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Entire cafe/lounge 'reserved for crew'? All five (5) of them? (eng, conductor, asst conductor?, cafe attendant, sleeper attendant). You gotta be kidding me! Oh....that's right! They have to 'spread out' and have separate 'reserved' tables for each of them! I can assure you that if it's that...

I decided to take a trip on the Cardinal after a couple year hiatus. So, after checking a number of dates that work for me, I found a 'low' (for 2022, I'd guess) price of $422 in July (WAS-CHI). (The same trip in March 2019 was $272) So I booked it online. Car 5109. So they ARE now putting...

As a resident of the Springfield MA area, I've taken the $122 Acela fare a number of times, especially when BC on a regional is $149. What's to fix? It most likely is some kind of marketing methodology to get more people on the Acela. Once they're 'hooked' and Acelas get more full, they'll...

Unless a station has uniformed staff at the door checking tickets, there's no way that unticketed persons can be prevented from entering. Just a couple hours ago, while enjoying a lunch at WAS between trains, a panhandler approached and asked for money. I then witnessed a 30-ish man at the...

Depending on how many bags you are dealing with, one idea to 'lighten the load' would be to ship 1 or 2 bags via UPS ground to your Washington area destination about a week before you'd arrive there. That way, you won't be trying to juggle multiple rolling bags and a back pack between LAX and...

Lower, always! My trying to find the steps during the nightly trip(s) to the toilet below while barely awake is just too risky, in my opinion. Also, the air vents under the window and fan on the wall work well and are easily changed without getting up. Easy access to the room light...

Having been retired for over 7 years, count me as one of those who got along perfectly fine for 54 years of his life without a cell phone. I finally broke down and got one and use it for 'entertainment' while waiting in doctors' offices, or as my internet connection to my laptop while...

My biggest adjustment is 'restoring' my 'train legs' while walking to the toilets, cafe, or diner while onboard. As noted above, the NEC can be very rough in spots. Unlike 'consistent' waves, Amtrak is more jolt and bounce that one has to be 'loose enough' to absorb. Being able to grab a...

Years ago, I was on #422 and crew ran out of hours 10 min shy of SAS. thankfully, the next crew for the train was rested and called early. As for having spare, fully rested 'emergency' crew available, the cost of doing so, including out of home terminal would more than double T & E crew costs...

And if you are in some business, how would you hear it and can you run fast enough to not get left behind?

I know I'll never venture beyond line of sight to train, especially if weather or other delays that can be variable. at sched departure time or delayed time, they don't check to verify everyone is back on board, etc. watching my ronettes and luggage leave without me would be worse than a...

Maybe 7-8 yes ago, Trains mag ran a scheduling article. One of the take away was all padding will quickly be cconsumed. In my book, the LSL spends way too much time at each stop and adding more padding will merely lengthen station times.

Actually, I'm surprised that the New Haven line is good for 70-75. Riding the Acela, it seems like we're usually running about 45-50 MPH. I hadn't looked lately. And yes, I know the smoother ride of the Acela compared to Amfleet makes higher speeds not seem so fast. Although the Acela can...

It's a very slanted story, even to this non-Illinois resident. It's noted that the trip to Englewood takes about an hour using the L and buses vs 30 minutes or so to northside destinations. Obviously, the writer never rode the L to some location and then waited and waited for a bus to finish...

You'll need to add 'other' or 'all of the above' for 'what type of Amtrak train to you usually travel on?', or, allow multiple choices to be concurrently selected. The same holds true on the next question (class). In Canada, you need to differentiate between the original 'all CP' route...

Back about 2003, I decided to sell my 15+ years sitting in boxes HO models including a good number of brass trolleys, quality track, unopened plastic as well as 'craftsman' building kits, etc. It was also the impetus to try digital photography after 40+ years shooting film. I naturally...

As one with many thousands of miles in Superliner sleeping cars since they were introduced about 1980, I find I prefer lower level roomettes for lower cost and better convenience to the toilets (no plumbing in Superliner roomettes or family bedrooms). It's also quieter, especially #13 or #14...

I've routinely used upgrade coupons after initially purchasing the ticket with the senior discount or even the 'saver' fare (do they ever list that option these days?). When calling to use the upgrade, the agent has always told me I had to pay the difference between the discounted fare and...

It's quite easy to determine how many TQPs you'll get, especially as it's double TQP days until 12/31. Start by doubling the cost of the trip segment. That's standard TQP calculation for each segment traveled. Double it again as it's 2x days. So a $100 ticket is 400 TQPs thus far. Now add...

I'm amazed at how quickly the brand new 2nd main between New Haven and Hartford CT has lost it's being smooth. Even the reworked (I think) original track isn't anywhere near as smooth as it was 2 years ago. They're both 'jiggly', nothing serious. Goes to show what a wet winter with lots of...