Amtrak provides direct service to New York's Penn Station from two northern Delaware cities -- Wilmington and Newark. From Wilmington, you can take either Amtrak's Northeast Regional train or the Acela Express, which travels faster and makes fewer stops. Only the Northeast Regional line serves Newark, and its station also lacks many of the facilities you'll find in Wilmington. From Newark, the trip takes a little more than two hours. From Wilmington, it's about 10 minutes less, and taking the express from Wilmington shaves the trip time down to about and hour and a half. Both trains follow the same route, going through Philadelphia and continuing across New Jersey into New York.
If possible, buy your train tickets in advance via Amtrak's website. While Wilmington's station has a ticket counter and self-service kiosk, you'll usually find better fares by booking early. Newark's station does not have a ticket counter or a self-service kiosk. If your departure time is flexible, you'll have access to lower fares; Amtrak fares along the northeast corridor vary significantly from non-peak to peak travel times. The regional trains' two fare classes are coach and business class, which has more comfortable, roomier seats. Acela trains have no coach class but offer a first-class section, which has even better seats along with dining service. Whatever class you choose, Amtrak provides free Wi-Fi, bathrooms and a self-service dining car.
Regardless of which station you depart from, Amtrak recommends arriving at least 30 minutes before your train's scheduled departure time. If you're leaving from Wilmington and need to check baggage or buy tickets, or if you will need assistance in boarding, arrive at least 45 minutes before your train's departure time. Newark's station does not provide these services. Wilmington has 300 long-term parking spaces and 100 short-term parking spaces, while Newark has only short-term parking available. The Wilmington station also has an indoor waiting area and Wi-Fi; Newark does not.
Once you arrive at Penn Station, you'll be well positioned to reach your final destination within New York. From inside the station, you can take five subway lines. The A and C lines go north to the tip of Manhattan and south to some of the far reaches of Brooklyn and Queens. The 1, 2 and 3 lines also go up and down the west side of Manhattan and into Brooklyn and the Bronx. If you're heading to the Times Square area, you can take any of those five trains just one stop uptown or even hoof it -- the walk is fewer than 10 blocks. If the subways aren't convenient or you have a lot of luggage, Penn Station has taxi stands where you can line up for a cab.
