At night - where to transfer from Amtrak NE Regional to Metro orange line?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a petite female who lives in Northern Virginia on the range line. I'm going to be returning to the DC area on a NE Regional train around 8:00 pm on a weeknight. My two options for switching to the orange line are:

1) Take the NE Regional to Union Station, switch to the red line, and then switch to the orange line at Metro Center.
2) Take the NE Regional to New Carrollton and switch to the orange line there.

Would one of these choices be safer than the other?

Union Station

Amtrack regularly changes and doesn’t stop at New Carrollton I would not risk it, just happened to me this past Thrusday night

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don't get shamed by all the prior posters, take the train to Alexandria and Uber home.

this is a super dumb idea because there is a 30-45 min layover at Union Station for them to change engines. So you would take the NE Regional to Union Station (which apparently OP is afraid of), and then have to sit there for 30-45 minutes for the engine change and then go to Alexandria, adding about an unnecessary hour minimum to your trip. WHY? The layover is regardless if you are going north or south, the train always changes engines at Union Station.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a petite female who lives in Northern Virginia on the range line. I'm going to be returning to the DC area on a NE Regional train around 8:00 pm on a weeknight. My two options for switching to the orange line are:

1) Take the NE Regional to Union Station, switch to the red line, and then switch to the orange line at Metro Center.
2) Take the NE Regional to New Carrollton and switch to the orange line there.

Would one of these choices be safer than the other?

I actually do this all the time. No apprehension or safety issues at all.

[Anonymous]

Wow,,a petite female? Are you out of your mind? Stay over in a hotel, eat room service and go home in daylight.

[Anonymous]

8,pm is not so late. I would go to Union Station. There will be lots of people getting off the train and getting on metro just like you

[Anonymous]

Why would anyone change at New Carrollton if you're going to north Arlington? it would probably add another 30 min to your trip.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why would anyone change at New Carrollton if you're going to north Arlington? it would probably add another 30 min to your trip.

It’s, like 40-45 minutes from New Carrollton to Arlington. It’s ~20 minutes from Union Station to Arlington assuming you’re not waiting for a train during transfers + the 12 extra minutes you spend on Amtrak to get from New Carrollton to Union Station. Time wise, it really is a wash. I can confirm, having done both, that transferring at New Carrollton FEELS like you’re on the metro for a long time, but also the transfer time between trains is a time suck for the Union Station/Metro Center route.

I wouldn’t look at it from a safety point of view. Only a convenience. New Carrollton is less busy, and has fewer escalators to traverse, so if you have bulky luggage, I’d choose that.

[Anonymous]

Union Station at 8 pm is totally fine. Also, lots of people from your train will be doing the exact same thing- going from Amtrak to metro. Union station has bounced back since Covid times

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a petite female who lives in Northern Virginia on the range line. I'm going to be returning to the DC area on a NE Regional train around 8:00 pm on a weeknight. My two options for switching to the orange line are:

1) Take the NE Regional to Union Station, switch to the red line, and then switch to the orange line at Metro Center.
2) Take the NE Regional to New Carrollton and switch to the orange line there.

Would one of these choices be safer than the other?

Union Station

Amtrack regularly changes and doesn’t stop at New Carrollton I would not risk it, just happened to me this past Thrusday night

If the NC stop gets cancelled she can just continue on to Union Station. If you’re parking I can see this as a concern but OP isn’t.

[Anonymous]

The hysteria of some of y’alll when faced with setting foot in DC….

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Union Station at 8 pm is totally fine. Also, lots of people from your train will be doing the exact same thing- going from Amtrak to metro. Union station has bounced back since Covid times

I think Union Station is sketchier than it used to be, but I agree with PP. Many people will go from Amtrak to the Metro. If you feel unsafe, go to the front car, and don't get in the elevator, just take the escalator down to the tracks.

[Anonymous]

8 pm is fine and still light outside. You’ll still be sharing the train with the commuter/dinner crowd.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don't get shamed by all the prior posters, take the train to Alexandria and Uber home.

this option requires at least an additional hour because they change train engines at Union station. I live right near Alexandria station and don’t bother with this. The Alexandria trains are also often delayed or run into problems because once they get into Virginia they share track with the freight trains, who own the tracks and take priority. Alexandria station is a bottleneck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The hysteria of some of y’alll when faced with setting foot in DC….

It’s embarrassing. Also a petite woman, live in VA (off the bus line-gasp) and don’t understand the issue.

Op - union station. Get an uber or even a taxi if metro wigs you out so much.

It’s not like you’re walking from the greyhound station to union station metro. Which is also not a big deal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't get shamed by all the prior posters, take the train to Alexandria and Uber home.

this is a super dumb idea because there is a 30-45 min layover at Union Station for them to change engines. So you would take the NE Regional to Union Station (which apparently OP is afraid of), and then have to sit there for 30-45 minutes for the engine change and then go to Alexandria, adding about an unnecessary hour minimum to your trip. WHY? The layover is regardless if you are going north or south, the train always changes engines at Union Station.

Yep I just posted about this. Not to mention Alexandria station is a bottleneck because those tracks are shared with freight trains.

I live near old town but go to nyc frequently for work and I never bother with trains in and out of Alexandria; I go to Union station.