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Just had a great experience on Amtrak

leekohler said:
That IS pretty good. Just remember, you WILL be delayed at some point. Don't expect to be on time. Relax and enjoy. :)
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haha, not to worry, I have no intention of arriving on time. I've heard it is rare that Amtrak's long distance trains arrive within a half hour of their actual arrival time. I just hope I'll be able to make the connection in Chicago though, but I guess they'll give me a free hotel room for the night if I miss it.:p

i'm trying to save up a little more money (i.e. get a job) so I can get a bedroom on the train car. I imagine that would make the trip much more enjoyable.
 
latergator116 said:
haha, not to worry, I have no intention of arriving on time. I've heard it is rare that Amtrak's long distance trains arrive within a half hour of their actual arrival time. I just hope I'll be able to make the connection in Chicago though, but I guess they'll give me a free hotel room for the night if I miss it.:p

i'm trying to save up a little more money (i.e. get a job) so I can get a bedroom on the train car. I imagine that would make the trip much more enjoyable.
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I live in Chicago, so let me know if you get stuck. We can hang out. :)
 
Amtrak works well enough, especially in the northeast. The trouble I've seen is that they're sharing tracks with CSX, which is a company that doesn't do proper maintenance. There have been several derailments on CSX tracks.

I'm someone who grew up riding trains. My adoptive grandfather and uncle both worked on the Pennsylvania Railroad. I've been to Reading Terminal in Philadelphia, that's now Reading Terminal Market, and many Union Stations. I've ridden local trains in that area, NYC, and all over Japan.

I can't think of a more wonderful way to travel.
 
my amtrak experience

I took Amtrak from Philadelphia back home to Chicago. I was happy about how comfortable it was. I got an awesome deal on the trip too... it was something like $30.
 
Rod Rod said:
I took Amtrak from Philadelphia back home to Chicago. I was happy about how comfortable it was. I got an awesome deal on the trip too... it was something like $30.
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That's an amazing deal. I took a round trip from Philadelphia to NYC. I had to travel into the city to return on the Amtrak train which went right past my apartment. $84 in 1995.
 
Amtrak is great until a truck stalls on the track and the train plows into it, has to stop and all this stuff. It happened to me and the train was barely effected, and the people got out of the truck, but you would not believe everybody tryin to get a buck or two out of it by actin like they were hurt. Up until then though it was fun, but because this happened at like 11 o'clock and I was already tired, I don't have the best memories.
 
leekohler said:
You should some time! Aren't there good trains in the UK/Europe? I always heard there were.
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Some of europe has good trains, some doesnt. Italian's have very slow and late trains while the tube in London is spectacular.
 
I have had an alright time with Amtrak. My only gripe are the delays. I have been delayed at least an hour 6 out the 14 or so trips I've had. I have commuted from Royal Oak, Michigan to Chicago as well as Minnesota.

Overall though, I would take it again. It's a good experience and interesting to meet other people.

Oh, and people always are attracted to a silver notebook with a white apple beamin' from it.
 
_bnkr612 said:
Oh, and people always are attracted to a silver notebook with a white apple beamin' from it.
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Speaking of which, are the power outlets on Amtrak trains safe? I'd be afraid of surges.
 
We take the train a lot from Seattle to Portland. Sometimes its slower but most of the tem its faster, trafic can be bad on weekends.

Its espically nice for my dad becuase then he doesn't have to drive.
 
Lau said:
...I want to get a Greyhound bus as well...
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Uhm, it's like being in the back seat of a large, but uncomfortable car. I travel in charter busses quite often, and I can say that they're not all that great...
 
I've never actually ridden Amtrak, but I know a guy who used to work for them. I usually ride the MBTA Commuter Rail, which runs on Amtrak track (and gets passed by the Acela, quite nifty), but I've also ridden the TGV (Paris -> Lyon, Grenoble -> Paris, in one day! :eek: ) and something in Italy, which I forget the name of, but it was designed by Pinninfarina (as were the newer trains on the MBTA Green Line). I'd like to ride the Acela some day, but I may have to settle for this instead. Yeah right. Production has stopped, and very few extra sets were produced. Then figure in the $2000-ish the cost when brand new. They're probably over $4000 now! I need less expensive hobbies.


I also need to remember what tag I actually have open.
 
I've ridden Amtrak from Southern California to Northern California.

Pretty good, took a few hours longer than driving, but the experience was good.
 
other than driving,,,i like to travel through water i had an experience once i saw dolphins and flying fishes while we are passing by an island...:cool:

haaaayyy...thats is some great experience....i hope i can get a vacation like that again....:D
 
I’m traveling coach from Detroit to Albuquerque via Chicago in a couple of weeks on Amtrak. Was wondering if anyone has any tips with luggage or anything else that would be nice to have with you during the trip? Also how good is the food?

Glad to hear most of you had a good time, this should be an interesting trip. A bit worried about the delays getting into Chicago and my rental car reservation once I get to New Mexico, but can also just get it the next day, not on a very tight schedule.
 
New York City from DC - Amtrak is the only way to go.

No parking worries, not getting in from JFK/Laguardia/Newark.

Love it.
 
I love traveling by train myself. I will never, ever drive to the city- train only, please. Now its only like a 15 minute light rail ride, but from my parents it was about an hour to an hour and a half train ride (matawan, nj to penn station, ny). Every single time I took the train I always either meet someone I know on the train or randomly start talking with someone on the train. Always a good time.

I really, really loved when I was in Italy 2 summers ago- traveled by train around the whole country. They have waaaaaay better trains than us too. Even though I had a railpass, I absolutely has to spurge and take a first class ride from Rome to Venice- most fun I have ever had traveling. So comfortable.

I really, really want to take a train across the country here- but it is waaaay too expensive. I went to South Dakota for a short vacation a couple months ago- from NJ it was like $300 or $400 round trip airfare, which was nice. Train ride- 3 day ride, would have been awesome, was over $1000. :(
 
if Amtrak had any degree of consistency, it would be a stellar alternative to flying. i've ridden from chicago to new york twice, and had vastly different experiences. i've also done the shorter trip from chicago to pittsburgh a few times. it's just a coin flip as to wether you get good service or not.

if the price of a berth was a hair cheaper than flying, i'd do the up to 24 hour trips more often. more than that is not feasable- a three hour flight to san francisco or a three day train ride?

i've done the tgv, eurostar and thalys in europe, and can say that if we had comparable high speed trains in america, i'd use them as often as possible.

i've also driven across the country four times, and think that's my fave. i'd imagine it'd be tough to be riding a train through montana and not be able to stop and enjoy the scenery at your own pace.
 
Bibulous said:
I’m traveling coach from Detroit to Albuquerque via Chicago in a couple of weeks on Amtrak. Was wondering if anyone has any tips with luggage or anything else that would be nice to have with you during the trip? Also how good is the food?

Glad to hear most of you had a good time, this should be an interesting trip. A bit worried about the delays getting into Chicago and my rental car reservation once I get to New Mexico, but can also just get it the next day, not on a very tight schedule.
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Well, if you have a laptop, take a few batteries and a bunch of movies. They also have places where you can plug your laptop in, but those get taken pretty fast. Also, take a light blanket if you aren't in a sleeper car. They'll stow your luggage for you, so that's no worry.

The food is decent, but not going to win any awards.

Have fun, meet people and don't forget to look out the window. ;)
 
I've never ridden on Amtrak (or any train for that matter other than subways), but always wanted to give it a try. If you get a berth, doesn't the price include food as well? So a vacation to/from a location is inclusive of food and lodging, which you would otherwise pay for in addition to the plane fare. Of course, the plane gets there quicker, but if you plan it so that most of the vacation is the train ride, then it doesn't sound so expensive. Similar to a cruise, where the cost of the cruise includes food and lodging for the trip.
 
danny_w said:
I've never ridden on Amtrak (or any train for that matter other than subways), but always wanted to give it a try. If you get a berth, doesn't the price include food as well? So a vacation to/from a location is inclusive of food and lodging, which you would otherwise pay for in addition to the plane fare. Of course, the plane gets there quicker, but if you plan it so that most of the vacation is the train ride, then it doesn't sound so expensive. Similar to a cruise, where the cost of the cruise includes food and lodging for the trip.
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The information is easy to find:

http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/Conte...opy_Page&c=am2Copy&cid=1080080554479&ssid=352
 
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