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I did 1000 miles on Amtrak once (about 2007). I bought the biggest cabin available.
Here was what I recall:
1. Slower and more expensive than driving(especially when factoring the loading/unloading time)
2. Dirty- after a night on the train I just wanted to take a shower. It was like being on an airplane for 15 hours.
3. Food was fair, ride was fair and view was terrible. Train tracks usually run through the worst neighborhoods.
4. Woke up thinking it was almost over only to find out the train was delayed in the middle of the night for 2 hours so we arrived 2 hours late.
2 hours late?!?!? For an Amtrak trip of that distance, that's downright early!
Routes radiating out of NY (to the south and to Chicago) and Chicago (to the West Coast). The "leave in the evening and arrive at dawn" schedules only are for certain parts of the routes, though, such as Washington-Atlanta.
Exactly. There are certain routes where the grand sleeper trains still operate. And while they are grand as in big, they're not really grand as in style. But in these days of the virus, they offer some degree of isolation.
Useful routes for overnight travel:
Bos/ NY/ DC - Atlanta (The Crescent)
NY - Chicago and vv. (Lake Shore Limited)
DC - Chicago and vv. (Capitol Limited)
DC - Florida and vv. (Auto Train, if with a car; Silver Meteor if not)
Chicago - Minneapolis/ Fargo (Empire Builder)
Chicago - Omaha and Denver (Zephyr)
Chicago - Kansas City and Albuquerque (Chief)
Chicago - Memphis and New Orleans (City of N.O.)
Houston - San Antonio and Tucson (Sunset Ltd.)
Booking a stateroom also includes a private bathroom on Amtrak. Personally, if travelling single I think the "roomettes" are adequate. Both are considered "first class" and include meals.
Some important Amtrak sleeper do's and don'ts:
-- Do order the steak and baked potato or pasta; Amtrak is not known for fish
-- Do tip the attendant $20 at the beginning of the journey. He will bring the meals to your compartment, plus a bucket of ice upon request. He also configures the bed after dinner. This way you limit your interactions to one person (the steward) for just a few moments per day.
-- Do bring nice wine (the ice bucket doubles as a cooler); Amtrak wine is not great. Unlike airlines, first class passengers may bring their own beverages.
-- Do use the private downstairs shower -- just remember to keep your dry clothes in a plastic bag and wear flip-flops. The shower room splashes a lot.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dane_in_LA
It's such a civilized way to travel. In my misspent youth, the summer vacation would be spent riding Europe's rail systems, and it always opened with a night train from Hamburg (Northern Germany) to Paris. You can read or enjoy the scenery, have a drink in the bar car, then sleep, lying flat - and at 8 AM or so (no one is rushing you) you grab your luggage and hunt down a spot for espresso and croissants.
Then make the big decision of the trip - west towards Provence/Spain/Portugal, or east towards Savoi/Italy or even Greece? Man, those were good days.
Later, we'd do the car train - although on motorcycle. Strap the motorcycles to a flatcar, grab a sleeper compartment, save yourself 800 miles of boring Autobahn riding and wake up in the foothills of the Alps.
Exactly - much more pleasant than having to go through all that airpoirt procedure and waiting, and you get to actually enjoy the journey.
The meals on some of the European rail services are also superb, and a nice sleep in a proper bed is far nicer than being in some cramped airline scene.
I’ve done both overnight train and bus trips several times in the past, both in Europe and the US. Never used a private train sleeping compartment because of the cost. If memory serves, have done the following:
Bus
Miami to St. Augustine
Tallahassee to Tampa
Des Moines to Oklahoma City (bus change in Kansas City)
Chicago to St. Louis
Atlanta to Columbia (SC)
Train
Boston to Fredericksburg (VA)
Boston to Philadelphia
Baltimore (airport) to Boston
Chicago to Charleston (WV)
Charleston (WV) to Cincinnati
Paris to Prague
Vienna to Venice
Rome to Amsterdam (train change in Milan)
Also did a tour bus trip of the national parks in Utah/Arizona/Wyoming which necessitated overnight sleeping on the bus while traveling between destinations. This was far more comfortable than Greyhound.
Because people rather travel by cars or planes. In Japan train tourism is huge, Japanese more likely than any other people travel by train to the country side and stay on a high class train. What American would pay $400 on a train ride when they can pay the same or less by plane and get there quicker.
The point with train tourism in Japan is to take a scenic ride in a high end train without the hassle of airport checkin. They have trains that are like staying at a 5 star hotel.
2 hours late?!?!? For an Amtrak trip of that distance, that's downright early!
Amtrak is just terrible when it comes to train management. 2 hour delays are a norm unless you pay for Acela which is their premium express train. I paid $400 to ride from NYC to DC in under 2 hours instead of a plane ride which is $275 or bus is only $80.
Amtrak is just terrible when it comes to train management. 2 hour delays are a norm unless you pay for Acela which is their premium express train. I paid $400 to ride from NYC to DC in under 2 hours instead of a plane ride which is $275 or bus is only $80.
What Acela? That is canceled. They might bring a few back on June 1. You have to take the slower Northeast Regional trains which are also on a reduced schedule. Business travel in the corridor is dead. That is who rides Acela.
What Acela? That is canceled. They might bring a few back on June 1. You have to take the slower Northeast Regional trains which are also on a reduced schedule. Business travel in the corridor is dead. That is who rides Acela.
Um, he was just making a general point about Amtrak, not about the temporary conditions today.
Amtrak is just terrible when it comes to train management. 2 hour delays are a norm unless you pay for Acela which is their premium express train. I paid $400 to ride from NYC to DC in under 2 hours instead of a plane ride which is $275 or bus is only $80.
Agreed, Amtrak is not that reliable. The Northeast Corridor trains (Boston to Washington DC) are actually the most reliable, too. The long haul east-west routes are notoriously bad, in fact. Amtrak is more comfortable than Greyhound and other bus lines, but the latter is usually far more timely as well as cheaper.
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