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I tried to make reservations on line for a round trip between Charlotte, NC and Orlando, FL. The outbound connections were fine (Piedmont to RGH and Silver Star to ORL). When I tried to book the return, (Silver Star to RGH and Piedmont to CLT)I could not get a connecting train from RGH to CLT. I finally got an agent on the phone and she said that the Silver Star-Piedmont was no longer a guaranteed connection. The scheduled time of arrival of the Silver Star in Raleigh and the scheduled departure time of the Piedmont from Raleigh are 98 minutes apart. This is well within AMTRAK's published policy on guaranteed connections. I have used this route four times in the past year and had no trouble making the connection. When I questioned the agent about the policy she could not give me any more information. I was given the alternative route of ORL to DC and DC to Charlotte but that would require another 6 hrs on the train and and 8 hr layover in DC. Can anyone shed some light on this? I will most likely buy the ticket from RGH to CLT on the Piedmont and take my chances.
coach34135 Member # 1979
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i dunno if it has anything to do with it but Amtrak's quitting the satisfaction guarentee.
quote:Originally posted by jimmymac: I tried to make reservations on line for a round trip between Charlotte, NC and Orlando, FL. The outbound connections were fine (Piedmont to RGH and Silver Star to ORL). When I tried to book the return, (Silver Star to RGH and Piedmont to CLT)I could not get a connecting train from RGH to CLT. I finally got an agent on the phone and she said that the Silver Star-Piedmont was no longer a guaranteed connection. The scheduled time of arrival of the Silver Star in Raleigh and the scheduled departure time of the Piedmont from Raleigh are 98 minutes apart. This is well within AMTRAK's published policy on guaranteed connections. I have used this route four times in the past year and had no trouble making the connection. When I questioned the agent about the policy she could not give me any more information. I was given the alternative route of ORL to DC and DC to Charlotte but that would require another 6 hrs on the train and and 8 hr layover in DC. Can anyone shed some light on this? I will most likely buy the ticket from RGH to CLT on the Piedmont and take my chances.
dilly Member # 1427
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Evidently, the schedule for the Piedmont has changed slightly, effective late October.
I don't know if that has any bearing on your dilemma. . . but it's possible.
reggierail Member # 26
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Amtrak normally guarantees connections of 1 hour or more. Some connections of less than 1 hour will also be guaranteed. As an example a short corridor run connecting to a long distance train might be guaranteed with only thirty minutes, say from a San Joaquin train to the Coast Starlight.
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