Exploring Amtrak’s USA Rail Pass

WASHINGTON — Through this Thursday, Jan. 25, travelers seeking to visit multiple destinations on Amtrak’s route system over a 30-day period — and who don’t mind riding coach all the way to do it — can buy a USA Rail pass for $449. That’s a $50 saving from the regular $499 price but $150 more than the significant discount Amtrak offered this time last year [See, “Amtrak’s USA Rail Pass on sale for $299: here are some travel tips” News Wire Jan. 12, 2023].

The pass is valid for coach travel on all Amtrak trains except Auto Train, Acela, and the Niagara Falls, N.Y. to Toronto Canadian segment of the Maple Leaf  (it is good on the Cascades and Adirondack), and some Amtrak Thruway busses. No upgrades to sleeping car accommodations or business class are permitted.

A key point to remember is that buying the pass starts the clock ticking. Travel must be completed within 3 months of purchase and 30 days after the first of a maximum 10 segments is booked, but the initial trip doesn’t have to be specified when the pass is purchased. Each change of trains counts as one segment.

The process involves individual ticketing of segments through a link on the purchase confirmation email. Reservations must be made through this portal or through “RideReserve” on the main website; there is no pass to flash so you can’t just ride. Changes to booked segments are permitted prior to departure of each trip, but once the first trip is taken, the pass is non-refundable.

The USA Rail Pass landing page has a link to more “Terms and Conditions” which spell out a rather long list of restrictions and advisories that includes, “seats may not be available on all trains at all times.” Given the lack of coach capacity on many long-distance trains, this could be a problem if a segment is booked too close to the day of departure.

Keep in mind that the $449 price only works for trips that can be completed before Memorial Day at the latest if bought by Jan. 25, but paying an additional $50 opens up 30-day window travel opportunities later in the year.

Planning

Cities served and the times trains are scheduled is obviously necessary information travelers need when booking a complicated itinerary. The ideal tool for getting the most out of a USA Rail Pass purchase is referencing an Amtrak System Timetable. Oh wait! The company stopped producing that in 2018.

It is, however, possible to “build your own.” Start with a 2018 system map whose only route omission is the Rutland-Burlington, Vt., extension of the Ethan Allen, though it lacks up-to-date accuracy of current Thruway bus routes.

The good news is that online, printable timetables are available for the Northeast Corridor, long-distance and state-supported routes through the Rail Passengers Association website. These are much more readable than the convoluted on-line system Amtrak has devised, but any departure time changes will surface once each segment is booked.

Regional agencies intent on actively growing patronage have filled the gap by publishing their own downloadable timetables (also linked separately on the RPA site) which often contain valuable information about station location and transit connections that Amtrak once provided.

The routes (from west to east) are:

• Amtrak Cascades: Vancouver, BC-Seattle-Eugene, Ore.
• Capitol corridor: San Jose-Auburn, Calif.
• San Joaquins: Oakland-Bakersfield, Calif.
• Pacific Surfliner: San Diego-San Luis Obispo, Calif.
• Hartford Line: New Haven-Hartford, Conn.
• Valley Flyer: Greenfield, Mass.,-New Haven, Conn.
• Downeaster: Boston North Station-Brunswick, Me.

Trains News Wire has utilized the 30-day pass in its various forms over the years, and it becomes cost effective when there are at least three or four overnight or all-day segments. Just remember to pack a pillow.