Comparison of Amtrak vs. other transport mode

[Alexandria Nick]

On my most recent taxi shenanigan (from Savannah Amtrak to the airport to get a rental car) I was extorted for close to $50. Needless to say I did Uber on the return trip from airport to Amtrak and it cost less than half… screams shenanigans. This driver didn’t even use the meter it was just a verbal thing.

You got the short end of the stick because two things worked against you without your knowledge.

Savannah has a flat airport rate: $28.
They can also charge you a "waiting fee," which they claim for their time waiting for passengers at the train station. That fee? $25.

So, you can easily end up with an entirely legal $53 dollar fare from the train station to the airport.

 

[AFS1970]

On the whole, I think most never again statements are knee jerk reactions that never come to fruition. I do have one airline that I try my best to keep on my never again list. To me any problem I encounter on a trip has to be looked at in relation to two factors. First, is it the carrier's fault, second what if anything did they do to fix it. I might also add a third factor in the middle that doesn't always apply, which is did the carrier do anything to aggravate the situation?

Of all my Amtrak trips, maybe three have had issues. One was ultimately fixed in the long term by a new way of ticketing. One was Amtrak's fault but also a bit of mine for not researching how something worked. This is the only one that I think Amtrak didn't handle well. One was weather related and beyond Amtrak's control. They contacted me well ahead of time to alert me to the situation and offer me options.

Conversely, on Greyhound, which has been mostly positive, I had one bad trip. It was clearly Greyhound's (or at least their employee's) fault. When contacted, without question they offered a full refund. That can't lead to a never again because they did everything they could to make it right.

I have had a couple of trips on Bolt Bus, which was surprisingly nice for the price. They have limited routes, so are rarely an option for me. However, on one trip it was extremely difficult to find the location of the bus stop to get on the bus. I know they save costs by stopping on the street instead of bus stations, but at least give an address or intersection.

As for the airline, it was Jet Blue, and while the initial issue was a weather delay, they through various steps aggravated the situation and essentially left a plane full of passengers stranded at an airport with no support services. Not even an acknowledgement of the 12-hour delay. However, months later where there was a significant issue for more travelers, I got an email apologizing for delays that I didn't experience. Funny thing is that I have many friends and family that swear by Jet Blue.

As almost an aside since this thread is so old, while I don't think it matters much that the passenger in the original post was a pastor, if the story had been about the poster's friend Dave, would others be as quick to ask why it mattered that his name was Dave? Of course not.

 

[jebr]

Once we arrived on the Empire Builder in CHI at 3AM. Two other times the A/C went out on the Cardinal and NE regional. Last year the door came of the tracks of our bedroom on the Capitol Ltd. A bit of lateness seems routine but its still better than flying where you are stuffed in a cylinder with 100 other people and planes are often late as well.

In MSP, the eastbound Empire Builder was over an hour late 38% of the time over the past year, excluding any with no data/service disruption. Adding those in, the eastbound Builder was late or cancelled 47% of the time! Westbound the percentages are 20% not including the ones with no data/service disruption, or 28% including those. These kind of percentages would be seen as horrific over the course of a year for any airline, and yet my only choice if I want to take an intercity train from where I live is to accept that there's a pretty decent likelihood that I'll be at least an hour late, with no alternative options. Flying often isn't pleasant, but it's usually far cheaper, far less travel time, and far more reliable. I'll still take Amtrak where it makes sense, but except for the few times where I can justify a long train journey as an integral part of my trip, the plane is coming out for most of my longer journeys, and the car sadly gets a lot of my shorter journeys since I can't count on Amtrak to be anywhere close to on-time in my area.

 

[Eric in East County]

Let’s face it, traveling, especially long-distance travel is not as stress free as we’d like to remember that it was. Those who choose to fly must go through all manner of inconveniences and indignities before they can even board their aircraft. And once onboard, “social distancing” means little or nothing. (Thanks to the COVID hysteria of a few years ago, the “Social Distancing genie” is out of the bottle and no number of assurances from medical experts will convince many people, especially the elderly, otherwise.) With the current gas prices, making a long-distance trip via car is no longer as economical as it once was after you add in the cost of meals and lodging. (Then too, there are the traffic tie-ups when passing through large cities such as Los Angeles.) Short of taking the bus, Amtrak is now looking better and better to many people, particularly those who aren’t concerned about late arrivals. For these people, the question is whether or not to travel in coach. In a different thread, the pros and cons of making a long-distance train trip in coach are discussed at length. For many of us, sleeping car accommodations – either a bedroom or a roomette – are the only acceptable means of making a long-distance train trip. And as stated in an earlier post to this thread, being able to reserve these accommodations, particularly on short notice, is not as easy as it once was despite the inflated prices being charged for them. It’s enough to make the average citizen just want to stay home.

 

[railiner]

It’s enough to make the average citizen just want to stay home.

Lets see…
Many companies have jobs that can be worked from home.
Cable and satellite selection of home entertainment is almost limitless.
One can have “zoom” or “facetime” visits with friends, relatives, or colleagues.
Almost any kind of meal, or supply can be ordered for fast home delivery.

I think you have a point there…

 

[user 29618]

It's not just AMTRAK.

"Never again" applies to lots of things - take a look at all the truly horrible (one star) ratings of major restaurant chains, for example. Or hotels - bedbugs for $150 a night isn't a bargain.

Mostly, the problem seems to be a combination of corporate don't care - because the CEO gets his bonus and golden parachute no matter what happens, and employees who don't see any need to try, but still expect $25 an hour for texting their friends.

 

[pi314]

I don't know about "never again", but I have had three trips this year where I really wanted to take Amtrak because a train is my default preferred method of getting from A to B, but each time I bailed on Amtrak and either drove or flew, mostly because of decisions made at the managerial level at Amtrak.

Cost is obviously not the sole consideration when weighing the 3 different means of travel (excluding bus and boat) for any significant U.S. trip.

You have what's essentially a pain equation with a "greater than/less than" symbol separating any two options. The factors for each method include cost, duration time, departure & arrival times, logistical considerations on each end including subsequent local travel & lodging, meal availability and quality considerations, sleep disruption, and comfort which has a gazillion components to it.

Car: expensive, can't really relax, odometer penalty, and time consuming, but you're not on anyone else's schedule, you can sit by yourself, you can pack as much as you want and easily bring your own food, you have transportation when you arrive at a destination away from home, and total freedom to stop, stretch, and explore along the way. I actually HATE driving these days because people are nuts on the road, endless construction backups, and it's usually stressful navigating any metropolitan area.

Plane: it's torture for the plethora of reasons everyone knows, but hard to beat for long distance. Usually the misery is of short enough duration that you can get it over with and just get on with your life. This balanced against the potential of unholy hell when there's a mechanical or weather delay/cancellation that pits you against the non-existent "customer service" of just about any airline.

Train: relaxing, can watch the scenery or close your eyes, get up and walk around a bit, pretty good food on LD trains West of the Mississipi, sleeper car option if you can afford it. However, there are the downsides of Amtrak that are totally avoidable if management actually cared about attracting customers. Good grief, trains are the only overland mode of transportation that can actually make travel comfortable and enjoyable, and Amtrak has taken a pass. Not a comprehensive breakdown, but for example:

- Except for the Western LD trains with sleeper accommodations the "food" is inedible for anyone who actually cares about their diet. You basically have an onboard vending machine or maybe warm options worthy of a 7-11.

- Seats USED to be great. The new venture cars with narrow uncomfortable seats for a 5 - 6 hour trip are non starters for me personally. Which leaves business class but you can't reserve a specific (in my case single) seat except for a handful of Eastern routes. A 3-hour flight elbow to elbow with a stranger of unknown girth, fragrance, and health condition is my limit. So with the new Venture cars ceding the ADA wide aisle, they could have been configured with 2 + 1 in coach as well as business. So you stick a couple of extra cars on it to make up the capacity, big deal. Also the gratuitous pain of trailing empty coach cars but not opening them up until the cars in use are mostly full to capacity is ridiculous. Point being, Amtrak has the ability to take advantage of the inherent spaciousness afforded by managing train configurations, but they don't.

Time tables: I canned a recent Wolverine trip for the sole reason that I had a daytime activity in Detroit but the only option to arrive in Chicago arrives very late in the evening. Getting from downtown to the suburbs at that time is problematic and these days Chicago is not a place I want to be at night. There are two morning trains and an evening train leaving Detroit. WTH...? Also, is it asking too much to have simple PDF files for the routes? Major time waster and nuisance to have to search for "mythical" trips just to get times for various station options. That's an inexcusable middle finger pointed at the customer.

Price: I don't mind paying a premium but there should be a value to it. I don't really see that. Good food options. Reserved comfortable seats. Not to mention, business and sleepers are often booked full - can we not add extra cars?

Most things about Amtrak strike me as bureaucratic sludge run by incompetent managers who are never held accountable for actually improving anything. Sorry Amtrak, I really wanted to ride your trains this year but the pain equation always has you on the "greater than" side.

 

[crescent-zephyr]

hose to choose to fly must go through all manner of inconveniences and indignities before they can even board their aircraft. And once onboard, “social distancing” means little or nothing.

For many of us, sleeping car accommodations – either a bedroom or a roomette – are the only acceptable means of making a long-distance train trip.

That depends on the airport and the type of ticket you buy. Most regional airports are extremely easy to navigate and rarely have a long line at TSA. Even some larger airports are set up pretty nicely.

If sleeping accommodations are the only acceptable means of a long-distance train trip, than you can easily afford first class seats on the airlines which are quite comfortable and the service is usually excellent (with the occasional MIA attendant just like on amtrak).

Now IF Amtrak serves your town at a convenient time, I'd take the train any day that's for sure. Which is why it's great to see increased service on many Amtrak corridors and new routes like Brightline. Hopefully, Amtrak can increase frequency on LD routes as well one day.

 

[skylar]

In MSP, the eastbound Empire Builder was over an hour late 38% of the time over the past year, excluding any with no data/service disruption. Adding those in, the eastbound Builder was late or cancelled 47% of the time! Westbound the percentages are 20% not including the ones with no data/service disruption, or 28% including those. These kind of percentages would be seen as horrific over the course of a year for any airline, and yet my only choice if I want to take an intercity train from where I live is to accept that there's a pretty decent likelihood that I'll be at least an hour late, with no alternative options. Flying often isn't pleasant, but it's usually far cheaper, far less travel time, and far more reliable. I'll still take Amtrak where it makes sense, but except for the few times where I can justify a long train journey as an integral part of my trip, the plane is coming out for most of my longer journeys, and the car sadly gets a lot of my shorter journeys since I can't count on Amtrak to be anywhere close to on-time in my area.

If you've already accepted the time of a train trip, one way that helps me accept delays is to look at it as a proportion of the overall, scheduled trip time. For instance, a delay of an hour on a scheduled five hour flight is only 20% - that's equivalent to a delay of over 9 hours on the end-to-end schedule of the Empire Builder! To be honest, I would rather take a nine hour delay on a train than any delay on a flight, given how unpleasant planes and airports are.

 

[jebr]

To be honest, I would rather take a nine hour delay on a train than any delay on a flight, given how unpleasant planes and airports are.

That's where I probably differ from many on the forum. If the delay is at a train station or an airport, I'd probably take it at an airport - at least at my local airport, there's usually an empty gate to relax it, along with many restaurants and quick-service places to grab food as needed. I do have a lounge membership, though I don't always use it. For an equivalent amount of time, I'd certainly take a delay on a train vs. on the plane, but not proportionally - if it's an hour delay on the tarmac for an MSP - SEA flight vs. a nine hour delay on the train, I'd take the one hour tarmac delay almost any day of the week.

Realistically, I enjoy flying almost as much as I enjoy taking the train. They both have their pros and cons, but I don't despise the airport experience (TSA Precheck certainly helps on the security front immensely, as it brings the security experience up to a civilized nature.) There's also something magical about looking at the world from 30,000 feet - a very different kind of magic from seeing the world from 10 feet up on the rails. As an example, here's a photo (which doesn't do it justice) of a sunset on a recent flight over western Minnesota (if I remember where I was correctly.)



Don't get me wrong - I still love a train ride, and there's magic from seeing the world at ground level as well, but it's very difficult for me to justify the time for a long-distance Amtrak trip these days, especially given the extreme unreliability and uncertainty around equipment functioning properly (I do not enjoy spending 48 hours in a train car with poor HVAC!) That said, I'm greatly looking forward to the new corridor service between MSP and Chicago (which hopefully will not have nearly as egregious timekeeping issues) and, especially overseas, do enjoy taking the rails when it works with my plans (I took the train from Rome to Paris earlier this year, and next year plan on doing the Eurostar from Amsterdam to London.)

 

[MARC Rider]

The one thing that really bugs me about flying is turbulence. There's little the airlines can do about it, and most of the time it's perfectly safe, or so they say, but I get totally and utterly freaked out every time the plane drops out from under me. It feels like we're in free fall for hundreds of feet, though I'm told it's usually not more than 10 feet or so. Also, seeing the plane's wings flex is a little disconcerting, even though I've been told that they're designed to do just that. The worst is when I hear the Captain say "flight attendants, please be seated." After all, they usually walk around when the fasten seat belt signs are on, so if the pilot is telling them to sit down, we must be heading into some really rough weather. It's also not much fun sitting next to someone who's a Navy pilot (which once happened to me) who sits during the entire experience grimacing and holding the arms of his seat with a death grip. (We were trying to climb up around a thunderstorm and gain altitude.) Anyway, from the time I board the plane until the point when the wheels touch the ground while landing, I and totally and utterly a bag of nerves. Iknow it's totally irrational, but that's the way it is.

I do sometimes get similar feelings of vertigo while riding Amtrak. Usually it's being in the upper level of a Superliner going 70 mph on rough track, or sometimes in a Acela also hitting rough track at higher speeds. Feels like the train is about to tip over or fly off the track. Goodness knows how I'd react to an actual derailment.

 

[pi314]

The one thing that really bugs me about flying is turbulence. There's little the airlines can do about it, and most of the time it's perfectly safe, or so they say, but I get totally and utterly freaked out every time the plane drops out from under me. It feels like we're in free fall for hundreds of feet, though I'm told it's usually not more than 10 feet or so. Also, seeing the plane's wings flex is a little disconcerting, even though I've been told that they're designed to do just that. The worst is when I hear the Captain say "flight attendants, please be seated." After all, they usually walk around when the fasten seat belt signs are on, so if the pilot is telling them to sit down, we must be heading into some really rough weather. It's also not much fun sitting next to someone who's a Navy pilot (which once happened to me) who sits during the entire experience grimacing and holding the arms of his seat with a death grip. (We were trying to climb up around a thunderstorm and gain altitude.) Anyway, from the time I board the plane until the point when the wheels touch the ground while landing, I and totally and utterly a bag of nerves. Iknow it's totally irrational, but that's the way it is.

I do sometimes get similar feelings of vertigo while riding Amtrak. Usually it's being in the upper level of a Superliner going 70 mph on rough track, or sometimes in a Acela also hitting rough track at higher speeds. Feels like the train is about to tip over or fly off the track. Goodness knows how I'd react to an actual derailment.

I'm a retired pilot - 40 years Air Force and commercial flying.

On the subject of turbulence: Pilots will do everything they can do mitigate it or avoid it entirely, but sometimes you just have to soldier on through an area with no great options. When the Captain makes that "Please be seated" PA, it's probably because it's short notice which is pretty rare. Usually there is some advance warning from the controller, other aircraft, turbulence forecast etc., so the request for the flight attendants to strap in their jumpseats would be communicated discreetly, with maybe a PA to the passengers explaining that they've been instructed to discontinue their service and to observe the seat belt sign, because most of the time people ignore it even when it's illuminated.

As uncomfortable as the ride might get, I can guarantee you that the pilots' reaction 99.99999% of the time is going to be mild annoyance. I've been in moderate turbulence so rough I couldn't read the instrument panel and while that's no fun, it mostly pissed me off. In 40 years I encountered severe turbulence one time and that was no joke, but it only lasted a few seconds and it's extremely rare.

As for the wings flexing, those planes are built like tanks and designed with flex in them. A rigid airplane frame would beat you to death and rip the plane apart, so be happy that they're moving around - they're supposed to.

Having said all that, I'm not that good a passenger. It's the lack of control and not knowing what's going on.

 

[Trogdor]

That's where I probably differ from many on the forum. If the delay is at a train station or an airport, I'd probably take it at an airport - at least at my local airport, there's usually an empty gate to relax it, along with many restaurants and quick-service places to grab food as needed. I do have a lounge membership, though I don't always use it. For an equivalent amount of time, I'd certainly take a delay on a train vs. on the plane, but not proportionally - if it's an hour delay on the tarmac for an MSP - SEA flight vs. a nine hour delay on the train, I'd take the one hour tarmac delay almost any day of the week.

I agree with you on this part. A one hour delay on a five-hour flight is 20% of the scheduled time, just as a 9-hour delay is on a 45-hour trip. However, one represents an annoyance that can often be worked around with a little bit of buffer, and the other means you can absolutely forget about anything you might have considered doing that day. On an eastbound LD into Chicago, that means getting home/to your hotel well after midnight. On almost any route, it means missing your connection to the (often) only train available going to your onward destination.

Delays prior to boarding at an airport can be somewhat tolerable (if not still a bit annoying) if you have lounge access. On United (and I assume some other airlines as well), I get a text message when boarding starts so as long as the lounge is reasonably close to the gate I can keep an eye on it to see when to head over. On Amtrak, initial terminal delays are rarely given a good ETD so you know when to be ready, and so few stations overall have any lounge access (and many barely have any sort of useful waiting facility, let alone any amenities) so even if you know how late your train is because you’re boarding downline, there might not be any decent place to wait out the delay.

Even if, mathematically, the 1 hour delay on a 5-hour flight is the same proportion as a 9 hour delay on a 45-hour train trip, psychologically I’d bet the real equivalence is closer to 3-4 hours, if that. As much as some folks want to wave it off as being “more time on the train,” in the end, most people actually have some place they’re trying to go. Although they may not be “in a hurry” per se, and can take a more leisurely routing to get there, their time is still important to them and they’d probably not want to spend several hours of it on some siding in the middle of farmland waiting for a broken down freight train to clear the tracks up ahead.

 

[ms garrison]

The one thing that really bugs me about flying is turbulence. There's little the airlines can do about it, and most of the time it's perfectly safe, or so they say, but I get totally and utterly freaked out every time the plane drops out from under me. It feels like we're in free fall for hundreds of feet, though I'm told it's usually not more than 10 feet or so. Also, seeing the plane's wings flex is a little disconcerting, even though I've been told that they're designed to do just that. The worst is when I hear the Captain say "flight attendants, please be seated." After all, they usually walk around when the fasten seat belt signs are on, so if the pilot is telling them to sit down, we must be heading into some really rough weather. It's also not much fun sitting next to someone who's a Navy pilot (which once happened to me) who sits during the entire experience grimacing and holding the arms of his seat with a death grip. (We were trying to climb up around a thunderstorm and gain altitude.) Anyway, from the time I board the plane until the point when the wheels touch the ground while landing, I and totally and utterly a bag of nerves. Iknow it's totally irrational, but that's the way it is.

I do sometimes get similar feelings of vertigo while riding Amtrak. Usually it's being in the upper level of a Superliner going 70 mph on rough track, or sometimes in a Acela also hitting rough track at higher speeds. Feels like the train is about to tip over or fly off the track. Goodness knows how I'd react to an actual derailment.

That's me. LOL.

 

[AFS1970]

So funny thing about replying to this thread. Saturday night I got a text from Amtrak that my train for Sunday afternoon was canceled. I was supposed to go from NYC to Albany for a work conference. The messages came in at 7:30 & 7:55 PM , and told me I could reschedule on the app. This would have been fine if the cause of the cancelation was not a mud slide that took out a stone retaining wall and covered 4 tracks. So 100% not Amtraks fault, and I believe those are MNRR tracks so not even theirs to clean up. Of course, by the time I realize that all trains have been canceled and there are no rescheduling options, it is8:02 PM and the Amtrak Rewards line closes at 8:00. It does transfer me to the regular number and after a half hour on hold I hung up. I booked a seat on Greyhound. Other than the usual poor signage at PABT, the ride was comfortable, and it was an express bus with no stops between NYC and Albany.

Is this a never again story? Not by a mile. It was a weather-related disruption. While I would have liked the notice while there were still people to speak to and maybe even a message saying all trains were canceled for the next two days. I realize that decisions need to be made quickly and frequently and Greyhound worked out well for me. The only really bad part is I didn't get to use my soon to expire Metropolitan Lounge pass.

 

[gregg_vw]

The one thing that really bugs me about flying is turbulence. There's little the airlines can do about it, and most of the time it's perfectly safe, or so they say, but I get totally and utterly freaked out every time the plane drops out from under me. It feels like we're in free fall for hundreds of feet, though I'm told it's usually not more than 10 feet or so. Also, seeing the plane's wings flex is a little disconcerting, even though I've been told that they're designed to do just that. The worst is when I hear the Captain say "flight attendants, please be seated." After all, they usually walk around when the fasten seat belt signs are on, so if the pilot is telling them to sit down, we must be heading into some really rough weather. It's also not much fun sitting next to someone who's a Navy pilot (which once happened to me) who sits during the entire experience grimacing and holding the arms of his seat with a death grip. (We were trying to climb up around a thunderstorm and gain altitude.) Anyway, from the time I board the plane until the point when the wheels touch the ground while landing, I and totally and utterly a bag of nerves. Iknow it's totally irrational, but that's the way it is.

I do sometimes get similar feelings of vertigo while riding Amtrak. Usually it's being in the upper level of a Superliner going 70 mph on rough track, or sometimes in a Acela also hitting rough track at higher speeds. Feels like the train is about to tip over or fly off the track. Goodness knows how I'd react to an actual derailment.

What helped me with my nerves about turbulence was when a flight attendant explained it was analogous to driving a car over a rough road or a series of sharp bumps. Going fast enough while not being belted you could even hit the headliner in a car. However, as uncomfortable as that ride could be, that doesn't usually cause us to fear the car will crash or fly apart.

 

[gregg_vw]

I'm a retired pilot - 40 years Air Force and commercial flying.

On the subject of turbulence: Pilots will do everything they can do mitigate it or avoid it entirely, but sometimes you just have to soldier on through an area with no great options. When the Captain makes that "Please be seated" PA, it's probably because it's short notice which is pretty rare. Usually there is some advance warning from the controller, other aircraft, turbulence forecast etc., so the request for the flight attendants to strap in their jumpseats would be communicated discreetly, with maybe a PA to the passengers explaining that they've been instructed to discontinue their service and to observe the seat belt sign, because most of the time people ignore it even when it's illuminated.

As uncomfortable as the ride might get, I can guarantee you that the pilots' reaction 99.99999% of the time is going to be mild annoyance. I've been in moderate turbulence so rough I couldn't read the instrument panel and while that's no fun, it mostly pissed me off. In 40 years I encountered severe turbulence one time and that was no joke, but it only lasted a few seconds and it's extremely rare.

As for the wings flexing, those planes are built like tanks and designed with flex in them. A rigid airplane frame would beat you to death and rip the plane apart, so be happy that they're moving around - they're supposed to.

Having said all that, I'm not that good a passenger. It's the lack of control and not knowing what's going on.

Same when driving a car v. being a passenger. That lack of control when conditions get foggy/slippery/etc. can really set in when not behind the wheel.

 

[user 29618]

It looks like every mode of travel has it's "never agains" who have good, rational reasons.

If you are 50 or older, you might be able to remember a time when things worked.

example 1:
I flew to Hawaii in coach class from California circa 1970.
Food was terrific, served on china. Seats were wide enough to be comfortable.
Plane left and arrived on schedule.
Price was affordable for a poor college student.

example 2:
The day before AMTRAK took over the Crescent, our trip from ATL to DC was pleasant, the food was wonderful, and service professional and friendly, even though the Southern RR and employees had zero reasons to care at that point.

The real question is: if they could do it then, why not now?

 

[drdumont]

I flew at least one round trip a week for about 30 years. Domestic and International.
Eastern hosed me big time once, and I swore I would never ride them again. Couple of years later, I got to the airport late for an EWR-San Juan flight. My problem. Eastern counter was next to my counter. Eastern guy said "I got you", I handed him my AA ticket. 20 mins later I was in First Class on Eastern. I canceled my Never Again on Eastern vow. Alas, they quit flying a few months later. The crews were really trying, but...
The night Continental took over People express, my crew of 20 and I got really hosed and I ended up chartering a flight from Teterboro. (Back when ABC TV was ABC TV). Continental went to the top if my "Never Again" list, and Frank Lorenzo's picture went on my dartboard and in the porcelain convenience on the wall in the office. Never flew them again. Look at them now. And I think Frank sings with The Choir Eternal. Between shoveling brimstone, one hopes.
American (I'm Lifetime Executive Platinum) always came through for me, even when it was my fault. I'm still sitting on about 800 thousand miles, but I haven't been on a plane in 8 years. TSA and the airports in general are just too much. Even First Class (!) is not that deluxe nowadays.
Now retired, I bust my wrinkly old butt to ride AMTRAK whenever I can, even suffering FLEX meals. Sure, I've had a few irritations, but even the Dragon Lady in the Chicago Lounge has gone overboard for us when things went sideways. It will take something REALLY BIG for AMTRAK to get on my Permanent Defecatory Database, even though they treat the Eagle, CONO and Crescent like rented mules. FLEX Meals on the Crescent? That's just wrong in so many ways.
Me, a Foamer? Yes.
Oh yeah, I'm a Tesla Foamer, too.
My Tips of the Day?
1) Amtrak Guest Rewards generally calls back within 30 mins. The attendants are really great.
2) Irritating as it is, consult the AMTRAK webpage after checking the timetables (Amtrak Timetable Archives - Home)
They have current timetables in the classic form in downloadable PDFs.
3) Check the website after 0300 AM ET. That's generally when they purge the "Hold Until" list. Miracles happen.
-- Doc

 

[Trollopian]

And I think Frank [Lorenzo, of Continental] sings with The Choir Eternal. Between shoveling brimstone, one hopes.

I think those are different places.

 

[drdumont]

I think those are different places.

Choir Eternal, subterranean branch.

 

[Tlcooper44]

I’ve had one “never again” moment, and thus far I’ve stuck to it.

I played a concert in Rehoboth DE. For travel down there, I was flown on JetBlue, but for travel back up, the concert series got me two Megabus ticket: one from DE to NYC and then one from NYC to BOS.

I absolutely hated Megabus. I’m not particularly tall (5’10”) but the legroom was pretty bad. The time savings on the NYC-BOS section are 0 when compared with a NE Regional. The Wi-Fi on both legs didn’t work. I’m willing to pay the anywhere from $5-40 difference to take the train.

I’ve since updated my contracts to allow a stipend option: they take the money that would have gone towards travel payment, and just give it to me, and I put it towards whatever travel option I prefer, paying the difference myself.

As per the OP, I think it’s hard to judge his experience, but it sounds pretty awful. We can say that it’s indicative of first world living, but we are allowed to feel how we want - and travel how we like. Trains in America aren’t for everyone. Amtrak sucks, whether any of us care to admit it or not. Plenty of aspects of Amtrak are good, but overall, it’s a bad product (especially outside the NEC).

 

[JamesWhitcombRiley]

I’ve had one “never again” moment, and thus far I’ve stuck to it.

I played a concert in Rehoboth DE. For travel down there, I was flown on JetBlue, but for travel back up, the concert series got me two Megabus ticket: one from DE to NYC and then one from NYC to BOS.

I absolutely hated Megabus. I’m not particularly tall (5’10”) but the legroom was pretty bad. The time savings on the NYC-BOS section are 0 when compared with a NE Regional. The Wi-Fi on both legs didn’t work. I’m willing to pay the anywhere from $5-40 difference to take the train.

I’ve since updated my contracts to allow a stipend option: they take the money that would have gone towards travel payment, and just give it to me, and I put it towards whatever travel option I prefer, paying the difference myself.

As per the OP, I think it’s hard to judge his experience, but it sounds pretty awful. We can say that it’s indicative of first world living, but we are allowed to feel how we want - and travel how we like. Trains in America aren’t for everyone. Amtrak sucks, whether any of us care to admit it or not. Plenty of aspects of Amtrak are good, but overall, it’s a bad product (especially outside the NEC).

Trains are much safer too, though still not as safe as planes. Highway traffic and speedy behavior increases each year the economy is good, which is most years. Old people and young people don't like busy eight lane highways, maybe for different reasons.

 

[drdumont]

I don't know about your data source, but I disagree. I've a much better chance of surviving a collision in a train than in any plane.
I am old (76), and drive cross country JFTHOI. I've been known to drive my Tesla to a city where I can get on an AMTRAK, then drive back home. (DAL to NOL - drive, then the Crescent to NYP, then the Cardinal to CHI, and the CONO back to NOL, then drive back to DAL Why? I like to drive, and I like to ride AMTRAK.
My flying days are over, my kids use my AA miles, win/win. I'm not afraid of flying, it was fun while it lasted. But nowadays, I avoid that zoo.

 

[Tlcooper44]

I don't know about your data source, but I disagree. I've a much better chance of surviving a collision in a train than in any plane.
I am old (76), and drive cross country JFTHOI. I've been known to drive my Tesla to a city where I can get on an AMTRAK, then drive back home. (DAL to NOL - drive, then the Crescent to NYP, then the Cardinal to CHI, and the CONO back to NOL, then drive back to DAL Why? I like to drive, and I like to ride AMTRAK.
My flying days are over, my kids use my AA miles, win/win. I'm not afraid of flying, it was fun while it lasted. But nowadays, I avoid that zoo.

Statistics wise, flying commercial airlines in the USA over the last 10 years is safer than traveling by train.