USA Rail Pass

Shop deals on ebay
shop deals on amazon
Advertise with us
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.
brianpmcdonnell17

brianpmcdonnell17

Conductor
Joined
Mar 5, 2016
Messages
1,560
Location
Chicago, Illinois
On the webpage for the USA Rail Pass, it is stated that there is limited seating for passengers with Rail Passes. Is there a way to tell whether these seats are available? Could it be associated with a certain price bucket? Also, I am planning additional travel after the Rail Pass expires. Is it possible to link both reservations so that the connections are guaranteed?

Sent from my SM-J327P using Amtrak Forum mobile app
 
My understanding is that rail pass seats will only be available at the low bucket price. If you want to travel when there is no railpass availability, the pass will cover the cost up to the low bucket price, and you can just pay the extra to reach the current bucket price of seats.

Booking early is always the best option for the low bucket coach seats.

I don't know about linking extra bookings, I imagine not, but no proof. Would it work as an option to pay for the first ride instead, and have the railpass cover the connecting one at the end?

(To be honest, I am not even sure how the guarenteed connections idea works with the railpass being all "segments"...?)

Ed.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Guaranteed connections are ones that Amtrak publishes as guaranteed. You would have to purchase both trains at the same time, probably by calling an agent if using two different payment types.
 
For a connection to be guaranteed the 2 trains have to be on the same reservation.

https://www.amtrak.com/at-the-stationConnecting Trains

Amtrak does not normally guarantee connections of less than 60 minutes (90 minutes between arriving long-distance trains and local trains in the Northeast Corridor). Please call Amtrak 1-800-USA-RAIL (1-800-872-7245) or your travel agent if your planned itinerary includes a shorter connection. A guaranteed connection does not ensure that such a connection will always be made. In the case of a missed guaranteed connection, Amtrak will provide alternate transportation on Amtrak, another carrier, or overnight hotel accommodations, at Amtrak's discretion.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited by a moderator:
KmH said:
For a connection to be guaranteed the 2 trains have to be on the same reservation.

https://www.amtrak.com/at-the-stationConnecting Trains

Amtrak does not normally guarantee connections of less than 60 minutes (90 minutes between arriving long-distance trains and local trains in the Northeast Corridor). Please call Amtrak 1-800-USA-RAIL (1-800-872-7245) or your travel agent if your planned itinerary includes a shorter connection. A guaranteed connection does not ensure that such a connection will always be made. In the case of a missed guaranteed connection, Amtrak will provide alternate transportation on Amtrak, another carrier, or overnight hotel accommodations, at Amtrak's discretion.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Do you know if you can make one reservation with part of it on a rail pass and part off of it?
Also, am I correct that there are no blackout dates for a rail pass? I am planning on travelling over Christmas and New Year's so it is one of the busiest travel times of the year.

Sent from my SM-J327P using Amtrak Forum mobile app
 
While I don't have experience with a rail pass, I do have experience with blended itineraries with part being a Guest Rewards award, and part paid. In those cases, I always end up with two reservations, one for the Guest Rewards, one for the paid. That is despite the fact that the same Guest Rewards reservation agent makes both reservations at the same time. My guess based on that is they can't combine different types into one reservation.

There are not blackout dates, but the low bucket restriction still applies. If the train's low bucket inventory is exhausted before you make your reservation, you won't get a seat. That is going to happen a lot faster on holiday period trains.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
zephyr17 said:
While I don't have experience with a rail pass, I do have experience with blended itineraries with part being a Guest Rewards award, and part paid. In those cases, I always end up with two reservations, one for the Guest Rewards, one for the paid. That is despite the fact that the same Guest Rewards reservation agent makes both reservations at the same time. My guess based on that is they can't combine different types into one reservation.

There are not blackout dates, but the low bucket restriction still applies. If the train's low bucket inventory is exhausted before you make your reservation, you won't get a seat. That is going to happen a lot faster on holiday period trains.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I am planning on booking it in the next week to ensure seats are available. I don't know what I can do if they cannot be combined into one reservation, however, as the trip will take place over 16 days. I was planning on buying WAS-TPA on the Silver Star at the end of the trip, but that connection is way too close if it is not guaranteed.
Sent from my SM-J327P using Amtrak Forum mobile app
 

Latest posts

Back
Top