<p>Does anyone know about how affordable it is to take the train from Philly to Boston? I know the regular fee is available online, but there may be special discounts for penn students. Also, how long does it take?</p>
<p>I belong to StudentAdvantage and also a frequent Amtrak deal. The time for the trip on the Acela is 5 hours and on the regular train is 6+. I don't think you can get a discount on Acela but you can get trip credits leading to a free trip. Remember that Philly is a hub for airlines and you can frequently get a discounted airfare. I have done this trip and you can also look into the bus that runs from Chinatown to Boston.
<a href="http://www.chinatown-bus.com/%5B/url%5D">www.chinatown-bus.com/</a></p>
<p>Amtrak is so expensive...
the chinatown buses will be your cheapest deal, but they're not always the most comfortable/attractive/fastest</p>
<p>Actually quite a few Chinatown bus companies use brand new buses. It is easy to do.....not a problem with ticketing.</p>
<p>It is quite a fierce and competitive market with these chinatown buses. They have gang wars against each other... scary
but the customer is safe for the most part.</p>
<p>You are right....it is a war of competition and the students and community folks in Philly use the buses regularly. I have a music instructor in his 80s who goes to NY for the opera and he and his wife always use the buses because they are cheap and convenient.</p>
<p>Philly pd traffic unit and PA state police frequently take chinatown busses off the road. Amtrak has a 10 ride pass which is $325 and good on the regional trains.</p>
<p>no reason to take the train to boston when you can fly for ~100$ round trip</p>
<p>The trains are frequently stopped from running also....but I still use Amtrak. I cannot imagine that the busses will be stopped permanently anytime soon.</p>
<p>just some good travel info for anyone that wants it:</p>
<p>To NYC:
Amtrak - $100 roundtrip (a little over an hour), leaves from 30th St Station (close to campus) and drops you at Penn Station in NYC.
SEPTA/NJ TRANSIT Trains - $34 roundtrip (closer to 2 hours), leaves from 30th St Station (close to campus) and drops you at Penn Station in NYC.
Chinatown - $20 roundtrip (depends on traffic, usually over 2 hours), leaves from Center City so you have to take subway/cab/walk and drops you off in Chinatown in NYC.</p>
<p>TO WASHINGTON D.C.:
Amtrak - $105 roundtrip (a little over 2 hours), leaves from 30th St Station (close to campus) and drops you at Union Station.
Chinatown- $28 roundtrip (depends on traffic but about 4 hours), leaves from center city.
AIRLINES - $117 with taxes (97 without). Total time will be about 3 hours if you show up 2 hours early to the airport. If you don't check any luggage you can probably cut it down to 2 hours. </p>
<p>TO BOSTON:
Amtrak - $180 roundtrip (about 6 hours), leaves from 30th St Station (close to campus) and drops you at South Station.
Chinatown- $50 roundtrip (depends on traffic close to 10 hours). There is no direct bus Philly - Boston so you have to go to NYC and then from there to Boston.
AIRLINES (AirTran/United/USAirways/Delta/Continental have the cheapest to Boston) - $100 roundtrip with taxes and everything ($83 without taxes). So worst case if you show up to the airport 2 hours early you're total time for the trip will be 3h30m. If you don't check anything you can potentially cut that down to 2h30m.</p>
<p>yo Bern700, you da man</p>
<p>-NYC2012
PENN '08</p>
<p>hey, greyhound significantly lowered their fares. check their site. tickets can go as low as $14 or 15 one way from ny - boston. if you're worried about safety or "gang wars" lol... greyhound is pretty safe. there are a few stops in NY that you can do, but port authority is the main one</p>
<p>sorry forgot greyhound:</p>
<p>To NYC: $27 (roundtrip)</p>
<p>To Washington D.C.: $43 (roundtrip)</p>
<p>To Boston: $78 (roundtrip)</p>