For travel, consider AMTRAK.

[Stinky The Clown]

Not subject to the shutdown.

No TSA agents anywhere in sight.

Get to station > get on the train and take a nice, comfy seat > get a meal in the dining car if you wish > use the wifi > read a book > talk to neighbors > arrive relaxed.

We traveled to Vermont for Thanksgiving. The drive would be 11 hours of misery. The flight would involve misery at the airports and, given the destination, a five hour drive. The train was also 11 hours, but we got where we were going feeling totally relaxed.

It just makes sense.

[onenote]

1. I'm not sure why you are spreading misinformation.

Maybe you are just mis-informed yourself.

TSA is unaffected by the shutdown.
https://abc7.com/travel/tsa-agents-at-lax-work-busy-weekend-despite-government-shutdown/4949000/

[Stinky The Clown]

3. The OP was broader than the shutdown.

But go ahead and grouse away.

[marble falls]

48. Its not that some folks don't get it, they refuse to get and they cheat themselves ...

out of a lot of humor.

For the record, I love AMTrack.

[lunatica]

16. The OP meant the trains don't have TSA checkpoints

I love traveling on Amtrak. It takes away all the stress of other types of travel and turns it into a pleasant trip in itself rather than a stressful means of just getting from one place to another.

[Stinky The Clown]

25. "I'm not sure why you are spreading misinformation."

On rereading and reconsideration, your post is pretty offensive. Not sure you meant it to be, but it is.

To say "I'm not sure why you are spreading misinformation." is to imply malicious intent to do just that. Is that what you thought when you posted that?

"Maybe you are just mis-informed yourself." is just plain insulting.

Was any of this your original intent?

[erronis]

31. Wow. Glad to see you self-deleted another "witty" reply.

And for the record, the TSA does have some presence in train travel.

[George II]

42. Most news reports list the departments that are affected, but didn't get into details. However....

....TSA is affected, just not furloughed. They're working without pay.

Easy to misunderstand the summaries in the news.

[Pacifist Patriot]

86. A gracious person would apologize for this post.

You clearly misunderstood as has been pointed out by several people. Your accusation was unfounded.

[Croney]

2. Absolutely. It's how we go from Boston to New York.

I love it.

[Stinky The Clown]

5. Have you ever used AMTRAK for a longer trip and gotten a sleeper?

Not fast but great fun.

[Croney]

7. No but I've always wanted to, like in I Love Lucy!

(Major hijinks)

[nolabear]

8. We did last year. It was a blast!

Three days from Seattle to DC. Some glitches and even with those it was great fun. The sleeper is tight when the beds are made up but they’re comfy. Meeting fellow diners was a hoot and the scenery was spectacular! I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

[luvtheGWN]

49. Just make absolutely sure that when you book a sleep,

that your room is not at one end of the car or the other and above a set of wheels! I've done it two times -- Paris to Rome, and Banff to Vancouver B.C. The second was over the dreaded set of wheels!

[shanti]

9. Sleepers

are VERY pricey! Aren't they about the cost of a nice hotel room?

[Stinky The Clown]

13. That also depends on perspective

That also depends on perspective I consider the sleeper car and extension of the vacation. See Nolabear's post above for another report on sleeper cars.

[lunatica]

17. Sleepers include the meals in the dining car

Which are quite expensive if you pay for them separately.

[cyclonefence]

65. But you can travel Amtrak for free, including sleepers (and bedrooms)

if you get yourself a no-fee Amtrak Mastercard. We travel all over the country on the points we accumulate. The secret is to use the card for every goddam thing you buy (and, of course, to pay it off in full every month).

[Stinky The Clown]

66. Heh! We do the same thing, but with a Southwest card.

Amazing how quickly you accumulate points between general purchase and then flight points from actual travel. Since a lot of my business travel is last minute, my clients get the double benefits of the joy of my presence **and** the privilege of paying for my Business Select tickets!

[wryter2000]

76. Same here

I'm constantly torn between Amtrak and Southwest.

[Stinky The Clown]

81. Unfortunately, my business travel demands the fastest means

Any place between DC and NYC is by train. It is, for us, quite literally faster, door to door, than flying when you factor in all the bullshit airport time. Longer than that and I have to fly. We have a client near Hartford, CT and that's a tossup, depending on meeting time and duration.

[wryter2000]

75. Worth the price

To do it at least once. The food is free with a sleeper.

I got mine free with points on a credit card linked to Amtrak.

[TeamPooka]

12. I have. I love traveling by train.

[uppityperson]

21. I have, but not recently. If i had the time, would do a long vacation with one

It's cheaper then driving and getting motels, but takes longer and more expensive than discount airline seats.

I'd love to do it again, if I had the time.

[SeattleVet]

50. We went from Seattle to NY a few years ago.

Went back to visit family, and decided to make an adventure out of it. Absolutely the best way to travel!

The only mistake we made was not paying for a sleeper on the Chicago-NYC leg after changing trains. I could not get a wink of sleep in the coach seat, no matter how I rearranged myself. It would have been worth the relatively small extra expense (if you pay for the sleeper, your meals are included and you have a LOT more ways to rest, read, or whatever.

Liked that trip so much we also took the Coast Starlight to San Francisco (to see other relatives). Definitely better than making the usual drive down there; we arrived so much more relaxed, and didn't have to worry about traffic, parking, or finding a decent place to eat along the way.

[wasupaloopa]

51. We went from San Luis Obispo to Seattle on the Coast Starlight and had a sleeping car room. We went

from the same place to Portland in business class and sleeping in a chair is nowhere near as nice as a bunk in the sleeping car.

The new president of Amtrak took the Pacific Parlor car off the Coast Starlight. It was and 1960's Santa Fe lounge and was only for sleeping car passengers use. That does take away some of the enjoyment of the ride.

[xxqqqzme]

55. I have crossed the country

(California to DC) many times on Amtrak. Always get a sleeper. Meals are included when you're in the sleeping cars. I have met wonderful people at breakfast, lunch and dinner. It is the only way I travel.

[Freddie]

79. Yes took the Auto Train

Had to get our son’s car to Florida. Auto Train only goes from suburban DC to Neptune FL (near Orlando). Was great, got a sleeper, comfortable, good food. Price for 2 I think comparable to flying and no worries about the tiny uncomfortable plane seats. The Auto Train does not stop in between so it’s fast too.

[akraven]

89. Florida to Baltimore was an overnight!

I got a private sleeper - more $$ but one of the best sleeps I've ever had. Something about the wheels clacking and the sway. AMTRACK rocks. This was way back "in the day" but we still prefer the Alaska RR to any plane flight - gorgeous way to see the countryside, and always at least one moose on the tracks. The RR stops for all of them. Not a fast way to get to Anchorage and back, but the best way!

[BumRushDaShow]

95. Doing this has been on my bucket list for the past couple years

Have been researching. Want to do a complete circuit from Philly via southern route/northern route and then back to Philly.

[UpInArms]

100. Best trip of my life

Love Amtrak!

[tanyev]

4. It's great if it goes to the place you want to go.

Makes me sad how much passenger train coverage this country used to have that’s now gone.

[erronis]

36. Privatizing the rail system was/is part of the plan for corporations to screw us more.

Many advanced countries have national systems that are funded by governments and provide incredible service.

But that would be contrary to the capitalistic ideals that the market should make the decisions - the marketeers and profiteers should be the drivers, not the benefit of the people.

LA rail system closed by the auto/tire/gas companies since it competed.

Huge federal subsidies to keep people riding in their cars on gov't funded super hiways, all to the benefit of the robber barons.

Sorry - got carried away.

In my youth I took trains throughout Europe and used them to commute to school (Switzerland). Absolutely wonderful and operated like clockwork (duh.)

[MyOwnPeace]

93. "Privatizing" is only a small part...

of the rail passenger service problem.
For the most part, passenger service is a money loser. That's why the big railroads of the past got out of the business.
I've not checked lately, but for the most part most of Amtrak is also losing money - the northeast corridor is the big money maker for them, helping keep other services alive (and most, if not all, of that track is owned by Amtrak).
It really comes down to the question of what do we, as Americans, want in terms of services provided by the government. Regarding transportation:
Somebody has to pay for the roads.
Somebody has to pay for the airports.
The land that the rails are on is mostly owned by the railroad companies, unlike highways (used by trucks, busses, and cars), and landing strips (airports) are usually owned by some type of government entity and charge airlines for the use of them.
Do you see where I am going with this: what do we want to use - who is going to pay for it - who, if anybody, should be making money on the "system."
Railroad companies make their money hauling things and make more money by doing it quickly. They "rent track time/space" to Amtrak and they have to work together to keep everybody happy. Sometimes the fruit from California has to sit on a siding while the Amtrak to San Francisco goes flying by. Other times the Empire Builder on its way to Seattle sits and waits while a coal train is working its way to Chicago.
And if you do offer some kind of service (like Amtrak), do you offer it ONLY where you can make money? Again, the NE Corridor is a money maker. Running a train to remote towns in just about ANY state would be a money-loser for any rail service.
As pointed out, the LA system was supposedly closed by private corporate interests, again begging the question: what services do we want and who should provide and pay for them?
I just can't see this being resolved in our current governmental atmosphere!
Too bad - train rides are great!

[smirkymonkey]

6. I love Amtrak!

I took it to Baltimore and back over Thanksgiving. It took longer than flying, but much less stressful (don't have to worry about flight delays, cancellations, etc) and I hate to fly anyway. Trains are more comfortable and I love that I can plug in my laptop & cell phone, have free wifi and have access to the cafe car. You can also go sit at the tables in the cafe car if you really want to spread out.

I often take Amtrak up and down the Northeast Corridor and the Amtrak Downeaster up to Maine where my sister lives. I have rarely had any problems other than brief delays.

[spinbaby]

14. I don't think it's practical in Pittsburgh

It’s been awhile, but when I’ve looked into Amtrak in the past, it wasn’t practical. No parking near station, trains are scheduled at absurd hours and are often late, and it takes too long to get anywhere. I’ve been in countries with efficient train service and wish we had it here.

[Stinky The Clown]

19. That is unfortunately true

We're fortunate that we have good service here on the Northeast Corridor.

The train moves at speeds often above 100 mph on the stretch from DC to Boston, where there is catenary (overhead electric train power). On our Vermont trip, they switch engines to diesel when the route turns north at New Haven, CT. The speed also goes down to highway speeds or even less at times. The upside is that north of Springfield, MA, the scenery is good to spectacular.

I have always felt that rail travel should be a national utility with heavy government subsidies and heavy government promotion. Keep in mind, too, that the GOP has opposed AMTRAK specifically and rail service in general since forever.

[erronis]

40. Agree with good service (mainly) in NE corridor. Agree with the gop being against public services

in general unless it feathers their foul fowl nests. AMTRAK, USPS, Peace Corp, VISTA, Aid to Families/Children, on and on.

The gop does seem to have some hard-ons about stuff like military, border walls, tax decreases for the wealthy, freedom-of-speech for corporations, etc.

A strange set of personal values, I think.

[yortsed snacilbuper]

23. What I do from PGH.

I travel by greyhound, catch the bus late at night and sleep till my destination, new York, Washington dc, Baltimore. The express buses are pretty nice and usually half empty, wifi, plug for charging,nice seats, stop at sideling mountain rest stop for 20 minutes , you can ride the city bus to downtown if you live in Pittsburgh just have to time you arrival time when the buses are running. you can get a round trip ticket to Wahington dc for about $70 and they let you off at Union Station, they have digital tickets now. Trip to DC takes about 6 hours and the people on the bus are nice.

greyhound
https://www.greyhound.com/north
pittsburgh bus
http://www.portauthority.org/paac/

[doc03]

47. I live near Pittsburgh and was thinking the same thing. I assume the train station is downtown and

there is no place I hate to drive more than downtown Pittsburgh. When I fly I leave my car at Charlie Brown's it is warmed up and
ready when I get back no city driving.

[Freedomofspeech]

71. We just took Amtrak to NYC from Greensburg, PA.

The train leaves Pittsburgh and arrives in Greensburg at 7:40 AM. Makes several stops but arrives in NYC at 5PM. We love it and have made the trip several times. We go business class because the seats are more roomy and the car is not always crowded. We take our lunch because the dining car food on that train is just microwaved sandwiches, etc. Less hassle than flying for us. Just wish we could take the train to visit our son in Maine....it is a big hassle of changing trains and stations in Boston. It is ridiculous that we do not have better train service in this country. Train travel is so easy in Europe.

[smirkymonkey]

94. Actually, there has been talk of connecting South Station (where the NE Corridor trains come in)

and North Station (where the Downeaster begins going to the MA north shore, New Hampshire Coast and Maine all the way up to Brunswick) but nothing has come of it. I used to make the trip from New York up to Wells, ME (my sister lives in Kennebunk, one town over) and the stations in Boston are so close I would either take a cab or an Uber from South to North Station because the T (subway) is a real pain as you have to connect from the Red Line to the Green Line and go up and down stairs (often the escalator or elevators are out of service). It's worth the $10 dollar ride to avoid the hassle of the subway.

[spinbaby]

85. Really, they warm up your car for you?

I’m going to have to give them a try. I fly a lot and can’t always have one of my sons provide airport transport. Nothing worse than coming in from some warm locale to a frozen car in the extended parking lot.

[doc03]

96. I have used both Charlie Brown's and Marino's next door, there are others. You drop your car off

they drive you to the airport. When you get back from your trip call them from the airport. They pick you
up and when you arrive at the lot they have your car ready and running. Parking runs from $6 to $8 a day plus a tip for
the driver. I think the parking at the airport is $12 and you are on your own. I prefer Charlie Brown but both are nice people.

[snowybirdie]

15. Great for Easterners

But the rest of us have little or no train options. E.g. Chicago to Tampa is through DC where there's a 9 hour layover. Then on to the Orlando area where a bus continues to Tampa. Ugh!

[Stinky The Clown]

20. Too true. In some cases you simply have to want to do it

[CreekDog]

33. Yeah we know you don't mean from SF to Dallas or something like that

But on the Northeast Regional, it's a no brainer and despite living in the west, I actually take it several times per year, though I definitely fly to the east coast before doing so!

[Stinky The Clown]

68. Yeah, I think coast-to-coast on Amtrak needs to be thought of as an adventure

Not suitable for most business trips or even Christmas at Gramma's due to time.

[MarvinGardens]

18. I would love to but

every time I have looked into it, it is way too expensive, sometimes more so than flying. Our family travels from Atlanta to Houston at least twice a year. Flying is too expensive, and I have checked Amtrak because it's a long grueling drive. This time we broke up the drive into 2 days, staying in a hotel. Still way cheaper than flying or Amtrak. It's a shame we don't have more abundant and affordable rail transit.

[TexasBushwhacker]

22. Delta has been having some cheap flights for Houston-Atlanta

It all depends on your travel days. Sometimes they're $99 round trip!

[MarvinGardens]

24. Thank you, that would be worth considering!

[Stinky The Clown]

28. How long is the drive?

On Amtrak, you'd have to book two separate trips.

HOU > NOL and then NOL > ATL

[MarvinGardens]

34. For us it's usually 14 hours including stops.

One time we did it in 12 when my daughter was a baby. I think she slept most of the way.

[Stinky The Clown]

69. HOU/NOL is 9 and a half hours and then an overnight stay in NOL with another 12 hrs to ATL

That kinda makes it technically possible, but really terrible as a choice,

[cwydro]

26. I thought there was TSA for train travel?

Good to know if not.

[Stinky The Clown]

29. Nope, no TSA, no screening. Just arrive at the station and get on the train

Easy as can be. No one hour ahead arrival. Nada. If you have a ticket and are own the platform when the train doors open, you're on!

[cwydro]

57. Thanks!

I want to travel to Mass from N.C.

I’ll look into it!

[Stinky The Clown]

82. Five stops from Gastonia to Greensboro

Not a LOT of choice (two trains per day) but you can do it. May have to change trains in NYC, depending on where in MA. Boston area is probably the same train. Springfield area is for sure a change in NYC or New Haven, CT.

[cwydro]

101. I'd want to leave from Charlotte, but I'm having problems getting the site to agree with me!

[Siwsan]

27. Amtrak was always my preferred way to travel to Los Angeles

It would be my major splurge because I'd book a berth.

I wish Amtrak would expand their service. It would be my preferred method of travel anywhere I go.

[Stinky The Clown]

30. To LA from where?

[Siwsan]

32. I left from Flint's Amtrak station

Had to take the bus to Battle Creek, and then boarded the train to Chicago. That left me a few hours to wander out for some good Chicago food.

My favorite route was the one that went through Colorado. Part of the train detached in Denver, and part (as I recall) in Salt Lake City, then the remainder continued to Los Angeles.

The other went via Albuquerque, which was also a beautiful trip.

[LovingA2andMI]

73. Ahh....You took the

Amtrak California Zephyr - which is a beautiful ride in scenery. Especially between Colorado and Utah. The alternative route across country is the Southwest Chief Via beautiful New Mexico and Arizona - and the Texas Eagle.

[Siwsan]

77. The route I took was the Southwest Chief

It cut south at La Junta, CO then across New Mexico, Arizona, then Barstow, CA, San Bernadino and into Los Angeles.

[LovingA2andMI]

97. Any part that includes Salt Lake City, Utah

Is the California Zephyr and not Southwest Chief.

[Siwsan]

98. I took both routes on different trips

Unfortunately I only got to take the Zephyr route once, before they stopped continuing on to Los Angeles. The portion going through Colorado was absolutely breathtaking. It was the first time I ever saw a Bald Eagle, and I saw LOTS of them.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

35. Are you a United States Citizen? Border Patrol checking local Amtrak routes

Are you a United States Citizen? Border Patrol checking local Amtrak routes

February 05, 2018 06:27 PM

A handful of people were questioned by Border Patrol Agents on an Amtrak train that was nearly 100 miles away from the nearest border crossing last week. ... Now, some of those people wonder whether they were profiled and if their civil liberties were violated.

The incident happened on an Amtrak train that made a scheduled stop in Syracuse to pick up passengers. At that time, agents boarded the train and asked at least four people whether they were citizens of the United States. ... The Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects Americans from random and arbitrary stops and searches, but it appears that doesn’t apply when you’re within certain proximity of a border crossing.

A spokesman for U.S. Border Patrol told News10NBC, “Although most Border Patrol work is conducted in the immediate border area, agents have broad law enforcement authorities, including the authority to question individuals, make arrests, and take and consider evidence. The Immigration and Nationality Act 287(a)(3) and 8 USC 1357 state that Immigration Officers, without a warrant, may ;within a reasonable distance from any external boundary of the United States...board and search for aliens in any vessel within the territorial waters of the United States and any railcar, aircraft, conveyance, or vehicle.’ 8 CFR 287 (a)(1) defines reasonable distance as 100 air miles from the border.”

Syracuse is 97 miles from the nearest Canadian crossing. Rochester, Buffalo and a hundreds of other towns and cities in New York and across the Northeast are also within the radius. Enforcement actions, according to U.S. Border Patrol, away from the border within its jurisdiction are “performed in direct support of immediate border enforcement efforts and as a means of preventing smuggling and criminal organizations from exploiting existing transportation hubs to travel to the interior of the United States.” The operations at transportation hubs, they say, serve as a vital component of the U.S. Border Patrol’s national security efforts.

“They can pretty much do anything they want to,” said says Anthony Guidice, an immigration attorney in Rochester. “If you piss them off they can search you, cuff you, put you into custody and keep you there for 24 hours, just to teach you a lesson if you get uppity with them. Doesn’t matter of if you’re an American Citizen or not,”
....

Created: February 05, 2018 06:27 PM

Copyright 2018 - WHEC-TV, LLC A Hubbard Broadcasting Company

[erronis]

43. My dim recollection is that some gov't agency was monitoring rail transit also. Perhaps

just in certain areas (borders, sensitive [DC,NYC]?).

Of course we are now being monitored whether we drive (RFID), buy rail/plane tickets (ID and credit cards), or even walk down streets in some locales. With facial recog technology, real-time knowledge of who is where is becoming much more prevalent. FBOFW.

[colorado_ufo]

37. I took my first train ride in my life this year on Amtrak.

I traveled over the Rocky Mountains to Denver, which goes over the Gore Range. Some of the scenery can only be seen two ways, from Amtrak or from a kayak ride over the rapids in the wilderness area. Tunnels, wildlife, blowing snow, mountains and cliffs abound! But it did take an entire day to get there, versus about a 3 + 1/2 hour car ride. My son advised me that if I wanted to take the train and still get there a little faster, I could possibly get out and run alongside!

[Stinky The Clown]

72. That's an adventure trip where the trip itself is the reward

It is a trip on my bucket list!

[colorado_ufo]

91. When you arrived, there is a Charming hotel right at Union Station.

The wonderful 16th Street Mall and downtown shopping district is within walking distance. I highly recommend your taking the trip around Christmas time, when you can see everything in its Christmas Glory! I took the trip in February this year, and it was absolutely fabulous. The one drawback is that the stairs to the upper decks are narrow and a bit treacherous, and the only restrooms are on the lower deck.

[mgardener]

38. An Amtrak ride in rural areas is not as practical in larger cities

A 5 hour car ride to my daughters is 14 hours on Amtrak. And twice as expensive as a plane ticket.

[Ms. Toad]

39. 1:54 AM, 3:34 AM. 3:29 AM, 5:50 AM

Not really convenient times.for anyone to drop off or pick up. Not really a location I want to leave my car unattended for days.

(I like AMTRAK - it's just not a practical solution for those of us in the middle of the country.)

[Heartstrings]

41. We have an excellent bus service that runs from Madison to Chicago....

Runs every 30 minutes or so 24/7, Domestic and international terminals, plus downtown...Wifi and chargers, very comfortable seats...last time I rode it to and from O'Hare I had 2 seats to myself so could plug in my earbuds, listen to music and sleep. $30. one way, pretty reasonable imo.

It's called Coach USA Van Galder......

[garybeck]

44. i live in Vermont and I love Amtrak

it's a little known secret.... we can get on a train up here, and be in NYC or Philly or DC at only about 15-20% longer than a car ride. way cheaper than the plane, much more more leg room, free wifi.

[Stinky The Clown]

78. Our experience between Montpelier and Balto/Wash area is the train and the car are the same.

Drive down the NY side to NYC then down 95.

The train is 11 hours. The car can be as little as 9-½ and as much as 12, so about the same.

What area of VT are you coming from?

[garybeck]

104. richmond. i get on at waterbury. n/t

[George II]

45. When I was a child (pre-Interstate Highways) we took the train from NYC's Grand Central Station....

....up to Toronto's Union Station every two years to visit relatives. Alternate years they took the train down to New York.

It was a long, 14-hour trip but back then there weren't the diversions we have today.

Now I drive up there every year, it takes less than 8 hours.

[CloudWatcher]

46. Auto-Train

Long cross-country trips along the interstates. Almost always have an idle rail track running parallel to the road. Wishing I could easily drive into an 'Auto Train' and rest in a dining car with WiFi until we got close to our destination, then drive off

It could happen. There's an ancient Auto-Train in use: Amtrak Auto Train ... but it's a silly old design and very limited service. Last I checked it even ran with a profit, but I think that's because Amtrak was able to buy the cars cheaply after the original auto-train company went broke.

But think "ferry" services over rail, taking cars off of the interstates between all major cities. Easy & quick drive on & off. I'd sure use it for any trip over a couple of hours.

[Stinky The Clown]

88. That's already standard practice in the trucking industry. Its called intermodal

Containers arrive on ships. Some are trucked away while other get loaded on rail cars.

Trucking companies also load trailers on rail cares for the long-haul over the road part of delivery and have local short haul drivers make the final delivery.

It would make perfect sense to widen the notion of an auto train to do the same thing with cars and passengers.

?format=750w

[OliverQ]

52. It's also really expensive unless you book it at least a month or 2 out.

[mnhtnbb]

53. I would rather take Amtrak than fly to many destinations

We should have fast trains in this country. Thanks to the oil and auto industry, we don't. Anyone who has traveled in Europe knows what a fabulous thing it is to have fast trains between many major cities.

Glad you enjoyed your Thanksgiving trip.

[Stinky The Clown]

87. I've enjoyed my trips on the TGV and Shinkansen

200 mph city center to city center is pretty damned fast!

The Acela, the US's fastest train, is capable of 150 mph but track conditions limit that to maybe 50 miles of Northeast Corridor tracks. There is one spot in Bridgeport, CT, where the speed limit for all trains is 25 mph due to a very sharp curve just west of the station.

Money Dumbass wants for his SFBW** would be an enormous boost to passenger frail in the US.




**Stupid Fucking Border Wall

[mnhtnbb]

90. Really. There are any number of terrific uses of the billions

wanted for that stupid wall.

Besides, Mexico isn't picking up the tab.

[ginnyinWI]

54. It must depend on where you are in the country,

I've taken the Milwaukee to Minneapolis route several times, and I've had it. The problem is that the tracks are owned by a freighter line, and whenever they want to come through, Amtrak has to get off the tracks and wait. I've had anywhere from a two hour delay going west to a four hour delay to even get on the train going east.

The ride is nice and it's nice to be able to walk around and stuff. Nicer if you have two persons or more, in case you don't want to have to take all your valuables along to the restroom.

[llmart]

56. I honestly don't understand why the US cannot have a decent, fast rail system as Europe does.

Why are we always so behind on things like this and then try to tout that we're so much more superior to other countries? Our population is aging rapidly and we all saw this coming, but no plans for it. Wouldn't rail travel (I mean the super fast trains they have in Europe) be great for an elder population who doesn't drive any longer and who cannot tolerate the airline nonsense?

I have never used Amtrak but have always wanted to try it. I don't like driving long distances any more and when you're driving you don't get to look at the scenery like I like to. I often see those ads for Canadian train trips and they look so enjoyable. I despise what air travel has become since the whole Homeland Security nonsense.

[Jake Stern]

102. Few reasons

1. The country is just too big. Fast, dense European/Japanese style rail service makes sense in areas like the Northeast corridor or routes between major cities like LA to SF or Portland to Seattle but in the big expanse that is Middle America it is just too costly to run an extensive network. Even Greyhound is abandoning East Boogerville for a closer major town due to the cost.

2. Trains are great if you have time to ride them. A plane can get me to Chicago in little over an hour for $200 round trip while the train takes almost a day and costs that much one way. Fine for vacay but not so fine for that important business meeting in Houston.

3. Tracks are already spoken for in most of the country. Amtrak only owns track in the Northeast if I remember the conductor correctly which means that they will have to negotiate with the various rack owners (like they do now) in order to drive their trains or spend billions building a parallel track system of their own. SCOTUS would swiftly strike down any attempt to nationalize the track system.

[Retrograde]

58. Amtrak's great if it's available where you live

and goes to where you're going. Otherwise, it's of limited use outside the Northeast Boston-Washington area. From the San Francisco area the Amtrak options are more limited (although the Coast Starlight route is gorgeous)

[whistler162]

59. Yup great way to get to Europe :}

seriously apart from the delays it is a great way to travel. I have travelled across and around the US and Canada multiple times by train and enjoyed each trip once on the train.

[Glimmer of Hope]

60. I take Amtrak all the the time along California's central

Coast and LA. I love it

[torius]

61. They may get rid of the meals, so please call them

I took some long-distance Amtrak rides recently and the staff asked people to call the 800 no. and ask that they keep serving the meals. Otherwise I guess they will just have premade food. Perhaps can contact them through email as well.

Price vs. flying depends, some airports are more expensive to fly in and out of.

[badhair77]

62. They used to give a AAA discount but stopped that, I believe.

I think they still have a senior citizen discount. I love traveling by train.

[Duppers]

63. My son is traveling from NYC

To Williamsburg VA tomorrow via Amtrak.

[Midnightwalk]

64. Best trip

Was from Paris to Barcelona. Still buzzed from drinking wine by the Seine all night, we stumbled out of bed, took the metro to the station and basically relaxed all day. Wonderful scenery, no hassles and ate pastries I picked up at a local bakery. Beer snack gawk and nap.

I look at train options whenever travel is less than a day which is mainly east coast or Europe. The only downside is when you need a car, but if you are staying in a city there is no better low stress way to travel.

[Revanchist]

67. Big fat nope for me

I would have to spend 89 hours traveling and another eight waiting for the bus to get me to the final destination. That's 98 hours total compared to 15 driving.

[Quixote1818]

70. Wouldn't it be nice to double or triple the Amtrak budget? Put in really nice trains

have super nice sleeper cars for half the price etc. Instead of so much going to waste in the military.

[Stinky The Clown]

83. Hear! Hear!

I'd start with increasing service to more cities and then circle back to upgrading rolling stock, but yeah! MORE $$ for Amtrak!

[wryter2000]

74. I went from Oakland to Denver in July

I had a roomette on the California Zephyr. Amazing scenery. Good food. Great company. The WiFi doesn't work in the mountains, but you won't miss it.

[Crutchez_CuiBono]

80. An extremely satisfying way to travel.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

84. Several years ago I took Amtrak from

Lamy, NM (I live in Santa Fe and it's the nearest station, about 20 miles from me) to Portland, OR. Two overnights. Booked the sleeper. Best trip ever. The Coast Starlight, the portion from LA to Portland, has a separate lounge car for the sleeper passengers, and you can have your meals there if you want.

I really want to do another long-distance train ride someday. The biggest problem with Amtrak is the frequency, or more accurately, the lack thereof.

[brush]

92. Used to enjoy traveling on "The Sunset Limited" as a kid with family...

(fried chicken in the shoe box—the whole works). It was great fun. In the early 2000s, living in NYC then, I took Amtrak from Penn Station in Manhattan to Washington DC. and was looking forward to a relaxing ride. It was as far as the smoothness of the ride but I didn't anticipate the loudspeaker announcement of every upcoming stop along the way, and from NYC to DC there are many stops.

Is this the experience others have had? Does this still happen?

[yortsed snacilbuper]

103. High-speed trains in America? Virgin Trains USA on track to make it so

One train company has high hopes of bringing high-speed rail travel to America. Brightline Trains, which bills itself as "America's first new major private intercity passenger railroad in over a century," has just gotten a major vote of confidence from Richard Branson's Virgin Group.

The Virgin Group has taken a minority financial stake in Brightline, which will officially rebrand as Virgin Trains USA in January 2019.

Currently, the company has focused on Florida, running high-speed passenger trains between Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/high-speed-trains-in-america-virgin-trains-usa-on-track-to-make-it-so/ar-BBRpQl6?ocid=spartanntp