The International Transport Game

[Bodie]

Can never resist the lure of an airport.

Leaving this time on the Blue line at 1012 we go to National Airport this being the name of the Metro station that serves Ronald Reagan National Airport. Our arrival time into the station is 1017 on Sunday morning

Source: www.wmata.com

 

[dzug2]

Surprisingly busy airport

Let's take AA4292 at 1127 to Lambert Saint Louis, arriving at 1303 Sunday afternoon

Source: flyreagan.com

 

[Springs Branch]

Lots of options from this busy hub, so we stick a pin into the departures list and take .....

Southwest Airlines flight WN 278 to Dallas, TX arriving at 1540 Sunday afternoon.

Source: flightstats.com

 

[me123]

We're at the smaller Dallas Love Field airport, and choose to leave on the only bus service at the airport, the 524 Love Link. The next bus (after we clear arrivals) is at 16:25, and we take the bus on a short journey to Inwood/Love Field Rapid Transit Station. We arrive at 16:33 on Sunday afternoon.

Source: Google Maps

 

[dzug2]

Unfortunately DART doesn't like its website being accessed:

This site has been blocked by the network administrator.

Block reason: Gateway GEO-IP Filter Alert

IP address: (deleted)

Connection initiated from country: United Kingdom

and google maps only shows the current time plus around an hour

So I'm stuck

Not sure what you are doing different

 

[me123]

Yes, it's an interesting tactic. Don't let international visitors find out how to travel around your city. Brilliant. :roll:

As per my source, I used Google Maps. To change the date and time:
1) Plan a route from your origin to your destination
2) Click on the picture of a train (for "Transit")
3) In the dark blue shaded area, there will be an option that says "leave now". Click and change to "depart at"
4) Use the available options to change your departure time.

 

[Bodie]

Well that might be a first! - Thank the Lord for Google Maps.

As always an educating game, I have learned we are in the city with the USA's longest light rail system.

We can take the DART to the other airport in Dallas, Fort-Worth but I for one would like to explore Dallas and what appears to be a fairly substantial transport network.

So let's get going. At 1638 its the Green line into the heart of the city, alighting at St Paul arriving at 1653 on Sunday afternoon.

Source: Google Maps

 

[Springs Branch]

Unfortunately DART doesn't like its website being accessed .......

DART website doesn't allow access from Australian IP addresses either. As a former long-time resident of the USA, don't get me started on Texas and Texans. I could rant all day!

It's a short walk from the St Paul Light Rail station to the N. St Paul Street / Federal St stop of Dallas's historic McKinney Avenue trolley line. We take the 1716 M-line trolley to the Cityplace / Uptown stop, arriving 1740 Sunday afternoon.

Source: mata.org & Google Maps

 

[Bodie]

Back into town now with the help of the Blue line. Leaving at 1746 we ride to Union Station arriving 1758 early Sunday evening.

Source: Google Maps

 

[dzug2]

We investigate the Amtrak service only to find long waits before any departure.

So we walk to the Reunion@hotel bus stop (4 mins) and take the 161 bus at 1812 to Wheatland @Polk arriving at 1843 Sunday evening. (The stop serves the Greyhound depot BTW - 0.5 mile walk)

Source Google Maps

 

[Springs Branch]

.... The stop serves the Greyhound depot BTW - 0.5 mile walk

Dallas has some great opportunities for spectacular, gruelling inter-city journeys by Greyhound bus. Unfortunately the nearby Greyhound stop is the outlying Dallas South Park & Ride, not the main downtown depot. There are no Greyhound services scheduled within a reasonable interval of our arrival (and judging by the empty Park & Ride lot on Google Street View, not necessarily a lot of demand at other times either).

We return from our location in the soulless sunbelt sprawl back towards central Dallas on DART bus route 161 at 1912, to Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center (S. Lamar St & Memorial Drive bus stop) arriving at 1946 Sunday evening.

Source: Google Maps

 

[Bodie]

Let's take a trip on DART's Red line. We leave on a Northbound train at 2008 and travel to the pleasantly named Mockingbird arriving at 2027 on Sunday night.

Source: Google Maps

 

[Springs Branch]

Next we take the DART light rail Orange Line, departing at 2057 to DFW Airport arriving at 2201 Sunday evening.

Source: Google Maps

 

[me123]

We decide to continue heading West, and board America's answer to Ryanair, Spirit Airlines. We have low expectations as we board flight NK817 to Las Vegas McCarran International Airport at 23:10, and indeed when we touch down at 23:59 on Sunday night, we're pleased to be able to stretch our legs.

Source: Google Maps

 

[Bodie]

Let's now board Delta Air lines 1704 setting back at 0040 and flying to Minneapolis-St Paul International and reaching the gate there at 0550 on Monday morning.

Source: flightstats.com

 

[dzug2]

We take Delta Airlines 3905 at 0705 to Charlotte NC (CLT) arriving 1046 Monday morning

Source: flightstats.com

 

[Bodie]

Ha nice, was pondering Charlotte but chose Minneapolis. Now we've done both.

Why not see what Charlotte has to offer.

At 1120 we set off aboard CATS Sprinter service to downtown Charlotte. We alight at Charlotte Transportation Center at 1144 on Monday morning.

Source: charmeck.org

 

[Springs Branch]

We're in the Land Of The Free, so why not take a ride on Charlotte's new free CityLYNX Gold Line streetcar?

We board the 12noon departure from CTC / Arena station to Hawthorne & 5th Street arriving 1212 Monday afternoon.

Source: charmeck.org

 

[Bodie]

We walk the minute distance to the bus stop of Hawthorne Lane & Elizabeth Avenue.

Temptation to take a bus into the suburbs is lifted when an inboard bus turns up first.

This leaves at 1231 and is the number 39 which we take to Charlotte Transportation Center arriving 1238 on Monday afternoon.

Source: charmeck.org

 

[me123]

We still have the opportunity to try CityLynx Gold Line service, and although this means we have to go back the way we came, we do it. In the name of coverage.

We board the streetcar at 12:45, and take a short journey to Central Piedmont Community College Central Campus, Charlotte NC. We arrive at 12:52 on Monday afternoon.

Source: Google Maps

 

[Springs Branch]

It's less than a ¼-mile walk to the bus stop at 4th Street & Kings Drive. Here we catch the 1315 CATS bus route 20 back to Charlotte Transportation Center, arriving a short time later at 1318 Monday afternoon.

Source: Google Maps

 

[Bodie]

To break the Charlotte Transportation Center boomerang effect I thought first of heading back the way we entered the city. That is the Airport. However I chose the Amtrak station instead in the slim hope we might time it right for one of the trains. Here's hoping.

We take the CATS number 11 leaving at 1330 and alight at Tyron St and 23rd St at 1345 on Monday afternoon.

There is no exact time on charmeck's website for this stop and Google is unsure. I think 15 minutes is a good educated guess.

Source: charmeck.org and Google Maps

 

[Springs Branch]

A good endeavour, but we're just slightly out of luck, unfortunately! Game rules imply we must depart within 3 hours of the first available service, but we've arrived 3½ hours before the departure of the next Amtrak train (the Piedmont to Raleigh NC, leaving at 1715).

We take the next available transport from this location, the CATS route 11 bus from Tyron St & 24th St at 1356, back to Charlotte Transit Center arriving 1407 Monday afternoon.

Source: Google Maps

 

[Bodie]

Ooh so close. Well back to the original plan.

We leave the Transit center which has been our base for some time aboard CATS service number 5 at 1430 and reach Charlotte Airport Terminal at 1455 on Monday afternoon.

Source: charmeck.org

 

[me123]

We decide to make a relatively short hop for our next move. We clear security and head to gate E6 in time for the 16:04 American Airlines flight 3865 heading to Birmingham, Alabama. We arrive at 16:29 (CST) on Monday afternoon.

Source: FlightStats

 

[Bodie]

From my scant research it appears that Birmingham is lacking when it comes to light rail or even heavy rail passenger lines. So we plump for...

Delta Air Lines 1510 departing at 1729 to Atlanta, Hartsfield-Jackson arriving at 1935 EST on Monday evening.

Source: flightstats.com

 

[me123]

Well, who knew that Atlanta had a light rail network? Probably plenty of people, but not me.

I turn my back on one of the world's busiest airport and take us to the airport's metro station to board the MARTA Red Line train at 20:10. It takes us Northbound into the city itself. We arrive at the hub of the network, Five Points Station at 20:27 on Monday evening.

 

[Bodie]

I didn't know either but it is a huge place so I would have hoped so. Thankfully it does. We're ticking off all the world's light rail systems slowly but surely.

The following was found using good old Google Maps after an abortive attempt to work the MARTA trip planner. I mean who creates these user unfriendly things!
I've seen that trip planner's twin brothers before masquerading as other cities. They are always useless, this one even refuses to let you change the date!

Rant over. On with the move...

MARTA's Blue line leaving Five Points at 2036 and riding East to Kensington(The other one is a long way East) arriving at 2057 on Monday night.

Source: Google Maps

PS. Just a thought that my trip planner woes might be due to the websites not liking my phone. Anyone have any better luck?

 

[Springs Branch]

PS. Just a thought that my trip planner woes might be due to the websites not liking my phone. Anyone have any better luck?

I had no particular problems using the site via Windows laptop.
<edit> I was using the Marta website to access pdf system maps and tabulated schedules, which worked fine. You're right about their Trip Planner - it's rubbish and doesn't work on any of my devices either.</edit>


Changing transit modes, we board a MARTA bus on route 21 - Memorial Drive, leaving Kensington station at 2110, arriving at Georgia State station in downtown Atlanta at 2145 Monday evening.

Source: itsmarta.com

 

[Bodie]

We wish to traverse the Westward end of the Blue line. Leaving Georgia State station at 2151 we arrive at the wonderfully named Hamilton E. Holmes terminus. The time being 2201 on Monday night.

Source: Google Maps

Just been looking at the Amtrak station in Atlanta. I believe that the Crescent service to New Orleans leaves at 0838. Could we aim for that in a few moves time???