DC to NYC: Bus vs Amtrak Acela

[Anonymous]

I know Amtrak is faster, etc. but we live in the NoVA suburbs - nowhere near Union Station. So just getting there (and home, upon return) is an ordeal. Is taking one of the Mega buses that pick up in the suburbs a better way to go? What is the time difference in getting to NYC vs taking Amtrak from DC? Anyone btdt and have advice/recommendations? TIA.

[Anonymous]

I live in Arlington and have taken both. Trains get delayed but in general I tend to take the bus when I will be travelling at rush hour or have less margin for error in terms of when I arrive. I also take the train when I have a lot of work to do since I can't use my laptop on the bus (not enough room and I get motion sickness). I take the bus when I am going to nap or just zone out and listen to podcasts. But when I take the train I typically take the regional train if it is cheaper. The marginal time savings isn't worth it to me.

[Anonymous]

I think if you love near union station and are buying tix far enough in advance that you can get a deal the train is better but we almost always take the bus so we don’t have to deal with getting to Union Station and we like the convenience.

[Anonymous]

You can get on the Amtrak at King St in Alexandria

[Anonymous]

There is a huge price difference, even just between the regional and the Acela. The Acela is pretty reliable and the speed of the train may more than make up for the time getting to Union Station. Depends when you need to get to the station of course. On the other end they arrive at basically the same place.

[Anonymous]

BEST BUS to NYC was a sweet ride and I would definitely do it again. It picked us up at the Vienna Metro,... 4 hrs and 20 min. later we were at Penn Station.

It was super easy. I think they pick up at Springfield as well.

You can choose the type of bus and time that you go.

We did Amtrak before the Best Bus. It was a LOT more trouble to drive into DC, park at Union Station, try to figure out where they were queu-ing for our train, hurry onto the train to get seats together, many stops along the way., and way more expensive than Best Bus.

[Anonymous]

Best Bus enthusiast here -- -just want to say that we took the "Prime" bus. It worked for the time that we wanted and I think it had better seating and outlets and such.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I live in Arlington and have taken both. Trains get delayed but in general I tend to take the bus when I will be travelling at rush hour or have less margin for error in terms of when I arrive. I also take the train when I have a lot of work to do since I can't use my laptop on the bus (not enough room and I get motion sickness). I take the bus when I am going to nap or just zone out and listen to podcasts. But when I take the train I typically take the regional train if it is cheaper. The marginal time savings isn't worth it to me.

This makes zero sense - I assume it's a typo?

[Anonymous]

I do the bus from Bethesda which might be similar. The commute downtown to the train takes so long and the train is so much more expensive.

I think any extra traffic for the bus is probably still faster than driving and parking and walking to the metro to get to union station for me, at least.

[Anonymous]

Depending on when you are thinking of traveling, Amtrak has a sale on right now.

I much prefer Amtrak for the freedom to walk around the train, get a snack/drink, use the bathroom, etc. But it is pricier, and for us there's very little difference in the distance to station vs bus.

Can you take a train to Union Station?

[Anonymous]

Amtrak is way better than bus. Much more comfortable, no variable with traffic, etc...It cost more but totally worth it. Would never do bus again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Amtrak is way better than bus. Much more comfortable, no variable with traffic, etc...It cost more but totally worth it. Would never do bus again.

you must have taken the wrong bus.

[Anonymous]

The Vamoose bus picks up in Lorton and Arlington and is very comfortable - I have used them many times and would recommend them to anyone. The buses are usually on time and they’re nice and clean.

The NE Regional (the slightly slower Amtrak to NYC) is probably closer in price to the bus than the Acela, which is much more expensive. If you’re traveling for leisure, not business, I’d suggest taking that over the Acela as it’s much cheaper and only takes about 30 minutes longer than the Acela. I generally take the train, but probably would take the bus over the train in this case, since you’re in the suburbs and getting to Union Station would be a production. Be selective about the bus, though - the ones that go to the suburbs are usually better than the lines that leave from Union, but still consider reviews before choosing.

[Anonymous]

You are far more likely to be stuck in a traffic jam on a bus on I95 than stuck in a significant delay on a train. And it’s far more comfortable to be stuck on a train than a bus. More room to walk, access to food, etc. There’s no comparison for me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Amtrak is way better than bus. Much more comfortable, no variable with traffic, etc...It cost more but totally worth it. Would never do bus again.

you must have taken the wrong bus.

The bus doesn’t dictate traffic. 100s of other buses and 100s of thousands of cars and trucks do.