SWC Chicago to Denver

[lthanlon]

Roomettes are sold out on the day I wanted to travel from Chicago to Denver on the California Zephyr, but a roomette is available on the Southwest Chief. I'd arrive in Raton, New Mexico, at 10:56 a.m., then catch an Amtrak Thruway/Greyhound bus to Denver at 5:05 p.m. The extra travel time isn't a problem; in fact, I'd probably enjoy walking around Raton and having a meal during the six-hour layover.

Should I be worried that the Greyhound bus might be full and that I'd be stuck waiting for the next one until 6:35 a.m. the following day?

Has anybody here booked this itinerary?

 

[E Runs]

I have not but isn't the Thruway a guaranteed connection, ie if you have booked the trip it can't be "sold out" forcing you to spen the night?

 

[lthanlon]

I have not but isn't the Thruway a guaranteed connection, ie if you have booked the trip it can't be "sold out" forcing you to spend the night?

I don't know. I wonder if there's a difference between the buses actually run by Amtrak and the ones run by other carriers. To accommodate Amtrak passengers when a Greyhound bus is full, they'd need to add a second bus -- and I'm not sure they'd be able to do that in Raton.

 

[MrFSS]

I have not but isn't the Thruway a guaranteed connection, ie if you have booked the trip it can't be "sold out" forcing you to spend the night?

I don't know. I wonder if there's a difference between the buses actually run by Amtrak and the ones run by other carriers. To accommodate Amtrak passengers when a Greyhound bus is full, they'd need to add a second bus -- and I'm not sure they'd be able to do that in Raton.

I checked the Greyhound schedule and it matches with Amtrak's. So, other than Amtrak passengers could/would be on the bus. But as pointed out, it is a guaranteed connection and Amtrak will do what is necessary to get you on the bus. Maybe Greyhound will be able to know how many passengers there will be and send a second bus if it is needed. I've seen them do that in the past.

 

[WhoozOn1st]

Looks like the 5:05 bus is the same one as for the eastbound Chief, hence the wait at Raton. I made this connection once - eastbound - and the bus was beginning its run, Raton-Denver. Likely nothing to worry about (my bus was virtually empty - 6 pax from the eastbound train and a pickup at Trinidad, CO).

 

[lthanlon]

Thanks for the information, MrFSS and WhoozOn1st. I'm considering going ahead and booking this. Like I said, I think I'll enjoy the layover in Raton. Looks like there's plenty of stores and such within walking distance.

 

[henryj]

You don't have to wait for the Amtrak thru-way bus. Greyhound has other buses to denver. The most convenient for you would be the 12:55pm bus. Advance fare is $47. The Amtrak thru-way bus is scheduled to connect with the SWC to and from LA, not Chicago. If you don't want to wait 6 hours you could go ahead and book on Amtrak thru to Denver just in case the SWC is late and then just catch the earlier bus to Denver. You would have to pay the extra bus fare of around $60. I don't know if Amtrak would then refund your thru-way bus fare.

https://www.greyhound.com/farefinder/step2.aspx

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

You don't have to wait for the Amtrak thru-way bus. Greyhound has other buses to denver. The most convenient for you would be the 12:55pm bus. Advance fare is $47. The Amtrak thru-way bus is scheduled to connect with the SWC to and from LA, not Chicago. If you don't want to wait 6 hours you could go ahead and book on Amtrak thru to Denver just in case the SWC is late and then just catch the earlier bus to Denver. You would have to pay the extra bus fare of around $60. I don't know if Amtrak would then refund your thru-way bus fare.

https://www.greyhoun...nder/step2.aspx

He could also book Chicago to Raton then buy a separate Greyhound ticket.

In the event that Greyhound adds an extra section, which is highly unlikely, that bus will usually be a lot worse than the planned bus in my expierience.

 

[lthanlon]

You don't have to wait for the Amtrak thru-way bus. Greyhound has other buses to denver. The most convenient for you would be the 12:55pm bus. Advance fare is $47. The Amtrak thru-way bus is scheduled to connect with the SWC to and from LA, not Chicago. If you don't want to wait 6 hours you could go ahead and book on Amtrak thru to Denver just in case the SWC is late and then just catch the earlier bus to Denver. You would have to pay the extra bus fare of around $60. I don't know if Amtrak would then refund your thru-way bus fare.

https://www.greyhound.com/farefinder/step2.aspx

That's a possibility, except it looks like only the 5:05 bus swings by the Amtrak station. The others only stop at the Greyhound station somewhere on Clayton Road near I-25 about 1.5 miles from the train station. I suppose I could walk or get a taxi there, though.

 

[henryj]

the Greyhound station somewhere on Clayton Road near I-25 about 1.5 miles from the train station. I suppose I could walk or get a taxi there, though.

Well you are going to be walking around for 6 hours otherwise so what's the diff. The Raton station is manned only until the end of August now days and only Wednesday thru Sunday, so I don't know where you plan to stash your luggage. Raton is a tiny little town to be stranded in on foot. There just isn't much there.

 

[lthanlon]

the Greyhound station somewhere on Clayton Road near I-25 about 1.5 miles from the train station. I suppose I could walk or get a taxi there, though.

Well you are going to be walking around for 6 hours otherwise so what's the diff. The Raton station is manned only until the end of August now days and only Wednesday thru Sunday, so I don't know where you plan to stash your luggage. Raton is a tiny little town to be stranded in on foot. There just isn't much there.

You have a point.

 

[railiner]

One other thing to keep in mind....the Greyhound at 5:05 PM from the Amtrak station, is as previously mentioned, just originating at the Greyhound station at 5:00 PM, and probably fairly empty. The Greyhound leaving Raton at 12:55 PM originates down in Dallas, and can be pretty heavily loaded already...

:unsure:

 

[rusty spike]

You don't have to wait for the Amtrak thru-way bus. Greyhound has other buses to denver. The most convenient for you would be the 12:55pm bus. Advance fare is $47. The Amtrak thru-way bus is scheduled to connect with the SWC to and from LA, not Chicago. If you don't want to wait 6 hours you could go ahead and book on Amtrak thru to Denver just in case the SWC is late and then just catch the earlier bus to Denver. You would have to pay the extra bus fare of around $60. I don't know if Amtrak would then refund your thru-way bus fare.

https://www.greyhoun...nder/step2.aspx

If you are going to book a non-Thruway Greyhound, you might as well book your SWC to Trinidad, CO and catch the "Dog" to Denver in Trinidad. Unless you want to ride up and down Raton Pass twice in one day (which would not be a bad idea if you have never experience the pass by train). As far as Raton goes, it a neat little town with friendly folks, and the downtown is only a couple blocks from the Amtrak station, but I don't know whether I could spend 6 hours there, with nowhere to stash luggage. :huh:

 

[SubwayNut]

I had to go from Kansas City to Colorado Springs and ended up figuring out this was the cheapest option (I couldn't believe that it was in the $20s of dollars more to connect in Raton or Trinidad instead) that gave me a layover I felt comfortable with (although the Chief was on time so I could have continued down to Trinidad or Raton and caught the same bus I connected to in Pueblo): I took the Chief to La Junta had breakfast there and took a walk, connecting to Prestige Bus Lines Bee-Line Express to Pueblo and then Greyhound up to the Springs with a guaranteed and short connection in Pueblo. The full trip report is on my Blog.

The main frustration was that Amtrak's website was wrong with the hours of the ticket office open (at the time I was there, it has luckily been updated) till 1pm Monday thru Wednesday but closed at 10am Thursday thru Sunday, so I was stuck wondering around with my luggage. I should also say that Greyhound lists the address of the agency where you buy tickets in La Junta but the bus actually stops a mile east (an easy walk) of town. Website for Bee-Line Express. It was also cheeper to buy two separate bus tickets La Junta to Pueblo and Pueblo to Colorado Springs instead of one thru bus ticket. As a connecting passenger in Pueblo you were also guaranteed a seat on the Greyhound there over any passengers just boarding it Pueblo (it wasn't a problem, the bus had some empty seats).

Wanted to report on my trip in June as someone who has done something similar.