The Amtrak train waiting at Penn Station, New York
The Amtrak train to Hudson departs from Penn Station in New York and takes approximately two hours to reach Hudson. The trains run every hour or two from 7:15 in the morning to the last train which de 7:15 at night.
Date: May 2018
Destination: New York City to Hudson return
Class: Coach (Economy)
Departure station: Penn Station New York City
Cost: $76 return Coach
Flexible tickets are available for $144 return and allow you to change your booking. Otherwise for $114 return you can get yourself a seat in Business class.
Website: The Amtrak Website is easy to use and provides information about the trip such as baggage allowance, internet service and the cafe car. It’s a good idea to know what station the train leaves from though as the website drop down menu gives you three stations to choose from in New York but the train going to Hudson only leaves from Penn Station. So selecting a different one brings up no results and can waste a bit of time.
Luggage: There is no checked baggage on this service. Carry on allowance is two bags at 23kg (50lb) and two personal items weighing 12kg (25lb). A $20 fee applies to any luggage in excess of the weight and size limits.
Luggage compartments run above the seats for storing your luggage in
WiFi: Basic WiFi is available on the train which allows you to conduct low bandwidth activities such as browsing. It does not support high bandwidth activities such as streaming video or music or downloading large files.
Power: Just beneath the window there are two 120 volt power sockets. Some of the trains also have additional sockets below.
Two US power sockets are located beneath the window.
Food service: Food is available from the cafe car and includes snacks such as sandwiches, pizza, and beverages including wine and beer.
Seats: The seats vary from train to train with some being leather and others being material. The age of the trains also vary. The seats on this train were a blue patterned cloth. All seats recline and leg room is quite reasonable. None of the seats have seatbelts. There are tray tables at every seat and a pocket to store small belongings. Compartments overhead are for stowing luggage. To get the best views, sit on the left hand side of the train which follows the Hudson River most of the way along.
The seats on the Amtrak train were comfortable enough for the two hour journey
Leg room was good and there was a tray table that folded down and a pocket to store things
Reading Material: In the seat pocket in front is the New York By Rail magazine which contains some interesting reading along with a map that shows the routes of all the Amtrak lines.
This magazine provided some interesting articles and a map of the Amtrak route
Pros:
- Travelling by train is cheaper and more scenic than flying
- You can get up and move around on the train which you can’t really do if you’re flying or driving.
- The train is air conditioned
- Basic WiFi is available
Cons:
- The air temperature can be a bit chilly so be sure to take a warm top with you
In Summary:
Catching the train is a pleasant way of commuting to Hudson and is relatively inexpensive. Tickets are easy to purchase online and staff at the station are helpful and can assist in telling you where to queue up etc. I would happily choose this option again.