Empire Builder Coach Seats in East Glacier Park

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Joined
Oct 14, 2019
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There are 6 of us (4 adults & 2 kids) traveling from Chicago to East Glacier (renting a minivan & headed to Gardiner, MT & Yellowstone) the 2nd week of June. We booked coach seats since we all don't have gobs of money to spend on travel, and I'm worrying about the return trip. How hard will it be to find seats together on the eastbound 8 when we board in East Glacier to return on 6/13?
 
Are all of you on the same reservation? If not, I would call Amtrak and link the reservations to make sure your group shows up as a group on the manifiest. Hopefully, an attendant will reserve seats for your group.
 
Are all of you on the same reservation? If not, I would call Amtrak and link the reservations to make sure your group shows up as a group on the manifiest. Hopefully, an attendant will reserve seats for your group.

Yes, we're all on the same reservation. That's a relief! This will only be my second Amtrak trip, with the first being coach on the Wolverine from Ann Arbor to Chicago then sleeper to New Orleans. There definitely weren't any attendants on the Wolverine making sure parties got to sit together, so I was worried.
 
Usually big pretty big turnover at East Glacier. All train staff will have a manifest showing groups, assuming you are on the same reservation and if the attendant is on the ball, they'll have some kind of contiguous space.

That's a relief! Thanks!
 
For a lot of years, usually the entirety of Going to the Sun Road doesn't open till mid or late June. Though the opening date of the middle section of this road near Logan's Pass(the last section to be shoveled off of snow), varies each year. To the OP, I would suspect your whole group of 6 wouldn't have any issues being able to be seated near each other in coach. Especially since you'd be leaving on a Saturday(thanks computer calendar), when a lot of Amtrak routes have fewer riders vs. trains on Fridays and Sundays.

Wouldn't be surprised if a significant amount of riders got off at any of the stops near Glacier, before your group boards the train at East Glacier. BTW when you're at East Glacier waiting for the train to arrive at that station house, I did really LOVE how there were a lot of brochures for local places in the brochure rack! Even found a few for Canada(specially places in Alberta), of all places! Also be sure to check out the Great Northern Railroad history boards that are left inside the East Glacier Amtrak station house to this day, and also inside the Glacier Park Lodge north of the Amtrak station. Remember that before the train arrives, that there is a free shuttle that will drive you from Glacier Park Lodge's front door right to the train station building.
 
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