Amtrak:Best Fares, Best Experiences
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Travelling across the United States by passenger rail onboard Amtrak has never been so pleasurable or more affordable.
Whether you’re connecting from downtown to downtown on Amtrak’s Acela Express train from Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, or kicking back in a comfortable coach seat or private sleeping compartment on one of the long-distance trains as the American landscape rolls on by, Amtrak can provide passengers an array of affordable low-cost fares and rail passes to suit any travel requirement or budget.
Tailored for adventurous Australians wanting to enjoy the freedom of Amtrak’s intercity passenger rail service, passengers can enjoy even greater savings when they pre-purchase their fares through Amtrak’s regional marketing representative, Momento Travel Services.
“Amtrak always strives to offer exceptional value for money and as well as provide a unique and convenient way to experience the U.S. by passenger rail,” says Ms. Kylee Kay, Managing Director of Momento Travel Services.
Whether using a pre-paid USA Rail Pass for interconnecting city, regional and transcontinental travel or a low-cost sector fare for quick and seamless ‘downtown to downtown’ connections, passengers can choose from more than 500 destinations in 46 states on a 45,061 kilometre route system.
The USA Rail Pass is valid until December 31, 2010, and is available in three travel segments, starting with a 15 day pass priced at US $389, a 30 day pass priced at US$579 and a 45 day pass priced at US $749, the pre-paid pass is valid for 180 days from the date of purchase, with no blackout dates applicable. Children under two years of age travel for free (1 child per adult) and children from the age of 2-15 years of age pay half the adult fare (maximum of two children per adult).
The USA Rail Pass is not valid for travel onboard Amtrak’s Auto Train and Acela Express services. A segment of travel is counted each time a passenger boards a train or thruway bus. Reservations and tickets must be finalised and collected prior to boarding any train. Upgrades to private sleeping compartments are also available for a nominal fare.
CONVENIENT EAST COAST TRAVEL:
Forget the long airline queues, slow shuttle services and expensive taxi rides to and from your hotel and the airport. Travelling from ‘downtown to downtown’ in the Northeast has never been so easy or affordable.
Amtrak has released a series of Business Class fares for travel onboard the Acela Express, connecting passengers to Boston, New York (Penn Station), Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.
“The benefits of train travel are immense. Not only does the Acela Express offer passengers the most time-efficient and cost-effective ‘downtown to downtown’ network between Washington DC, Philadelphia, New York and Boston, Acela is also more affordable than any commercial airline service,” adds Ms. Kay.
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Onboard Acela Express, passengers have access to a power source at every seat for their iPods, DVD players and laptops, in addition to having comfortable reclining seats that offer plenty of leg room.
A one way fare from Boston to New York is priced from US $95.00; a one-way fare New York to Washington is priced from US $135.00 and a one-way fare from Boston to Washington DC is priced at US $180.00.
Passengers are required to pre-purchase their tickets a minimum of 14 days in advance and the one-way fares are non-refundable. An issuance fee of US $20.00 also applies per file booking.
Additionally, the new published fares are only valid for travel in Business Class; First Class upgrades are not permitted.
Children aged 2-15 years are charged only 50% of the applicable rate when travelling with an adult paying full-fare.
CONVENIENT TICKETING:
To make the collection of tickets more convenient, Amtrak has introduced a series of self-service, “Quik-Trak” ticketing kiosks at key locations across the United States including New York’s Penn Station, Washington D.C.’s Union Station, Los Angeles, Emeryville (San Francisco), Chicago and Boston.
“The Quik-Trak kiosk allows Australian travellers to front up, print out their tickets and be on their way without any complications or delays,” says David Mulley, Managing Director of Asia Pacific Travel Marketing Services.
Once Australian passengers have pre-paid their tickets and booked their reservations, they are able to collect and print out their tickets from a Quik-Trak kiosk by using their credit card, which activates the reservation number or by scanning the barcode on their confirmation page or email.
For further information on Amtrak reservations including Acela Express fares, U.S.A. Rail Passes and Amtrak’s extensive network, or to find out whether a Quik-Trak kiosk is available at a particular railway station, please contact Momento Travel Services on 1300 300713 or 02 9213 0000.
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