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I'd assume it is safe to say that for many of us, getting there, at least by rail, is AT LEAST half the fun, and that our enjoyment of train travel leads us to enjoy the journey with its sights.
Therefore, it is probable that most of us (at least those like me whose incomes don't allow us to spend gobs on travel) pick our destinations, we like to get as much train riding in for as little money as possible.
Therefore, I thought it might be interesting to share some of our best found "pricing points" on Amtrak Routes, that allow a maximum of travel for comparatively less money than other destinations.
My best example is my upcoming Spring trip. The cheapest I can travel on Amtrak each way between my home in Baltimore and Philadelphia is $39 (unless using a companion code). For this fare, I get about an hour of train travel.
However, on my Spring trip, I get to ride to Philly, take a 5 hour layover, then take a 7 hour ride to Pittsburgh through Amish Country and Horseshoe Curve for my stay during the week. The cost - $44. Just $5 more than the much shorter Philly trip, less than the cost of most one-way commuter train tickets.
Before this, I'll take a short jaunt from Washington DC to Manassas on the Cardinal using the Amtrak Weekly Specials rate. Less than an hour's ride, but at least it's only $7.20, and I can take VRE back into DC.
Even better bargain was an hour and half ride on the Capitol Limited from Harpers Ferry to Washington for just over $5 on the Amtrak Specials. The only problem was that there was no way to get there, aside from catching the prior evening's Capitol (or MARC) and staying the night. Still, $5 for a Superliner ride is quite decent!
abefroman329 Member # 3986
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Say the fares were switched and it was $44 to ride from Baltimore to Philly but $39 from Baltimore to Pittsburgh. If you just wanted to go to Philly, could you buy the $39 ticket to Pittsburgh and get off in Philly? You used to be able to do that with airline tickets, but not anymore.
PaulB Member # 4258
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Ask if they have monthly passes on your side of the continent.
Here on the left coast I can buy an Amtrak or Metrolink monthly pass and ride all I want!
I Missed the Ma&Pa Member # 4300
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There are passes on this side, but its basically limited to the Corridor, a stretch of track that is interesting in its own way, but not especially scenic. I would consider Explore America, but I don't have the time to be away from work for such a spell, so I'm limited to affordable and rather short trips.
Apparently the high travel season is about to begin (or Amtrak is systematically cutting down its discounts!), as I peeked back at this week's "Hot Deals" only to be VERY disappointed. The usual gang of Illinois, Michigan, and Missouri trains are on there, BUT the Capitol Limited is no longer offered. Only the Carolinian, Crescent, and Cardinal are offered, and ONLY from particularly short pairs of pricing points (For Example, when I booked my short hop yesterday, I could have opted to go from DC all the way to Chicago on either the Cardinal or Capitol Limited. Today's Capitol Limited offering is ONLY for cities between and including Cincy and Chicago, while the Carolinian is only from Richmond to Charlotte)
Guess it best not to fuss though, as I never seem to see any West Coast trains on the Hot Deals list.
PaulB Member # 4258
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They are supposed to update the Hot Deals every week. However, I too have noticed that it's usually midwest deals. Early last year you could find the Empire Builder, Coast Starlight, Southwest Chief, and Sunset Limited rotated on the Hot Deals site.
I Missed the Ma&Pa Member # 4300
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Just peeped at this weeks specials, and the ONLY items listed are 300 Series IL/MO/MI trains. Shame I have no use whatsoever for the State House or Pere Marquette.
jgart56 Member # 3968
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Funny you should mention the Midwest,
As Amtrak has the first color advertisment I have seen in a long time in today's Chicago Tribune (03/31/06) listing the following ONE WAY ticket prices:
Chicago to LA $133 Chicago to DC $73 Chicago to NYC $75 Chicago to Seattle $134 Chicago to Denver $88 Chicago to SF $135
I guess they're gearing up for the Summer travel season.
I Missed the Ma&Pa Member # 4300
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The $73 Chi-DC fare is via the Cardinal - the Capitol costs $91 in coach.
Strange thing to me though is this...
If I book a trip from Baltimore to Chicago via the Cardinal, it's $75, but booking from DC only saves me $2, at $73. If I book a trip from Baltimore to Richmond, it's $37, but if I skip into DC on the MARC train, and book my Amtrak trip from there, the price drops to $24, a savings of $13. Even odder is that I can save a couple of dollars more if I book a two leg trip via the Silver Star to the suburban Richmond station, then wait a few hours for a 30 minute train ride to the Main Street station.
abefroman329 Member # 3986
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Ma&Pa - of course, look how much you're inconveniencing yourself. Even if you can get an express MARC train that only stops at BWI and New Carrolltion, you're sacrificing a comfortable seat and a cafe car (possibly even a seat if you're travelling to DC during the morning rush hour). Same for your stopover at Staples Mill Road, plus you're taking a long-distance train, which is more likely to run behind schedule than the direct Regional.
rresor Member # 128
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This is a good example of how this sort of "demand management" can outsmart itself. Example from the airline industry (this really happened):
I needed to fly PHL - Sacramento, CA. My first thought was to fly RT to San Fransico and just drive. Fare: $2300 RT. So I priced a PHL - SFO - SAC trip with connecting flights. Using the *same flights* to/from SFO, with a connecting plane to SAC, brought the fare to $450. So the cost of the extra leg SFO - SAC was ($1850). But I would still be taking up a seat that USAirways would be unable to sell to a PHL - SFO passenger!
Amtrak hasn't been quite that foolish. But I've seen this sort of "distance taper" before, where PHL - WAS can cost the same as PHL - RVR.
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