An Uneventful Northeast Regional Ride on the Lynchburger #176 back to New York, except Gate Agents Don’t Know How to Handle eTickets

I would have gladly spent a few days in D.C. finally getting the Metro for this website, but both having my bike waiting for me in New York and Amtrak’s strange fare quirks requiring my layover to be less than 24 hours dashed those possibilities. I had booked myself on Regional Train #176 the Lynchburger, not realizing the train would be not originating in D.C. (all the Richmond/Newport News-bound trains have just two numbers). It gave me an exactly 23.5 hour layover for the same price as connecting straight through to New York ($87.30), if I had wanted to take the 1:02 train for example that would have pushed me over the 24 hour rule and cost me about $43 more (the price of a Chicago to Washington ticket plus the cost of a Washington to New York ticket).

The day started with breakfast in the hostel in the company of a Chilean, American from Ohio who had bicycled in along the Great Allegheny Passage trail, and an Argentinian. I then checked out and wandered over to the Smithsonian Castle, the only institution open since it was before 10am. There I realized that my two carry-on’s, my tiny camelback backpack and smallest bike bike that rides atop my saddlebag, are terrible for the required searches before entering Smithsonian buildings. I had about four zippers that needed to be open and the security guard wasn’t cutting me any slack even wanting to see inside my zipped up toiletry case.

I had a brief visit in the castle realizing its more of a visitors center than a museum before deciding on a totally different museum for my final two hours in DC. I went to the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden to see the modern art. The guard there was luckily much less thorough wanting to see the insides of my tiny zippered compartments. I had a good hour and half there before walking up Louisiana Avenue to Union Station.

I got to Union Station at 11:40 and the Lynchburger, my train, was running on time. I swiped by AGR Select card in Quik-Trak machine and got an updated electronic travel document showing just the final trip of my two train itinerary, not including the Capital Limited. I was going to use the app again but wanted to see what would happen. The previous hours’ Regional #84 from Newport News was running 45 minutes late and just getting its final boarding call. I walked over to gate H for track 25. There was a long line spilling out of little designated waiting area. Soon red caps asked for children to board first and the line slowly moved. I was tempted to go to the VRE gate area and use the barely marked staircase to get down to track 25 but decided I was pushing my luck with an Amtrak cop standing next to the gate agent.

The monitors switched to say gate closed two minutes before departure and I held up the line for maybe 30 seconds as the gate agent screamed at me to show her train #176 in the Amtrak app. I finally put my figure under the train number (which I had to find myself) and was allowed down the escalator to the platform. I managed to find a two-seater with a decent view as the conductor screamed multiple times over the PA system to have all tickets and ticket receipts (what’s that mean?) out.
At 12:07 we slowly left passing all of the Marc equipment and Washington U Galidette on the Red Line at 12:10. Next we pass all the VRE galley car equipment and soon I’m zooming north probably the fastest I have on this trip. I chose a seat on the left (to see the trains passing us in the opposite direction) but were wrong-railing for some reason as we follow a highway up to New Carrolton arriving at 12:17, departing at 12:19 where there is an Amtrak employee meeting the train on the platform. A single level Marc train using diesel equipment stops across from us. We get the cafe car is open announcement and to bring your tickets with you there. It’s the total opposite of a long distance train, where no one asks for your tickets after you board.

• 12:22 — pass Seabrook
• 12:24 — Bowie interlocking with an old Amtrak pointless arrow sign
• 12:25 — Bowie state Marc, as we take the middle track.
• 12:27 — an Acela zooms by and then we pass Odenton
• 12:32 — we slow down and switch over to the regular side track as a regional going the other way passes
• 12:35 — arrive BWI. There people getting off, don’t know if they got on in DC (a waste since a Marc train is right behind us) or I assume somewhere in Virginia.
• 12:40 — Halethorpe with small low level platforms and a high level longer one under construction and we start passing smaller houses of Baltimore and go over a creek.
• 12:43 — a diesel 3 car Marc train running inbound to DC passes before we pass West Baltimore with its tiny low-level platforms.
• 12:46 — go through the Baltimore and Potomac Tunnels as the stop is announced. I lose cell service and wonder if these have been wired for Amtrak Connect.

We emerge and go beneath city streets the few more blocks to Baltimore’s Penn Station where we arrive at 12:49. The variable sign claims my car is the quiet car which isn’t true. I am surprised I don’t have a seat mate. It’s a lot different from my last Regional trip connecting from the Capital Limited when people were roaming the aisles. The conductor announces again it’s a sold out train as we pass single family houses and then a factory with tons of stones. This fact isn’t true, I can still buy a ticket for $176 from Wilmington to Boston on it. We next pass a large freight yard.

• 1:03 — another Acela zooms by
• 1:04 — cross the Gunpoint River and a Regional passes
• 1:06 — Edgewood and then zoom over the Bush River, I’ve missed seeing Martin State Airport
• 1:10 — Aberdeen
• 1:13 — the long Susquehanna River bridge into Perryville and the end of Mark
• 1:31 — We get the annoucement were entering Wilmington, I have quickly dozed off and missed the first two, Selta stops. The train is too fast to get everyone, I won’t bother with the rest. An Acela Express pulls in then. We stop at 1:34 and pass to abandoned SPV 2000s.
• 1:40 — Claymont, DE low level
• 1:42 — Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania
• 1:43 — Highland Ave or Lamokin Street closed in 2003 the stop lacks a sign
• 1:44 — Chester TC then Eddystone
• 1:45 — Crum Lynne then Ridley Park
• 1:46 — Prospect Park then Norwood
• 1:47 — Folcroft then Sharon Hill then Critrus Park (missed Glenolden)
• 1:49 — Darby as we’re running slower and a southbound Septa passes.
• 1:51 — we see the Philly skyline as Septa curves off to stop at University City before running up to the upper level. We get the announcement and a good portion of my car is exiting.

At 1:53 we arrive to the high-level platform with a lot of my car getting off. The slightly underground platforms have been rigged for cell service after I lose mine and it comes back getting E before going back to searching. We leave at 1:57 as an Atlantic City Line train approaches and Im happy I have my blanket for my legs in the over air conditioned car. We slowly leave passing a CSX freight train and Acela. I still haven’t gotten a seat mate.

• 2:02 — we cross the Schuylkill passing a southbound Regional
• 2:05 — Through North Philadelphia
• 2:10 — Were not going quite as fast and bypass an abandond stop overgrown with grass, it could be one of 5 closed stations.
• 2:11 — Holmesburg Junction followed by a southbound Septa
• 2:13 — Torresdale, the track up here is definitely slower then another abandoned stop with the remains of a staircase from a highway overpass
• 2:14 — Cornwells Heights
• 2:16 — Croydon with high level platforms
• 2:19 — Levittown as we see the Delaware River off in the distance. The Trenton Line Septa Stations I’ve failed miserably at actually seeing.
• 2:22 — cross the Delaware and enter Trenton (specified as being in New Jersey). There is a new Silverliner in the station. We arrive at 2:23 and leave at 2:26 slowly.
• 2:30 — modern Hamilton one of the few NJT NEC stations I haven’t visited yet.
• 2:33 — Princeton Junction. Notice two attached Arrows surrounded by chain-link fencing, guess their Dinky’s backups.
• 2:38 — pass a NJT local and the Adams, NJ Amtrak MOW yard.
• 2:40 — Jersey Avenue as a southbound stops
• 2:41 — New Brunswick
• 2:42 — Edison, a stop I still need
• 2:44 — Metuchen and a Keystone passes us.
• 2:45 — slow down, and switch onto the local track for Metropark as seat checks are collected. We leave at 2:48 as two southbound Amtraks pass.
• 2:51 — reach the interlocking with the North Jersey Coast line (tracks I need to ride) and go through Rahway.
• 2:52 — Linden
• 2:55 — slowly go through Elizabeth then North Elizabeth
• 2:57 — pass Newark Airport along a platform
• 2:58 — slowly pass the end of PATH and the announcement for Newark Penn Station.
• We pull into Newark at 2:59 as a southbound Keystone leaves. At 3:02 were pulling away and I notice construction on a portion of the platform for track 5.
• 3:03 — go through Harrison and head through the meadowlands
• 3:07 — Secaucus it is time to pack up and freeze going through the North River Tunnels. I never did get a seat mate on this supposedly sold out train.

We 3:09 enter the little gimspe of daylight and arrive at 3:12. I go upstairs and am told to wait by the baggage claim and that an agent will be there within 5 minutes for me. I feel like I haven’t left New York, the Silver Meteor again doesn’t leave Sunnyside until 3:22 when they announce that fact. An agent finally comes out with my two saddlebags and bike box about ten minutes later, and I assemble my bike on right alongside the closed baggage claim. I wish slightly I had waited to pick up my bike until after 5:00, the height of the PM rush hour just to be doing it in the totally packed terminal.

As I am putting the last touches on my petals and handlebars I hear some commotion by track 5 where the Lake Shore Limited has been boarding (which I boarded exactly 17 days ago) as they make the last call annoucment. There is a lady trying to go down to the gate agent controlled platform screaming that she had a ticket on the train and was told by customer service (I assume had changed her reservation over the phone) that the barcode was all she needed and she didn’t need a new ticket and needed to get to Seattle. She became understandably quite irate being prevented from boarding. Eventually 3 gate agents (with an Amtrak Cop standing by) surrounded her to prevent her from going down the escalator at 5-East and they led her away to I think the ticket windows on the opposite end of the concourse. I later found out the Lake Shore left 10 minutes late so perhaps she still made the train after a reservation agent checked her ticket. Ideally the gate agents have iPhones too to check passengers tickets who have changed them. The situation was handled very poorly by Amtrak, they should have escorted her down to the platform to the conductor to check her ticket there and not just required visual proof about boarding the train. Amtrak has made a big deal that now if you change your reservation an old barcode can still be used to board the train, they only recommend you pick up a new ticket. (I posted about this on Amtrak Unlimited).

I take the most disgusting elevator out of near the Amtrak concourse to the area full of construction by Madison Square Garden and ride home up the greenway, another good trip complete, happy I have now ridden every Midwestern Amtrak Route (I count the Illinios Zephyr/Carl Sandburg and Saluki/Illini) as one except for the Blue Water that I haven’t quite found a creative solution for riding out of Port Huron.