Lake Shore Limited change to reservations

[Pooh2]

We were booked on the 448 Lake Shore Limited from Chicago to Boston in a bedroom.

We got a text today that our reservation was changed and called AGR.

They now have us booked 48 from Chicago to Albany, then change to coach on Train 448.

Questions:

Is this the same train and they will be removing the sleeper car?

If so, will they also be removing the dining car? Would their be any dinner options on that 448 btw Boston and Albany?

If not the same train, the layover is just 15 minutes. Not much leeway..

 

[AmtrakBlue]

I believe they are sending the 448's sleeper(s) to NYP due to track work in Albany or between Albany and Boston. You may be changing trains, but I wouldn't worry about the "layover" as the "new" train will be waiting for you regardless of how late you might arrive.

I'm not 100% on any of this, but this is what I think is happening from things I've read here on AU.

 

[Bob Dylan]

There is no Diner on the Boston section of the LSL on its regular runs, it goes to New York on #48 so Sleeping Car Passengers are fed a cold meal in the cafe between ALB and BOS by the SCA on both #448 and #449!

 

[Pooh2]

There is no Diner on the Boston section of the LSL on its regular runs, it goes to New York on #48 so Sleeping Car Passengers are fed a cold meal in the cafe between ALB and BOS by the SCA on both #448 and #449!

Do they give you a voucher to just go to the cafe? Are the offerings along the lines of sandwhiches?

We'll be coming from California so by our 4th day on the train our snacks will likely be dwindling!

 

[Bob Dylan]

Last time I rode ( last Fall) there was a choice of a salad or a sandwich or you could choose regular cafe menu items! Since the SCA normally serves this, and there is no Sleeper on #448,( it goes to NYP) I'm honestly not sure how this is handled now, you may want to call Customer Service and ask!

 

[Lonestar648]

Since you are loosing your bedroom from ALB to BOS, you should be credited for the Sleeping Car portion. If they have done this, then you are traveling as a Coach passenger and would have to pay for your meals in the café car. From what I found they have a separate coach train running from ALB to BOS during the track work, and the entire LSL 48 goes on to NYP.

 

[Triley]

Since you are loosing your bedroom from ALB to BOS, you should be credited for the Sleeping Car portion. If they have done this, then you are traveling as a Coach passenger and would have to pay for your meals in the café car. From what I found they have a separate coach train running from ALB to BOS during the track work, and the entire LSL 48 goes on to NYP.

I don't know how it'll work either, but they are still running the split cafes on 448/449 so the displaced sleeper passengers can get special seating away from the regular coaches.

 

[Pooh2]

Thanks for all the replies.

My husband called Amtrak, who handed him off to AGR because the trip was booked on points.

The AGR woman put him on hold for quite awhile and came back and assured us that we would not be left behind in Albany if our train was running late but there would be no food accommodations for sleeper passengers from Albany to Boston.

He asked if she could throw a few points back in our AGR account for the inconvenience of losing our sleeper compartment/meal, she said they could not make any considerations until AFTER travel??

We'll have a 6 hour layover in Chicago (coming from Emeryville on the CZ) so will try to find someplace to replenish snacks just in case they do not feed us the last 5 hours of the journey. We could actually stand to miss a meal but my husband gets a bit cranky when he does!

At the end of our cross country trip, we still have an hour and a half bus ride so hopefully South Station has vendors open later in the evening.

 

[Triley]

Thanks for all the replies.

My husband called Amtrak, who handed him off to AGR because the trip was booked on points.

The AGR woman put him on hold for quite awhile and came back and assured us that we would not be left behind in Albany if our train was running late but there would be no food accommodations for sleeper passengers from Albany to Boston.

He asked if she could throw a few points back in our AGR account for the inconvenience of losing our sleeper compartment/meal, she said they could not make any considerations until AFTER travel??

We'll have a 6 hour layover in Chicago (coming from Emeryville on the CZ) so will try to find someplace to replenish snacks just in case they do not feed us the last 5 hours of the journey. We could actually stand to miss a meal but my husband gets a bit cranky when he does!

At the end of our cross country trip, we still have an hour and a half bus ride so hopefully South Station has vendors open later in the evening.

I know for a fact that the Cafe will be open on the Albany-Boston segment, though I don't know what, if any, food options they will have for you as displaced sleeper passengers.

There will be a few places open depending on how on time 448 is. Here is a link to the list of dining and retail options in South Station's train terminal, and their hours. All buses leave from the bus terminal, which is in a separate building next door. There are only three food options there, Honeydew Donuts, McDonalds, and D'angelos, and there is extremely limited seating/tables for eating there, so I suggest that you eat at the train terminal if you can.

Hope you enjoy the trip, and the time spent at my home base. Mind if I ask whereabouts you're headed?

 

[Pooh2]

Thanks for all the replies.

My husband called Amtrak, who handed him off to AGR because the trip was booked on points.

The AGR woman put him on hold for quite awhile and came back and assured us that we would not be left behind in Albany if our train was running late but there would be no food accommodations for sleeper passengers from Albany to Boston.

He asked if she could throw a few points back in our AGR account for the inconvenience of losing our sleeper compartment/meal, she said they could not make any considerations until AFTER travel??

We'll have a 6 hour layover in Chicago (coming from Emeryville on the CZ) so will try to find someplace to replenish snacks just in case they do not feed us the last 5 hours of the journey. We could actually stand to miss a meal but my husband gets a bit cranky when he does!

At the end of our cross country trip, we still have an hour and a half bus ride so hopefully South Station has vendors open later in the evening.

I know for a fact that the Cafe will be open on the Albany-Boston segment, though I don't know what, if any, food options they will have for you as displaced sleeper passengers.

There will be a few places open depending on how on time 448 is. Here is a link to the list of dining and retail options in South Station's train terminal, and their hours. All buses leave from the bus terminal, which is in a separate building next door. There are only three food options there, Honeydew Donuts, McDonalds, and D'angelos, and there is extremely limited seating/tables for eating there, so I suggest that you eat at the train terminal if you can.

Hope you enjoy the trip, and the time spent at my home base. Mind if I ask whereabouts you're headed?

We will be heading home to NH after flying to CA to take the train from Emeryville to Boston.

Took a walk through South Station this afternoon to get the lay of the land ahead of time on our way back from the theater. There were lots of eateries near the train side, not sure how early they close on Saturday night. Hoping we can grab something on our way to the bus.

Thanks for all the replies. Got much more info here than the AGR rep.

 

[Triley]

No kidding. I live/commute in from Nashua.

The hours are a bit more limited on a Saturday night, but if you check out that link in previous post, you can get an idea of the hours for the different venues. And you're quite welcome, glad to be of service!

 

[mycalpal]

Hi Pooh2, I just joined the forum when I saw your question so I could reply to you. I also was contacted by Amtrak on Saturday, they actually called and left an automated message for me to call in for info on my reservation. I am doing the same trip with sleeper service from Emeryville to Albany, and am getting back on the Lakeshore again with the sleeper to continue on to Boston a few days later. Amtrak had actually cancelled the train several days a week and was operating bus and well as the truncated train till the end of April. Amtrak told me the Boston Sleeping car is going with the other two sleeping cars to NYC till about the end of June. She did say this was temporary and the sleeping car service from Albany to Boston should resume next month.

I take this trip a couple of times a year and I am very familiar with the "Hot Lounge Car" meal service that Amtrak offers. Departing Boston train 449 closes the cafe car and offers a private lunch service to the sleeping car passengers. Its usually fairly good with a choice of sandwich, wrap or salad and nice desserts including ice cream and cheesecake. On train 448 from Albany to Boston they offer a light dinner and last year we had a choice of beef tenderloins or pasta with the option of anything else the cafe car offered. I actually paid for the roomette again between Albany and Boston just to get dinner and some privacy. Amtrak did refund my charge for the roomette so I would guess I am on my own for dinner, but if there is a cafe car they should have some food available. I am going to be in Albany for a few days so I will bring some food for dinner when I board in Albany or have a late dinner in Boston. This will depend on what time the train is actually leaving.

As Amtrak also changed the time schedule for the Lake Shore Limited and we are departing Albany at 3:05pm, which is twenty minutes early and we are scheduled to arrive in Boston at 8:01pm which is over an hour earlier than the originally scheduled arrival of 9:10pm. The schedule is padded and I have arrived as much as 40 minutes early to up to 6 plus hours late which is something to keep in mind as you have an onward connection. I don't want to worry you unduly, but I have been on arrived late to Boston on the Lakeshore more often than I have arrived early. The Lake Shore Limited is also departing Boston a bit later on my return at 12:50pm, as opposed to 11:55am. See you on the LakeShoreLimited and have a wonderful trip.

 

[Pooh2]

Hi Pooh2, I just joined the forum when I saw your question so I could reply to you. I also was contacted by Amtrak on Saturday, they actually called and left an automated message for me to call in for info on my reservation. I am doing the same trip with sleeper service from Emeryville to Albany, and am getting back on the Lakeshore again with the sleeper to continue on to Boston a few days later. Amtrak had actually cancelled the train several days a week and was operating bus and well as the truncated train till the end of April. Amtrak told me the Boston Sleeping car is going with the other two sleeping cars to NYC till about the end of June. She did say this was temporary and the sleeping car service from Albany to Boston should resume next month.

I take this trip a couple of times a year and I am very familiar with the "Hot Lounge Car" meal service that Amtrak offers. Departing Boston train 449 closes the cafe car and offers a private lunch service to the sleeping car passengers. Its usually fairly good with a choice of sandwich, wrap or salad and nice desserts including ice cream and cheesecake. On train 448 from Albany to Boston they offer a light dinner and last year we had a choice of beef tenderloins or pasta with the option of anything else the cafe car offered. I actually paid for the roomette again between Albany and Boston just to get dinner and some privacy. Amtrak did refund my charge for the roomette so I would guess I am on my own for dinner, but if there is a cafe car they should have some food available. I am going to be in Albany for a few days so I will bring some food for dinner when I board in Albany or have a late dinner in Boston. This will depend on what time the train is actually leaving.

As Amtrak also changed the time schedule for the Lake Shore Limited and we are departing Albany at 3:05pm, which is twenty minutes early and we are scheduled to arrive in Boston at 8:01pm which is over an hour earlier than the originally scheduled arrival of 9:10pm. The schedule is padded and I have arrived as much as 40 minutes early to up to 6 plus hours late which is something to keep in mind as you have an onward connection. I don't want to worry you unduly, but I have been on arrived late to Boston on the Lakeshore more often than I have arrived early. The Lake Shore Limited is also departing Boston a bit later on my return at 12:50pm, as opposed to 11:55am. See you on the LakeShoreLimited and have a wonderful trip.

Thankyou for taking time to post! Appreciate the info.

We just got another email and text from Amtrak today saying the CZ portion of our trip changed. Looks like it will be getting into Chicago an hour later but still plenty of time to do a walkabout. Really hoping this trip turns out well with all the changes!

 

[JackieTakestheTrain]

Hi.

I had a ticket I purchased for a sleeper on the LSL between Chicago and Boston and I was called by Amtrak as well to cancel it and book me in coach. I was very annoyed.

I opted to stay on the LSL and go to New York, hunker down for the night, and find my own way home from NYC to Boston the next day.

I will say that while there seemed to be a train waiting for the Boston sleeping car passengers, it was craziness watching the passengers get off because they didn't know what door to actually depart!

Apparently, the SCA thought her door would open or that the train would back up at the platform to keep people from getting off on the tracks. Well, that didn't happen so it was a mad scramble for everyone to hustle with all their luggage through two sleeping cars!

The passengers nor the SCA were happy.

I guess I just say this to be sure to ask your SCA where you should go exit to get off the train in a timely fashion because those folks almost were left behind.

I have another trip planned for later this summer on the LSL between Chicago and Boston and I am going to change it!

- Jackie

 

[NW cannonball]

About dining in Boston's South station

https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/05/25/foodinspections/4tSbujB5qTGH8uo3Q8uJAJ/story.html

A few of the food joints there might be questionable (top three inspection failures in Boston)

Just a heads up.

 

[JackieTakestheTrain]

http://www.south-station.net/amenities-dining-retail/

This is a link specifically of the vendors inside South Station as well as the hours.

There is typical "mall court" food and coffee and a new tavern which I think caters more to the quick drink than real sit down meal.

 

[mycalpal]

Hi Pooh2, I got two more calls from Amtrak as well as two e-mail messages about both my California Zephyr trip eastbound on June 17th and my return LSL trip from Boston later in June. They also told me the new "scheduled" arrival time in Chicago is 3:50pm, an hour later than usual. Of course, I have taken this trip the last four years in a row and we have yet to arrive in Chicago anywhere close to on-time. The typical arrival time is closer to 5pm, that way we get to share Union Station with the huge rush of commuters getting on and off Metra. :unsure: As the Lake Shore doesn't leave Chicago until 9:30 I always have plenty of layover time and as a sleeping car passenger Its really nice to have the Metropolitan Lounge to leave your bags and explore the station and neighborhood. Ironically, I will be at Union Station for the Metro Pub's last day on June 19th. Just fyi, Amtrak cut the wine and cheese welcome reception for sleeping car passenger on the Lake Shore Limited last year, however the Antrak crew did begin the dining car breakfast service an hour earlier in response. Always a really great Amtrak crew on the Lake Shore Limited!

 

[Pooh2]

Just back from our trip. The 448 was sitting just a few steps away as we got off 48.

Thanks for all the replies, the posters had info that the AGR customer service did not!

We were told by AGR that we would be in regular coach as they did not have business class on this train but we were in a car in front of the lounge that would appear to be business class seats (two seats on one side of the aisle, one seat on the other. Large seats with leg rests. I will try to figure out how to post a photo later).

The lounge car attendant told us to choose whatever we wanted off the menu free of charge. They had premade sandwiches, chips, soda, candy bars.

We were the only people in the front car.

The train was about 35 minutes late into Boston, we made our connecting bus to NH with two minutes to spare.

Great Trip! Thanks for all the info!

 

[Bob Dylan]

Yep, you were in a biz class car with the 2x1 seating and the"free" food from the Cafe menu.

It's offered to Sleeping Car passengers on #448 and #449 if they don't care for the 2 cold meal choices, salad or sandwich, served by the SCA in the Cafe as Lunch or Dinner on these trains between BOS and ALB since there is no Diner.( it runs on the NYP Section of the LSL)