Problem Re My Future Trip to Vermont

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Everydaymatters

Everydaymatters

Engineer
Joined
May 15, 2006
Messages
3,406
Location
Just North of Normal, Illinois
I have a ticket on the Ethan Allen Express from Rutland to Albany on August 19. That is Train #292.

Tickets are still being sold for #292 on 8/19.

However, there are two schedules on the Amtrak website for the Vermonter/Ethan Allen Express. The first one that shows up when you are in "Schedules" shows: "Temporary Service Schedule Adjustments for the Vermonter" with an effective date of April 3. This "Service Adjustment" also shows changes for the Ethan Allen Express.

In the Ethan Allen Express, there are several date during which #292 will not run and one of those dates is 8/19. I called AGR and the agent put me on hold and when she came back she said "there must be a mistake because they are selling tickets for August 19."

End of story. Or is it? Will I get to Vermont with no way to get home with the tickets I have?
 
If they issues you with tickets, they'll get you home or refund that section. It may mean taking a bus replacement service, but you should get home.

peter
 
PerRock, I know they will either refund or sub a bus. I have run into this type of situation more than once with Amtrak. The problem is that they don't let you know until the last minute. I've had them call me as I was walking out my door to get the train I wanted. I need to know. I have hotel and car rental arranged.

PVD said:
during Saratoga Racetrack season, they might be running the 296 (Sunday) schedule instead of the 292 normal Saturday I would double check if that is what is going on
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You're right! I read further and it states that the 296, which is normally the Sunday schedule, will be running on Saturday, 8/19.

That adds to the problem because the LSL, which I have a ticket for, leaves Albany at 7:05 p.m., but the Ethan Allen won't get there until until 7:55 p.m.
 
You'll have an eight minute connection in Schenectady. (Alright, everyone, you can stop laughing now.)
 
SDY station has only 2 tracks (on the platform - there is also a thru freight track) and one platform. Worst case scenario is the LSL will be on the west track and the EA will be on the east track, for an across the platform transfer. If they know there is/are transfers, and the EA is not too late (it shouldn't be - there are only 4 stops), I'm sure they would hold the LSL.
 
Don't count on Amtrak notifying you of an impossible connection. In 2014 when the Empire Builder was advanced two hours out of Portland I never received a notification that my connection from the Coast Starlight was broken. If I hadn't been a member here, I would never have known about it. In fact, when I called Amtrak to inquire, the agent I spoke to told me everything was fine. It wasn't until after I pressed the matter that she said, "Oh! You know, you're right!"
 
PVD said:
The next question is: were they booked as a guaranteed connection, or as 2 separate trips?
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In my own case, it was a single reservation...AGR accessible bedroom SAS-LAX-PDX-WFH. As the next two days trains PDX-WFH were sold out, we were allowed to remain on the Coast Starlight to Seattle, stay overnight on our own nickel, and take the next day's Empire Builder to Whitefish.

We ended up missing a day of our (nonrefundable) resort stay in Whitefish. Still, a good trip; these things happen.
 
That's a major screw up by them..... Lots of time people make individual trip reservations for many different reasons, that's not ATK's problem, in your case., it should have been caught.
 
Greyhound runs Rutland to SDY a short cab ride to the train, VT lines runs Rutland to Albany Airport and Greyhound Station, No idea if the schedule is useful. Airport would be pretty far in Albany, Downtown Greyhound I'm not sure, I don't remember where it is.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
the_traveler said:
Downtown Greyhound is in downtown Albany, while the Amtrak station is in Rensselaer - across the Hudson River. You would either need to take CDTA (citybus) or a cab to get there.
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None of the above. I'll be renting a car in Vermont, so I'll just drop it off at the Albany station. There's a $100 fee for dropping a car at a different location, but it would cost the two of us a little over $100 for Amtrak to get us there.
 
Update: #292 is no longer an option. #296 is the train being sold now. This, regardless of how adamant the AGR agents were that it was a mistake and that #292 was running.

I'm glad I caught it. I don't know when Amtrak would have notified me.
 
A few weeks ago, a group that I am on the board of was setting the schedule of our meetings for the upcoming year, they are rotated around NYS. When we were talking about the end of August meeting, someone said "how about Saratoga, its been a few years" Very quickly someone yelled out "right it's Travers weekend, can't get near the place"
 

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