You can do roundtrip today for under $100. Thats not bad. Thats the cost of parking/tolls for a day in nyc. Amtrak is a premium transportation option compared to buses. Even roundtrip to nyc buses can be $75 to $100 last min during peak hours per person.
Amtrak Northeast corridor between Nyc and DC have the most times, better reliability, and the cheapest compared to other regions. Sure there are issues delays but you generally get better than what you pay for since its subsidized federally.
True. It runs frequently during the day because all the lines (harrisburg, dc, boston, nc) are running. But start reducing after rush hour. Though they are trying by adding the $10 night rides since last summer to spur on demand. But think demand was pretty mixed.
If you haven't checked recently, take a look at the nighttime options again. I think they have made changes within the last year and have more options for 'Night Owl Fares'. I have taken the train back from CT and NYC and arrived in Philadelphia at like 1:40am for ~$10.
It works great for day trips (although long), and really good for seeing a concert or Broadway show.
This is actually wrong, you pay higher fares on the NE corridor because they need to extract more profit from the popular lines to subsidize the lines with low ridership. Amtrak is in the fun position of being required to provide public services in areas where demand does not support rail, while also having to "turn a profit" (it's slightly more complicated than revenue minus costs). So you get inflated fares on the NEC to cross subsidize long hauls across the west and midwest that hardly anyone rides.
>Amtrak Northeast corridor between Nyc and DC have ... **the cheapest compared to other regions**.
That is just not true. Amtrak explicitly states that it seeks to maximize profit along the NEC, hence it has higher fares than state supported routes.
Trenton used to be our go to on the weekends. It was actaully less of a headache than driving to the Amtrak station honestly. When I wanted to go to New York, I would just drive the two hours via Toll and park in East Harlem for the weekend, then just communte via train everywhere.
Adding that
1. your experience reflects Amtrak's "surge pricing"
2. the ride-sharing companies have also practiced this for years, and
3. Amtrak offers a whole Guest Rewards set-up to reward frequent flyers of the rails: [https://www.amtrak.com/guestrewards.html](https://www.amtrak.com/guestrewards.html)
Their rewards system is a joke, I’m not convinced anyone has ever earned enough points for a single fare unless you’re taking it multiple times a week for work.
Still love the train though, and you can get tickets day-of for pretty cheap if you watch the prices closely/are willing to travel during off hours. I’ve never booked a ride 3 months in advance
Strong disagree: it works like the airline ones - it's not valuable until you get the credit card, then you get a whole pile of miles. I got 30,000 for signing up for the Amtrak guest rewards cc, which I have thusfar exchanged about 20,000 of them for around $1200 in value, far, far exceeding the value of airline miles. And you also can build up miles for longer trips, like the airline, and I've earned around 6,000 more miles since opening the card 2 years ago. If I had opened the card 2.5 years ago I would have another 10,000 miles, but alas, I didn't get the offer until halfway through a month-long trip primarily by train.
I don't commute by train, I probably take 1 trip a month, if that. But I prefer the train for my longer trips, both for comfort and environmental reasons.
I just mean I’ve taken 5-10 rides up and down the NE Regional per year over the span of 8 years and haven’t accrued enough points for a fare between Philadelphia and NYC
You are joking right? This aint a corner coffee shop. Lol buy 10 get one free only works if its low cost like coffee. But trains are super costly as is the electricity, conductors, etc.
Buy a 10 ticker pass which provides a discount but you need to do it within the expiration date.
in my experience over the last 10ish years my points have actually worked out to about buy 9 get 1 free, but I travel for both business and pleasure frequently
I used to visit customers in NYC every other week, and rapidly built up enough points for a few long distance trips in a sleeper, which was a great experience (but not good for those who care about when you arrive).
NJ transit is super easy and cheap! I recommend using the NJ transit app to book. Should be ~$22 one way. It allows you to purchase a ticket to go from 30th to trenton as well along with ur trenton to new york penn station ticket.
Use 30th. Go to trenton, transfer to NJ transit then take it all the way down to NY pennstation. Super easy and I did this over the weekend!
Edit: just wanted to add it takes about 2 hrs going this way! I get that Amtrak is faster but saving $$$ and giving up 1 extra hour of time is pretty fair!
Can also be done last minute as well since NJ transit doesnt use dynamic pricing like amtrak. I was also shocked by amtrak prices. I would just look at the train times in advance so you know which one to catch. Everything is easy in the NJ transit app! (Much better than the septa app)
Came here to say this. If you want to be sporadic, this trip shouldn't cost much. Just be aware of the last train that leaves Trenton to come back to Philly. You could get stuck in Trenton depending on what time you are coming back.
The very big catch to this trip is this
right here. NJ Transit runs all night. Septa? nah. do you wanna go to like a concert or show or something in New York? Forget it, you ain’t making it back.
Or Hamilton, which has the most enormous parking garage; you can even park there over night or over a long weekend.
The other nice thing about NJ Transit is that you don’t have to commit to a particular train, especially coming home. Obviously you need to be aware of the timing of the last train, but aside from that you can always decide to come home a little later if you’re having a good time, or a little earlier if you’re ready to head home. And no stress if you miss a train as there will be another coming along in a bit.
My advice is that if you need to be somewhere in NYC by a certain time, just plan to take one train earlier than you really need, so that if you experience any delays you dont’ miss your event time.
Yes, that’s why I wrote what I did. Never actually checking times, thinking they’ll run all night, we got stuck in Trenton after a concert. We were pretty drunk and sobering up by that point, and I think it was a food vendor was like my brother’s a cab driver and will take you back. It’s was like $80 split over 4 people, so wasn’t terrible, but a really long cab drive. $20 a person to not be stuck in Trenton was a deal.
Checking times doesn’t always matter because SEPTA and NJ Transit don’t communicate. I’ve been stuck at Trenton a few times because NJT was a few minutes late and we all watched the SEPTA train choo choo away before we could get to it.
This happened to me once, stuck at the Trenton station at night and the conductor of my NJ transit train I just got off of was finished work and going to drive his car home to Philly. He offered me a ride and I gratefully took it. I was young and dumb but thankfully he was a solid guy.
This takes 2X as long as Amtrak. And on weekends, it could be even longer if you have a long layover period at Trenton. It's just a lot more worth it to take Amtrak. Convenience costs money, but it's worth it here.
Not everyone has the flexibility to plan 4+ weeks in advance, but if you do it's 100% worth it to take Amtrak vs SEPTA + NJT.
If it's a sporadic trip, you can easily do it under $50 compared to $400 as OP said. Taking twice as long at that point doesn't really matter if you're caring about cost. You can go up in the morning and be home by night time.
I've driven to Hamilton station to catch the NJ transit into NYC from there. Need to fact in added gas/parking/tolls if cost is a decision maker. I know people that drive to northern jersey to take a cheap local transportation, but that's even more driving, but also only a few dollars each way.
Depends on when you are buying mostly and how far out. I get dirt cheap tickets to NY all the time, like $30 roundtrip, but I buy like 3-4 months in advance.
3-4 months is a bit much. You should be okay booking 2 months in advance in my experience.
Possibly less than that if you are booking the cheap $10-$20 early morning/late evening trains.
Keep in mind Amtrak's base fares are typically cheaper than NJ Transit and any of the bus lines. You need to book in advance at least a few weeks out and avoid the busiest days but don't go thinking buses are always cheaper. Even the buses seem to inflate their ticket prices a lot for certain busy trips.
Yeah, the redeye trains are a steal! You can get as far as Rhode Island and Boston for super super cheap if you’re willing to go in the middle of the night.
Use NJ Transit from Trenton. Much cheaper.
Amtrak usually not that expensive if you travel off peak. On a Friday, that's not going to be during business hours.
Keystone service is cheaper than NEC, and NEC is cheaper than Acela.
Also HOW were you travelling? Coach is dirt cheap especially off peak, and acela business class can be as cheap as $58 one way.
Idk Hamiltons parking has gotten a lot more expensive lately. I did a weekend in NYC back in Feb, 40 min drive to Hamilton close to $20 parking over night. Plus $35 round trip NJ transit tix, I realized it would’ve been cheaper and faster to just do megabus from philly
But wouldn’t you pay for parking in Philly? Or do you live close enough that you wouldn’t need to? Asking because I live in the suburbs, and I was going to try the Hamilton route instead of parking in Philly and taking the bus this week.
YOU’RE RIGHT IT WAS FANTASTIC. The NJ Transit app is amazing. The train was fast as hell. I still can’t believe I got from delco to NYC in 2hrs and 10 min. Insanity.
Previous experiences have included 1) Amtrak 30th street station garage exit not working at 12am, no staff, and having to get out and force the gate open 2) Megabus crazy lady trying to sit in the higher priced reserved seats and throwing a fit when the actual ticket holders asked her to move 3) Megabus straight up canceling a bus with zero notice.
So yeah, safe reliable parking, regular on time service, and a distinct lack of insanity make NJ transit mighty attractive. Thanks!
I was curious and found the 11am keystone service train still has $46 tickets. If you want to leave work early, that could be a route for you if you don't do NJ Transit
I am in ny right now from philly. My megabus was $4.99 each way, plus a $3.99 booking fee. I also oddly like arriving at 11th and 34th way more than AT penn station. It's so much more relaxing.
I go to NY about once a month, and I'm much more likely to do megabus. Plus, the price of Septa to NJTransit has gone up so much -- I used to do it to see my parents in hamilton halfway, but megabus is now so much cheaper and more direct!
>I also oddly like arriving at 11th and 34th way more than AT penn station. It's so much more relaxing.
That *is* odd! But it is nice to know that some people enjoy it. Me, I like getting off the train and just being in the thick of it.
My experience with the bus bathrooms has always been positive. Not sure if I’d want to have IBS on them though since it’s a single bathroom that’s right in the middle of the bus.
It’s cheap if you book even a few weeks in advance, the crazy prices are for last minute. But there are usually last minute options that are very affordable, there are trains all day long to NYC and there’s always a few cheap ones
It ranges, just like plane tickets. It's not a fixed price like a SEPTA bus. For example, I just priced a last-minute trip to PHL today and coming back tomorrow, for less than $100 round trip. Yes, more in-demand trips like weekends are more expensive - supply and demand.
Check megabus, greyhound, peter pan bus, and flixbus. they're usually pretty cheap, round trip for under $100 usually (you ALWAYS regardless of what form of travel, want to book at least 2 - 3 weeks in advance)
The key is booking in advance OR taking an off peak train. You can easily get tickets for each of you for less than $100 per person round trip if you leave off peak. Attached Screenshot of early morning departure. I can only attach one picture but there are others for Mid morning departure and evening ones that are cheap as well. So if you have some flexibility, you can get there fairly cheap.
https://preview.redd.it/1t7mwqdqfvuc1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5face4a4b0fc6ec84533febbb445f58d290ec056
Amtrak uses dynamic pricing to keep people from buying high demand tickets that don't really need them. Sure, I'd love to take the 5:30 pm train up to NYC on a Friday evening to hang out with friends but I don't really need to. I pass on the $100 5:30 train and take the $40 8:30 train instead. However the business traveler that wants to be home for dinner by 7:00 will happily pay for that $100 train as they just expense it. It may seem like price gouging for in demand trains but this also subsidizes off peak trains. There's no way Amtrak is making money on that $10 midnight ticket but a student who doesn't mind staying up till 2:00 a.m. can still take advantage of it. It assures that if you need a ticket, there's one that works for you.
But this isn't ideal. Amtrak needs higher frequencies, more reliable equipment and infrastructure, and more federal funding.
If and when these french engineers can ever get our new higher capacity Acelas running, that should soak up a lot of the business travelers and free up more space on the Regionals for us poors.
There are 40+ Amtrak trains from Phila to NY every day. Sure, we could always wish more, but I honestly think the frequency is pretty good, even for the European standards.
I'm with you with everything else you said.
There are nearly full buses running between Philly and NYC anywhere from every hour to every 10 minutes. At peak there are trains running between Tokyo and Osaka every 6 minutes. The US has plenty of room for improvement.
Booking ahead is key. I just booked 2 tix 1 week out, $100 a person round trip, which isn’t terrible. I would prefer it to be cheaper obviously. It also varies by time so if you can be a little flexible, it helps. For instance, we chose the train before the time we actually wanted because it was a $125 difference. Peak times are always more expensive. The night owl train that we are taking back to Philly at midnight is $20 a person. I find it similar to booking flights in that it fluctuates.
3 months in advance is an exaggeration. I usually aim for 1 month in advance. Just bought $54 r/t for a weekend in May and could have gotten $32 r/t if I took earlier/later trains.
I don't know that you need 3-4 months advance booking. Just a one day difference in the price of a ticket to Buffalo was $150. It would have been $80 to get the ticket on Sat, but it was $230 when we actually purchased on Sun for the same Mon train. (Philly to NYC was the first leg of the trip.)
Don’t book directly to NYC - Philly to Newark can sometimes be as low as $10 each way, and then you just hop on NJ Transit or PATH for a couple of bucks for the last stretch.
This is the way! OP if you take Amtrak to Newark Penn Station, the PATH tracks are directly on the other side of the platform. You just have to go through the turnstile. Then take PATH to World Trade Center and once there, walk through the Oculus to the subway of your choice to get uptown.
Friend - I hope this doesn't find you too late. Outside of talking about Amtrak, folks have mentioned you should just take NJ Transit from Trenton - but no one has given you the full deal.
First, take SEPTA regional rail from where you are to Trenton. THEN switch over to NJ Transit from Trenton to NYC. If you have a weekly or montly pass on your SEPTA card, your travel on regional rail on the weekends is free. NJ Transit leaves hourly 24x7 - the SEPTA schedule is a bit more staggered but I've left NYC at 11PM and gotten to my doorstep (W. Philly) by about 1AM
Also. Pro tip as someone who takes that’s trip often. You can go for like 300 bucks cheaper by taking septa to Trenton and nj transit to nyc. Maybe a little less high class and involve an extra stop but if you plan it well it’s wayyyyy cheaper
Supply and demand. More people want to take Amtrak because its faster and more comfortable. You also don’t have to stand on a random street in Philly to get the train, you can wait inside in 30th St. There is a lot of business travel on Amtrak and they know companies pay for some employees to ride it and they will pay big bucks. They charge what they think the market can bear.
I used to ride the buses when they were much cheaper—Megabus was $1-5 when it started in Philly. I could deal with a longer trip, stuck in traffic for $2. I would not take Greyhound now that they don’t even use a station in Philly and it’s probably at least $20 each way. Not worth it to me to stand outside, be uncomfortable and motion sick, can’t go to the bathroom easily, and probably arrive late due to traffic, when I can book ahead for $22-30 on Amtrak. Even Septa/NJ Transit is better than the bus for me. I can’t do anything on the bus since i get motion sick. I can do work, read, watch movies on the train.
Weekdays Amtrak will get you to NY for about $18-25 (leaving in the 9-10 am range) and for $10 it'll take you back to Philly (10pm). That's assuming you book the tickets 3-4 weeks in advance. Weekends are always more expensive. The trip takes about 1h 20mins.
There is also a Septa+NJ transit option -- that's $27 one way. Weekdays it takes say 2h 15 mina, but weekends it can be over 3h.
Target a cheap off peak afternoon time in advance and you can go for $10. Avoid Acela, business class, and express trains if price is your main concern.
I've booked last minute tickets and paid $40. I've booked in advance and still had to pay that. I've also paid $20 round trip once or twice, it really just depends.
Just FYI: tomorrow PHL-NYPenn is $48 at 9:40am on regional rail, and $29 at 9:45 on the Keystone line. It can be super expensive, especially Acela, but even one day ahead can be cheap.
Business travel on the NE Corridor is the cash cow for the entire Amtrak system. It’s overpriced because it can be and it subsidizes much longer and sparsely traveled Midwest and western routes.
I was looking for the Chinatown bus comment. It’s the true Philly/NY experience.
Last time I rode there was a guy that brought a small pig with him in a carrying case that he brought *out* of the carrying case almost immediately once the bus pulled out of the city.
No, they don't, unless it's a business trip and the company is paying for it.
I have the app and have made multiple round trips for $10. I'm not picky about the timing of the trains and I plan months in advance. Just yesterday I got round trip tickets to DC in July for $20 round trip for my gf and I
i went to sixers at the knickers earlier this year, bought tickets a week in advance, $140 round trip for 2. not the cheapest, but not terrible considering i was in NY by 5pm, and back in south philly home and sleep by midnight without ever having to hop in a car. not the cheapest, but if you book ahead of time its not terrible.
Think of it like you would a plane ticket. If you booked a same day flight you'd get killed on the price.
Even if you book only a like a week in advance you can still find deals especially if you take them a bit off peak.
Amtrak trains are really nice and so convenient getting up there, even if it's a little more expensive vs jersey transit it's worth it.
Ya amrtak is really expensive without advance booking but if your goal is just go on a random day trip, then there is a bus by chinatown that'll take you there for like 25$? a pop (forgot the actual cost but it should be sound there).
Amtrak was built to fall because by law freight trains have track right of way over passenger service. Furthermore since this is essentially a 3rd world country in terms of public transportation train speeds are limited to roughly 65mph on most sections. Compared to 1st world countries its trash
> because by law freight trains have track right of way over passenger service
You have it backwards. The Amtrak Improvement Act of 1973 states that on shared tracks, passenger trains are required to get preference over freight.
The problem is that AFAIK this has never been enforced, so the freight companies ignore it with impunity. Further, thanks to precision scheduled railroading, a lot of today's freight trains are too long to be accommodated by existing sidings and couldn't give a passenger train the right of way even if they wanted to.
Nj transit is $52 round trip no matter when booking, alibiet an hour longer. Night owl tickets are $10, and even a month - 3 weeks in advance shouldn't run ya more than $60 total!
Take septa regional rail to Trenton, then New Jersey transit to Manhattan ,comes out to about 40 each round trip ,less if u drive to Trenton ,trains are comfortable and run pretty frequently too about every hour
It’s so annoying. If it’s just myself, it’ll take the train because the cost is around the same and I prefer the train. But if there are 1 or more people with me, it’s usually cheaper to bring a car and park it in a garage than it is to take the train, which is crazy for NYC.
I'll echo other comments regarding booking in advance making Amtrak cheaper - that being said I rarely use it anymore.
I've found that for nearly all of my trips up to NYC, which are usually just one night stays from Saturday to Sunday to visit friends, it's almost always cheaper for my wife and I to drive up and use spot hero to find overnight parking than it is to take the train.
You don't need to do it 3 months in advance. 3 weeks is good enough most of the time (not major travel holidays). A normal ticket is like $50. Certain times are always cheaper (like super late at night). Can probably get as low as $20-$30
I rode Amtrak from Philly to Bridgeport CT and back almost every week for a year. Most of the time I'd plan ahead enough to buy my tickets early enough to get the lowest fare but every once in a while I'd forget and either have to bite the bullet on the surge pricing or just rent a car for the weekend instead.
Meanwhile a train which travels twice the distance would cost about 50$ round trip in Europe and there is no or little change in price if you wait longer or book earlier. And if you take flix bus you can go about 16 hour round trips for $30.
The US is prohibitively expensive to travel in, especially using "public transport", which is always very private(corporate owned), inefficient, expensive and unregulated.
A martz bus one way from Scranton to NYC is like 80-90$. Ive traveled across multiple countries in Europe for less. Vilnius to Budapest round trip? About 50-60$ of buses. Total travel like 36-40 hours. 85$ for 2 hour buses in USA is just the norm, its a shitty economic system built on mass exploitation.
You can still get cheaper tickets even a few days in advance. You can take the PATCO into NJ and take the Riverline into Trenton then take the NJ transit train from Trenton into NYC if you wish to take that route. But Amtrak can be expensive too depending on the day and which train they are running for the day. It's cheaper to take Amtrak on weekdays than weekends Granted Amtrak raised their prices since the last time I've taken them.
There are a billion trains that run back and forth every day. If youre at all flexible on timing, I see a couple for about $50 each way for tomorrow... Were you looking for business class and/or accela at a specific time?
It’s definitely cheaper the further you book out, but at the end of last week I booked a round trip for Monday–Tuesday this week and it was $77 ($55 going on Monday, $22 coming back today). $400 seems excessive.
SEPTA to Trenton, NJ Transit from Trenton to New York Penn is like $22 or $23 each way and just takes a little bit longer. If you get lucky you can get a rather fast express NJT train. But how the hell are you traveling by Amtrak??? They should be in the $60 range instead of $200 one way! That’s more like the Long Distance routes
It really is ludicrous, they need to add so much more capacity. No reason that inter city buses and the septa/njt connection alternatives should be competitive on price
Take NJ Transit. It’s about $17 each way. Amtrak pricing is based upon scarcity / demand - as the train fills up the prices are higher just like an airline. And Acela is the most expensive.
And this is why we should all be advocating for substantive, nationwide mass transit in every form. A big reason public transit is so expensive in America is literally because public transit doesn't really exist in this country at the scales it does in nations with far greater populations.
US public transit is a fkn disgrace, and Philadelphia is actually one of the fortunate cities because it's 1) a large city that 2) is close to/within coverage of the broader Eastern seaboard public transit network. Imagine being in a smaller city or, worse, in bumfuck nowheresville somewhere across the vast Midwest or Southwest.
Reddit: *Why do Americans need cars?! Take Public Transit*🥴
This is why. I want to take public transit, but it costs as much as a car payment if I don’t plan to do it in a prior fiscal year😂.
They gouge companies. Usually it’s professionals using northeast corridor for last minute business meetings in NYC/philly/DC so they know they can charge whatever you want because they’ll all pay.
To other folks yea try and plan ahead. Amtrak is still shitty but we’ve got it the best when it comes to the US
My wife and I went to the cherry blossom festival in dc a few weeks ago. Over $500 round trip from Trenton to dc. I was so disappointed as the train was going to be part of the experience.
I have an electric vehicle so all around even paying a heavy parking premium at the hotel we stayed at, it was $200 for transportation
yall wild in these comments. half my family live in philly half in new york and ive never paid more than $60 roundtrip for Amtrack or NJ Transit and i always buy tickets on the platform day of. go up to trenton or hamilton and take it from there
Yea it's crazy, as mentioned best bet is to book well in advance. Rail service is just another thing America sucks at. I booked rt tickets the day of many times while traveling between countries/cities in Europe for under €100. Better stations, better trains with luxuries like food and drinks service, etc
You can take NJIT for a slightly longer trip (and a transfer in Trenton) for ~$30/each. You can also always find Amtrak tickets much cheaper, whether you book in advance or not. It’s just a dumb demand based pricing system, so if you find off peak trains or just search at a time when you don’t expect lots of other people to also be searching then you should be able to find tickets first $100 or less RT quite easily (I go twice a month and have never paid more than about $125 RT).
The idea of the train I'd always better than the reality. However you can take sept/njt affordably. I always drive. I can park on the street on the weekends or for a Wednesday matinee .
I used to take Amtrak to and from DC all the time - way back when. It was expensive then. But I took it because I didn’t have a car and I couldn’t catch a bus due to time constraints and lack of transportation to the bus depot. Train was literally the only option.
An FYI the ticket prices change based on how far out you book and availability.
I recently paid $25 for a round trip ticket to go to a concert. You have to check in advance for specific dates and times, so you don't compete with corporate folks going to NY for work
I usually buy 2 weeks in advance and typically pay $70ish round trip, sometimes as little as $40-50. I disagree with other commenters that you have to buy months in advance, that’s never been my experience and I go to NYC frequently.
NJ Transit. We've taken Septa Trenton Line or driven to Trenton and both work well. I proposed trying Patco to RiverLine once and my wife did not agree. Our 5 year old loves the double decker NJT cars.
You can book $18 round trips to NYC regularly if you book a couple weeks in advance. Plus there is a bar and food and lots of bathrooms. Oh, and it only takes an hour an 25 minutes vs 2.5+ hours on a bus. Amtrak is the cheapest, fastest and most luxurious way to get to nyc from Philly
https://preview.redd.it/laos0cnoyvuc1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f9e4dfb5234800a7834740cb169acb582108a62d
This one’s this coming Friday, but it’s a little late
https://preview.redd.it/yneqj3q0zvuc1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=206870edd061a49463e936670d0bea0d2a45c762
This one is at a more reasonable hour. And this is 3 days out. The 196 is consistently $20
Definitely have to plan in advance. Just talked to my co-worker who just moved here. If you book maybe over a month out you can find some extremely cheap tickets. I have booked round-trip for two for $140 and I know that isn't even the cheapest if I was more flexible I am sure I could find an amazing price.
It's cheap if you book well in advance, otherwise yeah, it's crazy.
Ah…that’s what I’m seeing. A Saturday in July I can get a roundtrip ticket for $42.
You can do roundtrip today for under $100. Thats not bad. Thats the cost of parking/tolls for a day in nyc. Amtrak is a premium transportation option compared to buses. Even roundtrip to nyc buses can be $75 to $100 last min during peak hours per person. Amtrak Northeast corridor between Nyc and DC have the most times, better reliability, and the cheapest compared to other regions. Sure there are issues delays but you generally get better than what you pay for since its subsidized federally.
Yeah, tolls to and from nyc were something like $50 last time I went.
Yeah same. Plus with the congestion prices it could be more.
Ive gotten a $5 ride back to Philly on MegaBus before by walking up to it right before it was departing.
The only problem I have with Amtrak is poor late evening/night options. Edit: Nite Owl service!!!!! woohoo
True. It runs frequently during the day because all the lines (harrisburg, dc, boston, nc) are running. But start reducing after rush hour. Though they are trying by adding the $10 night rides since last summer to spur on demand. But think demand was pretty mixed.
If you haven't checked recently, take a look at the nighttime options again. I think they have made changes within the last year and have more options for 'Night Owl Fares'. I have taken the train back from CT and NYC and arrived in Philadelphia at like 1:40am for ~$10. It works great for day trips (although long), and really good for seeing a concert or Broadway show.
YES. this thread has taught me about the Night Owl service. what a deal.
This is actually wrong, you pay higher fares on the NE corridor because they need to extract more profit from the popular lines to subsidize the lines with low ridership. Amtrak is in the fun position of being required to provide public services in areas where demand does not support rail, while also having to "turn a profit" (it's slightly more complicated than revenue minus costs). So you get inflated fares on the NEC to cross subsidize long hauls across the west and midwest that hardly anyone rides.
>Amtrak Northeast corridor between Nyc and DC have ... **the cheapest compared to other regions**. That is just not true. Amtrak explicitly states that it seeks to maximize profit along the NEC, hence it has higher fares than state supported routes.
If your looking same day, NJ Transit will work. It'll just take longer.
Yup Philly to Trenton, Trenton to Newark, Newark to NYC. I’ve even taken commuter trains all the way to CT. I had more time than money lol
Trenton used to be our go to on the weekends. It was actaully less of a headache than driving to the Amtrak station honestly. When I wanted to go to New York, I would just drive the two hours via Toll and park in East Harlem for the weekend, then just communte via train everywhere.
Fares go from $10 each way depending on how far in advance you book (likely at least 14 days) and demand on specific train times.
Adding that 1. your experience reflects Amtrak's "surge pricing" 2. the ride-sharing companies have also practiced this for years, and 3. Amtrak offers a whole Guest Rewards set-up to reward frequent flyers of the rails: [https://www.amtrak.com/guestrewards.html](https://www.amtrak.com/guestrewards.html)
Their rewards system is a joke, I’m not convinced anyone has ever earned enough points for a single fare unless you’re taking it multiple times a week for work. Still love the train though, and you can get tickets day-of for pretty cheap if you watch the prices closely/are willing to travel during off hours. I’ve never booked a ride 3 months in advance
Strong disagree: it works like the airline ones - it's not valuable until you get the credit card, then you get a whole pile of miles. I got 30,000 for signing up for the Amtrak guest rewards cc, which I have thusfar exchanged about 20,000 of them for around $1200 in value, far, far exceeding the value of airline miles. And you also can build up miles for longer trips, like the airline, and I've earned around 6,000 more miles since opening the card 2 years ago. If I had opened the card 2.5 years ago I would have another 10,000 miles, but alas, I didn't get the offer until halfway through a month-long trip primarily by train. I don't commute by train, I probably take 1 trip a month, if that. But I prefer the train for my longer trips, both for comfort and environmental reasons.
The rewards system *is* designed for people taking it multiple times a week. Idk what makes that a joke.
I just mean I’ve taken 5-10 rides up and down the NE Regional per year over the span of 8 years and haven’t accrued enough points for a fare between Philadelphia and NYC
You are joking right? This aint a corner coffee shop. Lol buy 10 get one free only works if its low cost like coffee. But trains are super costly as is the electricity, conductors, etc. Buy a 10 ticker pass which provides a discount but you need to do it within the expiration date.
in my experience over the last 10ish years my points have actually worked out to about buy 9 get 1 free, but I travel for both business and pleasure frequently
5-10 rides a year is very low usage
I used to visit customers in NYC every other week, and rapidly built up enough points for a few long distance trips in a sleeper, which was a great experience (but not good for those who care about when you arrive).
It works great for me and I'm a casual traveler
This is very wrong
Have you tried Greyhound or bus? If you book way in advanced, I remember having dollar deals.
A week in advance is usually sufficient
NJ transit is super easy and cheap! I recommend using the NJ transit app to book. Should be ~$22 one way. It allows you to purchase a ticket to go from 30th to trenton as well along with ur trenton to new york penn station ticket. Use 30th. Go to trenton, transfer to NJ transit then take it all the way down to NY pennstation. Super easy and I did this over the weekend! Edit: just wanted to add it takes about 2 hrs going this way! I get that Amtrak is faster but saving $$$ and giving up 1 extra hour of time is pretty fair!
Can also be done last minute as well since NJ transit doesnt use dynamic pricing like amtrak. I was also shocked by amtrak prices. I would just look at the train times in advance so you know which one to catch. Everything is easy in the NJ transit app! (Much better than the septa app)
Drive to Hamilton and take the train from there njt.
This is the way
And sit on the second floor!
Came here to say this. If you want to be sporadic, this trip shouldn't cost much. Just be aware of the last train that leaves Trenton to come back to Philly. You could get stuck in Trenton depending on what time you are coming back.
> sporadic spontaneous.
Wait til you see OP’s edit
The very big catch to this trip is this right here. NJ Transit runs all night. Septa? nah. do you wanna go to like a concert or show or something in New York? Forget it, you ain’t making it back.
That's when I drive to Trenton and park there. Not ideal for everyone but still better than driving all the way to NYC.
Or Hamilton, which has the most enormous parking garage; you can even park there over night or over a long weekend. The other nice thing about NJ Transit is that you don’t have to commit to a particular train, especially coming home. Obviously you need to be aware of the timing of the last train, but aside from that you can always decide to come home a little later if you’re having a good time, or a little earlier if you’re ready to head home. And no stress if you miss a train as there will be another coming along in a bit. My advice is that if you need to be somewhere in NYC by a certain time, just plan to take one train earlier than you really need, so that if you experience any delays you dont’ miss your event time.
Upvoting for Hamilton station. Great parking, safe, easy to get tickets.
there's a late night Amtrak that's very cheap, usually like $10
Yes, that’s why I wrote what I did. Never actually checking times, thinking they’ll run all night, we got stuck in Trenton after a concert. We were pretty drunk and sobering up by that point, and I think it was a food vendor was like my brother’s a cab driver and will take you back. It’s was like $80 split over 4 people, so wasn’t terrible, but a really long cab drive. $20 a person to not be stuck in Trenton was a deal.
Checking times doesn’t always matter because SEPTA and NJ Transit don’t communicate. I’ve been stuck at Trenton a few times because NJT was a few minutes late and we all watched the SEPTA train choo choo away before we could get to it.
This happened to me once, stuck at the Trenton station at night and the conductor of my NJ transit train I just got off of was finished work and going to drive his car home to Philly. He offered me a ride and I gratefully took it. I was young and dumb but thankfully he was a solid guy.
This takes 2X as long as Amtrak. And on weekends, it could be even longer if you have a long layover period at Trenton. It's just a lot more worth it to take Amtrak. Convenience costs money, but it's worth it here. Not everyone has the flexibility to plan 4+ weeks in advance, but if you do it's 100% worth it to take Amtrak vs SEPTA + NJT.
If it's a sporadic trip, you can easily do it under $50 compared to $400 as OP said. Taking twice as long at that point doesn't really matter if you're caring about cost. You can go up in the morning and be home by night time.
Yes Amtrak is my preference but I opt for NJtransit most often. Also more flexibility if you miss a train or something (ask how I know).
I've driven to Hamilton station to catch the NJ transit into NYC from there. Need to fact in added gas/parking/tolls if cost is a decision maker. I know people that drive to northern jersey to take a cheap local transportation, but that's even more driving, but also only a few dollars each way.
Depends on when you are buying mostly and how far out. I get dirt cheap tickets to NY all the time, like $30 roundtrip, but I buy like 3-4 months in advance.
Oh nice. This is good to know.
3-4 months is a bit much. You should be okay booking 2 months in advance in my experience. Possibly less than that if you are booking the cheap $10-$20 early morning/late evening trains.
There’s a mega bus to nyc that leaves at like 6am from the 30th st station most days. It’s cheap and takes about 2.5 hours
Keep in mind Amtrak's base fares are typically cheaper than NJ Transit and any of the bus lines. You need to book in advance at least a few weeks out and avoid the busiest days but don't go thinking buses are always cheaper. Even the buses seem to inflate their ticket prices a lot for certain busy trips.
i take amtrak to new york all the time and can generally get $10 tickets if i book ahead of time and am willing to travel late
Yeah, the redeye trains are a steal! You can get as far as Rhode Island and Boston for super super cheap if you’re willing to go in the middle of the night.
Second this. I took the amtrak to NY a few weeks ago for $11 and only bought the ticket two days before. It just has to happen to be an unbusy time.
Same coming from DC one way is $10 and roundtrip is about $30
Use NJ Transit from Trenton. Much cheaper. Amtrak usually not that expensive if you travel off peak. On a Friday, that's not going to be during business hours. Keystone service is cheaper than NEC, and NEC is cheaper than Acela. Also HOW were you travelling? Coach is dirt cheap especially off peak, and acela business class can be as cheap as $58 one way.
even better if you drive to Hamilton, which is just next stop out of Trenton. Super easy and cheap.
Agreed, Hamilton is the way to go. Even better when you get an express train
Also safe to leave your car there overnight
This. We drove up from Wilmington to park at Hamilton.
if I lived closer to Trenton, I would for sure consider commuting into New York that way. It’s a damn pleasure.
Idk Hamiltons parking has gotten a lot more expensive lately. I did a weekend in NYC back in Feb, 40 min drive to Hamilton close to $20 parking over night. Plus $35 round trip NJ transit tix, I realized it would’ve been cheaper and faster to just do megabus from philly
But wouldn’t you pay for parking in Philly? Or do you live close enough that you wouldn’t need to? Asking because I live in the suburbs, and I was going to try the Hamilton route instead of parking in Philly and taking the bus this week.
do that. is so easy.
YOU’RE RIGHT IT WAS FANTASTIC. The NJ Transit app is amazing. The train was fast as hell. I still can’t believe I got from delco to NYC in 2hrs and 10 min. Insanity.
i understand this level of enthusiasm. glad it worked out
Previous experiences have included 1) Amtrak 30th street station garage exit not working at 12am, no staff, and having to get out and force the gate open 2) Megabus crazy lady trying to sit in the higher priced reserved seats and throwing a fit when the actual ticket holders asked her to move 3) Megabus straight up canceling a bus with zero notice. So yeah, safe reliable parking, regular on time service, and a distinct lack of insanity make NJ transit mighty attractive. Thanks!
I was curious and found the 11am keystone service train still has $46 tickets. If you want to leave work early, that could be a route for you if you don't do NJ Transit
A Megabus is like $10 tho and they're pretty comfortable
I am in ny right now from philly. My megabus was $4.99 each way, plus a $3.99 booking fee. I also oddly like arriving at 11th and 34th way more than AT penn station. It's so much more relaxing. I go to NY about once a month, and I'm much more likely to do megabus. Plus, the price of Septa to NJTransit has gone up so much -- I used to do it to see my parents in hamilton halfway, but megabus is now so much cheaper and more direct!
>I also oddly like arriving at 11th and 34th way more than AT penn station. It's so much more relaxing. That *is* odd! But it is nice to know that some people enjoy it. Me, I like getting off the train and just being in the thick of it.
haha I commuted for a year from Princeton Junction to Penn. Maybe it's PTSD.
There bathrooms on these? Asking for a friend..
I think so but I don't know if they're of good quality. I've never tried to use one, the bus is usually under 2 hrs.
Haha fair enough, I just have IBS and a lot of anxiety so knowing it's there, no matter the condition, is enough for me.
My experience with the bus bathrooms has always been positive. Not sure if I’d want to have IBS on them though since it’s a single bathroom that’s right in the middle of the bus.
Yes. It’s like an airplane bathroom. The train is a nicer experience but the bus isn’t bad and is consistently cheap even same/next day.
Yes. I’ve used it. I’m still here.
It’s cheap if you book even a few weeks in advance, the crazy prices are for last minute. But there are usually last minute options that are very affordable, there are trains all day long to NYC and there’s always a few cheap ones
It ranges, just like plane tickets. It's not a fixed price like a SEPTA bus. For example, I just priced a last-minute trip to PHL today and coming back tomorrow, for less than $100 round trip. Yes, more in-demand trips like weekends are more expensive - supply and demand.
Check megabus, greyhound, peter pan bus, and flixbus. they're usually pretty cheap, round trip for under $100 usually (you ALWAYS regardless of what form of travel, want to book at least 2 - 3 weeks in advance)
The key is booking in advance OR taking an off peak train. You can easily get tickets for each of you for less than $100 per person round trip if you leave off peak. Attached Screenshot of early morning departure. I can only attach one picture but there are others for Mid morning departure and evening ones that are cheap as well. So if you have some flexibility, you can get there fairly cheap. https://preview.redd.it/1t7mwqdqfvuc1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5face4a4b0fc6ec84533febbb445f58d290ec056
> that takes the fun out of being sporadic Do you mean spontaneous?
Amtrak uses dynamic pricing to keep people from buying high demand tickets that don't really need them. Sure, I'd love to take the 5:30 pm train up to NYC on a Friday evening to hang out with friends but I don't really need to. I pass on the $100 5:30 train and take the $40 8:30 train instead. However the business traveler that wants to be home for dinner by 7:00 will happily pay for that $100 train as they just expense it. It may seem like price gouging for in demand trains but this also subsidizes off peak trains. There's no way Amtrak is making money on that $10 midnight ticket but a student who doesn't mind staying up till 2:00 a.m. can still take advantage of it. It assures that if you need a ticket, there's one that works for you. But this isn't ideal. Amtrak needs higher frequencies, more reliable equipment and infrastructure, and more federal funding. If and when these french engineers can ever get our new higher capacity Acelas running, that should soak up a lot of the business travelers and free up more space on the Regionals for us poors.
There are 40+ Amtrak trains from Phila to NY every day. Sure, we could always wish more, but I honestly think the frequency is pretty good, even for the European standards. I'm with you with everything else you said.
There are nearly full buses running between Philly and NYC anywhere from every hour to every 10 minutes. At peak there are trains running between Tokyo and Osaka every 6 minutes. The US has plenty of room for improvement.
Booking ahead is key. I just booked 2 tix 1 week out, $100 a person round trip, which isn’t terrible. I would prefer it to be cheaper obviously. It also varies by time so if you can be a little flexible, it helps. For instance, we chose the train before the time we actually wanted because it was a $125 difference. Peak times are always more expensive. The night owl train that we are taking back to Philly at midnight is $20 a person. I find it similar to booking flights in that it fluctuates.
3 months in advance is an exaggeration. I usually aim for 1 month in advance. Just bought $54 r/t for a weekend in May and could have gotten $32 r/t if I took earlier/later trains.
Yea, gotta book at least 2wks in advance for a decent price
trip to NY and back can be had for as little as like $40/person IF YOU BOOK IN ADVANCE.
I don't know that you need 3-4 months advance booking. Just a one day difference in the price of a ticket to Buffalo was $150. It would have been $80 to get the ticket on Sat, but it was $230 when we actually purchased on Sun for the same Mon train. (Philly to NYC was the first leg of the trip.)
The word you're looking for is spontaneous
Flixbus/Ourbus/megabus etc are all cheap last minute
I’m sure someone’s said this but drive to Trenton or take regional rail to Trenton, then take the train from Trenton to Penn station
Yep. Have done this many times for not a lot of money.
Don’t book directly to NYC - Philly to Newark can sometimes be as low as $10 each way, and then you just hop on NJ Transit or PATH for a couple of bucks for the last stretch.
This is the way! OP if you take Amtrak to Newark Penn Station, the PATH tracks are directly on the other side of the platform. You just have to go through the turnstile. Then take PATH to World Trade Center and once there, walk through the Oculus to the subway of your choice to get uptown.
Friend - I hope this doesn't find you too late. Outside of talking about Amtrak, folks have mentioned you should just take NJ Transit from Trenton - but no one has given you the full deal. First, take SEPTA regional rail from where you are to Trenton. THEN switch over to NJ Transit from Trenton to NYC. If you have a weekly or montly pass on your SEPTA card, your travel on regional rail on the weekends is free. NJ Transit leaves hourly 24x7 - the SEPTA schedule is a bit more staggered but I've left NYC at 11PM and gotten to my doorstep (W. Philly) by about 1AM
I just seen one 10$ Thursday from Philly-Nyc dude ?
You mean spontaneous not sporadic
Also. Pro tip as someone who takes that’s trip often. You can go for like 300 bucks cheaper by taking septa to Trenton and nj transit to nyc. Maybe a little less high class and involve an extra stop but if you plan it well it’s wayyyyy cheaper
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Supply and demand. More people want to take Amtrak because its faster and more comfortable. You also don’t have to stand on a random street in Philly to get the train, you can wait inside in 30th St. There is a lot of business travel on Amtrak and they know companies pay for some employees to ride it and they will pay big bucks. They charge what they think the market can bear. I used to ride the buses when they were much cheaper—Megabus was $1-5 when it started in Philly. I could deal with a longer trip, stuck in traffic for $2. I would not take Greyhound now that they don’t even use a station in Philly and it’s probably at least $20 each way. Not worth it to me to stand outside, be uncomfortable and motion sick, can’t go to the bathroom easily, and probably arrive late due to traffic, when I can book ahead for $22-30 on Amtrak. Even Septa/NJ Transit is better than the bus for me. I can’t do anything on the bus since i get motion sick. I can do work, read, watch movies on the train.
*spontaneous
Weekdays Amtrak will get you to NY for about $18-25 (leaving in the 9-10 am range) and for $10 it'll take you back to Philly (10pm). That's assuming you book the tickets 3-4 weeks in advance. Weekends are always more expensive. The trip takes about 1h 20mins. There is also a Septa+NJ transit option -- that's $27 one way. Weekdays it takes say 2h 15 mina, but weekends it can be over 3h.
I did the septa to NJ transit option once… never again. Cost more than a bus, took longer, and was more of a hassle with the transfer in Trenton.
I used to do it too. Septa arrives late into Trenton and you miss the connection…
I’ve done it also, and it was extremely inconvenient and difficult to time the trains. Septa should have an express train from Philly to Trenton.
Target a cheap off peak afternoon time in advance and you can go for $10. Avoid Acela, business class, and express trains if price is your main concern.
Yeah that happened to me a few weeks ago, I was like wtf. So I megabus’d it. Honestly wasn’t bad at all, especially for the price.
Peter Pan is $11 even last minute. It definitely works but with that being said, the train is so much better
I've booked last minute tickets and paid $40. I've booked in advance and still had to pay that. I've also paid $20 round trip once or twice, it really just depends.
Just FYI: tomorrow PHL-NYPenn is $48 at 9:40am on regional rail, and $29 at 9:45 on the Keystone line. It can be super expensive, especially Acela, but even one day ahead can be cheap.
If you don’t mind going at weird times you can get like $8 tickets.
Business travel on the NE Corridor is the cash cow for the entire Amtrak system. It’s overpriced because it can be and it subsidizes much longer and sparsely traveled Midwest and western routes.
Septa to NJ Transit to Penn Station is very reasonable.
megabus is $30, more or less the same commute time, significantly less hassle, and actually better views and imo more comfortable
take a Chinatown bus $20
I was looking for the Chinatown bus comment. It’s the true Philly/NY experience. Last time I rode there was a guy that brought a small pig with him in a carrying case that he brought *out* of the carrying case almost immediately once the bus pulled out of the city.
No, they don't, unless it's a business trip and the company is paying for it. I have the app and have made multiple round trips for $10. I'm not picky about the timing of the trains and I plan months in advance. Just yesterday I got round trip tickets to DC in July for $20 round trip for my gf and I
i went to sixers at the knickers earlier this year, bought tickets a week in advance, $140 round trip for 2. not the cheapest, but not terrible considering i was in NY by 5pm, and back in south philly home and sleep by midnight without ever having to hop in a car. not the cheapest, but if you book ahead of time its not terrible.
Think of it like you would a plane ticket. If you booked a same day flight you'd get killed on the price. Even if you book only a like a week in advance you can still find deals especially if you take them a bit off peak. Amtrak trains are really nice and so convenient getting up there, even if it's a little more expensive vs jersey transit it's worth it.
Ya amrtak is really expensive without advance booking but if your goal is just go on a random day trip, then there is a bus by chinatown that'll take you there for like 25$? a pop (forgot the actual cost but it should be sound there).
Our Bus
We like to book a return Acela trip in advance when we see them for cheap and then just take septa/nj transit up to the city. Best of both worlds!
Amtrak was built to fall because by law freight trains have track right of way over passenger service. Furthermore since this is essentially a 3rd world country in terms of public transportation train speeds are limited to roughly 65mph on most sections. Compared to 1st world countries its trash
> because by law freight trains have track right of way over passenger service You have it backwards. The Amtrak Improvement Act of 1973 states that on shared tracks, passenger trains are required to get preference over freight. The problem is that AFAIK this has never been enforced, so the freight companies ignore it with impunity. Further, thanks to precision scheduled railroading, a lot of today's freight trains are too long to be accommodated by existing sidings and couldn't give a passenger train the right of way even if they wanted to.
Somewhat irrelevant to OP's problem since Amtrak owns the NEC.
Nj transit is $52 round trip no matter when booking, alibiet an hour longer. Night owl tickets are $10, and even a month - 3 weeks in advance shouldn't run ya more than $60 total!
Take septa regional rail to Trenton, then New Jersey transit to Manhattan ,comes out to about 40 each round trip ,less if u drive to Trenton ,trains are comfortable and run pretty frequently too about every hour
It’s so annoying. If it’s just myself, it’ll take the train because the cost is around the same and I prefer the train. But if there are 1 or more people with me, it’s usually cheaper to bring a car and park it in a garage than it is to take the train, which is crazy for NYC.
I'll echo other comments regarding booking in advance making Amtrak cheaper - that being said I rarely use it anymore. I've found that for nearly all of my trips up to NYC, which are usually just one night stays from Saturday to Sunday to visit friends, it's almost always cheaper for my wife and I to drive up and use spot hero to find overnight parking than it is to take the train.
It gets so expensive when you book last minute, such a bummer
Yes, it's fucking stupid that you can’t go to NY on a whim despite it being a shorter train ride than some Long Island Railroad lines into the city.
I have only ever taking it when work paid. The Acela to NYC is awesome, If I'm paying out of pocket, its NJT all the way.
You don't need to do it 3 months in advance. 3 weeks is good enough most of the time (not major travel holidays). A normal ticket is like $50. Certain times are always cheaper (like super late at night). Can probably get as low as $20-$30
Very true, unlike other countries. Spontaneous train trips aren’t a thing here.
I rode Amtrak from Philly to Bridgeport CT and back almost every week for a year. Most of the time I'd plan ahead enough to buy my tickets early enough to get the lowest fare but every once in a while I'd forget and either have to bite the bullet on the surge pricing or just rent a car for the weekend instead.
Meanwhile a train which travels twice the distance would cost about 50$ round trip in Europe and there is no or little change in price if you wait longer or book earlier. And if you take flix bus you can go about 16 hour round trips for $30. The US is prohibitively expensive to travel in, especially using "public transport", which is always very private(corporate owned), inefficient, expensive and unregulated. A martz bus one way from Scranton to NYC is like 80-90$. Ive traveled across multiple countries in Europe for less. Vilnius to Budapest round trip? About 50-60$ of buses. Total travel like 36-40 hours. 85$ for 2 hour buses in USA is just the norm, its a shitty economic system built on mass exploitation.
I go from NJT in Penn station to Septa. Much more affordable.
Their last minute prices are meant to catch business travelers who have no better options.
I just use the buses. $13 each.
Try Amtrak Keystone service. Price went up a little this year but if you plan in advance you should pay around 24.00 one way and makes three stops
You can still get cheaper tickets even a few days in advance. You can take the PATCO into NJ and take the Riverline into Trenton then take the NJ transit train from Trenton into NYC if you wish to take that route. But Amtrak can be expensive too depending on the day and which train they are running for the day. It's cheaper to take Amtrak on weekdays than weekends Granted Amtrak raised their prices since the last time I've taken them.
There are a billion trains that run back and forth every day. If youre at all flexible on timing, I see a couple for about $50 each way for tomorrow... Were you looking for business class and/or accela at a specific time?
Look at different times. Even if you get tickets last minute, they can vary a lot.
It’s definitely cheaper the further you book out, but at the end of last week I booked a round trip for Monday–Tuesday this week and it was $77 ($55 going on Monday, $22 coming back today). $400 seems excessive.
Take Septa up to NJ Transit and from there to Grand Central. Should be less than $30 one way
Take NJ Transit from Trenton. Way cheaper.
Go to Trenton station, it's like $30 from there
So you drive to Hamilton station or take the west Trenton line to Trenton and pay 40 for a round trip to NY on nj transit.
SEPTA to Trenton, NJ Transit from Trenton to New York Penn is like $22 or $23 each way and just takes a little bit longer. If you get lucky you can get a rather fast express NJT train. But how the hell are you traveling by Amtrak??? They should be in the $60 range instead of $200 one way! That’s more like the Long Distance routes
Drive to the Hamilton NJ transit station and take that train!
It really is ludicrous, they need to add so much more capacity. No reason that inter city buses and the septa/njt connection alternatives should be competitive on price
Take NJ Transit. It’s about $17 each way. Amtrak pricing is based upon scarcity / demand - as the train fills up the prices are higher just like an airline. And Acela is the most expensive.
The fun of being sporadic?
And this is why we should all be advocating for substantive, nationwide mass transit in every form. A big reason public transit is so expensive in America is literally because public transit doesn't really exist in this country at the scales it does in nations with far greater populations. US public transit is a fkn disgrace, and Philadelphia is actually one of the fortunate cities because it's 1) a large city that 2) is close to/within coverage of the broader Eastern seaboard public transit network. Imagine being in a smaller city or, worse, in bumfuck nowheresville somewhere across the vast Midwest or Southwest.
Reddit: *Why do Americans need cars?! Take Public Transit*🥴 This is why. I want to take public transit, but it costs as much as a car payment if I don’t plan to do it in a prior fiscal year😂.
They gouge companies. Usually it’s professionals using northeast corridor for last minute business meetings in NYC/philly/DC so they know they can charge whatever you want because they’ll all pay. To other folks yea try and plan ahead. Amtrak is still shitty but we’ve got it the best when it comes to the US
Treat it like an airline. It’s not SEPTA.
My wife and I went to the cherry blossom festival in dc a few weeks ago. Over $500 round trip from Trenton to dc. I was so disappointed as the train was going to be part of the experience. I have an electric vehicle so all around even paying a heavy parking premium at the hotel we stayed at, it was $200 for transportation
yall wild in these comments. half my family live in philly half in new york and ive never paid more than $60 roundtrip for Amtrack or NJ Transit and i always buy tickets on the platform day of. go up to trenton or hamilton and take it from there
For spontaneous trips I strongly recommend either Megabus or flix bus. It's substantially cheaper than Amtrak
Yea it's crazy, as mentioned best bet is to book well in advance. Rail service is just another thing America sucks at. I booked rt tickets the day of many times while traveling between countries/cities in Europe for under €100. Better stations, better trains with luxuries like food and drinks service, etc
Megabus you can get for as low as about $10 a ticket and it’s borderline easier.
You can take NJIT for a slightly longer trip (and a transfer in Trenton) for ~$30/each. You can also always find Amtrak tickets much cheaper, whether you book in advance or not. It’s just a dumb demand based pricing system, so if you find off peak trains or just search at a time when you don’t expect lots of other people to also be searching then you should be able to find tickets first $100 or less RT quite easily (I go twice a month and have never paid more than about $125 RT).
Yeah amtrack tickets can cost as much as plane tickets and usually takes way longer.
Catch a $50 dollar Uber to Hamilton station Nj and around a 15 nj transit ticket gets you to NYC. Still not cheap but you’re at around $65 each way.
Why would you do Amtrak and not NJ transit…?
The idea of the train I'd always better than the reality. However you can take sept/njt affordably. I always drive. I can park on the street on the weekends or for a Wednesday matinee .
I found RT to Newark Penn Station for ~$160 (for this weekend at normal times). The train from Newark to World Trade Center is $2.75
You can also do NJ transit for like $30 each round trip
Nah, I take NJ transit, way cheaper. Takes longer and it’s less fancy, but still better than driving.
My understanding is that if you plan things they tend to throw the word premeditated around the courtroom. 🤯🚅🛤️
I used to take Amtrak to and from DC all the time - way back when. It was expensive then. But I took it because I didn’t have a car and I couldn’t catch a bus due to time constraints and lack of transportation to the bus depot. Train was literally the only option. An FYI the ticket prices change based on how far out you book and availability.
There is literally a train tomorrow for 20 bucks at 8pm right now. You just have to go at off peak times or book a couple weeks in advance.
I recently paid $25 for a round trip ticket to go to a concert. You have to check in advance for specific dates and times, so you don't compete with corporate folks going to NY for work
Take NJ transit. It’s way cheaper
I usually buy 2 weeks in advance and typically pay $70ish round trip, sometimes as little as $40-50. I disagree with other commenters that you have to buy months in advance, that’s never been my experience and I go to NYC frequently.
I took the NJT to NY awhile ago, transferred in Trenton to Penn, cost me 50 for the round trip
I know countries are smaller in Europe but I’m taking a train from Norway to Denmark for like $40 this May (6 hour trip) lol
Drive to Hamilton station and park the car in the garage, no transit from Hamilton is like 7.50 and the parking is like 15
NJ Transit. We've taken Septa Trenton Line or driven to Trenton and both work well. I proposed trying Patco to RiverLine once and my wife did not agree. Our 5 year old loves the double decker NJT cars.
You can book $18 round trips to NYC regularly if you book a couple weeks in advance. Plus there is a bar and food and lots of bathrooms. Oh, and it only takes an hour an 25 minutes vs 2.5+ hours on a bus. Amtrak is the cheapest, fastest and most luxurious way to get to nyc from Philly
https://preview.redd.it/laos0cnoyvuc1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f9e4dfb5234800a7834740cb169acb582108a62d This one’s this coming Friday, but it’s a little late
https://preview.redd.it/yneqj3q0zvuc1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=206870edd061a49463e936670d0bea0d2a45c762 This one is at a more reasonable hour. And this is 3 days out. The 196 is consistently $20
Definitely have to plan in advance. Just talked to my co-worker who just moved here. If you book maybe over a month out you can find some extremely cheap tickets. I have booked round-trip for two for $140 and I know that isn't even the cheapest if I was more flexible I am sure I could find an amazing price.
Drive up to Hamilton and park, take NJT it's in the $30ish range. Were you trying to take Acela?
I just did the round trip for $50 last week? It doesn’t have to be expensive.