Thruway bus booking

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mcropod

Lead Service Attendant
Joined
Jan 29, 2018
Messages
423
Location
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I have a CZ-booked trip from SAC eastbound (departing 1109h) but a need to get there from about an hour south earlier that morning.

I've checked that a train from Stockton gets in about ten to 20 minutes after the CZ's scheduled departure time.

I'm sure I saw that there are much earlier trains north, but I don't want to have to leave at sparrows'.

I know there's likely heaps of other ways back to SAC, including Greyhound, but I wonder if the Amtrak Thruway bus from Stockton is an option given I won't have an eligible train leg to book at the same time (because I've already booked the CZ I'm connecting to).

I don't reckon I can do this on line because I won't be booking an adjoining train leg, but is this something a handy Amtrak agent can manage for me once I'm in the USA and can show the adjoining CZ booking?

That leg of the trip isn't until after a few others where I'll easily be on Amtrak territory and can speak with and pay, human to human - always better than on-line from the other side of the planet an in an opposite day/night time.

I don't want to undo or revise a series of bookings I've already made because the CZ is just one part of an extensive multi-city booking and ticket I have, and I don't want to chance messing up any other part of the booking.

I'm also more than 62 which I also was at the time of booking, but less than 65 :)

Further - I also want to get from SAC south near Stockton a couple of days after coming in to SAC on the CS (and a couple of days before going north again to the CZ). There's not an especially convenient train for my timings. I've seen posts saying you can book a Thruway and a throw-away train leg (for example, a train south from Stockton) and no-one worries much, but is there a way to align my trip south with my SAC arrival two days earlier without upsetting the rules?

I'm only travelling with carry-on rather than checked baggage, so that's not an issue either way.
 
If you call Amtrak you can "MODIFY" your CZ reservation and add a thruway bus ride.

By modifying an existing reservation the old discount parameters should still apply.

But I'm not seeing a thruway bus from Stockton, nor a San Joaquin train that departs early enough to get to SAC before the CZ departs eastbound @ 11:09 - if on time.
 
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For $18 you can book the bus from Stockton (SKN) to Sacramento, then a short-hop coach seat on the Zephyr from SAC to Roseville. Take the bus leg to SAC, throw the Roseville ticket away and board the Zephyr with your current ticket for the long trip.

If you feel badly about blocking a coach seat on the Zephyr, you can do a multi-city booking SKN-SAC-Davis using bus 3711 to SAC, then Capitol Corridor 537 to DAV. That trip is $20 and you throw away the Capitol Corridor segment after getting to SAC. Since this the beginning of the 537's trip, you will likely not impact reservation availability.
 
Many thanks for the advice.

The 3811 Thruway from Stockton’s San Joaquin Station departing at 0840h and arriving at SAC at 0945h would make the connection for the CZ’s 1109h scheduled departure east.

Oddly enough, the booking schedule also identifies the 3711 bus with exactly the same timings and departure and arrival points. Is that a glitch or are there really two Thruways which make the trip?
 
If you feel badly about blocking a coach seat on the Zephyr, you can do a multi-city booking SKN-SAC-Davis using bus 3711 to SAC, then Capitol Corridor 537 to DAV. That trip is $20 and you throw away the Capitol Corridor segment after getting to SAC. Since this the beginning of the 537's trip, you will likely not impact reservation availability.
The Capitol Corridor is unreserved, so I don't think there's ever a point where they stop selling tickets for a specific train on that route.
 
On paper, it looks like there might be another viable option: take the 0833h 711 San Joaquins arriving at Martinez at 0929h and in time to catch the CZ from there at its scheduled 0954h departure, rather than from SAC at 1109h.

That looks like more fun as itd let me see a bit more of the country in daylight, which I passed in the dark coming into SAC on the CS a couple of days before, as well as add to my train time.

But is it a reliable conection in reality? Itd mean Id also have to pick up a CZ ticket from Martinez to SAC, which if I sought to make it my already booked roomette from SAC, shouldnt be too difficult, eh?

I have no checked baggage to worry about.
 
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If you decide to go via Martinez, just buy a coach ticket. I would assume that the conductor would allow you to use your roomette from Martinez, anyway... It may not happen, but...
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Thankyou caravanman - good tip.

But I've been trying for a while, without success, to do a joined-up ticket for this trip, (using the multi-city system):
Train #711 - SKN to MTZ - 0833h to 0926h
Train #6 - MTZ to SAC - 0954h to 1109h

The ticket-booking system doesn't like it and won't issue as a multi. It will as two separate ticket-bookings, so it's not as if there's no space available (I'm looking to do this for an early May date).

Is the refusal because the system reckons the #711 arrival and #6 departure times are too close together - that Amtrak reckons 18mins is too fine a margin?

Now all respect to the good citizens of Martinez, but it looks like the station isn't that difficult to navigate as far as the google spy-camera shows it, and I reckon I'm sprightly enough to promptly get from one platform to the one farthest away from it - OK - the other one, if necessary.

I have made tighter connections in larger stations in other parts of the globe, and where we don't have a language in common :)
 
We're all overlooking the fact that Amtrak California (as well as Amtrak Cascades) allows for many thruway bus tickets to be booked without a connecting train service, due to the services being paid for by the states.

The thruway bus from Stockton to Sacramento is one of options able to be booked by itself, for the sum of $14. Take a look for yourself.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Amtrak Forum mobile app
 
I think Triley is correct for the Stockton to Sacramento Amtrak buses BECAUSE there are two Amtrak trains that also ply that route. So the buses are considered like “44 passenger trains” that augment the stockton-sacratomato schedule — no connection to another service required.

Sent from my iPhone using Amtrak Forum
 
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We're all overlooking the fact that Amtrak California (as well as Amtrak Cascades) allows for many thruway bus tickets to be booked without a connecting train service, due to the services being paid for by the states.

The thruway bus from Stockton to Sacramento is one of options able to be booked by itself, for the sum of $14. Take a look for yourself.
I must be doing something wrong on the booking site, because none of the Thruways come up as solutions unless I pretend to book a connecting train leg either before or after.

I’m using the Amtrak site. Is there a different place to book Amtrak California?
 
We're all overlooking the fact that Amtrak California (as well as Amtrak Cascades) allows for many thruway bus tickets to be booked without a connecting train service, due to the services being paid for by the states.

The thruway bus from Stockton to Sacramento is one of options able to be booked by itself, for the sum of $14. Take a look for yourself.
I must be doing something wrong on the booking site, because none of the Thruways come up as solutions unless I pretend to book a connecting train leg either before or after.
I’m using the Amtrak site. Is there a different place to book Amtrak California?
There are two different stops listed. Use the one called San Joaquin Street Station.Screenshot_20180202-144729.png
Sent from my SM-G955U using Amtrak Forum mobile app
 
There are two different stops listed. Use the one called San Joaquin Street Station.
attachicon.gif
Screenshot_20180202-144729.png
I'd previously been using the website for my bookings, and I see you've used the app when responding, so I did too.

I get the screenshot that you do which IDs the Thruways as a stand-alone option, and selected one down and one back.

But then I'm refused progress in the payment system because it tells me I need to have a train booking.

I reckon it'll have to wait until I'm in your country to speak to a 3D Amtrak ticket-seller.
 
There are two different stops listed. Use the one called San Joaquin Street Station.
attachicon.gif
Screenshot_20180202-144729.png
I'd previously been using the website for my bookings, and I see you've used the app when responding, so I did too.

I get the screenshot that you do which IDs the Thruways as a stand-alone option, and selected one down and one back.

But then I'm refused progress in the payment system because it tells me I need to have a train booking.

I reckon it'll have to wait until I'm in your country to speak to a 3D Amtrak ticket-seller.
Oh, I'm sorry about that. Guess that's what I get for trusting in the app! Lol
Sent from my SM-G955U using Amtrak Forum mobile app
 
We're all overlooking the fact that Amtrak California (as well as Amtrak Cascades) allows for many thruway bus tickets to be booked without a connecting train service, due to the services being paid for by the states.
I think Triley is correct for the Stockton to Sacramento Amtrak buses BECAUSE there are two Amtrak trains that also ply that route. So the buses are considered like “44 passenger trains” that augment the stockton-sacratomato schedule — no connection to another service required.

Sent from my iPhone using Amtrak Forum
California law requires that an Amtrak California thruway bus must include a train segment in order to purchase the ticket. You can thank the bus lobby for that. The exceptions I can think of off the top of my head is South Lake Tahoe. For the OP I think the best bet is as was suggested in post 3 and book the "throwaway" rail segment to Davis on the Capitol Corridor.
 
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Just a quick note about Amtrak connections.

Amtrak long distance trains often run many hours late, so the system won't allow what in other countries would be considered a "normal" connection.

Train #711 - SKN to MTZ - 0833h to 0926h
Train #6 - MTZ to SAC - 0954h to 1109h

This connection would be 28 mins, rather than 18, but still Amtrak won't risk it!

Anyone know the "default" minimum Amtrak website connection time for through bookings, or does it vary by train?

Ed.
 
Don't forget that the connecting buses sometimes have a problem and are late to the connecting train.

On my very first NA Railpass trip in November 2001, I made my first trip south on the San Joaquin to Bakersfield. We all got on the bus that went to LA but I

and one other guy were supposed to make the connection to the SWC in San Bernardino. About 20 minutes out of Bakersfield, the duals on the driver side blew.

We guessed that (hopefully) another bus would be dispatched and we could just transfer to the new bus. We had to wait for a truck to come out and jack up the bus

and replace the tires. The two of us rode on another bus north on I-15 to Barstow with a bus driver that had never been to Barstow. He did stop to ask where the

Barstow station was and we made it to Barstow with about 10 minutes to spare.

The last time we came north on a bus to Bakersfield (November last year), They held the train for 20+ minutes to wait for a late bus.

We got to Sacramento a few minutes after midnight but luckily the Coast Starlight was a little late so we could make a cross platform transfer to go home to OR.
 
Just a quick note about Amtrak connections.

Amtrak long distance trains often run many hours late, so the system won't allow what in other countries would be considered a "normal" connection.

Train #711 - SKN to MTZ - 0833h to 0926h

Train #6 - MTZ to SAC - 0954h to 1109h

This connection would be 28 mins, rather than 18, but still Amtrak won't risk it!

Anyone know the "default" minimum Amtrak website connection time for through bookings, or does it vary by train?

Ed.
You're scaring me! I'm taking the CZ from Chicago to Emeryville, scheduled to arrive at 4:10 PM, then scheduled for a thruway at 4:25 to San Francisco, arriving at 5:35. We booked an airbnb in San Francisco where check-in ends at 6 p.m. Haha.
 
The buses that leave EMY (and OAK) do not leave empty. They are dedicated to picking up the passengers off the train and will wait until everyone that is going into

the city is on board their bus with their luggage stowed. The bus drivers might show up late if they know that the train they are to meet is running very late.

I'm pretty sure that if you call the airb&b about 4:15 if you are running late and explain where you are and how late you expect to be they will understand.
 
The buses that leave EMY (and OAK) do not leave empty. They are dedicated to picking up the passengers off the train and will wait until everyone that is going into

the city is on board their bus with their luggage stowed. The bus drivers might show up late if they know that the train they are to meet is running very late.

I'm pretty sure that if you call the airb&b about 4:15 if you are running late and explain where you are and how late you expect to be they will understand.
Right, that's the plan. I explained that to our airbnb person and their response was "well, I guess we'll just really really hope you're there by 7 at the latest" hahaha. Oh well. Worst case scenario, we are out a hundred bucks and just get a hotel that night. No biggie.
 
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