Commute NC to DC (Charlotte, Raleigh: credit card, hotels, home)

[MHCStatefan]

There are several other older posts about this, so I wanted to start a new one. I moved my family back home to NC 2 years ago and I still commute to DC for work 2 consecutive days every other week (for now). We love NC and consider it home and I enjoy my job in DC, so I am trying to have the best of both worlds. I am wondering if anyone else is doing this commute on a regular basis and what travel trips you may have. I typically leave on a Monday afternoon and drive to Fredericksburg (4.5 hours from my house). I get a hotel for around $100 a night and get up early on Tuesday and take the VRE into the office in DC. Sometimes if I can find a reasonable hotel, I will stay in DC but if not I just VRE back down to Fredericksburg for the night and do it all over the next day. I will take the 4 pm VRE back down to Fredericksburg on the second day then drive home and get in around 1030/11PM. Anyone else doing something similar? Any tips or tricks for me on other means of travel or hotels?

[rnc2mbfl]

Originally Posted by MHCStatefan

There are several other older posts about this, so I wanted to start a new one. I moved my family back home to NC 2 years ago and I still commute to DC for work 2 consecutive days every other week (for now). We love NC and consider it home and I enjoy my job in DC, so I am trying to have the best of both worlds. I am wondering if anyone else is doing this commute on a regular basis and what travel trips you may have. I typically leave on a Monday afternoon and drive to Fredericksburg (4.5 hours from my house). I get a hotel for around $100 a night and get up early on Tuesday and take the VRE into the office in DC. Sometimes if I can find a reasonable hotel, I will stay in DC but if not I just VRE back down to Fredericksburg for the night and do it all over the next day. I will take the 4 pm VRE back down to Fredericksburg on the second day then drive home and get in around 1030/11PM. Anyone else doing something similar? Any tips or tricks for me on other means of travel or hotels?

There was a time where I was going to the NOVA regularly and booked flights well in advance to Dulles from RDU. They were pretty cheap...not sure what they are now. It would seem to me that the cost of gas might actually justify flying and possibly eliminate a hotel night stay by going traveling early AM of your 2 day trip.

[kyle19125]

Have you considered driving to Richmond and parking at the Amtrak Station there? You can take Amtrak for $20 each way with advance purchase straight into DC Union Station and the trip takes 2.5 hours. There are several hotels near Union Station (walking distance or short taxi/Uber ride) that run around $140 a night including a Marriott Courtyard, Yotel (upscale boutique brand) and a Cambria (Choice Hotel brand).

[MackCyr1965]

Hopefully, in the next few years, the ”S-Line” high-speed rail will be completed between Raleigh and Richmond and Washington. It will reduce travel time to 1.5 hours from Raleigh - Richmond and to 3 hours to DC Union Station. Contact NC Senators and tell them to continue funding this project!!!!

[Charlotte485]

It sounds horrible to me but….

Is there anyway you can get (1) Commuter Benefits from your work that could cover some cost of Amtrak (2) get a credit card with Amtrak to rack up points and get free trips & (3) purchase quite a few Amtrak tickets in advanced as much as possible because Amtrak is a lot cheaper? Also, Amtrak is cheap in VA. Maybe there’s somewhere closer than Richmond to DC? Though Richmond has the NE Regional which is more frequent and cheaper compared to the lines going further south. I don’t know how the prices are in NC but they often run a lot cheaper in VA (like $13 anywhere in VA to DC sometimes I guess because VA contributes a lot of $)

[architect77]

Originally Posted by MackCyr1965

Hopefully, in the next few years, the ”S-Line” high-speed rail will be completed between Raleigh and Richmond and Washington. It will reduce travel time to 1.5 hours from Raleigh - Richmond and to 3 hours to DC Union Station. Contact NC Senators and tell them to continue funding this project!!!!

Virginia is investing “all in” in rail and now owns the S line.

NC has been awarded grants for the section that’s in NC.

But both NC and VA will have to come up with $4-6 billion to resurrect the 100 miles of the S line from the state line to Petersburg.

I hope it happens in the next 10 yrs.

Day trips from Raleigh to D.C. by rail would be an awesome advancement.

[paytonc]

You can use pre-tax "commuter benefits" debit card funds for Amtrak commutes, and there are 10-ride passes available for Northeast Regional trains.

Suggestions I'll echo, as someone who does this trip at least monthly:
- Travel from Richmond (Staples Mill) vs. Fredericksburg, removes almost any traffic tie-ups and still gets 10 trains a day; generally fewer delays on that segment vs. south of it
- Some people on the Triangle forum have mentioned Amtrak from Rocky Mount, which sees 4 trains a day (vs. 2 in Raleigh) and has free parking
- Buy Amtrak tickets well in advance, as the prices pretty much always increase
- Consider flights to BWI
- Support the S-Line project!

I would consider a hotel credit card instead of the AGR card: your hotel stays are on your dime, and hotel prices in DC are generally high and fluctuate widely. Since I live in DC, I haven't thought much about which program has particularly great value, but generally the smaller ones are better values (i.e., don't do Hilton or Marriott). A Fed friend of mine is doing a similar arrangement and uses Choice hotels, since there are a few of their nicer Cambria hotels within DC.

When it's all said and done, you can then use your Amtrak + hotel points to treat the family to a rail-sleeper vacation to Florida or New Orleans -- Amtrak's southbound sleepers travel through NC in the late PM.

[king john IV]

Megabus.

https://us.megabus.com/
we have used it sooo much.
walk on in Durham walk off in DC.

when i drove for work (company car)
i would get a room in Springfield, VA
and ride the Metro in since at that time
Springfield was the end-of-the-line.

[n24scube]

Originally Posted by king john IV

Megabus.

https://us.megabus.com/
we have used it sooo much.
walk on in Durham walk off in DC.

when i drove for work (company car)
i would get a room in Springfield, VA
and ride the Metro in since at that time
Springfield was the end-of-the-line.

Apparently this runs Raleigh to Atlanta via Fayetteville 2x a day, or
Durham via Charlotte to Atlanta 1x a day and Durham to DC 1x a day.