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NYC to DC round trip is 6 hours scheduled time by train or 3 hours scheduled time by air. Granted Penn and Union stations are more convenient than Newark and Re

NYC to DC round trip is 6 hours scheduled time by train or 3 hours scheduled time by air. Granted Penn and Union stations are more convenient than Newark and Reagan airports, but not that much more convenient. It is a nicer trip though, I'll give you that. But not nice enough to mean an extra day away from home.

gbear605 7y ago
Taking into account the security checks and transport to and from the airport, the flight might take significantly longer than the the train, especially if you’re flying at a busy time. Plus planes are more likely to have delays.
- coryrc 7y ago
  I've been regularly 6-18 hours late on Amtrak, which is longer than the length of the flight alone. At least when planes are delayed you usually know ahead of time and can just not go to the airport.
jogjayr 7y ago
You usually arrive at the airport 60-90 minutes before a flight, vs 30 minutes before a train. And train station locations will give you a 30 minute advantage over airport locations. So really we're comparing 3.5-4.5 hrs for a flight vs 6.5 hours for a train. Trains are also a lot more comfortable, have charging points even in economy class, and don't charge baggage fees.
- bradleyjg 7y ago
  Not if you are a regular traveler. In that case you have global entry and/or clear, and aren't checking a bag. Depending on the exact terminal you can get to the airport about 15 minutes before boarding, 45 minutes before listed departure. The bulk of the advantage is the location of the terminal stations, which is real but not as significant as it is being made out here. I mean maybe if you live right at Penn Station and your meeting is right by Union Station, but if you coming from, say, LIC and going to Georgetown, you may be happier with LGA and DCA than NYP and Union Station. You're absolutely correct about the comfort points, but price should be just as strongly in the train's favor and it isn't.
  - mattkrause 7y ago
    Georgetown to Union station is about four miles and the circulator bus will take you there for a buck. DCA is about six miles and accessible by Metro. Seems about the same.
  - cowsandmilk 7y ago
    > Not if you are a regular traveler The regular travelers have voted in numbers for Amtrak between DC and NYC over air travel, preferring it for the last decade[0]. They have been growing the number of trips and have even been able to go further up market with the new Acela nonstop this year. The truth is, passengers are voting with their dollars for the train between NYC and DC. [0] https://www.citylab.com/transportation/2014/11/why-more-northeast-us-travelers-take-the-train-than-a-plane-in-2-charts/383158/ https://www.citylab.com/transportation/2014/11/why-more-nort...
    - throwaway0xb 7y ago
      NYC and DC don't really project to other metros. Travel to and from Penn Station vs the airports is a non-trivial consideration to passengers. It is expensive or time consuming or a PITA to travel to JFK/LGA/EWR on public transit with a bag. I lived in Brooklyn and made the NYC/DC commute 15 or so times a year for many years and that was a significant issue for me, it just wasn't cost or time effective to fly in _NYC_. I now live in Maine and wouldn't consider for a second taking the train to NYC. I'll fly out of PWM or, if I want flexibility, drive there. There is a non-stop bus that I'd prefer, too.
      - bobthepanda 7y ago
        It helps that due to a mix of incompetence and lack of support from the governor‘s office that there is no direct train link through Boston that a train from Maine might use to get to NYC.
- mattkrause 7y ago
  The OP was also looking at round-trip times (NYC to DC is about 3hr each way), so double all of those ancillary numbers.
- UserIsUnused 7y ago
  >vs 30 minutes before a train wait, what? Why? Here as long as I'm there before it departs it's fine.
  - jogjayr 7y ago
    Got it off the Amtrak website.
- lorenzhs 7y ago
  From a European perspective, arriving at the train station 30 minutes in advance sounds completely absurd. I'd say 10 minutes is much closer to the average here (Germany). I took Amtrak from DC to NYC once and the whole boarding process seemed needlessly time-wasting.
mattkrause 7y ago
The actual train trip from NYC to DC is 3-3.5 hours each way, and both ends are smack in the middle of the city. If you’re flying, Dulles and BWI are 45 minutes from downtown DC (or more); ditto for the NYC end, and you need to factor in another hour+ for security. I think air travel might end up slower—-and it’s certainly less pleasant.
- dimino 7y ago
  Okay but you're flying into DCA, not BWI or IAD, and from there it's a ~15 minute metro into the heart of the city. Agree with you on the other points, though.
- frutiger 7y ago
  > and you need to factor in another hour+ for security Just an anecdote, but with TSA Pre, I haven’t needed more than 15 minutes for security, flying domestically and internationally several times per year for the past few years.
  - JumpCrisscross 7y ago
    > with TSA Pre, I haven’t needed more than 15 minutes for security Same. With Clear, that goes down to 5 minutes tops. Add in airport lounges, and showing up a bit early goes from being a nuisance to a pleasure (or opportunity to be productive). I’m a huge fan of trains, but they’re only marginally competitive for passengers in the Northeast.
    - ghaff 7y ago
      At least for the north or south subset of the Northeast Corridor the type of transportation honestly boils down to preference. Train is in the comfortable but relatively pricey and slow end of the equation. I could drive from Central Mass to New York cheaper and faster than train but I hate doing that drive.
  - mattkrause 7y ago
    This probably depends a lot on exactly when/where you’re flying. Even if it seemed true for me, I’m not sure I’d bet the price of a ticket (and my schedule) on it always working out.
jmartrican 7y ago
Every week I commute from NJ to Boston. A jet does the trip in 50 minutes. The Amtrak Express from Newark to Boston is 4 hours. Yet when you take into account the delayed flights, the security, the fact that I cannot sit down and work for most of the time during my air trip, etc... the train wins out every time. It seems to be on time most of the time. And the ride is smooth with free wifi. And sometime I just stare at the beautiful New England scenery.

gbear605 7y ago

Taking into account the security checks and transport to and from the airport, the flight might take significantly longer than the the train, especially if you’re flying at a busy time. Plus planes are more likely to have delays.

coryrc 7y ago
I've been regularly 6-18 hours late on Amtrak, which is longer than the length of the flight alone. At least when planes are delayed you usually know ahead of time and can just not go to the airport.

jogjayr 7y ago

You usually arrive at the airport 60-90 minutes before a flight, vs 30 minutes before a train. And train station locations will give you a 30 minute advantage over airport locations. So really we're comparing 3.5-4.5 hrs for a flight vs 6.5 hours for a train. Trains are also a lot more comfortable, have charging points even in economy class, and don't charge baggage fees.

bradleyjg 7y ago
Not if you are a regular traveler. In that case you have global entry and/or clear, and aren't checking a bag. Depending on the exact terminal you can get to the airport about 15 minutes before boarding, 45 minutes before listed departure. The bulk of the advantage is the location of the terminal stations, which is real but not as significant as it is being made out here. I mean maybe if you live right at Penn Station and your meeting is right by Union Station, but if you coming from, say, LIC and going to Georgetown, you may be happier with LGA and DCA than NYP and Union Station. You're absolutely correct about the comfort points, but price should be just as strongly in the train's favor and it isn't.
- mattkrause 7y ago
  Georgetown to Union station is about four miles and the circulator bus will take you there for a buck. DCA is about six miles and accessible by Metro. Seems about the same.
- cowsandmilk 7y ago
  > Not if you are a regular traveler The regular travelers have voted in numbers for Amtrak between DC and NYC over air travel, preferring it for the last decade[0]. They have been growing the number of trips and have even been able to go further up market with the new Acela nonstop this year. The truth is, passengers are voting with their dollars for the train between NYC and DC. [0] https://www.citylab.com/transportation/2014/11/why-more-northeast-us-travelers-take-the-train-than-a-plane-in-2-charts/383158/ https://www.citylab.com/transportation/2014/11/why-more-nort...
  - throwaway0xb 7y ago
    NYC and DC don't really project to other metros. Travel to and from Penn Station vs the airports is a non-trivial consideration to passengers. It is expensive or time consuming or a PITA to travel to JFK/LGA/EWR on public transit with a bag. I lived in Brooklyn and made the NYC/DC commute 15 or so times a year for many years and that was a significant issue for me, it just wasn't cost or time effective to fly in _NYC_. I now live in Maine and wouldn't consider for a second taking the train to NYC. I'll fly out of PWM or, if I want flexibility, drive there. There is a non-stop bus that I'd prefer, too.
    - bobthepanda 7y ago
      It helps that due to a mix of incompetence and lack of support from the governor‘s office that there is no direct train link through Boston that a train from Maine might use to get to NYC.
mattkrause 7y ago
The OP was also looking at round-trip times (NYC to DC is about 3hr each way), so double all of those ancillary numbers.
UserIsUnused 7y ago
>vs 30 minutes before a train wait, what? Why? Here as long as I'm there before it departs it's fine.
- jogjayr 7y ago
  Got it off the Amtrak website.
lorenzhs 7y ago
From a European perspective, arriving at the train station 30 minutes in advance sounds completely absurd. I'd say 10 minutes is much closer to the average here (Germany). I took Amtrak from DC to NYC once and the whole boarding process seemed needlessly time-wasting.

mattkrause 7y ago

The actual train trip from NYC to DC is 3-3.5 hours each way, and both ends are smack in the middle of the city. If you’re flying, Dulles and BWI are 45 minutes from downtown DC (or more); ditto for the NYC end, and you need to factor in another hour+ for security. I think air travel might end up slower—-and it’s certainly less pleasant.

dimino 7y ago
Okay but you're flying into DCA, not BWI or IAD, and from there it's a ~15 minute metro into the heart of the city. Agree with you on the other points, though.
frutiger 7y ago
> and you need to factor in another hour+ for security Just an anecdote, but with TSA Pre, I haven’t needed more than 15 minutes for security, flying domestically and internationally several times per year for the past few years.
- JumpCrisscross 7y ago
  > with TSA Pre, I haven’t needed more than 15 minutes for security Same. With Clear, that goes down to 5 minutes tops. Add in airport lounges, and showing up a bit early goes from being a nuisance to a pleasure (or opportunity to be productive). I’m a huge fan of trains, but they’re only marginally competitive for passengers in the Northeast.
  - ghaff 7y ago
    At least for the north or south subset of the Northeast Corridor the type of transportation honestly boils down to preference. Train is in the comfortable but relatively pricey and slow end of the equation. I could drive from Central Mass to New York cheaper and faster than train but I hate doing that drive.
- mattkrause 7y ago
  This probably depends a lot on exactly when/where you’re flying. Even if it seemed true for me, I’m not sure I’d bet the price of a ticket (and my schedule) on it always working out.

jmartrican 7y ago

Every week I commute from NJ to Boston. A jet does the trip in 50 minutes. The Amtrak Express from Newark to Boston is 4 hours. Yet when you take into account the delayed flights, the security, the fact that I cannot sit down and work for most of the time during my air trip, etc... the train wins out every time. It seems to be on time most of the time. And the ride is smooth with free wifi. And sometime I just stare at the beautiful New England scenery.