Does anybody ride in trains anymore? (NSFW)

I take the train to NYC at least every other month.

If it is work related, I take the Acela. If it for pleasure, I take the cheaper (and slower) NE Regional. The big advantage is downtown --> downtown and not having to deal with getting into the city from JFK /LaGuardia (or Newark).

 

I have no problems with trains where they make sense. I think the airline industry was able to create a spoke and hub, with a few direct flights that decimates train travel for distances over 300 miles. Trains also stop along the way to pick up people and drop them off. It is better if you don't live near the start or end point, but it slows down the trip for everyone else.

I think trains should be going after long distance car trips though. Instead of sleeping in a hotel in St. Louis, drive onto a train and let it take you across the plains overnight to Dallas, Albuquerque, or Denver. They could do a similar thing in Australia I would bet. Trains should be used instead of all the semi-trucks too. I have no idea how semi trucks are more economical than trains for non-perishable goods. Even for perishable goods, a train from the West Coast to the Midwest should be much faster than the limitations on drivers, the number of drivers, and the fuel it takes. Trains could be part electrified by wind turbines and solar panels much quicker than the fleet of semis. I would even support an international bridge for a large, two shipping container wide train from Alaska to Russia to connect both continents by train.

Personally, the best deal has been to take the El train in Chicago from the airport to downtown. $2 instead of a $40 cab ride... I had an unlimited week pass in Sydney, and it is the best thing. I took the underground in London, the Eurostar to Paris, and the the TGV to Nice and Barcelona. I came close to taking Amtrak from Yuma to Tucson or LA, it was much cheaper than driving (I ended up not going at all).

But, the big train trips like Trans-Canada and the Australian Outback are too pricey for me, and I'm not sure that is my style of being a tourist yet.

 

My parents have taken their car on the train from Sydney to Perth, then (after the holiday) drove home.

 

I take the train to and from uni, Monday to Friday Just a regular boring train and the journey takes me around 15-20 minutes depending on delays. Trains in the UK arent the most reliable.

 

They rode to Perth on a berth.

 

Great story and quite an incentive to start using that mode of transport again

 

You can ride with me any time.

 

Steam Trains.....not a commuter.....xoxoxoo

 

30 day North American Rail Pass, Summer of 2000:

Northeast Regional
New York City > Philadelphia > DC

Capitol Limited (in a 2 person sleeper car—all remaining legs were ridden in coach)
DC > Chicago

Southwest Chief
Chicago > LA

Coast Starlight
LA > San Francisco > Portland

Empire Builder (my favorite route)
Portland > Minneapolis > Chicago

Via Rail Canada
Chicago > Toronto > New York City

This was an unforgettable trip I'd do over in a heartbeat... with different company and more sleeper cars.

I miss trains.

 

As I understand it, Amtrak owns only small portions of the rails along their nationwide network (the Northeast Corridor and parts of California, if I recall), and they lease out time on rail elsewhere nationwide that’s owned by the freight companies.

As a result, passenger rail trains are always at the mercy of freight schedules; any breakdown in scheduling sends the passenger trains to the back of the line behind prioritized freight transport, so multi-hour delays, while frustratingly inconvenient, are routine.

Any long distance train train travel experience stateside requires both flexibility and patience.

 

I love train travel. We often take the train from Albany to NYC, which is about 3 hours.
I have read about the dismal state of service in the rest of the country.
Last summer we went to Europe and rode high speed rail in Italy and Austria, as well as their subways.
It made me very sad and angry about the state of American rail infrastructure.
It's pathetic.

 

I rode the train from Chicago to Seattle last year. It wasn't too bad. If you have the time and the train is going to where you need to go, it is better than flying.

 

A *very* long time ago I checked the rail rates from Houston to a few US cities, some relatively close, others a good distance away. The rates shocked me; air travel was much cheaper (and much faster, but that certainly wasn't surprising).

 

Empire Builder?


Speaking of which, I desperately want to take this trip someday.

 

That is why I took the train. I rode from Seattle back to Glacier NP. Idaho is actually really impressive to bike across too.

 

My dad takes the train from N. Cali to Chicago and then back. He likes it since you can see more scenery and such. Plus, he likes talking with people along the ride. He's met some interesting people on his trips.

 

Years ago, my ex wife and I scored an apartment rental out of one friendship she struck up with a fellow train commuter. You never know what might happen.