Train or bus from New York to Boston

Tranceypoo

Going to NYC in Sept, himself wants to go to Boston for a couple of days to see his brother, I was thinking about getting the train, prob more expensive than bus but I'm not sure I could cope with sitting on a bus for hours, anyone done this trip by train or bus and any recommendations? Also is it best to book beforehand price wise or easy enough to buy a ticket at the station?

spurious

Tried it twice by train - should have learned my lesson the first time. Both times badly delayed. Third time I took Bonanza Bus (now owned by Peter Pan buses) and it was fine. Plenty room in the seats as they are built for the more 'substantial' American frame.

http://peterpanbus.com/peter-pan-express-boston-to-new-york-city/

We got our tickets in advance but there are loads of buses and different companies doing it so you won't be stuck.

jjbrien

There is also the chinatown bus, Megabus and Bolt bus to Boston.

http://www.luckystarbus.com/Purchase.aspx

https://www.boltbus.com

http://us.megabus.com

All take around 4 hours I did greyhound myself but i took the chinatown one to Philly before

sarkozy

I think it's best to go by bus. Sure, trains are more civilised, but I think the trains can actually be slower. Lots of good suggestions here.

whitey1

Do the train all the time...actually doing it next Thursday

Never took the bus, but have heard horror stories from numerous sources.

Trains can get delayed, but its rare and usually just on the northbound leg-a lot can go wrong between Virginia where most trains originate and NYC.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/amtrak-boston-3

Even if the train is delayed, the delays are well posted and there are quite a few bars to hang. If its a long delay, you're bang smack in Midtown manhattan so you wont have any shortage of things to do.

You can also drink on the train, both in the bar car and in your seat. I think drinking is prohibited on the bus.

Not to sound like a total snob, but you may also encounter a lower class of client on the bus, who may take from your enjoyment of the trip.

Have a good laugh and read some of these reviews

http://www.yelp.com/biz/peter-pan-bus-lines-new-york

http://www.yelp.com/biz/boltbus-boston

http://www.yelp.com/biz/ivy-media-gotobus-com-cambridge

Tranceypoo

whitey1 wrote: »

Do the train all the time...actually doing it next Thursday

Never took the bus, but have heard horror stories from numerous sources.

Trains can get delayed, but its rare and usually just on the northbound leg-a lot can go wrong between Virginia where most trains originate and NYC.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/amtrak-boston-3

Even if the train is delayed, the delays are well posted and there are quite a few bars to hang. If its a long delay, you're bang smack in Midtown manhattan so you wont have any shortage of things to do.

You can also drink on the train, both in the bar car and in your seat. I think drinking is prohibited on the bus.

Not to sound like a total snob, but you may also encounter a lower class of client on the bus, who may take from your enjoyment of the trip.

Have a good laugh and read some of these reviews

http://www.yelp.com/biz/peter-pan-bus-lines-new-york

http://www.yelp.com/biz/boltbus-boston

http://www.yelp.com/biz/ivy-media-gotobus-com-cambridge

Thanks Whitey, I think we're thinking along the same lines, my friend in NJ told me similar things re the bus...!!

spurious

Let us know how you get on. I'd be delighted if the trains are any better or cheaper than they used to be.

Just checked yesterday's train's 'status' on the Amtrak site - fourteen out of eighteen of them were late - one three hours late. Seems like it's much the same.

Ponster

I've taken the train 3 times between the cities and only had one issue with a train stopping between stations for 15 minutes or so.
It's worth shelling out the extra cash for the Acela Express high-speed train IMO.

I'd rather fly there than take the bus!

Tranceypoo

Ponster wrote: »

I've taken the train 3 times between the cities and only had one issue with a train stopping between stations for 15 minutes or so.
It's worth shelling out the extra cash for the Acela Express high-speed train IMO.

I'd rather fly there than take the bus!

It's quite a bit extra to take the express, $219 each way (for two) versus $98 each way on the 'standard' train.

Keep being swayed by the different posts...train...bus....train....bus.....train

whitey1

I've taken the train 20 times in the past year and it was only significantly delayed 3/4times. By that I mean one hour or more

At least if you're on the train you can get up and walk around, have a drink, use the bathroom. You have wifi and every seat has 2 plug to charge you're phone or iPad. If you're delayed on the bus, you're stuck.

Also, biggest complaints I saw about the busses was people getting bumped. If you have a ticket for the train you have a seat.....end of discussion

There usually isn't a huge difference between the Acela and the Regional train usually less than an hour travel time. Of my 20 trips, 10 were on Acela and 10 were on the regional.

2 benefits to Acela...(1) Many Northbound Acelas originate in Philadelphia-as a result, theres less opportunities for delays as the Regional trains can be coming from much further south.

(2) If delays do occur, they will hold the Regional train to let the Acela through.

Personally, I would just book the Regional....depending on the time of day and day of week you will save upwards of $200 per person

Recognition Scene

The bus costs all of $20, a fraction of the train prices. Took it all the time when I lived in Boston, never had any issues. Ignore the scaremongering. Sure the train will be a little more comfortable, but for the sake of 4 odd hours, the bus is fine.

pgmcpq

whitey1 wrote: »

Do the train all the time...actually doing it next Thursday

Never took the bus, but have heard horror stories from numerous sources.

Trains can get delayed, but its rare and usually just on the northbound leg-a lot can go wrong between Virginia where most trains originate and NYC.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/amtrak-boston-3

Even if the train is delayed, the delays are well posted and there are quite a few bars to hang. If its a long delay, you're bang smack in Midtown manhattan so you wont have any shortage of things to do.

You can also drink on the train, both in the bar car and in your seat. I think drinking is prohibited on the bus.

Not to sound like a total snob, but you may also encounter a lower class of client on the bus, who may take from your enjoyment of the trip.

Have a good laugh and read some of these reviews

http://www.yelp.com/biz/peter-pan-bus-lines-new-york

http://www.yelp.com/biz/boltbus-boston

http://www.yelp.com/biz/ivy-media-gotobus-com-cambridge

My wife and I take the bus (Megabus Ny-Boston) regularly. Perfectly fine and a lot cheaper than the train (I have take the Accela a few times going south from NY). The negatives are really that the bus pickup point in NY is way over on the West Side (11th Avenue ?), and that there is always a delay on the Cross-Bronx express getting out of NY, but in terms of time taken it is a wash iirc. Yes, I don't think you can bring alcohol on the bus though we have taken a discreet bottle of wine on without any issue.

Book far enough in advance and you can get great deals - the best being $7 a leg to/from Boston a few years ago - so round trip ~$30 with tax round trip for both of us.

The tickets are self printed and have a bar code so I have never seen an issue with bumping. I suspect it might

Of course we might the lower class of client one might wish to avoid .

There is no too much difference between the Accela and regular trains because the Accela is not allowed go full speed through "urban" areas ... which accounts for a lot of it's route around the NY, DC and Boston areas.

It is really a price trade off. The train you can stroll around, you can drink what passes for beer in a bar car(!). Delays - are a lottery - either could have problems - in winter the train might be a better bet - though again we spend every New Year on Cap Code and have always made it without excessive delay.

Gandhi

The bus is grand. Boltbus and Megabus are probably the two biggest inter-city bus companies. They have nice big seats and wifi. If you book in advance, they sometimes have RyanAir-style crazy discounts, except they don't then hit you with a $60 landing charge.

I would check out the prices on bus vs train, and you will probably end up taking the bus. If you time it to avoid rush-hour, the bus is almost as fast.