Taking 48 alone?

[Amtrak Kid]

im currently in chicago, and id prefer to take the train, but my parents are a bit hesitant about the thing, as im 14. though they both agree that im capable of it. would there be an attendent to keep an eye on me and such. would going solo be safe?

 

[Anthony]

I think you'll be just fine -- the stations are more unsafe than the train would ever be, IMHO

 

[Just-Thinking-51]

:huh: Do you have your own cell phone? Do you have an credit card? Are you traveling by sleeper? If and only If you answer yes to the above questions than I would say "Maybe". :blink:

Ok Amtrak does have sleeping car attendent and coach attendent that are there to help (sometimes). But you might have an train cancelled on you and then Amtrak will tell your on your own. Tough on an adult. Maybe too wild of experience for an 14 year old.

If my niece who is also 14 ask me, I would let her take an Sleeper (depending on where she going and who is meeting her). My niece current has 2 credit cards, and has been caring and cell phone since she been 9. But been the Uncle I am, I would quit my job and join her on her travels.

An Chief of OBS once stated "the people sitting next to you are strangers, and should be treated as such."

Final thoughts, No if coach or change of train. Yes if sleeper, or 1st class, and no change of trains.

 

[PRR 60]

As a 14 year old, Amtrak will permit you to travel alone but with restrictions. Here is what is required:

Children 8 through 14 years old may travel unaccompanied on Amtrak trains under the following rules and restrictions:
Travel is permitted only on Amtrak trains. Travel is not permitted on Thruway motorcoach service, or on any other other connecting services.

The scheduled departure time may be no earlier than 6 am, and arrival time no later than 9 pm.

No transfers of any kind are permitted.

Both boarding and arrival stations must be staffed. (Please note that even certain staffed stations do not allow for unaccompanied minors.)

An adult at least 18 years of age must bring the child who will be traveling as an unaccompanied minor to the station. The adult and child must both must be at the boarding station at least one hour prior to departure time to allow for the required interview and to complete necessary forms. The adult must provide valid current identification that meets our ID policies.

We require that the child be interviewed. On the day of travel, a station agent or other appropriate authority will directly interview the child to determine whether the child is capable of traveling alone.

For each unaccompanied minor traveling alone, the adult bringing the child to the departure station must complete and sign a release form.

The child must wear an Amtrak issued wristband for the duration of travel.

The adult must remain at the station until the train has departed.

Upon arrival, an adult (at least 18 years old) must be present to pick up the child. The adult must display valid current identification meeting Amtrak's ID policies.

Full adult fares are charged. Tickets for unaccompanied children may not be purchased online.

The unaccompanied child may not have any life-threatening food allergies.

Once you turn 15 travelling alone on Amtrak will be much easier.

 

[yarrow]

where are you going? all the way to boston or ny? our 14 year old is going from seattle to spokane alone coming back from a jazz camp. he is an experienced train rider so we have no concerns and i would be surprised if he was asked his age. a 14 year old going alone needs an adult ticket so nobody knows his age. i would think you would want a responsible person to see you get on the train and the same to meet you at your destination. i can't imagine a safety issue once on the train. just make sure to follow instructions about station stops. bring plenty of food for the trip as the diner is expensive.

 

[Amtrak Kid]

id be going to rochester, about 400 miles from NYP. As i know much about the equipment, and have taken the route before, getting lost or anything, shouldnt be a problem. Thanks!

 

[George Harris]

As the worried parent, I would say it is not you I am worried about, it is the other people. I made solo bus rides at a younger age, but that was in the 1950's and only 80 miles.

Without knowing you, it would be hard to say. For some 14 is fine, for others 16 could be too young. Obviously you do not have a drivers license, so it also gets to what sort of identification do you carry?

I would also emphasize the point that the train is much safer than the stations. You need to have someone meet you and they need to have a back up plan in case something goes wrong that they can not. I would make that equally true if you were 15 even though Amtrak does not require it.

George

 

[Guest-A]

The first time I've ever ridden on Amtrak alone, I was 15 years old. I had to travel all the way from Charleston, South Carolina to New York Penn Station on train 90, The Palmetto. The trip was a whopping 728 miles and the trip was supposed to take 11 hours , but unfortunately, the train was three hours behind schedule as we were in Virginia. However, the train did arrive on time at Charleston. I was very nervous of taking the train on my own for most of the day, but as time went on, I became more comfortable. When I showed one of the trainmen my ticket, he didn't say one thing to me, which, at the time, was a relief for me. None of the Amtrak employees on that train questioned me about my age or anything. The only thing they told me was that the lounge car was open for snacks and stuff like that. I've visited the lounge car many times. The coach seat was very comfortable with plenty of legroom. One thing my dad told me a day before the trip was to stay awake the night before the trip so I could get many hours of sleep on the train, which might make the trip seem quicker.

That's my little story.

 

[battalion51]

OK guys here's my two cents. At the tender age of 12 this kid (me) was entering 7th grade was flying by himself from Huntsville to Ft. Lauderdale, which we all know means a connection in Atlanta. I got off my flight from Huntsville, looked at the boards, found my flight to Ft. Lauderdale, got my gate, and went to go grab some dinner. I finished up my dinner, and headed over to my gate, I looked at it, and noticed it was flight 323 not 1415. So I go back to the boards and realized everything was hours late due to bad weather in the NYC area. So I walk up to the counter and tried to exchange my tickets, all the while trying to milk it for upgrades, free flights, etc. Needless to say I got my tickets exchanged, called my father and let him know, and made it back to FLL just 10 minutes later than I was supposed to.

Flash forward a couple of years to my 17 year old sister, senior in high school. She flew non-stop to Detroit for some Engineering confrence or whatever. On her way back she oversleeps and misses her flight. Next thing we know my mom recieves a phone call from a Northwest ticket agent with my sister sobbing in the background. The agent says there's a flight later in the day, and she'll put her on it, my Mom agrees, and that's that. But my sister didn't have the sense to figure that out herself.

What's my point here? It all depends on the person. I was far more competent at age 12 than my 17 year old sister, it just depends on how savvy the person is. I've been traveling alone almost exclusively since then, with very few exceptions.

 

[Steve4031]

Battalion,

I got to laugh at your story about your sister. My sister like to lord it over me that she was more mature than I was when we were younger. Fine. When our family was on the Southwest Limited in 1974, she was 11, I was 7, Amtrak messed up our accomodations. We were booked in connecting bedrooms. Instead, we each got our own roomette. She cried at the thought of being alone, I was excited. LOL. You bet a smirked the rest of that trip.

 

[had8ley]

When I was 7 I used to get on a NYC transit bus on Staten Island, ride to the ferry terminal and cross New York Harbor. Once off the ferry I would catch the subway at South Ferry and change to the Hudson Tubes (another subway) and go to Hoboken. From Hoboken it was an hour train ride to Morris Plains, NJ on the old DL&W. Would I let a 7 year old do it today?~ NO WAY. At twice the age I would start quizzing the youngster as to how to react to certain occurences that we have all experienced: late train, surly crew member (somebody will debate that there are none on Amtrak, bah humbug) A/C going out, train hitting a vehicle, etc. It would be a wonderful habit to get into if you can manuever around some of the obstacles that can come up at a moments notice.

 

[Amtrak Agent]

PRR 60 Attached the rules for Children to travel and the important thing to noticed is NO OVERNIGHT TRIPS. Train most be scheduled to arrive at destination by 9pm. CHI to ROC is an overnight trip. The rule has been recently changed to add the 12-14 year olds. That my be why some of you or your children had been able to do in the past. yarrow is right about the fare being an adult fare, but we are now required to see ids when tickets are purchased. I, as a ticket agent, would not recommend a 14 yo travelling alone for the first time to take this trip. The 11 hour trip can very easily turn into a 24 hour trip these days. IMO