well synchronized to Amtrak schedules. On the other hand, Amtrak trains (especially the long-distance one) run behind schedule so frequently that it may not matter that the schedules aren't synchronized, although it increases the chance that the Amtrak train may arrive long after the last commuter train of the day.

I would be more interested in knowing the commuter rail systems that don't connect to Amtrak.

 

[MARC Rider]

The Baltimore Light Rail serves Penn Station, but only through a branch off the main line. Thus, if I were to ride light rail from my home station, I would have to get off a Mt. Royal and wait for a train coming in the opposite direction that was heading to Penn Station. Given the frequency pf the Penn Station light rail shuttles, it's usually faster to just walk the couple of blocks. Direct light rail to Penn Station best serves the Inner Harbor, Convention Center, Camden Station, and the stadiums. Getting to any other point on the light rail system requires a transfer. There's also a free circulator bus that also connects Penn Station with the Inner Harbor.