Philadelphia to NYC by Train: Which Way to Go

The fastest way is the Acela, and the cheapest is the bus. Here is how the choices compare, side by side.

Speed: Philadelphia to NYC by train, Acela vs Northeast Regional

The Acela is the fastest train, at about 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes. Amtrak's October 22, 2026 Acela timetable shows a train leaving Philadelphia's William H. Gray III 30th Street Station at 7:36 am and reaching Moynihan Train Hall at 8:54 am. A second one leaves at 9:12 am and arrives at 10:30 am.

A Northeast Regional is slower. In the Northeast Regional timetable, most runs take between 1 hour 25 minutes and 1 hour 50 minutes. The time depends on how many stops the train makes, so read the stops, not just the departure.

Philadelphia is one of the easiest New York one day trips, and both Amtrak trains run in both directions. The Acela is worth it if you have a tight day. The Northeast Regional is fine if the time difference is small.

Pro Tip Look at the arrival time, not the train name. Some Northeast Regional trains make fewer stops and take about 1 hour 25 minutes, which is close to the Acela's time.

Price: Amtrak vs bus vs commuter rail

The bus is the cheapest way, with "from" fares of $9 on OurBus and $16.98 on Greyhound as shown on October 24, 2026. OurBus says its prices start at $9 and that booking early gives you more choices. Greyhound's route page lists a lowest fare of $16.98 and a shortest trip of 1 hour 40 minutes.

Amtrak's fares change by date, and its route pages show no fixed fare. Check the booking page for your day before you decide.

Commuter rail is the budget train, but it is two trips in one. NJ Transit runs the New York side and SEPTA runs the Philadelphia side, and the two meet at Trenton, so you change trains there. SEPTA's fare page lists Regional Rail fares from $5.00 to $13.00. No page I could read gives one combined fare or a timetable for the change, so add up both parts in each agency's app.

Stations: Moynihan Train Hall and 30th Street vs bus stops

Amtrak is the easiest on stations, because it leaves from Philadelphia's 30th Street Station and arrives at Moynihan Train Hall beside Penn Station. Both timetables list those two stops. You walk off the train and into the station, with no bus terminal in between.

Buses use different stops. Greyhound lists the Port Authority Bus Terminal at 625 8th Avenue and a Midtown stop at 31st Street and 8th Avenue, across the street from Moynihan Station. In Philadelphia it lists the Filbert Street terminal at 1001 Filbert Street and a stop at 30th Street Station. OurBus picks you up at Hudson Yards, on 11th Avenue between West 35th and West 36th Streets. It drops you at the Spring Garden station or at a mall in Northeast Philadelphia.

Key Takeaway The Acela takes about 1 hour 15 minutes, a Northeast Regional about 1 hour 25 minutes or more, and OurBus 1 hour 20 minutes to 2 hours 15 minutes.

Once you are in New York, the subway fare is $3. Our guide to getting around NYC explains how to pay and the $35 weekly cap.

Driving: car vs train

The drive is about 95 miles, so the train is the simpler choice. OurBus lists the road distance as about 95 miles, and Greyhound lists 93 miles. No official page I found gives a drive time or the tolls, so I do not give a figure for either.

A car also means finding parking at the other end. The train drops you in the middle of a city, and a coach does the same. If you drive, plan for traffic around both cities on weekday rush hours and Sunday evenings, which OurBus names as the worst times.

A day in Philadelphia: your own train day vs a guided tour

A same-day trip works by train, because Amtrak runs trains through the day in both directions. Take an early train, spend the day in Philadelphia, and check the last train home before you plan dinner. In Amtrak's October 22, 2026 Northeast Regional timetable, one weekday train leaves Moynihan Train Hall at 7:25 am and reaches 30th Street Station at 9:00 am. Trains home leave 30th Street at 8:35 pm, 9:12 pm and 11:08 pm, and the last one reaches New York at 12:34 am. That is up to about 14 hours in Philadelphia, and the timetables list every departure.

For a first stop, the Liberty Bell Center at 526 Market Street is free. According to the National Park Service, it needs no ticket, opens daily from 9 am to 5 pm and has a security line that closes at least five minutes earlier. It has no restrooms, so use the ones at the Independence Visitor Center nearby. From 30th Street Station, take local transit or a taxi east to Market Street.

Doing it yourself costs a train fare and some planning, but all your hours go to Philadelphia. The cheapest do-it-yourself way is the bus, from $9 on OurBus, against €103 or more for a tour, and a train gives you the whole day in one city while a tour splits its 15 hours between two cities. A guided tour is the other way, and it takes the planning off you, but none goes to Philadelphia alone. No official page gives a fare to compare the train with the tours, since Amtrak and NJ Transit prices are not published for a fixed day. Things to Do in NYC's count of GetYourGuide listings in October 2026 found 6 offers from New York that name Philadelphia, and only 2 of them are one-day trips. All of them pair it with Washington DC. The full-day Washington and Philadelphia tour from €103 runs 15 hours, has a bilingual guide and is run by Amigo Tours USA. It meets at 5:00 AM at the Lids store at Two Times Square, 714 Seventh Avenue, and it does not include food, drinks or tips. It is not suitable for wheelchair users, and free cancellation is available. Group size is not stated.

For two days, the Philadelphia, Washington DC and Amish Country tour from €304 is run by Empire Vacations. It includes entry fees, breakfast and a hotel night in Washington DC. It starts at 330 West 42nd Street, and the listing does not name a group size. A one-day option, the Philadelphia and Washington DC sightseeing tour from €123, has a live guide who speaks Spanish only and only 4 reviews so far. What it includes and where it meets are not listed, so it suits Spanish speakers who accept that gap.

A tour is the wrong choice if Philadelphia itself is your goal. It suits first-time visitors who want a guide and no train planning, and anyone who wants to skip the 5:00 AM start and plan their own day should go by train instead. It suits readers who want two cities with no planning, not those who want Philadelphia alone. These days split the hours between two cities, so you see the highlights, not the whole city. If DC is also on your list, the guided tours to DC from New York are the way to cover both without booking trains.

A good day trip is one where the travel time leaves you more hours on the ground than in your seat.

Each listing carries free cancellation. The full-day tour has 3,935 reviews at 4.6 on GetYourGuide, and the two-day tour has 291 reviews at 4.4.