Long distance trains frequency

[anmldr]

Which long distance route only operates every other day?

 

[Peter_Travels]

The following 2 Long Distance trains operate only 3 times per week:

• Sunset Limited (New Orleans-Los Angeles)

• Cardinal (New York-Chicago)


All other long distance trains operate every day.

It should also be noted that the Lake Shore Limited provides daily service from New York to Chicago, but on a different route than the Cardinal.

 

[fdaley]

Which long distance route only operates every other day?

The Cardinal and Sunset Limited are the only two LD routes that operate less than daily. Both of them have three departures per week in each direction, so they are not quite every other day -- i.e., there will be three days between one set of departures each week. The Cardinal, for example, leaves New York westbound on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays and leaves Chicago eastbound on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

 

[danasgoodstuff]

Ideally, all LD routes would run twice a day so that every stop on the route could be served at a decent if not quite optimal time of day. I'd love to take the Builder from PDX to Spokane, but it gets there and comes back in the middle of the night, roughly midnight eastbound and 3am westbound IIRC.

 

[Keith1951]

Im just looking for opinions. Taking Amtrak from CHI to LAX. Which in your opinion is the best trip overall? Just assume they both take the same amount of time and cost the same for a bedroom. Please let me know what you think.

 

[Septa9739]

I’ve never taken the Eagle, but it is commonly noted as one of the less scenic routes. It also doesn’t carry a traditional diner CHI-SAS. That may be a concern if you want a bedroom.

I’ve taken the Chief, which also isn’t often noted as a terribly scenic run, but I’d disagree. It does offer traditional dining. I think there is a real beauty to the deserts in New Mexico and Arizona. I’m also a railroad nerd, so I think the very busy BNSF Transcon is a marvelous piece of art, the way train movements are very carefully executed and the infrastructure is utilized. I’d probably take that.

The other option would require booking a multi-city ticket, leaving Chicago on the California Zephyr, spending a night in California and then taking the Starlight to Los Angeles the next morning. This would by far be the most scenic way to make the trip. I’ve only taken the Zephyr once, but my heavens is it worth it. The Starlight isn’t anything to sneeze at either.

 

[jiml]

Im just looking for opinions. Taking Amtrak from CHI to LAX. Which in your opinion is the best trip overall? Just assume they both take the same amount of time and cost the same for a bedroom. Please let me know what you think.

IMHO the best "trip" on that route is the Southwest Chief, however the scenery on the Zephyr/Starlight combination can't be beat (see the previous post). I can't see how the latter could be the same price though. I was a big fan of the Eagle/Sunset route but it has a lot of more recent issues that are well-documented in various threads here.

 

[Eric in East County]

IMHO the best "trip" on that route is the Southwest Chief,

We agree.

Eric & Pat

 

[Cal]

Im just looking for opinions. Taking Amtrak from CHI to LAX. Which in your opinion is the best trip overall? Just assume they both take the same amount of time and cost the same for a bedroom. Please let me know what you think.

Take the California Zephyr from Chicago to the Bay Area, spend a night in a hotel, and take the Coast Starlight south to LA if you want the best scenery. It is also a very long trip.

The Southwest Chief is fairly scenic, has great history, and is direct to LA from Chicago which means it's shorter by about 38 hours.