NYC/Philly Commute (York, Penn: hotel, home, transfer)

[K 22]

Quick question for the crowd especially those amongst you who go to NY from time to time.

Which do you prefer: Amtrak or SEPTA+NJT for the commute?

Amtrak is faster and direct but more expensive ($51 when I last checked).

SEPTA Regional Rail + New Jersey Transit is much cheaper and runs more often ($25 total) but you have to wait and transfer at Trenton (thought not that long) and the trip is an extra 30-40 minutes.

So which one is better, in your view?

[2e1m5a]

Amtrak is soooo much better, but can be even more expensive than $51. I usually take Mega/Bolt depending on the time but NJ Transit/Septa really isn't too bad and was really convenient being able to get from Penn Station directly to my city block in Mount Airy.

[nifear]

It depends on your budget, time frame, and where in NYC you want to end up. I used to take the Chinatown bus from Philly Chinatown to the LES when visiting my friend in that neighborhood. The cost was about $12 one-way and the ride was about 2hours. Even though most were shut down by the Feds last year, I've recently seen signs in Chinatown that advertise philly-nyc rides. Downside: crazy drivers and even crazier passengers.

Megabus/Bolt Bus. The seats are bigger and both have wifi (if you're luckky to end up in a seat with an actual working outlet).

SEPTA/NJT can be a gamble. If the SEPTA train is late, you may end up missing your connecting NJT and willl have to wait for the next one.

Right now, I prefer Amtrak. Yes, it can be expensive, but I think it's worth not having to deal with all the hassle of a bus or commuter rail.

[NJhighlands87]

If you are not pressed for time, PATCO to Riverline to NJ transit can be the cheapest. Riverline is only $1.50 from Camden to Trenton.

[rotodome]

My favorite was always the Chinatown bus for going anywhere Downtown or in Brooklyn, because they were frequent and you could completely avoid going all the way up to midtown to catch them. When you factor in getting to midtown, it's the absolute fastest way. And the crazy drivers who disobey speed limits help with that

But between Amtrak & Septa/NJT, there is absolutely no advantage to Septa/NJT aside from cost.

[gwillyfromphilly]

Though the bus option is the cheapest, it's by far the slowest the slowest option. Not only would you have to deal with the Philly traffic but the New York traffic as well. If you are doing the NYC-Philly commute then your just better off using the Septa/NJT commuter rail transfer if the Amtrak option isn't possible.

[rotodome]

True, if commuting at rush hours, the bus is terribly slow/frustrating.

[jf3971]

Kind of like asking: Do you like sitting courtside for games, or in the last row of the upper level? The Ritz Carlton or Motel 6? One is clean/fast/comfortable the other is slow/uncomfortable/dirty.

What is there to possibly think about?

[Angus215]

For a daily commute, I can't see how anything other than Amtrak would be tolerable. . . and even that would be pretty miserable. For an occassional commute, Amtrak is by far the best option.

[FrankInPhilly]

Originally Posted by jf3971

Kind of like asking: Do you like sitting courtside for games, or in the last row of the upper level? The Ritz Carlton or Motel 6? One is clean/fast/comfortable the other is slow/uncomfortable/dirty.

What is there to possibly think about?

Well, if someone gives you courtside seats and says "here's your room key at the Ritz Carlton for after the game," that's great. If you are paying for the game and the hotel, that's a whole different story.

The OP's location in the city might factor into his/her planning. I'm in Mt Airy, and always find that if I time things right, I can drive to Trenton, get NJ Transit (one of the semi-express trains, with relatively few stops), and be at Penn Station in just over 2-2 1/4 hours. If OP is in the Main Line (i.e., west, s'west of town), the NJ Transit option becomes less feasible.

As for the bus ... cheap, yes, but the variation of trip time would drive me nuts. I haven't seen on-time departure/arrival stats but would bet good $ that the trains (NJ Transit and Amtrak) keep to their scheduled arrival/departure times a lot better than Bolt or Mega.

I'm just glad I work at home