Multi-leg trip with a tight connection

[Rob3E]

So far my Amtrak experience has been limited to short, in-state trips, but I'm looking at a trip from Cleveland, OH to Raleigh, NC this summer.

When I plug my origin and destination trip into the on-line system, Amtak says it can't be done. When I do it as a multi-city trip with DC as my stop over, Amtrak sends me out of Cleveland on the Capitol Limited, and then out of DC on the Silver Star. But it still won't let me select the Silver Star for the same day I arrive in DC. CL arrives at 12:40pm (hopefully), and SS leaves at 3pm. I'm guessing that Amtak considers that connection too tight to book. If I leave DC on the following day, I can book the trip.

• Problem is that I'd rather not spend the night in DC, and CL seems to have decent, on-time performance, so I'd like to try to make the connection.
• Other problem is that if I don't make the connection, there seems to be a high probability of sell outs on these lines (based on my trying to book this trip a day or two in the future), and even if there is space available, it may be pricey.
• Other potential problem is that I'll have checked luggage in the form of a bicycle that I will have to collect from CL and move to SS. I don't know how long this would take. Seems like it should take far less than the 2 hour layover, but I've never done it before.

I'm weighing my options, but I'm trying to see if there's a problem with this plan: Buy 3 tickets-- 1 CL from Cleveland to DC, 1 DC to Raleigh for the same day, 1 DC to Raleigh for the next day. If I make the connection, I refund my next day ticket. If I miss my connection, I refund my same day ticket and spend the night in DC.

My main concerns are that either Amtrak won't let me buy that combination of tickets (although I don't see why not if I do them as three separate transactions), or that if I pull into to DC after my connecting train has left, I'll be out the full cost of the ticket. Talking to Amtrak and looking at their refund policies, it seems like the most I would be out is 10% of my ticket price, but I thought I'd ask the travel-smart folks on the Amtak forum before I went ahead with this.

 

[the_traveler]

If instead of asking for a refund in cash (or credit card), you can also request a voucher for future Amtrak travel (to anywhere) that will be for 100% of the value of your ticket! And that voucher is good for 1 year - and all you have to do is BOOK within that time, not TRAVEL within that time! (Remember that you can book 11 months in advance!

)

Also, if Amtrak discovers that you have booked 2 trains on different days (which they may or may not do), they could cancel one of the reservations!

And it may not be the one you wanted cancelled!

 

[Rob3E]

1334008883[/url]' post='359634']Also, if Amtrak discovers that you have booked 2 trains on different days (which they may or may not do), they could cancel one of the reservations!

And it may not be the one you wanted cancelled!

I wasn't aware that was a concern. I think I'd be okay. I actually mentioned the idea when talking to Amtrak customer service trying to clarify their refund policy. They said I would probably not be able to buy two trips at the same time, but the same trip on two separate days should not be a problem. I suppose I could always use a different card for one trip, but I don't actually want to trick Amtrak. I just don't want o be stranded for a night in DC if there's any way to make the trip one day.

 

[NorthCoastHiawatha]

Also, if Amtrak discovers that you have booked 2 trains on different days (which they may or may not do), they could cancel one of the reservations!

And it may not be the one you wanted cancelled!

Crap.....I made a multi city from Montreal to New York connecting to the Regional 66 (which leaves at 2:40 AM) to Boston. I wasn't aware this was not allowed.

 

[thully]

No, what's not allowed (and even this is not always enforced) is having two conflicting reservations - i.e. reservations where it would be impossible to make both trains due to overlapping schedules. Booking both the Silver Star and Silver Meteor on the same day would be an example of this - you might get away with it, but there is a good chance they will cancel one reservation. Multi-city reservations are OK - in fact, it will not allow you to book overlapping trains (or even trains without enough connection time) through multi-city. You *can* book a discontinuous (i.e. "open-jaw") trip in multi-city, though (which I've done when the schedule works better using one station going east and a different one going west).

Booking MTR- NYP and NYP - BOS should be fine, though - you should have more than enough connection time between those legs. If you are concerned, I might double-check with Amtrak (since this doesn't come up as a connection if you just look for MTR-BOS on the regular Amtrak page). However, since the multi-city doesn't disallow it, I would assume they would guarantee it (dunno why it isn't offered as a normal booking, though...)

As for the OP's question, I don't know of any rules against booking both the same-day CL and the next-day CL as separate reservations to connect to the Silver Star. Amtrak probably wouldn't like it, but I don't think it would be technically against the rules since the trains don't overlap. In fact, one could conceivably ride #29 two consecutive days if you flew back to WAS shortly after arriving on the CL (not that many people would do this, but many of the trips posted here probably seem nearly as unusual to the average person).

 

[Rob3E]

No, what's not allowed (and even this is not always enforced) is having two conflicting reservations - i.e. reservations where it would be impossible to make both trains due to overlapping schedules.

Yes, this is what it sounded like customer service was cautioning me against. They said I would probably not be able to book two overlapping trips using the same payment information. Because my two potential DC to Raleigh trips were on separate days, and because my Cleveland to DC train was supposed to arrive before my other train, the customer service rep said it was probably possible, but they did say it in a way that made it sound like it wasn't necessarily condoned, just that it didn't directly go against their policy given that none of my trips overlapped.

Obviously they have no issue with multi-city trips given that they have that functionality built into their reservation system.

 

[gatelouse]

Note that by booking separate segments under different reservations (PNRs) you lose any "through fare" savings that a continuous, connecting trip might offer. Having said that, a 24+ hour stopover is generally not eligible for a through fare, so carry on.

 

[Rob3E]

I don't think this trip is eligible for any through fare savings under any circumstances. Amtrak's ticketing system doesn't acknowledge that trip is possible without doing it as a multi-city trip with an overnight stay in DC. Because there is an earlier train out of town the following day, my stopover would be less then 24 hours, but that trip still includes no discounts. It it simply the price of one leg added to the price of the next leg.