Sometimes it makes the best logistical sense to take the train rather than fly or drive. In those cases Amtrak does most of the heavy lifting (albeit chronically delayed). In some cities, Amtrak will only offer once daily service giving little flexibility with travel. Across the country, Amtrak is fixing this issue by offering the Thruway Bus service to seamlessly connecting secondary cities to larger rail hubs. How does the service work you might ask? We will answer that very question by traveling the Amtrak Thruway Bus from Worcester to Providence where we will connect onwards to a Washington D.C. bound Northeast Regional. All aboard!
Background On Amtrak Thruway Busses
Amtrak Thruway busses operate in a handful of markets like New York State, Massachusetts, Texas and California. What makes this service unique is that you must have a valid connecting Amtrak rail ticket to ride the bus (with California being an exception). For the Worcester Massachusetts Thruway service, schedules will provide connections for trains in the morning, afternoon and evening. From August to October passengers can connect at Providence to the Seastreak Ferry to Newport Rhode Island. In many cases Amtrak does not operate the Thruway Busses instead they rely on third party operators to supply the busses and drivers.
Booking And Station Expierence
Booking a Thruway Bus is no different then booking a standard Amtrak ticket. To the left of the listed departure time you will notice an icon of a train and bus with the text below it stating “mixed service.” Be sure to pay attention to the connection time. Like flights, a tight connection may become worrisome if there is a delay on the first leg. Prices vary depending on the train service being booked. The connecting Northeast Regional ticket came out to a total of $87. At Worcester Union Station, there were plenty of signs pointing us in the right direction. The bus departs in the same bus station where intercity busses arrive and depart out of. Once at the bus, the driver took out bags and checked us in. Simple enough.
Onboard Experience
With only three passengers aboard, the bus felt quite spacious considering the bus seats up to 30 passengers. If traveling on a fully booked bus it is worth noting that seats are on a first come first serve basis. Speaking of seats, each seat is equipped with power outlets, a cup holder and ample seat pitch that is more than adequate for the hour long ride. The only downside with the seats is the lack of tray tables. Again it is only an hour ride so not the end of the world. Complimentary Wi-Fi is available and worked throughout the entire journey and was able to support emails and streaming without much fuss. In no time we pulled into Providence Union Station right on schedule. The bus parks right in front of the main entrance of the station making for an easy connection. Unfortunately, the Northeast Regional train we were connecting to was delayed from Boston. At least the bus portion was on time!
Final Boarding Call
Does Amtrak’s Thruway Bus service make sense? In markets like Worcester where there’s currently one Amtrak service out of the station, having a connection to dozens of trains out of providence makes traveling on Amtrak super convenient. The only hesitancy with the service is that if there is a large amount of traffic on the highway, there is the risk of missing your connection. Other than that Amtrak’s somewhat overlooked service helps make train travel more accessible for all.
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