First time on Amtrak?

Question

I've been on trains before, but never Amtrak. Do the cars sway a lot? Generally, how long are you in tunnels? I'll be travelling on Silver Meteor from JAX to Alexandria, VA. Has anybody travelled this route before? I'll be leaving on the 28th. It's a 13 hour trip w/o delays and such. Please give any and all info that anybody might have. Thanks!!

Answer 1

Very comfortable, smooth and the food service is actually pretty tasty!

Answer 2

You won't have any tunnels to worry about on that route.

There is NEVER such a thing as a trip "without delays". AMTRAK will get behind, there's no way to avoid it. When AMTRAK was formed, they purchased a railroad company in the Northeast that had gone out of business. Since they own those tracks, they can usually stay on time. But then they had a choice: Build new track, take years to get the system running, and have tickets be priced much more than they are now (to pay for the new track).... OR they could ask other train companies for permission to use the existing track.

They decided to use the existing track, and the train companies said that was fine, BUT they had first priority. If AMTRAK and a company train needed to use the same track, the company train always goes first, and AMTRAK has to wait. So they often come to a stop in the middle of nowhere for a few minutes, and start running again a few minutes later. Five minutes here, five minutes there, and soon your an hour behind schedule.

Trains sway. They aren't rollercoasters, but when you walk down the aisles it's smart to keep a hand on the back of a seat just in case.

The seats are very comfortable! They are wider than an airplane seat, and the pitch (distance from the front edge of your seat to the back of the seat in front of you) is better. It's going to be like sitting in your favorite easy chair!

Answer 3

You will love it.....smooth as glass and the food is terrific