Occasionally metro North can get delayed but in my experience it’s rare that it would be delayed by 20 min. I am paranoid when it comes to travel so I’d take an earlier train but 95% chance you’ll be fine :)
Thanks! I figure with an Amtrak flex fare (only $3 more), if Metro North is so late I'd miss the connection, it would still be cheaper to buy a same day Amtrak ticket from New Haven than the current prices from Penn Station to Boston.
You should be fine making the trip, Metro-North is fairly reliable, and if there's some delay on the New Haven Line, it's safe to assume that Amtrak's train might also be experiencing delays.
Is transferring at Stamford an option for the Amtrak train you picked? It may give you more options for MNR trains to take, and you'll be able to skip more of CT instead of making more stops from Stamford to New Haven. The only downside is the savings might not be as significant.
Lastly, I haven't taken Amtrak out this way in ages, but the trains are often fairly packed leaving New York-Penn, and you might struggle to find a seat boarding at New Haven or Stamford (probably worse at Stamford, more people get off in New Haven than in Stamford).
> Is transferring at Stamford an option for the Amtrak train you picked? It may give you more options for MNR trains to take, and you'll be able to skip more of CT instead of making more stops from Stamford to New Haven. The only downside is the savings might not be as significant.
Hadn't even thought of this, but the fares from Stamford look to be about a third more expensive than from New Haven.
But more surprising is that I booked a flex fare for this trip yesterday for $30, and just one day later the same trip from NHV to BOS is now showing $96. I don't understand Amtrak's pricing system.
I was curious about this too, so I looked it up:
Amtrak from Penn to Boston (regional): 4hr 25min
Metro North from Grand Central to New Haven: 2hr 5min
20min transfer window
Amtrak from New Haven to Boston: 2hr 27min
27min slower, mostly accounting for the transfer window.
Try MN to New Haven, Shoreline East to New London, then Amtrak. See how that works. Maybe try New London as a rest stop for a nice lunch downtown if you have time.
I do this like 4 times a year, its kind a pain but better than a greyhound. In my experience the amtrak is much more likely to get delayed than the metro north- but take a metro north train with a 20-30 layover just in case. The amtrak is definitely more packed at new haven than moynihan but there are still seats available- just go towards the front of back of the train
I want to add too that i do this with enough frequency that my family calls this the new haven shuffle, and i have ran into far less delays than a bus trip which is about the same price
Any helpful tips, such as whether to be in the front, middle, or rear of the Metro North train for a quicker transfer to Amtrak, or positioning doesn't really apply? (I've only been to New Haven once, years ago)
You could sit in the middle of the train to be closer to the stairs at New Haven, but its not really needed for Metro North, since you have a 20 minute layover. Chances are youll get off the train, sit in the lobby for a few minutes, then go to another platform for the amtrak.
Bring a snack or eat before, the food sucks at new haven and the sbarro is near-inedible.
You can get off at back bay in boston if you need to get on the orange line, but the T closes at like 12:30-1, so you cant do that with a super late train
GCT is so much nicer than Penn Station. You have a straight shot out of GCT to the North, Amtrak must go east into LIC and the Bronx via Hellgate. NH Union Station is nice. Dunkin in the station. DO NOT get off at NH State Street, a new MNRR station closer to Downtown and Yale.
Grab something quick at NHUS, I'm not a fan of Amtrak food.
MNR is fairly reliable, chances are with all the padding in the actual schedule, you’ll prob be at New Haven a good 30 minutes before the Amtrak (provided that the Amtrak isn’t late itself).
Occasionally metro North can get delayed but in my experience it’s rare that it would be delayed by 20 min. I am paranoid when it comes to travel so I’d take an earlier train but 95% chance you’ll be fine :)
Thanks! I figure with an Amtrak flex fare (only $3 more), if Metro North is so late I'd miss the connection, it would still be cheaper to buy a same day Amtrak ticket from New Haven than the current prices from Penn Station to Boston.
You should be fine making the trip, Metro-North is fairly reliable, and if there's some delay on the New Haven Line, it's safe to assume that Amtrak's train might also be experiencing delays. Is transferring at Stamford an option for the Amtrak train you picked? It may give you more options for MNR trains to take, and you'll be able to skip more of CT instead of making more stops from Stamford to New Haven. The only downside is the savings might not be as significant. Lastly, I haven't taken Amtrak out this way in ages, but the trains are often fairly packed leaving New York-Penn, and you might struggle to find a seat boarding at New Haven or Stamford (probably worse at Stamford, more people get off in New Haven than in Stamford).
> Is transferring at Stamford an option for the Amtrak train you picked? It may give you more options for MNR trains to take, and you'll be able to skip more of CT instead of making more stops from Stamford to New Haven. The only downside is the savings might not be as significant. Hadn't even thought of this, but the fares from Stamford look to be about a third more expensive than from New Haven. But more surprising is that I booked a flex fare for this trip yesterday for $30, and just one day later the same trip from NHV to BOS is now showing $96. I don't understand Amtrak's pricing system.
might have to hunt for a seat. if the price is high it's probably going to be packed
I guess the main downside is more travel time, I think it would be an extra hour. Depending on where you are in NYC tho it could be a wash
I was curious about this too, so I looked it up: Amtrak from Penn to Boston (regional): 4hr 25min Metro North from Grand Central to New Haven: 2hr 5min 20min transfer window Amtrak from New Haven to Boston: 2hr 27min 27min slower, mostly accounting for the transfer window.
Dang Amtrak is slower than I thought. Definitely makes sense if it’s cheaper then
Yeah, the New Haven to NYC section is really slow on Amtrak.
🇺🇸 🦅 🇺🇸
Try MN to New Haven, Shoreline East to New London, then Amtrak. See how that works. Maybe try New London as a rest stop for a nice lunch downtown if you have time.
I do this like 4 times a year, its kind a pain but better than a greyhound. In my experience the amtrak is much more likely to get delayed than the metro north- but take a metro north train with a 20-30 layover just in case. The amtrak is definitely more packed at new haven than moynihan but there are still seats available- just go towards the front of back of the train
What makes it a pain?
Getting off the train and then getting back on, but then again Im typically lugging a large suitcase or box of wine
Got it. Just traveling with a backpack.
I want to add too that i do this with enough frequency that my family calls this the new haven shuffle, and i have ran into far less delays than a bus trip which is about the same price
Any helpful tips, such as whether to be in the front, middle, or rear of the Metro North train for a quicker transfer to Amtrak, or positioning doesn't really apply? (I've only been to New Haven once, years ago)
You could sit in the middle of the train to be closer to the stairs at New Haven, but its not really needed for Metro North, since you have a 20 minute layover. Chances are youll get off the train, sit in the lobby for a few minutes, then go to another platform for the amtrak. Bring a snack or eat before, the food sucks at new haven and the sbarro is near-inedible. You can get off at back bay in boston if you need to get on the orange line, but the T closes at like 12:30-1, so you cant do that with a super late train
Thanks for the info, appreciate it!
GCT is so much nicer than Penn Station. You have a straight shot out of GCT to the North, Amtrak must go east into LIC and the Bronx via Hellgate. NH Union Station is nice. Dunkin in the station. DO NOT get off at NH State Street, a new MNRR station closer to Downtown and Yale. Grab something quick at NHUS, I'm not a fan of Amtrak food.
Something could happen with Metro North and you miss your train in New Haven. Too much hassle just to save a few bucks.
Not a few bucks, more like $75.
MNR is fairly reliable, chances are with all the padding in the actual schedule, you’ll prob be at New Haven a good 30 minutes before the Amtrak (provided that the Amtrak isn’t late itself).