Amtrak long distance fares 2021-2023

[caravanman]

Rooms are popular in these Covid times, market forces dictate high prices for scarce, finite resources...

 

[Brian Battuello]

If you can afford $1800 for a LSL room, you can get a gourmet chef to provide you with a superb picnic lunch or dinner, and not eat the flex crap.

 

[Sidney]

Who in their right mind would pay $1800 for a room on the LSL? At that price you would expect first class gourmet dining,unlimited alcohol and a personal valet to attend to your every need.

 

[Brian Battuello]

Heck, we are approaching private jet level rates.

I'm guessing that there is a group of people that have become accustomed to train room travel, and will pay anything for it. And if they are habitual riders, they know how awful the service is.

I sure feel sorry for anyone taking their first trip and thinking it will somehow be first class. The first time they ask an attendant for a cup of coffee and he points toward the cafe car.

I'm still getting over the thrill of my one free soda with business class.

(And yes, I know some SCA's will bring you a cup of coffee, but not all will. If you can even find one)

 

[Danib62]

you can go BOS to BBY for $90 like this guy did

 

[Brian Battuello]

Now that is performance art!

 

[Exvalley]

I could never imagine paying $1,800 for a bedroom on the LSL.

On the one hand, I am all for Amtrak charging whatever they can get away with. If they are chartered to be a for-profit company and can make a healthy profit, good for them.

On the other hand, charging high fares will do nothing to endear the general public to the benefit of overnight train travel. We are at risk of slipping into the model of viewing train travel as just a form of land cruise. Congress won't want to support a land cruise as much as they will want to support essential transportation.

 

[Brian Battuello]

Excellent point. The rooms are great for those of us that can afford them (although perhaps not at these prices). But the real Amtrak is the families with their coolers and kids back in coach.

 

[Maglev]

I remember 25 years ago paying over $800 for a Bedroom on the Coast Starlight. Nowadays I usually travel in off-peak times, and have been able to find good fares. But I just checked fares for a possible upcoming SEA-MSP journey for myself only, and while Roomettes are reasonable at $489, Bedrooms are $1,813. But as I did 25 years ago, if I were able to get my wife to join me on a train trip I would be willing to pay almost any amount for the necessary Bedroom.

 

[Sidney]

I remember 25 years ago paying over $800 for a Bedroom on the Coast Starlight. Nowadays I usually travel in off-peak times, and have been able to find good fares. But I just checked fares for a possible upcoming SEA-MSP journey for myself only, and while Roomettes are reasonable at $489, Bedrooms are $1,813. But as I did 25 years ago, if I were able to get my wife to join me on a train trip I would be willing to pay almost any amount for the necessary Bedroom.

Two roomettes would be a lot cheaper than one bedroom. Of course,if a private shower and toilet is worth the extra $800...

 

[Brian Battuello]

If I were able to get my wife to join me on a train trip I would be willing to pay almost any amount for the necessary Bedroom.

You lovebirds!

 

[jis]

I could never imagine paying $1,800 for a bedroom on the LSL.

On the one hand, I am all for Amtrak charging whatever they can get away with. If they are chartered to be a for-profit company and can make a healthy profit, good for them.

They are chartered to be "run like a for profit company" as distinct from being "a for profit company". This change in language was carefully made by Congress presumably implying they need not actually make a profit - I kid you not!

So for a period they were supposed to be merely run like a for profit company, but the minuscule artificially hived out F&B was supposed to not lose money in and of itself, though the big company could. It just boggles the mind the pretzels that people tie themselves into for various political expediencies.

Incidentally, for $1,800 I could possibly fly round trip to India in Premium Economy and most likely get food that is less sloppy too for the 15 hour nonstop flight, specially these days with reduced traffic.

 

[zephyr17]

According to RPA, that language is being dropped in the upcoming authorization and "operated as a public service" is replacing it.

 

[Brian Battuello]

Sounds like Biden is getting some good things accomplished behind the scenes.

No one that ever bought a micro-burger from the cafe car could ever expect that they would make a profit from it.

 

[Asher]

I remember 25 years ago paying over $800 for a Bedroom on the Coast Starlight. Nowadays I usually travel in off-peak times, and have been able to find good fares. But I just checked fares for a possible upcoming SEA-MSP journey for myself only, and while Roomettes are reasonable at $489, Bedrooms are $1,813. But as I did 25 years ago, if I were able to get my wife to join me on a train trip I would be willing to pay almost any amount for the necessary Bedroom.

$489 to St Paul. Two martinis and I’d Shanghai my wife.

 

[Tennessee Traveler]

I confess to not reading all the post in this topic but would like to note that Amtrak is not the only one increasing prices to unheard levels. I booked late April when Amtrak announced going back to daily service and got Empire Builder roomettes to and from Seattle from Chicago for $502 each direction and price has shot up from there. Amtrak is not alone. I booked hotels for August 31 to Sept 5 in Chicago(I book several and then cancel all but the final selection). Despite COVID loss of business the hotel rates were relatively high compared to my last visit to Chicago early 2020 before COVID. Not surprisingly the Chicago hotel prices have increased almost 100 per cent and the rates I booked are no longer available now. The same is true for Seattle. Since the Embassy Suites Pioneer Square right next to King Street Station opened about 3-4 years ago this is my go to hotel and their cost has always been high as are most downtown Seattle hotels - more so that the Chicago hotel rates. Seattle Hotel prices with taxes included exceed $300 nightly. All I am saying is that with the sudden overwhelming number of persons traveling, ALL TRAVEL RELATED PRICES HAVE Gone through the roof. Note that Southwest, American and other airlines cannot hire enough pilots and cabin crew to operate all their scheduled flights. Here in my home city Nashville we had a record setting 400,000 pack downtown Nashville for one if not the largest fireworks display in the country. So let's not be on Amtrak's back for charging what the market will bear. Everyone else is doing it.

 

[Eric in East County]

I confess to not reading all the post in this topic but would like to note that Amtrak is not the only one increasing prices to unheard levels. I booked late April when Amtrak announced going back to daily service and got Empire Builder roomettes to and from Seattle from Chicago for $502 each direction and price has shot up from there. Amtrak is not alone. I booked hotels for August 31 to Sept 5 in Chicago(I book several and then cancel all but the final selection). Despite COVID loss of business the hotel rates were relatively high compared to my last visit to Chicago early 2020 before COVID. Not surprisingly the Chicago hotel prices have increased almost 100 per cent and the rates I booked are no longer available now. The same is true for Seattle. Since the Embassy Suites Pioneer Square right next to King Street Station opened about 3-4 years ago this is my go to hotel and their cost has always been high as are most downtown Seattle hotels - more so that the Chicago hotel rates. Seattle Hotel prices with taxes included exceed $300 nightly. All I am saying is that with the sudden overwhelming number of persons traveling, ALL TRAVEL RELATED PRICES HAVE Gone through the roof. Note that Southwest, American and other airlines cannot hire enough pilots and cabin crew to operate all their scheduled flights. Here in my home city Nashville we had a record setting 400,000 pack downtown Nashville for one if not the largest fireworks display in the country. So let's not be on Amtrak's back for charging what the market will bear. Everyone else is doing it.

A year ago at this time, in East San Diego County we were pay $3.15 for a gallon a gas. Now it is something like $4.15 and that's if you pay cash rather than using a credit card.

 

[dlagrua]

If an Amtrak cross country trip in a sleeper/bedroom stays at the $5000-$6,000 price; we can only wonder if some people will keep paying it. Are these new customers or repeat customers? If they are new customers I just wonder how they rate the second class service for a private rail car excursion rate?.
At this point It seems Amtrak has shut out the loyal customers like us that are willing to pay say $2500 for a round trip bedroom fare to Arizona. If that's the way it stays then I believe other people will buy the first class air fare for less than 1/3 the price.

 

[Exvalley]

If an Amtrak cross country trip in a sleeper/bedroom stays at the $5000-$6,000 price;

I wonder how many people are actually paying these prices. It is possible that the yield management system attempts to get that price, but eventually drops the price if nobody bites.

 

[jruff001]

Incidentally, for $1,800 I could possibly fly round trip to India in Premium Economy and most likely get food that is less sloppy too for the 15 hour nonstop flight, specially these days with reduced traffic.

Not sure that is a fair comparison. Premium Economy is not anything like a flat bed, and in fact I think Amtrak coach on LD trains gives you more space. (Of course, NY - India is a LOT farther than CHI-NY, but I took the point of your post to be about the $ for service / experience more than the transportation function.)

But just for fun, I did a quick search New York to Delhi one month from today and on the only nonstop I could find, the fare was $2885. Amtrak CHI-NYP in a roomette on the same dates was $1480 (round trip for both - I didn't see $1800, at least not on the date I selected). And as much as people here criticize Amtrak's food, cleanliness, service, on-time record, etc., have you every flown Air India???

 

[jis]

Not sure that is a fair comparison. Premium Economy is not anything like a flat bed, and in fact I think Amtrak coach on LD trains gives you more space. (Of course, NY - India is a LOT farther than CHI-NY, but I took the point of your post to be about the $ for service more than the transportation function.)

But just for fun, I did a quick search New York to Delhi one month from today and on the only nonstop I could find, the fare was $2885. Amtrak CHI-NYP in a roomette on the same dates was $1480 (round trip for both - I didn't see $1800, at least not on the date I selected). And as much as people here criticize Amtrak's food, cleanliness, service, on-time record, etc., have you every flown Air India???

My point was mostly about the distance one could travel for that fare. I was not trying to make a fair comparison of service. As for Air India the last time I flew them was in 1980. Haven't touched their international service since then. Of course I have flown plenty of domestic legs and they are fine for those, mostly, though my preference these days is Vistara.

My trips to India, which happens annually when not prevented by pandemics, is usually by United nonstops in Polaris ( which is really a one stop with transit at Newark which is not currently restricted) or by one stop Lufthansa (Frankfurt/Munich) or Emirates (Dubai) Business Class. These one stops are currently not available due to pandemic restrictions.

In reality I would not pay $1800 for traveling to anywhere on the LSL either, nor would I pay $1800 to travel cross country by Amtrak in any class. Just not worth it.

 

[jruff001]

My point was mostly about the distance one could travel for that fare.

Oops, my apologies for misunderstanding then.

But then why does anyone take the train, even in coach? Flying / Greyhound are often cheaper.

 

[jis]

Oops, my apologies for misunderstanding then.

But then why does anyone take the train, even in coach? Flying / Greyhound are often cheaper.

When I take trains I take it for a relaxing journey when the price is right. If you see my travel pattern I am generally not frugal in my travels. But I also am not extravagant, and specially pointlessly so. It is possible to get under $1800 (just to pick a random number since we happened to have picked it before) cross country by Roomette from Orlando to say Seattle round trip, and I consider that to be reasonable for a few relaxing days of travel. OTOH I would not pay $2500-$3000 for such a thing. OTOH, I have no problem paying $3000-$4000 for a RT ticket in Lie Flat Business Class for flying from Orlando to Mumbai, but I would not pay $6000+ for the same. Just my choices. Others can have other choices depending on their circumstances and mood and habits.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Oops, my apologies for misunderstanding then.

But then why does anyone take the train, even in coach? Flying / Greyhound are often cheaper.

Flying - may have medical issues or just a fear of flying
Bus - not as comfortable? Can't get up to walk around. Or maybe no bus service that meets their need. And, of course, there are those who would snub at the idea of riding a bus with "those kinds of people".

 

[crescent-zephyr]

And, of course, there are those who would snub at the idea of riding a bus with "those kinds of people".

Most of them would snub at the idea of riding Amtrak as well.