2hrs too short for "official" connection?

[copperdeer]

In planning a future trip, I want to connect in Washington, D.C. from the 30 Capitol Limited to the 91 Silver Star. The 30 arrives at 1:05p while 91 departs at 3:05p but this is not available as an official connection. I assume this means Amtrak is not confident enough in 30 less than 2 hrs late? Are there any other problems with this arrangement? Is it really such a bad idea to "risk it," and am I risking the fare on the 91, or just being stuck in D.C. longer? Thanks for any input.

 

[Railroad Bill]

It has been several years since Amtrak allowed a guaranteed connection between the CL 30 and SS 91. Most of this was caused by the track work in Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania over the past few years causing delays *including busing arrangements*. If you decide to book the two trains separately, it may work out but if the Cap is too late to make the Silver Star, you would have to do some quick calls while on the Cap to change reservations. If you are in a sleeper, this might result in no sleepers being available on the Meteor that evening. If you are traveling in coach it would not be as big of a problem since coach seats are generally available on the SM 97. It is a bit of a hassle but it is up to you to decide if you want to take the chance. Since track work is usually done in warmer months, any trips planned over the summer are more vulnerable to these delays.

But of course, one accident or breakdown on the Cap can also result in a considerable delay that would mess up your connection.

We do this transfer every January and prefer to roam around museums in DC during the layover rather than worry about missing the SS connection.

And of course with no diner on the SS, we prefer the Meteor anyway.

 

[pennyk]

It used to be a guaranteed connection at one time (after it was not). Many times, I have taken the Capitol Limited from Chicago, connecting in DC to continue to Florida. Only once was I given a guaranteed connection (that worked price-wise) to connect to the Silver Star. I made that connection, although the Capitol Limited was a bit late. A couple of times, I was ticketed on the Silver Meteor, and arrived in DC early and tried to switch to the Star. Either rooms were not available or were high bucket.

 

[copperdeer]

Thanks, that clarifies things a lot. My reason for wanting to catch the Star is going to Raleigh/Cary, so the Meteor doesn't help me. I'll just be traveling coach, so it shouldn't be a big deal to switch trains. I can probably make the Crescent to Greensboro work, so that'll be my contingency plan if the Capitol is late.

 

[Thirdrail7]

The only thing I would caution is the Crescent is operating with one less coach for another month or so. Make sure there is still availability as you get closer to your travel date.

 

[willem]

ASMAD says there have been no missed connections so far this year. That is unlikely to make the first passenger to miss a connection feel better.

I believe you could book the trip and then cancel the Silver Star leg if the Capitol Limited is late enough that you give up hope of making the connection. As long as you cancel before the scheduled departure, I believe you can get a voucher for the value of that leg. I would be probably call Amtrak at least 30 minutes before the scheduled departure to make sure everyone realizes you meet the deadline.

If you adopt this strategy, you will probably want a fallback plan in case the connection is broken. Also, if the Capitol Limited looks like it will be 90 minutes or more late, you will probably want to check the status of the Silver Star. If it is sufficiently late, then it wouldn't matter if the Capitol Limited is late.

 

[copperdeer]

Okay, great, so I should feel pretty good about making the Star. Would the safest thing be to go ahead and book both the Star and Crescent, independent of my earlier ride, then cancel whichever one I won't be riding on that day once I know if I'll make it to D.C. in time?

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Okay, great, so I should feel pretty good about making the Star. Would the safest thing be to go ahead and book both the Star and Crescent, independent of my earlier ride, then cancel whichever one I won't be riding on that day once I know if I'll make it to D.C. in time?

I don't think you can book two trains for the same time period. The computer will cancel one of them. Though I think I've heard of people booking under two different names like Don Q Jones and Donald Jones. Just remember that you could possibly be keeping someone from booking the seat you eventually choose not to use IF the coach seats are sold out before your travel date.

 

[copperdeer]

Oh okay, maybe not then. I just checked today, for instance, although it's a Saturday in February and I'll likely be coming thru on a weekday in May, that the Crescent is still available for 3 hrs from now, for a good price no less. I'll just book the Star and risk it. If that AND the Crescent falls thru, I guess I'll hop on the Meteor and figure it out by the time I get to NC. Thanks for all the input everyone, this has been very helpful and I feel much more confident knowing what the logistics are now.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Just remember that you could possibly be keeping someone from booking the seat you eventually choose not to use IF the coach seats are sold out before your travel date.

Normally I'd agree with you but in this case it's not the passenger's fault that Amtrak can't make an intra-carrier connection work in the span of two hours. I realize that many members don't do much traveling outside of Amtrak but in the rest of the travel industry two hours is literally double the time typically required to guarantee a domestic connection.

 

[DonNadeau]

Just remember that you could possibly be keeping someone from booking the seat you eventually choose not to use IF the coach seats are sold out before your travel date.

Normally I'd agree with you but in this case it's not the passenger's fault that Amtrak can't make an intra-carrier connection work in the span of two hours. I realize that many members don't do much traveling outside of Amtrak but in the rest of the travel industry two hours is literally double the time typically required to guarantee a domestic connection.

When you fly LAX to Boston via Chicago and miss your connection there are usually numerous alternative flights that may be available.

On the other hand, when connecting from one Amtrak long-distance train to another there are seldom same day alternatives available.

The latter demands that you be far more cautious about connecting times, in order to avoid foolish risks. Leave risky connections to Amtrak Guest Rewards bookings where Amtrak gives you no choice.