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Comment by leelin | Hacker News Reader

These are the public transit options for NYC-BOS commuting nowadays:

  (all buses about 4.5 hours all-in)
  Bolt / MegaBus: $10-25 with free WiFi from Penn Station
  Fung Wah / Lucky Star: $15 every half hour from Chinatown
  Limo Liner: $70-100 WiFi, comfy seats, bus attendant, free snacks
  Airplane: $60-100, 1 hour flight, 2.5h all-in time
  Amtrak regional train: $60-70, 4.25 hours
  Amtrak Acela: $90-110, 3.75 hours

Acela to me is the least attractive option, and free WiFi + a fleet upgrade won't change that. Of course some people hate buses and planes, have special travel circumstances, want to be able to stroll the aisles, etc, but Acela's target market seems quite niche, especially when compared to the standard Amtrak regional service.

There are also cheaper options for the shorter legs. There are much cheaper trains or buses for NYC to New Haven, Boston to Providence, NYC to DC, for example.

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I agree, WiFi is not going to save Amtrak. It's almost always the worst possible transportation option available in terms of cost, quality, comfort, time, etc - for any and all start and end points, not just NYC/BOS.

I'm surprised to hear so much negativity about Amtrak. I live in NYC and head upstate (to Rochester) for business regularly and Amtrak is by far my favorite way to make the trip.

A bus might make more sense on a shorter trip (like the aforementioned NYC to Boston example), but I think there's a real sweet spot for taking the Amtrak on trips longer than, say, 4-5 hours on the bus but shorter than a 2 hour flight (excluding baggage/security/travel to and from airport time).

Especially Amtrak's business class, which is extremely comfortable, with plenty of space for a computer and stretching out, quiet and spacious enough to get work done, and usually only an extra $20 or so.

I admit my fear of flying sways me toward Amtrak when a flight might make the most sense, but to me a bus is almost always the worst possible transportation option available.

It strongly depends on what part of the country you are in. Amtrak routes and delays south of about DC, for example, are pretty miserable.

If you compare Amtrak to Greyhound, the price difference might not be so bad, but if you compare it to the more competitive bus lines routes (NYC-BOS, NYC-DC) like leelin does, you can see it's pretty awful value.

Agreed that Amtrak is a much more pleasant experience, though - much less stop and go, generally higher reliability of arrival time, more legroom, smoother ride.

I wonder what it would take for Amtrak to be able to compete on price with the competitive bus lines in the northeast corridor. Subsidies on rails comparable to those on the interstates, perhaps (or getting rid of the interstates' subsidies and making them self-funded)...

Well, you save some time taking the train: no going through security, or going to a giant airport 10-20 miles outside of a city.

No going through security... until a terrorist attack by "The Train Bomber" grips the nation.

Is that round-trip? I looked on Kayak and a round-trip flight tomorrow is at least $300. I don't think the busses and trains get so much more expensive at the last minute, but I could be wrong.

In my experience, Amtrak is almost always more expensive last-minute than flying. I remember trying to go from Chicago to St. Louis once, and was quoted $600! Needless to say, I took the $130 last-minute flight instead, and saved myself several hours in the process.

I used to always price Amtrak out for my various domestic trips, because I think the train is cool. But it was always way more expensive than flying. (The only people I know now that ride Amtrak are those with irrational fears of flying. And I say this with great regret, because I am a huge railfan.)

Something special must have been happening, because right now a train ticket from Chicago to St. Louis leaving in 12 hours is $65. If you can wait until 7:00 pm, it's only $23.

Once the Chicago-Kansas City trains fill up, you get to St. Louis via a Chicago-New Orleans train. That is much, much more expensive for some reason.

I totally forgot about Limo Liner. I'm thinking of taking it this Thursday morning.

I tried it once round trip. WiFi was so-so, a bit spotty at times, seats weren't bad, but at the end of the day it's still a pricey bus. The bathroom was decent, meaning I didn't get the typical $5 of negative utility penalty when I have to use a bus bathroom.

My NYC->BOS leg I was in the left aisle (single seat, no neighbors on either side), which was a much much more enjoyable experience than the BOS->NYC leg when I had to sit next to neighbors in the back-right of the bus.

Oh yes, unlike the Chinatown buses, I don't recall the driver talking on a cell phone the entire time.

How did it compare to Bolt, besides the massive difference in price?

Thanks for the notes! Did they have free coffee on the Limo Liner? That may be a plus.

Just bought my ticket (somehow Amtrak let me cancel my Accela ticket) for Thurs. We'll see how it goes =)

I've tried LimoLiner a few times, however the price has gotten a bit too steep for me. The last time was about 3 years.

They provided tea, coffee, water, and they provide you with a decent snack; a decent wee sandwich that's much better than you'd get on the train. It's not enough food to substitute for dinner (maybe they'd give you a 2nd sandwich if you ask), but enough to keep you going till dinner.

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