Amtrak

SEPTA/NJ Transit

Peter Pan/Greyhound

Chinatown Bus

Amtrak trains board from the main waiting room of 30th Street Station (30th & Market).  Amtrak trains run direct from Philadelphia to New York Penn Station (7th Ave. at 34th St.).  The trip time is typically around 1 hour and 25 minutes.  The cost is between $45 and $74 one-way for conventional "Regional" trains and around $110 one-way for the faster "Acela" trains.  This is the fastest and most comfortable way to travel between Philadelphia and New York, but also the most expensive (not counting air travel, which is slower and more expensive).

Website: www.amtrak.com

SEPTA trains board from the upper level of 30th Street Station (30th & Market).  SEPTA trains run local to Trenton, NJ.  At Trenton, passengers transfer to a New Jersey Transit (NJT) train to New York Penn Station (7th Ave. at 34th St.).  The connection is not difficult.  Many passengers change trains, and the conductor will announce which track to look for (usually the NJT train is waiting across the platform from the SEPTA train).  To save time, be sure to purchase both your SEPTA and NJ Transit tickets at 30th Street.  The trip time is typically between 2 and 2 1/2 hours.  The cost is $17 one-way.  If you're looking to spend less than what it costs to ride Amtrak, this is the best option because the train is more comfortable (more room) and reliable (no traffic) than the bus, and costs about the same as the bus.

Websites: www.septa.org; www.njtransit.org

Peter Pan and Greyhound run their service to New York cooperatively.  Buses leave from the Philadelphia Greyhound Terminal (10th & Filbert) and terminate at the Port Authority Bus Terminal (8th Ave. at 42nd St.) in Manhattan.  The trip time is around 2 1/2 hours, depending on the traffic, and it costs $21 one-way.

Websites: www.peterpanbus.com; www.greyhound.com

The low-cost "Chinatown" buses board outside the Philadelphia Greyhound Terminal (10th & Filbert) and drop off their passengers in New York's Chinatown neighborhood.  The trip time is around 2 1/2 hours, depending on the traffic, and it costs about $12 one-way.