Now is the time to plan your trip and book your tickets if you are planning to travel by train during the Thanksgiving travel period.
The cost to travel on certain Amtrak trains during the holiday period will be higher than normal and many trains will sell out — in fact some Amtrak trains in our region have already sold out, before and/or after the holiday (see the list at the end of the page).
To help with this process we have prepared a guide for train travel during this busy travel period.
Contents
Thanksgiving Travel Options:
– Amtrak’s Vermonter service
– Valley Flyer connecting to/from Amtrak in New Haven
– Valley Flyer connecting to/from Metro-North in New Haven
– Amtrak to/from Springfield
– Hartford Line to/from Metro-North in New Haven
Our updated listing of sold out Amtrak trips
Your Thanksgiving travel options
Option 1 | Amtrak’s Vermonter service
Vermont – Northampton – NY Penn Station – Washington, DC
Pros
One-seat ride
Business class seating
Cafe car
Cons
Most Vermonter trips will sell out during this period
Relatively high ticket prices on peak travel days
Sample fare
Between $55 and $105 | One-way from Northampton to NY Penn Station
Fare and ticketing information for this option is available on the Vermonter page.
Option 2 | Valley Flyer connection with Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor service
Greenfield – Northampton – Springfield – Hartford – New Haven
– connecting to/from Amtrak service to NYC and points south
Pros
Scheduled connection with Amtrak in New Haven
Cons
Most connecting Amtrak trains to/from NYC will sell out
High ticket prices on peak travel days
Sample fare
Between $43 and $167 | One-way from Northampton to NY Penn Station
Fare and ticket information for this option is available on the ValleyFlyer page.
Option 3 | Valley Flyer connection with the Metro-North New Haven Line
Greenfield – Northampton – Springfield – Hartford – New Haven
– connecting to/from Metro-North to Grand Central Terminal NYC
Pros
Scheduled connection with Metro-North in New Haven
Much lower fares on peak days (half the cost of taking Amtrak)
Plenty of seats are available, on most days
Cons
Trip requires two train tickets (an Amtrak ticket and a Metro-North ticket)
Sample fare
$44.24 | One-way from Northampton to Grand Central Terminal
Ticket 1 | $26 – Amtrak (Northampton to New Haven)
Ticket 2 | $18.25 (Off-Peak) – Metro-North (New Haven to Grand Central)
Fare and ticketing information for this option is available on the Valley Flyer page.
Here’s the current schedule for these three options —
Southbound schedule
Northbound schedule
Option 4 | Amtrak to/from Springfield
Springfield – New Haven – NY Penn Station – Washington, DC
Pros
Multiple trains (6 – 9) daily
Cons
High ticket prices on peak travel days
Many trains will sell out
Need to get yourself to/from Springfield Union Station
Sample fare
Between $34 and $170 | One-way from Springfield to NY Penn Station
$34Fare and ticketing information of this option can be found on Amtrak.com.
Option 5 | Hartford Line from Springfield / connection to Metro-North
Springfield – Hartford – New Haven
– connecting to/from Metro-North to Grand Central Terminal NYC
Pros
Multiple trains (12 – 13) daily between Springfield and New Haven
Low fixed fares for travel on the Hartford Line
(as low as $18.75/one-way for a senior for travel between Springfield and NYC)
Cons
Need to get yourself to/from Springfield Union Station
Sample fare
$31.50 | One-way from Springfield to Grand Central Terminal
Ticket 1 | Hartford Line (Springfield to New Haven) will cost $13.25
Ticket 2 | Metro-North (New Haven to Grand Central) will $18.25 (Off-Peak)
Fare and ticketing information for this option can be found on the Hartford Line page.
Special notes for Options 4 & 5
Consider using the PVTA G73 Express bus to travel between Northampton and Springfield Union Station if you are traveling between Monday and Saturday.
Students, faculty, and staff with an ID from one of the schools in Five Colleges Consortium can ride the G73E at no charge.
If you are traveling on an Amtrak-operated Hartford Line train during the holiday period we recommend that you purchase your ticket from Amtrak and not from a CTrail ticket machine. With an Amtrak ticket in hand you are sure to get a seat on the train.
Sold out or nearly Sold Out Amtrak trips (as of Sun. 11/19/2023)
SOUTHBOUND
FROM Greenfield, Northampton or Holyoke
TO New York Penn Station
Tues. Nov. 21st
Vermonter 55 (SOLD OUT)
Valley Flyer 495 (20%) -//- Northeast Regional 95 (70%)
Valley Flyer 471 (80%) –//– Northeast Regional 171 (90%)
Wed. Nov. 22nd
Vermonter 55 (SOLD OUT)
Valley Flyer 495 (40%) –//– Northeast Regional 95 (90%)
Valley Flyer 471 (80%) –//– Northeast Regional 171 (SOLD OUT)
Sat. Nov. 25th
Vermonter 57 (SOLD OUT)
Valley Flyer 461 (SOLD OUT) –//– Northeast Regional 161 (90%)
Sun. Nov. 26th
Vermonter train 57 (SOLD OUT)
Valley Flyer 461 (90%) –//– Northeast Regional 161 (SOLD OUT)
NORTHBOUND
FROM New York Penn Station
TO Greenfield, Northampton, or Holyoke
Tues. Nov 21st
Vermonter 56 (SOLD OUT)
Northeast Regional 94 (90%) –//– Valley Flyer 494 (90%)
Northeast Regional 178 (90%) –//– Valley Flyer 478 (20%)
Wed, Nov 22nd
Vermonter 56 (SOLD OUT)
Northeast Regional 94 (SOLD OUT) –//– Valley Flyer 494 (SOLD OUT)
Northeast Regional 178 (80%) –//– Valley Flyer 478 (30%)
Sat. Nov. 25th
Vermonter 54 (SOLD OUT)
Northeast Regional 88 (SOLD OUT) –//– Valley Flyer 488 (80%)
Sun. Nov. 26th
Vermonter 54 (SOLD OUT)
Northeast Regional 88 (SOLD OUT) –//– Valley Flyer 488 (SOLD OUT)
We will update this listing each Sunday until Thanksgiving.
Page last updated: November 19, 2023
Page last reviewed: November 5, 2023
