20 replies to this topic

[KevinKorell]

Well today, after perhaps a kick from me in the fleshy protuberance that they sit on (rhymes with glass), they added weekend Acela trips, but not other trains, but still have all the weekday trains. So as of 1/1/16 one can book either a weekend or weekday Acela trip.

[KevinKorell]

I have moved all discussion of Amtrak trips before, during, and after the Fest to this thread, because it has become a constant matter of discussion given Amtrak's inability to load the correct schedules in its inventory in a timely manner in advance of the weekend in question.

[BillMagee]

Any chance that Amtrak goes ahead and runs the weekday schedule that day? Since it is not a major holiday, some commuter railroads run weekday (SEPTA) or special hybrid schedules (such as LIRR/M-N) that reflect many working that day.

 

Doubtful. The printed timetables show Sunday running a Saturday schedule, and Monday running a Sunday schedule. Also, Amtrak.com is selling President's Day (2/15), Memorial Day (5/30), and Independence Day (7/4) as normal weekdays.  Even next Thanksgiving's Day is selling as a weekday.  The description "clueless" comes to mind.

 

Seriously, Amtrak: how hard can this be?

[amtrakwolverine]

Obviously it's very hard for Amtrak to do anything that makes since. You would think they would learn by now. I guess it's job security by rebooking everyone manually.

[KevinKorell]

What is particularly annoying on the customer's side of things is that if and when ever this is corrected, it is already too late to get the advance bucket "Saver Fare" on wanted trips for January 18th as that window has already closed. Yet without the correct trains being in the inventory, it was impossible for anyone to get any bucket on the correct train.

[BillMagee]

As of this morning, it looks like the schedule change has been completed - finally. Yesterday it was kind of a hybrid with some correct trains and some incorrect trains all shown on the same schedule.

[KevinKorell]

Bill, I just put in an arbitrary NYP-BOS trip for 1/18 and it still shows the weekday train numbers, as well as weekend Acelas only.

[BillMagee]

Bill, I just put in an arbitrary NYP-BOS trip for 1/18 and it still shows the weekday train numbers, as well as weekend Acelas only.

Southbound BOS-NYP is OK. However, as you said, northbound is still a mix of weekday (not all) and weekend Acela's. I've given up trying to figure out what Amtrak does or why. America’s Railroad®

[KevinKorell]

The moment has arrived here on the 7th day of the year.  Today they figured things out, and one can book a Regional trip on a weekend schedule on the 18th.  So if travelling home or anywhere else on the Monday of the Fest, you can go ahead and reserve without worry of a cancellation. Just be careful as they may not yet have removed all of the incorrect train numbers that were there all along.

[jacorbett70]

Just a few minutes ago I got an emailed itinerary and receipt showing train 669 instead of the weekday train I originally booked at the approximate same time.

I keep my special sale fare of $28 one way.

Had I waited for the proper schedule to be loaded that train is $107 one way NYP-PHL. Others around it are $78-99 but there is $55 available if leaving three hours later on train #165.

 

Edit to add: The robocall just came to advise me of the change.

Edited by jacorbett70, 08 January 2016 - 04:43 PM.