Fredbargate

Hi
Making another visit this year and we have decided to travel by train from New York to Philadelephia and then on to Washington.

So can we just walk into a station and buy tickets on the day or do we have to pre-book?

AlphaTangoMike

Definitely worth purchasing in advance, you can save quite a bit on the ticket price. I know that the Amtrak service between NYC (Penn Station) and Washington DC have reserved seats even in coach (economy). If the train is full, you'd have to wait for the next available service. Take a look at the Amtrak website: Train & Bus Tickets - National Railroad - USA & Canada | Amtrak

Fredbargate

Thanks ATM
I've already checked that site but I would prefer the flexibility of buying at the station without the hassle of timing for a particular train.

rpjs

Amtrak trains on the NE Corridor are all reservation only (but you don't get a specific seat reserved) so you HAVE to book on a specific train. However, Amtrak is flexible enough that you can often obtain seats (assuming availability) up to half an hour before the train you want to travel on arrives at the station you want to travel from. It's not like the UK where reservations close before the train leaves its originating station.

Be aware though that the closer to time of travel the more it'll cost and it can be substantially more. Acela trains are the most expensive, but regular North-East Regionals are usually a lot cheaper and only take about 20 minutes longer from New York Penn (NYP) to Philly and (if memory serves) about an hour longer to DC from Philly. For the NYP to Philly leg, the cheapest are the Keystone trains which start in New York and branch off to Harrisburg after Philly, but these don't have a cafe car.

If you have an iPhone, download the Amtrak app. (Not sure if there's an Android one). It allows you to book online up to half an hour or so before the train leaves and you can show your e-ticket to the conductor through the Passbook app.

Fredbargate

Thanks rpjs

I just tried to book a saver seat for a Sunday which will be our day of travel.
The first available was in two weeks time, so booking at the station on the day is a no no.