Connecting Coast Starlight - EB in PDX

[lthanlon]

Is this a guaranteed connection?

 

[brianpmcdonnell17]

Is this a guaranteed connection?

Yes, but it is the most frequently missed connection I have come across in the Amtrak system. It is relatively common for there to be a bus bridge between the two when the CS is running late l.

 

[KmH]

Is this a guaranteed connection?

Only if both trains are on the same reservation.
It is a tight connection,1hr 13 minutes, north and eastbound.

Not nearly as tight east and south bound - 3 hrs 40 min.

https://www.amtrak.com/at-the-station

Connecting Trains

Amtrak does not normally guarantee connections of less than 60 minutes (90 minutes between arriving long-distance trains and local trains in the Northeast Corridor). Please call Amtrak 1-800-USA-RAIL (1-800-872-7245) or your travel agent if your planned itinerary includes a shorter connection. A guaranteed connection does not ensure that such a connection will always be made. In the case of a missed guaranteed connection, Amtrak will provide alternate transportation on Amtrak, another carrier, or overnight hotel accommodations, at Amtrak's discretion.

 

[Lonestar648]

Though guaranteed, as mentioned above the connection has to be on the same reservation. Expect and be prepared to be bused between points, so if both trains are on time you will be pleasantly surprised.

 

[snvboy]

Did this trip in October 2015. https://snvboy.exposure.co/brocation-2015
For my taste, the 1hr connection was WAY too tight regardless of what Amtrak was going to guarantee. Portland is a great town, very accessible on foot and public transport from the train station. So I just planned an overnight there rather than stressing out over making the connection, missing some train time, etc. etc.

If you have a day to spare in your schedule, I'd just plan on overnighting in Portland and catching a few of the awesome things to do there.

 

[Tennessee Traveler]

I did not attempt to do the connection but my Coast Starlight northbound on June 10 was on time in Klamath Falls(the usual bus bridge beginning) but held up by freight and arrived Portland two hours late missing the connection. The conductor announced that all who had expected to transfer should go to the ticket counter in Portland and they would make other arrangements. I did not find out what the "other arrangements" were since I was staying four nights in Portland to vacation.

 

[calwatch]

They held the last time I took the connection, last summer. You can use the StatusMaps web site to find past performance. It doesn't look like they hold more than 30 minutes, which means a train more than 90 minutes late will blow the connection, and it has happened disturbingly frequently this month (maybe a third of the time).

 

[oregon pioneer]

I have a friend who just did that connection. Because his northbound CS was three hours late, he was "bustituted" from Klamath Falls to Pasco. Food consisted of the Subway at the truck stop in Chemult, and a Kentucky-fried box upon arrival in Pasco (said friend is a vegetarian).

Personally, I would plan a layover on my own nickel in Portland, as others have said. Then you would not be pulled off a late train.

 

[the_traveler]

The bus bridge does not always begin in KFS. I was bustituted from Albany, OR to PDX up I-5.

 

[Lonestar648]

If you do not layover in Portland, odds are your trip will get messed up trying to make the connection.

 

[lthanlon]

Thanks for the insights, everyone. Yeah, I don't think I'm going to risk it. Portland overnight would be a fun option.