Now Announcing: Casual Roadtrip II - ThunderTrain

Hoyas,

Casual ThunderTransport is proud to announce the public opening of its latest venture: a four-hour, high-speed blitz through America's picturesque northeast that will bring the Hoya Nation's finest from our nation's capital to the City That Never Sleeps so they can cheer on the young Hoyas as they square off against the Red Storm of St. John's. That's right, it's happening. In the wake of last year's phenomenally successful ThunderBus run to Philadelphia, we are taking the next step forward and organizing a one-way ride to glory for the St. John's away game this coming January.

Do not miss the chance to make this thrilling season even more memorable (or maybe more difficult to remember) by joining the dozens and dozens of your fellow dedicated Casualties for a great weekend of Hoya basketball!

Reservations are now available for Train & Game ticket packages for the trip to New York on Saturday, January 14.

See below for ordering information and travel details.

This is actually a thing? What exactly is ThunderTrain?

ThunderTrain is like any ordinary Amtrak regional train that runs from DC to NY with one important difference: up to an entire car has been reserved by Georgetown fans for Georgetown fans.  The goal is to get as many DC Hoyas as possible (one car seats 72) to the St. John's game.  Your friendly Casual organizers have reserved both train seats and tickets to the game, which you can order as a single package.

Interesting. When is this happening?

ThunderTrain will depart from DC's Union Station on Saturday, January 14, which is the day before the game.  Right now we are slated to take Amtrak Train #156 - Northeast Regional departing DC at 2:20 PM and arriving in NY's Penn Station at 5:46 PM.  If for any reason we need to use another Amtrak train, we will opt for an earlier train on the 14th.  The Georgetown - St. John's game tips at 12:00 noon on Sunday, January 15. Note: Monday, January 16 is the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

How much will this cost?

The Train & Game package, which includes a one-way ticket from DC to NY and a seat somewhere in the upper levels of MSG for the game, is now $85.  Seats will be located together in groups of at least 35.

Great! Where do I sign up?

All reservation requests should be sent to CasualThunderTransport@gmail.com.  Please include your name, email address, phone number, and the number of Train & Game packages (seats) you would like.  By placing your reservation, you are committing to purchase a seat on the train and a seat at the game so long as the price is $85 or less.

Is there a deadline?

We will be placing our ticket orders with Amtrak and MSG this Friday.  Therefore, the deadline for this order is FRIDAY, December 2nd at 12:00 PM (Noon). The size of our order at that time will match the number of requests we have received.  By acting now and reserving your seats with us, you are ensuring that your total price will not exceed $85.  We may be able to add seats after our original order, but we cannot guarantee a $85 total price as tickets are likely to get more expensive as the event gets closer.  Do yourself and your loved ones a favor and reserve spots now.

Suppose I just want a train or game ticket, but not both?

Subject to one exception (listed below), right now we are not accepting requests for only part of the Train & Game package.  Our goal is to make it easier for Hoya fans to get to away games in style.  If you live in NY or have a better way of getting there, you're on your own for getting game tickets, and we will post our sections when they are confirmed.  If you just want to ride the train, that's special, but we are not offering train-only tickets at the moment.

I'm a Bmore/Philly Hoya and I want in.  How do I get on this thing?

Right now, we are only accepting Train & Game reservations from those Hoyas making the trip from DC to NY.  However, we eagerly anticipate picking up fellow Casualties on our way north.  If you want to get on ThunderTrain in Baltimore, Philadelphia, or points north (Wilmington, Trenton, etc.), indicate this in your reservation email, and we can reserve you a ticket for the game.  However, we would advise you purchase your own Amtrak tickets, which at this point are likely to be cheaper than what we are reserving from DC.  We will be sure to keep you updated.

But you said earlier that you are only selling Train & Game tickets together!

Pursuant to our goal of getting Hoya fans to away games in a fun and affordable way, we are making an exception for our mid-Atlantic brethren.  Don't abuse the system.

So this is one way?  How do I get back home?

Unlike ThunderBus, the ThunderTrain experience is one-way.  We get you to the game, you find a way to get back.  With Monday 1/16 being a holiday, everyone is going to have their own schedules for how long they want to stay in NY, and it would be too complicated/expensive to coordinate a mass return.  You could use something like a blog/forum about Georgetown basketball to connect with people about rides, buses, and the like.  Just remember we've got a home game the following Saturday, so make sure you're back for that.  And maybe work on Tuesday.

I am guessing you aren't providing a hotel package as well?

Much as we would like to have William Shatner on our staff, Casual ThunderTransport does not currently offer services across all aspects of the travel spectrum.  We are operating on the safe assumption that every GU alum in DC has friends/family in NY to stay with, or can find a reasonable hotel room somewhere in the city.

Alright, I'm sold.  So what's going on in NY on Saturday night?

Well, it's New York, so knock yourself out.  If you are wondering about official Casual gatherings, those haven't been planned yet, but we will definitely be getting something together.  We will likely be following the lead of the NY Casualties for any Sunday pregame festivities.  Stay tuned for updates.

Will there be Casual schwag/shirts available on ThunderTrain?

Yes.  We will also be debuting a new "II" shirt.

Booze on the train?

Yes.  I don't think we can go all '86 Mets on it, but it should be a good 85 mph party.

Please use the comments section for any other questions.  Hoya Saxa!!!