Long Distance Trains On the NEC

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Amtrak57

Amtrak57

Train Attendant
Joined
Nov 24, 2019
Messages
36
I know that long distance trains on the NEC are drop off only Washington DC (and sometimes Alexandria). I was under the impression that these long distance trains were pick-up only going southbound until after Alexandria but did that change? I was on 91 today and like half the train got off at DC and some more people got off at stops along the NEC even though I believe that the first stop people could get off 91 at at is Richmond, VA.
 
After some research, I found out that although it's possible to book Southbound NEC trips on LD trains, the prices for LD trains are MUCH more expensive, a lot of times more than the Acela. I wonder if people do the "loophole" and book a train to say, Richmond Va, and get off in DC where it's much cheaper.
 
Amtrak57 said:
After some research, I found out that although it's possible to book Southbound NEC trips on LD trains, the prices for LD trains are MUCH more expensive, a lot of times more than the Acela. I wonder if people do the "loophole" and book a train to say, Richmond Va, and get off in DC where it's much cheaper.
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I regularly buy SB on the NEC and find they're mostly the same. I just chose a random day in April (the 8th) and my usual NYP-BAL trip is priced the same or similar on the Palmetto, Cardinal, Carolinian, Crescent, and Vermonter but more on the Silver Star and Silver Meteor.
 
I've taken the Palmetto between Baltimore and Washington in both directions. When you go southbound they direct you to the 2-3 Amfleet 1 coaches at the front of the train, which I believe are detached from the train at Washington, along with the electric locomotive. If you take in northbound, you can sit an any coach you want. I think they sell northbound tickets because the train is scheduled to be held for an hour and a half in Washington, which means that they are reasonably confident of on-time departures even if the Palmetto is a bit late arriving from the south.
 
Bex said:
I regularly buy SB on the NEC and find they're mostly the same. I just chose a random day in April (the 8th) and my usual NYP-BAL trip is priced the same or similar on the Palmetto, Cardinal, Carolinian, Crescent, and Vermonter but more on the Silver Star and Silver Meteor.
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I double checked and that's true but why would like half the coach population decided to take the star to DC and other NEC destinations if it's more expensive and NER train 195 is scheduled to leave only a few minutes after 91 leaves. Unless if Amtrak let 195 pax take 91 instead since 195 was running around a hour late at that time.
 
Amtrak57 said:
I double checked and that's true but why would like half the coach population decided to take the star to DC and other NEC destinations if it's more expensive and NER train 195 is scheduled to leave only a few minutes after 91 leaves. Unless if Amtrak let 195 pax take 91 instead since 195 was running around a hour late at that time.
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Half the coaches on one train is very different from half the overall riders. The SS usually has about 4 Amfleet II coaches with 59 seats, so half of that is 118 passengers. An NER typically has 6 Amfleet I coaches with 72 seats, for a potential total of 432 passengers. In such a case, which assumes the trains are sold out and all NER passengers are bound for NEC destinations, the SS would only be carrying just over 21% of the combined coach passengers.
 

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