Amtrak Regional?

[Nexis4Jersey]

I will be taking Amtrak Regional form Newark to DC or Fredricksburg sometime this Summer and i have a few questions.

1. Are Regional cars similar to the keystone cars , excuse my lack of Amtrak knowledge. Ive only been on Amtrak once.

2. What exactly is the food quality like at the Regional cafe ...LOL , should i stock up at Newark?

3. are there outlets at every seat?

4. How long is the diesel engine switch at DC take , and would it be faster taking VRE?

5 Is there wifi on Regional?

~Corey

 

[the_traveler]

Are Regional cars similar to the keystone cars , excuse my lack of Amtrak knowledge. Ive only been on Amtrak once.

I have never been on a Keystone car, but my understanding is they are 1/2 forward facing and 1/2 backwards facing. Regionals use AMI with all seats are forward facing.

What exactly is the food quality like at the Regional cafe ...LOL , should i stock up at Newark?

The standard AmCafe food (Amburgers, snacks, etc...)

Are there outlets at every seat?

Yes!

How long is the diesel engine switch at DC take , and would it be faster taking VRE?

Usually 20-30 minutes or less.

Is there wifi on Regional?

No, not on Regionals!

 

[Green Maned Lion]

I will be taking Amtrak Regional form Newark to DC or Fredricksburg sometime this Summer and i have a few questions.
1. Are Regional cars similar to the keystone cars , excuse my lack of Amtrak knowledge. Ive only been on Amtrak once.

2. What exactly is the food quality like at the Regional cafe ...LOL , should i stock up at Newark?

3. are there outlets at every seat?

4. How long is the diesel engine switch at DC take , and would it be faster taking VRE?

5 Is there wifi on Regional?

~Corey

1) Regionals and Keystones both primarily use Amfleet I coach cars. On the Keystones, the first car is a vintage 1968 Metroliner MU modified for cab-car service, but besides the cab and the manual vestibule doors, I don't think you can see much difference, since the Amfleet I is basically a Metroliner MU in trailer form without the cab. On the Keystones, half the seats face forward and half face backward, as indicated. On the Regionals all seats face forward. There are no other differences of note.

2) The food quality in the Amtrak Cafe is low-grade Amcafe food. Microwaved burgers, pizzas, and sandwhiches. Nothing to write home about, somewhat edible but not much. Better than MickeyD's. At Newark in the station proper, their used to be a restaurant of such fantastic quality called Cafe 1935, I'd be recommending it to you, but unfortunately Richard Sarles conspired with Dunkin' Donuts to have it removed and now the food in the station proper is pretty mediocre.

However, there is a decent place with good deli food (BOAR'S HEAD!) and a pretty decent by weight lunch buffet called Metro Cafe. If you are in the Great Hall, facing the Solari board walk under it and take your first left. Keep walking towards McDonald's until you get to the escalators on your left. Go up them and walk along the overpass and through the revolving door. On your right up ahead will be a dark wood coloured store front. That's Metro Cafe.

3) It would be extraordinary if you got one of the very few Amfleets in service without them.

4) About 30 minutes.

5) Depends what train you come on and if you can make a very fast connection with an express VRE. In general, the answer is no, and I'd suggest just taking Amtrak.

 

[Nexis4Jersey]

I will be taking Amtrak Regional form Newark to DC or Fredricksburg sometime this Summer and i have a few questions.
1. Are Regional cars similar to the keystone cars , excuse my lack of Amtrak knowledge. Ive only been on Amtrak once.

2. What exactly is the food quality like at the Regional cafe ...LOL , should i stock up at Newark?

3. are there outlets at every seat?

4. How long is the diesel engine switch at DC take , and would it be faster taking VRE?

5 Is there wifi on Regional?

~Corey

1) Regionals and Keystones both primarily use Amfleet I coach cars. On the Keystones, the first car is a vintage 1968 Metroliner MU modified for cab-car service, but besides the cab and the manual vestibule doors, I don't think you can see much difference, since the Amfleet I is basically a Metroliner MU in trailer form without the cab. On the Keystones, half the seats face forward and half face backward, as indicated. On the Regionals all seats face forward. There are no other differences of note.

2) The food quality in the Amtrak Cafe is low-grade Amcafe food. Microwaved burgers, pizzas, and sandwhiches. Nothing to write home about, somewhat edible but not much. Better than MickeyD's. At Newark in the station proper, their used to be a restaurant of such fantastic quality called Cafe 1935, I'd be recommending it to you, but unfortunately Richard Sarles conspired with Dunkin' Donuts to have it removed and now the food in the station proper is pretty mediocre.

However, there is a decent place with good deli food (BOAR'S HEAD!) and a pretty decent by weight lunch buffet called Metro Cafe. If you are in the Great Hall, facing the Solari board walk under it and take your first left. Keep walking towards McDonald's until you get to the escalators on your left. Go up them and walk along the overpass and through the revolving door. On your right up ahead will be a dark wood coloured store front. That's Metro Cafe.

3) It would be extraordinary if you got one of the very few Amfleets in service without them.

4) About 30 minutes.

5) Depends what train you come on and if you can make a very fast connection with an express VRE. In general, the answer is no, and I'd suggest just taking Amtrak.

Thanks , i'll stock up at the Newark Penn Concourse like i did last time. A few more Questions.

1. Are there Ticket Counters at Metropark?

2. How much does it cost to park at Metropark?

3 Why doesn't the Keystone have a Cafe?

 

[wayman]

3 Why doesn't the Keystone have a Cafe?

The Keystone is a state-supported train, with most or all of its operating costs between PHL and HAR paid by the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It's a very short distance, and while the trains tend to run pretty full from Philadelphia to Lancaster, the passenger load between Lancaster and Harrisburg is pretty light in my experience. There's about a 90% passenger turnover at PHL -- people ride the train to/from PHL, whether on the NEC side or the PA side, but few passengers go from, say, anywhere west of Paoli to New York -- so very few passengers ride longer than 90 minutes. And for those who do travel from the PA side to the NEC side, there's a 15-30 minute break at PHL where they can go into the station, buy food, and return to the train. Given the ridership, there's very little need for a cafe -- the expense of running a non-revenue car and paying an LSA is just not worth it -- and certainly little need for it on the PA half, so PA isn't about to contribute anything towards that expense.

Whereas for a regional running BOS-WAS, not only are each half (BOS-NYP and NYP-WAS) longer than each half on a Keystone (NYP-PHL and PHL-HAR) but the turnover rate on a regional at NYP is not as great as the turnover rate on a Keystone at PHL. Most passengers are on a Regional for anywhere from 2.5 to 6 hours. And there's no opportunity to hop off mid-way, grab food, and hop back on the way you can on a Keystone at PHL. That justifies a cafe car.

 

[Jersey Jeff]

Thanks , i'll stock up at the Newark Penn Concourse like i did last time. A few more Questions.
1. Are there Ticket Counters at Metropark?

If you mean staffed ticket windows, yes. Usually one or two ticket clerks are there. There are also at least three QuickTrak ticket machines in the tiny Metropark waiting room.

2. How much does it cost to park at Metropark?

Google is your Friend: 0 - 16 Hours $5.00 16 - 20 Hours $7.00 20 - 24 Hours $9.00

Parking can be tough on weekdays in the garage at Metropark, as the garages frequently fill up early in the AM.

3 Why doesn't the Keystone have a Cafe?

I dunno....anyone else wanna take a stab at that?

 

[Green Maned Lion]

Thanks , i'll stock up at the Newark Penn Concourse like i did last time. A few more Questions.
1. Are there Ticket Counters at Metropark?

2. How much does it cost to park at Metropark?

3 Why doesn't the Keystone have a Cafe?

Alright, but I'd stick with other venues.

1) There are ticket-counters at Metropark, but they are staffed by NJTransit workers with just a cursory knowledge of ARROW. You're better off not using them.

2) Two arms, three legs, half your teeth, and your first born daughter. The last place on earth I'd park if I had a choice was Metropark. I'd catch an NJ Transit train to Newark from wherever is convenient and catch your train from there. I've never been charged less than $9, and that was for but 2 hours.

3) As Will said, its state-supported. Pennsylvania does not care to pay for monetary losses from the presence of a Cafe car, and Amtrak has determined they can't make a profit on it.

 

[dlagrua]

One thing worthy of note is that if you purchase your tickets 14 days in advance the fares are about 25% lower. If you purchase online and select also one of the other discounts (like AAA) the fare goes up considerably so be sure to purchase without chosing a discount when buying NE regional train tickets. The 14 day NE regional discount is apparently a special Amtrak fare for which no other discounts apply.

 

[jis]

2) Two arms, three legs, half your teeth, and your first born daughter. The last place on earth I'd park if I had a choice was Metropark. I'd catch an NJ Transit train to Newark from wherever is convenient and catch your train from there. I've never been charged less than $9, and that was for but 2 hours.

Notwithstanding what GML says, the parking rates at Metropark are as follows:

0 - 16 hours $5

16 - 20 hours $7

20 - 24 hours $9

I park at Metropark very often like 5 to 10 times each month, and find it way more convenient and cost effective than parking at Newark Airport when I am off on a week long trip. And I have yet to be overcharged at Metropark. As a matter of fact NJTransit trains are so slow and connections so poor that I have given up on trying to take trains from Short Hills to anywhere to catch an Amtrak train. I just drive to Metropark. By the time I arrive at Metropark driving from my home, the train that passed by my home has barely made it to East Orange, if that.

The only problem with Metropark is that occasionally between 11am and 3pm specially on Thursdays it might be difficult to find a parking spot, thought this has not happened to me in the past two years what with the down economy reducing usage of the station.

 

[the_traveler]

One thing worthy of note is that if you purchase your tickets 14 days in advance the fares are about 25% lower. If you purchase online and select also one of the other discounts (like AAA) the fare goes up considerably so be sure to purchase without chosing a discount when buying NE regional train tickets. The 14 day NE regional discount is apparently a special Amtrak fare for which no other discounts apply.

The "special fare" (14 day advance) ticket is the new "E" bucket, but it is not applicable with any other discounts. You MUST us an "ADULT" fare to get that rate!

 

[Nexis4Jersey]

One thing worthy of note is that if you purchase your tickets 14 days in advance the fares are about 25% lower. If you purchase online and select also one of the other discounts (like AAA) the fare goes up considerably so be sure to purchase without chosing a discount when buying NE regional train tickets. The 14 day NE regional discount is apparently a special Amtrak fare for which no other discounts apply.

The "special fare" (14 day advance) ticket is the new "E" bucket, but it is not applicable with any other discounts. You MUST us an "ADULT" fare to get that rate!

oh ic , my Elderly friend will be traveling with me , does he get a discount?

 

[AlanB]

One thing worthy of note is that if you purchase your tickets 14 days in advance the fares are about 25% lower. If you purchase online and select also one of the other discounts (like AAA) the fare goes up considerably so be sure to purchase without chosing a discount when buying NE regional train tickets. The 14 day NE regional discount is apparently a special Amtrak fare for which no other discounts apply.

The "special fare" (14 day advance) ticket is the new "E" bucket, but it is not applicable with any other discounts. You MUST us an "ADULT" fare to get that rate!

oh ic , my Elderly friend will be traveling with me , does he get a discount?

If he qualifies as a senior, then yes he can get the senior discount. However, he cannot get the senior discount on the low E bucket price. So be careful, it is possible that the D bucket with the senior discount will cost more than just taking the adult E ticket price.