Your opinion on Amtrak?

Question

I will be traveling on Amtrak soon. Some people say the seats and service are really bad, but just as many say that it has great seats and sevice. Does anyone who has ridden on Amtrak have an opinion?

Answer 1

The Northeast corridor, pretty much Boston to Richmond, is well maintained and whether you take the Acela or the regional trains you'll be good to go.  

Where you hear the real Amtrak horror stories are when people use Amtrak in other regions of the country.

Answer 2

ive ridden amtrack from Chicago to San Francisco and also from LA to Chicago. i thought it was wonderful!!! the service was soooooo friendly!! i have to say.... the seats arent the best but if your traveling a long ways like across country i would recomend a sleeper car which also includes all ur meals in the diner car!! a resturaunt in the train!! its really coool

Answer 3

I just took a trip in May from Portland, OR to Springfield, IL and back, and I wrote an article about it at this link:

http://www.ehow.com/how_2311141_have-bla...

Hope this sheds some light on your upcoming trip!

Answer 4

It depends on the particular train you are riding.

I live in New York and I've ridden Amtrak's Acela Express down to Washington DC.  This is Amtrak's crown jewel so it gets a lot of their maintenance and TLC.  It's a very nice train ride, with their new high-speed trainset built by Alsthom (the same company that built the French TGV trains).

I've also ridden the Lake Shore Limited from New York City to Buffalo, and that one is definitely a few notches lower, with 20-year-old Amfleet passenger cars that has seen better days.

Just my experience.

Answer 5

I have rode the Lakshore Limited from Toledo Ohio to Chicago it was very comfortable. And I rode the Empire Builder from Chicago to Seattle and it was great. Lots better than flying or taking the bus.

Answer 6

Jake-

I would have to say that I have never had a bad experience with Amtrak, as far as their service and their staff.

Now getting to their destinations on time, yeah they can be on the tardy side, but they will always get you there safe.

My wife and I travel on the Coast Starlight from San Jose, CA into Seattle, WA twice per year to visit family there.  Its always been a very nice trip, and the staff has always been exceptional.  Food has been very good on board, so no complaints in that department.

If you are going on a fairly lengthly trip, I would suggest that you purchase a roomette rather than travel coach.  The coach seats are comfortable, but for a long trip the roomette would serve you better.  Just be sure to reserve your roomette in advance though, as those have a tendancy to sell out.  

The only thing I would like to see happen with Amtrak in the near future is getting their equipment upgraded.  The cars are getting to the point where they need to be refurbished.  But they are always very clean.

Anyhow, enjoy your trip!