Taking a Train (Amtrak)?

[ExFlyBoy5]

If you have taken a train (in the US) for a trip, what were your impressions? The thread on flying got me to thinking about how terrible flying is...and a recent road trip that DW and I took reminded me how terrible driving can be too. So, we got to thinking that our next trip might be on Amtrak, but neither of us have experience and figured at least a few of you may have some experience, etc.

 

[davebarnes]

I love trains.
I love trains in Europe.

My one trip on Amtrak made me decide never to ride this PoS again. The seats were worn and tattered. The food was abysmal. The first-class cost was the same as flying. The personnel were rude. And, you can forget on-time performance.

 

[gretah]

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

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

 

[Koogie]

I love trains. Long distance, high speed, electrified, steam.. I'll take them all.
I've taken trains on three continents so far. I have been coast to coast in the US (twice) and Canada (once).

In North America, taking a train to travel is about the experience itself. Unfortunately, it cannot be relied upon to be a proper method of on-time, value for money transport in and of itself.

 

[Martha]

I love Amtrak provided I go first class. I have done just about every long distance Amtrak train in the US.

"Rock me momma like the wind and the rain
Rock me momma like a south bound train
Hey, hey, hey momma rock me."

 

[scrabbler1]

I took Amtrak's Cardinal from New York to Indianapolis back in 2014. Going to Indy went okay, we came in about 15 minutes late on a 23-hour trip. We went coach, so sleeping was difficult (there were a few somewhat talkative passengers during the wee hours near the end of the trip). The food was lousy. The trip was scenic.


The return trip was awful. The train was supposed to leave Indy at midnight but didn't arrive until about 4:30 AM, making it a long night in the Indy station. We arrived in NY at a little after 3 AM the next day. No apology, nothing, just dumped into an empty Penn Station, forcing us to wait until 5 AM for the next LIRR train to get home.

 

[bizlady]

We love Amtrak and are taking another trip from Chicago to Flagstaff mid Sept. We always get a private bedroom. They are not luxurious but plenty adequate for us. We have done MSP to Seattle, Boston to Chicago, and Chicago to MSP. Meals are a bit better than first class domestic airlines. Staff are so-so usually. For us, it is about the journey and late is OK. We love traveling through backyards- literally. Coming out of Chicago is eye opening as neighborhoods are poor and it is reminder for all we have. Some routes are great scenery. The train is quiet and we sleep surprisingly well. Book 11 months early for the best price. The trains are older but we have never had one in what we would describe as poor condition. Really have enjoyed meeting other on the train. Meals are seated in groups of four and it is always interesting to meet others. Have met people from many countries. Have also received some good tips from fellow travelers on what to see when we get to destinations.

 

[razztazz]

I made a few trips halfway across the country and back. The first was "coach." I didn't think it was that bad. Like flying first class only it takes longer. The next 2 trips I got one of those Roomettes. I really liked that! They say it's a room for two but it's really just for one unless you're just there to sleep for a few hours. Then it's like being onboard a ship. And I don't mean The Love Boat. I mean like an E-2 in the Navy.

The train was always clean and like a nice hotel room. In coach you'll have to put up with whatever humanity happens along your path. Some say that's part of the adventure. For me, Life is about being there. I'm not in to "the journey."

Can't comment on the food. I packed my own, which you can do.

Being on-time at a certain stop is iffy. I was way late to some mid-point hold overs. but I'd rather wait 3 hours in Pittsburgh than the whole 6, so that's one of those "eff-up's" that actually worked out better. I was always on-time +/- 30 mins to my final destinations. Just like in an aeroplane. (And yes, I was 15 mins EARLY on one trip)

The reason for the ongoing lateness is: By law/contract commercial freight lines have right-of-way on the tracks. The Amtrak machine was doing just fine. Apparently freight haulers have problems maintaining a schedule. And then there's weather hundreds of miles away screwing with things. Just like in an aeroplane.

Had a GF who insisted on taking a 12 day trip from Minneapolis to the West Coast and up and down the Cascade mountain range. She went coach the whole way. Said she loved it.

 

[haha]

I love Amtrak provided I go first class. I have done just about every long distance Amtrak train in the US.

"Rock me momma like the wind and the rain
Rock me momma like a south bound train
Hey, hey, hey momma rock me."

Hey Martha, good to see you!!!

 

[CyclingInvestor]

I take several multi-day trips on Amtrak each year, generally very positive experiences. Took a cabin twice, business class a few times, mostly coach. I always pack my own food and drinks. While ontime performance is getting better, you still have to be flexible.

 

[cathy63]

This is timely. I just this week learned that Amtrak has rail passes. DH and I were discussing doing a train trip next year but it would be more of an ad hoc thing where we don't have to arrive anywhere at a prearranged time.

https://www.amtrak.com/rail-passes

 

[Red Badger]

Love me some Trains!
TVG
Thayls
ICE (not the cops[but I'm okay with law enforcement], Inter-City-Express)
Lyria
SNCF
Deutsche Bahn
Others....

Amtrak? I'll fly, drive, go Greyhound, walk. Just, no.

 

[ocean view]

This is timely. I just this week learned that Amtrak has rail passes. DH and I were discussing doing a train trip next year but it would be more of an ad hoc thing where we don't have to arrive anywhere at a prearranged time.

https://www.amtrak.com/rail-passes

I looked into this recently and was disappointed to learn that they are not as flexible as it sounds. You still have to make your reservations for all of your stops far in advance as they don’t have many seats allocated for the rail pass fare. That kind of takes the spontaneity out of it. I was hoping it would be more like a Eurrail pass—ride as often as you like, whenever you like...maybe my understanding is wrong or they’ve changed the rules.

 

[Katiek]

I've only taken trips along the Northeast Corridor - from NY to Boston or NY to DC. Nothing that involved overnight travel. But I enjoyed going to a nearby station and not having to go through airport security. The scenery was interesting and it was nice to have more room and to be able to get up and walk around.

I'd definitely take it again for trips of similar length, but I have no experience for longer trips.

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

We took Steve Goodman's train, the City of New Orleans, 8 or 9 years ago. We got a roomette -- two comfortable seats that converted to sleepers We had a nice conversation at dinner with two women from Memphis who were up north to play in a LGBT softball tournament.

That evening, I got a close-up look at the upper sleeper berth. I'm not normally claustrophobic, but when I lay on my back the bulkhead was just inches from my face. I woke up about 2 in the morning and HAD to GET OUT!! I sat in the lounge car for half an hour to get some air before crawling back into that cabinet for the rest of the night.

 

[pjm-7]

I enjoy my train trips. I'm retired so I can go with the flow if late. One time missed a connection in Chicago and Amtrak paid to put me up in a nice hotel with meals. The roomette or bedroom is definitely worth it for a long over night trip. I've got another road trip and train trip combo coming up next month.

 

[Luvdogs]

We had a terrible experience that "scarred" (and scared) me forever in 2006.
It wasn't any cheaper than flying, just did it for an "adventure" with the kids.
Took Amtrak from FL to NYC. It was supposed to take about 21 hours. First, it left 3 hours late. We were supposed to arrive at 1 PM the next afternoon. Various delays, hours of them and did not arrive until 11 PM. So "only" about ten hours late...

Oh btw--we had tickets to a show at 8 PM. Since we were scheduled to arrive at 1 pm I figured we would have plenty of time to get to the show. (not)

It was around this time of year, 90 degrees and humid. Many people brought food-like someone across from us brought a crock pot of chicken--chicken does not smell good in an enclosed area in the heat--believe me.

Toward the evening it was super cold inside--not just a little cool--so cold that I could not even sleep because I was freezing--even after buying one of their way overpriced crunchy, hard blankets.

There was a huge delay overnight, reason unknown. I asked one of the employees if they would "make up the time during the day" (like when a plane makes up the time in the air) and he thought I was crazy. Well, maybe I was due to lack of sleep and a body temperature about 10 degrees too low.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that they ran out of food and the toilets didn't work after awhile.

It was a trip from you-know-where.

I still do the short one-hour trips from the northeast to NYC but never ever ever a long one again.

 

[ncbill]

Took it for a trip from here to Washington DC with the kids over 5 years ago.

6 hours by auto was supposed to be 8 hours by train (plus 1/2 hour to drive to the station)

It was over 10 hours going & over 13 hours coming back.

Would not do again.

 

[yakers]

Did the Super chief LA to Chicago in
January. Loved it, hard to sleep (in the sleeper) first night, no problem night two. Food was ok+, met interesting people many Amish. Would definitely do again.

 

[donheff]

I have often taken Amtrak from DC to NYC. I prefer it to flying. I have twice taken the Auto Train to Florida. We booked a roomette once and it was a PITA. The next time we tried business class seats which were comfortable but DW and I didn't sleep well. On the return trip we upgraded to a room and that was the sweet spot. I noticed that room prices vary significantly depending on when you travel.

 

[EastWest Gal]

If you like train travel, consider the Rocky Mountaineer. We took a two day trip from Banff to Vancouver. Lots of delays due to freight trains. The delay was so long the train decided to offer unlimited beer and wine the rest of the day (within reason). The service and food was utterly spectacular. The scenery was nothing short of amazing. Our overnight was at a top notch hotel. Bags were handled for us.

The only time I ever did overnight train travel was on a group tour when I was 18-in the USSR. The sleeper cars were amazingly comfortable. We did two trips overnight-from Odessa to Kiev then Kiev to Moscow.

 

[Winemaker]

We thought about taking the trip from Pittsburgh out to SF/Fairfield CA. 2 trains. It sounded like a great trip until we found out there was no gluten free items on menu, DW is celiac. Not a big issue unless she wanted to eat, for three-four days!

NO, we will just fly out and be there in 6.5 hours.

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

I love trains.
I love trains in Europe.

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.

 

[copyright1997reloaded]

Lots of good information so far.

I've taken Amtrak many, many hundreds of times, like 2X or more per week for ten years.

For day travel, trains on the NEC (North East Corridor) are fine. The seats are wider than coach airplane and with more depth between them, more like airline business class or first class seating. Since you are only short time, the cafe car is adequate. Acela trains are nicer, but not worth the big bump up in price. (While my employer would have paid for it, I typically didn't use Acela because of the price difference.) Even the longer 'day' trip trains (see below e.g. Maple Leaf, Adirondack, Pennsylvanian) are fine in coach.

In term of long distance travel, I've taken the Silver Star (NY<->FL), Silver Meteor (NY<->FL), Lake Shore Limited (NY<->Chicago), SW Chief (Chi<->LAX), Coastal Star lite (LAX<->Vancouver), Pennsylvanian (NY <-> Pittsburgh), Capital Limited (Chi<->Washington), Empire Builder (SEA/POR <-> Chi), California Zephr (Chi<->San Fran), Maple Leaf (NY<->Toronto), Adirondack (NY<->Montreal). My advice for OVERNIGHT trains is that unless you are a teenager or in your twenties, you do not want to spend overnight in coach. Many times the trains are cold, people talk, you share bathrooms with the masses, and so on. My rule for overnight (after doing ONE overnight in coach) is never again (as long as I can help it).

Roomettes are tight, but I have done many trips with DS without issue. Eating in the dining car (as compared to the cafe car) is a nice experience. You might have to share a table with someone, but that in itself adds to the trip experience. The bedrooms are a little bigger, but also typically require more $.

One of the downsides (as already mentioned) is that some of the Amtrak employee's seem to forget they are in a customer service business. Also, if you take a train (especially a long distance train), you need to make sure that you allow for the train to be late, sometimes a lot late. When I plan a trip, I never ever ever have another connection on the same day I am arriving. (For example, if one were to take the train from NY to FL to take a cruise.)

Enjoying the train requires one to think about the trip in a different way. If you are going on vacation and you do air travel, then the airplane ride is a necessary evil to get to where you want to go, and you want to minimize the time there. If you have that attitude about the train, it will likely be an unpleasant experience. If, on the other hand, you see the train ride as a part of the adventure, where you can spend hours looking out the windows at little towns and while going through the country side, it becomes an enjoyable experience.

 

[bhoferp]

I love the train, but there are few good connections out of Kansas City. I have taken all 6 of my grandkids to Chicago on the train. It has always been a good adventure. I know the train might run late, so just figure it might happen. I think we were about an hour late on my last trip, which was no big deal. My son went with me this last time, as I was taking his twins. I got 2 roommettes. We moved the boys between us in the morning. My son slept a long while in the afternoon, so I had both of the boys in my roommette. We put the upper bunk down, so I had one boy "upstairs" and one "downstairs" where the two chairs are. I had lots of fun things to do and lots of snacks. We also went to the dining car for breakfast and lunch, as well as the lounge car. My son walked with the boys all the way to the back of the train. It was a great time.

DH and I took the train to Hermann, MO. It is a quaint little town known for it's wineries and has lovely B&Bs. We took business class as there are no sleeper cars on that train.

To find the best rates, I always check on Amsnag (biketrain.net/amsnag2.0/).