Early boarding

[Peter L. Reid]

In the Amtrak System Timetable, it states that sleeping car passengers, on the Lake Shore Limited, due to depart at 9.30pm, may board earlier. Does anybody know how much earlier? I have searched the Amtrak site, but I cannot find an answer.

Is the lounge in Chicago available as well, prior to train departures. I have time to kill in Chicago, before catching the City of New Orleans.

I have been to LA station a few times, as a sleeping car passenger, but I have never been told about a lounge there. Is there one?

 

[J-1 3235]

The early boarding time depends on when the yard returns the train to the station. On previous trips, I think we were escorted from the Lounge to the LSL between 8:00 and 8:30, and enjoyed the wine/cider and cheese reception in the diner.

Yes the Metropolitan Lounge is available for sleeper passengers. You are able to store your luggage in the lounge, so that you may kill time without staying in the station, if you wish.

The "Lounge" in LAX is the bar in the station; it is only available to Coast Starlight passengers before departure. Later in the day the bar is open for business.

 

[oregon pioneer]

I just did the LSL on Sunday night from CHI to BOS, and I made a pest of myself asking questions about the boarding time because I wanted to go out to dinner with my nephew (who lives there) and NOT board any earlier than necessary, so here's the deal:

They want you there (checked in for your trip at the Metropolitan Lounge) at 8:00, so they can board everyone together for the wine and cheese tasting. The LATEST you can get back to Union Station if you take off and leave any luggage in the check room is 8:30, because the check room attendant will go on a break then and lock his room up. So those are the brackets. I arrived back from my dinner out, very shortly after 8:15. The place was deserted except for the check room attendant and the desk attendant. He gave me back my bag, and locked his door, she logged off her computer and walked me to the train -- well, at least as far as the rear of the train. She pointed to someone on the platform and said "I think that's your conductor," then went back. He was, in fact, just a guy enjoying a last cigarette on the platform, so I kept walking. Walked right past the dining car where people were already enjoying the wine and cheese (they waved to me). Walked to the front of the train where my Boston sleeper attendant was waiting for me, and happy to board me.

So the moral is: if you are there at 8pm, they will treat you like royalty and feed you wine and cheese. If you want to be late, you had better be fairly self-reliant.

 

[Blackwolf]

In practice, on really any train, is that the absolute latest you can be back at the station is the time the schedule shows your train departing. Of course, this being Chicago, I'd say 9:20pm is just about the point at which you are missing your train. The gate agents will close the doors and good luck getting one of those self-serving apes to do much for you except shrug their shoulders. My understanding is that the Metropolitan Lounge pretty much closes up shop for the evening at 8:30pm.

Now, I've boarded the eastbound LSL as late as 9:15, in sleeper, and still got my wine and cheese just as we were pulling from the station. To do this meant no Metro Lounge or preferred boarding privileges (much like a late-arriving 1st class airline passenger just as the gate agent is shutting down things to close the door.) Be assured, that if you're cutting it close, that as long as you're on the platform side of the doors before the conductor shuts up shop, you'll catch your train. And might still nab some munchies doing it.

For the record, I was late because my time in Chicago that day was spent riding along with the Chicago Fire Department and they had a fire. I literally hailed a cab from the fire scene, ran back to the firehouse where my bags were, and headed to Union Station just in time to catch my train to New York. Moral of the story? Try not to miss your train!

 

[Nathanael]

I figured out that one reason for the early boarding at Chicago on the Lake Shore Limited is that the Metropolitan Lounge often *closes* some time before the Lake Shore Limited departs. So if you arrive after the lounge closes, you'll have to go to the train through the normal "coach" gate. I've done this when we had a late dinner and arrived 20 minutes before train time.

 

[SubwayNut]

I'm about to qualify for Select+ and one of the privileges I'm looking forward to is being able to pre-board long distance trains in coach (I pretty much exclusively travel coach) from the Chicago Metropolitan Lounge to avoid the awful holding pen coach waiting area.

So does this mean coach passengers who have S+ and lounge access are kicked out at 8:30 and stuck waiting in the awful holding pen waiting area until coach boards closer to train departure, or can they board with the sleepers at 8:30?

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

I'm about to qualify for Select+ and one of the privileges I'm looking forward to is being able to pre-board long distance trains in coach (I pretty much exclusively travel coach) from the Chicago Metropolitan Lounge to avoid the awful holding pen coach waiting area.

So does this mean coach passengers who have S+ and lounge access are kicked out at 8:30 and stuck waiting in the awful holding pen waiting area until coach boards closer to train departure, or can they board with the sleepers at 8:30?

While you are suppose to go out and join the general boarding line, you can easily flag a Redcap in the Lounge and have him run you out to your Coach. The last time I did that I was settled in and ready to go almost 5 minutes before general boarding began; that was well worth the $5 tip.

 

[MrFSS]

I'm about to qualify for Select+ and one of the privileges I'm looking forward to is being able to pre-board long distance trains in coach (I pretty much exclusively travel coach) from the Chicago Metropolitan Lounge to avoid the awful holding pen coach waiting area.

So does this mean coach passengers who have S+ and lounge access are kicked out at 8:30 and stuck waiting in the awful holding pen waiting area until coach boards closer to train departure, or can they board with the sleepers at 8:30?

Several things that can happen here.

If you are boarding a train that only has coach, you have to go out and board from the regular boarding area.

If you are boarding coach on a train that has sleeper passengers boarding from the lounge and you are in the lounge, you go out with the sleeper passengers (how would they know you were in coach when you are in the lounge at boarding time. Don't tell them)

I have done it both ways. Several times we have come in on a sleeper and thus were able to go to the lounge. We were leaving in coach on The Cardinal so boarded with the sleeper passengers from the lounge.

I have come in on a sleeper, been admitted to the lounge, and was leaving on a coach only train. They made me go out to the regular boarding area and board as if I had never been in the lounge.

 

[PRR 60]

The interesting issue is specific to the departure of the eastbound Lake Shore out of Chicago. The train leaves at 9:30pm, but sleeper passengers can board at 8:30 for the wine and cheese fest. Coach passengers cannot board until closer to 9:30. Once the sleeper passengers are herded to the train, the lounge is done for the day and closes. What happens to a Lake Shore coach passenger who is in the lounge through S+ status? I doubt they can board in coach prior to the masses, and I doubt the lounge will stay open just for them. I'm thinking they have to leave the lounge and wait for coach boarding, but I don't know that for sure.

 

[AlanB]

The interesting issue is specific to the departure of the eastbound Lake Shore out of Chicago. The train leaves at 9:30pm, but sleeper passengers can board at 8:30 for the wine and cheese fest. Coach passengers cannot board until closer to 9:30. Once the sleeper passengers are herded to the train, the lounge is done for the day and closes. What happens to a Lake Shore coach passenger who is in the lounge through S+ status? I doubt they can board in coach prior to the masses, and I doubt the lounge will stay open just for them. I'm thinking they have to leave the lounge and wait for coach boarding, but I don't know that for sure.

That's what always been said when I've been in the lounge, that coach passenger could NOT board from the lounge. And most times the doors to the coaches aren't even open when I've boarded, only the sleeper doors are open. So if one didn't admit to being in coach and walked out with the sleeper pax, you might well have no place to go and would be left standing the platform for a while and looking rather conspicuous with your luggage. That would probably get one sent back to the main waiting area.

As they say however, your mileage may vary.

 

[TimePeace]

I have boarded the LSL in coach from the lounge (having arrived in sleeper on the SWC). I don't remember what time it was, but they didn't kick me out.

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

In my case of transferring from Sleeper to Coach at Chicago one of the Metropolitan Lounge Attendents told me I could grab a Redcap at the front door when the Sleeper call was made and he'd drop me off at my train.