Can I get Off-Peak Round Trip tickets?

[liquidskin]

Hi. Im heading to NYC tomorrow and wanted to see if I was eligible for Off-Peak round trip tix.. I ride the rails very often, but have never understood how these tickets work. Heres the trains Ill be taking..


NEC- departing Metropark 01:12 PM

NEC- departing NY Penn Station NO earlier than 7:00


If anyone could just explain it to me it'd be appreciated.. Thanks very much guys.

[timz]

If you go to their website and look at the pdf timetable it shows which trains don't allow RTXs (or whatever they call them now). Turns out trains leaving NY Penn between 4 PM and 7 PM don't allow them, but the one leaving at 7:01 PM does allow them.

If you get the roundtrip and decide to return before 7 PM, you can pay the extra on the train.

[nick11a]

OK, RTX tickets are valid on all weekend trains. So yes, you can use RTX tickets tommorow.

As I understand it, this is how it works:



You can use RTX tickets on all weekend trains.

-On weekdays, if you are traveling in the morning on a peak period train (an inbound train) and you're final/transfer station is NY, Hoboken, Newark Penn, Newark Broad or Secaucus, you can't use RTX tickets.

-On weekdays, if you are traveling in the evening on a peak period train (an outbound train) and you're origin/transfer station is NY, Hoboken, Newark Penn, Newark Broad or Secaucus, you can't use RTX tickets.

-Other than that on a weekdays, you are OK.

Refer to a schedule to see which trains are designated as a peak period train.

[AKelley728]

The schedules can be confusing because there is the double-line section that indicates where off-peak round trip tickets are NOT valid and the grey/shaded area section where there are "Reduced Fare Program" restricions.

Alot of people (and I've even heard a Conductor tell this to a passenger) think that you can't use a RTX (off-peak round trip) ticket in the shaded area section, but this is not true.

Anyway, you're going on a weekend, so you're good to go anytime.

I do have one question to Jtgshu or anybody else who cares to answer - when 1/2 RTX ticket is used during peak teams, the step-up fee to upgrade the ticket is the difference between the full round trip price and TWO peak period one-ways, correct? The reason I ask is that I have never heard a conductor on a train tell a passenger - "Oh, btw, this is upgrading both legs of your journey, please keep the ticket I'm giving you for the return leg if you're coming back during a peak time".

Alot of people mistakenly buy RTX tickets for travel during peak time because that's the only 'round-trip' option on the TVM, and they dont' know any better. One of my pet peeves, I hope the next upgrade to the TVM includes a 'round-trip' peak option, even if all it does is spit out two one-ways.

[arrow]

You can just push 2 tickets instead of 1 one-way and you got a round trip from the TVM. Also, I remember several years ago (before the fare increase) that the shaded section did indicate peak period trains. Now, they've switched to the double lines like you mentioned.

[AKelley728]

You can just push 2 tickets instead of 1 one-way and you got a round trip from the TVM.

I know that, but most people who don't take the train that often do not. It's probably the question I hear the most when hanging around the TVMs (Where's the round-trip peak option?)

[arrow]

You can just push 2 tickets instead of 1 one-way and you got a round trip from the TVM.

I know that, but most people who don't take the train that often do not. It's probably the question I hear the most when hanging around the TVMs (Where's the round-trip peak option?)

Sorry, I've been mean lately I think.

[Jtgshu]

RTX tickets CANNOT be used going INTO NYP, NWK, HOB between 6 and 9 am (I think its 6 to 9, but it might be 6 to 930 - I don't have a schedule infront of me and I DO NOT work mornings!!! :D )

RTX tickets CANNOT be used going OUT OF NYP, NWK, HOB between the hours of 4 and 7 pm.

This means if you are starting your trip in NYP, NWK or HOB or TRANSFERRING at these stops, you cannot use RTX tickets during these times, during the week of course.

Weekends, RTX tickets are valid at all times.

When they added the evening rush hour times when they raised the fares in 02, that is when they started with the stupid double lines.

Before that, the shaded areas were the rush hour times when RTX tickets could not be used. Also all those shaded areas are now only for Senior Citizens ages 62 to 64, as they have differetn rules and restrictions that 65 plus and disabled passegners, who can ride at all times, no restrictions. If anyone thinks that Im going to argue with a person who is 63 that they must pay full fare, they are completely out of their minds. So in my eyes, all that is a waste, because I really doubt that any trainman discriminates between the ages of the seniors.....

The step ups are for both legs of the journey. The rule states that I am supposed to take BOTH your RTX tickets, if you just bought them, and the Step up ticket that I would cut would be your ticket on the other train. This is very confusing not only to the passegner, but to the trainmen also, so what is pretty much done (unofficially) is that I would tell you if you were to use the other part of your ticket during another rush hour period, you must show this step up receipt becuase if not, you run the risk of getting stepped up twice. (becuase tehre would be no way for the second trainman to know that you already paid)

The step up fare is the difference between the RTX fare and the fare of 2 one way tickets (called a round trip regular, as opposed to a round trip excursion - RTX - the discounted one) , thats where that number comes from