USA Rail Passes

[jmbgeg]

I searched on rail passes. Unless I did not dig deep, I am not sure that my questions were previously answered.

Say that you buy a 30 or 45 day rail pass with plans for long distance travel.

First I read in FAQ that rail pass seats are limited. Lightly, moderately or severely? Second, I see that rail pass coach can be upgraded to a sleeper. How do they calculate the upgrade cost from a rail pass ticket? Is upgrading from a pass to a sleeper as easy as paid coach to a sleeper?

I do not see a bunch of people trumpeting rail passes on the board. I assume that research points to better options. Correct?

I am a Select Plus member so the best option is usually free, and that is always part of the equation.

 

[Bob Dylan]

I searched on rail passes. Unless I did not dig deep, I am not sure that my questions were previously answered.
Say that you buy a 30 or 45 day rail pass with plans for long distance travel.

First I read in FAQ that rail pass seats are limited. Lightly, moderately or severely? Second, I see that rail pass coach can be upgraded to a sleeper. How do they calculate the upgrade cost from a rail pass ticket? Is upgrading from a pass to a sleeper as easy as paid coach to a sleeper?

I do not see a bunch of people trumpeting rail passes on the board. I assume that research points to better options. Correct?

I am a Select Plus member so the best option is usually free, and that is always part of the equation.

I have used rail passes numerous times through the years, if you are going to make several LD trips they beat low bucket coach, its a snap to upgrade to a sleeper, Ive always gotten low bucket but do book far in advance as possible! Ive also used them in conjunction with an AGR award trip, no problems!

There is a limit on the number of seats, just like with low bucket (and like the airlines specials also!)! Check Amtrak.com for sleeper low bucket days, you have to call in the rail pass which must be used within 6 months after purchase but once purchased you can book the sleeper upgrade @ the same time!

Compare the coach fares for your planned itenerary as far in advance as you can , it will be obvious which is better value wise! Good traveling, go for it!

 

[DaveKCMO]

i used a north american rail pass a few years ago. spent 6 months planning the trip, so there were no surprises or sold out trains or limitations. i think i traveled around 8,000 rail miles in 26 days (with plenty of overnights in cities along the way). while you may not hear much about it, that's likely due to the amount of time people actually get for vacation in this country. i was lucky to have a lengthy severance package and plenty of time to spare.

here's a brief recap of my segments:

KCY-ABQ

ABQ-LAX

LAX-PDX

PDX-SEA

SEA-ESM

ESM-CHI

CHI-DET

(Windsor-Toronto-Montreal on VIA, required for the north american pass)

MTR-NYP

NYP-HFD

HFD-NHV

NHV-BOS

BOS-CHI

CHI-KCY

i upgraded to sleepers on four of the above segments, and only two of those were done in advance (SEA-ESM & ESM-CHI).

i don't know much about the select plus status, but if you get lots of free travel then i'd investigate that first. my off-peak pass was $700, but it was totally worth every penny.

 

[PRR 60]

I was researching an answer for this topic, and found that even Amtrak does not know what is the deal with the USA Rail Pass.

Question? How long is the pass valid for travel?

Amtrak answer #1 (from the rail pass information page):

Passes are available in three travel durations and travel segments (15 days/8 segments, 30 days/12 segments and 45 days/18 segments) through out the entire United States. Travel must begin within 180 days of the date the pass purchased.

Amtrak answer #2 (from the rail pass booking page):

For each pass type you are allowed a certain number of travel segments within the travel periods. All travel must be completed within 180 days of purchasing the pass.

Amtrak answer #3 (also from the rail pass booking page):

When is your first day of travel?
Select the month and day of your first day of travel. Travel must begin within one year of the date the pass is issued.

So, what is it? #1: travel must begin within 180 days of puchase? #2: travel must be completed within 180 days of purchase? or #3: travel must begin within 1 year of the date the pass is issued (which would be on or after purchase)? Anyone, anyone?

 

[wayman]

So, what is it? #1: travel must begin within 180 days of puchase? #2: travel must be completed within 180 days of purchase? or #3: travel must begin within 1 year of the date the pass is issued (which would be on or after purchase)? Anyone, anyone?

Hey, it could be worse: "A: travel must be complete within 180 days of purchase ... B: travel may not begin until 180 days after purchase ..." :blink: :blink: :blink: At least the three different answers they give are not totally contradictory

 

[wayman]

i used a north american rail pass a few years ago. spent 6 months planning the trip, so there were no surprises or sold out trains or limitations. i think i traveled around 8,000 rail miles in 26 days (with plenty of overnights in cities along the way). while you may not hear much about it, that's likely due to the amount of time people actually get for vacation in this country. i was lucky to have a lengthy severance package and plenty of time to spare.

A friend of mine did a simpler rail itinerary--just a giant counterclockwise loop around the country--that still took about three-four weeks involving several-day stops in, I think, Chicago, Seattle, LA, and New Orleans (starting and ending in New York, her hometown). She and several friends all got rail passes and took the trip together after their high school graduation. What a great idea--wish I'd thought of that back when I was between high school and college

 

[PRR 60]

I should add, however, that the current USA rail pass is much more limited than the old passes.

- Free travel only applies if the lowest fare bucket is available, If not, you have to pay the fare difference.

- Segments are limited. For the 15-day pass, you are limited to 8 segments. The 30-day pass allows 12 segments. The 45-day pass allows 16 segments. A segment is each train or bus used, not each through reservation. PHL-NYP connecting to NYP-ALB would be 2 of the 8 allowed segments, even if booked as a single through reservation.

 

[wayman]

I should add, however, that the current USA rail pass is much more limited than the old passes.
- Free travel only applies if the lowest fare bucket is available, If not, you have to pay the fare difference.

- Segments are limited. For the 15-day pass, you are limited to 8 segments. The 30-day pass allows 12 segments. The 45-day pass allows 16 segments. A segment is each train or bus used, not each through reservation. PHL-NYP connecting to NYP-ALB would be 2 of the 8 allowed segments, even if booked as a single through reservation.

I wish that, in addition to passes, Amtrak had a discount card as many European railroads do. You pay a moderately high fee for a card good for a large percentage off all non-peak railfare for a year. Doesn't help tourists, but it's fantastic if you live there. When I lived there, I think I paid 65 Euro for a Dutch Voordeelurenkaart -- 40% off all trains in the country departing after 9:00 AM, as I recall. A stellar deal that paid for itself many times over.

 

[user 1215]

I was researching an answer for this topic, and found that even Amtrak does not know what is the deal with the USA Rail Pass.
Question? How long is the pass valid for travel?

Amtrak answer #1 (from the rail pass information page):

Passes are available in three travel durations and travel segments (15 days/8 segments, 30 days/12 segments and 45 days/18 segments) through out the entire United States. Travel must begin within 180 days of the date the pass purchased.

Amtrak answer #2 (from the rail pass booking page):

For each pass type you are allowed a certain number of travel segments within the travel periods. All travel must be completed within 180 days of purchasing the pass.

Amtrak answer #3 (also from the rail pass booking page):

When is your first day of travel?
Select the month and day of your first day of travel. Travel must begin within one year of the date the pass is issued.

So, what is it? #1: travel must begin within 180 days of puchase? #2: travel must be completed within 180 days of purchase? or #3: travel must begin within 1 year of the date the pass is issued (which would be on or after purchase)? Anyone, anyone?

Answers #1 & #2 don't necessarily contradict each other, supposing you could start and end the trip on the same day. The last answer does bother me, though.

As for a cost analysis, the only real way to get the best value on the pass is to price it out when you're ready to buy (I'd stay within the 180 days to complete just to be safe), then call an agent, make sure that those legs are eligible for the rail pass, then decide at that moment if the rail pass is a better deal.

Even for cross country trips, the rail pass is not necessarily a better deal. You can often book for cheaper than what the pass price is. The real advantage is if you have a desire to get off and on the train, spending several days along the route sight seeing.

 

[caravanman]

I have enjoyed several railpass trips under the old format, covering 12, 000 odd rail miles with each pass. (Yes, and some were VERY odd rail miles!)

see: Spring and Autumn 12,000 Amtrak miles each.

I am off to India with an India railpass in a weeks time, covering about 2,600 miles with a 30 day pass. Cost is about $280, but includes sleepers, etc.

I would still tend to think the new Amtrak pass is good value, might give it a try in early 2010...

Namasti,

Ed

 

[Neil_M]

To my mind, the main advantage of a rail pass is to have a ticket you can use to jump on a train with very few restrictions as to use and something that allows last minute change of plans, without extra cost.

The USA rail pass fails that test by quite a huge margin. Fairly useless ticket.

 

[user 1215]

In local commuter service and in other countries, this is the case. But even in Japan, the Japan Rail Pass still requires you to make reservations for some trains (like the Shinkansen), but Japanese trains don't carry 'buckets'. There's the rail fare that goes up every couple of years, an express train fee (about the same as the rail fare, but also doesn't change with occupancy or season), and then a modest reservation fee of only a couple of dollars.

Amtrak is run more like a hotel/airline than a train system.

 

[Neil_M]

In local commuter service and in other countries, this is the case. But even in Japan, the Japan Rail Pass still requires you to make reservations for some trains (like the Shinkansen), but Japanese trains don't carry 'buckets'. There's the rail fare that goes up every couple of years, an express train fee (about the same as the rail fare, but also doesn't change with occupancy or season), and then a modest reservation fee of only a couple of dollars.
Amtrak is run more like a hotel/airline than a train system.

Indeed and that's why I consider it poor value, as I like the ability to not have to purchase tickets in case of a change of mind and the desire to do something else. Add to that the nonsense about "segments" and it is a very bad offer.

 

[GAT]

This is a very interesting thread. Here is how I calculated whether a Rail Pass would save me money:

February 16 - March 10, 2010FromToTrain DepartArriveAccomodationPriceDayDateTimeDayDateTimeCoachSleeperTotalEMYCHICalifornia ZephyrTue16-Feb9:50 AMThu18-Feb3:30 PMSleeper123.25262.00385.25CHISPMCardinalThu18-Feb5:45 PMFri19-Feb5:44 AMSleeper45.9086.00131.90SPMNYPCardinalSun21-Jan5:44 AMSun22-Feb9:45 PMCoach71.40 71.40NYPESXVermonterWed24-Feb11:34 AMWed24-Feb8:44 PMCoach40.80 40.80ESXNYPVermonterMon1-Mar9:00 AMMon1-Mar6:41 PMCoach40.80 40.80NYPTWOMaple LeafThu4-Mar7:15 AMThu4-Mar4:37 PMCoach97.00 97.00TWOVACCanadian (VIA)

($CDN @ 0.95)Thu4-Mar10:30 PMTue8-Mar9:30 AMSleeper 856.85856.85VACSEACascadesMon8-Mar5:45 PMWed8-Mar10:10 PMCoach29.75 29.75SEAEMYCoast StarlightTue9-Mar9:45 AMFri10-Mar8:10 AMSleeper78.20158.00236.20527.101,362.851,889.95

The 30-day pass is $579 - or $52 more than my planned itinerary.

But after reading the other posts above, I'm wondering -

1. Does Amtrak say you can't use the pass on some of their routes? If so, how do I find out which ones?

2. Amtrack offers a child discount on the rail pass, and they offer senior discounts on regular tickets, so why don't they offer a senior discount on the rail pass? (I realize this is a whiny, futile question.)

3. I can book regular sleeper car upgrades on the web. Do I have to call an agent if I book upgrades on top of my Rail Pass? (DUH! Come to think of it, I probably have to call an agent to book the entire US portion of the trip.)

In view of my itinerary, I'm sorry they don't still sell the North American Rail Pass!

 

[GAT]

Sorry Folks! My Bad! The nice Excel chart I inserted didn't post the way it should have. Please ignore my previous post. And Moderator, please feel free to remove it.

 

[Sam31452]

For me it was $749 for about 15000 miles.

Making it 5 cents per mile. A fair deal if you ask me.

And yes, for Sleeper you will have to deal with an agent, no matter what you do.

But after all they are usually very friendly and don't get scared by mad travel plans (like my CHI-SEA-OKJ-CHI-STL-LAX-CHI thing )

The fare for the Sleeper upgrade is the same as quoted on amtrak.com