Regional Business Class Upgrade?

[cbender]

Hi-

I'm taking the Regional from NYP to WAS on Saturday morning (7:05am), returning Monday morning (8:35am). Is there a big difference in business class quality over coach on this train? Do the business class seats have power outlets at every seat?

When I booked my tickets (yesterday) I checked the price to upgrade to business class, and Amtrak wanted $30 each way. How does the business class pricing work? Is it similar to the sleeper pricing where there are different buckets, or is business priced uniformly. If it is bucket pricing, then I may try to upgrade on the train (assuming availability) if it is cheaper than $30. I'm especially interested in upgrading on Monday morning if it means I will get more work done in business class.

Can anyone who rides the regional shed some light here about the electrical outlet situation and also the business class pricing scheme?

Thanks

Chad

 

[Trogdor]

I think the price is a standard $30 upgrade on top of whatever coach fare you pay. From what I understand, NEC trains are priced based on reserved/unreserved and time of day, rather than by buckets.

Regarding equipment, with Amtrak it's hit or miss. Normally, you'll get a car with additional legroom, and probably electrical outlets. However, equipment shortages can change this, and sometimes (not often, but sometimes) they put a regular coach in place of the business class car. If your trains are unreserved, I'd recommend the upgrade just to be assured of getting a seat.

 

[AlanB]

Rmadisonwi is correct; the charge for Business Class (BC) does not change as the train fills up. In fact, I don't think that the charge changes even for peak/shoulder/off peak trains. The standard coach fare however, does change between peak/shoulder/off peak trains.

Additionally, conductors are no longer allowed to sell tickets onboard NEC trains. I'm not sure if that applies to onboard upgrades, but I wouldn't be surprised. After all, if the conductor can't sell regular tickets, why make him carry all the needed supplies for handling money just to sell an occasional upgrade.

Accordingly I would not plan on trying to get an onboard upgrade. If you want BC, then do it at the station.

As for BC itself, sadly like much of Amtrak, it is not uniform. On the NEC it is supposed to provide extra legroom, electrical outlets at every seat, a guaranteed seat (even on an unreserved train), a free newspaper, and a free soft drink/coffee/tea in the cafe car. Now I've always gotten the last four amenities. However the first two have been hit & miss. Most of the time I do get the first two, but there have been occasions were I didn’t get one or both.

I will add that lately, especially on the shoulder/off peak trains, Amtrak has started to use their old Metroliner Club Cars as the BC car. These Club Cars offer one of the best seats ever found on an Amtrak train. They are much wider than a standard seat and the come with a foot rest, a calf rest, and padded arm rests. There is no guarantee however that you will indeed get this car, but if you do it will make the 30 extra bucks well worth it.

 

[cbender]

Thanks for the quck answers. I am on unreserved trains, but wasn't too concerned when I booked the reservation. Is it really unlikely that I'll be able to get a seat in coach on a Saturday morning at 7:00am? I'll be arriving at Penn about 30 minutes early via LIRR.

 

[AlanB]

Is it really unlikely that I'll be able to get a seat in coach on a Saturday morning at 7:00am? I'll be arriving at Penn about 30 minutes early via LIRR.

No, at that hour you shouldn't have any problems getting a seat on Saturday.

 

[battalion51]

I'd be more concerned about getting a seat on the return trip if I were you.

 

[cbender]

I thought I'd follow up on my post, as I'm on the train right now. I did not upgrade to business class, and am glad I didn't. The coach car I'm sitting in has an outlet at each pair of seats. Right now we are about 30 minutes south of Newark, and my cell phone (Sprint) continues to have a good signal. If that lasts I'll have an internet connection all the way to DC!

I have to say that the train is much better than I expected. The car I'm in is about 1/2 full. The last time I was on Amtrak was about 6-7 years ago, and I was riding the City of New Orleans between Chicago and Champaign. I recall that train being crowded with small seats. This car seems spacious, and the seats are reasonably comfortable (I'm used to riding coach on transcontinental flights, which is just painfull).

Have a great weekend.

Chad