AGR award transfers

Amtrak Unlimited Discussion Forum

Help Support Amtrak Unlimited Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

the_traveler

Engineer
Joined
Nov 15, 2007
Messages
25,998
Location
Whatever siding I'm sitting on!
On an award ticket, it the connection only for the next train out? Or is there within a certain time that you must depart? I know for an airline, it is within 4 hours, but what about on Amtrak?

If you're going (such as) WAS-AUS, in CHI, there is only 1 connection you could make. But if you're going ATL-KIN, the Crescent arrives at 10:10 AM in WAS. There are 5 more departures that day (as late as 10 PM) to KIN. Must I take the 11:25 AM train? Or can I spend some time in WAS?

What if I got a 1 zone BC award, and the 11:25 AM train did not have any BC seats left?
 
AGR usually only allows one or two choices for connections on the NEC. For example when connecting to the Capitol Limited from NYP, you have the option of either train #95 or #125. There are no other options, therefore you can't go down on an earlier train than #95. I'm sure that the same is true coming off the Cresecent, that there is only one, max two, choices and you must commit to that choice. It looks like there is only one choice though, and that's train #88 the 11:25 AM departure. Only if the Crescent arrives too late would you be given the chance to ride a later train.

I also encountered the same problem connecting from Portland to the EB in Seattle. I wanted to take an earlier train, not because I really wanted to see Seattle, but simply because the later train gets to Seattle with less than an hour to spare. AGR told me that they couldn't book that earlier train for me on the same award. Amtrak would rather risk a missed connection, than let me board the earlier train. And as it turned out, they had to hold the EB for us and several other transfering pax because the Talgo was late due to a malfunctioning bridge.

As for the 1 zone BC award, if you pull that award, Amtrak pulls one BC seat out of inventory. Therefore you are guaranteed a seat. They can't sell out the train leaving you with no seat. It's just like a sleeper award, where the room is pulled out of inventory and can't be sold to someone else.
 
I also encountered the same problem connecting from Portland to the EB in Seattle. I wanted to take an earlier train, not because I really wanted to see Seattle, but simply because the later train gets to Seattle with less than an hour to spare. AGR told me that they couldn't book that earlier train for me on the same award. Amtrak would rather risk a missed connection, than let me board the earlier train. And as it turned out, they had to hold the EB for us and several other transfering pax because the Talgo was late due to a malfunctioning bridge.
Outside of the NEC, and no doubt sometimes within the NEC, you can likely board any train in coach, or Thruway bus, between the endpoints on your ticket, and the conductor or bus driver will accept it, even if it's for a different date. Certainly if it's for a different train on the same date, I wouldn't worry at all. That's for reserved service.

For unreserved service on the Capitols, Pacific Surfliner, Hiawatha, and Harrisburg-PHL Keystones, you'd be nuts not to use any train you want.
 
Back
Top