Emp Serv to GCT, LSL NYP Suspended, Other NYP Changes 2018

[Philly Amtrak Fan]

I don't see this as a good move for Amtrak. The LSL is one of Amtrak's most crowded trains and the New York-Chicago passengers will be left with the 3 day Cardinal as the only choice. Problem is that the Cardinal is a small train with one or two sleepers, a cafe car and maybe three coaches. That train could not possibly take the additional passenger load. Moving the LSL temporarily to Grand Central station makes the most sense.

Not when there is no way to service the train.

NY-bound passengers can transfer at ALB to an Empire Service train. It's not the end of the world. It's not really that different than the many times Amtrak had to run a shuttle/stub train ALB-BOS instead of a through train, except that now it's a different set of passengers making the transfer.

You said the T-Word. Now New Yorkers will find out what it's like to live in Philly ... or Boston. Maybe when a bigger city is involved Amtrak will finally fix the problem once and for all.

 

[fixj]

If they do move on this , do we have any idea of the dates? I'm reserved on the LSL in late may NYP to CHI.

 

[amtrakpass]

I don't think Transfering at Albany is too much of a hassle for a few months as long as the ticketing is clear and it is on the itinerary. One small question for those more familiar with Grand Central. Is there a waiting area with enough seats so people can sit down somewhere? Especially for older folks or handicaped persons who would usually get to the station plenty early for a long trip? Taking Metro North out of there I don't recall seeing a seated waiting area like penn station has but I may have missed it since I wasn't looking for it

 

[cpotisch]

I don't see this as a good move for Amtrak. The LSL is one of Amtrak's most crowded trains and the New York-Chicago passengers will be left with the 3 day Cardinal as the only choice. Problem is that the Cardinal is a small train with one or two sleepers, a cafe car and maybe three coaches. That train could not possibly take the additional passenger load. Moving the LSL temporarily to Grand Central station makes the most sense.

Exactly! The tiny, 3-day, frequently sold out Cardinal, would take on the passenger load of a LONG, DAILY, frequently sold out train. There are a lot of people who want a one-seat ride from NYC to Chicago. This will interfere with all of them.

 

[frequentflyer]

Or send the pax down to WAS to take the Capital Ltd.

 

[dlagrua]

Or send the pax down to WAS to take the Capital Ltd.

The LSL leaves NYC at 3:45 PM, The CL leaves WAS around 4 PM. A typical Amtrak connecting train would get you into WAS about 1-2 PM for the layover. That means a NY departure on the regional to WAS would have to be around 10-11 AM. This extends the NYP-CHI trip 5-6 hours to about 25 hours. Then there is no luggage service until you arrive in WAS so you are limited to the small carry on's. .That sounds like it won't be a good alternative. ..

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

If this pans out, hopefully someone at Amtrak will figure out how to beef up the consists on the Cardinal and Cap to get pax to Washington and then run them on up to NYC via Regional or Acela.

 

[Eric S]

Why is transferring in Albany such an unbearable burden that passengers should instead be encouraged to transfer in Washington?

 

[jis]

Or send the pax down to WAS to take the Capital Ltd.

The LSL leaves NYC at 3:45 PM, The CL leaves WAS around 4 PM. A typical Amtrak connecting train would get you into WAS about 1-2 PM for the layover. That means a NY departure on the regional to WAS would have to be around 10-11 AM. This extends the NYP-CHI trip 5-6 hours to about 25 hours. Then there is no luggage service until you arrive in WAS so you are limited to the small carry on's. .That sounds like it won't be a good alternative. ..

If you try to book an NYP - CHI trip via WAS Amtrak offers the following:

NYP 11:35 (ET) WAS 15:11 (ET) 125

WAS 1605 (ET) CHI 08:45 (CT) 29

That appears to be about 22 hours, not 25 hours as you claim.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Or send the pax down to WAS to take the Capital Ltd.

The LSL leaves NYC at 3:45 PM, The CL leaves WAS around 4 PM. A typical Amtrak connecting train would get you into WAS about 1-2 PM for the layover. That means a NY departure on the regional to WAS would have to be around 10-11 AM. This extends the NYP-CHI trip 5-6 hours to about 25 hours. Then there is no luggage service until you arrive in WAS so you are limited to the small carry on's. .That sounds like it won't be a good alternative. ..

No, you're not limited to small carry on's. I've taken the regionals to/from WAS when traveling on the CL. I've taken my big bag and other bags.

 

[cpotisch]

Or send the pax down to WAS to take the Capital Ltd.

The LSL leaves NYC at 3:45 PM, The CL leaves WAS around 4 PM. A typical Amtrak connecting train would get you into WAS about 1-2 PM for the layover. That means a NY departure on the regional to WAS would have to be around 10-11 AM. This extends the NYP-CHI trip 5-6 hours to about 25 hours. Then there is no luggage service until you arrive in WAS so you are limited to the small carry on's. .That sounds like it won't be a good alternative. ..

If you try to book an NYP - CHI trip via WAS Amtrak offers the following:
NYP 11:35 (ET) WAS 15:11 (ET) 125

WAS 1605 (ET) CHI 08:45 (CT) 29

That appears to be about 22 hours, not 25 hours as you claim.

Yes. But there’s still the hassle of going to DC and changing trains. I’m surprised Philly isn’t on this thread yet. [emoji6]

 

[cpotisch]

So is this whole thing confirmed or just very likely?

Sent from my iPhone using Amtrak Forum

 

[Eric S]

Yes. But there’s still the hassle of going to DC and changing trains. I’m surprised Philly isn’t on this thread yet. [emoji6]

Check Post #24

 

[cpotisch]

Yes. But there’s still the hassle of going to DC and changing trains. I’m surprised Philly isn’t on this thread yet. [emoji6]

Check Post #24

Oh. I see. [emoji50]

 

[Trogdor]

You said the T-Word. Now New Yorkers will find out what it's like to live in Philly ... or Boston. Maybe when a bigger city is involved Amtrak will finally fix the problem once and for all.

And...what problem would that be? The problem of needing to do track work which cuts off access to the station from the north for a few months?

The amount of whining and hand-wringing on this thread over what amounts to a normal, run-of-the-mill trackwork service modification is astounding.

Last year, Amtrak cut back the Crescent to Washington, DC, to accommodate a project at NYP and no elderly ladies or tiny poddles died because of the need to transfer, with luggage, to continue to New York. Amtrak regularly cuts back the Crescent at ATL several days a week in the winter because of trackwork. Many other routes, both corridor and long-distance, have had service adjustments, annulments, forced transfers (including, as I noted earlier, the LSL Boston section), bus substitutions, etc. for periods ranging from a few days to months on end to accommodate planned projects.

There is absolutely no reason to believe this would be any different. If anything, there's greater chance of difficulty for people trying to transfer from NYG to NYP if they need to make a connection from ALB to places along the NEC, yet they managed to work that out last year, too (at least, on a few trains).

So, in other words, so much ado about almost nothing.

 

[Ryan]

Why is transferring in Albany such an unbearable burden that passengers should instead be encouraged to transfer in Washington?

Nothing. It’s completely nonsensical.

Trogdor is the voice of reason, as always.

 

[Philly Amtrak Fan]

Chicago is a much bigger destination than Atlanta/New Orleans. It is also a feeder to anywhere west of Chicago, California, Texas, Denver, etc. You are also including Cleveland, and Toledo.

 

[MikefromCrete]

This is for a limited time to allow for needed work at Penn Station and other locations. New York bound passengers will change trains at Albany. It will all work out. Running through cars on the Pennsylvanian/Capitol Limited is a good idea, but there has been absolutely no progress on the switch needed in Pittsburgh, so I think Amtrak has no interest in ever doing the work, so that will not never happen. I highly doubt if a large number of people will do the long route to Chicago via the Cardinal. Most passengers will go to GCT, get on a train and then transfer at Albany. When the work is done, the LSL will resume its regular route and life will go on.

 

[dlagrua]

This is for a limited time to allow for needed work at Penn Station and other locations. New York bound passengers will change trains at Albany. It will all work out. Running through cars on the Pennsylvanian/Capitol Limited is a good idea, but there has been absolutely no progress on the switch needed in Pittsburgh, so I think Amtrak has no interest in ever doing the work, so that will not never happen. I highly doubt if a large number of people will do the long route to Chicago via the Cardinal. Most passengers will go to GCT, get on a train and then transfer at Albany. When the work is done, the LSL will resume its regular route and life will go on.

How do you handle people with their carry bags on plus two regular size baggage pieces?

 

[AmtrakBlue]

This is for a limited time to allow for needed work at Penn Station and other locations. New York bound passengers will change trains at Albany. It will all work out. Running through cars on the Pennsylvanian/Capitol Limited is a good idea, but there has been absolutely no progress on the switch needed in Pittsburgh, so I think Amtrak has no interest in ever doing the work, so that will not never happen. I highly doubt if a large number of people will do the long route to Chicago via the Cardinal. Most passengers will go to GCT, get on a train and then transfer at Albany. When the work is done, the LSL will resume its regular route and life will go on.

How do you handle people with their carry bags on plus two regular size baggage pieces?

Strap them together. Use a foldaway cart, red caps. Or just pack less stuff. Should they not do track work just so people aren't inconvenienced?

Edit: Or ship your big bags to your destination.

 

[BuffaloBoy]

This is for a limited time to allow for needed work at Penn Station and other locations. New York bound passengers will change trains at Albany. It will all work out. Running through cars on the Pennsylvanian/Capitol Limited is a good idea, but there has been absolutely no progress on the switch needed in Pittsburgh, so I think Amtrak has no interest in ever doing the work, so that will not never happen. I highly doubt if a large number of people will do the long route to Chicago via the Cardinal. Most passengers will go to GCT, get on a train and then transfer at Albany. When the work is done, the LSL will resume its regular route and life will go on.

How do you handle people with their carry bags on plus two regular size baggage pieces?

Strap them together. Use a foldaway cart, red caps. Or just pack less stuff. Should they not do track work just so people aren't inconvenienced?
Edit: Or ship your big bags to your destination.

I travel often to Texas and Virginia for extended stays and always ship a big box ahead of me to avoid lugging a big bag. So easy!

 

[brianpmcdonnell17]

Considering the volume of passengers this is affecting and the fact that Amtrak can operate trains between ALB and Grand Central, they may very well add a baggage car on the connecting train from Albany to New York, much like what was done with the Crescent last year.

 

[dlagrua]

This is for a limited time to allow for needed work at Penn Station and other locations. New York bound passengers will change trains at Albany. It will all work out. Running through cars on the Pennsylvanian/Capitol Limited is a good idea, but there has been absolutely no progress on the switch needed in Pittsburgh, so I think Amtrak has no interest in ever doing the work, so that will not never happen. I highly doubt if a large number of people will do the long route to Chicago via the Cardinal. Most passengers will go to GCT, get on a train and then transfer at Albany. When the work is done, the LSL will resume its regular route and life will go on.

How do you handle people with their carry bags on plus two regular size baggage pieces?

Strap them together. Use a foldaway cart, red caps. Or just pack less stuff. Should they not do track work just so people aren't inconvenienced?

Edit: Or ship your big bags to your destination.

They do need to do the track work. No argument there but my point is that Amtrak only allows two SMALL pieces of carry on luggage on regional connecting trains.. I am not saying that the track work should not be done only that the LSL be moved to GCT. That's a big station. Surely there must a a track open at 3:45 in the afternoon. The original New York Central train that ran the water level (LSL) route departed from there. It was called the 20th Century Ltd. Seems better than taking two trains.

 

[Eric S]

You can carry on 2 small personal items AND 2 pieces of luggage. Just like passengers do on trains and at stations without checked baggage service.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

This is for a limited time to allow for needed work at Penn Station and other locations. New York bound passengers will change trains at Albany. It will all work out. Running through cars on the Pennsylvanian/Capitol Limited is a good idea, but there has been absolutely no progress on the switch needed in Pittsburgh, so I think Amtrak has no interest in ever doing the work, so that will not never happen. I highly doubt if a large number of people will do the long route to Chicago via the Cardinal. Most passengers will go to GCT, get on a train and then transfer at Albany. When the work is done, the LSL will resume its regular route and life will go on.

How do you handle people with their carry bags on plus two regular size baggage pieces?

Strap them together. Use a foldaway cart, red caps. Or just pack less stuff. Should they not do track work just so people aren't inconvenienced?

Edit: Or ship your big bags to your destination.

They do need to do the track work. No argument there but my point is that Amtrak only allows two SMALL pieces of carry on luggage on regional connecting trains.. I am not saying that the track work should not be done only that the LSL be moved to GCT. That's a big station. Surely there must a a track open at 3:45 in the afternoon. The original New York Central train that ran the water level (LSL) route departed from there. It was called the 20th Century Ltd. Seems better than taking two trains.

I'm pretty sure I had my 28" bag on a regional once and definitely had my 22" one several times. Plus my overnight bag and a backpack. There's room at one end of the car where you can put your big bags...if there's no one with a wheelchair that needs to be there. There's also a small section dedicated to holding bigger bags.

And did you not see Jis' and others say that they can't get the train from GCT to Sunnyside to clean and restock the train?