Taking a Train (Amtrak)?

[MrsHaloFIRE]

Took Amtrak from near Harrisburg PA to NYC. Great trip, no problems. Took Amtrak back, same.
Took Amtrak from DC to NC. Total dumpster fire. Homeless hanging out in union station everywhere making me uncomfortable alone with a lot of luggage. Difficult to find train. No one to help the elderly. Watched a older lady fall going up steep stairs. No one helping or redirecting to better entrance. Promised Wi-Fi: no Wi-Fi. Walked up through the higher class car looking for snacks. Every seat full and every available floor space full of children watching videos. I mean you couldn't get by. Terrible smell. I dubbed in Calcutta. Returned to my seat and ate my granola bar. Arrived hours late. Rented a car to drive back.

 

[morriss003]

I would never travel Amtrak across country, unless I paid for a sleeper. I would like to try it on the east coast. I love European trains. New Zealand trains are not bad. It's about an 11 hour trip from one end of the North Island to the other end. Australian trains are not bad, if you are not traveling a huge distance. I spent three days traveling from Melbourne to Albury to Canberra to Sydney. Note: when traveling from Melbourne to Canberra, the last part of the trip is by bus, something the Australians should be ashamed of.

 

[Piano Lady]

Have had good train trips

Taking Amtrak, if you get a sleeper, is not cheaper than flying. If we are just taking the train to Chicago, we get coach seats. Those may be cheaper than flying. Watch the calendar. Just as with air travel, train prices vary with the day of the week, and holidays.

When we travel a long distance, if we have the time, we get two roomettes across the aisle from each other. Neither of us is able to climb into an upper berth at this stage of our lives. The California Zephyr is a beautiful ride through Colorado. We went from KC to Emeryville on that route. Loved it! We took the Southwest Chief from KC to Flagstaff another time. Loved every part of that! And KC into Penn station in New York was a wonderful trip, also. Not cheap if you go first class, but very relaxing if you have the time.

 

[Lancelot]

We took a high-speed train in China from Shanghai to Beijing and back a few years ago. The line is elevated on pylons for 800 miles -- a marvel of engineering. Cruising speed was 190 mph, and the trip, with several stops, took five hours. Pretty awesome.

I did the overnight Beijing - Shanghai; what impressed me was the smoothness of the ride, no clickety clack like the older, slower bolted rail lines. I did the Bangkok to Chiang Mai sleeper train many times, slow but whats the hurry? My only experience with Amtrak was Bryan OH to Chicago a couple of times. Great scenery but lousy service. Having said that, I would like to do an Amtrak coast to coast some time. On the list

 

[Urchina]

I've taken the Pacific Surfliner to Orange County. We were delayed due to freight trains. Train was comfortable, and the view on that run is amazing (hugs the coastline). Best part is I didnt have to drive through LA (aka the freeway equivalent of Mordor).

For easygoing non-time sensitive travel we'll use Amtrak again.

 

[NoiseBoy]

I've taken Amtrak twice on short 2 hour trips to Chicago. The second trip, the return train was the Texas Eagle, and coach was full of people who wanted to settle in for the long haul so finding 3 seats near each other was impossible. I encountered one very belligerent youth who did not want to make room for my BIL until I pressed the issue. The conductors were nowhere to be found.

The advantage to taking the train into the big city is with avoiding parking hassles and the cost ($37 for all day downtown). Also, I find that when I get home I am much more relaxed. To avoid problems like I shared above in the future, I will book business class, reserved seats.

So yeah, train travel is like air travel for me these days; no fun in coach!

 

[LitGal]

However, it can be a great way to skip Bay Area traffic

Yes, Amtrak is frequently late. Sometimes by several hours.

I'm with DB: I LOVE trains in Europe!

+1

However, when I return to the San Francisco area to visit friends, I will often take Amtrak from downtown SF to downtown Sacramento. It's a relaxing and easy way to get to the valley, where I will then rent a car for more visiting. I just take my coffee on board, kick back, read my book, catch up on emails and enjoy the fact that I am not stuck in the gridlock......but will still reach my destination.

 

[Brat]

It is my understanding that you need to take the BART to Oakland then catch a train to Sacremento. Don't depend on the Coast Starlight's schedule.. it starts in LA and is often subject to track improvement delays. The Capital Corridor is a much better choice.

 

[LitGal]

It is my understanding that you need to take the BART to Oakland then catch a train to Sacremento. Don't depend on the Coast Starlight's schedule.. it starts in LA and is often subject to track improvement delays. The Capital Corridor is a much better choice.

Actually, I think it was a bus that picked us up in SF, then drove us across the bay to catch the train.

 

[Bamaman]

Certain legs of Amtrak would be okay to take. I could see flying to Denver and catching the train to San Francisco. It's just a shame that the Chicago to Denver leg is lacking in scenery--except corn, soybeans and a few feed lots.

But that trip would be much more expensive than just flying to S.F.

We did take a train from Vienna to Prague. We had to share compartments with a bunch of construction workers after a soccer team took up the rest of the car. The train car was hot, very slow and it looked like a leftover from the Iron Curtain period. Very few overnight trains in Europe remain.

 

[LakeRat1]

We have always wanted to do a rail vacation. I am thinking of doing this May 13th through end of May...... Leave from Newton, KS to Chicago, spend 3 days, then off to Washington DC for 2 days, then off to New York for 2 days, then off to Niagra Falls for 2 days, then return to Newton KS........ Pros / Cons, suggested options with regards to the train bookings, or for that matter, the entire trip

Thank You in advance

 

[EarlyBirdly]

Trains are excellent. One of my favorite trips was The Empire Builder between Portland, Or. and Chicago.

If you will be on the train for more than 24 hours OR overnight, I highly recommend spending the Bucks on a Sleeper berth. Sooo, much more civilized when you get a night's sleep and a shower in the A.M. Pretty much doubles your costs but very much worth the expenditure.

Also, explore the option of a 15 day Pass for flexibility and don't forget to check on your Senior Discount if you are 65 or better.

https://tickets.amtrak.com/itd/amtrak/selectpass


Have a Good Trip!

 

[MrsHaloFIRE]

Plan on arriving 2 days late at every stop. If you're only 1 day late, then you're doing awesome. Don't buy show tix or anything nonrefundable based on ticketed arrival time. And bring hand sanitizer. And food

 

[Marita40]

Beware the Empire Builder. Our trip to Portland from MN was two days late due to the oil fields. All the scenic areas occurred during dark.

 

[Brat]

Your delay was likely due to the fact that oil must be transported by train. Lots of freight.

The train between Seattle and LA is often delayed by either track maintenance or freight traffic. The best ride is south-bound as the cars receive a deep clean in Seattle.

 

[RunningBum]

Had a day trip planned to DC today, wanted to see the Newseum before it closes at the end of the year. Train status shows it's running almost 2 hours late, which cuts quite a bit into my time. The nice part about Amtrak is that even with the cut rate fair I bought, I could change my ticket to next Wednesday for an extra $11. Of course I'm taking a chance that it will be late next Wednesday too. I found a data base web site that showed it an hour or more late 13 of the last 31 days. I'll take my chances. Guess I might as well go back to bed so I can stay up and watch game 7 of the world series tonight.

 

[jazz4cash]

What museum is closing at the end of the year?

 

[RunningBum]

What museum is closing at the end of the year?

Newseum. I'd blame it on auto correct but I don't have that on my laptop. Fixed now.

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

We just got back from Japan. While there we rode on the Shinkansen "bullet train." Trains on the network can travel at 200 mph and the ride is smooth as silk.

The Shinkansen is over 50 years old. It makes Amtrak look like the Hooterville Cannonball.

 

[HFWR]

We just got back from Japan. While there we rode on the Shinkansen "bullet train." Trains on the network can travel at 200 mph and the ride is smooth as silk.

The Shinkansen is over 50 years old. It makes Amtrak look like the Hooterville Cannonball.

Most of Amtrak runs on freight roads, the owners of which get priority.

 

[RunningBum]

Had a day trip planned to DC today, wanted to see the Newseum before it closes at the end of the year. Train status shows it's running almost 2 hours late, which cuts quite a bit into my time. The nice part about Amtrak is that even with the cut rate fair I bought, I could change my ticket to next Wednesday for an extra $11. Of course I'm taking a chance that it will be late next Wednesday too. I found a data base web site that showed it an hour or more late 13 of the last 31 days. I'll take my chances. Guess I might as well go back to bed so I can stay up and watch game 7 of the world series tonight.

Took my trip yesterday. The train was about 40 minutes late, but made up some of the time to DC. It was nice not having to deal with traffic, but they assigned seats so I had to sit with someone who elbowed me a few times as he got his laptop out, but otherwise left me alone. Union Station is pretty convenient to the Mall attractions, about a 15 minute drive.

I saw what I came to see and was done with that by 2:45, and was kind of in no-man's land, not enough time to really see anything else, but too early to go to the station for my 4:50 train. I wound up walking a roundabout way past the capital, then ate at Legal Seafoods at Union Station. The return train left on time and I had the seat next to me open in the quiet car.

If I would've driven, I would've gone on a weekend and was thinking the museums would be more crowded, but I probably would've avoided the noisy school groups. There's still plenty of traffic in DC on a Sunday but I think it would've taken me over an hour less time than the drivings to/from the train station and having to wait for trains. Being retired, an hour or so extra isn't that big of a deal, but it would've been nicer to be on my own schedule rather than theirs, and I could've left whenever I was done, or stayed longer to see more things on a nice day.

Pricewise, The train fare turned into $79 with the rebooking ($68 originally), compared to the ~$30 cost of a tank of gas for a 300 mile round trip drive. I could've parked in the Newseum garage for $15, compared to $12 for the day at the train station.

It was kind of a test to compare Amtrak travel to driving, and I'd say that Amtrak lost, mostly due to having to do with their schedules and the uncertainty of the trains staying on them. But it was nice not having to deal with driving around DC, so it was reasonably close.

 

[Brat]

Don't overlook the fact that you didn't have the stress of driving two and from DC. The cost of gas isn't the only expense of driving.