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Atlanta, El Paso:

old_AGR_zone_chart.gif
 
This is the map that used to be posted on the AGR site for many years until they removed it for some unknown reason.
 
oregon pioneer said:
Great, thanks for the map. So... I notice that on amtrak.com, all routes from PDX to ATL go through the eastern zone (WAS or CVS). But ATL is on the zone line between zones 2 & 3. If you go straight through, is this a 2-zone trip, or a 3-zone trip??
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You will be traveling through 3 zones, so they will charge you for that.

I live in MSP, and I've done a MSP-ATL trip a few times, being charged for 2 zones. I even asked once if I could overnight in NOL at my own expense and be charge for one zone, but was told that was not possible.
 
oregon pioneer-----PDX-ATL should be two zones via New Orleans(not through the eastern zone.), three zones by any other routing(through the east zone). I said "should be" because some agents just don't understand the zone system.

guest_guest_*------You were overcharged if your "transfer" in New Orleans was less than 24 hours. More than 24 hours is called a "stopover" and results in another zone charge.
 
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RRRick said:
oregon pioneer-----PDX-ATL should be two zones via New Orleans(not through the eastern zone.), three zones by any other routing(through the east zone). I said "should be" because some agents just don't understand the zone system.

guest_guest_*------You were overcharged if your "transfer" in New Orleans was less than 24 hours. More than 24 hours is called a "stopover" and results in another zone charge.
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I was going to do an overnight in NOL and out the next morning, but was told that was not allowed.
 
It is allowed if it shows up in ARROW, the Amtrak computer system (i.e. you can book without using the multi city option). The route that ARROW shows is Crescent to Capitol to Empire Builder, and Crescent to CONO to Empire Builder never shows up.

However, if you do Atlanta to Los Angeles, Crescent to Sunset (on the days the Sunset runs) is shown and you are allowed to make that transfer, with the overnight in New Orleans at your expense of course. We considered this for our cross country train trip last year, but decided due to time constraints for an out and back via the Southwest Chief and Capitol instead.
 
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calwatch said:
This is the map that used to be posted on the AGR site for many years until they removed it for some unknown reason.
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That's good, I thought it was just me and I couldn't find the page anymore. Now that I see it's been removed I don't feel quite so lost. Copied and saved to the Amtrak document folder locally. Thanks Ryan

Here's the current version with dots, not cities.

https://www.amtrakguestrewards.com/zonemap
 
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In the past I felt that AGR was a great benefit to train riders and used my AGR card as my primary card. Then they changed - now I no longer even carry mr arg card routinely. Substituting the map without city names is just one example of agr's downhill slide. :eek:
 
If you like sleepers and are coming from an edge of a zone boundary, or if you can take advantage of the special routes, they are an awesome deal. One thousand points from LA to the Bay Area was a total steal, and 1,500 points is still competitive with Megabus, especially since the train goes through a slightly more interesting part of the Central Valley than the bus. Also the last seat/room privileges are an excellent deal for people who are traversing the entire NE Corridor, or have friends or work places where it is impossible to ask for vacation months in advance.
 
On the 24-hour stopover thing, connecting from the wb CZ to the sb CS, the layover is less than 24 hours, but they still count it as a stopover because it's overnight, and it would be another AGR redemption. If it's overnight, I don't think the number of hours matter.
 
Technically, the "24 hour stopover rule" only applies if you are paying for Amtrak travel with cash/credit cards/etc... - on an AGR award, no overnight stays are allowed. The only exception is in NOL, but you must take the next train out. (Example - Arrive on the Crescent in the evening and depart on the SL the next day. You must also pay the hotel on your dime. Any stay longer would be considered a stopover.)

i know some have received next day connections in other cities on an AGR award, but that is just luck of getting the right agent at the right time. It is not the norm!
 
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I really don't know why NOL is an exception. My guess (and only a guess) is that when Southern (and also for a short time after Amtrak took over the route) there was a thru sleeper where sleeper passengers could stay overnight in their rooms while at the station.
 
Out of curiousity, has there been a policy change or was it just the luck of the draw with the agent I had on the phone -

I have, on two separate occasions, traveled in roomette Atlanta-Chicago via Washington and been charged just the single zone 15,000 point redemption.

Admittedly I've not used points for doing this in several years though.
 
Notelvis,

It was a rule change a couple of years back to close off many of the so called loop-hole trips.

But for many years that was indeed a 1 zone trip.
 
AlanB said:
Notelvis,

It was a rule change a couple of years back to close off many of the so called loop-hole trips.

But for many years that was indeed a 1 zone trip.
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Fair enough - thanks.

That will keep me from making a fool of myself next time I want to claim 'But Atlanta falls in both zones..........'
 
we have always been allowed to overnight in la on the 1 zone award spk-pdx-lax-abq. have done it 5 times. most recently last january. planning on it again this spring so hope it is still allowed. by the way, we did a 2 zone redemption this past september of spk-chi-was-atl
 

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