Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
When you're traveling by train, a missed connection can be
a real disaster. As you set about preparing your rail itinerary, be
wary of any close connections. If there's a later train that would
allow more time to make the connection, choose that one—even
if it means spending a few extra hours somewhere. Or consider
stopping at that point, spending the night, and continuing your
journey the next day. Good travel agents and Amtrak reserva-
tions agents will be sensitive to this issue and will warn you if one
of the connections in your itinerary is iffy.
If your inbound train is very late,
Amtrak will do everything
possible within reason to make sure you and other passengers
affected make your connecting train. Sometimes that means
holding the second train until yours arrives. As a practical matter,
however, they can't delay the departure of a train for very long,
since it will likely be connecting with another train somewhere
else.
Every missed connection is handled on a case-by-case basis.
If you do miss a connection with a train that runs once a day,
any one of several things could occur. As a first choice, Amtrak
will probably put you in a bus or van and take you cross-country
to catch up with the second train. Or they may pay for your
overnight stay in a hotel and put you on the same train the next
day—assuming there's space, of course. Unfortunately, if you're
traveling in a sleeper during one of the frequent busy periods,
getting another sleeper is not likely. Even though you're hold-
ing a sleeping-car ticket, you could end up riding overnight in a
coach seat. The eventual refund of the cost of your sleeping-car
accommodations will be a small consolation. If the entire train is
sold out the next day, you could be sent on your way by plane or
bus—hardly the way you expected your carefully planned train
trip to end up.
There are many factors that could affect how your missed-
connection problem is solved, but you should keep in mind that
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