Empire Builder from Seattle to St.Paul

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NativeSon5859

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This one goes out to all of you Builder fans out there:

There's a chance that I may be taking a ride on the Builder from Seattle to Minneapolis/St.Paul in a week or so...there's a great price on the RailSale...and I had a couple of questions that perhaps one of you could help me with.

First off, is the Seattle Amtrak station fairly near SeaTac airport, and what's the best way to get there? I'm assuming there's some sort of "Super Shuttle" type thing, just want to make sure.

Secondly, Is the train generally somewhat on-time by the time it reaches Minneapolis/St.Paul? My return flight from there to New Orleans would not be scheduled to leave until around 3:00pm so I have a lot of time to work with. Also, what's the best way of getting to Minn./St.Paul Intl. Airport from the station?

Thanks a bunch for the assistance. It's a new goal of mine to try out a new train every month should time/finances permit lol. Or at least every 2 months. :) I just can't get enough of Amtrak they've created a monster!

Stephen
 
Sounds like a plan! :) I could then where my Amtrak tie pin that I bought on the Sunset on a daily basis...the airline I work for doesn't like the idea of me wearing that for some reason. :rolleyes:
 
NativeSon5859 said:
This one goes out to all of you Builder fans out there:
Is the train generally somewhat on-time by the time it reaches Minneapolis/St.Paul? My return flight from there to New Orleans would not be scheduled to leave until around 3:00pm so I have a lot of time to work with. Also, what's the best way of getting to Minn./St.Paul Intl. Airport from the station?
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Sorry I have no information regarding the proximity of the Seattle train station to the Seattle airport.

however, I can tell you that the Empire Builder usually is punctual in arriving into St. Paul, both from Chicago and from Seattle. With your departure time from MSP being 3 pm, you should have plenty of time to get to the airport from the St. Paul station. IOW, barring some kind of "Force Majure," expect to be in St. Paul between 6:30 am - 7 am or so. As for getting to the airport, you could always take a cab. It'll cost you, though. Unfortunately, St. Paul decided to tear out most of the trackage around St. Paul Union Depot ( the building still stands, the Empire Builder passes right next to it going east from the current station) years ago, and the current rail commuter system is still in its' testing phase, and it doesn't even go downtown, so you're left with taking a cab to the airport, or figuring out the local bus system.

Can't help you with the local bus system in the Twin Cities either - I just moved here a few months ago, and I'm still in the process of learning where things are on my own. I haven't had the time to figure out the local bus system.
 
Native Son,

Last August, I rode the EB Empire Builder from Seattle to St. Paul. It was on time. Before my trip I tracked it for three weeks, and during that period it was on-time, or early, 82 percent of the time arriving St. Paul.

Twin Cities has a very good city bus system, which I used to get to MSP airport. There's a bus stop a couple of blocks from the Amtrak station.

Seattle also has a very good bus system with service from SeaTac airport downtown. Bus routes stop adjacent to Amtrak's King Street Station.

(Seattle) http://transit.metrokc.gov/ (check route 94 maybe)

(MSP) http://www.metrocouncil.org/transit/index.htm

Both cities also have taxis of course, and shuttle services. Hope this helps. You'll love the trip. Get up early the first morning to get a good seat in the Sightseer Lounge for the most scenic part of the trip -- Whitefish, West Glacier, Essex.
 
Stephen,

For St. Paul just head to the local bus company's trip planner located here. Then choose landmark for both the starting and ending points. For the starting point type in "Amtrak Depot", for the airport you can just use the drop down it's right on the top of the list.

If you don't mind a walk of 0.3 miles, then you can save big bucks over a cab. The fare is a $1.25, although you will have to transfer from one bus to another. The site will give you a detailed itinerary and even give you a walking map.

Seattle has a similar trip planner, located here.
 
In Seattle, a somewhat more expensive but, in my opinion, a more comfortable and convenient option from Sea-Tac to Amtrak is the Grey Line Airport Express Bus. This scheduled service leaves the Sea-Tac bag claim area every 30 minutes and will take you to King Street Station for $11. Tickets are available at the Grey Line booths located at both ends of the airport baggage claim area. The Grey Line bus is an over the road coach and is set-up for luggage handling.
 
Stephen,

I hadn't even considered PRR60's idea of the Gray Line shuttles. However if you like that idea, click here for Seattle's airport express service. According to the website though, it's a few buck more than what PRR stated, they list $14. Plus they say that there is an extra charge to go to the Amtrak station.

But they give an online schedule, plus you can buy your tickets online too.

The Twin Cities also seems to offer a similar service, although their webpage located here is not quite as forthcoming with info. They say that they provide service, but they don't give you much more info than that. You may have to call them at the number listed on the site.
 
Thanks a lot for the links guys, really appreciate it...and boy, am I ever dumb lol.

It looks like it will be PORTLAND to St.Paul, not Seattle. Portland is avail. on the RailSale for $51, and the Seattle segment is not showing up anymore. I have found a good public transport option from Portland's airport to Union Station...I may go for that.

Just out of curiosity, which segment would you guys consider more scenic anyway, Portland to Spokane or Seattle to Spokane?

Thanks again!

Stephen
 
Thanks Chief, that's the one I was looking at, looks pretty good to me. Seems like a pretty painless transfer compared to some places!
 
well first of all, lets hope the EB is running again within one week! Reports out of oregon are that the EB will not resume service until at least February 4th.

i am booked on the builder out of portland on february 8th. if the EB is running and you are on the train that day, we can meet up!

doesnt matter which way is more scenic, either seattle-spokane or portland-spokane, going east from both cities at this time of year is almost in total darkness......
 
I just booked it for Monday the 9th, Portland to St.Paul.

I think i'll bring along 2 pillows with me this time just in case....very doubtful i'll be able to swing for a sleeper upgrade this time.

This is an all-time record for me, 2 Amtrak journeys in the space of 2 weeks! lol.

Truth be told, I'd rather spend $50 for a two-night scenic rail journey than spending it on just about anything else. But I must say, after this trip, I probably won't be going on another one until this Summer at least. :)
 
Stephen, I would recommend a light blanket as well. I personally have a Sports Illustrated blanket that rolls up well, and would be perfect for an overnight trip in coach, not that I'm insane enough to do that.
 
battalion51 said:
Stephen, I would recommend a light blanket as well. I personally have a Sports Illustrated blanket that rolls up well, and would be perfect for an overnight trip in coach, not that I'm insane enough to do that.
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Amtrak also sells cheap blankets in the lounge car, just in case you forget yours :lol: .
 
Cheap in quality yes. Blankets are $8 in the lounge. I personally wouldn't recommend them, they're very scratchy, and are hard to find in stock as many LSA's won't take the blankets from the Comissary, or the Comissary doesn't stock them.
 
I saw some guy in Coach purchase five or six (the entire remaining supply) of these blankets on a recent SW Chief trip. I was amazed :lol:
 
Anthony said:
I saw some guy in Coach purchase five or six (the entire remaining supply) of these blankets on a recent SW Chief trip. I was amazed   :lol:
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:lol: . Did you actually see him using them all? Or did he purchase them for some other purpose other than sleeping.
 
No idea, but I have a feeling he had a large family in coach for which he needed several blankets. The guy should have gotten better ones before boarding. Oh well :rolleyes:
 
I remember one time a guy came into the lounge looking to buy a jacket. We told him we only had balnkets. Then he wanted to know if there was a store that he could buy a jacket at that was near a station. We told him no, just the blankets in the lounge. Wouldn't it seem like a blanket and a jacket would have the same effect? :lol:
 
battalion51 said:
I remember one time a guy came into the lounge looking to buy a jacket. We told him we only had balnkets. Then he wanted to know if there was a store that he could buy a jacket at that was near a station. We told him no, just the blankets in the lounge. Wouldn't it seem like a blanket and a jacket would have the same effect? :lol:
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Maybe he wanted to be able to wear it around the train without getting weird looks? :D
 
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