Routing BOS-SDY with transfer in ALB

[decrypt3]

If I want to go BOS to SDY, the fastest routing seems to be: Lake Shore Limited to ALB, arrive at 5:35pm, transfer to Ethan Allen Express which departs ALB at 6:00pm, arrive at SDY at 6:24pm. Staying on the LSL would get me to SDY at 7:31pm instead, as the Boston segment sits at ALB for a while, waiting for the segment from New York to show up.

However, amtrak.com doesn't let me do the routing with the transfer. Not only does this routing not show up if I search for one-ways from BOS to SDY (it says either stay on the LSL all the way, or go via NYP), but if I do a multi-city search of BOS-ALB followed by ALB-SDY and select the routing above, it errors out, saying "unable to price this itinerary". If I wanted to do it, it seems I'd have to buy two completely separate itineraries.

Any idea why this is? Is it a bad idea to try to make this transfer, like because the LSL is always late on that leg or something?

 

[Acela150]

Yes, it's not a guaranteed connection. So if you booked BOS-ALB-SDY and you miss the Ethan Allen you'd be put on the LSL anyway.

 

[AG1]

The connection time is too close. I believe there has to be an hour for a bookable connection on the same reservation. You would have to make two reservations and take a chance on making the connection. Personally, I wouldn't take the risk. I have travelled BOS-SDY on the LSL.

 

[fairviewroad]

Yes, it's not a guaranteed connection. So if you booked BOS-ALB-SDY and you miss the Ethan Allen you'd be put on the LSL anyway.

When you put it that way, there's very little downside to booking the connection on the Ethan Allen.

 

[decrypt3]

I guess given the abysmal on-time performance of the LSL, making the connection is far from a sure thing. But I would just feel like such a chump, sitting on the LSL in Albany for an hour and a half, watching the Ethan Allen go past. Oh well, I don't actually have to make this choice for a little while.

 

[JoeRids]

I would say make the two bookings. There is a significant amount of padding in the westbound LSL from Boston; in fact if it is running completely on time it could arrive in Albany as early as 4:45PM!! I have already done a connection at ALB from the LSL to the southbound Adirondack, which leaves at 5:40. Risky, to be sure, but as pointed out above you always have the westbound LSL for backup.

 

[jis]

Yep. I have done the westbound LSL to southbound Adirondack connection twice over the last four years. But I would not recommend it for someone who needs a certain level of certainty in ones life.