west point
Engineer
Early in the evening the PID should display 2 arrivals and one departure. Early in the morning it should display 1 arrival and 2 departures,
Pittsburgh Amtrak Station past, present and future
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Can one now check bags in Chicago via the CL and the Pennsylvanian to Newark? The website says yes. In the past you could not.
Transferring in Pittsburgh and waiting in that dungeon is the least appealing aspect of a trip transferring to the Capitol Limited to go to Chicago. That four hour wait feels even longer.
I’m on my way back from a cross country circle trip from Harrisburg to Portland, then LA and am heading back later today on the Southwest Chief and Capitol Limited to DC, a regional to Philly and a Keystone to Harrisburg.. Seven hours later than taking the Cap Ltd to Pittsburgh and the Pennsylvanian to Harrisburg. Beats that 5AM arrival in Pittsburgh and that two and a half hour wait.
I’m on my way back from a cross country circle trip from Harrisburg to Portland, then LA and am heading back later today on the Southwest Chief and Capitol Limited to DC, a regional to Philly and a Keystone to Harrisburg.. Seven hours later than taking the Cap Ltd to Pittsburgh and the Pennsylvanian to Harrisburg. Beats that 5AM arrival in Pittsburgh and that two and a half hour wait.
Does the Pennsylvanian now accept checked baggage?
Yes.
Thanks - this will be a welcome improvement.
I'm transferring to the Pennsylvanian from the eastbound CL. Where is the closest place to get coffee? I realize that the station is fairly bare of amenities but I'll have time to kill if the CL is on time.
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Usually while I'm at the station railfanning and watching the CL pass through from the upstairs area right before I head onto the Pennsylvanian, I've heard the attendants tell the CL passengers that there is a Starbucks nearby (about 15 min walk, shown below) but it doesn't open until 7A. It's a gamble going there because with it opening at 7A, and the Pennsylvanian leaving at 7:30A. (The Der Coffee place opens at 8A, so not really an option)
I've gone to the Einstein Bagels on Grant, the street leading from the station, when killing time changing at Pittsburgh. As I recall, I asked the station agent, and they had a photocopied map of nearby restaurants. That was in 2018, so it may be different now.
I just checked Google Maps, and Einstein's opens at 6am and is at 7th Ave. just a block or two from the station. I don't see anything closer.
I just checked Google Maps, and Einstein's opens at 6am and is at 7th Ave. just a block or two from the station. I don't see anything closer.
Thanks. A 6 am opening works.
The good news is that it really is a very short distance from Pittsburgh's Pitiful Amshack, just 0.3 miles according to Google maps, and opens at 6 a.m. The bad news is that it is closed on Saturdays and Sundays. If only Einstein or similar could be persuaded to open a coffee and pastry cart in the station. Simple menu, no food prep onsite (so county health authorities needn't fuss), limited hours (basically between the eastbound Cap's arrival at 5:05 a.m. and the Pennsylvanian's departure at 7:30 a.m.), captive market. Do I $mell a profit opportunity?
https://locations.einsteinbros.com/us/pa/pittsburgh/436-7th-ave
I’m making this very same connection in early April and time permitting, this would be a fine option for me; Einstein also has excellent breakfast sandwiches. Another train traveler also reported at one time that he walked over to a Westin Hotel for an ample breakfast buffet and he was good for the whole day.
One thing that does concern me is that it won’t yet be daylight. How safe is that area for a female walking around alone? Unsure of using Uber for just 2 blocks.
A golden opportunity awaits anyone who opens a coffee stand with the basic amenities inside the dungeon aka Pittsburgh Amtrak. Four hours at night waiting on the Capitol Limited and over two hours in the morning Eastbound waiting on the Pennsylvanian. Why hasn’t this been done? The wait for the Westbound 29 is at night and many people do not want to leave the station.
joelkfla
Engineer
There's a coin-op coffee vending machine in the station. It was out of order when I was there last summer.
I'm not sure how much business there is. Only 2 trains in each direction every day, once from say 5-7 AM, and then from say 7 - midnight. When I used the station, there were maybe 20-30 people waiting for the eastbound Capitol Limited What percentage of the people waiting are actually interested in buying a cup of coffee? Especially when you can buy a cup on the train when it comes in.
I agree...not enough business likely to sustain a permanent cafe, but perhaps enough to make it worthwhile for a good food truck to park there for a while?
Plus, where would it fit? So little wiggle room in the current configuration.
You can’t buy coffee on 29,being it arrives at Midnight and the snack car on 42 The Pennsylvanian opens an hour after departure, so if you get off 30 in Pittsburgh it’s almost four hours. I’m just thinking of a small area where you can buy coffee,soft drinks and snacks. As I mentioned, it’s at night and many people don’t want to leave the station.
All I can say about the safety issue is that the Pittsburgh Police announced adjustments to staffing in the downtown area. There will be fewer on patrol between 3 and 7 am because "the data doesn't support the need."
A lot of people are freaked out by dark empty cities. I blame Hollywood, which gives a false picture of urban dangers. Actually 5 AM is pretty safe as all the crooks have gone to bed and aren't out on the street. Nobody else is on the streets either, so there's really nobody to mug. And on the other side, when the Pennsylvanian comes in at 7-ish PM, even though it might be dark during a lot of the year, it's at a time when lots of people are out and about. OK, maybe not by midnight when 29 comes in, but there's enough time to walk over the the Strip District to get a dinner and then come back to the station before it gets too late. Plus there's always Uber/Lyft, taxis and such.
I took a trip that involved an overnight in Pittsburgh and stayed at a hotel about 2 blocks from the station. I arrived on the bustituted Pennsylvanian at about 7, and after I checked in, I walked over to Primati's to get some dnner. OPart of the walk was in the dark, but I didn't feel too uncomfortable. In the morning I had to catch 30, so there I was at 4:30/5 AM hauling my rollerbag down the street. It was really no problem. I hung out in the station until 30 came in, and then I got breakfast in the cafe car, which was open.
It might be nice to have a snack stand in the station, but then, given the size of the crowd I saw, I don't think there would be enough business for one. I don't think there's even enough traffic for a food truck to hang out in the evening when the Pennsylvanian comes in. The crowds aren't that big, and most of the people aren't really interested in getting something to eat. Maybe if they start running more trains out of the place all through the day, there might be enough foot traffic in the station to justify such a business.
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It's been awhile, so I wonder if the Greyhound station steps away across Liberty Avenue offers any sort of food or drink service?
Failing that, would vending machine service be viable at either Amtrak or Greyhound so as to provide overnight food and drink availability?
Failing that, would vending machine service be viable at either Amtrak or Greyhound so as to provide overnight food and drink availability?
Metra Electric Rider
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This seems like a situation where a lot of people would order food through like DoorDash or UberEats.
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As far as I know, no. That place has gone down the proverbial, well you know what. I feel safer in "Union Station" than across the street in and around the bus station.
I frequently walk between "Union Station" (I still roll my eyes at that moniker) and the closest T station at Steel Plaza, about 10 minutes apart, very early and late, and never feel uncomfortable.
UserNameRequired
Lead Service Attendant
Last fall in the night wait for the Pennsylvanian to CL westbound, I walked up to Primanti Bros. Restaurant which I learned about here. I used Liberty Ave. and well it seemed spooky absolutely no one around, many dark shadows, SA certainly went up a notch. What bothers me are enclosed walkways like under tracks or roads, autos speeding by a few feet away from the sidewalk and few feet on the other side non-lighted indentations in the walls for service doors or whatever that you can't see into until you get to them. The way back I used Smallman St. and it seemed better lit up and a few people around, less sketchy. There was an Amtrak Policeman around the station that night. Pedestrian sidewalks to the the station seemed limited when trying to go north/east. (I may not be aware of a better way to walk that everyone else does?).
