European rail travel is generally safe, but it is essential to stay vigilant and aware of potential risks. When boarding the train, find a comfortable seat in a carriage with other people and update your friends or family regularly. Traveling by train is one of the safest ways to explore Europe, and an Interrail Pass provides access to an extensive network of railway companies. Solo travelers can also travel on Amtrak trains, but they should plan their itinerary with safety in mind.
A Eurail Pass gives access to an extensive network of railway companies with some of the best options. Plan your itinerary with safety in mind, avoiding late-night changes and researching train stations before traveling. Experts say that derailments like the one experienced by Amtrak are rare, and solo travelers can typically take overnight trains legally. However, it is wise to remain vigilant and keep an eye on personal safety.
A 2021 survey showed that 73 of women were concerned about personal safety during solo travel. Solo travelers should book high-speed trains and put them in first class for extra security. Amtrak trains are generally safe, with crews around day and night to keep an eye on anyone acting shady. However, some train stations are notorious for pick-pockets and muggers.
In summary, European rail travel is generally safe, but solo travelers should be aware of potential risks and take necessary precautions to ensure their safety and satisfaction.
📹 Amtrak tips and tricks 🚂 | solo train travel tips for the california zephyr (overnight train ride)
It’s train travel tips time! Open for more info y’all Sharing behind the scenes and must-have overnight train trips as a solo female …
How do I get a single seat on Amtrak?
Seat selection is not available during reservation making, but can be changed after booking is complete using the Amtrak app or Amtrak. com. Seat selection is available on Acela and in Business Class on Northeast Regional, Carolinian, Palmetto, and Vermonter. The Quiet Car is located in Car 2 and the Cafe Car in Car 4. Most seats are rotated to be forward-facing, but seats at the conference tables and at the bulkhead may be rear-facing during the trip. Retrieving your reservation to change your seat selection is also possible after booking is complete. The Amtrak app and Amtrak. com offer interactive seat maps for easy navigation.
Is it safe to travel alone on a train?
Amtrak, a major US rail company, is generally safe for travel alone due to security patrols. However, it is crucial to remain vigilant and keep an eye on personal belongings. The U. S. Federal Railroad Administration oversees train travel in the country, ensuring high safety standards and promoting systemwide innovations to improve the experience and efficiency of train travel. Amtrak must adhere to these regulations to operate and maintain its reputation as a reliable and efficient public transportation option. It is essential to remain vigilant and keep an eye on personal belongings while traveling with Amtrak.
Are trains a safe way to travel?
Trains are a safer mode of transportation due to their numerous safety features, well-maintained tracks, and less vulnerability to bad weather. Although train accidents are often reported, they are not as common as they seem. Buses, including charter and school buses, are designed differently than cars, making them more balanced and stable. They are four times safer than train travel and 50 times safer than private vehicle travel. Both train and bus travel offer various safety benefits, making them a more reliable choice for travelers.
How to pass time in train alone?
During a long train trip, there are several ways to make the most of your time. One of the main advantages is the opportunity to enjoy beautiful landscapes along the way, such as rolling countryside in France, impressive forests in Germany, and snow-capped mountain peaks in Switzerland. One can also play a game with companions or online on a phone or tablet. There are special travel versions of well-known games, such as Monopoly, and you can also bring a deck of cards with you.
To keep yourself entertained, consider listening to podcasts, music, reading a book, watching a movie, discovering missed highlights at your destination, and checking your email. By following these tips, you can make the most of your precious time and make your journey enjoyable.
What’s safer, planes or trains?
Airplane safety compared to rail is a contentious issue, with trains being almost six times safer. However, both modes of transportation are extremely safe compared to buses and cars. The average odds of being killed in a car accident over a lifetime are 1 in 98, while for air travel, it is 1 in 7, 178. Contrary to popular belief, flying is one of the safest ways to travel, with safety reaching an all-time high due to the increase in terrorist attacks over the past decade. It is essential to ensure your plane is checked multiple times before boarding.
Do you get your own bathroom on Amtrak?
The vessel offers a variety of dining options for passengers to enjoy. All rooms are equipped with restrooms and showers, providing convenient access for guests.
Is it risky to travel alone?
When traveling alone, personal safety becomes a significant concern. Follow the same rules as anywhere else, such as sticking to public, well-lit areas, knowing your destination, and walking with purpose. When meeting new people, don’t tell them you’re alone and keep your accommodation address private. Be mindful of your drinking habits and never leave your drink unattended.
To help your friends and family feel less alone, send regular emails and updates on social media. This will reassure them that you’re safe and having a good time.
Eating out at small, friendly restaurants or cafés that attract other single people or groups can be a great way to enjoy the pleasures of travelling. Eating alone can also be a great time to catch up on emails or read your favorite book.
How do you stay safe on a train?
Train travel in Great Britain is considered one of the safest modes of transport. However, it is crucial to be aware of potential hazards and take necessary safety measures. One such measure is to avoid getting too close to the platform’s edge, regardless of whether a train is coming or not. Additionally, it is essential to stand clear of closing doors and keep children close. Lastly, it is essential to stay behind the yellow lines to ensure a safe journey.
Which mode of travel is safest?
Air travel is considered the safest mode of transportation due to its strict safety standards, which apply across all ticket classes. International air travel follows global standards set by organizations like the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), ensuring uniform safety practices worldwide. Standardized procedures minimize human error, providing a safer and more predictable aviation environment. Flights are meticulously planned to navigate adverse weather conditions, further ensuring passenger safety.
What is the best way to travel alone?
To feel more secure when traveling alone, consider sharing your travel plans with trusted family or friends, creating an emergency plan, securing your valuables, avoiding reckless behaviors, doing safety research, and getting travel insurance. Solo travel offers numerous benefits, such as exploring new places at your own pace, enjoying beautiful scenery, and spending extra time at landmarks or attractions. However, it’s normal to feel nervous or uncomfortable, especially when traveling to unfamiliar countries.
To stay safe, share your travel plans with trusted family or friends, send your itinerary, hotel reservation information, and planned activities to a family member or friend back home, and inform the hotel staff of your destination and return time. By following these tips, you can enjoy the benefits of solo travel without the stress and discomfort of traveling alone.
📹 What I learned from taking a train across the US
Here’s how US train travel went from excellent to mediocre. Subscribe and turn on notifications so you don’t miss any videos: …
I’ve taken the train numerous times now from the midwest to the east coast. It’s a love hate relationship for me, because I love using the train more than getting on an airplane, but being on it reminds you of how much you wish it was modeled after Europe’s high speed system. It’s also stunning or reliant the Amish are at using this mode of continental travel. You will see at least two families on the train the further north east you go.
January 2021 I moved from NYC to Seattle and since I wasn’t bringing furniture or anything big and just stuff I took Amtrak. I was able to pack up 3 50lbs boxes and two large suitcases and two small carry ons. It worked out really well except for my lack of internet. Weirdly one of my best life choices.
The discrepancy of funding between the highway system and the railway system makes a bit more sense when you realize there are 4.17 MILLION highway miles (and constantly expanding/changing) compared to 160,000 miles (only 21,000 passenger) of roughly the same lines that have been around since the 1800s
I’ve traveled across the entire US via train on several occasions and its always been a great experience. It allows you to slow down, relax and enjoy the beauty of this country. We don’t always have to be in a hurry to get where we are going. Life is the ride, the journey, not the destination. I fly when a deadline dictates it but my preference will always be train. ….and oh yeah, I’m a boomer (i.e. lover of automobiles) and even I know we have to break this car habit. It is just ridiculously unstainable and has really made a mess in general of our cities and surrounding environs.
I have done both halves of that journey; Ive gone from St Louis to LA and back (one leg in a sleeper car!), I’ve gone from St Louis to Albuquerque in coach, and I’ve gone from Chicago to New York in coach. Taking the train is slower than flying, but even in coach class, its far more enjoyable than any plane. The simplicity of just being able to stand up and walk around the train and go sit in the observation car is miles better than being confined to your seat for a whole flight. Trains are also generally quieter than planes; sure you might get the occasional screechy child or iPad kid, but there is no drone of jet engines. You can actually hear yourself think. Taking the train also lets you actually see the country, not just fly above it. You can see beautiful scenery and parts of the country you might never otherwise see (if it isn’t night time). And even if you have to sleep in a coach class seat, there is still more leg room and the seats are comfier than economy class in a plane, on par with business or first class on a plane. If Amtrak could actually go more places, I would take the train every time.
Very interesting. The teen and I recently spent 6 weeks travelling round the US, mostly on Amtrak. We had a great time and were very lucky to avoid any major delays. It’s pretty obvious though how underfunded things are – the cars we travelled in were close to 50 years old! Despite this they seem well maintained and all the staff we met were dedicated and professional. The food was great (though we had a full dining service rather than a cafe) and I’d thoroughly recommend it to anyone who isn’t in a hurry and wants to see parts of the US that you can’t see from a plane!
In California, they’re beginning a high speed rail project to Las Vegas. But, since Los Angeles and Inland Empire are down in a valley, and the rail is starting in the high desert, people will still be required to drive up the mountain pass to Victorville. The project is barely past the official go-ahead, and companies are already investing in the area because of the promise of this infrastructure.
i recently took the california zephyr from chicago to san francisco back in march, and for being on a tight budget, it was a really amazing and comfortable experience. something that blew me away is how amtrak lets its passengers bring their own food and snacks which often times saves a lot of money if your in coach class and dont have much of a budget to spend $50 for one dinner. i was really disappointed that i didnt get the chance to ride in an observatory car since my train didnt get one. but for 3 days in coach class it wasnt that bad, sure sometimes at night it gets uncomfortable but leg room is pretty spacious. we did get a cafe car in place for the observatory car and spent much of our time there looking at the views, after passing denver is when the scenery really gets amazing and left me in awe and it was an experience i wouldnt forget.
I’ve taken Amtrak over short distances (one end of New York State to the other) a couple of times, and I loved it. If you consider the ride to be part of your vacation, as opposed to something to just survive before starting the real vacation, it can be very pleasant. If you’re curious about seeing what it’s like, I’d recommend the Youtube website Downie Live. He takes long-distance trains around the US and Canada (and sometimes short-distance, idiosyncratic trains).
As someone from Germany which has a train system that covers much more of the country I want to point out one big difference between “regular” train travel and this article: In regular train travel we take a train to get somewhere, which means you’re usually only on a train for a couple hours and not multiple days. that is probably a pretty big difference in experience. Being on a train overnight for example is an absolute exception. Also regarding food: always bring your own drinks and snacks! buying them on the train means you have a limited selection of overpriced stuff
My grandma took Amtrak from Colorado to VA every time she saw me. She had vertigo and hated flying. Now I want to do the same trip. She is amazing for spending so many days traveling just to see me but IK she honestly enjoyed it every time. We need better train systems and I hope my generation fights for it more. 💓
My family and I used to take the Amtrak from Milwaukee, WI to Dallas / Fort Worth, TX in the mid 1990s and absolutely loved it. Granted, I’m sure there were plenty of hiccups – as Dean mentioned he had too – but the trip down was always a delight: the gorgeous views, the ability to walk around the train for different views, and chatting with other passengers about their trips (my family will never forget the drunk couple and the drunk guy falling into viewing car window when the train took a curve!). Overall, a great article that brought back a lot of childhood nostalgia and one that’s inspired me to book a long overdue trip on Amtrak! At least this time around, I won’t have to worry about bringing upwards of 24 AA batteries for my Nintendo Game Boy for the trip either.
What I find strange about Amtrak is that it seems to skip some big cities. Fort Wayne is right between Chicago and Toledo, yet the train goes through the much smaller town of Waterloo, just to the north. I find it strange that just to take the train, I have to drive 30 minutes from the city to a small town to get on.
Last year, I rode Amtrak for the first time. I went from Virginia to Michigan and took twenty – five hours. However, it was beautiful! Like he said, the train lets you see parts of the country you wouldn’t be able to see on the highway(forests, wetlands, mountains, valleys, canyons, gorges, ravines). Train travel beats flying anytime. Everybody should ride the train.
I’ve traveles across the US a few times on Amtrak and across Canada on VIA (their version of Amtrak). Both get you to your destination and offer hours of viewing pleasure. VIA however is amazing! Great rooms, great bar cars, great food on updated coaches. Regardless, train travel is all about the journey and not the destination.
Last fall, we travelled across Europe by highspeed train. London to Rome in three weeks. We didnt sleep on the trains and spent time in Paris, Zurich, Milan and a few days in Rome. It was cheaper than going by air. Our flight from Rome to London kept getting changed as the airlines kept cancelling flights,
I have taken the Amtrak Zephyr from Chicago to CA, I loved the experience. I had a sleeper car room, the food was very good. The shower on board the train was clean, hot and had good water pressure. I slept well. I have regularly taken the Northeast Regional trains and have never had a bad experience .
I took a week of cross country travel from DC to LA. Felt like with planning and the right accommodation, it is doable and enjoyable so long as you understand that its not about speed. Enjoy seeing a part of the country that you would’ve miss if you fly over. What I come to is, if your itinery is less than a day, take couch seating. But anything longer than that its worth spending for a room.
I’ve taken three round trips, two to Portland and one to Seattle, on the Amtrak Coast Starlight and loved it. It’s my favorite way to travel to the Pacific Northwest by far. I upgraded to a private roomette every trip, which makes a big difference. When you upgrade you also get free meals and access to a shower. I’m hoping to take another trip on the Coast Starlight this fall.
I live in Japan and take the train every day for work. I can take the train to virtually anywhere in the entire country, and until the 1980s when some rural routes were disbanded due to infrequent usage, even the most rural areas were accessible by trains. Theyre far more comfortable than flying, and often youll need to take a train an hour or two away just to get to the airport anyway, so you might as well just take the train to your final destination. Its so much more efficient and sustainable, and I really wish more people in the USA would adopt it as a serious means of commute-medium distance travel that should be invested in.
I live in Indianapolis, about 200 miles southeast of Chicago. Indy is sited in an ideal spot for frequent, short-distance passenger rail. Chicago, Louisville, Columbus, Cincinnati, Detroit, and St. Louis are all metro areas with 2-10 million in population that are within 400 miles of Indianapolis and are dotted with small to medium-sized communities along the way who would all benefit from better access to the resources that the larger cities provide. Yet, Indianapolis is only served by one train that comes in the middle of the night or at sunrise and it only operates three days a week. Driving between Indianapolis and any of these cities sucks and they’re too close together for flying to be a reasonable option.
I gotta say, I got a 2 person sleeper room for myself and 1 other person and we really liked it. There was also a shower room in the back of our car. Would a flight have been faster? Yes, but only if there had been no cancellations or hiccups along the way, plus when you factor in the time you have to add for airport security and processing it becomes more comparable. With the train its just ‘do you have your ticket?’ okay get on board. Overall the train is more reliable, and can operate in weather conditions a flight could not.
My favorite thing about this, and a lot of the stories on this website, you got paid to do this. It’s so awesome to see investigative journalism at work. It’s such a shame that media has moved so far away from informing us about the world. This story doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things, but it’s such a fun, entertaining and informative look into something that I’ve been curious about but never had the time or resources to investigate myself. Thank you Vox for keeping this alive!
I think you’re trying to convince us that part of the reason people aren’t taking the train is because of the cabin experience, because it isn’t well funded, but that’s definitely not it. People don’t take trains because they’re slow, and once you arrive in most cities outside of NYC, Chicago, Boston, and DC, you still need a car. So why would I not take my car when I still need a car at my destination? When the distance is very far like your trip, people will always take the plane because it’s faster. The only way for trains to make sense, is to completely change the infrastructure of our sprawling cities back to being walkable.
I moved across country this spring from Flint MI to Olympia WA–it was 4 1/2 days, but it was SO much more pleasant than flying (and they’re pretty lax about baggage restrictions, so i had 4 suitcases, a carry-on, and a backpack, which would’ve cost a fortune by plane). The seats are nice and wide, they all have good, ample legroom and leg rests, and there’s variety to the scenery and being able to get up and walk as much as you want really does make the trip much easier on my body.
Man, and I could barely stand 20 hours on Amtrak riding coach. The train I took did leave Chicago at night and spent half of it’s journey through the night (to NYC) but it’s like most people don’t sleep, and some where even up having conversations on the phone at 3am. Not doing that again. I’m either flying or if I have to take the train, I’m going to get a suite and find someone to share the cost with me.
I have thought that taking Amtrak for a long trip could be a fun experience. But maybe not so fun. It would be a family of 4 so it is extra expensive to take. My grandmother and one of her friends went to California from Nebraska for some kind of gathering. I lived relatively close to the station, so they visited on their way down. She lives in South Dakota. This was more than a decade ago. I don’t remember what she said about the experience.
I live near Penn Station is Baltimore and with the $15 night owl fares they’re offering it’s so easy to travel for cheap! I also take annual trips to NYC to see the city around Christmastime and I prefer to take the train over driving since it’s just so much less stressful than the drive. Amtrak is ridiculously expensive though. I wasn’t able to afford tickets last year.
This was such a great article! Thank you for sharing! My parents went on their honeymoon touring the country via train when they got married and absolutely loved it. Granted, they said it could have been luxurious, however, they felt in tune with a bygone age and were grateful to have crossed off a bucket list item for them.
The night trains are not that bad to be honest. Europe is often said to have better rail transport, but If you want to go from Portugal to Northern Sweden for example (a similar distance as Los Angeles to New York), you have to change trains 7 times, it will take a few hours longer, and most trains won’t have any sleeper cars. What the US really needs is better service on shorter routes.
When I vistited the US last time I took an Amtrack train from New York to Boston and it was really pleasant actually. Far more comfortable than flying and the took about the same time if you account for airport delays. The only real issue was that the train had to stop quite frequently to let freight trains pass, but that wasn’t too bad.
I took the same Amtrak train from LA to Chicago. I lost my job atm. Decided to get back to Nashville unique way. 15hrs late and I didn’t even have a dining like he has. However, I became a friend with this guy working at small store in the train, and he just gage me a cup of coffee for free. At the end of the way, they decided to serve all passengers the dining dishes. I guess that was beef stew. I don’t really remember the taste but the experience was wholesome. I wasn’t clean without a shower for 3 days but my heart was fully recovered after. Also, I finished some books!
I honestly don’t expect good rail service within a city, but it would be so nice if we could get good rail service between cities. I’d rather ride a train for 4 hours than take a 1 hour flight and deal with TSA, flight delays and cancellations, baggage limits, and uncomfortable airplane seats. A 1 hour flight often ends up taking almost 4 hours in total anyways.
My husband and I took the train from Los Angeles to Seattle. I think it was 36 hours of doing nothing. We had a roomette. My bedroom closet was bigger than this roomette. No room for a suitcase. The menu was the same every day. I only liked one thing on the menu so I ate the same thing for two days. We were hoping for pancakes for breakfast but the grill was broken. When I got up to use the restroom during the night, they turned off the water so I couldn’t wash my hands. Oh, I couldn’t wait for it to be over. Luckily we booked ourselves to fly home when planning this trip. This was three years ago and I haven’t changed my mind…never again!
I’ve ridden Amtrak several times over the many years since 1980 and I’ve learned one thing that I consider an absolute: if your trip is going to exceed 8 – 12 hours, get a sleeper. If you can’t afford the sleeper you DON’T want to ride Amtrak for any kind of a long journey. With the sleeper it’s not at all bad; you can always retreat to the relative seclusion and relative quiet that your private compartment affords. Yes, it’s expensive, but in my opinion very much worth the price for long duration. My one trip (Reno to Denver round trip) that I took the sleeper also afforded me access to a shower, but I didn’t use it because I didn’t need it. My trip (one-way) went just about thirty hours total, and the sleeper made it comfortable enough. I’ve also ridden eight hours from Sacramento to Klamath Falls (and later return), no sleeper, and it was not as pleasant a trip, but that’s because I can’t sleep in a chair, period, no matter how reclined. Also: coach is way too noisy and my coach for the Oregon trip was frikkin’ freezing cold. I had to move to the observation car, but that sure wasn’t comfortable either, trying to snooze. Otherwise, traveling by train is a pleasurable experience, but you need to have lots of time built in. As long as you’re not pressed for time it’s a great way to go.
The biggest mistake the US made in this regard was that it didn’t nationalize in the 40s when everyone else either was nationalizing their railway systems or already had. Nationalizing made railway travel a part of public policy, in Japan that meant the Shinkansen became part of the post-war recovery and in Europe modernizing the railway system was a way to deal with the oil crisis.
In my lifetime I saw China having worse passenger trains than the U.S. everywhere to China having way better trains than the U.S. in their entire country. It’s doable, if you have a National (Federal) centralized rail authority with its own courts, police, construction group, and operations. An executive branch that has 10yr term presidents and now life-term presidents. And an eminent domain law that pays between $47K to $128K USD per acre of high-speed rail land.
I enjoy riding on trains, even if just short distance commuter trains. I would love to take a train ride across America. However, 1) I hear that it’s quite expensive & costs were not included in this article. 2) It seems like the railroad tracks have been getting worse condition & need more maintenance. Seems like there are a lot more derailments than we get news about.
Being from the public transport utopia called the Netherlands, going by train has been my favourite mode of transport since I was a child. The stations, the landscapes, ‘the route of the train’ (watching the landscap from a train has a different vibe from perusal it from a bus). We have our own problems Dutch/European people love complaining about. But I’d love if America finally realised the beauty of trains again. Like in Around the World in 80 days where the US train they take is a meeting place, a place of leisure and fun and everything great.
I did the eastern US on a railpass this time last year. It cost $299 on a sale which they have not repeated. I actually found the single level cars to be very comfortable, even in coach. The crew maintained order on the trains. The superliner two-level cars rocked and swayed too much, and I found the seats on them not very comfortable. I thought they’d run a sale again this year, but they have not done so. I’ll just fly from now on.
Thank you for saying, “What is up with these nicknames?” I agree! I have never heard anyone express their irritation for not using original and formal names; which convey a formality that is gracious. To me, thoughtful or charming or memorable nicknames can be useful and can add a nice mix but there is a beauty to formal names too.
My wife and I twice caught the train from Adelaide to Sydney – the first time was a deliberate choice, the second was needed when airline pilots went on strike. Our double cabin was very comfortable and we had out own private shower and wc. The food was ok, nothing better. We’d not do so again unless we had no choice. We also caught the restored Orient Express twice – once London – Paris, and then the return a few years later. Again, we’d not choose to do that again. In may respects, the train itself offered a lower standard of accommodation, with a walk down the corridor to get to the toilet, and no sign of a shower. The food was very good, and the staff looked after us very well.
My daughter took a train from Monterey California to Eugene Oregon and that trip took almost a full day. I flew from Monterey to Eugene in about three hours. My daughters took a trip by Amtrak from Louisiana to New York City. The Amtrak return trip from New York City was a full day late. If you have time to waste, Take Amtrak.
My family and I took our first Amtrak trip this past April to Chicago. We booked a family room which provided a lot of space for us. It came with access to the Metropolitan Lounge that came with complimentary food and drinks while you wait for your departure. The trip took about an hour longer then it would if we drove, but the views were incredible, and not something you’d be able to see driving. From our window we saw loads of wildlife (e.g. hundreds of deer, wild turkeys, sandhill cranes, thousands of bald eagles, etc). For dinner we had an actually sit down dinner with surprisingly good food along with cocktails. It exceeded my expectations. Far better then any food I’ve had on an airplane. Arriving into Union Station was so convenient. You arrive right downtown. For us it was an easy walk a couple blocks to our hotel. It was great! Because we were so centrally located in the city the majority of our activities were within walking distance. Yes 100% I would take Amtrak again. I would recommend people trying a short trip if that works for them. Give it a try. We need high speed trains in America!
I don’t see long distance train travel from the east to west coast ever really being needed or wanted from the public, but connecting and upgrading intermediate travel such as linking up the south and the lines from Chicago to New York and New York to D.C. could be monumental. People are going to drive or fly until something better is offered in its place.
took the amtrak at the beginning of 2023 to visit my friends. was only a 7 hour ride but had 3 separate transfers. i rode the train at the beginning of my trip and had to take a bus on the last two transfers. i would say the train is way better than the bus because of the amount of space one has. it was wintertime so when i arrived to my destination i was receiving a call almost everyday about cancellations and had to call back to reschedule my next ride back home. i really appreciated that they were contacting me to figure out when i could catch the next ride out. everyone i spoke to was very nice and helpful. would ride the amtrak again. for reference i was traveling from california to nevada 👍
I just returned from Switzerland and we found the trains very clean, on time and smooth. Riding Amtrak (in the past) from my old home in NJ to NYC was always, not so good. I prefer flying, sorry Amtrak. Amtrak gets about $2 Billion in subsidies. Let’s try privatizing it again and see what happens!? (if any private entity would take it)
Swiss railway guy here: The key is infrastructure. Amtrack doesn’t own most of the tracks it runs on, instead those are owned by the private freight companies. This is why it is common for passenger trains to wait for freight trains, as the track operators prioritise their own trains. In Switzerland all (standard gauge) tracks are owned by the government. The network operators are forbidden to operate trains, and any discrimination is illegal by law. This means, literally everyone can operate a train on swiss tracks (requiring certification and equipment of course) and will have the exact same priority as every other train operator. From there, freight traffic is mostly unregulated (regarding who wants to go where), but for passenger rail the government essentially sets the lines and to some extend also timetable, for which everyone then can apply to get the concession / licence to operate these lines. Normally those concessions include some profitable lines coupled with some unprofitable ones, ensuring the best service for the public while still allowing the train operators some opportunity for profit.
I really wish you and other new agencies put more focus on how amtrak came about, and why the railroads of years past (Pennsylvania, Baltimore and Ohio, New York Central etc) have faded away. There is so much to unpack and elaborate you can easily make it a documentary, and teach people how railways work and how they can come back to rival our peers abroad
I took Coast Starlight from LA to SF in 2019 and CA Zephyr from Omaha to Chicago last July. I am train fan and I enjoyed the former more. As the latter delayed 2.5h, leaving me waiting in a freezing little Amtrak station, unlike what we Asian get used to frequent train with practically no delay. From Asian point of view, Amtrak is undernourished and full potential is yet realized. Also US landscape is simply spectacular, worth the ride itself (Omaha – Chicago is not that mindblowing). I totally agree with the train activities part of this article, still recalled the interaction on Coast Starlight.
I am a loyal Amtrak customer, have been for years now, tried Greyhound and it’s a nightmare! In my opinion the best part about taking the Amtrak trains is the journey, sightseeing and not having to drive. Yes, I could get from Chicago to NYC in a couple of hours on a plain, but I wouldn’t get to enjoy the view as much and I LOVE FLYING, but it’s a different experience on a train. But yes, I do agree, the federal government must do better when it comes to public transportation and mass long distance transportation like Amtrak, it’s totally worth saving!
My experience rinding on Amtrak was disappointing in that our departure time was pushed back about 7 hours after waiting for about an hour at the terminal and being sent home until being notified that the train would be arriving. We departed heading West from Lafayette, LA with the destination being the Grand Canyon for a vacation package including a sleeper room. We had a delay along the way to allow a freight train to pass. We arrived in Tucson, AZ to find that the train would not go further. We were loaded onto Greyhound buses to ride to Los Angeles where we had to search the terminal to get coupons for a free overnight stay. We did have fun that afternoon and evening in LA — going to a late-night show for free. We departed for the Grand Canyon the following day riding coach class as there were no sleepers available and arrived to find that the bungalo that we had reserved was no longer available as we had missed our connection and reserve date. We were able to get a room and enjoyed our stay. Our trip back home also had no sleeper available. I can say that the food was good. So although we enjoyed some of the trip we were disappointed with the Amtrak part of it.
So I laughed when you announced that you were still in California 5+ hours after leaving LA to compare to flying to NY. At the age of 57 in 2000, I rode solo by bicycle approximately the same diagonal route from LA area to Connecticut, and it was five days before I crossed into Arizona. Having spent the better part of three months getting there I was loath to fly back, so I took a combination of Amtrak, VIA in Canada, and Amtrak again to enjoy the return trip seeing even more of both countries. Glad you too ultimately did enjoy that trip.
I took Amtrak from Chicago to New Orleans and from Chicago to West Virginia. It was . . . interesting. Okay— it was awful. I was in steerage, so—no amenities like showers. Not that the trips were very long. They ran out of “food.” The toilets stank. We started referring to it as Damntrak. But you explain why it was so bad. This is a sad story.
I took Amtrak from Seattle, WA to Vancouver, BC in 2014 (I think) and it was generally a good experience, I got views I wouldn’t have from driving or flying, and it was cheap (cost like $80 for two train passengers vs $400+ for two flight passengers), the only downside for me was the 6 AM departure (more specifically the Seattle station didn’t open until 5:30 AM and was told to be at the station for 4:30 AM so stood around for an hour outside) I would happily take the train were it more cost-effective in Canada (I don’t travel very far very often, so the prices to me are unreasonable as most of the longer distance trains are more luxury options and therefore quite costly)
Something that Amtrak does do a good job in is the accomodations actually. The food is decent, the seats are comfortable, the rooms are alright, and you have cool observation and dining cars. The superior European HSRs aren’t always the best in quality. This is a worthy tradeoff because you’re getting speed and convenience, but if the US could somehow get that while also keeping a bit of the classiness of Amtrak it would be amazing.