The International Transport Game

[Springs Branch]

We leave the Subway station and sample one of NYC's 24hr bus routes.

We board the 0210 route Q53 bus to Woodhaven Blvd / Jamaica Ave (adjacent J/Z train's Woodhaven Blvd stop) at 0230 Friday morning.

Source: MTA trip planner

 

[DasLunatic]

It's then back onto the trains as we board the 0248 E train three stops to Jackson Hts - Roosevelt Av, arriving at 0253 Friday morning.

Google Maps

 

[Bodie]

To Manhattan we go.

At 0239 we board a J line train to Fulton Street arriving 0320 on Friday morning

Source: mta trip planner

You beat me to it but have you got the right station???

 

[Springs Branch]

Fulton Street Station has connections to several other Subway lines, but we decide to continue with surface transportation. We walk ¼-mile to the Pearl St / Fulton St intersection and take an uptown M15 bus at 0334 as far as 1st Avenue / 42nd Street, arriving at 0355 Friday morning.

Source: MTA trip planner

 

[Bodie]

We take a look around the UN building.

Would like to walk to Grand Central but tough to tell if it will be over the allowed distance.

Thus we sample another bus service.

The 0424 M42 to Grand Central Terminal, E 42nd / Lexington Ave our short hop is over at 0428 on Friday morning

Source: mta website

 

[Springs Branch]

Deciding on an interstate excursion, we enter Grand Central Terminal and take the 0530 MetroNorth train to Stamford, CT arriving 0637 Friday morning.

Source: MTA trip planner

 

[Bodie]

Continuing along the MNR we leave at 0711 and travel to Bridgeport, CT arriving there at 0756 on Friday morning

Source: mta website
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Just a little bump up. A move from Bridgeport, CT anyone?

 

[DasLunatic]

After looking at pictures, Bridgeport seems a nice small station and a transfer shouldn't take any longer than 2 minutes. Our train arrived early, so we have enough time to dash over the tracks, and at 0759, we board the Northeast Regional 141, alighing at Newark Liberty Airport Amtrak, the time now being 0956 Friday morning.

I had to bend the rules a bit - the next train to anywhere with good onward connections was another hour

 

[Bodie]

We've sampled the JFK Airtrain now let's try out the Newark version.

Trains run every 3 minutes during the day. Just going off what our longest possible journey is will decide the terminal.

So its a 1004 departure on Airtrain Newark to Terminal A where we arrive at 1015 on Friday morning

Source: http://www.panynj.gov/airports/ewr-to-from.html

 

[DasLunatic]

We want to get airborne again, so we walk into the terminal and look at the destinations board. We decide upon St. Louis, MO, with United 4628 departing the Tri-State Area at 12:05 and landing at 13:45 Friday afternoon.

Google Flights

 

[Bodie]

Time to ride the St Louis' version of the Metrolink. With the added bonus of interstate travel.

Leaving terminal 1 at 1428 we travel the whole length of the Red Line going over the Mississippi river and into Illinois, arriving at the terminus of Shiloh-Scott at 1542 on Friday afternoon

Source: http://www.metrostlouis.org/Default.aspx

 

[Springs Branch]

We've arrived at a large suburban Park & Ride facility, and it's tempting to catch the next MetroLink back to St. Louis. But there are some limited options, even in the transit-deprived Mid West .....

We board a Metrobus route 15 bus departing at 1600 and ride to Belleville MetroLink Station arriving at 1622 Friday afternoon.

Source: metrostlouis.org

 

[Bodie]

We're going to continue on the buses here.

Metrobus route 16, leaving at 1631 going to Madison County Transit Center arriving 1712 on Friday afternoon

Source: metrostlouis.org

 

[Springs Branch]

Onwards and westwards .... by bus

At the Madison County (Collinsville) Transit Center, we board Madison County Transit route 18 at 1728 to Emerson Park MetroLink Station arriving 1749 Friday afternoon.

Source: mct.org

 

[Bodie]

First ride on the blue line.

We board the Metrolink at 1804 and travel all the way to the Blue line's Western terminus of Shrewsbury arriving there at 1846 on Friday evening

Source: metrostlouis.org

 

[Springs Branch]

Back to the St Louis MetroBus system to ride the full length of Route 11, leaving Shrewsbury MetroLink at 1852, arriving at the St. Louis Gateway Transportation Center (14th & Spruce) at 1941 Friday evening.

Source: metrostlouis.org

 

[Bodie]

Springs Branch, I don't know if you knew or that this is just spectacular good luck. We have arrived perfectly at Gateway for the Texas Eagle.
Not only that but it's a Friday and only one of three days in the week when the train carries through carriages for Los Angeles!

This is going to be our biggest single move ever!!!!

So with our excitement growing by the second we walk into the station and the Texas Eagle is already in. We ask a member of staff if they could direct us to our carriage.
We are swiftly shown to our car and get ready to make this our home for the next couple of days.

At the stroke of 2000 train 421, Amtrak's Texas Eagle pulls away.

Many moons later our car is shunted onto the Sunlight Express at San Antonio. At 0245 on Sunday we ease off on our way to California.

And after 2444 miles we arrive into Los Angeles, Union Station at 0535 on Monday morning

Source: amtrak.com

 

[Springs Branch]

Springs Branch, I don't know if you knew or that this is just spectacular good luck ......

Just good luck. Good work spotting the Texas Eagle - a spectacular move indeed!
Continuing the theme of good luck we can now take a train to within walking distance of my recent former home on the Southern California coast.

At Union Station (pausing only to buy lottery tickets) we board Amtrak Pacific Surfliner train 562 departing at 0615, alighting at Solana Beach, CA at 0819 Monday morning.

Source: amtrak.com

 

[Bodie]

We let Springs Branch take us to see his former abode, and show us around the area.

We return to the station and switching to North County Transit District's Coaster service number 644 at 1002 we travel to San Diego, Union Station/Santa Fe Depot arriving at 1043 on Monday morning

Source: gonctd.com

 

[Springs Branch]

An easy walk across Kettner Blvd brings us to the America Plaza stop of the San Diego Trolley system. Here we take a light rail train to the Mexican border.

The Blue Line trolley leaves at 1103, arriving at San Ysidro at 1148 Monday morning.

Source: sdmts.com

 

[Bodie]

We walk over the border. We then congratulate ourselves on reaching Mexico from St. Louis exclusively by rail.

After some serious head scratching we are unable to avail of any Mexican public transportation here in Tijuana.
Thus we sail through customs back to the USA and returning to the San Diego trolley we...

Take the 1228 Blue line trolley to 12th and Imperial arriving at 1301 on Monday afternoon

Source: sdmts.com

 

[Springs Branch]

San Diego is generally a clean & safe city by US standards, but we have found ourselves in one of its dodgier areas, so we don't linger.

We transfer to the Green Line Trolley, leaving at 1306 and arriving at Santa Fe Depot at 1314 Monday afternoon.

Source: sdmts.com

 

[Bodie]

Ferry, bus or train? --- decisions, decisions. We opt for the bus.

Taking the SDMTS 992 from Broadway and Kettner at 1332 travelling to San Diego International Airport, Terminal 2 arriving at 1348 on Monday afternoon

Source: sdmts.com

 

[DasLunatic]

We decide we've had enough of being on the ground, so we board the 1440 Alaska 487 flight to Seattle, WA, touching down at 1734 Monday evening.

Google Flights

NB: United operate a service leaving two minutes earlier, but it arrives after this one

 

[Bodie]

We opt for some luxury coach travel, and for journeying to our third country of the day.

Leaving Seattle-Tacoma at 1900 on Quick Shuttle's service to Vancouver, Waterfront Skytrain station arriving at 2330 on Monday night

Source: quickcoach.com

I've just been taking a look at Vancouver transport options. Whilst it is too late in the day, following my post. There is a scheduled helicopter service from the harbour. This is a rare chance to sample a new mode of transport for us. So while of course your free to go wherever, just letting folk who might not know, that this is an exciting possibility.
Their timetable is here - http://helijet.com/scheduled-airline/

 

[johnnychips]

Well why not? The website tells me the heliport is near the bus station, so let's take the 0705 Helijet Flight 901 service to Nanaimo Harbour arriving at 0725 on Tuesday morning. It's $139, but what the heck, I've never been on a helicopter before.

www.helijet.com

Apparently it was once known as the 'bathtub racing city of the world' so there is an opportunity for another transport mode here, though I can't find a timetable, and looking at the picture, they must have strange baths in Canada.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bathtub_racing

 

[Springs Branch]

Exotic modes of transport abound in this part of the world. As well as helicopters, there are scheduled short-hop commuter flights using seaplanes.

After a hearty Canadian breakfast on Nanaimo Harbour, we board Harbour Air Seaplanes flight 1124 departing at 0910, arriving at Vancouver Harbour at 0930 Tuesday morning.

Source: harbourair.com

(edit) I should probably be more specific as to where we ended up. We're at Vancouver Harbour Flight Centre Seaplane Terminal, 1055 Canada Place, Vancouver.

 

[Bodie]

We're keen on some more helicopter action.

So we get aboard one of Helijet's Sikorsky S76's and lift off of flight 711 is at 1000 exactly. We touch down, nice and softly on the helipad at our destination of Victoria, Harbour Heliport at 1035 on Tuesday morning

Source: helijet.com

Victoria Harbour Heliport is at 79 Dallas Road

 

[Springs Branch]

The City of Victoria, BC apparently operates some second-hand UK double-deck buses in its regular transit fleet, plus has a converted Routemaster on tourist duties. However we have no time to investigate as there a few cheap seats ($63 versus $205 regular price) on an imminent seaplane departure.

We take off on the 1140 Harbour Air Seaplanes flight 212 back to Vancouver Harbour (Flight Centre Seaplane Terminal, Canada Place) arriving at 1215 Tuesday afternoon.

Source: harbourair.com

Have we travelled by trolleybus yet on this forum?
If not, several of the Vancouver city trolleybus routes are within easy reach of our landing point, if anyone fancies another first with unusual modes of transit

 

[Bodie]

Thanks for the heads up on the trolleybuses. Is there anything this city doesn't have?
Due to costs, I can only dream, but Vancouver is fast going up the list of places to visit.

We're in luck as our nearest bus stop is on a trolley route.
This stop is the Eastbound W Pender St at Thurlow St.

This is where we board Mountain Coast Bus Company service number 19 at 1227 and enjoying our maiden trolleybus journey so much we stay on all the way to the 19's terminus of Metrotown Station, Bay 1 arriving at 1326 on Tuesday afternoon

Source: Translink.ca