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Also, they frequently load Washington-originating Northeast Regionals in the lower level as well, even when there seem to be lots of empty tracks in the upper level.

You mean there WERE many interurban lines with speeds of up to 90 mph.... Whatever urban lines are left, like the South Shore Lines (which only runs at 70 mph max), use catenary and pantographs. Also, running at 90 mph on rails is different from a trackless trolley running at high speed on a...

I've ridden the Capitol a few time over the last few years, and it was OK. No sightseer lounge, but they let people hang out in the Cross Country Cafe between meal times. Because I travel by myself, I don't have to worry about the upper berth.

This is probably most important, at least for me. I just can't get in and out of a Superliner upper berth.

I don't know about this Seattle wash rack business. Last year I took the Builder from Seattle. It came into Seattle hours late, and they turned it really quickly, and I guess the windows didn't get washed, but I didn't think the windows were very dirty and had no problems enjoying the scenic...

Actually, I checked a recent Amtrak financial statement. In March 2022, 1.4 billion for the national network, 870 million for the NEC. December 2022, 1.2 billion for the national network, 1.2 billion for the NEC.

Are those full-size planes or "regional jets"/puddle jumpers? And how does 4,000 people a day compare with the number of people who arrive to the area by driving?

Yeah, I wish that were the case, but all I'm seeing is the buildout of more suburban sprawl, which requires a car for full mobility. People who can't afford new cars just buy used clunkers. Suburban bus service is inadequate, and to be fair to the bus companies, hard to provide to obtain full...

Funny you should mention Maine and Vermont. I've actually used Amtrak to get to those locations for touristic reasons. You absolutely have to rent a car when you get to those destinations. In both cases, it's a little complicated to transfer from the Amtrak station to the car rental. And...

I would not want to rely on "vacation and second home" travelers to support a service. In my experience tourism by rail mostly consists of people either riding for the cross-country experience or people traveling to large cities where they can get around without a car. My recent rip on the...

The "customs inspection" at Blaine consisted of the customs agent passing through the train collecting our customs declaration. Nobody got their bags inspected. At least that was my experience last year. The immigration agent in Vancouver did ask about what I was bringing in and took a look at...

The Cascades train to/from Vancouver BC has checked baggage. Leaving Vancouver you take your bags to trainside where you can check them. I guess you pick them up at trainside if you're arriving an Vancouver. This route has preclearance and no intermediate stops in Canada. The Maple Leaf is...

The only real problem with the Silver line is that if the Ted Williams Tunnel has a traffic jam, your bus is stuck in it.

Wishful thinking on his part?

On to the VIA concourse The GO trains have two concourse on the east and west sides of the station. The VIA concourse is in the middle. Toronto Union is a little unusual in that the concourses are below the tracks, so you tide an escalator up to the platform. The only other station in North...

Our itinerary for Saturday was to ride the streetcars, subway and the UP Express airport train in the morning, and then have a ride on the VIA corridor to Belleville. E ended up taking also taking a GO train ride to the Exhibition Loop, as the streetcar from Union Station was out of service due...

A few pictures from our three days in Toronto. I arrived the day before and stayed at a Mariott Courtyard Hotel at Younge and College, a 10 minute ride by the subway to Union Station. Surprise, my Presto card from last year had 9 bucks of credit on it. Not sure where that came from, unless I...

Also remember that passengers on the Auto Train are also paying a stiff charge to transport their car, which may offset the additional expenses involved with the autoracks.

Why should that doom it? The state of Michigan funds trains that pass through Indiana without any subsidy from Indiana, and it seems to be working. Anyway, why do these have to be state-supported trains? The Hugh Speed Rail Alliance's Lakeshore Corridor proposal involves two new long distance...

You're not the first one to think of this. https://www.hsrail.org/lakeshore-corridor/