Departing from a different station to that ticketed

[Traveller]

I have had to change departure stations from the one I bought a ticket from to the next station towards my destination, the ticketed original journey was from Greenwood MS to New Orleans LA.
Now I'll board the CONO at Jackson MS through to New Orleans using the same ticket on the same date, this is in coach. The ticket is not changeable

Do I have to advise Amtrak of my different departure station or just board explaining what happened to the conductor, as after all the journey is paid for and seats are not allocated.

Is there a 'correct' procedure?

Thanks

 

[niemi24s]

IIRC, if you don't get on the train at the station on your ticket, there's a strong likelihood you'll be counted as a no-show and your ticket will be invalidated.

Suspect you need to call Amtrak (preferably Guest Rewards) and explain the situation.

 

[zephyr17]

Well, the automatic cancellation for LD trains happened if the ticket wasn't scanned within 2 hours after departing the ticketed station. I understand the deadline was tighter for the NEC.

So Jackson for Greenwood is just outside the two hour window.

Technically, the advent of eticketing removed the conductor's discretion. The ticket will have been voided in the system at 2 hours and no longer valid, as would any subsequent segments, like a return, on the same reservation. Of course, in the end it is still up to conductor who rides the train and who is removed.

I have heard reports that Amtrak stopped doing the auto-cancellations, but cannot vouch for that. Personally, I wouldn't deliberately test it. If the auto-cancel practice for "no-shows" is still in place and the conductor is by-the-book you might have to buy a whole new ticket onboard or risk getting put off at Hazelhurst, MS.

Most all Amtrak tickets are modifiable, though there may be a penalty depending on the ticket type. I do not recall if the 25% penalty on "Value" tickets applies to modifications or only to cancellations. In any case, a modification will be at the current fare, not the original one. That may mean an additional charge or a refund.

 

[Traveller]

Thank you to you both, very helpful.

I did wonder what the penalty 'No Show' would have, I sort of understand now. Here is what is printed on the ticket -

• VLD DATE TRAIN TICKETED; NO SHOW: FORFEIT VALUE
• COACH: NO CHANGES, 25% CANCEL FEE

It's the same text on the receipt too. From the above it looks as though it's best to claim a partial refund and buy a new ticket from Jackson, that may be the simplest?

It's not Amtrak's fault I have had to change departure stations, not mine either, but it is my problem to sort out.

 

[zephyr17]

Call and ask to have the ticket modified. Chances are very good that an agent will modify the ticket without imposing a penalty. It will just be at the current fare.

Don't do a modification online, agents have more latitude.

At the very worst you'll get hit with the 25% cancellation penalty. But I honestly do not think you will, as long as you do it through an agent.

 

[Traveller]

All done, great advice.

It was a little more complicated than I wrote here as it connected into the previous journey to Greenwood, that needed an additional ticket.

Went online to calculate the charges to cancel and re-book, total cost over 2 tickets was $9 extra and worth it for not having to explain the gory detail to customer services.

I wasn't sure how this part of the Amtrak ticketing and riding system worked, you both pointed me in the right direction for my situation, big thanks to you.