Manual connections booking together?

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Barciur

OBS Chief
Joined
Aug 13, 2012
Messages
599
Location
Lancaster, PA
Hello

I am trying to put together a trip from Lancaster to Boston. I am running into an issue, however, that not all connections are displaying. For example, the first train I can take according to amtrak.com is at 1:40PM that gets me into Boston just before midnight. If you search manually, you could take the 7:55am train into PHL, be in PHL at 9:05 and take either the 10:29 acela or 11:10 NER which will get you into town before 6pm. What is the reason behind this, and is there a workaround? i am trying to use a companion coupon on the trip so having to book two separate tickets decreases its value and is just inconvenient in general.
 
There is a 90 minute minimum connection time to Northeast Corridor trains, so that explains why the 10:29 Acela didn't show, but the 11:10 Regional should be a "legal" connection at 125 minutes.

However, each connection must be individually entered into Arrow, so many times otherwise valid connections are missing. They have been increasing service on the NEC from COVID lows, and perhaps not all trains have gotten their connections updated.

Ordinarily, I would just say use the Multi-City option to book both segments (LNC-PHL and PHL-BOS) on one ticket. However, the companion coupon throws a wrench in that. The current website design is pretty limited, presenting only common options with no workarounds and I don't think there is a way to apply that companion coupon to a multi-city ticket on the website.

I'd just call for the reservation. An agent should be able to do it.
 
Thank you for the information! That is actually kind of shocking that the connection has to be 90 minutes... Never knew that! In Germany, they hold connections of 15 minutes... alas, it's a different world! Thanks again. I will call or visit the station.
 
Could that be because of a different freight train situation in Germany?
Rail infrastructure in Europe is generally passenger oriented and geared towards passenger trains. It is also generally government owned even if private operating companies run trains. Rail freight is much less important in Europe and much less profitable because the potential haul lengths are so much shorter.

The opposite pretty much applies in the US where freight is king and railroad infrastructure remains largely in private hands. And I am not implying that's a bad thing. The needs and economic drivers are very different.
 
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