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Old 08-25-2013, 08:05 PM
 
Location: Philadelphia, PA
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Is the Atlantic City Line a good option for going to the beach?
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Old 08-25-2013, 08:28 PM
 
Location: Philadelphia, PA
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The AC line will eventually take you to the Atlantic City station, which is several blocks away from the beach near Bally's/Caesars casinos (10-15 min walk). The train ride is about 1.5 hours from Philly (30th st) to AC; the plus side is that you don't have to worry about the $15-$20 casino or lot parking fee for the day. Right now they are doing rail track work b/w 30th street and the Cherry hill stop on the weekends (shuttle buses from Philly to Cherry hill provided), so I wouldn't recommend going on the weekends (unless you want to take the shuttle bus). Another down side is that this train tends to run every 1-1.5 hours. If you are going to take the train, you better make sure you're on time and plan things out!

I think you could also take the 551 bus from the 10th & Filbert bus station in downtown Philly, if I remember correctly. It stays on rt. 42 S and AC Expressway most of the time, with less stops.

Driving would probably be the less hassle-free way to go, but much more costly. You pay your $3.75 tolls on the way there and $8.75 (including $5 bridge toll) going back. You also pay your casino or lot parking fee at stay in AC for the day to get your money's worth. If you want to hunt for free street parking, go for it and good luck! Don't do meters unless you want to go back to your car every 2 hours; trust me, the time will go by fast!

Pick your poison!
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Old 08-25-2013, 09:18 PM
 
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you could also take patco to lindenwold and transfer there.. $10 Philly to AC on ACL or $3 PATCO +$5 ACL from Philly to AC.
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Old 08-25-2013, 09:53 PM
 
Location: Philadelphia, PA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by stuckinsj View Post
you could also take patco to lindenwold and transfer there.. $10 Philly to AC on ACL or $3 PATCO +$5 ACL from Philly to AC.
Oh yeah, I forgot about that PATCO line lol! Which is weird, since I took the PATCO a coule of weeks ago to the Camden Waterfront. Still requires planning ahead and good timing!
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Old 08-26-2013, 03:22 PM
 
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do they still run the jitneys from the AC station to the casinos? I imagine they would with the amount of senior traffic on the line ... if so you can use that to get you closer to the beach

I think the better question is if that is where you want to go for a beach day?
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Old 08-26-2013, 06:44 PM
 
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Originally Posted by stressedCollegeGirl89 View Post
Still requires planning ahead and good timing!
It doesn't really take much planning or timing because PATCO usually runs every 12 minutes or less. I have in-laws with a house in Brigantine so I used to make the trip ~twice a month in the summer for a couple of years. The PATCO transfers are actually written into the AC rail line schedule. http://www.njtransit.com/pdf/rail/R0090.pdf

PATCO to Lindenwold is faster and cheaper than the AC train. If you're not already in West Philly there's no reason to catch the train at 30th St.

It's really not a bad train ride especially when you consider what weekend traffic is normally like.
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Old 08-26-2013, 07:46 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Finger Laker View Post
do they still run the jitneys from the AC station to the casinos? I imagine they would with the amount of senior traffic on the line ... if so you can use that to get you closer to the beach

I think the better question is if that is where you want to go for a beach day?
One can walk from the AC train terminal to the bus terminal, which will take one to all of the southern NJ shore points. When I was a kid my dad couldn't drive so it was the only way to take a NJ shore vacation. It's brutal and takes basically a full day to get from 30th St to Wildwood.
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Old 08-26-2013, 08:18 PM
 
Location: Philadelphia, PA
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How expensive is the 551 bus? It seems like that is actually the least stressful and fastest way. Is it particularly less comfortable etc? I wish I knew about this option last month when it was hot as hell.
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Old 08-26-2013, 09:12 PM
 
Location: Cumberland County, NJ
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeNigh View Post
How expensive is the 551 bus? It seems like that is actually the least stressful and fastest way. Is it particularly less comfortable etc? I wish I knew about this option last month when it was hot as hell.
$16.50 one way from Philly to Atlantic City. Although the 551 bus is more expensive, it runs more frequent than the Atlantic City Line.
http://www.njtransit.com/pdf/bus/T0551.pdf
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Old 08-27-2013, 06:32 AM
 
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Originally Posted by mcguirk View Post
One can walk from the AC train terminal to the bus terminal, which will take one to all of the southern NJ shore points. When I was a kid my dad couldn't drive so it was the only way to take a NJ shore vacation. It's brutal and takes basically a full day to get from 30th St to Wildwood.
You can get the bus straight to Wildwood from Broad & Snyder. It takes 1:45.

Quote:
How expensive is the 551 bus? It seems like that is actually the least stressful and fastest way. Is it particularly less comfortable etc? I wish I knew about this option last month when it was hot as hell.
It's twice the cost of taking the train but it's about 15 minutes quicker. The bus is a coach bus like greyhound bus. I prefer the train but because the bus departs hourly I have taken it a few times just because of the convenience.
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