Railroad Employee (other than Amtrak) Discount

I'm planning a trip on the Capitol Limited sometime in the near future and i was wondering if Railroad employees are able to get discounted tickets?

1-800-USA-RAIL

Call them up and ask...

I inquired through the 800 number and was told "yes". The only train that you cannot get any discount on is the Auto Train.

I also called to inquire about an "Amtrak Pass", which many pre-85 guys still have.......the woman at that phone number said they no longer issue passes for free transportation. The only lines that you would be able to ride for free are where the Amtrak train is running on your railroads line. As for discounts, basically it is not worth it. Not much of a discount, and you cannot schedule it more than 48 hours in advance.....also, after booking you are still on a "stand-by" status.

I thought if you are a railroad employee you could get a pass. I guess I heard wrong, but wasn't there something if you work for a freight road you could get a pass for the part of the road you work for?

Really depends on how far you're going. I've experienced plenty of "professional courtesy" from NJT & Amtrak employees (I'm with SEPTA). I was actually scolded by an NJT conductor for buying a ticket once.

Basically, if you're going out of your own RR territory---get a ticket, ask for discount from the ticket agent. If you're within your own territory, use your own judgement.

Guys: My father was a RR employee from 1946-1984 starting with PRR than PC,CR(briefly in 1976)than Amtrak in the NYC area. I remember the Amtrak Rail Travel Privilege Card. He was allowed unlimited home-road trips(PC) half-rate everywhere else.My mom got the same. My sister and I were allowed 12 trips per year.One of the chief drawbacks of traveling on Amtrak was the 24-hour rule for reserved travel.This maybe should be under trip reports but one of my classic memories of Amtrak travel occured in October 1981. My dad and I were returning from visiting relatives in Chicago. We were taking train 40 to NYP. Because of the 24-hour rule,my dad was only able to get a unsold roomette for himself and a coach seat for me. Since he was returning to work the next day,I told him to get some sleep and I'd be OK. We followed a strong thunderstorm all the way from around Valparaiso all the way across into central Ohio. I remember heavy rain and cloud-to-ground lightning. I recall watching the buildings in Fort Wayne being illuminated by the lightning and I recall lightning at our Crestline stop - if they refueled I do not know. Somewhere near Massilion,OH we jerked to a shuddering than sharp stop. I noticed the train conductor and someone else walking quickly thru my car. I got up and took a walk and I discovered we struck a car at a rural crossing. This crossing was at an angle and it turns out that the driver bottomed out in mud on or next to it. This driver went to get help-it was a steady rain with no lightning by then-but the car was totaled by our train. We were delayed for at least an hour while the local police did their investigation. I recall chatting with a young female Ohio state trooper who I guess was about my age-21 or not much more about the train. I recall the engineer was from Irwin,PA as the police radios were relaying information. Meanwhile,my dad got a good night's sleep and did not know about the mishap until I told him the next day. Because of the hard stop,our train had flat wheels galore making for a somewhat noisy ride. I do not recall how late it was getting into NYP but my dad got back to work OT. Because of the 24-hour rule,my dad sort of disliked taking the train for any sort of vacation. A classic example of this was even though he was able to get Amtrak tickets,he chose to fly our family down to Florida in 1982 to visit Disney World. I myself enjoyed taking the train anytime. Speaking of passes,in 1979 he was able to get me a Conrail pass. This pass was valid I recall until the middle of 1983. When he retired in 1984,the family pass privileges ended for my sister and me. Is seems to me that Amtrak is much more stingy about employee travel. Back in the late 70s and Early 80s the only restriction was the Metroliner for reserved travel was not allowed. Does Amtrak today allow home road travel under their policy? Memories and observations from MACTRAXX

I'm guessing a probably won't be able to get one since amtrak doesn't travel over the south shore. Sometime during the week I'll have to call and ask about that.

The rules changed according to when you were hired. I was hired by PC in 1969. My Amtrak pass priviledges consisted of 12 free round trips for myself on PC lines where Amtrak ran, and 1/2 fare everywhere else in the country. My dependents got 1/2 fare discount everywhere.

Riding reserved trains or getting sleeping accommodations was very difficult (like impossible) because of the no more than 48 hr before train time rule for pass reservations.

In the early '90s I was living in Lancaster PA and commuting to Philadelphia for Conrail. For quite a while I would drive to Parkesburg to get SEPTA to Center City. A few times I would get Amtrak from Lancaster, but I was limited to 12 trips year.

One former PRR ticket agent in Lancaster insisted I had no limit and gave me a big stack of tickets free with my pass. Even though I knew better, I took them and used them. A few months went by and I got a bill from Amtrak for about $1200!

Railroad employees came into a number of different catagories as of day
one of Amtrak and your length of service as of that time determined the
privileges you would get.
No freight railroad employee got free transportation except on the home
road as it existed on day one of Amtrak, for example, you work for Penn
Central you get free passes on Penn Central territory only, Southern
Pacific - Southern pacific only. Half fare everywhere else.
The longest service employees got unlimited free transportation on their
home rode for themselves and wives/husbands, not sure about dependent
children. Less time, the wife got twelve trips a year but the employee
got unlimited. Still less time, both got twelve trip limit per year.
Still less time, half fare on everything and still less I think called for 25
per cent off but I am not sure.
Anyone who hired out on any freight railroad anytime after Amtrak took
over get NO pass or reduced fare break at all.
I always thought the rule for reservations on reserved trains or
accomodations was 24 hours and not 48 hours, maybe it was changed but
I am not sure.
Amtrak receives a re-imbursement from the freight railroad that we work
for in providing this transportation so we can't use our pass on the train
but have to go to a ticket office and the ticket agent has to use the code
information on our pass to make up a free ticket for us to use.
Freight railroad employees who work for a railroad that does not host any
Amtrak trains get too free pass transportation and have to pay half fare
for everything. For example an employee off the Erie-Lackawanna
regardless of how long they were with the railroad get only half fare on
everything. Another example, Conrail employees could only get free
transportation on the former Penn Central and then only if they actually
worked for Penn Central. A CSX employee can only get Amtrak free
transportation based on the former railroad that they worked for, an
example could be Seaboard Coast Line, Richmond, Fredericksburg and
Potomac, whatever.
As you can plainly see from what I have posted here, freight railroad
employees that still have priviledges are being phased out as they die off
although retired employees carry their pass priviledges as long as they
live.
If I use my Amtrak pass for a free trip over territory that was former
Penn Central, CSX has to re-imburse Amtrak so much a mile for every
trip I take, same if I were to use an Amtrak train off of my home road and
travel half fare, Amtrak still is entitled to a re-imbursement from CSX.
I am grateful for what I have but I do not use my Amtrak pass too much
here in Florida with the limited service that we have.
Incidentally, Penn Central and Conrail employees at one time had full
pass priviledges on just about off off their commuter trains , we lost all of
that in 1983 with the big split up of Conrail, when I went north in 2003, I
rode both NJT and SEPTA but it cost me in both cases.
Noel Weaver

Noel Weaver wrote:I always thought the rule for reservations on reserved trains or accomodations was 24 hours and not 48 hours, maybe it was changed but I am not sure.

I believe 24 hrs is correct, now that it's in front of me. It's been a while for me since I had any cause to think about it.