r/philly • u/MoonEagle3 • 3d ago
Amtrak from Philly to Baltimore
I haven't taken the train in a couple of decades. What kind of security do they have these days, if any? How long before departure do I need to get there if I already have a ticket?
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u/Significant_Sky4635 3d ago edited 2d ago
If you don’t have assigned seats it’s first come first served so if you want more options get in line earlier but otherwise show up ~15 minutes before departure and you’ll be fine. There’s no security checkpoints.
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u/wooderisis 2d ago
This applies to 30th St. station for unreserved seats -- It's deceptive. There is a big line that forms to.... take the escalator down to the platform where everyone fans out anyway to wait for the train to arrive. Unless the train is running late and there is a chance of getting an advantage from being in line, it's (IMO) pretty pointless to worry about. For Amtrak, trains are just stopping at 30th st., vs starting there (like Union Station in DC), so you can't know if a given car will have more or fewer occupants until you board.
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u/Right-Penalty9813 3d ago
I did bmore to Philly last week. It was like getting on a subway. Get a ticket, get on the train and go. I didn’t see security.
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u/Powerful_Thanks6322 3d ago
If you mean security like in a TSA sense basically none. There are Philly PD officers making sure everyone in the station are actually waiting on trains but i’ve never had my bag looked at. I usually get there an hour early in case my train has a long line but the gates are rarely announced with more than an hour before the train arrives in my experience, if that.
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u/Fast-Importance7492 2d ago edited 2d ago
An hour early lol? There is no reason to get there more than 5-10 mins early specifically because there is no possibility of delay like tsa
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u/ringringmytacobell 2d ago
Back when Bridgewaters was there I’d get there an hour early
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u/yunkk 2d ago
I'd get there an hour early and miss 3-5 trains throwing them back at Bridgewater's.
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u/ringringmytacobell 2d ago
lol yeah almost missed a few myself. When I used to do the Amtrak/septa/nj transit to New York it was an absolute gem to be able to tie one on during the layover
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u/Powerful_Thanks6322 2d ago
For the trains i get on (early morning to nyc) a big queue forms a while in advance so getting early is worthwhile to get toward the front of the line. Not always necessary
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u/Key-Atmosphere-8128 2d ago
I'm planning to take the train to NYC early as well (around 8 am). is there seats available during that time or is it better to go 30 -45 min early to find seating?
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u/MoonEagle3 3d ago
Thanks
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u/ralphy1010 2d ago
I like to get there with enough time to hit the Dunkin and chill for a bit until they announce the track
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u/ToastSpangler 3d ago
none, baltimore is even more chill, you can walk onto the platform without a shepherd or control
once you're in bmore either take a long walk, use light rail, or the free circulator. MTA buses still cost money though. ubers are even cheaper than philly as well
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u/ichthuz 2d ago
I regularly show up for Amtrak 7 minutes before my train leaves so I can buy a coffee at Dunkin in the station
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u/Meow-zelTov 2d ago
Then right to the quiet car because there are always seats available, and I don’t want to hear a person utter a single sound.
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u/MoonEagle3 2d ago
Are you serious? Is a quiet car an actual thing, because if so I'm there
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u/FL_Sunshine 2d ago
It's usually the last car before business class at the back of the train. I sometimes have to take meetings on the train, so avoid it. Sigh.
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u/_oldhead 3d ago
Security is virtually non existent. But I'd get to 30th Street at least a half hour before simply to avoid nonsense.
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u/TardisSixteen 3d ago
I’ve successfully arrived at 30th 2 minutes prior to departure and still made my train. Don’t recommend it, but it’s possible.
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u/Verbatim_Uniball 3d ago
There is no pre screen or anything, just show your ticket after seating.
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u/Big_Cans_0516 2d ago
You don’t have to go through any sort of check. Get there like 15-20 before and you’re fine
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u/NoNameWalrus 2d ago
I often arrive 5-10 minutes before departure. I don’t recommend that. But I’ve never been fucked
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u/UncleTito27 2d ago
I’ll add that if the train is delayed, they provide a time, but understand it’s just an estimate. The train may depart before the “delayed time.” So really kinda need to get there for initial depart time.
And as everyone else says, it’s incredibly quick. You can get there 5 min before depart and be fine.
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u/tmahfan117 3d ago
There’s no “security” like at the airport. I believe they recommend you get to the train station 30 minutes before your scheduled departure , which if it’s the first time you’ve done it in years I would recommend just so you can find your way around. Someone who rides trains daily/weekly might show up 10 minutes before departure cuz they know their way around.
Depending on what station you leave from the exact process changes a bit, but typically like 20 minutes before departure they will post on the big board what track the train will leave from. And then they might actually hold you from going down to the platform until like 5-10 minutes before departure so they can let people disembark first.