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View Full Version : Any Amtrak Experience?



Joe Pelonio
06-26-2007, 11:46 PM
Does 4 hours late on a 21 hour trip seem normal? I guess compared to some of the airlines it's not bad

I've never taken the train myself, but my parents drove/ferry from their place in Port Angeles, WA to our home and I took them to the airport for a 3 week vacation in California. They decided to take the train back for the scenery. I was to pick them up at the station in Seattle at 8:45 (now). But at 6:30 my stepfather called and said they were just arriving at Portland, and they were told it would be 12:45am before they get to Seattle. Naturally I have a sign delivery at 6am, so I guess I won't get much sleep tonight. Wouldn't want to leave them stranded down in Pioneer Square.:eek:

Karl Laustrup
06-27-2007, 6:20 AM
Joe, I don't think that's normal for Amtrak. Two hours maybe. :eek:

But wouldn't you like to know what happened. I mean, did they have a flat? Did they have a hard time finding a gas station with a good price on fuel? Did they have to stop for directions after they got lost?

I've never been on Amtrak. We used to send LOML's Uncle to Milwaukee via Amtrak. We have a station here in the "Dells", less than a mile from our house. Made it very convienent. One way senior rate was $25 for a trip of about 100 miles. Seemed a little steep for a trip that would take about an hour longer than driving by car.

That train was, on occasion, on time, give or take 15 minutes. It comes from Minneapolis and makes two stops before getting to the Dells. It makes two more stops between the Dells and Milwaukee. It, was two hours late once in the winter when LOML's Uncle was going to Milwaukee. It was snowing between Minneapolis and here, but I kept thinking "If anything can get through a train should. It's on rails. You don't have to steer it, just control the speed. I wouldn't think the rails are any different in snow than dry.

And they wonder why Amtrak loses money.

Karl

mark page
06-27-2007, 6:43 AM
I was on an Amtrak train once for a round trip as a child with the family from KC to Houston. Over 12 hrs late getting to Houston from another trains derailment and a company strike (the two were separate instances). They shut the train down in the middle of nowhere in Oklahoma in 100 degree heat. Then on return trip delayed again by another trains derailment. I haven't been on a train since. This thought sticks in my mind and I don't think I will be riding one in the future either. That was a lot of years ago though.

Jeffrey Makiel
06-27-2007, 7:02 AM
I use Amtrak for business travel along the Northeast corridor. Only small trips (3 hours or less) Very comfortable and reliable. Sure beats flying. But it's expensive.

-Jeff :)

Patrick Taylor
06-27-2007, 7:08 AM
I use Amtrak for business travel along the Northeast corridor. Only small trips (3 hours or less) Very comfortable and reliable. Sure beats flying. But it's expensive.

-Jeff :)

Ditto. Never seen delays quite like that in the northeast.

Steve Schoene
06-27-2007, 7:19 AM
You were quite fortunate. You had advance warning that it would be so late. Four hours is probably unusually long, but a couple almost normal.

Amtrak works with an antiquated system to keep track of the trains. (GE knows where the engines are with their GPS system, but if the radio doesn't work right, Amtrak doesn't. On at least one occasion, the Conductor has had to leave the train to find a land line telephone to call in for permission to enter the next block.

But, if you aren't time pressed, and are willing to pay more than for flying, it can be a pleasant experience, with leg and shoulder room, the ability to get up and move around, the opportunity to buy a beer, and of course, in some parts of the country, some very interesting scenery.

Matt Meiser
06-27-2007, 8:11 AM
2+ hours late was the norm when my brother used to take them from Chicago to Dearborn or Toledo.

Chuck Wintle
06-27-2007, 8:19 AM
I wonder how those "Acela" trains are working out for Amtrak? Last I heard they were having an incredible amount of teething problems. That was probably 2-3 years ago.:D

Joe Pelonio
06-27-2007, 8:25 AM
Apparently they had a good excuse. There was a stalled freight train blocking them somwehere in southern Oregon. They had no choice but to wait for it to be cleared. When they got to about Grant's Pass they really "poured on the coal" and managed to cut it down to 3 hours late. They both enjoyed the views and thought the food was good, but probably will fly both ways next time.

Art Mulder
06-27-2007, 8:40 AM
In March'06 I was at a computer conference in San Diego, and then took the Amtrak "Pacific Surfliner" from San Diego up to Glendale (just N. of LA) to visit friends.

I thought the price was fine, the train was comfortable - tons of leg room and other move-around-room - it left reasonably on time, and was within 15 minutes of being bang on time in San Diego.

(I just checked to verify the price, and an unreserved seat is $34, and I paid for the reserved business class which was $14 more. This got me to the front of the line and guaranteed me a seat. Could I have rented a car and done the drive one-way? Maybe, but I doubt I would have saved more than an hour of time, and this way I didn't have to drive, fight traffic, or deal with picking up and dropping off the car.)

It was kind of weird that in certain locations it actually went slow on purpose. I gather it was so that it wouldn't arrive too early at any of the stations (had about 5-7 stops IIRC) and also there were regulations in some of the built-up areas to keep the speed/noise down.

David G Baker
06-27-2007, 9:11 AM
It took me 12 hours to go under 400 miles on Amtrak ten years ago. From Martinez California to the transfer station in Los Angles to catch a train to Chicago. They had to bus all the passengers going to Chicago to an alternate station to catch the scheduled train.
The 12 hours was a scenic trip along the Pacific Coast.
On the return trip we rented a car in LA and drove back in under 6 hours.

Bonnie Campbell
06-27-2007, 9:35 AM
My first 'train' experience wasn't enjoyable, for sure! Portland OR.... sitting waiting for the train, find out there is a 'problem' So instead of a train ride, we got a BUS ride to Spokane! Amtrak didn't want to over spend on comfortable buses, so we were all crammed in to a couple buses. Got one stop (I think around Pendleton) for supper.... I could of bought a bus ticket if I'd of known I'd end up on a bus. We did get a train from Spokane to Minneapolis. I did take the train other times and will admit it was enjoyable. It's nice being able to walk around and see the sights.... Averaged two hours late on most trips though. Had an aunt that was 14 hours late due to snow once.

Jeffrey Fusaro
06-27-2007, 9:41 AM
Apparently they had a good excuse. There was a stalled freight train blocking them somwehere in southern Oregon. They had no choice but to wait for it to be cleared. When they got to about Grant's Pass they really "poured on the coal" and managed to cut it down to 3 hours late. They both enjoyed the views and thought the food was good, but probably will fly both ways next time.


It was kind of weird that in certain locations it actually went slow on purpose. I gather it was so that it wouldn't arrive too early at any of the stations (had about 5-7 stops IIRC) and also there were regulations in some of the built-up areas to keep the speed/noise down.

i have never ridden amtrak, but i watch a railroad internet forum. late is amtrak's middle name. mostly due to sharing lines with freight trains. freight lines generate more income and own greater sections of track. therefore, they often get preference.

i've heard stories of seven hour delays around town, here in cincinnati.

slowing down for no apparent reason usually means there is other rail traffic ahead that must clear the next block, before a train can continue.

in contrast.... i've been to japan a few times, and their rail system is incredible. you can go nearly anywhere in the country via rail. and, you can set your watch by the arrival and departure of the train.

i was once told that if i had a ticket for the 10:45 train, and i saw a train sitting on the platform at 10:43, it was not my train. it was the previous train. wait two minutes and your train will arrive. this was pretty accurate.

Jeffrey Makiel
06-27-2007, 9:49 AM
I wonder how those "Acela" trains are working out for Amtrak? Last I heard they were having an incredible amount of teething problems. That was probably 2-3 years ago.:D

The Acela is OK but very, very expensive. New York to Washington DC in about 2 1/2 hours. But it also has a very limited of stops to make this time possible. Overall, I think there was more initial hype about the Acela's performance now that reallity is here.

-Jeff :)

Jim Becker
06-27-2007, 10:01 AM
The long distance trains are "slow boats" and are often off schedule. I use Amtrak out of Trenton NJ when I head to/from NYC on business and it's not unusual to see the Miami train very delayed. Usually only a few hours, but I've seen it to be a lot higher, too. While the NE corridor between Washington DC and Boston (electrified and limited sharing with freight) is pretty good, anything farther south (diesel) is more impacted by other traffic. The same holds true in many areas of the country...nature of the beast these days where there is limited passenger train traffic.

Ken Fitzgerald
06-27-2007, 10:18 AM
My ILs took a long round trip via Amtrak a few years ago.....Central Illiniois to Spokane,Wa. We picked them up and they spent a couple of weeks with us. Then they boarded the train to Denver, via Seattle, Portland, California. They had a sleeper due to their age and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Ed Falis
06-27-2007, 2:15 PM
I pretty much always take Acela when I need to go to NYC on business. Nice service. Occasional lates, of course, but never seems to be too bad.

John Shuk
06-27-2007, 7:30 PM
I've taken Amtrak from NYC to Portland Me. a few times. Nice trip even if it is a bit long.

Dennis Peacock
06-27-2007, 8:16 PM
Never been on Amtrak....but I did price roundtrip tickets with sleeper for my 4 kids, the LOML and I to go from Little Rock, AR to Birmingham, AL. The cost was in the THOUSANDS of Dollars and it was FIVE DAYS One Way!!!!

Leave Little Rock, go to Chicago, IL (wait, I want to go east and south buddy!), then go to Washington D.C, then to Atlanta, GA and finally into Birmingham, AL.

We opted to drive...... :)

Roger Bell
06-27-2007, 10:44 PM
I have used Amtrak several times in the past few years. This includes several long distance west coast trips (PDX to LA) on the Coast Starlight and well as west coast to midwest trips on the Empire Builder (PDX to Chicago). In addition, I sometimes take the train from Portland to Seattle, because I-5 has become insufferable.

First, this ain't Italy and Mussolini ain't running the show. If you wish to take the train in the US, be advised that timeliness is not their strong suit. Freight pays the bills for the railroad. The freight lines own the tracks and therefore have priority over passenger traffic. In the event of a conflict or a delay, things can get really, really backed up and freight gets priority. And delays and screwups along the line have a notorious way of snowballing. Any experienced train traveller will tell you that.

I have experienced up to twelve hour delays on Coast Starlight. My wife encountered an engine breakdown on the Empire Builder in the Bitterroots and ended up being rousted out of a first class cabin and stuck on a bus in the middle of the night. The lights wouldn't work and she ended up leaving some of her stuff aboard as a result. Worse yet, the bus they put her on was the milk run....stopping at every podunk town from Spokane to Portland. No refund, no nothing....unless you count some BS "discount coupon" on another trip that they sent weeks later after getting a nasty letter.

All that aside, I much prefer train travel over the airlines, and, even at their worst, I would always take the train if time and cost were of lesser importance than they usually are. Train travel is quite civilized and the trip is usually enjoyable as thing in itself. Airplanes are little better than Greyhound busses with wings. No, make that third-world-country busses with wings. This is one area where this country really is well behind the rest of the world and could benefit from an overall overhaul.

So as long as you are travelling for pleasure, the train is great. But don't get any expectations about it arriving on time. Sometimes it does, sometimes it don't.