Connection time at NYP from LIRR

[cbender]

Hi

Soon I will regularly (~1/month) be taking Amtrak from Penn Station to Union Station (standard train, not Acela or Metroliner, as cost is more important than the extra time). I'll be getting to Penn via the LIRR Port Jeff line, and am trying to figure out how much connection time I need to leave. I'm familiar with Penn station so know that getting from the LIRR level to the Amtrak level is very fast. But how early do I need to be at the Amtrak gate to board the train. Some of the connections I've worked out only leave 15-20 minutes. I'm used to making much shorter LIRR - LIRR connections than that, but am not sure if that will work with LIRR - Amtrak. I'm looking at taking evening trains, and there are not many LIRR trains to NYC during those off peak hours (every 2-3 hours). On the positive side, the lack of trains means they are usually on time. Can anyone give me some advice here?

Also, $125 is about the best roundtrip fare I've found. This is about what it costs to fly American out of JFK, but I figure I'll get more work done on the train because it is less hectic. Is $125 about the best fare I can expect for this route, or do cheaper ones exist?

Thanks

 

[AlanB]

Cbender,

I frequent Penn myself and most of my Amtrak trips do originate from Penn. At present, with the possible exception of security issues during the convention, a 10 minute connection is possible between the LIRR & Amtrak, although that's far closer than I'm comfortable with personally. So assuming that you can stand the nail bitting of a slightly late LIRR train, then you should generally be fine with a 15 to 20 minute window.

Amtrak displays the gate number for a given train 10 minutes prior to it's scheduled departure. It's very rare that they ever start boarding earlier than that. They typically allow boarding until about 2 minutes prior to departure, at which point the escalator will be reversed.

So assuming that you can get off the LIRR train, navigate through a rush hour crowd, and reach the Amtrak level. Note that if you arrive on Track 18 or lower, then you can try to pick the correct escalator that will take you directly to the Amtrak level.

As for pricing, try to find off peak trains whenever possible, they are the cheapest. Next either join NARP or AAA, both of which offer you a 10% discount on Amtrak tickets, or if you qualify join Student Advantage.

Finally, I'm not sure if Amtrak offers 10 ride trip tickets between NY & DC. I know that they do offer such a ticket between Philly & NY. So you might want to check with a ticket agent in Penn.