unpublished route redemption

I have been thinking about a 2 zone trip in May from San Diego to St. Paul on the Coast Starlight and Empire Builder but that routing did not appear as an option on the Amtrak website even though it clearly exists. What it did offer was the Southwest Chief with an 8 hour Ambus from CHI to MSP. YUCK!!

Anyway I just called and got what I wanted!! The agent first offered me the SWC route so I asked for the other. There was a pause while she punched some keys and she said OK. Then she put me on hold while she secured a confirmation, apparently for the PDX guaranteed connection.

So now I just have to worry about another 8 hour Ambus ride from Chemult to Pasco, right? Or is that ancient history?

So, I'm quite happy with AGR right about now.

Congratulations!

When I ask amtrak.com for trip from San Diego to Saint Paul, it says "Problem Finding Service: We cannot find train service matching your request; please try alternate stations." How did you get any offering?

ASMAD says the Coast Starlight failed to make the connection 5 times in the last 30 days. If I were you, I would be worried but hopeful, and I certainly would not change the trip.

City of Miami said:

So, I'm quite happy with AGR right about now.

Click to expand...

I wonder what folks will be saying about AGR 2.0 once that hits. Should be interesting hearing about those amazing once in a lifetime day trips to neighboring cities.

When I last travelled San Diego-Portland-St. Paul last October on an AGR redemption, I also couldn't book the San Diego-LA leg. What I did was first book Los Angeles-Portland-San Diego. I then called back after a couple of months, explained that my travel plans had changed, and the agent added the San Diego-LA leg.

About a week before the trip, Amtrak informed me that track work would require a bustitution from Klamath Falls to Pasco. I called AGR and talked them into changing our reservation to include a layover in Seattle. (Hotel at our expense,of course.) I would have preferred spending the night in Portland, but the family room in the Portland Sleeper was already taken.

We arrived home a day late, but avoided the bus trip. From what I heard in the Parlour Car, other travelers took the bus.

It is nice to hear stories about flexibility on the part of AGR. Too often, the report is of actions dictated by the computer offerings and contrary to common sense.