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Go to Montreal sometime. It'll make you grateful for Amtrak's stellar customer service by comparison. With a few exceptions, Americans are treated like an inconvenience. The nicest people I've encountered were the police after my partner's purse was stolen.

This *and* running a service in these weather extremes is really creating a potential life safety issue that Amtrak is utterly unprepared to handle. Imagine a Wolverine situation happening in the literal middle of nowhere Montana. What if the train were snowed in for a week? Would there even be...

I don't think I've ever had my ticket scanned while in a sleeper in either the CZ or LSL.

If you've ever dealt with ADA compliant elevators in public transit, you will know that this is *absolutely* not the case. Even the dumb waiters in the cafe car have a lot of maintenance problems that come up--and you don't have nearly the same weight/duty/safety cycle for those. Then you're...

He was doing a lot of traveling during the pandemic, to be fair.

ADA, in this case, becomes a strong argument against bi-level trains.

At the same time, if you keep your composure, conductors will often side with the passenger over the OBS. A few times, I've been involved in situations where the OBS was not only wrong, but belligerent and inappropriate. They summoned the conductor, who always supported me.

That part is true. From the time I started riding Amtrak on the Pere Marquette in the 90s, it's never been safe to hang out on a train in a car where food is being served. I've been told to vacate a table from an automat car. The only exception I've known to this is the Sightseer Lounge on...

Hi @Janis. My recommendation is, unfortunately, to not take this trip with your friend. Amtrak shares their passenger lists with the Federal Government. Your friend will have to book the ticket under their real name, and it is likely law enforcement (probably ICE) will follow up at the train...

I applaud that consistency! Whether it's the crew rest seat in first class, or a table in the cafe car, the OBS should have a dedicated area that is the same on each train. Even DB has an office for the OBS on Intercity trains, this should also be done for Amtrak services.

You're talking about two different service types. On one 50 hour transcontinental run, I've run into up to three different sets of rules. On the CZ, for example, how the lounge car is treated between SLC and DEN is almost entirely up to the train crew. How or whether or not there is a meal...

Going back to the original thread, if I were to just change three things: 1) Change the "Here to serve me" attitude to "Here to serve you". While there are exceptional Amtrak staff, they seem to be more the exception than the rule. 2) Standardization: Make one set of operating rules for all...

Let's not forget the Essential Air Service.

So, I haven't quite gotten into the whole trip log yet--but the pictures look amazing. I just got stuck on this bit. I'm a little disappointed and curious as to why you take this stand. It's technically Thurgood Marshall International Airport, so renamed to honor a great American Supreme Court...

There's three "Union Stations" to discuss here: 1) The building which is comprised of a food court and a boutique hotel. 2) The Amtrak and RTA Rail platform areas 3) The underground bus loading terminal (which might as well be another world entirely, since Amtrak passengers only see it if...

The other thing is cost recovery. Airline-based internet services can easily recover their costs and make a profit, on top of additional demand for those services from the traveling public. Internet is a "nice to have" for Amtrak passengers, especially since they can use their cell phones...

You can call Amtrak to choose the level, but the side is not going to be something you can guarantee.

While they're more space, Family Bedrooms are kind of dingy. I personally prefer Roomettes on the upper level. For the best parts of the CZ, you really want to be in a roomette for the views--since the observation car can get quite crowded.

The paper Sources of Cost Overrun in Nuclear Power Plant Construction Call for a New Approach to Engineering has great background on the cost overruns behind nuclear. The sad fact of the matter is most of the research behind nuclear went into big Pressurized Water Reactors and other thermal...

Yes, 100%, always. Most electrical power plants are burning natural gas about as efficiently as can be done. This results in about half the emissions of CO2 versus coal or other forms of energy. However, the real downside to diesel engines are the unavoidable Nitrous Oxides, Sulfur Dioxides and...