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Basically, this. American tourists don't want to have to carry their bags any further than from the baggage belt to the taxi. Especially as they age. Handling checked baggage beyond the airport (which creates more headaches for the airline) is a critical step in making this leap.

Actually, you're really on to something here. The MBTA could probably fund the dig just by closing Southampton Yard and ground leasing the land to the right developers.

The embarcadero freeway was also pretty useless. The idea was to link the Bay Bridge and Golden Gate bridge, but it was never completed. It was essentially a spur freeway whose traffic was easily absorbed by the city streets. Most of the travel going north of San Francisco would just take the...

Total food cost depends on volume and throughput. If you eliminate choice and sacrifice a little bit of freshness, you can approach a roughly equivalent cost. The cost of the ingredients to Amtrak of its signature steak dinner with its usual fixings and a single choice of side is probably going...

The costs can't really be compared accurately because they're structurally different operations. For starters, the walk-in cooler at Applebee's is bigger than the biggest Amtrak kitchen. Applebees can resupply more or less whenever they want and they usually have a consistent set of suppliers...

The worst offender is salt. If you eat mostly fresh foods and don't add more than a pinch of salt, your queasiness is most likely due to that. Drink more water on board. :)

Starlink only just applied for FCC clearance to operate on moving vehicles. The tech probably exists, but is a long ways away. European rail internet coverage is not a fair comparison with US LD routes. There is no stretch in Europe such as the one between, say, Salt Lake and Reno. It is...

Have they been slowly taking away quik traks from stations?

Someone should make a YT video comparing Amtrak management to the producers of that show. Casting Dick van Dyke as a hitman? Sounds like an Amtrak executive decision.

MBTA would definitely stand to gain a lot by this project, while it would open up a few more options for Amtrak.

Now I really, really want to see a zipline on a moving train.

The literature suggests this was more of a marketing gimmick than a public safety measure. They were only around for a few years in the 1950s.

The budget Panera is right next to the budget Starbucks.

My fondest memory is my first transcontinental trip with my nine-month-old son from Michigan to Truckee, CA and back. I have a lot of fond memories of meeting people in the dining car in the communal dining days. Nobody famous, but I got seated with lots of families trying something new, a lot...

Ah, I meant the short flights. I ask because I'm often on a ~100 nautical mile flight that's basically an ascent and descent. They have bottled water, but this flight is almost never catered. Going from my home airport to any of my preferred airline's other hubs, we always get the boarding drink...

The article is about the limit of what you can expect the average Instagram user to read. It's conversational and has some embedded tips. The author's experiences appear to be primarily with European and MTA commuter rail trains. If you're used to continuously welded ballast-free high speed...

I'm curious which airlines even cater these flights to allow you to do it. Of course, on private jets it's another thing...

I know they've studied that, but it seems really unlikely, given the state of the rail network between those two areas. The other problem with Chicago/Florida is the lack of transit density between the two pairs along with the length of the trip: Two nights, minimum. If I were to pick it, I'd...

The major reasons behind the labor shortage overall are the acceleration of boomers retiring, low compensation, a greater number of people between jobs ("great resignation") and greater labor flexibility (remote work/elect-in work). Amtrak's staffing issues are people taking retirement and...

Where's the onboard lap pool and spa?