First Time Rider: NYC to CHI, Capitol v Lakeshore

Howdy everyone, I’m new to the forum (and train riding in general) but I'm in the midst of planning a cross country train trip so I figured this was the place to come for advice.

The first leg of the trip is from Penn Station to Union in Chicago.
The two routes I need help deciding between are the Lakeshore Limited and NE-Regional/Capitol Limited. I’m leaving on another train out of Chicago the same day so being on time is pretty important.

If I take CL then I get 5 hours of “insurance” before Chicago the train departs, if I take Lakeshore then it’s 4 hours.

However, The Lakeshore on-time performance is MUCH more impressive than the CL. Lakeshore is like 70% and CL is in the 20's.
Also, the CL has that transfer in DC which is only an hour long!

Apart from being relatively on-time, I’d be interested in opinions/advice on other aspects of each route.
Which has better scenery, amenities, etc.

I’m a newbie to the train community so any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks y’all.

Don't worry too much about arriving late if you're connecting to another Amtrak train. If you have both legs of the trip on the same reservation, Amtrak *will* guarantee your connection to your next train. They'll usually hold the train for you if it runs once a day. Or if it runs several times a day (like the Chicago-Milwaukee trains) they'll put you on the next train out. Worst case, they'll put you up in a hotel and put you on the next day's train. Which train are you planning to connect to?

The LSL has been running exceptionally late in recent weeks. The worst in the last 4 weeks was 322 minutes, which is 5 hrs 22 min. The second worst was 298 minutes, which is 5 hours. This is abnormal; it's probably partly due to construction work which should be over in July. (It usually runs more like 2-3 hours late.)

The CL is also running very late pretty often. The worst in the last 4 weeks was 5 hrs 46 minutes; the second worst was 268 minutes, which is 4 hrs 28 minutes. This is also abnormal, but I'm not sure what's causing it.

(delay information from amtrakdelays.schedulingsoftware.com)

I would take the LSL. But the LSL tends to be more expensive (prices vary like airline prices), so you might want to pick the cheaper option.

The big difference between the trains is that the LSL is "single level" and the Capitol Limited is "bilevel" (most passengers go up a narrow set of stairs to the "second floor" after they get on the train, though there are a few seats on the bottom level). There's descriptions of the cars online in various places including on Amtrak's website. The single-level sleeper cars are a bit different from the bilevel sleeper cars. The bilevel lounge cars have panoramic windows and the single-level lounge cars don't. The other amenities are pretty much the same.

Most of the trains west of Chicago are bilevel trains, so if you're connecting to a western route and you want to try a different sort of train, take the LSL.

Scenery is really a tossup and a matter of taste. You get the Hudson River on the LSL or the foothills of the Appalachians on the CL, and then it's dark until Indiana, where they take the same route.

I'm connecting to the Texas Eagle.

From what I'm seeing online both prices are identical, but that could change I guess.

Scenery I'm definitely leaning CL as I'm seen upstate NY many times but never been through DC.

Hi,

Welcome to the forum!

I may be wrong, but I think you can play around with the connecting train from NYP to Washington, so it might be interesting to price up the Capitol train from Was to Chicago, and then look at maybe a cheaper connecting train from NYP to WAS...? An earlier train can give you time to look around the station area in WAS and maybe try some food from the food court downstairs.

I like the ride along the Hudson myself, but have taken the Capitol often too as the roomettes tend to be less expensive.

Ed

Make sure that you book the NYP - CHI trip via WAS in a single itinerary. If you don't you will miss the huge discount that you get on the NE Regional,a nd the normal fares on the NEC will cost you an arm and a leg. So whatever you do, do not book it as two separate itineraries.

As an example (not the actual fares), WAS-CHI may be $150 and NYP-WAS may be $50 by itself, but if you book NYP-WAS-CHI as one trip it may be $160! You get a large discount on the NEC when connecting to/from a LD train.

If you wanted to see the PA countryside, you can take the Pennsylvanian from NYP to PGH and save about $48. The drawback is sitting in the PGH station for 3-4 hours waiting for the Capitol Limited.

Riding around the Horseshoe Curve is something to see.

"The drawback is sitting in the PGH station for 3-4 hours waiting for the Capitol Limited."

-That's exactly why I didn't include it in the OP. Not a fan of the city personally.

Having made some random test bookings, I agree that my suggestion about making two seperate bookings was not a good one, pricewise.

I am surprised, as I am (almost!) sure I saved cash some years back when doing this.

Have a good trip eitherway!

Ed.

Just read that NE Regional doesn't have checked baggage...

Does this mean I just bring my suitcase on with me or does this mean I have to take LSL? - as I will for sure need two bags

TexasBorn said:

Just read that NE Regional doesn't have checked baggage...

Does this mean I just bring my suitcase on with me or does this mean I have to take LSL? - as I will for sure need two bags

Click to expand...

You can take the bags on the NER. There's plenty of room above the seats and at the ends of the cars. I've done it and will be doing it again later this year.

Another train to consider is the Cardinal, if you haven't already.

Hmmm.

So I would check baggage from Washington to Chicago, but that needs to be done 45 min in advance, and I'd only have 1 hour layover in Washington.

Not sure if Capitol Limited will work then as a first time amtrak rider trying to check bags in <15min in a station I've never been to before.

You can check your bags from NYP, but they will take a different route than you (most likely the LSL). In that situation, AUers have suggested checking bags the day before so that the bags should be at your destination when you arrive. Since the LSL leaves around 3:30, you may be able to check them that morning.

If you don't need you luggage enroute, you can actually check them at NYP and it will be carried on the LSL (which arrives in CHI about 1 hour after the CL).

So if I checked them that morning, would I have access to the bag in Chicago or would it meet up with me in final destination of San Antonio?

Only if you check them to CHI, and not to SAS.

How much baggage do you have? If you're only taking one large suitcase or two small ones, I wouldn't even bother with checked baggage. There is really a lot of room for carry-ons.

When I'm taking a wheelchair, a CPAP machine, two suitcases for myself, two for my disabled fiancee, and a laptop case... I check some stuff.

I'd bring a backpack and a medium/large suitcase.

Would they let me carry on a suitcase?

Generally speaking, if you can carry it on, it's allowed.

TexasBorn said:

I'd bring a backpack and a medium/large suitcase.

Would they let me carry on a suitcase?

Click to expand...

No problem, there's plenty of room for that.

This is Amtrak's carry-on rule:

http://www.amtrak.com/carry-on-baggage

You're allowed 2 bags. The odds are both of your bags are less than 50 lbs. and under the size limits, in which case you're fine as long as you can carry them.

Okay, let me see if I can clarify these points:

Baggage
The only Northeast Regional train that carries baggage between New York and Washington is #66/67. The southbound #67 leaves New York at 3:00A. So if you want to take the Capitol Limited and have a checked bag in New York, you would probably need to drop it off the night before you depart.

I don't know if Amtrak would put your bag on one of the long-distance trains running down the corridor which have a baggage car, since they only receive passengers southbound. If so, the Palmetto leaves at 6:05A and the Carolinian leaves at 7:05A. The Silver Meteor leaves at 11:02A, but doesn't get into Washington until 3:05P, so Amtrak probably wouldn't send your bag on that one.

At any rate, you do have the option of carrying your bag on aboard the Northeast Regional and then checking it when you get to Washington. But that is probably not going to be an option if your connection is only an hour. But you can still do the Northeast Regional plus Capitol Limited and have more than an hour. More on that in a second.

Routes

You do have several route options from New York to Chicago:

• Lake Shore Limited: Direct from NYP to CHI (via Buffalo). Leaves 3:40P arrives next day at 9:45A.
• Cardinal: Direct from NYP to CHI (via Cincinnati). Leaves 6:45A arrives next day at 10:05A.
• Pennsylvanian plus Capitol Limited. Connection in Pittsburgh. Leaves 10:52A arrives next day at 8:45A.
• Northeast Regional plus Capitol Limited. Connection in Washington. Leaves 11:35A arrives next day at 8:45A. (Only an hour in Washington on this itinerary).

How to get more than an hour in Washington:

Amtrak does have a handy feature to allow you to have more than an hour in Washington. This could give you a chance to check your bag, or perhaps just more peace of mind about making your connection.

If you use the "multi-city" feature you can book trips with stops of less than 24 hours. Unfortunately, this does seem to increase the cost slightly.

Your other option is to try talking to an agent over the phone. Perhaps they can book you on an earlier Regional without the upcharge.

BTW, the Capitol Limited has a luggage rack on the lower level of the cars. If you're only taking 2 suitcases and a backpack, you could put one or both suitcases in the rack or put one in the rack and one over your seat.

It's interesting that Amtrak is now only listing one regional for connections in WAS or NYP. In 2011, I had the option of, I think, 3 regionals from WIL to WAS to catch the CL. My upcoming trip where I'll be catching the LSL at NYP, I only had one option. And, like the OP, it is within an hour of the LSL's departure. Guess I won't be able to explore the wonderful NYP station to see what everyone's always talking about. :giggle:

While it is true that only 66/67 carries passengers AND baggage between NYP and WAS, ANY train that handles baggage can carry baggage between them. These include trains like the Star, Meteor, Crescent and Cardinal. It's only bags that can ride, passengers locally can not.

Okay I just tried that multi-city thing and it turned out to be the same cost!

It would be a 2hr layover in Washington instead of 1.

My question is: Is that connection onto Capitol guaranteed if I purchase it this way then?