If you live Maryland/Delaware vicinity and understand how to take the train to DC or Boston or new york

[lynn]

Can you give me some education on this. In brief dh working tdy several months in that area and I will be homeschooling dd and want advantage of all we can. Any advice, suggestions or resources would be great.

Edited April 15, 2017 by lynn

[Daria]

Where in MD/DE? I have taken a bunch of trains, but it depends where you are going to/coming from.

[Crimson Wife]

My IL's live near Philly, my parents near Boston, and my brother in DC. Amtrak's NE Corridor train runs from DC's Union Station to Boston's South Station. The Acela is faster but more expensive (it's designed to compete with flying for business travelers). The NE Regional is slower but cheaper.

[PrincessMommy]

My dd went to school at UDel and took the train to the BWI station, which was the easiest for us to pick her up from.  My other daughter has taken it from Philly to BWI.   Amtrak prices aren't too bad along the NY/DC corridor.  Have you checked the prices on their website?  It's pretty easy to navigate. 

 

We once had dd go to the Calverton station.  Much worse part of town and a bit further for us to get to.  The BWI station is super easy to get in and out of and traffic isn't nearly as bad as it is around the DC beltway.  

 

If you're coming from NY then the fast bus  is supposed to be a great way to go from DC/Baltimore to NYC.  It's got a name but I don't remember what it is.  It's the one a lot of day trippers take to NY so they don't have to worry about parking so they can see the sights and catch a play.  

 

edited to add:  For the fast bus there is a station in Wheaton.  I dropped dd off there and it's not bad.

Edited April 15, 2017 by PrincessMommy

[lynn]

Where in MD/DE? I have taken a bunch of trains, but it depends where you are going to/coming from.

I think Newark, DE?

[Alessandra]

My dd went to school at UDel and took the train to the BWI station, which was the easiest for us to pick her up from. My other daughter has taken it from Philly to BWI. Amtrak prices aren't too bad along the NY/DC corridor. Have you checked the prices on their website? It's pretty easy to navigate.

 

We once had dd go to the Calverton station. Much worse part of town and a bit further for us to get to. The BWI station is super easy to get in and out of and traffic isn't nearly as bad as it is around the DC beltway.

 

If you're coming from NY then the fast bus is supposed to be a great way to go from DC/Baltimore to NYC. It's got a name but I don't remember what it is. It's the one a lot of day trippers take to NY so they don't have to worry about parking so they can see the sights and catch a play.

 

edited to add: For the fast bus there is a station in Wheaton. I dropped dd off there and it's not bad.

Ds has used the BOLT bus from NYC to Union Station. It was super cheap, $30 or so iirc, less than Grayhound. Most of the passengers looked millennial-like. Free wifi on bus. Price varies acc to time. There is also a bus that goes to Bethesda, I think. In NY the busses leave from 34th street and far west side, much better than midtown bus terminal.

[Farrar]

I agree that the cheapest option is the Bolt or the Megabus. If you buy in advance, it can be very inexpensive.

 

You are absolutely taking a risk on the cheap buses... but it's much less of a risk than when you're taking them between points less traveled than the Boston-NYC-DC corridor. Those cheap buses do a ton of business along that route.

 

As for the train, yeah, just buy a ticket. Again, you'll save if you book in advance. It's a pleasant way to travel. Because there are so many, you can usually just buy a ticket on the day of, but it depends. You're better off ahead of time.

[PrincessMommy]

I think Newark, DE?

 

There is a train terminal in Newark... it's within walking distance of the college.  

 

Bolt!! Yes, that's the one.

[Luckymama]

I think Newark, DE?

That's where I live :)

 

There's an train station just south of the UD campus. It's easy to get a train to Philky, D.C., and NYC. Lots of people commute each day.

 

Megabus has a stop on the north end of campus, with multiple buses daily to NYC, Philly, Baltimore, and D.C.

 

My older d has taken megabus to NYC and D.C. multiple times. My parents used to take the train to connect in Philly or D.C.

 

I'd.be happy to answer any questions.

[justasque]

The cheapest train route is probably taking SEPTA regional rail from Newark to 30th Street Station in Philadelphia.  (This SEPTA route was previously called the R2; now it's called the Wilmington/Newark line.)

Then take SEPTA regional rail from 30th Street to Trenton; this is the Trenton line and it should take about an hour.

Then take a New Jersey Transit train from Trenton to NY Penn Station, which is right below Madison Square Garden in NYC; this is 90 minutes and the trains run roughly every half-hour.  This is called the Northeast Corridor train.  From NY Penn Station, you can take subways all over NYC.  You can also take other trains to various cities; I've never done that so I can't advise there.

 

The Trenton-NY Penn part costs $32.50 round trip, and runs quite late even on weekends.  The rest of the trip adds roughly $7-$15 (we do it slightly differently so I'm not sure how much it would be for you.)

 

You can buy the NJ Transit ticket on the train using the NJ Transit app, which is quite easy to use.  You can buy the rest on the train also, but it's worth inquiring whether you can buy it at the station in Newark, which would likely be cheaper, and which parts can be bought together because that can make it cheaper too.

 

The Trenton station is surprisingly modern and well-lit at night.

 

Another option is to drive up I-95 to the Hamilton station in New Jersey, probably about 1.5 hours for you.  They have an enormous parking garage, where you can even leave your car overnight; it's about $7 to park.  There you can get on the NJ Transit Northeast Corridor train to NY Penn Station.  There are always lots of people getting off the train at Hamilton, even late at night, so it feels reasonably safe.

 

Do not confuse NY Penn Station with NJ Penn Station; they are both on the Northeast Corridor route.

 

So SEPTA + NJ Transit is worth exploring if you're looking for an option that's cheaper than AMTRAK and less sketchy than the MegaBus.

[Pam in CT]

re Amtrak NE Corridor vs Acela

 

My IL's live near Philly, my parents near Boston, and my brother in DC. Amtrak's NE Corridor train runs from DC's Union Station to Boston's South Station. The Acela is faster but more expensive (it's designed to compete with flying for business travelers). The NE Regional is slower but cheaper.

 

Exactly this.  We take both from CT to WDC with some regularity.  The Acela makes considerably fewer stops/ is commensurately faster, but the NE Corridor is perfectly fine.  If you buy NE Corridor far enough in advance you can get first class for about the same price as a walk-on regular fare... and if you're traveling near a holiday etc you'd best book in advance anyway as it does sell out.   NE Corridor first class is about as comfy as Acela though it obviously still takes longer.

 

We find that for our location (60 minutes from the airport/35 minutes from Stamford train station), Acela door-to-door is actually faster than flying once we factor in time spent getting to the airport sufficiently in advance and picking up checked bags on the other end.  And certainly more pleasant.