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So, long weekend, I'd like to get out of my frozen, boring town. Does anyone know of a website which searches round-trip rail and/or plane tickets by price, without requiring a destination?
I'd be flying out of Boston Logan, or taking the train out of North or South Station.
Never seen one, But would be a hard website to build, as travel (air mostly) prices are so dynamic,
The website would have to pull point in time prices for every Flight out of X (BOS in your case) On the date/time range in question, and return on 2nd date/time range, then eliminate any over your dollar amount. That would take some serious computer power to do it fast enough. The software could eliminate some based on cost history of flights.
But last minute prices tend to be high, Airlines tend not do dump last minute tickets anymore at deep discounts just fill the plane.
North Station only goes to Maine , South Station goes to points South and West like Virgina , DC , Chicago , California via Transfer at Chicago... Of course if you book in advance you get the best price , they do have select Amtrak travel packages on their site.
Basically all the options are too expensive. Thanks, all, for your responses. Guess we're just stuck trying to find something to do locally.
Why does anyone ride the train, by the way? Even the high speed train is much slower than flying and much more expensive. It's barely faster than the $15 bus, yet it's 10X the price!
Basically all the options are too expensive. Thanks, all, for your responses. Guess we're just stuck trying to find something to do locally.
Why does anyone ride the train, by the way? Even the high speed train is much slower than flying and much more expensive. It's barely faster than the $15 bus, yet it's 10X the price!
Its more Comfortable then Flying , brings you right to the center or town or your destination.... High Speed Rail isn't slower then Flying in Regional Terms. The Northeastern Plan slashes travel from Boston to NYC to 90mins , which when you factor in all the crap you have to do with the TSA , just getting to the Airport or waiting to depart or land its about the same or less. You have to book in advance for Amtrak like flying , due to capacity issues they would like it if you book at least 2 weeks ahead otherwise its expensive. Ridership is thru the roof , they used only account for 20% of the travel share in 2000 in the Northeast now its 85% as of 2011. So there upgrading and expanding the system , ordering new trains , making stations nicer and accessible..... Around 45,700 take Amtrak on a daily basis in the Northeast each day , that's up from 25,100 back in 2000.....it keeps growing each year hence why Amtrak ordered the Mega trains that can carry up to 1000 people. Theres also the New and Restored Routes like the Lackawanna Corridor up into the Pocanos and Upstate NY , The Cape Codder , The Downeaster up to Bangor , The Ethan Allen Extension to Burlington , The Berkshires Express , The Knowledge Corridor , Lehigh line , Northwest Service and a few High Speed Rail lines. The Future is Trains and Buses , not planes and cars....
Basically all the options are too expensive. Thanks, all, for your responses. Guess we're just stuck trying to find something to do locally.
Why does anyone ride the train, by the way? Even the high speed train is much slower than flying and much more expensive. It's barely faster than the $15 bus, yet it's 10X the price!
Because Amtrak long-distance service is funded by Uncle Sugar, heavily unionized with regard to just about every function, serves a clientele which involves a disproportionate share of railroad buffs and public employees -- in short, because it is not answerable to the demands of the marketplace. And it doesn't go to too many places, or very often.
And the public highway transportation system -- outside of megabus et al -- is in similarly poor shape. Greyhound and Trailways merged years ago, and are now operated by Laidlaw, the same people who manage school buses in many markets. Just pack 'em in, cause in many cases, there are no alternatives (Want to go from Wichita to Albuquerque, for example? Fine! -- there's only one change -- in Oklahoma City. The direct route via US 54 dried up years ago for lack of patronage.)
You will hear the usual caterwauling from the usual suspects about how "public" transport needs to be "rebuilt". But enthusiasm dried up quickly after Barry-O and his WonderPets took their one big train ride four years ago, because the reality of the high cost of such an experiment quickly set in.
In fairness, the markets -- both public and private -- have been responding. Numerous cities -- Washington, Dallas, Atlanta, Miami, San Francisco, and Los Angeles -- have all developed either subway or commuter rail systems over the forty years since I finished my education. But as several people I know in those markets have opined, "It works just fine, IF you have lots of time and IF a car is NOT an option."
We are all stuck with a series of hard choices, and despite the rosy picture pained by the anti-automotive zealots, the loss of mobility and convenience are both real and understated.
As an aside, the OP might want to check out routefriend.com; the options are considerable and the cost reasonable. Just recognize that the journey might take more time than as advertised, and that once you commit to it, you're locked in.
Last edited by 2nd trick op; 02-16-2013 at 05:38 AM..
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