Empire Service discussion

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Does anyone know what the update to this is? I have a relative trying to ride the Maple Leaf to Canada, they originally booked on Saturday and were rescheduled to today. However, they were told that today there would be a bustitution and opted to push it to Wednesday. I'm not sure if the line will reopen by then but I can't find much information from VIA or Amtrak about this.
 
I just noticed 245 is back up running. When did that happen? That’s great news. I can now stay for a ballgame and ride back the same night. And it’s a good insurance policy if I’m coming back down n the Silvers
 
glensfallsse said:
I just noticed 245 is back up running. When did that happen? That’s great news. I can now stay for a ballgame and ride back the same night. And it’s a good insurance policy if I’m coming back down n the Silvers
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March 4, says The Daily Catch: Two Amtrak Train Runs Restored, Adding Early-Morning and Very Late-Night Trains (one round-trip). "The final step to returning regional operation to pre-Covid levels, the Empire State Passengers Association (ESPA) confirmed." The ESPA website looks quite good too.
 
Empire Service Business Class questions.

#1 If choosing BC seating, is it possible to choose seats at the booking stage? Reason for asking is we are 2 people travelling and wish to be seated together facing forwards.

#2 Is BC worth the extra fare for this journey?

I have never used NE Regional trains before although have used BC on some western trains and thought they were good value for the shorter routes.

Thanks
 
I don’t believe you can select specific business class seats on Empire Service trains. I think these are first come, first serve. Am I wrong?
 
JoeRids said:
I don’t believe you can select specific business class seats on Empire Service trains. I think these are first come, first serve. Am I wrong?
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Working at the moment but will try to find the Amtrak document that lays out the booking options and post it here later.
 
Traveller said:
#2 Is BC worth the extra fare for this journey?
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The seats in Empire BC are definitely nicer than regular coach seats. But the BC section is limited to the back half of the cafe car, so the overall number of seats is five or six rows. It's a 2-and-1 seating pattern, so there's only one pair of double seats per row. The chances of getting seats together are best if you're boarding at the point of origin and much lower after that, at least at busy times of day.

The trains that run only between New York and Albany have no food or beverage service, so on these trains the only real benefit of BC is the cushier seat. They used to provide the day's New York Times, but that service is long gone. The trains running through to/from points north and west of Albany do have cafe service. At Albany they often board BC passengers ahead of the coach crowd, but at most stations everyone boards at the same time.
 
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fdaley said:
The seats in Empire BC are definitely nicer than regular coach seats. But the BC section is limited to the back half of the cafe car, so the overall number of seats is limited. It's a 2-and-1 seating pattern, so the number of pairs of double seats is further limited. The chances of getting seats together are best if you're boarding at the point of origin and much lower after that, at least at busy times of day.

The trains that run only between New York and Albany have no food or beverage service, so on these trains the only real benefit of BC is the cushier seat. They used to provide the day's New York Times, but that service is long gone. The trains running through to/from points north and west of Albany do have cafe service.
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Thanks for the description and the limitations.

We're travelling between NYP and Syracuse and would like a) to sit together, and b) have a good shot at sitting the Hudson river side, therefore my preocupation with being able to reserve particualr seats.

Would we have a better chance of getting both a and b if we bought coach seats where the number of places per car is more than double those in BC ?
 
Traveller said:
Thanks for the description and the limitations.

We're travelling between NYP and Syracuse and would like a) to sit together, and b) have a good shot at sitting the Hudson river side, therefore my preocupation with being able to reserve particualr seats.

Would we have a better chance of getting both a and b if we bought coach seats where the number of places per car is more than double those in BC ?
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My advice at NYP would be to get a red cap to take you and your luggage to the train. They normally get the track number in advance and can take you down to the train before the general boarding announcement. Then you have your choice of seats, whether in coach or business, for at least a few minutes before the crowd descends. The river side is the left side if you're facing forward, and the locomotive will be at the forward end of the train.

If sitting together and having the river side are both important, coach might be a safer bet. I am not sure how Empire BC has been affected by Amtrak's new policy of not turning seats/cars between runs. Before that change, the BC was normally on the back end of trains leaving New York, with the single seats on the left (river) side. So, the BC double-seat pairs were all on the land side. On the return (eastbound/southbound) trip, BC was again at the back, with the double seats all on the river side.

At least in coach, there are double seats on both sides, and half of them will be facing forward.
 
fdaley said:
My advice at NYP would be to get a red cap to take you and your luggage to the train. They normally get the track number in advance and can take you down to the train before the general boarding announcement. Then you have your choice of seats, whether in coach or business, for at least a few minutes before the crowd descends. The river side is the left side if you're facing forward, and the locomotive will be at the forward end of the train.

If sitting together and having the river side are both important, coach might be a safer bet. I am not sure how Empire BC has been affected by Amtrak's new policy of not turning seats/cars between runs. Before that change, the BC was normally on the back end of trains leaving New York, with the single seats on the left (river) side. So, the BC double-seat pairs were all on the land side. On the return (eastbound/southbound) trip, BC was again at the back, with the double seats all on the river side.

At least in coach, there are double seats on both sides, and half of them will be facing forward.
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Excellent advice, thank you.

Sorry a stupid question now. Have never used the Red Cap service before, where do you find them or do I just hail one that is passing and what's a reasonable tip for this service?
 
Traveller said:
Excellent advice, thank you.

Sorry a stupid question now. Have never used the Red Cap service before, where do you find them or do I just hail one that is passing and what's a reasonable tip for this service?
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The Redcaps at NYP are in the Amtrak waiting area, which is closest to the corner of 8th Ave. and W. 31st St. Inside Moynihan, it's on the southeast corner of the grand hall, catty corner from the Walgreens far over in the food court. The Amtrak waiting area has its own restrooms.

If you get there early and want to see trains, follow the signs to "West End Concourse," which is the east side of Moynihan and a bit higher, with windows to the tracks, but no seating. You may see young people making videos of themselves and their friends in WEC, but it's not an obstruction.

One handy thing about NYP is the Amtrak departure times are on a website, as well as on the boards, but the Redcaps will typically have the actual departure gates before they appear in those places. https://www.njtransit.com/dv-to/New York Penn Station
 
Traveller said:
Excellent advice, thank you.

Sorry a stupid question now. Have never used the Red Cap service before, where do you find them or do I just hail one that is passing and what's a reasonable tip for this service?
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In the Moynihan train hall, the red cap station is in the ticketed passenger waiting area on the east side of the hall. There's a counter there where you can tell them you need assistance getting down to the train. Alternatively, if you have access to the first-class lounge (such as through AGR membership tier or coupon), just tell them at the counter that you need red cap service, and they'll call one for you. If you only have a couple of bags, I'd tip them at least $5 per bag -- more if they are especially helpful, if you have really heavy bags or if you need some extra assistance or are just a demanding or difficult customer (not suggesting you are, but I've seen a few :)). And if you have a bunch of bags and are taking up half of their luggage cart, maybe start at $20. Also, if you have sensitive stuff, like a laptop or camera in its own case, keep that and carry it yourself.
 
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fdaley said:
The seats in Empire BC are definitely nicer than regular coach seats. But the BC section is limited to the back half of the cafe car, so the overall number of seats is five or six rows. It's a 2-and-1 seating pattern, so there's only one pair of double seats per row. The chances of getting seats together are best if you're boarding at the point of origin and much lower after that, at least at busy times of day.

The trains that run only between New York and Albany have no food or beverage service, so on these trains the only real benefit of BC is the cushier seat. They used to provide the day's New York Times, but that service is long gone. The trains running through to/from points north and west of Albany do have cafe service. At Albany they often board BC passengers ahead of the coach crowd, but at most stations everyone boards at the same time.
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I rode the Ethan Allen NYP to Albany and then the Maple Leaf Albany to Toronto the next day. It was open seating in both cases. At Moynihan I had to slip down to the West End Concourse to get ahead of the cattle line and snag a decent seat. At Albany, the BC section was already pretty full, and I had to share a seat pair for a few stops until the car emptied out enough for me to find a single window seat. I once roade coach between Albany and New York, but that was during the pandemic, and the train wasn't that ful. For the 2 and a half hour ride, coach isn't bad, but snagging a single seat with more legroom and a curtain on the window in business class can be worth it if the upcharge isn't too much.
 
In a few days, I will be taking the Empire Service from Albany to NYP and will be going to the Moynihan lounge.

I understand the Empire Service trains often use tracks 5 or 6? And that they are quite a distance from the lounge?

Is there either an elevator or set of stairs available to get up to the lounge level? I will have a cane and a rolling suitcase—walking is not a problem, and stairs and elevators are fine, but I’m not up to taking luggage and a cane on an escalator yet.

I would love a redcap, but the one time I arranged for one from an Empire train years ago, nobody showed up, so I’m assuming I’m just as well off by myself if I can find where to go.

Thanks in advance for any advice.
 
Normally you board a northbound Empire train right in front of the entrance of the lounge. Since you’re arriving from Albany it would depend on which escalator, stairs, or elevator you go up on. I am especially good on find myself in the lower level of the old station and have to walk across the street to get to the new post office area. Sorry but it’s confusing for me, I do hope your experience is better.

I would definitely ask for directions if not a redcap.
 
Just-Thinking-51 said:
Normally you board a northbound Empire train right in front of the entrance of the lounge. Since you’re arriving from Albany it would depend on which escalator, stairs, or elevator you go up on. I am especially good on find myself in the lower level of the old station and have to walk across the street to get to the new post office area. Sorry but it’s confusing for me, I do hope your experience is better.

I would definitely ask for directions if not a redcap.
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Arriving from Albany walk towards the rear of the train and use the last set of escalator/elevator on the platform. Better to ask the Conductor before hand where the escalator/elevator to Moynihan TH will be relative to your car.
 
There are elevators up to the Moynihan hall on all of the platforms used by Amtrak, including tracks 5-6. These elevators are at the far west end of each platform -- so at the rear of the train if you're coming in from Albany. How long a walk it is depends on how far forward they pull the train on the platform.

I think I would tell the conductor you want a red cap -- and don't be shy about asking a second or third time if you don't see one waiting on the platform when you arrive.
 

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