No, NJ Transit does not run south of Trenton; see my previous post. SEPTA also runs a service from the airport to 30th St. All SEPTA trains come into the upper level at 30th St. and all AMTRAK use the lower level.
Another voice for Amtrak. We’ve taken it between Philly and NYC ourselves. Fast and efficient.
Megabus uses that rate as a come-on; it’s unlikely you can get it unless you book months in advance. However, they are less expensive than the train.
The buses are relatively new and clean. There’s wifi, too. OTOH, they have a reputation for breaking down. The good thing is that they’ll get you to the destination that day, but don’t do it if you have anything planned that day.
Another down side is the location of the bus stops. In NYC, they drop you off ten blocks south of Madison Square Garden/Penn Station. However, they depart from 12th Avenue near the Javits center and you have to wait on the sidewalk (with nowhere to sit). Not very pleasant in bad weather.
You’d probably be happier with the train.
As a fairly frequent traveller to NYC from Philly:
Amtrak is reliable but can be costly.
Taking SEPTA’s Trenton line and switching to NJT’s New York line once there is less expensive but can be tricky making the switch in Trenton. NJT and SEPTA seem to compete to see how they can screw up a traveller’s trip and add an extra hour or two to the journey.
Greyhound is what I use the most as it is pretty cheap ($11 if you book in advance online). The buses run hourly and some are direct-to-NYC and some stop in Camden, Mt. Laurel, or Newark. Check the schedules.
That being said Greyhound can be a bit ‘ad hoc’ as a transportation system. I’ve seen stops change on the fly, buses be unavailable, and other issues.
OP, exactly where in NYC does his son live? Does his son have a car and could pick him up somewhere?
I third this. Just sayin’.
If Amtrak is in your budget, go for it. For a guy like me, Amtrak is way too expensive. If you need to save money, don’t be scared by any warnings against the bus. I’ve bussed between Philadelphia and New York many many times and have never considered the bus something to “put up with”. The seats are perfectly comfortable for the amount of time you have to spend in them- which really isn’t all that long.
Have there, in the history of busses, been incidents of busses breaking down? Sure. There have also been obstructions on train tracks causing delays, not to mention derailings. None of these concerns are anything I’d ever worry about. I would certainly not say that the busses have a reputation for breaking down.
If you have tickets for an 8:00pm show, sure, don’t take a bus that is scheduled to arrive at 7:30pm. They’re not that reliable. But if you want to get into the city by the “early afternoon” and you take a bus scheduled to get you in at 12:30 or 1:30 you’re not going to be so late that your arrival won’t still safely be in the early afternoon.
I’ve always taken the Peter Pan bus. Cheap and it takes you right to the Port Authority- about as convenient a drop-off spot as you can get.
If I had more money, I’d take Amtrak. I don’t, however, consider there to be any advantage to the SEPTA->Trenton then switch to NJ Transit-> NYC. I’d say either go Amtrak or take the bus.
My nephew is a grad student at Columbia and he lives pretty close to campus, so upper Manhattan. And no car, so he can’t pick him up. My brother can take the subway once he gets to NYC.
Thanks for the informative (and reassuring) post. My brother will absolutely be looking at the most economical options. On a fairly short ride like that, I think I’d probably take the bus.
If Amtrak is out of your price range, check into taking SEPTA to Trenton from 30th Street Station and then switching to NJ Transit to NY Penn Station. It’s about 2 1/2 hours but should be a lot cheaper.
Amtrak is a bit faster and much pricer than the bus. I find business people on expense accounts take Amtrak and those paying for their own tickets take a bus.
Megabus, Boltbus, and Greyhound have around 20 departures a day each. Megabus and Boltbus leave Philly on the street a block away from 30th Station and drop you in NYC on 33rd or 34th St between 11th and 12th Ave. All waiting is on the street. If it’s cold or raining the wait will be unpleasant or worse.
Greyhound leaves Philly from the terminal across from Jefferson Station (formerly known as Market East) on Filbert St at 10th St and drops you in the Port Authority Bus Terminal, 8th Ave between 41st and 42nd Sts. So, you will be waiting indoors. I find Port Authority poorly marked. It’s hard to find the Greyhound gates unless you know where they are. If you take Greyhound, allow time to locate the Greyhound gate area.
You can get a round trip ticket on all three bus lines for $20-$30 if you buy a few days in advance. If you take Greyhound, try to take an express bus. These are a bit faster and boarding is more civilized.
I don’t see any reason to take SEPTA/NJT (changing in Trenton). This is slower and more expense than any bus.
Thirded.
Amtrak is awesome for getting around the Bos-Wash corridor (Boston, NYC, Newark, Trenton, Philly, Baltimore, DC). Amtrak is also decent if you want to go to Pittsburgh or Chicago, and gets increasingly less useful as you go west (long distances, slow trains, few cities served, etc.)
Check out the Acela if you’re interested - it’s a bit more expensive but faster.
On Amtrak From Philly to NYC (and reverse) there are 3 options:
1: Acela- stops at Newark Penn station then NYP (skips trenton, metropark, newark airport).
2: Regional- stops at Trenton, Metropark, Newark (and some stop at Newark airport), then Penn station NY. Regionals have food cars & Business class.
3: Keystones- stops at Trenton and Newark NJ, then NYP (skips Metropark & Newark airport). No food cars. No business class.
Thanks for the replies, everyone. Looks like Amtrak gets the most votes but the bus is more economical. I think my brother will most likely choose the bus.
As in, “Acela costs ten times what Megabus does” (cites from me in previous posts).
The odd places that the buses pick up and unload passengers are all near West Side subway lines stations, so the trip uptown shouldn’t be a problem.
The MTA charges a buck to issue a Metrocard, but you can usually grab one from a trash bin and just load it with the fare you need. There are lots of MTA pass and multi-trip ticket options, too; presume nephew can advise.
Standard gear for subway riding: MTA map, refillable water bottle, something to read; rarely see a rider without these.
More helpful suggestions- thanks FeAudrey!
I like this one for Android.