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  1. jccollins

    Salt Lake City Station discussion

    Got it. IIRC (from a then-agent at SLC) the gripe at the time was Amtrak did not want to pay rent for the really nice and separate ticketing and waiting room space the City designed and built for them in the new intermodal facility, but Amtrak officially stated that the new facility was too far...
  2. jccollins

    Salt Lake City Station discussion

    Did Amtrak ever move into the City's 'new' (circa-2005 IIRC) intermodal transportation hub next door to their trailers, or are they still operating the station out of the old modulated coaches there? Around 2005-ish I recall seeing Amtrak offices (unused) in the then-new intermodal center...
  3. jccollins

    Sunset Limited trip report

    Fly Southwest if you have to fly... they have a little known but quite generous 'passenger of size' policy. Basically you book (and pay for) two or even three seats. First one you book as JOHN SMITH. Second (or even third) as JOHN XS SMITH, where XS is inserted as the middle name. It...
  4. jccollins

    Sunset Limited: Maricopa to New Orleans?

    IIRC as long as you remain inside the New Orleans' Magnolia Room First Class Lounge to await your train departure as directed by Amtrak staff, they will come in prior to general boarding and personally escort you out to the train so you can board first. If you choose to wander off, or sit on in...
  5. jccollins

    Sunset Limited: Maricopa to New Orleans?

    Are the triple-wide trailers serving as the Maricopa Station (formerly the Tucson station during the remodel there a decade or so ago) starting to get worn out? Last time I was there they seemed to be more than adequate to handle the small group of passengers on/off each train. Best I could...
  6. jccollins

    Help with layover in Los Angeles. What to do in 12 hours?

    If headed to Flagstaff, Arizona or the Grand Canyon via Sunset Limited westbound, you might also want to consider: Detrain Sunset Limited at Maricopa, Arizona at 8:52pm - then - Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach Departs Maricopa at 9:15pm Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach Arrives Phoenix Airport at 10:15pm -...
  7. jccollins

    Grand Canyon to Flagstaff shuttle

    I am intimately familiar with the Flagstaff station and thruway shuttle operations there. Despite only 23 minutes shown, the shuttle often arrives a bit early and they are in contact with the station agent. It is a smooth, guaranteed operation that you can book comfortably. The agent will...
  8. jccollins

    New Gulf Coast Amtrak service (New Orleans - Mobile and Baton Rouge)

    Any word yet if Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach service will operate from the train's eastern terminus? Thruway service shuttling passengers to/from Florida points could be a game changer for this new line.
  9. jccollins

    Empire Service Coach vs Business

    Does the business class section have window curtains? As someone with migraines aggravated by the sun THAT could be a deciding factor between the two classes
  10. jccollins

    Gallup, New Mexico station closed

    Same thing in Needles, CA too. Small beautifully restored station in a rather desolate desert town prone to extreme summer heat, flash floods and cold winters. The Southwest Chief stops there daily between midnight and 1am in both directions. Apparently a homeless man started a fire in the...
  11. jccollins

    Transportation from Maricopa AZ (and other stations)

    Nah, they won. Not interested in a difficult nail biting experience with my 9 and 11 year olds. We booked for $19 each with Frontier Air SFO to Phoenix. And they're almost always on time and have much prettier stewardesses than Amtrak! :)
  12. jccollins

    Transportation from Maricopa AZ (and other stations)

    My family and I was booked on the Sunset Limited to Phoenix in a sleeper June 19th via the thruway motorcoach connection at Maricopa. Amtrak contacted us Monday, canceled our full reservation, and said all service from Maricopa to Phoenix has been 'suspended indefinitely'. Apparently Amtrak no...
  13. jccollins

    Fully staffed stations on days with no train service?

    Did the Amtrak stations division not get the memo that all the long distance trains now only run three days a week? Most long-distance only Amtrak stations have not had their daily ticket office or waiting room hours changed despite now being open many days of the week that have absolutely no...
  14. jccollins

    Amtrak Closed San Francisco Ticket Office Oct 28th, 2019

    Thank you for posting the response from the SJJPA, and for taking the time to write to them as well as CCJPA and Amtrak. I wouldn't expect much reply from Amtrak, if any, and definitely not a detailed and thought out explanation like David Lipari gave us. While the SJJPA clearly recognizes...
  15. jccollins

    Amtrak Closed San Francisco Ticket Office Oct 28th, 2019

    I don't believe so. Ticketing and baggage service (was until 2015) is offered to passengers connecting with the California Zephyr and Coast Starlight as well, neither of which are under JPA operations. When Amtrak decided to no longer handle checked baggage at SFC in 2015, they just...
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