Amtrak service

[TwisterJay29]

How many people on this forum have ever rode on the Amtrak? Is the service really good? What is it like?

[trainfan27]

I have rode the train probably 15 times from Lansing to Chicago and i have also rode the train from Chicago to San Fran. The service is great they have a cafe car with decent food and the crews are very friendly. The only negative is the trains can be late. The train is very comfortable and smooth. Plus you get to see a lot of really cool stuff. So the train is the way to go in my oppionion.

[Fred]

I can't count the times I've ridden Amtrak betwen Detroit and Chicago as well as from Toledo to Chicago. Scenery & food ok - sure beats flying ! I've also ridden Amtrak's long distance trains as well: Capitol Ltd, Lakeshore Ltd, City of New Orleans (my least favorite), Calif Zephyr (my favorite), Texas Eagle, Southwest Chief (best onboard personel), Empire Bld, and The Coast Starlight. These trains provide excellent scenery, good eats, and a relaxing ride. Only drawback is you'll probably be late - and not by just a couple of minutes. Airlines measure tardiness in minutes, Amtrak is usually hours. However, I wouldn't go any other way.

[RailCanon]

I've been riding Amtrak since I was two years old and I am a very fervent supporter. The service is generally good, the cars are comfortable and most trains do offer cafe or dining service. For long distance trips, I'll take Amtrak over flying or driving on any day of the week.
I've ridden the Blue Water/International, the Wolverine trains (specifically the Lake Cities and Twilight Limited), The Pere Marquette, Silver Meteor, California Zephyr and California's Capitol Corridor service.

[trainfan27]

The Calif Zephyr owns especially if you get a room in a sleeper car, sleeping on the train is great.

[Mr. Tops]

sleeping on the train is great.

Yes it is. Except when you wake up to the dispatcher screaming at you to take your green signal

I enjoy taking Amtrak. It is hassle-free, leisurely and cheap. You don't have all the hub-bub you do when you fly, and you have much more room than if you were on a bus. Although it is not the fastest, you can go to the station just before the train arrives, get your ticket (granted there's room) and get on the train. Last time I rode Amtrak was on the Saluki and Pere Marquette from Champaign, IL to Holland, MI. $45 and 12 hours later, I was there. I would have spent atleast that much in gas driving (although the trip would've taken half the time) - and I didn't have to put up a$$hole drivers in Chicago - although I did have to shoo away the pan handlers at CUS .

If you need to get somewhere FAST, air is your best bet, but it takes a little more planning (IE getting your luggage together and making sure you will get past security). Amtrak is the cheaper, slower-paced, and more enjoyable alternative to me as it is not so dramatized like the airline industry. The Amfleets and Horizons are still pretty decent andI'm 6ft tall and I could stretch my legs out all the way and not touch the seat in front of me!

The last time I was on a plane I had a sinus infection. OH MY I thought my brains were going to shoot out from my ears.

[JANGAJONGA]

YES! i would go amtrak but as already stated it you need to be there in a hurry i would not trust amtrak. in fact right now i am taking a trip out west on the zephyr and it is great. the train into chicago from michigan was right on time and from chicago to utah was about 10 minutes late. on the other hand last time i rode amtrak the wolverine was 6 hours late but lately they have been on time. i have ridden on the empire builder the city of new orleans the wolverine the twilight limited and now the zephyr.

[Shorthaul]

YES! i would go amtrak but as already stated it you need to be there in a hurry i would not trust amtrak. in fact right now i am taking a trip out west on the zephyr and it is great. the train into chicago from michigan was right on time and from chicago to utah was about 10 minutes late. on the other hand last time i rode amtrak the wolverine was 6 hours late but lately they have been on time. i have ridden on the empire builder the city of new orleans the wolverine the twilight limited and now the zephyr.

Wow Jack, you never told me about all of those other amtrak trips you took . You even got to sing "ridin on the city of new orleans ". I hate you even more now.

[TwisterJay29]

I see what you mean about not being on time. I am in Royal Oak and 352 just came through over 3 hours late!

[RRTTF]

Just as Amtrak trains can occasionally be late, so can airplanes. Over the years, I have had many a missed connection on air flights because the plane coming in was late and the one going out was on time. I have NEVER had a missed Amtrak connection.

I've sat in an airplane on a taxiway for HOURS waiting for a takeoff slot stuck in a tiny seat on a fully loaded airplane. At least on an Amtrak train, even if the train is late, you can get out of your seat and walk around and not feel like you are in a sardine can.

Of all my Amtrak "Wolverine" trips -- and I have done that trip several dozen times -- I can only remember one trip where my train was late (and, by late, I mean more than one hour), and for that one exception it was about 5 hours late eastbound into Ann Arbor. (Real bad thunderstorms from Porter, Indiana all the way to Ann Arbor.... likely the airplanes weren't flying at all!)

I've ridden the Southwest Chief 6 or 7 times between Chicago and Flagstaff, Arizona, and always been on time or darn close to it. Worst time was about 90 minutes late westbound into Flagstaff.

Ridden the City of New Orleans several times, again, always fairly close to on time.

Lake Shore Limited: Not as good a record, but of 4 trips, 50 percent were on time, others about 2 hours late into Chicago. The eastbound trips were the on timers. The westbound trips had the delays.

Capitol Limited: 4 trips, all on time.

Northeast Cooridor ACELA: Have ridden Acela between Boston and Washington 6 times now, and you could set your watch by the train's schedule each and every time.

[JANGAJONGA]

yes arlo guthrie is the best.

[GP30M4216]

I am also a supporter of Amtrak service and have traveled on several of their lines around the country: All six Wolverine trains, the International (before it was the Blue Water), the Empire Builder, the Southwest Chief, and the Pacific Surfliners/San Diegans. I've actually found that the long distance trains I've taken have had a better on-time record than the shorter ones on several occasions. I remember taking the SW Chief westbound from Chicago to Fullerton, CA, and we were be about 20 minutes early at many stations.... which made the smokers happy.

Another advantage of Amtrak over other modes is that you are very likely to get a power outlet at your seat. Although food in the dining car or cafe is a little bit more than you'd pay elsewhere, I've generally found cafe food to be decent, and the dining car food to be excellent. There is nothing better than seeing America up close and personal, all while not concentrating on the road!

TwisterJay, give Amtrak a shot sometime, even if just a fairly short there-and-back day trip someplace, and let us know how your trip was.

[AARR]

I give a thumbs up to Amtrak. I wouldn't go as far as to say I prefer it over airlines but I'm glad to have the choices.

[Shorthaul]

yes arlo guthrie is the best.

That's the only song I know. Convieniently

[TwisterJay29]

I have thought about take a ride on an Amtrak train for awhile to see what it would be like. When I was younger, I used to be a die hard train fan. I would walk up to the railroad tracks by my house and watch trains especially on Saturdays and Sundays when I wasn't in school. I am still a train fan today but with work and other responsibilities I don't get as much of a chance to follow them like I did when I was younger. Although here in Royal Oak, there are really no trains that come through here anymore except for the Amtrak so I guess I am not missing a whole lot, lol.

[MSchwiebert]

Now for something a little more interesting, find someone that is not interested in trains and that has taken Amtrak lately and see what their opinions are. Here's my example, three of the last four summers, my wife and kids have taken Amtrak back east to start the annual vacation to the Jersey Shore. Twice, they have taken the Capitol Ltd. from Toledo to Pittsburgh, and then took the Pennsylvanian from Pittsburgh to Exton PA where my Sister-in-Law picked them up. (she lives near there, I drive out a week later and we drive back) No problems to speak of (the fact that there has to be a connection at Pittsburgh in the first place is a whole 'nother issue for another time). The last time we decided to take the Lake Shore from Toledo to NYC, where my other sister-in-law would pick them up and they could spend a couple of days in the City before heading to the shore - big mistake! The car was a rattletrap, had flat wheels, and the train spent an hour parked outside of Syracuse - because the inbound crew did not have the proper paperwork! Add to that, a couple experiences of rudeness from the train service folks as they were approaching the City, and it turned out to be one of those "I'm never doing that again" trips!
The inconsistency in customer service that Amtrak has is frankly unexplainable and inexcusable! Put it in perspective for a minute, customer service on a plane is consistent from flight to flight - yes it may come off as a bit "plastic" at times - but it sure beats surlyness! Not saying that bad customer service is widespread on Amtrak, but it's the old "one rotten apple" analogy. If I was in charge of Amtrak, I'd contract whoever does the training at one of the leading Airlines (be it Southwest or American etc.) and run the train service people through a comprehensive training program - if they don't buy in - can 'em!
Stop running it like a charity case and more like a business - it can't do anything but help!

[Typhoon]

To me Amtrak is something to not be bothered with. If the trip is short enough for flying to not have an advantage speed wise, then I will drive. If the trip is anything over 500 miles or so, in the air I will go.

[Beal99]

The Calif Zephyr owns especially if you get a room in a sleeper car, sleeping on the train is great.

Til your on the cap limited snoozing and bang over the drawbridge in cleveland jolting you awake and then cant sleep for the rest of the dark ass trip through nowheresville to pittsburgh