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In 2021, we were returning on SWC No. 3 which was running 7 hours late, causing us to miss the departure of our southbound Pacific Surfliner No. 770 train from LAX. (Our No. 770 Business Class ticket had been paid for using AGR points and did not appear on our SWC No. 3 ticket.) By the time No...

It appears that SWC No. 3 which left Chicago on 7/10 on time will arrive at LAX today a little over 6 hours late. (This is the third No. 3 in succession to arrive quite late since the new departure and arrival times went into effect on July 8th.) Westbound SWC No. 4 seems to be doing much...

To monitor the SWC schedules, go to https://www.amtrak.com/train-schedules-timetables and click on TRAIN STATUS, then SEARCH BY (drop down to Train Number: 3 westbound and 4 eastbound.) You can use this to find out the arrival times of today's trains and the arrival times of previous days'...

We’ve been following SWC trains Nos. 3 and 4 to see if the new arrival and departure times (which went into effect on Monday July 8th) were having any effect on their on-time performance. On 7/10, No. 3 (the first one to depart CHI under the new time) arrived at LAX over 6 hours late. No. 4 (the...

We assumed as much but, just to be sure, wanted confirmation from someone whose opinion we trust.

Our CHI to LAX ticket purchased on June 20th for a trip in May 2025 has both of our Amtrak Guest Rewards member numbers (which were added after we had to call back because, due to an agent error, they weren’t included on the first e-ticket that was sent to us.) When we enter the reservation...

We have a question as to whether or not we were short-changed some Spend-Earned Guest Rewards points by an AGR agent. -On June 11, we used our Amtrak Guest Rewards credit card to purchase a SWC bedroom from LA to Chicago. On that date, our AGR account was credited with 2,332 Spend-Earn Guest...

When we first started traveling long distance on Amtrak, we took full advantage of the liberal luggage allowance and traveled with at least two large suitcases that needed to be checked. We eventually got this down to one large suitcase, but even this proved an inconvenience, particularly when...

To be sure of catching your cruise ship you most certainly should plan on arriving at least a day early. We were once on a SWC train that ran exactly on schedule up until it arrived in Las Vegas, NM. There, we were delayed because the Sightseer-Lounge car had to be cut out of the consist and...

One common reason for a late departure from Chicago is “mechanical issues” involving the locomotives. Sometimes a train’s departure is held up to accommodate connecting passengers arriving late on another train. There is a certain amount of padding built into Amtrak train schedules which allows...

Perhaps something similar is what caused the accident on July 1st.

For what it’s worth, in 2022, the SWC sleeping car with the bedroom we’d reserved and paid for was cancelled. Rather than requesting a refund, we contacted Amtrak Customer Relations, and they re-booked our trip to a future date and at no extra cost to us. Also, to compensate us for the...

Those who have posted unfavorable comments here about Flex Meals undoubtedly represent only a very small fraction of long-distance travelers who feel the same way about them. It seems unlikely that, after all the years that Flex Meals have been around, Amtrak is unaware of how many people feel...

Someone once posted that the Kosher Flex meals don't have all these ingredients and are a better option, even for those who are not Jewish. (If we were ever on a LD train that served Flex meals, that's what we'd order.) Kosher Flex meals apparently have to be requested in advance.

When we arrived in Las Vegas last May, someone radioed “Out on a quick” and we departed one minute later.

That is probably the case, given the size of their operations. Here is some more information on the food services they provide: "Aramark is an American food service and facilities services provider to clients in areas including education, prisons, healthcare, business, and leisure. It operates...

Did you happen to notice who made the microwavable meals you liked? According to earlier AU posts, the flex meals being served on Amtrak are provided by the Aramark Corporation. Here’s their link telling what they do: https://www.aramark.com/our-services/food-services

There are so many things that can delay an Amtrak train that it is a wonder that any of them are able to run at all! Riding on the SWC, we’ve experienced significant delays due to extreme weather conditions, equipment breakdowns, medical emergencies, police activity, heat-related slowdowns...

We made the reservations for our upcoming September trip last October. Working with an agent we had no problems requesting SWC bedrooms in the 330 and 430 base sleepers. We just finished making our reservations for our May 2025 trip. Once again, we had no problems obtaining bedrooms in the SWC...

Good point! We'll consider this the next time we make reservations. (We always make them so early that we might just get a bedroom in a base sleeper without having to call to ask to be switched to one. )