# Cell Phone Reception on Amtrak trains



## DowneasterPassenger (Aug 14, 2010)

Which routes have the best and the worst cell phone service?

Have you experienced extended dead spots, and where, and how long, and what carrier?

Does any cell phone carrier have particularly better or worse service for Amtrak trips?


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## Ryan (Aug 14, 2010)

In general, Verizon's got the widest coverage area, so they're going to be the best.

We have AT&T and had vast swaths of dead space on the EB and the CS through Vandenberg AFB.


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## railiner (Aug 14, 2010)

I would suggest you check each carriers coverage map, and compare it with the Amtrak map. I cannot answer from experience, but my guess is that you would have coverage best in the most populated areas, and worst in rural mountainous or desert areas, unless they parallel an interstate highway.

In general, I believe Verizon is acknowledged to have the best coverage, with a few exceptions ("Rule The Air!").


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## amtrakwolverine (Aug 14, 2010)

I have tracfone and it worked well only had problems in Detroit on the wolverine even at the station no signal until right at royal oak. On the LSL coming back from the Boston gathering I don't remember which station but I had a signal but this one guy did not. Did loose signals out in the woods though when your away from the towers.


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## the_traveler (Aug 14, 2010)

I too have AT&T, but I did have Verizon a few years ago. Although I don't use my cell phone 24/7, I can get a signal on most routes anytime - with one *BIG* exception!






On the EB, I could not get a reliable reception from before Glacier NP (when I woke up in the morning) in MT to Minot, ND!



This is almost a whole day! The best is the NEC - and most of it is 3G!


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## Guest (Aug 14, 2010)

We have Sprint and had basically the same problem on the EB that the_traveler had, In addition while stopped outside the cascade tunnel for four hours due to a broken down freight no-one had service including the conductor who had to climb up a mountain side to the highway to be able to get cell AND radio reception! We were allowed to get off the train (unofficially!)for a fresh air/smoke break which surprised me due to the remoteness of the area but as always were told," Do NOT leave trainside!"


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## dlagrua (Aug 14, 2010)

There is ALWAYS somwhere on the line where cell service is good and others where there are weak signals. If you want to talk on the phone all day, its not going to happen but if you wish to make select calls its no problem. In the East the NE corridor has very good cewll service.


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## Acela150 (Aug 14, 2010)

I have Verizon and the EB was an issue through MT. On the SWC I got some good reception in the middle of no where. I would keeplooking for a tower but saw nothing. But I get it best on the NEC. Even in the NY Tunnels I have reception. Grant it it's very little but it's still service.


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## Guest (Aug 14, 2010)

Motorola phones usually have the best reception. Combine it with Verizon or a carrier that has access to the Verizon network (Sprint, Page Plus, US Cellular, some Tracfone/Net10, ect)and you get a winning combination for voice and sms.


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## railiner (Aug 14, 2010)

Guest said:


> We have Sprint and had basically the same problem on the EB that the_traveler had, In addition while stopped outside the cascade tunnel for four hours due to a broken down freight no-one had service including the conductor who had to climb up a mountain side to the highway to be able to get cell AND radio reception!





dlagrua said:


> There is ALWAYS somwhere on the line where cell service is good and others where there are weak signals. If you want to talk on the phone all day, its not going to happen but if you wish to make select calls its no problem. In the East the NE corridor has very good cewll service.


It seems unsafe in this day and age to have a train with hundreds of lives totally out of communications in the event of trouble issues of many kinds--be it medical, crime, breakdown, or whatever. If there are spots with comm. 'dark territory', they need to be addressed. The building of cell tower, radio repeater, or even old lineside RR telephone boxes should be established.

If all else fails, locomotives should be provided with Iridium satellite phones, that do not depend on landbased cell towers.


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## Mackensen (Aug 14, 2010)

On the Boston section of the _Lake Shore Limited_ I had more or less no signal while in the Berkshires between Albany and Pittsfield. The Cumberland gap on the _Capitol Limited_ is extremely inconsistent so it isn't worth trying. Otherwise the only other dead zone I've noted is, bizarrely, northern Indiana near Valpo. I've used both Sprint and AT&T.


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## Railroad Bill (Aug 14, 2010)

We have Alltel system phones and they are pretty reliable, especially since Verizon purchased part of the company. As everyone has suggested, if you are out in the middle of the desert or in Glacier National Park, you are on your own :unsure:


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## AlanB (Aug 14, 2010)

railiner said:


> Guest said:
> 
> 
> > We have Sprint and had basically the same problem on the EB that the_traveler had, In addition while stopped outside the cascade tunnel for four hours due to a broken down freight no-one had service including the conductor who had to climb up a mountain side to the highway to be able to get cell AND radio reception!
> ...


Passengers may be without their precious cell phones at times while on board an Amtrak, but the train itself is almost never without communications in the form of the radio. Even some of the longer tunnels are wired for radio communications. There are few places in the US where an engineer cannot radio the dispatcher and request any type of emergency service.


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## zephyr17 (Aug 14, 2010)

railiner said:


> It seems unsafe in this day and age to have a train with hundreds of lives totally out of communications in the event of trouble issues of many kinds--be it medical, crime, breakdown, or whatever. If there are spots with comm. 'dark territory', they need to be addressed. The building of cell tower, radio repeater, or even old lineside RR telephone boxes should be established.
> 
> If all else fails, locomotives should be provided with Iridium satellite phones, that do not depend on landbased cell towers.


In railroad terms, all "dark" means is a line is not signaled, just controlled by dispatchers _by radio_. As AlanB pointed, the RR's radio is available everywhere along the line. If it there is an area of bad reception due to geography, the railroad puts in repeaters, and they run antenna lines in the tunnels. If the conductor's handset isn't powerful enough in a certain area, he can radio to the engineer and the engineer's more powerful transmitter in the cab will work.

Chill, dude. And don't get your facts from a bad movie ("Dark Territory").


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## Jim R (Jul 9, 2011)

zephyr17 said:


> railiner said:
> 
> 
> > It seems unsafe in this day and age to have a train with hundreds of lives totally out of communications in the event of trouble issues of many kinds--be it medical, crime, breakdown, or whatever. If there are spots with comm. 'dark territory', they need to be addressed. The building of cell tower, radio repeater, or even old lineside RR telephone boxes should be established.
> ...


My daughter just took a train from Boston to Haverhill MA. She couldn't get a signal with her Net10 phone until she got off the train in Haverhill. She was then able to call me for a ride. I don't know any possible solution to that problem. I just know it sucks.


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## AlanB (Jul 9, 2011)

Jim R said:


> zephyr17 said:
> 
> 
> > railiner said:
> ...


Get her a different cell phone and/or cell phone company.

I have AT&T and not only did I have voice service pretty much the entire way between Portland & Boston, I was able to get online using my cell phone as a modem for my computer.

Not suggesting that solves things for every train in every spot, but on the Downeaster between Boston & Haverhill there is pleny of cell service in that area. So the problem is either the phone and/or the company.


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## TraneMan (Jul 9, 2011)

I am expecting not to have cell service on our trip on the EB here and there.. I am just going to set up my voice mail saying, "Thanks for calling. I am on vacation, and will not be answering my phone. Please leave a message, and I will get back to you when I have a chance." then my cell will be shut off, and going to enjoy the trip!


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## Lamar (Jul 9, 2011)

I've lost signal before when the railroad diverges from the highway and goes through heavy forest, a canyon, etc.


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## jdcnosse (Jul 9, 2011)

The cheaper cell phone companies (especially prepaid) are not going to have good traveling service...you get what you pay for. That being said I have a verizon phone and a virgin mobile phone. Haven't take a trip with the VM phone, but during my SWC trip with Verizon, only when we were going through the Raton Pass did I not have any service at all.


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## Peter KG6LSE (Jul 9, 2011)

I have lost only a few calls on VZW . On the SWC I have good Sig and the CZ the same . the CS is spotty due to woods .

I to had zippo in Raton . but just about every where else I had some thing .

Peter


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## pennyk (Jul 9, 2011)

I have a tracfone (which is the parent company of Net10) and I rarely have no reception. I believe my tracfone uses AT&T cell towers. When I went across country last year, I used my tracfone for texts and phone calls and my net book with Verizon prepaid broadband. There were only a couple of places where I did not get coverage on either the phone or netbook. In fact, on the Capitol Limited, I had much better coverage on the phone than I did on the netbook. Recently, I took the Acela from WAS to BOS and I used my tracfone to send text messages (to the_traveler) just about the entire trip.

I think with my prepaid tracfone, I get more than what I pay for. I recently purchased a Net10 touch phone on which I can access the internet and my gmail account. I have not used in other than in Orlando and Kissimmee, so I have no idea how it will do "on the road." Yesterday, I was in the KIS station and I accessed the Amtrak website to check the status of my train. I was successful and it "cost" me 2 minutes of time, which translates to 20 cents.


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## MiRider (Jul 9, 2011)

I have a NET10, mobile web LG900 phone, service is provided by AT&T.

I had 4-5 bars for almost my entire trip on the Pere Marquette and Texas Eagle to Dallas.

There was a very short period of time when I had 2-3 bars but never a time when I had no service.


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## Shanghai (Jul 10, 2011)

I have AT&T service. Only once was I unable to get a signal.

I was on the Cardinal and we were passing through the mountains

and valleys in West Virginia. A lady sitting in the lounge car

was trying to phone her daughter to tell her that the train would

be late could not get a signal on her phone, so I offered my phone

to her, but my phone was unable to get a signal too. She had Verizon

service. About one hour later, I tried again with my phone and was

able to get a weak signal. I think all services have dead spots.


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## freddie (Mar 9, 2013)

veryzon and sprint suck!!! i love at&t it works worldwide.

veryzon and sprint wont work over seas, that a fact!!


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## Shortline (Mar 9, 2013)

freddie said:


> veryzon and sprint suck!!! i love at&t it works worldwide.
> veryzon and sprint wont work over seas, that a fact!!


Not only is it not a fact, it's absolutely false. My iPhone Verizon 4S works in Europe, Asia, and some 200+ countris around the world. That's one of the reasons I chose Verizon, better US coverage and all the international coverage I need.


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## crescent2 (Mar 9, 2013)

Verizon seems to have the best coverage where I live, too. I guess each area has its own best provider?


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## JayPea (Mar 9, 2013)

I have Verizon and it seems to work okay for me. And yes, I know this is an old thread. So there!  :lol:


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## Ryan (Mar 9, 2013)

Shortline said:


> freddie said:
> 
> 
> > veryzon and sprint suck!!! i love at&t it works worldwide.
> ...


Yeah, but I'll bet that your veryzon phone doesn't!


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## Bronzeman (Mar 9, 2013)

I agree with Ryan---there are very few areas other carriers have service and Verizon doesn't. Of the "big four" my carrier, T-Mobile, is definitely the worst but what can you expect from a carrier whose motto ought to be "fewer bars in more places."


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## the_traveler (Mar 10, 2013)

I just came off a trip this week. I have AT&T and some things didn't change much over the past 2 years.

*NOTE* *THAT* *THIS* *THREAD* *IS* *2* *YEARS* *OLD*!

I did not have service for much of west Texas, NM and AZ on the SL, parts of CA and thru the Cascades on the CS, thru much of MT, ND and parts of MN and WI on the EB and parts of PA, WV and MD on the CL. However, as I said earlier, I am not on 24/7. Much of the time I wanted to get on, I could.


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## alanh (Mar 10, 2013)

I've had good luck with Verizon as well, though west Texas has pretty much zero service on any carrier. Pretty much the only service you get is at the stops in Sanderson and Alpine.


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## jebr (Mar 10, 2013)

the_traveler said:


> I just came off a trip this week. I have AT&T and some things didn't change much over the past 2 years.
> *NOTE* *THAT* *THIS* *THREAD* *IS* *2* *YEARS* *OLD*!
> 
> I did not have service for much of west Texas, NM and AZ on the SL, parts of CA and thru the Cascades on the CS, thru much of MT, ND and parts of MN and WI on the EB and parts of PA, WV and MD on the CL. However, as I said earlier, I am not on 24/7. Much of the time I wanted to get on, I could.


Do you have a 3G capable phone? AT&T got the old Alltel network in ND and much of MT, along with parts of Minnesota. However, that's only been converted for 3G capable phones in some areas.

I just find it weird because I've never had an issue with my AT&T phone along the Minnesota part of the route, and I know they've changed quite a bit in ND over the past couple years.


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## the_traveler (Mar 10, 2013)

jebr said:


> the_traveler said:
> 
> 
> > I just came off a trip this week. I have AT&T and some things didn't change much over the past 2 years.
> ...


I do have a 3G phone, but I was mostly working off my 4G iPad, which is not backwards compatible to 3G. I wish it was! :angry:


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## AlanB (Mar 10, 2013)

the_traveler said:


> I do have a 3G phone, but I was mostly working off my 4G iPad, which is not backwards compatible to 3G. I wish it was! :angry:


Next time tether your iPad to the phone.


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## HiGracie (Mar 10, 2013)

My MetroPCS phones have poor coverage but my 3G iPad had pretty good coverage on the CZ and CL. The areas where I didn't have coverage I didn't need it as I was concentrated on the scenery. I'd like to find a mobile provider for Internet backup on my travels. I also have Comcast Xfinity at home and they seem to provide mobile hotspots though I have never used the service.


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## the_traveler (Mar 10, 2013)

Most (many) cell phone providers offer service over much of the interstate highway system. If the tracks run close to the highway, most likely you may have service. Otherwise you may not.

2 examples:


The Southwest Chief from ABQ to San Bernardino roughly follow I-40 and I-15 (with a few exceptions). Much of this route has cell phone coverage.
The Empire Builder thru much of Montana and North Dakota operate far from the interstate. Much of this route may not have cell phone coverage.


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## Ryan (Mar 10, 2013)

the_traveler said:


> I do have a 3G phone, but I was mostly working off my 4G iPad, which is not backwards compatible to 3G. I wish it was! :angry:


It most certainly is... It has radios for GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz), *UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz)*, and LTE (Bands 4 and 17).


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## the_traveler (Mar 10, 2013)

Mine must be defective then. In spots, I have no service on my iPad, but I do have service on my cell phone (which is 3G).


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## montana mike (Mar 10, 2013)

I travel the EB several times each year and my iPhone has connectivity perhaps 75% of the time. Yes, no service going thru Glacier National Park (about 2+ hour trek) and of course the many tunnels as well both in the Park and the two long ones west of Whitefish. The other area with poor service is a stretch from after Havre to the ND line. The service is marginal with dropped calls a possibility in this area (although it isn't totally dead, since there is service in the vicinity of each stop and when a cell tower is nearby off of US 2). Once you get to ND it's mostly good reception for the majority of the rest of the trip with the usual spots along the Mississippi river where the hills get in the way for a short period of time. When I switched from my Blackberry a little over a year ago to the iPhone things improved.


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## TimePeace (Mar 10, 2013)

Was on the Downeaster today with my wifi hotspot and had continuous coverage BOS-POR with Verizon, the data was 4G and faster speeds than any of the unsecured wifi connections I was in range of over the weekend, and bothered to check...


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## the_traveler (Mar 10, 2013)

AlanB said:


> the_traveler said:
> 
> 
> > I do have a 3G phone, but I was mostly working off my 4G iPad, which is not backwards compatible to 3G. I wish it was! :angry:
> ...


I tried, but it keeps running away before I catch it!


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## George Harris (Mar 11, 2013)

railiner said:


> It seems unsafe in this day and age to have a train with hundreds of lives totally out of communications in the event of trouble issues of many kinds--be it medical, crime, breakdown, or whatever. If there are spots with comm. 'dark territory', they need to be addressed. The building of cell tower, radio repeater, or even old lineside RR telephone boxes should be established. If all else fails, locomotives should be provided with Iridium satellite phones, that do not depend on landbased cell towers.


The railroads have had communications along their lines from before the deys of telephone or radio. That line of poles along tracks that used to be near universal usually carried two or three things: Western Union Telegraph, Railroad company telephone, and if the line had signals, the lines for power and control of the signal system. There would be lineside telephone boxes along the way, usually at both ends of sidings, every station, and regular points along the line. Therefore, for anytime over the last century plus, if you were on a train, you could communicate with the world without traveling more than a mile or two. The railroads were also, at least many were, early users of radio. By the 1960's it was the norm for the train crews to talk to the dispatchers on the radio, not on the lineside telephone. It has been a long time since having a train met by emergency services was a problem.
(The movie "Dark Territory" was almost completely unacquainted with railroad reality.)


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## VentureForth (Mar 11, 2013)

I wanna know what service Lakeysha Beard has...


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## Ryan (Mar 11, 2013)

Ha! Well played.


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## SarahZ (Mar 11, 2013)

My boyfriend and I both have Sprint. While on the SWC between Chicago and Albuquerque, we had 3G/4G for most of the trip and at least 2-5 bars for the rest of it. I do recall one, very brief period in the Raton Pass where my phone said "No Service", but it only lasted a few minutes.

I cannot speak for Kansas, as I usually sleep between Topeka and Garden City. I do recall waking up in Dodge City on this last trip, and I remember having 3G there. I was able to check-in on Facebook before going back to sleep.


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## AmtrakBlue (Mar 11, 2013)

Sorcha said:


> My boyfriend and I both have Sprint. While on the SWC between Chicago and Albuquerque, we had 3G/4G for most of the trip and at least 2-5 bars for the rest of it. I do recall one, very brief period in the Raton Pass where my phone said "No Service", but it only lasted a few minutes.
> I cannot speak for Kansas, as I usually sleep between Topeka and Garden City. I do recall waking up in Dodge City on this last trip, and I remember having 3G there. I was able to check-in on Facebook before going back to sleep.


Facebook! But, but, .....


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