car rental at Newark station

[cbender]

I've got to be in the Newark area this coming weekend. It occurred to me that taking Amtrak from DC to Newark, and then renting a car there might be much less hassle than fighting traffic on the I95 corridor over the 4th of July. I used to live on Long Island, and have taken the train many times from NYP to WAS, but never paid attention at Newark.

Does anyone familiar with the station know what my options are for car rental in that immediate area? There is apparently an Enterprise there, but they are closed on Sundays. Any other ideas would be appreciated.

 

[TVRM610]

I am not very familiar with Newark Penn but one option would be the Newark Airport, if you could take an amtrak train from WAS that served the airport station. While this may not be the cheapest it would be convenient since the car rental companies are right there at the airport.

I'm sure others like Alan and GML who live in the area can tell you better.

Just my 2 cents from having used both stations... the Newark Airport station makes me feel alot more safe then Newark Penn. I've changed trains at newark penn before.. and probably will again, but I would use newark airport over penn anyday if i had the choice, even if it costs extra to ride the monorail.

 

[Shanghai]

I would agree with TVRM's suggestion to get the rental car at Newark Airport. Many NEC trains stop there. You can take the monorail from the Amtrak station to the car rental offices. I rarely go to Newark Penn Station, so I don't know if car rentals are available there.

 

[jackal]

A Travelocity search by proximity to address (in which I entered Newark Penn) revealed only a few rental car offices in the Newark city area. The closest is a Budget Car Rental with reasonable rates ($25-$35 per day for random test dates selected over the next month) and lower taxes than the airport at 474 Main St, Orange, NJ 07050, 4.61 miles away from Newark Penn Station (Budget location code RA3). Their terms and conditions as viewed through Travelocity (strangely, I couldn't pull these location-specific terms and conditions up at budget.com) specify the following:

PICKUP SERVICE WILL BE CONFIRMED WITH A 24 HOUR ADVANCE NOTICE IF CUSTOMER IS WITHIN 5 MILES OF THE LOCATION, IF LESS THAN 24 HOURS NOTICE AND PICK UP IS FARTHER THAN 5 MILES - THE SERVICE MAY NOT BE AVAILABLE -IN EITHER CASE THE CUSTOMER MUST CONTACT THE LOCAL OFFICE DIRECT TO ARRANGE. . NO SHUTTLE OR DELIVERY SERVICE.

Their number (to set this up) is 973-674-0170.

You may wish to also confirm they can drop you off after you return the vehicle. I don't know the Newark area, but even if Orange is a ritzy neighborhood, it's not good to get stranded 5 miles from your destination! (A cab is, of course, an option, and even with cab fare, this rate and the associated taxes are low enough that you'd still be significant money ahead even if you had to drop $20 on a cab over renting at the airport.)

Also, here are their operating hours (you mentioned coming in on Sunday; note they close at 3pm):

Hours of OperationSunday: 09:00AM - 03:00PM

Monday: 07:30AM - 06:00PM

Tuesday: 07:30AM - 06:00PM

Wednesday: 07:30AM - 06:00PM

Thursday: 07:30AM - 06:00PM

Friday: 07:30AM - 06:00PM

Saturday: 08:00AM - 03:00PM

There is also an Avis a little over 6 miles away, but their rates are MUCH higher (over $100 with taxes!), and they have the same 5-mile pickup radius (meaning that, unless you were able to make special arrangements, they would not be able to pick you up).

 

[cbender]

Thanks for looking that up. I hadn't noticed before that the Budget location will pick you up, but based on their listed rules Newark Penn St does seem to be within their range. Not surprisingly, however, they are out of cars for this weekend. Rental at the airport (also a good idea) is quite expensive over the holiday weekend (almost $100/day). I think I'll just end up driving, and suffer through the traffic.

 

[Guest]

Where exactly are you doing in the Newark area? Could you take one of the "local" trains or buses (NJ TRANSIT) , after getting off Amtrak? If nothing else, possibly a "local" train could get you closer to an acceptable rental office?

 

[mike morris]

Hi,

I take the Acela from Boston every three weeks to the Newark train station...my largest customer is a few blocks away.

There is an Enterprise rental car at the base of the Hilton Hotel, which is a three minute interior walk from the train station. Quite safe. If you are unfamiliar with Newark I wouldn't recommend venturing far from the train station, especially with luggage in tow.

The airport is an option but a real hassle compared with the brief walk.

At the Enterprise web site enter Newark, NJ for the city. The location you want is:

1 RAYMOND PLZ W/ PENN STATION

NEWARK, NJ 07102

They are on the ground floor of the Hilton hotel.

Hope that helps.....Mike

 

[cbender]

Where exactly are you doing in the Newark area?

I'm headed to a wedding about a 30 minute drive west of the Newark area. I figured Newark was the most convenient departure point, in terms of distance from my destination, and has the advantage of being serviced by Acela. Almost any other time I'd drive without hesitation. But finding a way out of DC on the 3rd of July, what with all of the Fed's heading for the hills, may be tricky.

Hi,
I take the Acela from Boston every three weeks to the Newark train station...my largest customer is a few blocks away.

There is an Enterprise rental car at the base of the Hilton Hotel, which is a three minute interior walk from the train station. Quite safe. If you are unfamiliar with Newark I wouldn't recommend venturing far from the train station, especially with luggage in tow.

Thanks for those details - that helps a lot. I'd found that rental location on Enterprise's website, but couldn't really judge how easy it would be to access from the station.

 

[Meat Puppet]

There is an Enterprise close to Penn Station Newark but they are Only open Mon-Fri and they do not allow drop offs on days they are closed. Trains run from Penn to the Airport every 5 mins for $8 where the rentals are open 24 hours.

 

[Shanghai]

You say 30 miles west of Newark. If you are in the Morristown area, there is an Avis rental point one block from the Morristown train station. NJ Transit service is frequent to Morristown.

 

[greatcats]

Exactly what town are you headed for in suburban New Jersey? If it is Morristown, as mentioned, there are plenty of possibilities for rental cars and the commuter train will get you there easily. HOwever, there are a few ifs, ands and buts, as to connecting with NJ Transit.

 

[greatcats]

I have patronized the Avis location in Morristown once. It worked fine, although locations like that are likely to be closed on Sunday.