General questions about Amtrak.
 

I am in the early stages of planning a trip to the USA in January/Feb next year. I have a few notions about what I want to do etc, but no firm intentions.

However one thing I would like to know is what the truth is about Amtrak. I have heard very conflicting accounts. The reason that I am keen on Amtrak is that I am rather fond of trains, and no great fan of planes.

Some accounts say that it is very unreliable (because freight takes precedence), and can often deposit you in town in the early hours of the morning. Is this true?

Also; do you have to book on the trains or can you just turn up?

Does the weather have a major impact on the running of the trains? (British trains have to have a lie down in a darkened room at the mere mention of snow or ice)

I am planning to get a rail-pass which is apparent good value at around £150 for a fortnight. Does this actually represent a saving on buying individual fares?

Any help gratefully appreciated.

As someone who has traveled through Europe extensivley by train let me warn you that Amtrack train travel in the US does not compare.

Not only might you be dropped off in the middle of the night but many times you will get off at a station that is just a parking lot - no taxi, no bus, no station building, no attendants, no town or civilization in sight, just a parking lot.

The idea of "just turning up" works well in European cities where trains run frequently and you can find a ticket office day or night.

With Amtrack some of the trains travel only 3 times per week.

I dont think it is impossible to travel by train in the US but I think in this case planning ahead is beneficial and be prepared for a train that arrives half a day later than scheduled.

You're hearing conflicting accounts because that's the nature of the service. It's not consistent. Some trains are on-time with good equipment. Some trains are always late with poor service. That's what AMTRAK is like.

Some long distance trains can be hours - I mean literally - behind schedule. So, instead of dropping you at your town at 8pm, you may arrive at 3am. Happens all the time.

AMTRAK owns some track - most notably the NE corridor between Washington, DC and Boston. Those are usually quite reliable with frequent trains. But just like this past summer. They found cracks in the brakes of the Acela Express on the NE Corridor routes, and all are grounded. They have to pull some slower, older equipment to substitute.

As for reservations, if you want a couchette or bedroom on a long-distance train, you definitely need reservations - far in advance. On the Acela Express and some other trains in the NE Corridor, a reservation is required - but that can be done just a few days, or few hours, in advance. And you can even just show up at the station to see if you can get a reservations then.

Weather does have a major impact - when there are floods, mudslides, washed out bridges, etc... They certainly do happen.

But if you're on a train that's been affected - they will often arrange buses, and sometimes flights, to get you to your destination. Don't know about what will they do with railpass holders, however.

It's almost as if Amtrak is two different systems -- the Northeast (from Washington DC up to Portland, Maine) is a well-traveled, relatively well-maintained and profitable section of the system, and much of the rest is neglected, unreliable, unpopular and loses money.

So I'd recommend that you satisfy your train cravings in the Northeast, and travel the rest of the nation in some other way.

The Acela routes are running (not sure if the special eqeuipment is fixed yet) but it's an expensive deluxe service which many users feel is unwarranted (it doesn't save that much time even on the best days), and is probably not included in the rail pass anyway.

January and February are the very months when weather-related disruptions are most likely on ALL methods of transport in the northern US, due to snowstorms or ice. But hte rail systems seem to usually be less affected than roads or flights.

Thanks for the help.

The Railpass only includes economy travel. Does this mean that there are some routes that I won’t be able to travel on – or is it just specific luxury trains?

Also is “economy” horrible? And what’s the deal with Amtrak buses? These are separate from the trains or part of the network? Thanks for the help

There are a couple of areas where Amrak service is frequent and (relatively) reliable - notably the Northeast corridor (DC to Boston) and along the CA coast up towards Canada. However, you should be aware that there are no high-speed trains (the fastest is no faster than driving) and if there is bad weather (likely in Jan/Feb) the whole system can shut down for a couple of days.

While for short trips (NYC to Boston) the time is fairly equivalent to driving, bus or plane - for longer distances it is excrutiatingly slow. Yes - for the rest of the country freight trains take priority, Amtrak often runs many hours late and there are many stops that are essentially parking lots in the middle of nowhere.

(For us planes are not only so much faster, but almost always cheaper than trains that Amtrak has very few riders except for the few lines mentioned above.) Service and food are - by all reports (you couldn;t pay me to do this) abysmal and in most places you find yourself just riding through the wrong end of town or a whole lot of nothing.

Also - in the US there are many areas/szeable cities that have no train service at all - you may have to ride hours on a bus after the rails end - or simply can;t get there.
(For instance - from New York to Chicago takes about 2.5 hours by plane and there are more than 30 flights a day. By train there are 1 or 2 choices - with stops/changes - and it takes - if on time - almost 24 hours.)

To anyone used to rail travel in europe (and I have done some short trips in Britain) Amtrak is a joke.

Really - this is a very bad idea all the way around - even for a rail buff it would be nothing but a waste of time.

Aren't their air passes available to people in europe - probably a much better deal.

Hi David:

As others said, it often depends on the train:

For the Washington DC-Baltimore-Philadelphia-New York City-Boston route, one could "just show up" as I sometimes would when I lived in Baltimore, and purchase your ticket. There are unreserved trains in this Northeast Corridor (as well as New York City-Albany and I believe DC-Richmond) and they run about hourly, sometimes twice hourly. I've used many times and in my experience, about 90-95% of the time, they run close to on-time. During holiday periods, a reservation would be well-advised though even on this route. On these routes (note Richmond has two stations: one downtown and one way out), I can't think of a station that's not close to downtown. All the cities except Richmond I listed have public transit and/or taxis available at the train stations. These trains tend to not to drop you off in the wee hours of the morning unless you pick that train.

For long-distances trains, if one chooses these, one needs to roll with the punches as in my experience there are often delays. The Sunset Limited Orlando-San Diego is notoriously often 8 hours late. I've taken the Crescent now four times (I went from DC-New Orleans (which due to the horrific tragedy is now DC-Atlanta)) and thought it did pretty well ranging from on-time to 1 1/2 hours late arrival in the final destination. New York City-Montreal is the other long distance I've taken and has ranged from on-time to 3 hours late. During anything like a holiday period, I'd highly recommend a reservation. Long-distance trains, may drop you off in the middle-of-nowhere at odd hours of the night, but not necessarily (Pittsburgh station for example is very central).

Weather can indeed play a factor and sometimes for surprising reasons. Once in 95 degree heat, the engineer told us that the train had to go more slowly than usual for fear of overheating if it went too quickly on the old tracks. This was the one time my NYC-Montreal train was 3 hours late... usually that train was on-time to 1 hour late. Another time on this same route Montreal-NYC, there was a blizzard, and the conductor told us planes were down and that we were the only ones moving!

Your rail pass could save you money, indeed, BUT will not give you access to the Metroliner, Acela and sleeper car trains for long-distance routes.

Good luck deciding! DAN

Hmmm….Looks like my brilliant idea isn’t quite as brilliant as I first thought.

What’s the situation like north of the border – are Canadian trains like Amtrak?

Hi David

The system is not perfect either in Canada, but generally speaking, I've found Canadian trains a step up from the US trains, although coach class is about equal in terms of comfort and bathroom cleanliness.

The Windsor-Toronto-Kingston-Montreal-Quebec City, Toronto-Ottawa and Ottawa-Montreal routes are in my experience 95% on-time. The stations are generally central, pretty clean and for the two that are a bit outlying (Ottawa/Kingston), public transit/taxis are available to take you downtown.

The long-distance trains I've taken (Montreal-Halifax and Toronto-Vancouver) have been exceptional. Although there can be more significant delays apparently, despite the incredibly long distances (Toronto-Van is 3 days!), these trains were on-time to one hour late arriving in their final destinations when I took them. The sleeper cars gave me access to top-notch dining showcasing Canadian meat and produce, a dome car with panoramic views from above the train, an activities room and a bar offering excellent Canadian wines, beer and champagne. Not to mention sometimes spectacular scenery (this can be true on certain routes in the US as well, Montreal-NYC) and going where no car can go in some cases. Some of these trains really do Canada proud.

Cheers and good luck deciding! DAN

A few caveats though about Canadian trains:

1. A North American or CanRailPass will not give you access to sleeper cars, which though nice can be pricey.

2. Trains do not go absolutely everywhere you might want to go (but then again neither do roads or planes necessarily): i.e., no service in Newfoundland, PEI, the Territories, Fredericton, Tadoussac.

3. Outside the Windsor-Quebec City and Ottawa-bound train corridor which are several times daily, the long-distance routes from Montreal-Halifax is once daily and Toronto-Vancouver three times weekly.

4. The Halifax, Moncton, Winnipeg and Vancouver stations were all central, but not Edmonton and Saskatoon (it arrives in the middle of the night also in Saskatoon).

5. Montreal-Halifax takes ca. 15 hours to drive and 20 hours by train. Although I enjoyed this ride, don't go with expectation of great speed!

Cheers DAN

You asked about Amtrak buses.

I'm not sure about all the buses, but I know that the ones that are run between Newport News, VA and Virginia Beach are run by a regional motorcoach company, and are always waiting at the station when the train arrives, and are clean & comfortable. They have the large luggage compartments underneath. I'm sure that this is true of other Amtrak-bus connections as well.

Greyhound Bus Lines ( www.greyhound.com ) has some sort of unlimited travel pass available too. I'm not sure it's any better than the train pass. Bus stations in this country, like many of our rail stations, are often in the worse areas of cities, and are often dirty, unkept places. I don't know if they're dangerous, but they sure wouldn't make you feel very secure. Also like some rail stops, some of the bus stops are also not at a station, but just a local stop - right on the street.

Unfortunately, the only public transportation this country will invest any significant money into is air travel. For rail & bus there are third world nations with better systems. And believe it or not, I LOVE Amtrak. I am not hugely fond of planes either, but when I can take a 1 hour flight for $40 that takes 10 hours & costs $100 by rail, the plane usually wins my business.

Two years ago Nov. 1st, another couple and we went on a train trip via RailAmerica, from Phoenix, Arizona to St. Louis, then we were bused to Branson, Missouri for the main part of the trip, bused back to St. Louis and home. We SO MUCH looked forward to being on a train again! It was awful. The service was surly, rude, non-existent at times. The roommette accommodations were tight, which we totally expected, not serviced after the first day. We compared the lounge area, downstairs by the snack bar, like prison booths, tabletops steel/vinyl, we played cards there as much as possible, but it was VERY primitive. Our tour director, traveling with us, was appalled, said the Canadian and Eastern U.S. trains are a whole lot better.....................THAT BEING SAID, we met six Australians who had been traveling throughout the U.S. on trains, SIX weeks, and LOVED it, thought it was great. We couldn't believe it!!! They traveled in coach, said they had a ball...went from L.A. to NYC and everywhere in between.

I love riding by train and have happily taken day and night trains all over Europe.
BUT...nothing will kill a fondness for trains more quickly than a long-haul ride on Amtrak, esp. if you are used to European trains. At that time of year, the train most likely WILL be delayed (of canceled if the weather is bad enough), the food will be lousy (it is year round and the service in the dining car does not even begin to resemble a dining experience on for example, an ICE train from Nuremberg to Vienna). On long-haul trains, IMO, the best thing is the other passengers.
If you want to ride trains, stick to the northeast corridor. DC, New York, Philly and Boston stations are well located for getting around those cities or for catching trains to the more interesting suburbs (although these are local services and not likely to be covered by your train pass).
If you want to stay on the ground, then your best bet (outside the northeast) is to rent a car, but keep a close eye on the weather--you do NOT want be driving in an American blizzard (I live in the UK--the blizzards in the Great Plains and in the Rocky Mountains can make Scottish blizzards look like flurries). Otherwise, grit your teeth and fly.

It's always good to ask questions. We are here to answer. What some of the other posters wrote here is true, Amtrak is something of two different experiences. I've found fellow passengers on the same train having two opposite experiences, based partly upon the expectations. For example, one group came along expecting something of a cruise experience. They were disappointed. The second group in one exampke came because the train enabled them to spend time together, and the train was simply the method for getting from point A to point B (complete with alcoholic beverages). They were having a much more positive experience, due to their differnt level of expectations. If you want truly deluxe rail expereinces, take a look at http://www.americanorientexpress.com , or http://www.midamericarailcar.com , or http://www.railcruise.com .

As for freight taking precedence, that's because the tracks are privately owned by the freight RRs. Your experience can vary depending upon who the "landlord" RR is. BNSF and Canadian Pacific are two of the better landlords. CSX Corp is indifferent to Amtrak, while UPRR doesn't want any passenger trains either intercity or commuter to interfere with their friehgt operations.
If you are planning on spending overnight aboard the train, I would certainly look into getting one of the accomodations. As has been mentioned before, they are all a bit on the small side.

Railroads here in the States don't get anywhere near the level of funding that the trains do in Europe. One big reason why the service here is so inferior is becuase the highways recieve 30 times and the airports recive 6 - 10 times what Amtrak gets. Where service is frequent (and well funded) the train is a viable option. Where service is once per day, or on rail routes that are choaking with fright traffic, the train isn't an option.

I have to respectfully disagree with the posters trashing the cross-country AMTRAK trains. While admittedly, they are not up to the standard of either Canadian or European trains, they are not the terrible experience some of the posters here would have you beleive.

I have ridden a number of the cross-country routes several times and have found them perfectly acceptable. I have never encountered the rudeness others have mentioned nor have I found either the trains to be dirty or the food to be bad. I certainly don't expect gourmet dining on AMTRAK but the meals I have eaten are as good as a mid-level city restaraunt.

Since you are coming from outside the country, many of the AMTRAK cross-country trains will allow you to enjoy spectacular scenery, undurdened by the need to pay attention to your driving.

I think a previous poster had it exactly right. Your enjoyment of an AMTRAK trip will be directly related to your own expectations going into it. I expect a peaceful, relaxing trip that exposes me to some great scenery and have never been disappointed. I don't expect the equivalent of 5-star service nor do I particularly expect to be on time.

If you decide to take the train, I hope you enjoy your trip as much as I have enjoyed mine.

David,

I also suggest you limit Amtrak use to the Washington DC-Baltimore-Philadelphia-New York City-Boston corridor. These five cities are also great air gateways for heading anywhere else in the US or Canada. One other good train route is the 12+ hour "Maple Leaf" route that Amtrak runs from NYC to Toronto (by way of Niagra Falls). Avoid using Amtrak in the South, Midwest, and West.

Unless your are planning to stay a few months, it will be very difficult to see much of the USA and Canada without flying a few times.

We use Amtrak often between Seattle and Portland OR and it is great. Some of these same lines run to LA. Yes the trains that go between LA and Seattle can be late for all the reasons stated. The trains are comfortable, with large seats; some have movies on board; they have dining cars; viewing cars; and the route is pretty. It is the most comfortable way to go between Seattle and Portland, beating the overcrowded highway (I-5 is like a washboard in places and has frequent traffic jams all hours of the day or night), and beating the required waits at the airport and lack of legroom on the planes.

Please note that David originally posted on September 2, and hasn't been back.

Actually, anon, I believe he did come back. Sadly, he was very discouraged by the many negative comments.

So I'm posting the counter view. I grew up in England, visit often -- have to say BritRail is no great shakes these days, either! I've also trained around Europe, and sure, that is a wonderful way to go. Different funding priorities from their governments, and the way Amtrak has been underfunded is sad and shameful. Now that gas is expensive, it would be nice to have an alternative way to travel.

Few years ago, DH and I did a September cross-country train trip (starting in CT) and loved it. David, if you're still looking: we spent much time poring over the Amtrak schedule figuring out routes and which days to do which part of the journey. We wanted to travel through certain areas in daylight, and were able to plan that with the schedule. Our ticket allowed 3 stopovers on the journey, where we would rent a car to explore different parts of the country and visit several National Parks. One of the main objectives was to really SEE America -- not from 30,000 feet, and not where one of us was driving and had to concentrate on the road. We arranged "roomettes" where you sleep in a bunk -- similar to couchette, but more private (2 to a room). During the day, the beds convert to seats and you can sit in there if you choose, or in the viewing car. The "cheap" seats are quite roomy and comfortable, bigger than economy airline seats with more legroom and a footrest. Because of a mixup by our TA, we did do one night in those seats, and it was bearable. Meals are included in your ticket price if you get a sleeping compartment of some kind, and we enjoyed the opportunity to sit with different people at each meal. Folks from all over, taking the train for all kinds of reasons. But what we loved most is that the train goes through parts of the country that the road does not, and that you would never see. Yes, the gritty parts of many cities, but also along the Santa Fe trail, and through the mountains to California. It was endlessly fascinating to watch America roll by our window -- I didn't read nearly as much as I expected. And if there was a boring bit, well, great chance for a nap! From time to time, the train stops longer at a station and you can get off and stretch your legs, get some fresh air. In Albuquerque, I remember the native American merchants are all set up on the platform ready for the train to roll in.

So here's how our trip unfolded. We started in CT, went to Washington DC -- lunch with our daughter who lives there, then boarded the overnight train to Chicago. Arrived in Chicago early morning, left our bags in the lounge (included for sleeping car travelers) and explored the city. That evening, we boarded the Southwest Chief -- next evening we got off the train in Flagstaff AZ for our first layover. Visited the north rim of Grand Canyon (closed in winter, booked that almost a year ahead!) Also saw the Navajo reservation, Painted Desert, and Sedona.

Few days later, back on another SW Chief for the overnight trip to Los Angeles, where we changed trains for the fabulous ride up the CA coast to San Francisco. Another layover -- visited the city, stayed in Yosemite NP. Then back to the train, north to Seattle for the last layover. Loved Seattle, also visited Victoria BC. Last train leg was on the Empire Chief from Seattle to Whitefish Montana, where we said our last goodbye to the train. Rented a car and explored Glacier NP and Yellowstone NP, then drove to Billings MT for our flight home. We took about 3 weeks to do all this -- and yes, we probably could have done it by air, but what would we have seen between airports? Or by road, but how long would that take? Not to mention the wear and tear on the driver!

My only caution would be that if you are doing this in north country in Jan/Feb, weather will no doubt be a problem. The trains don't generally stop for "leaves on the line" like BritRail, but if there's a snowstorm in the mountains, the train will have to wait till the tracks are cleared. (But if it didn't snow while you were in transit, I bet the snow-covered mountains would be fantastic to see.)

The OP did come back ON Sept. 2nd, but a click on his name will show that he has posted exclusively on the Europe board since then. If you have something to say to him, perhaps an e-mail would be helpful.