Preferences regarding the "Quiet Car"

[Kat Delta]

Next week, my husband and I are travelling to New York City on the Vermonter (Coach) for the first time - staying a few nights and returning the way we came. The amenities listed on our tickets include a "Quiet Car" and we are intrigued. We'll be on the train about 8 hours, so we plan to settle in with our books and maybe even catch a nice catnap, if possible. Thought I'd reach out to this helpful community for your overall recommendations. Is the car actually quiet? Where is it located along the car order? Does it tend to be more or less crowded than other cars?

 

[Steve4031]

It’s usually pretty quiet. A cellphone conversation will get shushed by other passengers and the crew. A conversation that’s too loud will get a similar reaction. Its usually at one end of the train.

 

[crescent-zephyr]

Being on one end of the train helps to reduce foot traffic so that helps with the noise as well. I've certainly been in quiet cars on Amtrak and also in Europe where cell phone calls were still made, and small children were pretty loud, etc. so it's not a guarantee that it will actually be quiet - but you have better chances.

 

[John Santos]

If you want to have a call or discussion, you can always move to the vestibule or to a regular coach or diner or cafe or lounge (depending on what's available on a particular train.) This is only really an issue on a packed holiday train, in which case, politeness dictates hold your calls to your destination or (if there are any) getting off at a "smoking" stop, but be sure to make it quick and don't leave the platform! (One of the nicest features of train travel is you aren't stuck in your seat and can move around.)

 

[Rasputin]

My wife and I tried the quiet car on our first Acela trip a few years ago between Boston and DC. I assume it must vary from one crew to another but on that trip it was strictly enforced. Passengers were told to speak only at a whisper level and there was certainly no cell phone use. My wife went to another car when she needed to use her phone.

We found the restrictions in the quiet car to be a bit too confining and we have never used it since. We now always travel in a non-quiet car and it works out just fine. We prefer to be able to have a normal conversation between ourselves and sometimes with other passengers. Some passengers do use cell phones but we have never found the use to be annoying or objectionable.

I suggest that you might want to travel one way in a quiet car and the other way in a regular car and see which one you prefer. Hope you have a nice trip.

 

[Cal]

you can always move to the vestibule

In my experience crews do not like passengers being in the vestibule at all on single-level trains due to safety reasons.

 

[MARC Rider]

In my experience crews do not like passengers being in the vestibule at all on single-level trains due to safety reasons.

I don't know. On the Northeast Regionals, they're always making announcements not to hang out in the vestibule, but when I've gone into one to make a phone call, I've never been bothered by the conductors.

 

[zephyr17]

I don't know. On the Northeast Regionals, they're always making announcements not to hang out in the vestibule, but when I've gone into one to make a phone call, I've never been bothered by the conductors.

Ha! On the Cascades the conductors frequently announce that passengers should use the vestibule to make phone calls.

Amtrak's legendary consistency at work.

 

[Cal]

Ha! On the Cascades the conductors frequently announce that passengers should use the vestibule to make phone calls.

Amtrak's legendary consistency at work.

I haven’t been on an amfleet or a horizon in a long time, but am I correct to say that there’s no door between the vestibule and the gangway, but on the horizons there are? If so, that could be the reason. Or perhaps because PNW crews didn’t historically use many horizons, they just continued their practice of not caring about the vestibule versus the NEC which only uses single level.

 

[Kat Delta]

Thank you all for your input about the quiet car! Some further research on the Amtrak website led me to this blurb which piqued my interest more than ever:

"Need a quiet space to work or unwind? Quiet Cars are available on many corridor and short-distance trains. Guests are asked to limit conversation and speak in subdued tones. Phone calls are not allowed and all portable electronic devices must be used with headphones (passengers using headphones must keep the volume low enough so that the audio cannot be heard by other passengers). Low overhead lighting creates a restful atmosphere for all passengers, but reading lights are available."

My hubby and I just completed our round trip jaunt to NYC and this was our experience on the train:
We boarded the outgoing leg at our home station with about a dozen other travelers and the two of us immediately walked forward through the cars to reach the front of the train. I got excited when we approached the door in the last vestibule - through the glass I could see what appeared to be a completely empty car ahead with the overhead lighting turned down low. I assumed it must be the Quiet Car, but was puzzled because the door was clearly latched in a way that was not meant for entry. No signage anywhere to clarify the status of that car.

Before I even turned around, the conductor called out to us from the other end of the car behind us, "Hey! Where do you think you're going? There's a bunch of empty seats right here!" My dear hubby spoke up on my behalf, "She heard there was a quiet car." The conductor shot back with an impatient I-shouldn't-have-to-explain-this tone of voice, "That's not until New Haven." He began checking tickets for the other passengers already seated while we chose our own seats.

I was pleased to find that this car was plenty quiet enough even though it wasn't officially designated as a "Quiet Car". When we finally reached New Haven, there was no announcement of a Quiet Car opening up, although that first car up ahead of us was made available for new passengers boarding. By this point, the train was fully sold out for the rest of the journey into NYC.

On the return leg, we boarded at the Moynihan Trail Hall. Again, we walked toward the front of the train. And again, the car just behind the engine was empty and inaccessible. We quickly chose seats in that second car. This time, there was an overhead announcement about the quiet car. "There is no Quiet Car on this train. Sorry for the inconvenience. It might be added in New Haven, but for now - no Quiet Car. This train is fully sold out, so keep the seat next to you empty for onboarding passengers."

I was thankful for the communication about the Quiet Car, rather than being left wondering with no explanation. Once again, there was activity in New Haven - they switched the engine AND removed that first empty car. But no further announcements were made about the Quiet Car following that initial notification at NYP.

All in all, the train ride was a win. There can be no easier way to visit the heart of mid-town Manhattan at such a reasonable price. My take away from the experience is to NOT rely on the published amenities for my particular route. Just because it is in writing, doesn't make it so.

 

[Amtrak25]

On NEC Amfleet trains, I notice the last couple of years, they put out the lights along the window side of the luggage rack, so you need the overhead seat light to be switched on.