COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Pandemic: Amtrak-related Discussion

[Palmland]

Have you considered lower Delaware, though that's not "close" to Amtrak. MD may have some lower cost options too.

Good suggestion as that is a nice area. I grew up in Wilmington and summer vacations at Rehobeth. We are considering the eastern shore, especially MD and Va but the Richmond area has a lot of appeal having gone to college near there and being transferred there for a couple years during working days. Having good rail access is a very big plus for that area too.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Good suggestion as that is a nice area. I grew up in Wilmington and summer vacations at Rehobeth. We are considering the eastern shore, especially MD and Va but the Richmond area has a lot of appeal having gone to college near there and being transferred there for a couple years during working days. Having good rail access is a very big plus for that area too.

I've been here since 67 (Wilm/Newark). My family vacationed in Rehoboth. Lower DE has changed, a lot. But hasn't everywhere... Lots of development. I haven't been down to Rehoboth since Dec, yes Dec, 2013. I keep saying I should go down. I have yet to take the Cape May/Lewis ferry which is on my "to do" list.

 

[Ferroequinologist]

In case you haven't been on a long distance train, it is not like the NE corridor and other SD routes where you can sit where you want. You sit where you are told and the employees in my opinion, force passengers to crowd together so if you are on the Crescent going from NOL to ATL or in between you might all be put in one or a few cars with the remainder running empty or reserved for passengers going a longer distance. Similarly, at the rest of the stations, your car assignment varies depending on where you are going. I believe it is as much for employee convenience (not having to maintain multiple cars) as it is for any other reason because I often see nearly full cars and completely empty ones when there will be few, if any, new riders as the car attendant is still putting people in the fuller cars. For example, I've seen people going north from Richmond being put in fuller cars even though a few stops later, at Washington, no more passengers would be boarding (before they changed that).

Packing people into a couple of coaches and leaving other cars empty is a common practice. It's especially common on some commuter lines, especially on Philadelphia's SEPTA. Will new Amtrak management insist that ALL equipment be used in light of Covid-19?

 

[Ferroequinologist]

I want to bring up the issue of hygiene, mainly toilet facilities. Bathrooms are now a MAJOR risk on Amtrak. And it points to the mistake of not including toilet facilities in Superliner roomettes and the decision not to include toilets in new viewliner roomettes - and even to remove them from older Viewliners roomettes. Now the only safe way to travel is in a Bedroom which is ridiculously priced. So what can be done to limit the spread of disease given the inadequate toilet facilities on Amtrak long haul?

 

[jloewen]

We hang around Orlando - we own Timeshare with Disney, and have friends and family through central Fl and on both coasts.
We live in MD - and 3 of the 4 seasons here are tolerable, although as i get older I have a much narrower band of comfort. But I have lost my love for SNOW;
and the wife suffers from abdominal issues in the cold weather. So Snow-Birding is the plan, and I retire at the end of this year, so we will see how it goes in 2021. We should be in Orlando most of Jan & Feb, and taking the Auto Train, since 8 weeks of renting a car would wipe out the savings of flying vs rail travel.

Ten years ago, after a speaking engagement in Jacksonville (FL), my wife and I took 92 back to DC where we live. At breakfast we were seated with an older couple (we were then c.68). He looked to be about 75, she maybe 80. They were not only taking Amtrak all the way to Boston, their stuff was being moved too, because they were relocating to MA. Why? I asked. Most people your age move the other direction.
"We have grandchildren in MA," he replied, "but that's not the main reason, because we have grandchildren in FL too. The main reason is, I want to get back into downhill skiing."
Later in the conversation, it devolved that she wasn't 80, she was 87, and he wasn't 75, he was 94!
So for some years he was my role model: getting "back into downhill skiing" at 94.

 

[gwolfdog]

You mean the sun helps your teeth? Your typo: "plaque" instead of "plague".

What do you on your off days? Go down to the airport and criticize bad landing. I don't give a **** about spelling errors or wise guys.

 

[MccfamschoolMom]

The Capital Limited is down to P42, Dorm, Diner, Coach-Baggage, Coach

That's an even shorter consist than I've been seeing on the Texas Eagle the past few weeks. I've been counting 5 cars on the southbound TE that goes past my office window just before I leave work: 1 Observation Lounge + 4 others (maybe 1 sleeper + 3 coaches? The TE doesn't stop in my town, so I can't confirm exactly what the 4 other cars are).

 

[brianpmcdonnell17]

That's an even shorter consist than I've been seeing on the Texas Eagle the past few weeks. I've been counting 5 cars on the southbound TE that goes past my office window just before I leave work: 1 Observation Lounge + 4 others (maybe 1 sleeper + 3 coaches? The TE doesn't stop in my town, so I can't confirm exactly what the 4 other cars are).

I saw both TEs in Chicago yesterday; they had one sleeper, one diner, one observation car, one coach, and one coach/baggage. The CL is the only Superliner LD train I have seen that is running with just one food service car.

 

[Skyline]

Virginia is really nice if youre not too close to Washington,Charlotsville or Richmond, which tend to be pricey!

Agree. Look west of the Blue Ridge in VA. I live in Luray. Property here is more realistically priced than closer to DC, but we're only 90 minutes from the Beltway.

 

[me_little_me]

Well, one hope for us in western mountains of NC is that the virus will slow down the annual April to November infestation from the heat of Florida. Only kidding, but we do wish they would just stay there and send up the money they normally spend here.

I wonder if we should have state police at the border enforcing "none of 'them' allowed" rules?

 

[Barb Stout]

I want to bring up the issue of hygiene, mainly toilet facilities. Bathrooms are now a MAJOR risk on Amtrak. And it points to the mistake of not including toilet facilities in Superliner roomettes and the decision not to include toilets in new viewliner roomettes - and even to remove them from older Viewliners roomettes. Now the only safe way to travel is in a Bedroom which is ridiculously priced. So what can be done to limit the spread of disease given the inadequate toilet facilities on Amtrak long haul?

Perhaps installing UV light that would be on when no one was in the bathroom and would automatically switch off when someone opened the door to go in. Won't help with the smell though which is what bothers me along with the occasional troll who feels that the floor is the best place for used and unused toilet paper.

 

[gwolfdog]

I think selling Tickets to a bigger Focus than keeping Bathrooms Clean. I'd save for a Bedroom, if you're that worried.

 

[Skyline]

Well, one hope for us in western mountains of NC is that the virus will slow down the annual April to November infestation from the heat of Florida. Only kidding, but we do wish they would just stay there and send up the money they normally spend here.

I wonder if we should have state police at the border enforcing "none of 'them' allowed" rules?

You mean like Delaware?

 

[AmtrakBlue]

You mean like Delaware?

Hey, I resemble that.
I’m noticing a lot of NY, NJ & MD tags in DE - and I don’t mean on I95

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Perhaps installing UV light that would be on when no one was in the bathroom and would automatically switch off when someone opened the door to go in. Won't help with the smell though which is what bothers me along with the occasional troll who feels that the floor is the best place for used and unused toilet paper.

A UV bulb with an emission rating strong enough to work quickly and reach all nooks and crannies would warp and discolor the interior and be dangerous to anyone who was accidentally exposed. I don't trust Amtrak to keep such a system in proper working order, but even if the control circuit was shown to be 99.99% reliable there would still be an average of nearly an hour of unintended exposure per bathroom per year. This would not be good for any passengers but could be especially harmful to young children. The proper solution is for Amtrak to ensure the staff clean the coach bathrooms on a regular basis. Out of hundreds of coach flights I can count major issues with bathroom cleanliness on one hand, whereas on Amtrak I can count the number of times the coach bathroom was not disgusting on one hand.

 

[Night Ranger]

Well, one hope for us in western mountains of NC is that the virus will slow down the annual April to November infestation from the heat of Florida. Only kidding, but we do wish they would just stay there and send up the money they normally spend here.

I wonder if we should have state police at the border enforcing "none of 'them' allowed" rules?

We have already sent in our contribution to Western NC AKA "God's Country." We enjoy visiting the area from Dillsboro, Murphy, Cullowhee, and Sylva, all the way over to Asheville and have made those trips many times.
Our plan was to visit Bryson City in June and ride at least one of the GSMRR excursions through the Nantahala Gorge. Made and paid for the reservations last November and now our plans are iffy due to COVID-19. (I am reminded of the old saying "I make plans and God laughs.") GSMRR has suspended operations till at least May 8 and has promised to work with those of us holding reservations. My past experiences with them have all been positive so I'm sure this will get sorted in due time. Due to our age and infirmities we are willing to postpone the trip till later. It's our 52nd anniversary trip even if we don't get to take it until the fall.

 

[Chey]

A friend flew through ATL on the 14th and posted this pix on facebook.
View attachment 17397

Geez it looks like a scene from the movie Contagion

 

[Chey]

We hang around Orlando - we own Timeshare with Disney, and have friends and family through central Fl and on both coasts.
We live in MD - and 3 of the 4 seasons here are tolerable, although as i get older I have a much narrower band of comfort. But I have lost my love for SNOW;
and the wife suffers from abdominal issues in the cold weather. So Snow-Birding is the plan, and I retire at the end of this year, so we will see how it goes in 2021. We should be in Orlando most of Jan & Feb, and taking the Auto Train, since 8 weeks of renting a car would wipe out the savings of flying vs rail travel.

I went to high school in Sarasota and loved that town... I don't think I could handle a summer there now. But some of my most beautiful pictures of beaches and town are from there. Unfortunately it doesn't look like that anymore. My heart still skips a beat when I remember taking my kids to the beaches along Longbeach into Bradenton, to Santa Maria Island, to DeSoto National Memorial Park.

It was always my dream to be a snowbird...

 

[Cho Cho Charlie]

I want to bring up the issue of hygiene, mainly toilet facilities. Bathrooms are now a MAJOR risk on Amtrak. And it points to the mistake of not including toilet facilities in Superliner roomettes and the decision not to include toilets in new viewliner roomettes - and even to remove them from older Viewliners roomettes. Now the only safe way to travel is in a Bedroom which is ridiculously priced. So what can be done to limit the spread of disease given the inadequate toilet facilities on Amtrak long haul?

An excellent point and very well said (wrote?).

Even with all the negatives people here can come up with, about toilets in the roomettes, the fact that I am in 100% control over how clean (and virus free) it remains over the course of my trip is, IMHO, priceless.

 

[Thirdrail7]

According to Amtrak's reservation system. the following trains commence on May 1:
Piedmonts 73,74,77 and 78

jb

These Piedmont cancellations will remain through 5/31.

From everything I’ve read, those trains are cancelled thru 5/31.

Additionally, the Carolinian, the Keystones and the Pennsylvanian are cancelled until through 5/17.

Keep an eye on the website since some station hours are changing dramatically.

The Keystones and Pennsylvanian cancellations have been extended through 5/31. The Carolinian will resume operation between CLT-RGH beginning 5/18. It will remain canceled between RGH-NYP through 5/31.

 

[gwolfdog]

An excellent point and very well said (wrote?).

Even with all the negatives people here can come up with, about toilets in the roomettes, the fact that I am in 100% control over how clean (and virus free) it remains over the course of my trip is, IMHO, priceless.

"It does no good to stand on the seat cause an Amtrak Crab can jump Ten Feet"

 

[Barb Stout]

I think selling Tickets to a bigger Focus than keeping Bathrooms Clean. I'd save for a Bedroom, if you're that worried.

I don't know... I know several people who took Amtrak once, but said never again, on account of dirty bathrooms. I really like taking Amtrak, but I myself have thought twice about selecting Amtrak as the way to travel because of the bathrooms, particularly the smell. I don't worry so much about catching something because I have been engaging in proper handwashing technique for several decades, but sometimes the smell is just very hard on me my delicate princess-like senses.

 

[caravanman]

"Some brave travelers continue to use the railroad, deemed an essential service, crossing states with different rules and approaches to containing the spread of the virus. Rather than adhering to individual states’ rules, Amtrak has a blanket policy for its passengers, creating a kind of ministate of its own. Here are a few of the travelers on a route from Chicago to Los Angeles."


People are still using trains...

 

[Qapla]

I know several people who took Amtrak once, but said never again, on account of dirty bathrooms. I really like taking Amtrak, but I myself have thought twice about selecting Amtrak as the way to travel because of the bathrooms, particularly the smell.

Guess it is all a matter of perspective ... In my line of work I often have to use port-a-lets - I have yet to use an Amtrak bathroom on the train or in a station that comes anywhere near the smell and condition of what I encounter on the job ... I have found the facilities on the train to be acceptable - so far.

 

[Ryan]

We have no interest in going north of central Virginia because of the high cost and crowded everything.

There is tons of cheap uncrowded land north of central Virginia. What part of the world are you trying to get close to?