Advice on whether to take Amtrak in January?

[isaacchua]

Hello everyone, I have a flight to catch on 2023-01-18 at Newark Liberty (EWR) in the morning, and have the option of taking the Northeast Regional from Washington, DC, or a plane from Ronald Reagan (DCA). It is my first time experiencing East Coast winter. I know the weather can be unpredictable, especially in recent years, but will taking the train generally be more reliable than taking a plane at that time of the year?

Thanks in advance for your help,
Isaac

 

[fdaley]

If the weather is bad, the plane is more likely to be canceled than the train. However, while the train used to be the one mode of transport that kept moving no matter what, in recent years Amtrak has been more willing to shut down too if the weather is really bad -- as in, blizzard conditions and 2 feet of snow. Of course, your outbound flight would probably be canceled in that event too.

How early is the flight and how tight are the connections?

 

[DCAKen]

Would your DCA-EWR flight be on the same carrier? If so, you may have more protections if the first leg is delayed or canceled.

 

[Arctifox]

As DCAKen and fdaley indicated, it depends on your overall travel plans/itinerary.

If you can book the flight from DCA to EWR on the same ticket as your flight out of EWR, then I would definitely suggest to book that. In case of cancellations either of the first or the second flight, the airline will rebook you.
If you would have to make a separate booking for the flight, the train could be a safer choice. Depending on your general traveling, you could also just book both the train and the flight and in the morning of your travel day you can cancel the one you don't plan to take and get an Amtrak or airline voucher to use in the future (as long as you don't book Basic Economy tickets).