No-Lunch4249

No-Lunch4249 t1_je6ume0 wrote

Yeah if it wasn’t for IAD they never would have extended Metro that far. This is also why all those fantasy metro maps that do things like extend the Orange Line to Annapolis or the Green Line to Laurel, etc are totally bonkers. It’s just not appropriate for the subway and should be handled by moderate frequency but much faster regional rail as you said.

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No-Lunch4249 t1_jc6fyrh wrote

Reply to comment by MFoy in Train to Philly Pricing by Beckam4434

Bingo. I did this same trip OP is planning last summer for like $30 round trip, but bought the tickets a month or two ahead of time.

You really cannot beat that price, driving you’d pay more for gas and parking. You might find a cheaper bus but the experience will be way worse.

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No-Lunch4249 t1_jc6fodd wrote

No they don’t get cheaper right before

The way Amtrak sales work is they sell the tickets in “buckets” starting with the cheapest price and after a certain amount are sold, they start selling the next “bucket” at a higher price, continually going up in price as more tickets are sold. Once the price goes up into the next bucket, it pretty much never comes back down.

So the longer you wait, the higher the price will be 99 times out of 100.

We’re lucky to live in the region where Amtrak has its absolute hands down best service, but this practice does really make it hard to use them for a last-minute trip.

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No-Lunch4249 t1_jaayz0c wrote

Reply to comment by tlr92 in Where to invest in my own? by tlr92

Yeah it is tough! But honestly by even opening up a retirement account and throwing a few bucks in every paycheck, you’re putting yourself ahead of (no shit) like 40% of people in the US (I assume you’re US based).

Like the other commenter said, we’re here for you, and the wiki is an amazing resource. You got this!

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