Reservations

[Amtrak Watcher]

Early this month (June) I had to go to New York City from Dallas on business, so I went the Amtrak web site to make a reservation on the Texas Eagle and the Lake Shore Limited in both directions. The reservation system could not find me a seat on the Texas Eagle in either direction: not a coach seat, not a sleeper, nothing – everything was sold out. Having seen this kind of no-seats-here problem before, I switched over to the “Multi-City-Trip” option and found the seats on the Texas Eagle I needed. Going between Chicago and Dallas, I found a seat on number 21 in one direction and on number 422 in the other direction. These seats (sleeper reservations in this case) were available only in the “Multi-City-Option” and only when I asked for the particular train numbers. The same phenomenon applies to coach seats.

There is, apparently, something wrong with the web-based reservation system; it often can’t find seats on multi-city trips unless I go directly to the “Multi-City-Trip” option and shop all the alternative train numbers on the routes of interest myself. This mechanism requires more than a pedestrian knowledge of the train numbers, and is likely far outside the scope of the casual traveler, especially those new to Amtrak.

I wonder how many new rail travelers have been scared away from buying Amtrak tickets by this apparent lack of seats?

 

[Save Our Trains Michigan]

I have heard about this before about 2 months ago.

 

[New Rider]

Amtrak watcher, I am one of those who should have been intimidated, since you cannot connect from the northeast corridor to the lakeshore limited on certain days. Seems as though the system tries to avoid transfers at Penn Station. So I went to my local station and the ticket agent quoted it at $148.50 R/T, but suggested I try multi-city trips on the website and he gave me timetables to go on to make it fit.

I go back to Amtrak.com and feed in 48 to 88 and 93 to 49

Magic, with my AAA card its $73.08 R/T -- about half the station charge.

How was I supposed to know that the computer isn't smart enough to realize I can grab a bite to eat at Penn Station for an hour?

 

[AMTRAK-P42]

Mayb your computer was getting back at you for some reason...my computer seems to find great joy in destroying my multi-media cards

 

[Amtrak Watcher]

To the extent you know what traines go where and when they go there, you can find seats or sleeper accommodations by shopping your own options on the "Multi-City-Trip" portion of the Amtrak web site. You can do this even though the reservation system or the station agent claims there is no room at any price. And with something like the AAA card and some patience on the web site, you can do this for less money than anyone will offer. Good for the insiders, but bad for Amtrak. The trians leave the station with empty seats which could have been sold.