We're finalizing the intinerary prior to booking our 2006 trip and have a couple of close connections planned. The first is an hour connection at WAS between an Acela arrival and the Capitol departure. The second and scarier one is an hour and fifteen minute connection at EMY between the Coast Starlight arrival and Calfornia Zephyr departure. Last waiting to board the CS at EMY for LAX we watched the CZ board and depart long before our CS arrived. What if any "Plan B's" are there for a late CS?
Posted by MontanaJim (Member # 2323) on :
im making a connection from the starlight to the zephyr in January. Im doing it from Sacramento. Therefore, unless the starlight is really late, the connection will be made (starlight is supposed to arrive in sac about 6 am, zephyr leaves sac at 11 am). if by the odd chance the starlight isnt more than 3 hours late or so, ill check out the sacramento railroad museum.
The odds of connecting at emeryville are slim.
Posted by Geoff M (Member # 153) on :
One would suggest catching an earlier Acela, if possible, if you consider the connection at WAS to be too tight. Having said that, over an hour of delay on the NE corridor to a train whose journey length is under 3 hours would require a rather serious delay to occur.
At Emeryville, I assume you're arriving from the southbound Starlight. In that case, the answer is simple: change at Sacramento, where you'll have a four hour gap between trains. Martinez and Davis are also options, since both trains stop at all 3 stations.
Geoff M.
Posted by sojourner (Member # 3134) on :
I like to take an earlier train to Washington when I'm catching the Capitol Ltd. That gives me time to have lunch, walk up to the Mall, maybe visit a museum or two. Since the Smithsonian museums are all free, one can bop in and out fairly easily. One of my favorites it the National Buildings Museum, which is even closer to Union Station.