Why train travel is the best way to go
Going by rail is less expensive, more relaxing and eco-friendly.
THE SCENIC ROUTE: Taking a train offers unique benefits. (Photo: THE Holy Hand Grenade!/Flickr) 
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My wife and I have found it an idyllic way to travel. We've done round tip SF / Seattle and SF / Chicago. Can't wait for Amtrak to fix the tracks between New Orleans / Orlando so we can take it there. It is sooooo relaxing and we always get a roomette for total pampering.
19 hours is a bit of a stretch for an efficient passenger trip. To make it a more effective option, we need high-speed trains in major corridors (SF to SD, San Antonio-Dallas-Houston, NYC to Chicago, etc), leaving air travel for the long-haul trips.
If everyone at MNN would sign this petition, it would really send a message: http://www.senatenj.com/index.php/doherty/tsa-petition/sign-the-petition...
Wish this was true in the UK a return ticket just cost me £164 the bus option £24
You were robbed, did you by any chance buy the ticket on day of travel, i've never paid more then £80 (and that was first class) on a train ticket, cheapest has been £4 single, its cheaper to buy 2 singles then a return in some cases
Two more comments: First, Amtrak just set an all-time record for ridership - 30.2 Million riders for fiscal 2011.
Second, many here are comparing to driving. Guess what: since the Feds have not increased the gas tax since 1993 (http://www.taxfoundation.org/taxdata/show/1067.html), our highway system is heavily subsidized (about 47-52% subsidized, depending on the.... More
@SixDegrees: Yes, Business Time is money. But my travel time is also money. I love to fly, and I've flown over 300,000 miles. However, (for me, personally) I get very little work done on the plane. Whereas on the train, I feel very comfortable and productive. So, I think for business travel in the 300-750 mile range, train travel is the only way to go (I leave in the morning on Amtrak for a business conference).
I agree that train travel is less stressful than air. Better for vacations, when the travel is actually part of the vacation. I took trains in Italy, they were clean and efficient - loved it. We need to take some direction from Europe and upgrade our system!
I just took a train from Ok. to Ca. I had a great time. Meeting people. A small girl had her birthday on the train and the staff and our car made it very nice for her. My ony problem was the bath rooms needed to be cleaned between Chicago and ont. Ca. But i would ride it again. I really like rail travel.But i am retired and have nothing but time.
Yes, Amtrak is struggling. I've traveled them and they have a long ways to go. Yes, time is money (but only if you're getting paid for it) but also getting there is half the fun. I've traveled all over Europe on the train. They are clean and efficient and always on time, much better than air service.
Trains excel at moving freight - they can haul absolutely enormous tonnage using very little fuel. They are horrible for most passenger travel, though, because they are so much slower than air travel, and for business travelers time is money.
The article would play much better if it proposed replacing long-haul trucking - which is very energy inefficient in comparison - with train hauling. But proposing it as a viable alternative to air travel is a non-starter.
Amtrak is the poster child for why government should never be allowed to run services of any kind. Cars are filthy and in serious disrepair; trains are pathologically late, often by several hours; online booking is a joke, with half-full routes marked as "sold out" and cars jammed beyond capacity still offering seats; there is no sensible 'hub' system linking heavy travel destination with high-speed service; and for business travel, it simply takes too long. I have flown from Detroit to DC in.... More
For our honeymoon we traveled from San Antonio, Texas to Washington, DC with one overnight stop in New Orleans and absolutely loved it. First half of the trip was coach class but seriously roomy and easy. Mid-day we arrived in New Orleans and walked to our hotel from the train station (2 roller suit cases). Checked in had a great meal at NOLA and then hit the city. We opted for a cab from the hotel back to the train station only due to the how early our train left (6am). The rest of our train.... More
Good thing you were only going to a location you could walk to after the train arrived eh? Otherwise you not only wasted 10 hours but also needed to pay for taxis. Of course, in many cities they are not readily available so you would need to rent a car.
This article is a joke unless you live inside a big city and only travel to other big city interiors.
I am curious as to what your point is? There are hundreds of more train stations than there are airports. You can leave your car in the parking lot (should you so desire) although I do not recommend it anymore than in a long term airport parking lot which is fairly expensive and not very secure.
If you fly, would you not need to rent a car? I do not mean to argue, I just do not understand your post.
A year and a half ago, My lady and I traveled the western coast on Amtrak and had a wonderful experiance. We enjoyed the staff, the riders, the scenery, the minor disruptions, and still got to our destination on time. Now, realize this is not always the case with train travel, but is it always the case with plane travel? I think not. Traveling by any mode of transportation is always going to be an adventure! Even if you have control of the particular vehicle involved, something can.... More
Until we get the mag-lev, we'll fly. Then there are the 800 mile /hour tube train technology. We have to get more energy. Have your representatives initiate NAWAPA, North America Waper and Power Alliance to have our love trains get real. Not to mention 6 million new productive jobs would be required which would put a tax base in place to run our nation intelligently.
I sincerely hope you are "opting out" of the airport body scanners:
"U.S. Glossed Over Cancer Concerns As It Rolled Out Airport X-Ray Scanner"
.... More
I called amtrak and asked how much for a ticket to Hawaii and they laughed at me!
If you tried to write a more incorrect artical than this, I think you would be quite challenged. More then 90% of the time, flying is SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper than the train. Unless you are a total wuss, there is very little that is stressful about flying. For most people, paid time off from work is a premium. I'd rather fly same day and use more vacation days...actually enjoying vacation than sitting on a smelly, dirty, usually late train. Did the author actually think that looking out the.... More
All of the Amtrak trips I have taken have been hours late, the roomettes are filthy, clean bedding was missing, the AC broke for 24 hours, servers don't wash their hands after handling used dishes, toilets overflowed into the hallways, and once a squatter had to be evicted from my roomette - that was the trip with no bedding. After all that, I decided to drive.
never take Amtrak if you absolutely have to be somewhere on time; i advise giving a one-day leeway to your location if you take the train. i have been on Amtrak trains that have arrived over 24 hours late into their final destination.
also train travel between April 1 and Labor Day is certainly not cheaper than flying, in many cases it is more expensive. but ticket prices drop about 50% after Labor Day so it can be an economical option.
Amtrak works for business if your end location.... More
Ridership on Amtrak is way up. Build some High Speed Rail--Atlanta to Charlotte and Phoenix to San Diego come to mind-- and we can have some flexibility in our transportation options.
Take in mind the cost of that, Currently NE Corridor is the only High Speed Rail in America now, but to expand is extremely expensive, and not possible now, as Electrifying for high speed rail will be for a time when the US can afford to build new High Speed rails.
Rail travel isn't going to take off unless it is expanded dramaticly and unless people can take their cars along. Americans are too married to their vehicles. I just made a trip from Ohio to Lincoln, Nebraska by car. It's about a 13 hour drive. If I'd been able to simply drive my car up a ramp onto a flatbed train car, have someone tie it down, get in a nice comfortable rail car, and then drive my car back off once I got to Lincoln, I would have jumped at the chance.
Actually, Amtrak offers a service called AutoTrain, where for a fee about $290 you can bring your vehicle with you. But this service is limited to the east coast. From Florida to Virginia, or the other way around. altogether you should pay $552 total for one way. not bad, figuring that you would pay this at an airport for airfare, and you cannot take your car!
I don't agree on your insistence on taking your own car. You can always rent a car at your destination. Taking a car with you on the train would quickly make the whole journey extremely uneconomical. Besides the article compares train travel to air travel...not personal driving.
The rail beds and rails were paid for by giving the original companies mineral and land rights. Since then they have found that although passengers are profitable freight is more profitable. So, they have persecuted Amtrak making the service is erratic. Even if we have to subsidize rail, it will save on fuel imports and highway costs (a bigger subsidy in the long run).
Small correction: The routes were paid for by mineral and land rights, the roadbeds and rails are an ongoing expense.
Sorry about the extra "is"
I just went to Amtrak.com and looked for a ticket from Lexington, KY to Charlotte, NC, a trip I make a few times each year. I have to drive to Cincinnati then get on a train for 22 hours and 53 minutes. I could drive from Lexington to Charlotte in 6-7 hours. Enough said.
I just went to Amtrak.com and looked for a ticket from Lexington, KY to Charlotte, NC, a trip I make a few times each year. I have to drive to Cincinnati then get on a train for 22 hours and 53 minutes. I could drive from Lexington to Charlotte in 6-7 hours. Enough said.
The problem is that there a lot more airports around the country than train stations. I suppose the next thing I will hear is that we should have a rail system like Europe, the thing is it may work is some areas, but the population density is to low to make it cost effective in most of the country.
You will never have a rail system like Europe, If years ago you had invested money in the rail network you may be get a service in the more populated areas of east and west coast that would be the on par with say Uk, You could have a bus network like that in Europe if the people running the city transit has the guts to goto one of the Uk bus firms "here's a contact run are buses for us" then leave them alone for 2-4 years, In case you didn't know the 2 main UK bus firms Stagecoach.... More
I love train travel for a lot which is mentioned in this artcile. Sight seeings, relaxation, able to get up and move around. Depending on how long your going, you get meals and have a dinner car. The problem is the US doesn't do enough with the rail system. I remember when I was young, we would drive down to virginia and take the auto train down to florida. Pack our car in and be on our way. They had a sight seeing lounge, which was mainly glass and a room to watch movies in. Played card.... More
Ah, Travel by train. Seven times a long and only twice the price! Your statement about no TSA is short sighted. Ask the folks in the stations that have been "randomly" searched by them. By random, I mean everyone in the station.
I've taken trains often in the last 10 years and I have NEVER been selected for a random search. I've been in New York, Chicago, LA, and Washington DC...and if you are an Amtrak rewards member (free), you can get really good deals. Although, sometimes the price of the ticket can be the same as a plane, or a bit more - I'll give you that.
I think you may have that backwards. When have you ever just 'walked right on' to a plane without ANY hassle whatsoever. Attributing for several hours of wasted time. Between baggage fees and all the other fees airlines tack on, I'll take the train over air any day. Plus, I can get up and pee whenever I want. Not to mention I don't get sexually mollested when I travel by train. FREEDOM!
What costs more- time or money? I priced going from Raleigh to Buffalo on a train, and sure it saves a few bucks. BUT, the train arrives in NYC at midnight and then I would have to wait until 6am the next day for the train to Buffalo. NOT!
Having done the train-into-NY-then-Buffalo-at-6 a.m. route, you are lucky you didn't do the lay-over. Very scary. Ticketed passengers are able to stay in a secured area (although very uncomfortable) with armed guards, but the rest of the station fills with vagrants at night. There are no bathroom facilities in the secured area, so if you have to use the restroom during that time you have to venture into the common area, where you have to step around the sleeping homes and get pan-handled by.... More
So take an earlier train, why in gods earth would you schedule a train that arrives at midnight to try and catch a connector? Sounds like horrible planning to me
An article that extols the economy of train travel yet not one price comparison with other modes ot transport. Train travel is only cheaper than a car if one person is travelling. Two people and more swings the economic argument to the car.
I agree that train travel is relaxing but it's not cheap.
I have to question why anyone would prefer a 15-25 hour train trip over a 3-6 hour plane trip or 6-9 hour with connections. People are for some reason conditioned to hate air travel and hate airlines for any and all reasons, overlooking the practicality in lieu of bad management and customer service.
While the fees are annoying and things can do downhill during bad weather for the most part air travel is easy, safe and still the quickest form of transportation.
I live in Denver,.... More
svartan,thanks for your comment.I was upset by the Amtrak rep telling us that the train service did not allow any animals,service/assistance or other wise. Our service animal is not the typical German Shepard or Laborador so people will automatically assume that our mini Schnauzer is a pet.With education we have been able to take our service animal onto planes with us( in a pet carrier)and have been able to let people know that any animal with good training can be used in the service/assistance program..... More
wrong - train travel sucks - they are too slow, never on time, always having delays - it took my mother 7 hours to get from Orlando to Fort Lauderdale on Amtrak...
Screw the train, fly!
I keep seeing references to TSA. If the country switched to rail, it would just be a matter of time until some idiot extremist exploded a bridge as a passenger train passed over.
That's something we have been dealing with for years, its just a question of eyes and ears, people who travel daily know when something isn't right and are very quick to bring to attention of the train staff
It's worth almost anything to avoid the nightmare that air travel has now become. Yes, there are hassles with Amtrak too (Canada's trains are excellent by the way), but a traveler who takes the time to become informed can avoid most of the trouble and do very well on most rail trips. And on distances up to 500-1,000 miles rail is often pretty competitive for time once you account for all the waiting & the fights to get in and out of terminals - all the misery that make flying like a root.... More
