Reservation Question

[user 1215]

BC is 233% the cost of coach?

More consistent inconsistencies...

 

[BCL]

BC is 233% the cost of coach?
More consistent inconsistencies...

I remember booking an $11 coach trip from Emeryville to San Jose (it's consistently $19 in the low bucket now) on the CS. The only options were sleepers for anywhere from $75 to $220 more.

 

[zephyr17]

BC is 233% the cost of coach?
More consistent inconsistencies...

The BC cost on the Cascades is pretty much a fixed surcharge that only has a couple of different levels for trip length, while the base fare varies much more by length. I don't think they anticipated someone buying that upgrade for a 14 minute ride. Makes more sense if you are riding for a greater part of the route.

 

[chakk]

Pad, AKA "recovery time" If you look at the outbound schedule, you'll see the Seattle-Tukwila running time is just 14 minutes. The extra time is pad for the whole route from Portland, which they do a terminal stations. You don't see it from FMT to GAC because neither is a terminal station.
The running time will still be around 14 minutes inbound. If it is on-time at Tukwila, it'll be early into Seattle. There is not much slow track coming into Seattle from the south, the trains move right along almost to the station. But it DOES seem a lot of trouble for a 14 minute ride.

I looked at the fare. $9 and and additional $12 for business class.

If it were me, I'd just take the bus. Apparently a max $3 fare and about 30 minutes on Metro Transit 124 from Tukwila to 4th Ave S and S Royal Brougham Way. That, and it runs 2-3 times an hour.

Does the Seattle Metro District light rail stop in Tukwilla? If so, the fare to King Street would be a couple dollars, at most, and much faster than the bus.

 

[BCL]

Pad, AKA "recovery time" If you look at the outbound schedule, you'll see the Seattle-Tukwila running time is just 14 minutes. The extra time is pad for the whole route from Portland, which they do a terminal stations. You don't see it from FMT to GAC because neither is a terminal station.
The running time will still be around 14 minutes inbound. If it is on-time at Tukwila, it'll be early into Seattle. There is not much slow track coming into Seattle from the south, the trains move right along almost to the station. But it DOES seem a lot of trouble for a 14 minute ride.

I looked at the fare. $9 and and additional $12 for business class.

If it were me, I'd just take the bus. Apparently a max $3 fare and about 30 minutes on Metro Transit 124 from Tukwila to 4th Ave S and S Royal Brougham Way. That, and it runs 2-3 times an hour.

Does the Seattle Metro District light rail stop in Tukwilla? If so, the fare to King Street would be a couple dollars, at most, and much faster than the bus.

It's showing Tukwila to the Stadium station at about 26 minutes. The bus schedules say about 30 minutes. The fare is $2.50.

http://projects.soundtransit.org/Schedules/Central-Link-light-rail

http://projects.soundtransit.org/Fares-and-Passes/Link-fares

It's also operated by Sound Transit. I guess all these different services could be confusing, but this is only a few transit districts. Around where I live, we've got a combination of about 8 local bus/light rail services and two regional regional rail services.

An Amtrak Capitol Corridor transit transfer has 11 different agencies listed where it's valid.

 

[zephyr17]

The Tukwila light rail station is up by the airport and it isn't at all close to the Tukwila Sounder/Amtrak station.

 

[BCL]

The Tukwila light rail station is up by the airport and it isn't at all close to the Tukwila Sounder/Amtrak station.

Frankly this doesn't really sound like much that couldn't already be done by other means. Getting from the Tukwila or SeaTac to Seattle is pretty easy, and there are many ways to get there that cost less than taking Amtrak (esp business class). It sounds like this is more a social thing than anything.

I'm also guessing that the OP is arriving from SeaTac?

 

[sunchaser]

The Tukwila light rail station is up by the airport and it isn't at all close to the Tukwila Sounder/Amtrak station.

That is why we chose the Cascades. We will be visiting the Museum Of Flight, spending the night, then the next day going up to SEA with our friend for the day. We can 'store' our luggage at the Amtrak Station while we wander around. Just made more sense to me to do it this way.

 

[sunchaser]

The Tukwila light rail station is up by the airport and it isn't at all close to the Tukwila Sounder/Amtrak station.

Frankly this doesn't really sound like much that couldn't already be done by other means. Getting from the Tukwila or SeaTac to Seattle is pretty easy, and there are many ways to get there that cost less than taking Amtrak (esp business class). It sounds like this is more a social thing than anything.

I'm also guessing that the OP is arriving from SeaTac?

No, taking the Cascades up from OLW for a visit to TUK, then up to SEA. Our friend will come up the day after to join us enroute to SEA.