Newark to Philadelphia - advice wanted

Hi everyone,

I've never taken a northeast regional train before and was wondering if you have any tips for me.

The Amtrak site is down right now, so I can't research the different trains for that route, so that's why I'm asking such a general question. I hope you don't mind!

Thanks for any tips and suggestions.

Journey

Between Newark and Philadelphia there is an average of at least 1 Regional every hour, and an additional Acela on average per hour.

In addition, the Keystones are available. Please be aware we are talking Newark, not the Newark Airport connection stop, which has considerably less. Site is back, go to schedules, downloadable scheds for all routes, NEC NY-WAS

Best advice is to pick the train whose fare and schedule combination work best.

There’s no appreciable difference between any of the regional trains, Vermonter, Carolinian, etc. Keystones are similar, but no cafe. Acela will probably be more expensive, for a small amount of time savings on such a short run. Again, it comes down to what the schedule/fare combo is worth to you.

Thank you for your comments. I was wondering if there was a difference between the trains, but it seems from your experience, they're all about the same.

I didn't realize the site was back up now. I'll check to see what's offered, and may come back to ask specific questions.

Thanks, again, for your help!

Journey

If you want to save money, you can also take the NJT/SEPTA connection at Trenton. A lot slower, and less comfortable, but at considerable savings...

Hmmmm.... the Amtrak site is still down for me. Maybe it's something on my end. I'll try again tomorrow.

If it’s been awhile since you used the site you may have a link to the old site. Clear your cache and the try Amtrak.com again.

MyJourneys said:

I was wondering if there was a difference between the trains, but it seems from your experience, they're all about the same.

Click to expand...

There are some differences you might want to be aware of. One thing I would note is that the Silver Meteor, Silver Star, Crescent, Palmetto, and Pennsylvanian all use Amfleet II coaches (though those last two do also use a couple Amfleet I cars), which have more leg room, extendable leg rests, and larger windows. In other words, the coach seats on those longer distance trains are pretty much the same size and layout as business class seats on a Regional, however they will cost as much coach.

The Keystones are the only trains on the corridor without Cafe cars, so if you want to be able to grab a snack or a coffee onboard, you might want to avoid them. And of course, Acela is marginally faster than all of them and has some nice touches and equipment, but given how expensive it usually is, I wouldn't recommend it on such a short ride.

As was said, look at which ones have the ideal schedules and pricing, and make your decision from there.

Depending on which train and time of day for specifics, give or take a few minutes above or below, the running time is around an hour. Even the AM-1 coaches, especially with refreshed seats should be more than adequate for almost everyone. I'm not sure everyone will agree, but other than crossing the river, I don't think you miss much "scenery" with the smaller windows between Newark and Philly. Don't know if it is still there, but there was a Dunkin Donuts in the station, don't sweat it if you decide to take a train with no cafe. It's a 1 hour trip. If your advance purchase is far enough out, look whether saver fares are available.

The Silver Meteor, Silver Star And Crescent were mentioned above, you can not take these exclusively between Newark and Philadelphia. There may be others also. Normally any long distance train restricts local traffic.

The site was still down for me this morning, so I cleared my cache and all is well!

The Keystone trains were the only ones that still had the saver fares available, and since one of those was at a good time for me, I booked seats.

I was going to fly, but the fare was high, and the time wasn't good, so I'm glad I looked into taking a train - *so* much less expensive, and faster, and better timing. A winner all the way around.

Thanks, again, for your help!

Journey

The reason it may have been down is that when they last upgraded the website, they used a different URL. The one you had in memory may have been the old URL, which no longer works.

MyJourneys said:

The site was still down for me this morning, so I cleared my cache and all is well!

The Keystone trains were the only ones that still had the saver fares available, and since one of those was at a good time for me, I booked seats.

I was going to fly, but the fare was high, and the time wasn't good, so I'm glad I looked into taking a train - *so* much less expensive, and faster, and better timing. A winner all the way around.

Thanks, again, for your help!

Journey

Click to expand...

Keystone is the best choice for this segment. All Keystone trains that run from Newark to Philadelphia originate in New York. Thus, less chance of a delay than a NER that may have originated in Boston.

Probably a good choice. They are (usually) quick and relatively comfortable. The AM-1 coaches were getting a little shabby, but are undergoing a basic refresh. The long distance cars are nicer, but even the corridor cars are much better than what you would get on a commuter/regional flight. It's only an hour, you will probably be pleasantly surprised. Let us know. Everyone here has a different perspective or view of things, and we hail from all parts, the one common thread is everyone generally tries to offer something to help along our fellow travelers.

the_traveler said:

The Silver Meteor, Silver Star And Crescent were mentioned above, you can not take these exclusively between Newark and Philadelphia. There may be others also. Normally any long distance train restricts local traffic.

Click to expand...

Nope, it's allowed now (I checked). Amtrak loosened up the restrictions about taking LD trains for short distances. Discussed here.

MyJourneys said:

Hi everyone,

I've never taken a northeast regional train before and was wondering if you have any tips for me.

The Amtrak site is down right now, so I can't research the different trains for that route, so that's why I'm asking such a general question. I hope you don't mind!

Thanks for any tips and suggestions.

Journey

Click to expand...

Are we talking Newark, NJ, or Newark, DE?

jb

John Bobinyec said:

MyJourneys said:

Hi everyone,

I've never taken a northeast regional train before and was wondering if you have any tips for me.

The Amtrak site is down right now, so I can't research the different trains for that route, so that's why I'm asking such a general question. I hope you don't mind!

Thanks for any tips and suggestions.

Journey

Click to expand...

Are we talking Newark, NJ, or Newark, DE?

jb

Click to expand...

Or Newark Airport.

John Bobinyec said:

MyJourneys said:

Hi everyone,

I've never taken a northeast regional train before and was wondering if you have any tips for me.

The Amtrak site is down right now, so I can't research the different trains for that route, so that's why I'm asking such a general question. I hope you don't mind!

Thanks for any tips and suggestions.

Journey

Click to expand...

Are we talking Newark, NJ, or Newark, DE?

jb

Click to expand...

Thank you for recognizing Amtrak has a station in Newark, DE.

Since the OP said s/he book a Keystone, that means s/he's traveling from Newark, NJ.

niemi24s said:

cpotisch said:

the_traveler said:

The Silver Meteor, Silver Star And Crescent were mentioned above, you can not take these exclusively between Newark and Philadelphia. There may be others also. Normally any long distance train restricts local traffic.

Click to expand...

Nope, it's allowed now (I checked). Amtrak loosened up the restrictions about taking LD trains for short distances. Discussed here.

Click to expand...

Nope, it's not allowed now (I too checked). Assuming the OP is going EWR to PHL neither the timetables indicate nor will Arrow allow booking that trip on either of the Silvers or the Crescent. Same goes for PHL to EWR.

Click to expand...

You searched for EWR. EWR is the airport. Newark Penn Station is NWK. Search for NWK to PHL and you will see all the LDs are listed.

niemi24s said:

cpotisch said:

the_traveler said:

The Silver Meteor, Silver Star And Crescent were mentioned above, you can not take these exclusively between Newark and Philadelphia. There may be others also. Normally any long distance train restricts local traffic.

Click to expand...

Nope, it's allowed now (I checked). Amtrak loosened up the restrictions about taking LD trains for short distances. Discussed here.

Click to expand...

Nope, it's not allowed now (I too checked). Assuming the OP is going EWR to PHL neither the timetables indicate nor will Arrow allow booking that trip on either of the Silvers or the Crescent. Same goes for PHL to EWR.

Click to expand...

It was already stated that the Newark airport station has a limited # of trains. The OP is most likely going from NWK which does allow booking a coach seat

Everybody relax, the OP already booked a train 7 hours ago.

Seems odd that the timetables don't appear to allow such a trip on either the Crescent or the Silvers with the "R" codes. But maybe I can't read them correctly either!

I think the rules were relaxed this summer due to the construction at NYP, resulting in some trains being cancelled.

niemi24s said:

Seems odd that the timetables don't appear to allow such a trip on either the Crescent or the Silvers with the "R" codes. But maybe I can't read them correctly either!

Click to expand...

Timetables are not typically the most up to date information. For example, the Atlantic Coast Service timetables also have no indication of the new frequency and updated times in North Carolina.