Just had a great experience on Amtrak

[pdpfilms]

GRR.

If only i didn't live 400 miles away from the nearerst station...

My girlfriend lives in Seattle and I'm at school in Bozeman, MT. Last car trip cost me $1600 in repairs (do not by vehicles on eBay), and to drive to an Amtrak station still involves over half the driving distance. Man, I'd looove to take a train- I could do homework, I could sleep, I could... do the cars have internet?

 

[Bibulous]

Just wanted to post that my trip was great, highly recommend it if you have the time and like this type of travel.

 

[jamesi]

I have to say, traveling by train is the best thing ever. This was my first time and it was great! It is by no means practical or fast, but it is comfortable, fun and social. WAY better than flying. The dining and lounge cars were great. I ate meals with people I would probably never really talk to and enjoyed the hell out of it. The seats were large and comfortable with legroom you'll never see on a plane.

Too bad our society has become so fast-paced. This is a great way to travel and if you have the time, I highly recommend it. I'll be doing it again.

i hate amtrak with such a passion. i make very frequent trips and almost always have to use the train. if you are traveling to somewhere pretty urban then its great, but if you are trying to go on longer trips or to more remote areas then its the worst. i traveled from davis, ca to southern oregon a few times and each time the train was delayed by 8 hours. one time it was 15 hours and i had to spend the night in some sketchy station.

 

[SC68Cal]

Taking Amtrack is awesome. Usually SEPTA takes an hour to go from Paoli on the R5 Line into Center City, I caught an Amtrak train one time at 10:00 and I was inside 30th Street Station at 10:30 for a dollar more.

 

[DeepIn2U]

I dont live in the states but I do tech support for a US railway company.

BNSF Burlington Northern Santa Fe (2 company's now combined!) A few times when it comes to cargo trains as BNSF does cargo strictly from mid USA to the west and north as far as Vancouver, BC, Canada; I believe that BNSF owns the railways in most regions. However at times for cargo Amtrak as a customer will need to have MF Printers or controllers checked out for so that they can see cargo trains and whats on them and where their going. so at times they call us.

Could I be right that BNSF owns most of the railway tracks? they got over 4 dozen yards to deal with so; its hecktek.

 

[macOSX-tastic]

You should some time! Aren't there good trains in the UK/Europe? I always heard there were.

the trains were terrible, but since privatisation they have become much better. air con, quiet cabins, smoother rides.....i use trains to go pretty much everywhere now. i guess the the uk is a little to small for large scale domestic air travel.

S

 

[adk]

the trains were terrible, but since privatisation they have become much better. air con, quiet cabins, smoother rides.....i use trains to go pretty much everywhere now. i guess the the uk is a little to small for large scale domestic air travel.

S

I wouldn't say that, I would say that there is just actually a potential to make a profit on train service so privatization is desirable.

 

[brypettit]

GRR.

If only i didn't live 400 miles away from the nearerst station...

My girlfriend lives in Seattle and I'm at school in Bozeman, MT. Last car trip cost me $1600 in repairs (do not by vehicles on eBay), and to drive to an Amtrak station still involves over half the driving distance. Man, I'd looove to take a train- I could do homework, I could sleep, I could... do the cars have internet?

I took a train from Spokane -> Chicago and then Chicago -> Syracuse, NY and the trip was great. If not for hitting a flatbed truck which was stuck on the tracks, we probably would have been fairly on time. The best part is nothing happened to the train and back in coach we couldn't even feel/hear any impact. No internet, and I didn't see any power outlets on the way (not looking very hard though either), but I read that they're probably every few seats or at least in the lounge car. Is the nearest station to Bozeman really 400 miles away? Seemed like we made a lot of stops in Montana.

 

[leekohler]

I took a train from Spokane -> Chicago and then Chicago -> Syracuse, NY and the trip was great. If not for hitting a flatbed truck which was stuck on the tracks, we probably would have been fairly on time. The best part is nothing happened to the train and back in coach we couldn't even feel/hear any impact. No internet, and I didn't see any power outlets on the way (not looking very hard though either), but I read that they're probably every few seats or at least in the lounge car. Is the nearest station to Bozeman really 400 miles away? Seemed like we made a lot of stops in Montana.

Yes- there are outlets in the lounge cars. I usually just use my iBook til the battery dies, then go charge it. I keep an extra battery handy as well.

 

[nickster9224]

I have to say, traveling by train is the best thing ever. This was my first time and it was great! It is by no means practical or fast, but it is comfortable, fun and social. WAY better than flying. The dining and lounge cars were great. I ate meals with people I would probably never really talk to and enjoyed the hell out of it. The seats were large and comfortable with legroom you'll never see on a plane.

Too bad our society has become so fast-paced. This is a great way to travel and if you have the time, I highly recommend it. I'll be doing it again.

what train were you on like from where to where. my uncle could have been driving it.

 

[leekohler]

what train were you on like from where to where. my uncle could have been driving it.

I usually take the Capitol Limited, which runs from Chicago to DC. I love it!

 

[Thanatoast]

Taking the train in April

From Lamar, CO (driving from Denver, 3 hours) to Kansas City, then being picked up by relatives and driving to Rogers, AR (another 3 hours). The trip's an overnight, so there's no lost time and it's actually cheaper than flying.

I'm really looking forward to it as the airports aggravate me to no end these days. If we're lucky, in seven more years we'll have commuter rail up and down the front range and we can even cut out the drive to Lamar.

I just worry that people aren't willing to consider the travel part of the vacation. Of course, with airplanes who would?

I'll report back! (Lovin' the rail resurgence )

 

[UWSpindoctor]

I've taken Amtrak once. It was from the Bay Area to Seattle. Getting there took only three hours longer than driving...round trip. Hell will freeze over before I'll step foot on one again.

 

[leekohler]

Taking the train in April

From Lamar, CO (driving from Denver, 3 hours) to Kansas City, then being picked up by relatives and driving to Rogers, AR (another 3 hours). The trip's an overnight, so there's no lost time and it's actually cheaper than flying.

I'm really looking forward to it as the airports aggravate me to no end these days. If we're lucky, in seven more years we'll have commuter rail up and down the front range and we can even cut out the drive to Lamar.

I just worry that people aren't willing to consider the travel part of the vacation. Of course, with airplanes who would?

I'll report back! (Lovin' the rail resurgence )

I've been on that train before. It's a nice trip. I think you'll like it.

 

[Applespider]

I took a lovely UK train today from Scotland back to London - around 400 miles.

Sitting in first class so got lots of free tea/coffee/water and biscuits

And the biggest plus point was that my seat had a power point and free wifi that was actually reasonably good. Would recommend it.

 

[leekohler]

I've taken Amtrak once. It was from the Bay Area to Seattle. Getting there took only three hours longer than driving...round trip. Hell will freeze over before I'll step foot on one again.

Again- if time is an issue, you shouldn't take it. Though my travel time back to Ohio (to visit my relatives) if I include my time getting to and from the airport, ends up being the same if not shorter.

 

[guifa]

I don't understand why my tax dollars pay for Amtrak. I'm sure it's wonderful if you live up North, but in Alabama, there's exactly one station (they used to go to Montgomery but they cut service to the state capital) in Birmingham.

But the usefulness of the route? From Atlanta to New Orleans via Birmingham in car is just shy of 500m (800km). Spain just started a AVE train from Madrid to Málaga, which again by car is roughly 530km (330m). The Atlanta to New Orleans rough takes just shy of 11 hours with no express route option and leaves only ONCE a day. A one way ticket costs $53 (€36,04), even when bought long in advance. The Madrid-Málaga route costs €68 ($100) one way, but if bought two weeks in advance, is only 30,4 € ($44.70). It also only takes a mere 2.5 hours if it's the direct train, and 3 if it stops along the way. It leaves a minimum of 6 times daily, as well.

And people wonder why rail is doomed to fail in the US. It doesn't go anywhere (of the largest and most important cities in Alabama, only Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, and Mobile are served, Auburn, Montgomery, and Huntsville are left in the dust), and when it does go somewhere, it's slow as all get out. Seriously, what's the usefulness of a train that only leaves once a day?

But since the government seems to want to continue to pour money into train development, perhaps it could start by building new lines, instead of simply renting the lines from other companies. A high-speed link from LA to NY would be roughly 4500km, which on a 300km track like what Spain is laying down everywhere, would take about 15 hours, which is more than reasonable, given nowadays you have to be at airports some ridiculous 2-3 hours early sometimes, and the travel time itself is a little over 6 hours direct. Assuming a Spanish-like pricing of approximately 10€ per hour of travel, that would also put its price close to current weekend flight prices. Of course, to actually think that the US would implement a massive railway construction program to bring rail service to at least all cities with more than 100,000 people is to dream higher than the heavens.

 

[leekohler]

I don't understand why my tax dollars pay for Amtrak.

I'm not sure why my tax dollars pay to send other people's kids to school when I have no kids of my own. The answer to that one is exactly the same for what you just said.

I'm sure it's wonderful if you live up North, but in Alabama, there's exactly one station (they used to go to Montgomery but they cut service to the state capital) in Birmingham.

But the usefulness of the route? From Atlanta to New Orleans via Birmingham in car is just shy of 500m (800km). Spain just started a AVE train from Madrid to Málaga, which again by car is roughly 530km (330m). The Atlanta to New Orleans rough takes just shy of 11 hours with no express route option and leaves only ONCE a day. A one way ticket costs $53 (€36,04), even when bought long in advance. The Madrid-Málaga route costs €68 ($100) one way, but if bought two weeks in advance, is only 30,4 € ($44.70). It also only takes a mere 2.5 hours if it's the direct train, and 3 if it stops along the way. It leaves a minimum of 6 times daily, as well.

And people wonder why rail is doomed to fail in the US. It doesn't go anywhere (of the largest and most important cities in Alabama, only Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, and Mobile are served, Auburn, Montgomery, and Huntsville are left in the dust), and when it does go somewhere, it's slow as all get out. Seriously, what's the usefulness of a train that only leaves once a day?

But since the government seems to want to continue to pour money into train development, perhaps it could start by building new lines, instead of simply renting the lines from other companies. A high-speed link from LA to NY would be roughly 4500km, which on a 300km track like what Spain is laying down everywhere, would take about 15 hours, which is more than reasonable, given nowadays you have to be at airports some ridiculous 2-3 hours early sometimes, and the travel time itself is a little over 6 hours direct. Assuming a Spanish-like pricing of approximately 10€ per hour of travel, that would also put its price close to current weekend flight prices. Of course, to actually think that the US would implement a massive railway construction program to bring rail service to at least all cities with more than 100,000 people is to dream higher than the heavens.

I think we should be building high speed rail as well. I believe they're trying it on the east coast.

 

[guifa]

I'm not sure why my tax dollars pay to send other people's kids to school when I have no kids of my own. The answer to that one is exactly the same for what you just said.

There's a difference between education a nation (which is an investment in a nation's future) and projects like the Alaskan bridge to nowhere. Amtrak in its present state seems like the latter to me, and on top of it all, instead of increasing service, they've decreased it in the past few years.

 

[eric55lv]

Man I have always dreamed of going somewhere on Amtrack they used to have a station in Las Vegas but it closed down but it seems more relaxed rather than going somewhere by car because there is no traffic,you dont have to go to the dirty gas station bath rooms,and you can take showers on a train

 

[joepunk]

Hopefully I will be able to take the train from Orlando, Fl => D.C. => Chicago => and finally end in Everett, Washington. Starting in May.

Any ideas on what the rail conditions would be like?

I know it will be a long journey. But I have never done such a thing in my life and I have a good opportunity right now to do so.

When should one make reservations and are there any discount deals one could get w/o paying an application fee?

 

[leekohler]

There's a difference between education a nation (which is an investment in a nation's future) and projects like the Alaskan bridge to nowhere. Amtrak in its present state seems like the latter to me, and on top of it all, instead of increasing service, they've decreased it in the past few years.

Again- how many people can't drive or afford a plane ticket? More than you think. The bottom line is that it benefits society. Amtrak is hardly a "bridge to nowhere". That's a really disingenuous comparison. I have met everyone from artists traveling to gallery openings in NYC to businessmen who hate flying on the train. I took it last year to go to a funeral in Colorado because the cost was a fraction of flying- $1200 vs. $200. That's a huge difference. Train travel is something we need to encourage, not discourage.

Hopefully I will be able to take the train from Orlando, Fl => D.C. => Chicago => and finally end in Everett, Washington. Starting in May.

Any ideas on what the rail conditions would be like?

I know it will be a long journey. But I have never done such a thing in my life and I have a good opportunity right now to do so.

When should one make reservations and are there any discount deals one could get w/o paying an application fee?

Prices actually decrease the closer you get to your travel date. I would wait until two weeks before you want to go.

 

[guifa]

Again- how many people can't drive or afford a plane ticket? More than you think. The bottom line is that it benefits society. Amtrak is hardly a "bridge to nowhere". That's a really disingenuous comparison. I have met everyone from artists traveling to gallery openings in NYC to businessmen who hate flying on the train. I took it last year to go to a funeral in Colorado because the cost was a fraction of flying- $1200 vs. $200. That's a huge difference. Train travel is something we need to encourage, not discourage.

And if someone can't drive, how do they get to the train stations that are hours away? That's my point. For them they have Greyhound which still provides far superior service to Amtrak (more than one departure per day in million-plus cities, for instance) and to far more locations including smaller towns. Note I said Amtrak in its present state. I agree we should build up the rail network in the US, but honestly we should just completely scrap Amtrak and start over from scratch. They've consistently proven themselves incapable of making money, even though the government constantly gives them deadlines to become self-sufficient, and they never do. The amount of money the government gives in bail out for them and airlines per traveler is significantly more and not worth it.

 

[latergator116]

And if someone can't drive, how do they get to the train stations that are hours away? That's my point. For them they have Greyhound which still provides far superior service to Amtrak (more than one departure per day in million-plus cities, for instance) and to far more locations including smaller towns. Note I said Amtrak in its present state. I agree we should build up the rail network in the US, but honestly we should just completely scrap Amtrak and start over from scratch. They've consistently proven themselves incapable of making money, even though the government constantly gives them deadlines to become self-sufficient, and they never do. The amount of money the government gives in bail out for them and airlines per traveler is significantly more and not worth it.

Sure Amtrak has a lot of problems, but I don't think it needs to start over from scratch. Amtrak, will never become self sufficient.... I dont think there are many passenger railroads in the world that are. When I took the train from Boston to Seattle it was packed the entire route; there are many cities in Montana and North Dakota that are only served by Amtrak.

Greyhound has its own problems, but I don't think its "far superior" to Amtrak. Have you ever been on a bus for more than a few hours? .... I'll take Amtrak any day.

 

[leekohler]

Sure Amtrak has a lot of problems, but I don't think it needs to start over from scratch. Amtrak, will never become self sufficient.... I dont think there are many passenger railroads in the world that are. When I took the train from Boston to Seattle it was packed the entire route; there are many cities in Montana and North Dakota that are only served by Amtrak.

Greyhound has its own problems, but I don't think its "far superior" to Amtrak. Have you ever been on a bus for more than a few hours? .... I'll take Amtrak any day.

Agreed. Greyhound is an absolute nightmare. Amtrak has problems, but as far as which is a superior experience- Amtrak wins hands down. I guess another thing that makes it good for me is that the train station is right by my office downtown. I just leave from work vs. traveling to OHare, which takes about an hour. The train station in Ohio is ten minutes from my parents' house. They much prefer that than driving to pick me up from the Cleveland airport, which is an hour an a half drive.