anyone take Amtrak recently?

[rnmcd]

I've thought about taking it to tour the western part of the U.S. ....

Just wondering how your experience on Amtrak was.

 

[vi edit]

I bought a ticket for my Dad the first week of June. It was *supposed* to be a quick 6 hour ride from Omaha, NE to western, IL.

Train was supposed to leave at 5:30AM. We get down there. It's delayed. 6 FREAKING HOURS. So we take him back down at 11:30 and drop him off. He ends up sitting there for close to an hour before the train ends up taking off.

They move about 20 minutes down the rail and come to a stop. And sit there for 45 minutes. Then they move another 40 minutes. And sit for another 30 minutes.

All in all the 6 hour ride that was supposed to get him in at 11:30AM ended up taking over 8.5 hours and got in at 9:30 at night.

He wasn't overly thrilled about the experience to say the least.

 

[Juice Box]

Originally posted by: vi_edit
I bought a ticket for my Dad the first week of June. It was *supposed* to be a quick 6 hour ride from Omaha, NE to western, IL.

Train was supposed to leave at 5:30AM. We get down there. It's delayed. 6 FREAKING HOURS. So we take him back down at 11:30 and drop him off. He ends up sitting there for close to an hour before the train ends up taking off.

They move about 20 minutes down the rail and come to a stop. And sit there for 45 minutes. Then they move another 40 minutes. And sit for another 30 minutes.

All in all the 6 hour ride that was supposed to get him in at 11:30AM ended up taking over 8.5 hours and got in at 9:30 at night.

He wasn't overly thrilled about the experience to say the least.

did he complain for some sort of partial refund?

 

[Lorn]

It's either pretty good or pretty bad.

The air they use is worse than airplane air - it incredibly stale and has a hint of air-freshener-masked-BO. If you're able to pick your own seat then good. If not, you might get assigned to sit next to some Amish people who REAK. You'd think they might have some natural remedy for the foul stench eminating from their body. Ugh.

It's nice that you're able to go for a walk if you want. There are usually a lot of cars so you could probably fill up some time by just walking front to back. A couple of them will have cars where you can watch movies or look out the huge windows. There might also be a snack car where you can grab some pre-packaged food. The bathrooms are on the lower level so, if you're like me and don't like people watching you walk in to take a dump, you might appreciate that.

I've ridden Amtrak probably 15 times and there have been pretty good times and pretty bad times. Hopefully yours will be a good one.

 

[Lorn]

I've never experienced any delays in the 15 times that I've ridden it, either.

 

[vi edit]

did he complain for some sort of partial refund?

I think he was just ready to get the funk out of dodge and get home and was too frustrated to complain.

Besides, isn't that really just one of the risks of travel? So long as I made it to my final destination within the same day, I don't think I've ever heard of an airline offering to refund me or credit me back some of my ticket price.

It's just something that you assume when you choose that method of travel. Take your lumps and chuck it up as experience.

 

[Juice Box]

Originally posted by: Lorn
It's either pretty good or pretty bad.

The air they use is worse than airplane air - it incredibly stale and has a hint of air-freshener-masked-BO. If you're able to pick your own seat then good. If not, you might get assigned to sit next to some Amish people who REAK. You'd think they might have some natural remedy for the foul stench eminating from their body. Ugh.

It's nice that you're able to go for a walk if you want. There are usually a lot of cars so you could probably fill up some time by just walking front to back. A couple of them will have cars where you can watch movies or look out the huge windows. There might also be a snack car where you can grab some pre-packaged food. The bathrooms are on the lower level so, if you're like me and don't like people watching you walk in to take a dump, you might appreciate that.

I've ridden Amtrak probably 15 times and there have been pretty good times and pretty bad times. Hopefully yours will be a good one.

um lol seeing as though there are windows on the lower level that open up im pretty sure they dont recycle the air...you arent 30,000 feet up...they dont need to presurize the train or anything

 

[psiu]

Took Amtrak from L.A. to Chicago in the 80's. It was fun...but I was in 6th grade.

 

[cyclistca]

Yes but then they made me give it back. :|

 

[NFS4]

My grandmother and great uncle came down from Baltimore to visit my folks in Burlington last week on Amtrak. Train was 2 hours late getting into the station. On top of that, they lost my great uncle's luggage. They put it on the 79 train instead of the 89 train (I think) in Washington DC and it ended up going to Georgia or something.

So when they got into the station in Burlington, my great uncle tried to call Amtrak and see if they could find his luggage and have it sent to him. This was last Monday. My dad got a call on Tuesday saying that the bag would be dropped off in Raleigh on Wednesday and he could pick it up from there. This is 45 minutes from Burlington, but my dad works in Cary which is a stones throw from Raleigh anyway.

They say that it will be ready at 9AM wednesday. My dad gets there at 10AM. Bag is not there. The Amtrak train hit a car on the tracks about 200 miles north...WTF??

So my dad goes to work, then comes back at around 1PM on his lunch break to get the luggage. He goes to the front counter and the lady tell his to go in around the corner to the cage in the back and wait for her to come back so that she can find the bag for him. My dad does what she says and goes to the back. At this time, some $6 an hour renta-cop asks my dad what he's doing. My dad tells him that he was told to come back here and wait. Renta-cop tells my dad that he better back up b/c he's about to get arrested. My dad tells him he was just doing as told b/c he was trying to pick up a piece of luggae. Renta-cop tells me dad to step off (at this point my dad is about ready to go postal). At this time, the girl comes back and they start looking for the bag. They look around and my dad sees the bag on the conveyour sp? belt overhead roaming around. The girl says that can't be the bag b/c that is for outgoing baggage. My dad says that IS the bag so she stops the belt and pulls it down. My dad hands her the ticket and they match it up with the tag on the bag. Sure enough, it matches...they had it getting on ANOTHER train!!?? WTF.

Needless to say, Amtrak fvcking sucks.

 

[Otaking]

Originally posted by: NFS4
My grandmother and great uncle came down from Baltimore to visit my folks in Burlington last week on Amtrak. Train was 2 hours late getting into the station. On top of that, they lost my great uncle's luggage. They put it on the 79 train instead of the 89 train (I think) in Washington DC and it ended up going to Georgia or something.

So when they got into the station in Burlington, my great uncle tried to call Amtrak and see if they could find his luggage and have it sent to him. This was last Monday. My dad got a call on Tuesday saying that the bag would be dropped off in Raleigh on Wednesday and he could pick it up from there. This is 45 minutes from Burlington, but my dad works in Cary which is a stones throw from Raleigh anyway.

They say that it will be ready at 9AM wednesday. My dad gets there at 10AM. Bag is not there. The Amtrak train hit a car on the tracks about 200 miles north...WTF??

So my dad goes to work, then comes back at around 1PM on his lunch break to get the luggage. He goes to the front counter and the lady tell his to go in around the corner to the cage in the back and wait for her to come back so that she can find the bag for him. My dad does what she says and goes to the back. At this time, some $6 an hour renta-cop asks my dad what he's doing. My dad tells him that he was told to come back here and wait. Renta-cop tells my dad that he better back up b/c he's about to get arrested. My dad tells him he was just doing as told b/c he was trying to pick up a piece of luggae. Renta-cop tells me dad to step off (at this point my dad is about ready to go postal). At this time, the girl comes back and they start looking for the bag. They look around and my dad sees the bag on the conveyour sp? belt overhead roaming around. The girl says that can't be the bag b/c that is for outgoing baggage. My dad says that IS the bag so she stops the belt and pulls it down. My dad hands her the ticket and they match it up with the tag on the bag. Sure enough, it matches...they had it getting on ANOTHER train!!?? WTF.

Needless to say, Amtrak fvcking sucks.

:Q

 

[IndieSnob]

Yes trains do tend to run late more frequently than airlines, but I've always had more quality service and better experiences on the train.

When I moved to New York in 2001 from Seattle, I took the train moving there and back again the next year. I loved it. I got to stay up till 2 am most nights drinking beer and playing poker with fellow riders. If you can get a deal on a sleeper car, I recommend that. I had a sleeper both ways, but it didn't cost me much as I have a friend who works for them.

 

[keeleysam]

Amtrak is eaither 100% good or 100% bad. I've had one bad expericnce, but it wasn't their fault.

Make sure to get a hotdog on the train. Hebrew National > *

 

[PeteyCPU]

I took it from Chicago to St. Louis without a hitch. It did take 5.5 hours but it was overall a good experience.

 

[PELarson]

Originally posted by: NFS4
My grandmother and great uncle came down from Baltimore to visit my folks in Burlington last week on Amtrak. Train was 2 hours late getting into the station. On top of that, they lost my great uncle's luggage. They put it on the 79 train instead of the 89 train (I think) in Washington DC and it ended up going to Georgia or something.

So when they got into the station in Burlington, my great uncle tried to call Amtrak and see if they could find his luggage and have it sent to him. This was last Monday. My dad got a call on Tuesday saying that the bag would be dropped off in Raleigh on Wednesday and he could pick it up from there. This is 45 minutes from Burlington, but my dad works in Cary which is a stones throw from Raleigh anyway.

They say that it will be ready at 9AM wednesday. My dad gets there at 10AM. Bag is not there. The Amtrak train hit a car on the tracks about 200 miles north...WTF??

So my dad goes to work, then comes back at around 1PM on his lunch break to get the luggage. He goes to the front counter and the lady tell his to go in around the corner to the cage in the back and wait for her to come back so that she can find the bag for him. My dad does what she says and goes to the back. At this time, some $6 an hour renta-cop asks my dad what he's doing. My dad tells him that he was told to come back here and wait. Renta-cop tells my dad that he better back up b/c he's about to get arrested. My dad tells him he was just doing as told b/c he was trying to pick up a piece of luggae. Renta-cop tells me dad to step off (at this point my dad is about ready to go postal). At this time, the girl comes back and they start looking for the bag. They look around and my dad sees the bag on the conveyour sp? belt overhead roaming around. The girl says that can't be the bag b/c that is for outgoing baggage. My dad says that IS the bag so she stops the belt and pulls it down. My dad hands her the ticket and they match it up with the tag on the bag. Sure enough, it matches...they had it getting on ANOTHER train!!?? WTF.

Needless to say, Amtrak fvcking sucks.

CLif notes

1 - bag misplaced.

2 - bag found and sent to closest statioon.

3 - train the bag was on won battle between idiot driver and was delayed.

4 - baggage clerk nice to father and directed him correctly to where she would assist him or he assist her in finding errante bag.

5 - Security guard/off duty police officer gets officious.

6 - baggage clerk arrives and saves the day.

7 - Bag found. A little confusion on where it was, but not bad.

Beats the bag going to Austria instead of Australia. Which happened to my brother when he was transfering to a duty station in Australia.

Sorry about the lost bag but as they say, **it it happens. Appears Amtrak did everything it could to rectify the problem.

 

[Amused]

Amtrak is a perfect example of what happens when an industry is entirely dependant on governemnt funding.

They have no reason to improve. They get paid one way or another.

And people want the same type of service from their health care.

It boggles the mind...

 

[Excelsior]

I find it is OK for short trips, w/ carry on luggage. But I doubt I would try it for a long extended trip.

 

[AtlantaBob]

Urbana-Champagne to Chicago -- short trip, but not bad. Loved the leg room. Not sure how I'd like a really long trip. But watching the country go by was about as good as the Chunnel.

 

[vailr]

Text

Amtrak cuts would end Chicago-New Orleans service

June 15, 2005

BY ANDREW TAYLOR ASSOCIATED PRESS
[Ad]

WASHINGTON-- Amtrak would have to end all of its cross-country routes, service between Chicago and New Orleans and the Auto Train to Florida under big cuts in taxpayer subsidies approved Wednesday by a House subcommittee.

The proposal was part of a transportation bill that would reduce Amtrak's budget by more than half and limit federal subsidies to $30 per passenger per ride.

The cuts, which would require House and Senate approval, would not apply to most Amtrak service in the Northeast corridor and shorter corridor routes in the Midwest and California.

The subcommittee chairman, Rep. Joe Knollenberg, said those routes account for 80 percent of Amtrak's ridership. He said some money-losing routes, such as the Sunset Limited between Los Angeles and Orlando, require federal subsidies of more than $400 per passenger.

"Congress will no longer sanction extremely unprofitable routes," said Knollenberg, R-Mich.

Amtrak generally has stronger support in the Senate, where its money-losing routes serve many states represented by majority Republicans.

Even Knollenberg seemed to predict that his proposal would be modified later in negotiations with the Senate.

The plan drew protests from subcommittee Democrats who said it would unfairly punish rural residents.

"There will be 31 states who lose all passenger rail service completely," said Rep. John Olver, D-Mass.

Knollenberg said the measure would not mandate the closure of any routes and that state and local governments could decide to subsidize them.

The overall bill would provide $550 million for Amtrak, including $110 million for passenger subsidies on money-losing routes. Amtrak requested $1.8 billion in federal funds for the budget year that begins Oct. 1 and says the House proposal would force a shutdown.

During last year's budget cycle, lawmakers funded Amtrak at $1.2 billion.

"The practical impact of $550 million in federal support would be the same as zero funding for Amtrak, and they know it," said Amtrak's president and chief executive, David Gunn.

Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta said in a statement that the subcommittee's action "sends the same signal as that of the administration: Amtrak must reform."

The administration contends that eliminating operating subsidies would leave the passenger rail system with stronger routes and entice subsidies from local governments.

Among the routes that would lose federal subsidies are the Empire Builder, which runs across the Northern Plains; the Lake Shore Limited from the East Coast to Chicago; and the California Zephyr from Chicago to Oakland, Calif.

In his February budget, Bush proposed eliminating Amtrak's operating subsidy and setting aside $360 million to run trains along the Northeast Corridor if the railroad were to cease operating.

 

[777php]

I take the Amtrak everyday to work, Oakland to Santa Clara in the Bay Area, CA. Recently the trains have been running late consistant usually with at least a 10 minute delay. The trains are for the most part really clean and the ridership on my portion of the line is really low, I always have a row to myself and the nearest passenger is usually a few rows away.

If you are lucky you'll be in a car with free wifi, there are power outlets throughout the train so you can surf and nef while you are travelling. I can't comment on the longer routes but for a short commute like mine it isn't bad.

 

[NoToRiOuS1]

wow. and im thinking of taking the train from new york to sacramento in just a week or so. lol i dont know if im looking forward to it or not at this point. but i do like the thought of being able to just grab a beer and play poker with people in the lounge car. the whole trip will be 3+ days with a stop in chicago. what do you guys think?

 

[edprush]

Originally posted by: vi_edit
I bought a ticket for my Dad the first week of June. It was *supposed* to be a quick 6 hour ride from Omaha, NE to western, IL.

Train was supposed to leave at 5:30AM. We get down there. It's delayed. 6 FREAKING HOURS. So we take him back down at 11:30 and drop him off. He ends up sitting there for close to an hour before the train ends up taking off.

They move about 20 minutes down the rail and come to a stop. And sit there for 45 minutes. Then they move another 40 minutes. And sit for another 30 minutes.

All in all the 6 hour ride that was supposed to get him in at 11:30AM ended up taking over 8.5 hours and got in at 9:30 at night.

He wasn't overly thrilled about the experience to say the least.

Maybe it's just us in/near Iowa...my Aunt, last week, did a r/t from near Des Moines to Colorada. It was a 3 and 4 hour delay, respectively.

 

[MrChad]

I've always had a pleasant experience taking the Amtrak between New York and Baltimore/DC.