Covering 5,325 square miles of service area, NJ TRANSIT is the third largest provider of bus, rail, and light rail transit in the United States, with thousands of busses, trains and light rail vehicles linking major points in New Jersey, New York, and Philadelphia. Many people commute and visit each way, including many "first-timers" such as yourself.:) Not to mention the fact that you'll save yourself a hundred bucks! :):):) AMTRAK is best for those who value convenience, time and upgraded amenities more than money.As New Jersey’s public transportation corporation, NJ TRANSIT aims to provide safe, reliable, convenient, and cost-effective transit service. The conductors will direct you to where you need to go when you switch trains in Trenton. In my personal opinion, you will be fine on SEPTA and NJ Transit. And there is no food and beverage service on either of them in fact, they both discourage riders from eating or drinking at all. While NJ Transit trains have restrooms, SEPTA does not. Both trains have on overhead racks above your seat for luggage. especially compared to seats on the Greyhound and Chinatown-based buses that also travel between Philly and NYC. That's not to say that SEPTA seats are *un*comfortable. The seat comfort on NJ Transit is better than on SEPTA. SEPTA customer serice can only sell you tickets to and from Trenton and you may not have time to buy your Trenton-NYC tickets when you would switch trains. There's no need to buy tickets online although to buy a combination ticket for both systems, you will need to use the NJ Transit ticket kiosk in the SEPTA section. The reverse will be true when you return to Trenton from NYC: the SEPTA train will be in front.
So when you walk off SEPTA, you would simply walk directly to the front where the NJ Transit train will be waiting. SEPTA and NJ Transit have an arrangement where many SEPTA trains are coordinate to arrive in Trenton just before a NJ Transit is due to depart. It will show you which trains hook up with NJ Transit. It's pretty easy to read if you're familiar with bus schedules. Many train routes also have a cafe where you can purchase drinks, snacks and light microwaveable meals. There are also restrooms located in each train car. The seats themselves are more comfortable than those on SEPTA/NJ Transit. If you're arriving at morning or evening rush hour, Friday night, Saturday morning or Sunday afternoon, add on another 15-30 minutes. Yes, it's a good rule of thumb to be at the station about 30-45 minutes. That said, there is a customer service area as well as electronic kiosks where you can purchase and/or pick up you tickets. Unreserved tickets can be used on any unreserved train without penalty.īuying your tickets online can save time when you arrive at the train station.
If you miss your reserved train, you may be able to switch to an unreserved train (although you will lose some of your purchase value as reserved tickets cost more). Buying a reserved ticket won't get you a specific seat but it will guarantee you space on the specific train route. Some routes sell only "reserved" tickets while others just have just "unreserved" seating. They do offer a Red Cap Service that is helpful for those who have oodles of luggage (as well as those with accessibility or mobility concerns) but you may not necessarily need it. AMTRAK has fewer stops, in particular between Philly and Trenton.ĪMTRAK: Generally speaking, there are overhead storage bins similar to those on airplanes.
:) Allow me to add some details.īoth the SEPTA/NJ Transit route and AMTRAK depart from Philadelphia's 30th Street station and run on the same track to New York City's Penn Station. Kudos to you as you've already figured out the basics of what you need to know.