From: mckenney@gauss.cims.nyu.edu (Alan M. McKenney)
Subject: New York <-> Washington DC: air shuttle was better
Followup-To: rec.railroad
Summary: if the actual origin and destination are not
         right by an AMTRAK station, trains are much
         less convenient than airplanes, even on AMTRAK's
         New York -- Washington route.
Originator: mckenney@gauss.cims.nyu.edu
Keywords: AMTRAK, North-East Corridor, air travel
Organization: Courant Institute, New York University
Distribution: usa
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1992 17:40:31 GMT


    A while back there were discussions of the virtues of
AMTRAK vs. air shuttle for getting between New York City and
Washington DC.  Well, my wife had to go to Washington for the day
for a business trip, and took one of the air shuttles.  I, who
generally prefer to take the train, had to agree with her.



    The main problem is that we don't live right across the street
from Penn Station, nor is her office in midtown New York City.
Our house and her office are in Tarrytown, NY, 25 miles north
of the City.  It is just as fast to take a limousine to LaGuardia
as it is to get to Penn Station, and noticeably less hassle.  (For
those interested in the details, I will describe how one gets
to Penn Station from Tarrytown by public transportation, and
the various hassles involved, at the end of the posting.)
Both time and hassle were a consideration: she didn't want to
have to leave early or get home late, and her bad back meant
that extensive running around with her heavy briefcase was out.



    So, this brings up one major problem with AMTRAK's trying
to compete with airplanes: if you are not *much* nearer the
train station than the airport, it is faster to fly.  In other
words, only the fact that more offices are near Penn Station than
any of the New York airports makes AMTRAK's NY-Wash. service even
near competitive in time with the air shuttles.  My wife points
out that she was finished in DC a little before 3 p.m., and was
home by 5:30 p.m.

    A second problem is that little attempt has been made to
provide direct public transportation to AMTRAK stations.  A lot
of towns, suburbs, etc., have limousines to the nearest major
airport.  So, even though the airport may be less centrally
located, it is practical to get there with all your excess
luggage, even without a car (and without using a taxi.) By
contrast, I have never heard of any public transportation to an
AMTRAK station beyond what would have gone there in the absence
of the station.  And none of it is set up for people with much
luggage.  (Curiously enough, the airport busses in NYC run from
the bus station and from Grand Central, also from the LIRR
stations in Brooklyn and Jamaica, and from World Trade Center,
but *not* from Penn Station!!!)

    A third problem is related to one of the touted advantages
of the train: that the stops are in the middle of town, not
on the fringes.  The problem is parking, and automobile access.
The AMTRAK stations nearest to us -- Newark, New York Penn Sta.,
Yonkers, Croton, and New Rochelle -- have little or no provision for
parking for AMTRAK customers, especially by comparison with *any*
airport.  (Not that I am so crazy as to drive to N.Y.Penn, anyway.)
With the possible exception of Yonkers (I haven't driven there), none
have short-term (10--30 min.) parking so you can see someone off and
help them with their luggage.  And Croton is the only one of those
stations that you can find without a detailed local map.  (The sign for
the exit from US 9 says "Croton-Harmon Station".  Of course, you can
*see* the station, and the parking lot, and the road from the exit to
the station, before you get to the sign...)

    This last point is not peculiar to the NYC area, either.  I
often drive through Hartford and up the Connecticutt, and I have
never seen signs directing you to an AMTRAK station, despite the
fact that you can *see* the Hartford and Windsor Locks stations
from the highway, and the Springfield station is just off I-91.
(I do believe that the freeway exits near the New Haven and the
Albany/Renssalaer stations are marked.)  Compare this with the
highway approaches to *any* airport in the USA with commercial
service, and even many *without* commercial service.

    A final complaint: every commercial airport has a car rental
on-site, that is pretty much open whenever the planes are flying.
So far, only in Washington have I found a car rental at a train
station.  If you are going to a city where you won't be picked
up, and your destination isn't right near the train station, this
totally eliminates AMTRAK as an option.


Summary:

    AMTRAK is OK for the lightly loaded, who are not in a hurry,
and at each end, either know the local public transportation, or
will be dropped off and picked up.  For anyone else, stick to the
car or airplane.

    I should note that these problems don't just affect NEC
customers.  I took the train to Atlanta over Thanksgiving
with my 2-year-old son and our au pair, while my wife flew.
I would not do it again, partly because my son hated being
stuck in a train for 18 hours, and partly because of the
ground transportation problems.


Now, for the masochists:

How to get to Penn Station, or a NEC train, from Tarrytown, NY:

(1) take Metro-North to Grand Central, then subway to Times
    Square, and then subway to Penn Station.  Total of about
    2 avenue blocks worth of walking, plus lots of stairs.
    Impossible if you have more luggage than you can easily
    carry.  Often crowded.

(2) same, but walk to Penn Station.  Slower, but more reliable.
    Impossible if you have more luggage than you can easily
    carry.

(3) same, but taxi to Penn Station.  Hassle of loading &
    unloading, and getting the cab driver to find the correct
    entrance to Penn Station (Penn Station gates and tickets are
    at 8th Avenue, taxis like to leave you at 7th.)  Taxis tend
    to disappear if it rains.

(4) take Metro-North to Yonkers, change for AMTRAK to Penn
    station.  Problems: AMTRAK service not frequent, not all
    AMTRAK trains stop at Yonkers, AMTRAK connections "not
    guarranteed" (to put it politely), most rush-hour Metro-North
    trains don't stop both in Yonkers and in Tarrytown.

(5) take Metro-North to Croton, change for AMTRAK.  Same problems
    as (4), plus you have to drag your luggage up and over, and
    Croton is farther from New York than Tarrytown.

(6) drive to Croton, change for AMTRAK.  Problems: parking
    (there *is* parking -- an unmarked shack at the far end of
    the commuter parking lot, surrounded by a little dirt parking
    lot), and AMTRAK connection problems as above.

(7) drive to Stamford, CT, park and take AMTRAK.  Problems:
    30-45 min. drive under good conditions, not all NYC-Wash.
    trains go through Stamford, and Stamford departures are
    about an hour before the corresponding NYP departure.

(8) drive to Metropark, NJ, park and take AMTRAK.  Problem:
    if you're going to drive that far, why not drive the
    whole way, or drive to the airport?



-- 
Alan McKenney        E-mail:  mckenney@cims.nyu.edu         (INTERNET)
Courant Institute,NYU,USA     ...!cmcl2!cims.nyu.edu!mckenney   (UUCP)