Cheap Train to NYC vs Fast Train--Amtrak Prices Jump--Both Up and Down

 

The trip from Lancaster PA a trip to NYC is easiest taking one Amtrak train. That train arrives in about three hours.

A much cheaper alternative involves taking Amtrak, SEPTA and NJ Transit with a total trip time close to five hours.  

The difference, of course, is price. But my most recent trip to NYC showed me the difference can change by more than $150 in minutes.

The Amtrak train from Lancaster to NYC averages around $60 but on weekends and peak periods it can approach $200 one way.   Seniors get a 10% discount.

The slower trip costs $45 dollars for an adult. Seniors over 65 who have a SEPTA senior card can make the whole trip for $20. $10 for Amtrak, $10 for NJT, free on SEPTA.

While the price is fixed on the slow trains, Amtrak has a variable pricing policy.  If you can plan ahead, tickets are often cheaper two weeks or more in advance, $30 to $50. 

But the best discounts are right up to the time of boarding.  On a recent trip I bought a ticket from Lancaster to Philadelphia for $11 and planned to take SEPTA and NJT to NYC.  The trip would have been almost five hours and cost $20.

As the first train approached Philadelphia, I opened the Amtrak app and searched for trains to Trenton. The day before all trains for that 30-mile trip were between $100 and $120.  The Amtrak ticket for the next train suddenly dropped to $13.  I bought the ticket.  I checked for Trenton to NYC, those tickets were close to $150. 

Then five minutes after we left Philadelphia station I searched again. Still expensive.  Then as we approached Trenton I searched once more: $18 to NYC for the next train. I bought that ticket. 

Instead of $20 for the trip I paid $42 but arrived almost two hours sooner. Amtrak trains are more comfortable.  

If you have the time, take the slow train. But check along the way.  Maybe Amtrak will cut the price by 80% or more just before the next train leaves.  

Happy travels! 

Amtrak Finally Allows Bikes--And Charges More for Them Than for Passengers

 

For 25 years I have ridden the Amtrak's Keystone trains between Lancaster and Philadelphia, as well as regional trains between Washington DC and Boston.  Several times in those 25 years I have written to Amtrak to ask that bicycles be allowed on the trains. 

Amtrak refused.  Sure, they allowed bikes on a few regional trains with baggage cars, but No! was the main answer to "Can I take my bike."

Today, Amtrak began allowing bikes on the train: for a price.

In my case, the price for taking my bike with me on a train to Philadelphia from Lancaster is double the price for me!  My ticket, with the senior discount is $10.40. The bike cost is $20!  

That means I can visit Philadelphia for $20.80 round trip or I can bring my bike at a total cost of $60.80.  A bike with a normal adult fare makes the round trip $82.  

That's crazy.  Why should the bike cost $20 each way? Weight? My bikes weight 17 and 19 pounds each. A five-car passenger train with an electric locomotive weighs 2 million pounds.  Is the addition of 19 pounds a problem?

Space? Keystone trains have seats for 400 passengers and lately have had 20 or 30 passengers per train.  If one or two people per train take a bike, will it cause overcrowding? 

If I take a bike on New Jersey Transit, the Long Island Railroad, SEPTA, the Boston MTA, the Baltimore DC MARC system or any other regional train the cost for a bike is ZERO.  

Why is it $20 per trip on Amtrak?