Please note: The big city in New Jersey - Newark - is pronounced "new-werk" but the college town in northern Delaware -Newark - is pronounced "New Ark."
I used to do parts of this trip all the time when I was a UDel student - I volunteered for an org in DC and dated someone living in Queens - but rarely all in one go. Very cool.
That was the sound of a LIRR M7 train coming in as you were talking in the NJT train at NY Penn at 2:40...sweet music to a Long Islander like me! Google Maps is definitely inconsistent when it comes to transit. I mean where I'm at, Google Maps doesn't acknowledge that Suffolk Transit even exists what so ever! But that aside, the Amtrak train zooming behind you on the bridge at 12:22 as you were speaking was simply perfect! Now that's a great trainspotting location, quite scenic! Newark, Delaware is pronounced New-Ark! And if you really want to sound like a local, Newark, New Jersey is pronounced NORK! My mom's from Newark, NJ, so I've been many times. Fun fact, Newark, NJ actually has the largest collection of cherry blossom trees in the country, NOT Washington, DC! Newark's Branch Brook Park has 5,200 trees and 18 varieties of cherry blossoms!
I just checked the lowest priced ticket on Amtrak from NYC to Washington is $20, booked 30 or more days in advance. Booked next day, I'm getting an $82 fare on Amtrak. Compared to $51.75 total fare using local/regional transport for this route. So going this way could save money IF the trip is last-minute and IF the traveler had all day to spare. Otherwise, just plan ahead and save both money and time.
The big saving is if you are going from Philly to NYC. Straightforward change from one train to another, I did it years ago, and the Septa train would pull up right behind the NJ Transit train on the same track.
@@donsab-xz4so you’re booking in advance Philly to nyc is $10 or less on Amtrak on the regional or keystone. I just got five tickets for a group in July for $35.
Northeast transit is so nice. Trains between NY and NJ leaving every twenty minutes. Greetings from California. We have multiple Amtrak routes that leave once a day or less. Flixbus and Greyhound are a single company, and they've got monopolies on most routes between big SoCal cities.
I have been in Perryville at the end of the MARC line and had no clue about local busses. I needed to get to Oxford, PA and luckily had a ride lined up. It's a scary feeling to be on that last train.
Interesting way to challenge yourself without Amtrak or big bus companies like Greyhound and Mega Bus. I knew NYC to Wilmington or Newark DE was simple because I been on those but after Cecil transit, I didn’t have a clue how to get to Baltimore without those big companies. But once in Baltimore, I knew the Marc Train. But I did just learn the Marc train gets pretty close to Elkton in Perryville. I enjoyed the video!
I’ve seen two other people do this and they cheat and take Amtrak between Wilmington and Baltimore since there’s no rail connection between Newark and Perryville. Good on you for doing it properly as advertised! I guess it didn’t work out time wise, but the Septa Wilmington/Newark line goes all the way out to Newark, would have gotten you a smidge closer without doing bus transfers.
Delaware fun facts: Unlike the majority of what is now the United States, Delaware was once a SWEDISH colony called New Sweden! New Sweden was made up of settlements on both sides of the Delaware Valley, with the first being in what is now Wilmington called Fort Christina. New Sweden didn't last very long as it only existed from 1638 to 1655 due to being conquered by the Dutch. Delaware is named after the Delaware River and Bay, which in turn was named after governor of Virginia, Thomas West, Lord De La Warr by Samuel Argall in 1610. While Georgia is known as the peach state, the first state to produce peaches commercially was Delaware! That's why the state flower is the peach blossom! Newark was founded by Scots-Irish and Welsh settlers in 1694. The town was officially established when it received a charter from George II of Great Britain in 1758. Schools have played a significant role in the history of Newark. A grammar school, founded by Francis Alison in 1743, moved from New London, Pennsylvania to Newark in 1765, becoming the Newark Academy. Among the first graduates of the school were three signers of the Declaration of Independence: George Read, Thomas McKean, and James Smith. During the American Revolution, the Battle of Cooch's Bridge (just outside Newark) was the first instance of the Stars and Stripes being flown in battle
The colony of New Sweden - Nya Sverige - extended as far north as Philadelphia. In fact when William Penn arrived in present day Philadelphia and founded that city in 1682 there was already two generations of Swedes and Finns living there along the Delaware River. Philadelphia honors it's Swedish heritage in it's official municipal flag which is light blue and yellow - the colors of Sweden.
@@mrbutch308 Northeast Philadelphia was never part of the Sweedish colony though. NE Phila & Bucks County were first settled by the Dutch (Along with North Jersey, NYC, and the Hudson Valley). Then in 1655, the Dutch took over the Sweeds. Then the English conquered the Dutch and the English were able to connect their Virginia an Massachusetts colonies, by owning everything in-between
NJ Transit and SEPTA generally coordinate the scheduled arrival/departure of trains in Trenton such that you can exit NJ Transit and board Septa on the other side of the same platform (and vice versa). And they generally time the train departing Trenton to leave close to when the arriving train arrives.
I was once contemplating this very thing when I had an unfortunate overnight layover between the Maple Leaf and the Northeast Regional in Penn Station. So frustrating that there’s such a small yet too big gap between Perryville and Newark DE. I’m pleased to see someone pull it off! Also I find it amusing that you were worried about nighttime ruining your Capital dome shot; at least for me, I find all the marble DC buildings at their most striking lit up after dark
Taking DART route 33 in Delaware would have swung around the south of Newark and come in from west side on Elkton Road. You could get off there and catch the Cecil Transit outbound. May not have been quicker overall but would have shortened the time on the DART bus. That 10 route just meanders all over and feels like it's taking forever.
An interesting and longer alternative to SEPTA between Trenton and Philly is the River Line to Camden from Trenton and PATCO to Center City Philadelphia (16th & Locust). It also goes along the Delaware River.
Really enjoyed watching this. I do something similar but with a bike and various forms of public transit up and down the NE Corridor between Boston and DC.
This was awesome man and yeah naturally not preferred route but this is good if everything else is sold out like on a busy pick holiday and you HAVE TO get home. Thanks for sharing! ❤
I think you could have saved the later $6.75 if you did not leave the paid area of the station at 30th Street and just transfer inside paid area from Trenton line into Wilmington/Newark line. One fare $9.25 would be sufficient that way to go from Trenton to Wilmington/Newark.
From Philly I always take Septa to Trenton, then NJTransit to Penn Station. If you time it right, it doesn't add too much time than it would to take Amtrak. But the cost savings is huge. If going to Boston or DC from Philly it's the Acela on Amtrak.
Several years ago I managed to ride every rail transit system from NY to DC in one day, no buses. Starting at Boro Hall in Brooklyn, I took the 5 to Fulton St.; PATH WTC-Exchange Pl.; Hudson Bergen Light Rail to Hoboken; NJT Morris & Essex to Newark Broad St.; Newark Light Rail to Penn Sta.; NE Corridor to Trenton; River Line to Walter Rand, Camden; PATCO to 8 St., Phila; Market St. Subway to 30 St.; Amtrak Regional to Baltimore Penn; Light Rail to Camden Sta.; MARC Camden to Greenbelt; WMATA Green to Ft. Totten & Red to Van Ness. 14 trains in about 12 hours. I know I left out SEPTA Regional to Wilmington but it didn't fit into my schedule.
I used to get between Baltimore and DC using WMATA. They had a BWI shuttle from the end of the green line in Greenbelt. It was then just hopping on light rail at BWI to get in to Baltimore.
Why didn't you take the SEPTA train all the way to Newark DE? Would've saved on a transfer since you ended up at that station anyway when riding the bus between Wilmington and Perryville.
I thought of doing this exact thing years before covid. I never did it because I had no real reason to aside from the lols. So I never took the idea seriously. Today I would do something like this because I'm into video recording adventures and it would just be another adventure. But now I have to be careful living with high at-risk family getting sick from me travelling, which has happened, so I'm not keen on the idea anymore.
Congrats on an EPIC video!! I live in Texas, but recently visited Boston and one highlight for me was the simple fact that MBTA regional goes all the way to Providence, Rhode Island. I really enjoyed your concept and will have to try more of these local hops when I get back to the region!!
Sometimes, the journey IS the story. So cool you took the route less traveled and just wasn't interested in getting to the destination in a hurry. The Capital looked really cool lit up like that. Thanks for posting this.
I actually did the same exact trip back in 2021, except I took Amtrak to Wilmington and then I took the three buses to Perryville for the MARC. It was definitely an arduous journey. And I also remember riding the mini buses.
This video is awesome. I think the term "megaloping" was coined for this kind of travel, but it seems to have fallen out of use! Would you consider another trip, extending it with Metro-North and the Virginia Railway Express, say?
ALthough at some point you run out of trains and have to make an overnight stay. If you got on the first Shore Line East out of New London at 5:20 AM, that brings you to New Haven at 6:25 AM. Then you catch the MNRR out of New Haven at 6:45 AM, which drops you off at Grand Central at 8:38 AM. That's a really tight connection to make NJT at 9:04 AM, especially when you realize GCT is a mile from Penn, although it's doable if you can run it, have your NJT ticket in hand, and everything is on time. If you wanted to start from New Haven, though, there are several earlier trains from NH to GCT than those which would connect no problem. For example, the 6:24 out of New Haven gets to GCT at 8:19, which gives you 45 minutes to get to Penn for the 9:04. But no SLE train meets that one at NH. As far as extending south, the itinerary in the OP arrives at Union Station after 8 PM, by which time it looks like VRE has wrapped up for the evening. You could take the WMATA Metro as far south as it goes, though.
Great video! I've seen a few people take this trip now and my main takeaway has been that my god the MTA needs to extend the Penn Line to Newark! That bus jump is so stupid, Newark would only be like 2 more stops up the line if MARC went there. Anyway, fantastic video, I commend your efforts!
Thanks for attempting, completing, and documenting this trip. I'm glad it showed up on my feed. I've lived various places along the NYC-DC corridor (currently toward the DC end of the corridor now) and am mildly disappointed/frustrated that in the 21st century there is no direct connections by commuter rail between NYC and DC. Or even between BOS and DC (actually pretty angry/frustrated). This stretch of country represents some of the most dense and economic rich (and poor) areas of the USA. The mindbender is that they are all physically connected by ELECTRIFIED rail (because Amtrak Acela can run the whole route in about 6 hours), but our squabbling state governments cannot figure out how to play nice in the sandbox together to cobble a commuter rail network that can connect all the places.
@OldsVistaCruiser EXACTLY. You hit the nail on the head. Our various state departments of transportation squabble and fight over their 'territory' instead of working together to facilitate interstate travel and commerce. Well they do for cars (highways, parkway, and state roads for cars) - but forget about busses and trains. I mean two of the 'busses' that Evan rode were glorified versions of vans for crying out loud. In 2023, the 21st century - we are shuttling folks around in vans within some of the densest area of the country 😫
@Luke Thompson - SEPTA (the Southeastern PENNSYLVANIA Transportation Authority) already goes to Newark, DE, thanks to funding from DelDOT. Maryland needs to cross the DE state line to meet SEPTA.
I agree with your analysis. I'll only do commuter train between New York City and Philadelphia. If going from NYC to DC, it's more worth taking Amtrak.
I came up with a similar idea but mine goes from Newburyport MA to Spotsylvania VA and uses MBTA •Newburyport/Rockport Line •Orange Line •Providence/Stoughton Line RIPTA •95x Walking for an hour from Westerly to North Stonington SEAT •108 CTrail •Shore Line East Metro-North •New Haven Line MTA •7 train •1 train NJT •Northeast Corridor Line •Bus 409 PATCO SEPTA •Market-Frankford Line •Wilmington/Newark Line Cecil Country Transit •Newark Connection •Cross County MARC •Penn Line & VRE •Fredericksburg Line
I gamed this out, you can also take a bus to Salisbury Beach from Newburyport. Still not sure if Spotsylvania or Martinsburg is further, although VRE could always solve this by running to RIchmond or MARC to Cumberland.
Man, I love your videos so much! I've always wanted to do this (although I've kinda done with South Florida transit), but as you noticed, the logistics can be quite stressful specially because regional/commuter transit has odd frequencies (like having trains every hour from 6am to 11am and then the next train is at 2pm). Just researching online before attempting the whole trek is stressful enough. Instances like that with Google Maps are something I also watch out for, specially when it's making walk long distances between stops. And I really liked that you asked the drivers for clarification, never be afraid to ask the drivers!
@@josephfreedman9422 Looking at the system map, it appears you're correct. About 15-20 years ago I used River Line to Wm. Rand and bought a ticket that said SEPTA and was able to travel direct to Temple University. Guess things changed.
I skipped around so I don't know if you mentioned it, but at times the SEPTA line from Philadelphia to Wilmington continues to Newark. This would eliminate one connection, although I don't know if the bus to Elkton passes near the SEPTA station.
Taking the Wilmington/Newark line all the way to Newark would've been great. Unfortunately, if I had waited for a train to Newark, I would've missed my connection with the MARC.
Traveling like you in that same geograhical area in my younger days and before youtube, when I went to visit the University of Delaware campus in Newark, DE I was informed by the locals that the DE Newark is pronounced as though tehy were two separate separate words New and Ark.
I often took local bus to Arlington Vamoose bus to NYC, then shuttle subway to Grand Central and local train to CT. Or. Local Arlington, VA bus to Metro subway to DC, then at DC to take Amtrak train to NYC then local train to CT.
Wow crazy stuff. I’ve done Seattle to Vancouver a couple times via local bus only. No Amtrak or private bus companies like what you did. It takes a while, can’t be done on Sundays at all, requires an early start and a lot of patience. The cost: my flixbus return ticket was $35 so I’ll use that as a reference point. For the trip up it was $3.25 from SeaTac (I live in the city not the airport) to northgate with a free transfer to a bus to Everett. $2 each to mount Vernon and then Bellingham. $1 to Blaine, then walk to border checkpoint and then to the next bus stop. The buses north of the border run kind of frequent so no time crunch here, but it’s about $4 Canadian to downtown Vancouver. Took about 6 or 7 hours would have taken 4 hours on bus or train. But that four hours doesn’t include my travel time to downtown Seattle but the six or seven does. And I walked to the bus to the SkyTrain instead of getting a feeder bus. So it’s actually closer to ninety minutes disparity if done right. Big thing is customs checkpoint is a minute at the foot crossing and up to 45 minutes on the bus.
I'm faint at heart (unlike you), so I wouldn't do a challenge like this alone. I did tire of seeing Lincoln Tunnel on the D.C. to NY bus though, and wanted to see the NEC north of 30th St Station, so I opted for Amtrak & WMATA Metrorail. This in spite of it not being competitive time-wise with an on-time bus, given my location in the D.C. suburbs. Will try to do the same with Boston (vs. flying) some day
i read or heard that in the 1920s or 1930s, it WAS possible to go from NYC to Chicago on local transit (a time when regional streetcars abounded). But to go across country that way was probably impossible. In the 1970s, I met a man who used local transit to go from (I believe) Los Angeles to San Francisco, but he did have a pass as a military veteran to travel some of the way across a military base or land.
cool video, I would never consider this kind of regional/local transit being so knitted together as to make it possible. Remarkable how empty all the trains and busses seemed,
its why I laugh at people who push for MORE public transportation, because nobody rides what already exists they want more stuff that nobody will ride?
On Discord back on October 18th, 2020, ParkerTheR46 mentioned this to me as the scenic route and suggests me to take this route aka the scenic route to Washington DC Union Station although my roommate would rather enjoy taking Amtrak instead.
“The bus is going to perryville, I’m going to perryville…” this is the conversation I have with myself when I’m on a bus I’m 98% is correct but won’t relax until I arrive at my destination 😅
I discovered the most extreme version of this would be going from Spotsylvania, Virginia to Salisbury, MA. It is entirely possible (however absurd it might be) to get between these two cities on only local/regional transit.
Damn . . you are right! Trains Magazine has done articles on both NY - DC and NY - Boston alternatives to AmTrak, but yeah, in our current world, the network keeps expanding.
SEPTA actively changing their schedule to make NJT connections at Trenton less convenient is one of the dumbest things that ever happened. It used to be you'd step off an NJT train, walk up the platform, and get on the SEPTA train that would take you the rest of the way. The extremely slow ride to 30th Street was still a thing, though.
You paid separately for your two Septa legs. Did you know you could have paid a total of $6.50 from Trenton to Wilmington if you had a Septa Key card? They only charge $6.50 for "extended trips" that involve transiting through Center City stations in Philly.
Wow that's very interested taking local regional trains down to DC that gotta take forever to travel down with just local transit , I taken Amtrak down to DC instead!
Thanks! Miles in Transit actually showed up the other week as a channel my viewers also watch. I've been meaning to check out the channel; it looks interesting.
I always kind of wondered if this was possible, but never was motivated to research it. The bus bit seemed like the worst part, although you still spent a lot of time sitting around and waiting for the next train.
Did this all the time in the 80's. Lived on Long Island and went to college in DC (GWU). Lived right by LIRR. Took LIRR to Penn Station. Amtrak to DC union station. DC Subway to GWU stop, 2 blocks to dorm. Basically Door to Door.
As an European, I just watch till 1:22 and then I understand why we are so lucky to have good transportation like bus route without making this amount of connections as well as our high speed train system. I know any system is perfect but yours, well come on Americans, just improve it seriously 😶
This was an exercise in taking local regional trains from NYC to DC. It's actually pretty cool that you can actually do that. Otherwise, you would take Amtrak Northeast Regional or the Acela.
IF Using Local Transit as much as you could you should have left NYC on a path train to Newark penn station then jumped on the NJT to Trenton but I guess it’s not a big deal and would be a pain in the a$$ since you could just jump on the NJT from Penn station New York and get to Trenton. You should do a video of the cheapest flights out of NYC from either LaGuardia or Kennedy airport maybe title flights I took for under $99 dollars from NY and then from any city you end up at. So traveling across the country on flights that are in $99 or less.
You are a braver man than I am. Being from Philadelphia, using regional transit to New York works very well. However going southbound to DC on regional transit presents some problems. The weak link, which you discovered, is getting to Perryville Maryland from Wilmington Delaware. If there was a rail or light rail connection, it might make the trip much easier.
if I tried doing this same thing going from Dallas to Oklahoma City, I'd get as far as Denton, Texas before I'd have to purchase a used car to complete the journey.
quite interesting and to me FUN as I don't have a car....BUT overall the whole video is an ad for Amtrak, Greyhound, Peter Pan Trailways, Megabus and lots of others....I suppose you could also walk.... if you don't mind arriving in a month or so....still without doubt you got there....maybe next...how to fry an egg on the sidewalk in extreme heat(THUS... if anyone says it is impossible...I will prove them wrong) keep at it....
Please note: The big city in New Jersey - Newark - is pronounced "new-werk" but the college town in northern Delaware -Newark - is pronounced "New Ark."
That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. On par with Georgia pronouncing Cairo like "Kay - Row".
As someone with family there, I died a wee bit inside with every “newerk”. Can’t blame him for not knowing tho! They ARE spelled the same ^~^
Nork
@@benjaminfallon1072 LOL
Mr butch is wrong he’s not from there it’s pronounced nork like fork with a N
The moment when the amtrak train passed behind you when you were sitting in front of the river was pure cinema.
I was looking on google earth trying to find where you were for that but it's not obvious. Where were you?
@@vinniesuperstar8923 Lower Ferry Park & Pier - Perryville, MD
@@ewannnawe thanks, I was looking to the south of the railway bridge
FYI from Penn Station ticket machine you can select 30th st Station and it will give you SEPTA ticket for connection from Trenton.
buy septa in nyc thayts cool
I used to do parts of this trip all the time when I was a UDel student - I volunteered for an org in DC and dated someone living in Queens - but rarely all in one go. Very cool.
That was the sound of a LIRR M7 train coming in as you were talking in the NJT train at NY Penn at 2:40...sweet music to a Long Islander like me! Google Maps is definitely inconsistent when it comes to transit. I mean where I'm at, Google Maps doesn't acknowledge that Suffolk Transit even exists what so ever! But that aside, the Amtrak train zooming behind you on the bridge at 12:22 as you were speaking was simply perfect! Now that's a great trainspotting location, quite scenic!
Newark, Delaware is pronounced New-Ark! And if you really want to sound like a local, Newark, New Jersey is pronounced NORK! My mom's from Newark, NJ, so I've been many times. Fun fact, Newark, NJ actually has the largest collection of cherry blossom trees in the country, NOT Washington, DC! Newark's Branch Brook Park has 5,200 trees and 18 varieties of cherry blossoms!
as a midwesterner just this whole concept boggles my mind lol. that was awesome! great video :)
A benefit of us living in the NE! All of our big cities are very close to each other!
I just checked the lowest priced ticket on Amtrak from NYC to Washington is $20, booked 30 or more days in advance. Booked next day, I'm getting an $82 fare on Amtrak. Compared to $51.75 total fare using local/regional transport for this route. So going this way could save money IF the trip is last-minute and IF the traveler had all day to spare. Otherwise, just plan ahead and save both money and time.
The big saving is if you are going from Philly to NYC. Straightforward change from one train to another, I did it years ago, and the Septa train would pull up right behind the NJ Transit train on the same track.
@@donsab-xz4so you’re booking in advance Philly to nyc is $10 or less on Amtrak on the regional or keystone. I just got five tickets for a group in July for $35.
@@oopszie that is a great deal
@@oopszie true but thats if u book well in advance. if u want to jsut pop over to nyc on a day off the trenton line-njt route is consistently cheaper
Northeast transit is so nice. Trains between NY and NJ leaving every twenty minutes.
Greetings from California.
We have multiple Amtrak routes that leave once a day or less.
Flixbus and Greyhound are a single company, and they've got monopolies on most routes between big SoCal cities.
I have been in Perryville at the end of the MARC line and had no clue about local busses. I needed to get to Oxford, PA and luckily had a ride lined up. It's a scary feeling to be on that last train.
Interesting way to challenge yourself without Amtrak or big bus companies like Greyhound and Mega Bus. I knew NYC to Wilmington or Newark DE was simple because I been on those but after Cecil transit, I didn’t have a clue how to get to Baltimore without those big companies. But once in Baltimore, I knew the Marc Train. But I did just learn the Marc train gets pretty close to Elkton in Perryville. I enjoyed the video!
3:16, sounds about right. They don't hold connections in Trenton anymore. And for whatever reason each train comes in while the other is leaving.
I am glad you didn't walk to D.C.! Great video!
Dag, this guy beat me to it because this was something that I had always wanted to do but just never got around to doing it. More power to you bro!!!!
You could try to beat my time!
@@ewannnawe 🤣
I’ve seen two other people do this and they cheat and take Amtrak between Wilmington and Baltimore since there’s no rail connection between Newark and Perryville. Good on you for doing it properly as advertised! I guess it didn’t work out time wise, but the Septa Wilmington/Newark line goes all the way out to Newark, would have gotten you a smidge closer without doing bus transfers.
Delaware fun facts: Unlike the majority of what is now the United States, Delaware was once a SWEDISH colony called New Sweden! New Sweden was made up of settlements on both sides of the Delaware Valley, with the first being in what is now Wilmington called Fort Christina. New Sweden didn't last very long as it only existed from 1638 to 1655 due to being conquered by the Dutch. Delaware is named after the Delaware River and Bay, which in turn was named after governor of Virginia, Thomas West, Lord De La Warr by Samuel Argall in 1610. While Georgia is known as the peach state, the first state to produce peaches commercially was Delaware! That's why the state flower is the peach blossom!
Newark was founded by Scots-Irish and Welsh settlers in 1694. The town was officially established when it received a charter from George II of Great Britain in 1758. Schools have played a significant role in the history of Newark. A grammar school, founded by Francis Alison in 1743, moved from New London, Pennsylvania to Newark in 1765, becoming the Newark Academy. Among the first graduates of the school were three signers of the Declaration of Independence: George Read, Thomas McKean, and James Smith. During the American Revolution, the Battle of Cooch's Bridge (just outside Newark) was the first instance of the Stars and Stripes being flown in battle
The colony of New Sweden - Nya Sverige - extended as far north as Philadelphia. In fact when William Penn arrived in present day Philadelphia and founded that city in 1682 there was already two generations of Swedes and Finns living there along the Delaware River. Philadelphia honors it's Swedish heritage in it's official municipal flag which is light blue and yellow - the colors of Sweden.
@@mrbutch308 Northeast Philadelphia was never part of the Sweedish colony though. NE Phila & Bucks County were first settled by the Dutch (Along with North Jersey, NYC, and the Hudson Valley). Then in 1655, the Dutch took over the Sweeds. Then the English conquered the Dutch and the English were able to connect their Virginia an Massachusetts colonies, by owning everything in-between
Thank you for teaching me about my state Supreme Leader
Delaware is the only US state with no commercial airport
Thank you for your contribution to our colonial history!
NJ Transit and SEPTA generally coordinate the scheduled arrival/departure of trains in Trenton such that you can exit NJ Transit and board Septa on the other side of the same platform (and vice versa). And they generally time the train departing Trenton to leave close to when the arriving train arrives.
I was once contemplating this very thing when I had an unfortunate overnight layover between the Maple Leaf and the Northeast Regional in Penn Station. So frustrating that there’s such a small yet too big gap between Perryville and Newark DE. I’m pleased to see someone pull it off!
Also I find it amusing that you were worried about nighttime ruining your Capital dome shot; at least for me, I find all the marble DC buildings at their most striking lit up after dark
Taking DART route 33 in Delaware would have swung around the south of Newark and come in from west side on Elkton Road. You could get off there and catch the Cecil Transit outbound. May not have been quicker overall but would have shortened the time on the DART bus. That 10 route just meanders all over and feels like it's taking forever.
I use to commute between NYC and Philadelphia via NYC Transit, NJ Transit and SEPTA
An interesting and longer alternative to SEPTA between Trenton and Philly is the River Line to Camden from Trenton and PATCO to Center City Philadelphia (16th & Locust). It also goes along the Delaware River.
@@josephfreedman9422 wow, thanks
Really enjoyed watching this. I do something similar but with a bike and various forms of public transit up and down the NE Corridor between Boston and DC.
I love the beauty and opulence of 30th Street Station and Union Station. Then there's the squallor that is Penn Station....
Yes, 30th Street Station is a REAL train station. Penn Station is a sadly lacking introduction to New York.
This was awesome man and yeah naturally not preferred route but this is good if everything else is sold out like on a busy pick holiday and you HAVE TO get home. Thanks for sharing! ❤
I think you could have saved the later $6.75 if you did not leave the paid area of the station at 30th Street and just transfer inside paid area from Trenton line into Wilmington/Newark line. One fare $9.25 would be sufficient that way to go from Trenton to Wilmington/Newark.
I hope you keep making these videos, I really enjoy them! Thanks☺
From Philly I always take Septa to Trenton, then NJTransit to Penn Station. If you time it right, it doesn't add too much time than it would to take Amtrak. But the cost savings is huge. If going to Boston or DC from Philly it's the Acela on Amtrak.
Tell about, now I'm 62 I get to Penn Station from Trenton for $7.25 - Bristol to Trenton is $3.50.
Thanks! Always wanted to know how to do this. Just noticed that you could have bought a single ticket from NY to Philly at Penn Station.
Several years ago I managed to ride every rail transit system from NY to DC in one day, no buses. Starting at Boro Hall in Brooklyn, I took the 5 to Fulton St.; PATH WTC-Exchange Pl.; Hudson Bergen Light Rail to Hoboken; NJT Morris & Essex to Newark Broad St.; Newark Light Rail to Penn Sta.; NE Corridor to Trenton; River Line to Walter Rand, Camden; PATCO to 8 St., Phila; Market St. Subway to 30 St.; Amtrak Regional to Baltimore Penn; Light Rail to Camden Sta.; MARC Camden to Greenbelt; WMATA Green to Ft. Totten & Red to Van Ness. 14 trains in about 12 hours. I know I left out SEPTA Regional to Wilmington but it didn't fit into my schedule.
I just took NJ Transit to New York the other day and I've also taken Amtrak from Newark, NJ to Baltimore a few times, so this was cool to watch.
I used to get between Baltimore and DC using WMATA. They had a BWI shuttle from the end of the green line in Greenbelt. It was then just hopping on light rail at BWI to get in to Baltimore.
Why didn't you take the SEPTA train all the way to Newark DE? Would've saved on a transfer since you ended up at that station anyway when riding the bus between Wilmington and Perryville.
I thought of doing this exact thing years before covid. I never did it because I had no real reason to aside from the lols. So I never took the idea seriously. Today I would do something like this because I'm into video recording adventures and it would just be another adventure. But now I have to be careful living with high at-risk family getting sick from me travelling, which has happened, so I'm not keen on the idea anymore.
Congrats on an EPIC video!! I live in Texas, but recently visited Boston and one highlight for me was the simple fact that MBTA regional goes all the way to Providence, Rhode Island. I really enjoyed your concept and will have to try more of these local hops when I get back to the region!!
Great vid as always! Love seeing your travels.
Sometimes, the journey IS the story. So cool you took the route less traveled and just wasn't interested in getting to the destination in a hurry.
The Capital looked really cool lit up like that. Thanks for posting this.
I like the champion sweater. Retro look
I actually did the same exact trip back in 2021, except I took Amtrak to Wilmington and then I took the three buses to Perryville for the MARC. It was definitely an arduous journey. And I also remember riding the mini buses.
This video is awesome. I think the term "megaloping" was coined for this kind of travel, but it seems to have fallen out of use! Would you consider another trip, extending it with Metro-North and the Virginia Railway Express, say?
Thanks! I hadn't thought of that. I honestly forget the VRE exists. Would be interesting to try in the future!
ALthough at some point you run out of trains and have to make an overnight stay.
If you got on the first Shore Line East out of New London at 5:20 AM, that brings you to New Haven at 6:25 AM. Then you catch the MNRR out of New Haven at 6:45 AM, which drops you off at Grand Central at 8:38 AM. That's a really tight connection to make NJT at 9:04 AM, especially when you realize GCT is a mile from Penn, although it's doable if you can run it, have your NJT ticket in hand, and everything is on time.
If you wanted to start from New Haven, though, there are several earlier trains from NH to GCT than those which would connect no problem. For example, the 6:24 out of New Haven gets to GCT at 8:19, which gives you 45 minutes to get to Penn for the 9:04. But no SLE train meets that one at NH.
As far as extending south, the itinerary in the OP arrives at Union Station after 8 PM, by which time it looks like VRE has wrapped up for the evening. You could take the WMATA Metro as far south as it goes, though.
Great video! I've seen a few people take this trip now and my main takeaway has been that my god the MTA needs to extend the Penn Line to Newark! That bus jump is so stupid, Newark would only be like 2 more stops up the line if MARC went there. Anyway, fantastic video, I commend your efforts!
Thanks for attempting, completing, and documenting this trip. I'm glad it showed up on my feed. I've lived various places along the NYC-DC corridor (currently toward the DC end of the corridor now) and am mildly disappointed/frustrated that in the 21st century there is no direct connections by commuter rail between NYC and DC. Or even between BOS and DC (actually pretty angry/frustrated).
This stretch of country represents some of the most dense and economic rich (and poor) areas of the USA. The mindbender is that they are all physically connected by ELECTRIFIED rail (because Amtrak Acela can run the whole route in about 6 hours), but our squabbling state governments cannot figure out how to play nice in the sandbox together to cobble a commuter rail network that can connect all the places.
The problem is that MARC won't go to Newark, DE. SEPTA goes to Newark.
@OldsVistaCruiser EXACTLY. You hit the nail on the head. Our various state departments of transportation squabble and fight over their 'territory' instead of working together to facilitate interstate travel and commerce. Well they do for cars (highways, parkway, and state roads for cars) - but forget about busses and trains. I mean two of the 'busses' that Evan rode were glorified versions of vans for crying out loud. In 2023, the 21st century - we are shuttling folks around in vans within some of the densest area of the country 😫
I blame SEPTA 😂
@Luke Thompson - SEPTA (the Southeastern PENNSYLVANIA Transportation Authority) already goes to Newark, DE, thanks to funding from DelDOT. Maryland needs to cross the DE state line to meet SEPTA.
@@OldsVistaCruiser It’s just easier to blame SEPTA. They’re a punching bag 🥊 😂
Thanks!
Wow! Thanks so much!
Awesome video. So wish there was commuter rail service between Perryville and Wilmington, DE.
love this video....seeing all the sights
guess you are going back to DC to see your former college places???????
Thanks! More so seeing friends, but seeing all the cool places in DC again is an added bonus.
It'll be a great day when MARC is finally extended to Newark, DE
This is awesome I always wanted to see a Public Transit Video Like this.
Can't wait to watch this. DC is home for me. Next time you come through town, dinner is on me.
From Trenton you can buy a "tunnel" ticket which allows travel through to Wilmington/Newark without paying for two tickets.
Watching the video and then reading the comments was a lot of fun!
I agree with your analysis. I'll only do commuter train between New York City and Philadelphia. If going from NYC to DC, it's more worth taking Amtrak.
I came up with a similar idea but mine goes from Newburyport MA to Spotsylvania VA and uses
MBTA
•Newburyport/Rockport Line
•Orange Line
•Providence/Stoughton Line
RIPTA
•95x
Walking for an hour from Westerly to North Stonington
SEAT
•108
CTrail
•Shore Line East
Metro-North
•New Haven Line
MTA
•7 train
•1 train
NJT
•Northeast Corridor Line
•Bus 409
PATCO
SEPTA
•Market-Frankford Line
•Wilmington/Newark Line
Cecil Country Transit
•Newark Connection
•Cross County
MARC
•Penn Line
& VRE
•Fredericksburg Line
Wonderful!
I gamed this out, you can also take a bus to Salisbury Beach from Newburyport. Still not sure if Spotsylvania or Martinsburg is further, although VRE could always solve this by running to RIchmond or MARC to Cumberland.
I can't wait to see this channel grow.
Amazing ! Thanks for the great adventure.
the bottle flip behind you at 3:32 lol
Man, I love your videos so much! I've always wanted to do this (although I've kinda done with South Florida transit), but as you noticed, the logistics can be quite stressful specially because regional/commuter transit has odd frequencies (like having trains every hour from 6am to 11am and then the next train is at 2pm). Just researching online before attempting the whole trek is stressful enough. Instances like that with Google Maps are something I also watch out for, specially when it's making walk long distances between stops. And I really liked that you asked the drivers for clarification, never be afraid to ask the drivers!
In Trenton you could also have caught the NJ Transit River Line to Camden. SEPTA has a train right into Camden.
Not SEPTA to Camden, but PATCO.
@@josephfreedman9422 Looking at the system map, it appears you're correct. About 15-20 years ago I used River Line to Wm. Rand and bought a ticket that said SEPTA and was able to travel direct to Temple University. Guess things changed.
I skipped around so I don't know if you mentioned it, but at times the SEPTA line from Philadelphia to Wilmington continues to Newark. This would eliminate one connection, although I don't know if the bus to Elkton passes near the SEPTA station.
Taking the Wilmington/Newark line all the way to Newark would've been great. Unfortunately, if I had waited for a train to Newark, I would've missed my connection with the MARC.
Traveling like you in that same geograhical area in my younger days and before youtube, when I went to visit the University of Delaware campus in Newark, DE I was informed by the locals that the DE Newark is pronounced as though tehy were two separate separate words New and Ark.
I wish I had spent more than just a few minutes there so a local could've corrected me too lol.
I've been wanting to do this for years nice video
I often took local bus to Arlington Vamoose bus to NYC, then shuttle subway to Grand Central and local train to CT.
Or. Local Arlington, VA bus to Metro subway to DC, then at DC to take Amtrak train to NYC then local train to CT.
Wow crazy stuff. I’ve done Seattle to Vancouver a couple times via local bus only. No Amtrak or private bus companies like what you did.
It takes a while, can’t be done on Sundays at all, requires an early start and a lot of patience.
The cost: my flixbus return ticket was $35 so I’ll use that as a reference point.
For the trip up it was $3.25 from SeaTac (I live in the city not the airport) to northgate with a free transfer to a bus to Everett. $2 each to mount Vernon and then Bellingham. $1 to Blaine, then walk to border checkpoint and then to the next bus stop. The buses north of the border run kind of frequent so no time crunch here, but it’s about $4 Canadian to downtown Vancouver. Took about 6 or 7 hours would have taken 4 hours on bus or train. But that four hours doesn’t include my travel time to downtown Seattle but the six or seven does. And I walked to the bus to the SkyTrain instead of getting a feeder bus. So it’s actually closer to ninety minutes disparity if done right. Big thing is customs checkpoint is a minute at the foot crossing and up to 45 minutes on the bus.
Haha that's awesome! I didn't even know that was possible.
I'm faint at heart (unlike you), so I wouldn't do a challenge like this alone. I did tire of seeing Lincoln Tunnel on the D.C. to NY bus though, and wanted to see the NEC north of 30th St Station, so I opted for Amtrak & WMATA Metrorail. This in spite of it not being competitive time-wise with an on-time bus, given my location in the D.C. suburbs.
Will try to do the same with Boston (vs. flying) some day
As someone who lives in the area, I just wish they’d connect Marc to Newark, DE (which is supposedly in the plans but still several years away)
How bout trying to get from NYC to SF using ONLY regional transit. Now that is a challenge..
Probably impossible but you can do LA to SF.
i read or heard that in the 1920s or 1930s, it WAS possible to go from NYC to Chicago on local transit (a time when regional streetcars abounded). But to go across country that way was probably impossible. In the 1970s, I met a man who used local transit to go from (I believe) Los Angeles to San Francisco, but he did have a pass as a military veteran to travel some of the way across a military base or land.
Impossible.
Nj Transit has an app so you don't need to figure out the machine. There should be an app for septa too. You can do all this ahead of time.
"The river is beautiful"... if only you had some device that could show it to us...(don't quit your day job just yet. but keep at it and good luck)
Thanks! Here are some shots of the river if you're interested: 11:40.
i dream of having time like this lol. Good job!
What an interesting video!! Subscribed.
cool video, I would never consider this kind of regional/local transit being so knitted together as to make it possible. Remarkable how empty all the trains and busses seemed,
its why I laugh at people who push for MORE public transportation, because nobody rides what already exists
they want more stuff that nobody will ride?
That was hell going from NYC to philly is hard enough Septa NJ transit
That was fun to watch.
On Discord back on October 18th, 2020, ParkerTheR46 mentioned this to me as the scenic route and suggests me to take this route aka the scenic route to Washington DC Union Station although my roommate would rather enjoy taking Amtrak instead.
“The bus is going to perryville, I’m going to perryville…” this is the conversation I have with myself when I’m on a bus I’m 98% is correct but won’t relax until I arrive at my destination 😅
awesome video and awesome idea man
I wish I knew this was possible when I was like 20 21 yrs old and live close to LIRR!!!!
I discovered the most extreme version of this would be going from Spotsylvania, Virginia to Salisbury, MA. It is entirely possible (however absurd it might be) to get between these two cities on only local/regional transit.
Damn . . you are right!
Trains Magazine has done articles on both NY - DC and NY - Boston alternatives to AmTrak, but yeah, in our current world, the network keeps expanding.
Amazing brother greetings from New Orleans
SEPTA actively changing their schedule to make NJT connections at Trenton less convenient is one of the dumbest things that ever happened. It used to be you'd step off an NJT train, walk up the platform, and get on the SEPTA train that would take you the rest of the way. The extremely slow ride to 30th Street was still a thing, though.
You paid separately for your two Septa legs. Did you know you could have paid a total of $6.50 from Trenton to Wilmington if you had a Septa Key card? They only charge $6.50 for "extended trips" that involve transiting through Center City stations in Philly.
When in doubt, trust the information from the transit agency over Google Maps.
Loved this video!!!!
In Delaware, it’s actually pronounced “New-ark”, as in Noah’s ark.
You can do this from San Francisco to Los Angeles too!
but need to spend a night in SLO or someplace
Wow that's very interested taking local regional trains down to DC that gotta take forever to travel down with just local transit , I taken Amtrak down to DC instead!
I hope you had an Amtrak ticket home, 12 hours for about 250 miles is quite a long time.
your channel is so good man ,,wonder why you don't have that many subscribers !!!?
Just curious do you know Miles in Transit? Y’all would be good friends. Great vid btw 👍
Thanks! Miles in Transit actually showed up the other week as a channel my viewers also watch. I've been meaning to check out the channel; it looks interesting.
I always kind of wondered if this was possible, but never was motivated to research it. The bus bit seemed like the worst part, although you still spent a lot of time sitting around and waiting for the next train.
Great concept. Quick note - we pronounce the river Sus-*qua*-han-a.
I wanna do sth similar next year, I wanna do at least Boston-DC by train mostly
Did this all the time in the 80's. Lived on Long Island and went to college in DC (GWU). Lived right by LIRR. Took LIRR to Penn Station. Amtrak to DC union station. DC Subway to GWU stop, 2 blocks to dorm. Basically Door to Door.
As an European, I just watch till 1:22 and then I understand why we are so lucky to have good transportation like bus route without making this amount of connections as well as our high speed train system. I know any system is perfect but yours, well come on Americans, just improve it seriously 😶
This was an exercise in taking local regional trains from NYC to DC. It's actually pretty cool that you can actually do that. Otherwise, you would take Amtrak Northeast Regional or the Acela.
Do you recall the name of the place where you got the crab cake sandwich? It looked great!
Yep! It's called Ercole's Pizza in Perryville, MD.
@@ewannnawe thank you! I may have to make the trip for it!
IF Using Local Transit as much as you could you should have left NYC on a path train to Newark penn station then jumped on the NJT to Trenton but I guess it’s not a big deal and would be a pain in the a$$ since you could just jump on the NJT from Penn station New York and get to Trenton.
You should do a video of the cheapest flights out of NYC from either LaGuardia or Kennedy airport maybe title flights I took for under $99 dollars from NY and then from any city you end up at. So traveling across the country on flights that are in $99 or less.
That's a really cool idea! I actually have another idea up that alley that I hope to do in a few months!
What a silly goof! I enjoyed it.
You are a braver man than I am. Being from Philadelphia, using regional transit to New York works very well. However going southbound to DC on regional transit presents some problems. The weak link, which you discovered, is getting to Perryville Maryland from Wilmington Delaware. If there was a rail or light rail connection, it might make the trip much easier.
14:14 where’s did you get the crab cake sandwich and how much was it. i’m kinda wanting to make a trip to perryville just for the sando
It's from Ercole's Pizza, just a short walk from the MARC station. I don't remember the exact cost, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't expensive.
if I tried doing this same thing going from Dallas to Oklahoma City, I'd get as far as Denton, Texas before I'd have to purchase a used car to complete the journey.
Solid video, what phone did u use?
Thanks! It's an iPhone 13.
Yooo this guy’s elite
quite interesting and to me FUN as I don't have a car....BUT overall the whole video is an ad for Amtrak, Greyhound, Peter Pan Trailways, Megabus and lots of others....I suppose you could also walk.... if you don't mind arriving in a month or so....still without doubt you got there....maybe next...how to fry an egg on the sidewalk in extreme heat(THUS... if anyone says it is impossible...I will prove them wrong) keep at it....
The first thing I thought when you started talking was “whatever you say handsome”