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I'm thinking about taking my 16 y/o to the Mall of America this summer and when checking availability from CHI to MSP Amtrak shows three trains: 7 Empire Builder 27 Empire Builder 807 Empire Builder
807 is sold out and the fare for 7 is $20 cheaper than for 27. Obviously the same train as it's leaving CHI at the same time, etc, but what's with the different train #'s and pricing? I don't think I've ever seen this before.
Geoff M Member # 153
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I could be wrong, but I think the 807 is the extra car tacked on between CHI and MSP for local customers. Quite why the 27 and 7 should be different, I have no idea! Perhaps they're sold as separate trains in the system.
Geoff M.
CG96 Member # 1408
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Geoff is close, but no cigar. Between Spokane, WA, & Chicago, the Portland and Seattle sections of Empire Builder are combined. It's just the reservation system making a difference between two different sections of the same train.
Vicki Member # 3410
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That makes sense, but why the difference in price? It quotes $77 for a reserved coach seat on train #7 and $59 for a reserved coach seat on train #27.
royaltrain Member # 622
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It may have something to do with yield management. A few years ago I checked the fares for a standard bedroom from Buffalo to Chicago. There was about a $50 difference between the #49 sleeper and the #449 sleeper, two different cars with the same accommodation on the same train. I was told by some knowledgeable person that one of the sleepers was mostly sold out and therefore had a higher fare over the other, mostly empty, sleeper. To me it still made no sense.
Vicki Member # 3410
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OK, thanks. I was just curious as I've never seen this before. I keep looking at it a picturing someone saying "Oh gee, I want the $77 seat. . click. . "
Geoff M Member # 153
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quote:Originally posted by CG96: Geoff is close, but no cigar. Between Spokane, WA, & Chicago, the Portland and Seattle sections of Empire Builder are combined. It's just the reservation system making a difference between two different sections of the same train.
Eh? You have correctly described 7 and 27, but not 807.
In fact (which is what I should have done I guess), I looked up 807 on Amtrak's website. This is what it said:
807 Empire Builder Chicago - Union Station, IL (CHI) - St. Paul / Minneapolis, MN (MSP)
So it is indeed the extra car on the rear of the "main" Empire Builder. It gets taken off in MSP.
Geoff M.
TwinStarRocket Member # 2142
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Living in MSP, I have noticed this curious pricing for years. First class accommodations can sometimes vary by over $150 between MSP and Spokane.
There have even been cases where it cost less to buy one ticket MSP-Spokane on the cheaper section, and another ticket Spokane-PDX or SEA to finish the trip. Of course this could mean you would have to change cars in the middle of the night at Spokane.
There is not always an 807 coach sitting in the MSP depot overnight, so it must depend on demand or car availability.
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