My Amtrak Experience.

[amtrakwolverine]

If people like you continually inform Amtrak as to good and bad experiences/employees, then why doesn't the message get translated down to the workers and overall improvement result?

The message does get translated down and things have improved considerably from where they used to be. The issue is that it does take time and it does take more than just the word of one passenger. And far too many passengers either never say anything or if they do complain, they don't have the name of the crew member. Amtrak is a union shop; they can't just fire someone at the drop of a hat. It takes multiple complaints and documentation to force someone out; as I understand it from GG-1 who is in a union (not Amtrak) and has been in a position of considerable responsability within a union, it's quite an involved process to terminate an employee. Making matters tougher, even if the union knows that the person in question is useless and worthy of being fired, by Federal law the union must still fight to protect that member's job. If they don't fight, they could lose their ability to remain a union.

And for all those who think that management doesn't ride trains; let me tell you that they do. They aren't on every train, but they are on far more trains than many people here seem to think. I've bumped into more than one during my travels. But remember, more supervision means greater cost to Amtrak and it means 1 less roomette available for sale!

a supervisor was on 352 the wolverine on may 9th riding in the snack car. a union rule that needs to be changed is the 10 billion page report that needs to be filed before a person can be fired.

 

[Roadfool]

Ok, I didn't read all 4 pages, so sorry if this has been said before. Even if Congress did approve more Amtrak funding, I don't really want my tax dollars to subsidize the "pampering" of people like the OP who think they're above mingling with the unwashed masses in coach. Amtrak is public transportation, not the Orient Express. It has to strike a balance between luxury amenities and pricing itself out of the range of the average person.

And before anyone says anything about the high price of bedrooms, on a train you're paying for space more than amenities. Someone else here probably has done the math before, but I'm guessing Amtrak could make more money per square foot by cramming in some extra rows of coach seats instead of the 5 or 10 bedrooms on each train.

No, I'm not an Amtrak employee or apologist. I used to be a bean counter (accountant) and I understand that the two sides of the ledger always have to balance out. Posts like the OP that complain about amenities always amuse me because they seem to expect money to just magically appear without affecting fare prices or reducing the funds available for equipment repair and maintenance.

 

[amtrakwolverine]

rude service is everywhere you got some amtrak employees who are the best of the best and some who are average. you want consistency with service tell Amtrak to hire robots. shut up and enjoy the ride already.

 

[Jack Boudreaux]

Have you ever had an SCA who was nowhere to be found when it was time to turn-down or make up you bed? Or one that didn't deliver a newspaper in the morning, or made sure coffee was available?

Finally, I am sick of your whining about service on Amtrak. This Jack dude hasn't hit any nails on the head. He's so far off, I think I'd like it if he hit himself on the head.

Some people are simply never happy and like to complain about everything. We have invented things for people like this in real life. We call them "ear plugs". On the internet, it is even simpler. You determine that the person is that kind of [troll], and hit the little "x".

LOL! What an attitude. I'm no troll. Look when you can't get a cold drink and the AC isn't working well that is pretty bad service. It is endemic to Amtrak. They don't care. You would like to fight me? Amtrak service on a whole was bad. My first attendant on the way up was rather good so I tipped him. On the way back it was horrible. With your attitude as far as I know you could have been the attendant on the way down.

 

[Jack Boudreaux]

Ok, I didn't read all 4 pages, so sorry if this has been said before. Even if Congress did approve more Amtrak funding, I don't really want my tax dollars to subsidize the "pampering" of people like the OP who think they're above mingling with the unwashed masses in coach. Amtrak is public transportation, not the Orient Express. It has to strike a balance between luxury amenities and pricing itself out of the range of the average person.

And before anyone says anything about the high price of bedrooms, on a train you're paying for space more than amenities. Someone else here probably has done the math before, but I'm guessing Amtrak could make more money per square foot by cramming in some extra rows of coach seats instead of the 5 or 10 bedrooms on each train.

No, I'm not an Amtrak employee or apologist. I used to be a bean counter (accountant) and I understand that the two sides of the ledger always have to balance out. Posts like the OP that complain about amenities always amuse me because they seem to expect money to just magically appear without affecting fare prices or reducing the funds available for equipment repair and maintenance.

If you are going to be on the train for 26 hours with small children and could afford a room you should get one. It has nothing to do with being an snob. Pampering was a poor choice of words. If expecting the AC to work and staying hydrated is pampering then I guess that is what I wanted. If wondering why they couldn't buy some thicker sheets at Wal-Mart so my head doesn't have to rest where thousands have laid theirs is pampering then I guess that is what I wanted. Being critical can help to improve service. I will not waste my time nor money on the current Amtrak.

 

[Trogdor]

Jack, I thought you said you were "done."

 

[Donctor]

PS Alan out here in the wilderness(not on the NEC or west coast) management riding trains if like finding hen's teeth.
:unsure:

I happened to walk down Canal as 8/28 arrived into CHI today (late), and there were a few business cars on the end. I assume that means Boardman was riding. Consist:

113 — P42DC

19 — P42DC

1249 — Heritage Baggage

32015 — Superliner I Sleeper

31030 — Superliner I Coach/Bag

34085 — Superliner I Coach

33006 — Superliner I Lounge

34026 — Superliner I Coach

31026 — Superliner I Coach/Bag

38000 — Superliner I Diner

32001 — Superliner I Sleeper

32005 — Superliner I Sleeper

39015 — Superliner II Trans-Dorm

10021 — Heritage Sleeper (ex-crew dorm; business car)

10031 — Heritage Dome/Lounge (business car)

10001 — Beech Grove

What! No pictures??

Someone else may have taken a video with his cell phone.

If someone on AU lives in WAS, he or she might be able to get the cars on 30. I assume the cars went east last night because they are in neither the station nor the yard, and when Boardman comes through Chicago, it almost always involves the Capitol Limited.

 

[Donctor]

Being critical can help to improve service.

Not the way you're approaching it.

I will not waste my time nor money on the current Amtrak.

I understand the monetary aspect. If you don't want to waste your time on Amtrak, why are you posting? It seems like you're just getting angrier without accomplishing what you want.

If you really do feel cheated, make sure to tell Amtrak.

 

[rrdude]

Ok, I didn't read all 4 pages, so sorry if this has been said before. Even if Congress did approve more Amtrak funding, I don't really want my tax dollars to subsidize the "pampering" of people like the OP who think they're above mingling with the unwashed masses in coach. Amtrak is public transportation, not the Orient Express. It has to strike a balance between luxury amenities and pricing itself out of the range of the average person.

And before anyone says anything about the high price of bedrooms, on a train you're paying for space more than amenities. Someone else here probably has done the math before, but I'm guessing Amtrak could make more money per square foot by cramming in some extra rows of coach seats instead of the 5 or 10 bedrooms on each train.

No, I'm not an Amtrak employee or apologist. I used to be a bean counter (accountant) and I understand that the two sides of the ledger always have to balance out. Posts like the OP that complain about amenities always amuse me because they seem to expect money to just magically appear without affecting fare prices or reducing the funds available for equipment repair and maintenance.

If you are going to be on the train for 26 hours with small children and could afford a room you should get one. It has nothing to do with being an snob. Pampering was a poor choice of words. If expecting the AC to work and staying hydrated is pampering then I guess that is what I wanted. If wondering why they couldn't buy some thicker sheets at Wal-Mart so my head doesn't have to rest where thousands have laid theirs is pampering then I guess that is what I wanted. Being critical can help to improve service. I will not waste my time nor money on the current Amtrak.

Jack, I agree with virtually all of your comments, and strongly urge you to do two things: 1) Write Amtrak Customer Service about them, 2)Stay on this board, we need more ppl who "tell it like it is". 3)Make every effort possible to ride a Via Rail LD train. (OK, three things) I put off riding Via Rail for years, cause I thought it was "just too hard to get to a starting point" for a LD trip. This year I've been on Via Rail twice, and all I can say is, the difference between amenities and ATTITUDE is like the difference between "Disney-Trained Employees" and "UAW union members, bitter with their life." (OK apologists, I was a member of UAW years ago, and YES there are GOOD Amtrak employees, just not ENUFF of them)

 

[Roadfool]

If you are going to be on the train for 26 hours with small children and could afford a room you should get one. It has nothing to do with being an snob. Pampering was a poor choice of words. If expecting the AC to work and staying hydrated is pampering then I guess that is what I wanted. If wondering why they couldn't buy some thicker sheets at Wal-Mart so my head doesn't have to rest where thousands have laid theirs is pampering then I guess that is what I wanted. Being critical can help to improve service. I will not waste my time nor money on the current Amtrak.

It wasn't the pampering comment that really bothered me, it was the comment about not having to go to the lounge and deal with the coach passengers that you had paid good money to avoid. You do realize some of those people in the diner with you are coach pax, right? The only way to avoid mixing with the general public is to hide in your room and have all your meals delivered.

I don't think anyone's disputing that the AC should have worked. That's why they've told you to call Amtrak and ask for a voucher. Yes, ideally every train would work perfectly and there would be no equipment failures, but that's not reality. Amtrak is working with limited resources and has to service a lot of people. If they cut the frequency of each route, they'd have more backup equipment available, but then everyone would be complaining about not having daily service. Like I said before, it's a balancing act. Money or improvements don't just appear out of thin air.

I'm not sure why you couldn't get any water. Every train I've been on has had a cold water spigot right there by the stairs. Of course, it's just lowly tap water, but it beats suffering from dehydration.

Ok, I've tried to type this a few times and I don't know how to address the thin sheet issue tactfully, so I'm just gonna leave it at this. Public transportation probably isn't a great choice for germophobes. I've honestly never heard of anyone being concerned about germs from the mattress coming through the sheets because they're too thin. Maybe bring thicker sheets from home if that's such a problem?

 

[Guest]

Perhaps he has Howard hughes Syndrome (germaphobia), can only be around certain people (in HH's case Mormons), and is so wealthy he throws away his linen each day and sleeps on new,500 count sheets! <_< Ive never been in any hotel/train or spent the night in other peoples house where linens that none else had ever slept on were provided! Perhaps he'd like a food tester also since strangers work in the diner and might have contaminted it! A real PIA!!!

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Maybe we could drop the confrontation level down a notch or two as the OP appears to have calmed down a bit. I don't see why anyone would have a problem with people who are genuinely disappointed with Amtrak staff and service so long as they keep things in perspective. The thread started on the wrong foot, no doubt, but it became a fun and interesting read anyway.

 

[guest]

Maybe we could drop the confrontation level down a notch or two as the OP appears to have calmed down a bit. I don't see why anyone would have a problem with people who are genuinely disappointed with Amtrak staff and service so long as they keep things in perspective. The thread started on the wrong foot, no doubt, but it became a fun and interesting read anyway.

Maybe everything on this thread comes down to whether you ride trains because you like trains--and are willing to put up with the up-and-down service of Amtrak--or whether you occasionally want to spring for the extra cost of a sleeper on a train as opposed to fighting your way through TSA and crowded air terminals onto an airplane.

Those who are the occasional riders are much more likely to react to poor service, since their ride is truly a choice on their part. I fear that the spotty service record of Amtrak turns many of these potential long-term (not long-distance) riders away from considering Amtrak a realistic alternative to flying.

There has to be a middle ground between VIA Rail, with its superb trains but high, high prices, and the present Amtrak, where the chance that you will get great service as opposed to mediocre service is just that, a chance.

Too many on this board like to cite United Airlines, when confronted with the fact that Amtrak can and does fail to deliver on its marketing spiel. In other words, they're saying that airlines are as bad as Amtrak. Why not instead cite Southwest, which manages to have pleasant employees, clean planes, and safe on-time flights? And by citing Southwest, don't you then challenge the critical mass of Amtrak employees to take genuine pride in their product and transmit that pride to every passenger?

 

[Jack Boudreaux]

Maybe we could drop the confrontation level down a notch or two as the OP appears to have calmed down a bit. I don't see why anyone would have a problem with people who are genuinely disappointed with Amtrak staff and service so long as they keep things in perspective. The thread started on the wrong foot, no doubt, but it became a fun and interesting read anyway.

Maybe everything on this thread comes down to whether you ride trains because you like trains--and are willing to put up with the up-and-down service of Amtrak--or whether you occasionally want to spring for the extra cost of a sleeper on a train as opposed to fighting your way through TSA and crowded air terminals onto an airplane.

Those who are the occasional riders are much more likely to react to poor service, since their ride is truly a choice on their part. I fear that the spotty service record of Amtrak turns many of these potential long-term (not long-distance) riders away from considering Amtrak a realistic alternative to flying.

There has to be a middle ground between VIA Rail, with its superb trains but high, high prices, and the present Amtrak, where the chance that you will get great service as opposed to mediocre service is just that, a chance.

Too many on this board like to cite United Airlines, when confronted with the fact that Amtrak can and does fail to deliver on its marketing spiel. In other words, they're saying that airlines are as bad as Amtrak. Why not instead cite Southwest, which manages to have pleasant employees, clean planes, and safe on-time flights? And by citing Southwest, don't you then challenge the critical mass of Amtrak employees to take genuine pride in their product and transmit that pride to every passenger?

If our trains were like the ones in Europe I would think many people would take a train over a plane. Amtrak is like a 3rd world operation.

http://www.bahn.com/i/view/DEU/en/services/index.shtml

 

[Devil's Advocate]

If our trains were like the ones in Europe I would think many people would take a train over a plane. Amtrak is like a 3rd world operation.

Except that there are already two problems with that. First of all, European train systems generally come with much more government funding and involvement, not less. If we refuse to task the government with taking responsibility for our trains we must depend on a private market that has most of its passenger transportation funding still tied up in airlines that have long struggled to earn meaningful profits for decades. Also, as much as we may be disappointed with Amtrak it's nowhere near as bad as many of the trains in "third world" countries. I might complain mightily about Amtrak but I'll never claim it's as bad as your run-of-the-mill Indian train. Seriously, as bad as it may be Amtrak is still far better than what many countries call a train system, including with regard to amenities, cleanliness, speed, and safety. On the other hand, even trains in backwater non-industrialized countries routinely carry a far larger percentage of the population and a much reduced cost than Amtrak ever has or probably ever will. So at least they have that going for them I suppose.

 

[sunchaser]

I knew this was coming. I have been wondering if anyone could really do a comparison between the trains elsewhere.

You would first have to pick the same distance for each train, the same amenities, etc.

Then you would have to adjust for price/dollar amount between the trains.

With many european trains, meals are not included, & service is minimal.

They are, however, better maintained from what I can see from pictures.

There are several people who ride trains all over the world-I would like to hear comparisons from them.

I guess it really depends on what is most important to you.

I understand your disappointment, I really do. If I had not found this board before we went on our first trip, I would have not had enough info & would have been VERY upset.

I have suggested that you contact Amtrak directly.

If you haven't, they will not be aware of your situation & try to rectify it on that train in the future. Just like with any company, if you allow a situation to be ignored by not letting the company know, then IMHO, you have no room to complain.

I'm not trying to insult you or get you mad, just trying to encourage you to think about it.

I would love to have the money to blow to fly to another country & ride their trains, just for fun.

Unfortunately, like most here, we don't have that ability.

Again, remember that Amtrak is funded by the taxpayer & riders. Amtrak, therefore, has their hands tied, period.

You will find many people here that agree that Amtrak needs to improve, me included.

 

[AAARGH!]

If our trains were like the ones in Europe I would think many people would take a train over a plane. Amtrak is like a 3rd world operation.

Except that there are already two problems with that. First of all, European train systems generally come with much more government funding and involvement, not less. If we refuse to task the government with taking responsibility for our trains we must depend on a private market that has most of its passenger transportation funding still tied up in airlines that have long struggled to earn meaningful profits for decades. Also, as much as we may be disappointed with Amtrak it's nowhere near as bad as many of the trains in "third world" countries. I might complain mightily about Amtrak but I'll never claim it's as bad as your run-of-the-mill Indian train. Seriously, as bad as it may be Amtrak is still far better than what many countries call a train system, including with regard to amenities, cleanliness, speed, and safety. On the other hand, even trains in backwater non-industrialized countries routinely carry a far larger percentage of the population and a much reduced cost than Amtrak ever has or probably ever will. So at least they have that going for them I suppose.

Also, the missions are different (except for in the U.S. corridors). European countries are much smaller than the U.S. To compare an Amtrak long distance train to most of what Europe has is an apples to oranges comparison. A better comparison would be the NEC to what they have.

IIRC, Caravanman (an avid Amtrak rider from England) thinks Amtrak does a better job than they do in England (correct me if I am wrong). Also, IIRC (again) it is the French, German, and Swiss trains that are considered to be the beast, while the rest (Spain, Italy, England, etc...) are considered to be fair to marginal.

So for a true comparison, Amtrak holds up pretty well in my opinion, especially compared to systems with significantly more government funding.

 

[frj1983]

Maybe we could drop the confrontation level down a notch or two as the OP appears to have calmed down a bit. I don't see why anyone would have a problem with people who are genuinely disappointed with Amtrak staff and service so long as they keep things in perspective. The thread started on the wrong foot, no doubt, but it became a fun and interesting read anyway.

Maybe everything on this thread comes down to whether you ride trains because you like trains--and are willing to put up with the up-and-down service of Amtrak--or whether you occasionally want to spring for the extra cost of a sleeper on a train as opposed to fighting your way through TSA and crowded air terminals onto an airplane.

Those who are the occasional riders are much more likely to react to poor service, since their ride is truly a choice on their part. I fear that the spotty service record of Amtrak turns many of these potential long-term (not long-distance) riders away from considering Amtrak a realistic alternative to flying.

There has to be a middle ground between VIA Rail, with its superb trains but high, high prices, and the present Amtrak, where the chance that you will get great service as opposed to mediocre service is just that, a chance.

Too many on this board like to cite United Airlines, when confronted with the fact that Amtrak can and does fail to deliver on its marketing spiel. In other words, they're saying that airlines are as bad as Amtrak. Why not instead cite Southwest, which manages to have pleasant employees, clean planes, and safe on-time flights? And by citing Southwest, don't you then challenge the critical mass of Amtrak employees to take genuine pride in their product and transmit that pride to every passenger?

If our trains were like the ones in Europe I would think many people would take a train over a plane. Amtrak is like a 3rd world operation.

http://www.bahn.com/i/view/DEU/en/services/index.shtml

Well I just got back from England a short time ago and rode trains all over the country. Guess what? Some of the service was really good and some of it was really bad. Some of the equipment worked really well and some of it looked old and outdated and didn't work very well. Some of the trains were right on time and some were quite late. And lastly some of the train attendants were really good and some weren't. Does this sound familiar?

The one thing I really like, though, is the fact that there are many different trains (operating companies) running more often to more places. Yes I know England is much smaller, but they are spending money and trying to improve service, Amtrak has been starved for so long I think it will really take time to improve.

And Jack I'm sorry you didn't have such a great trip, I'm surprised that it happened lately as most of my horror stories have been in the past. As others have encouraged you to call Amtrak and let them know what happened...so do I. A number of posts up I put a link about bad service across the travel industry, I think it's time for all of us to let any management group know when service has been terrible, if we don't say something, how will they know?

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Also, the missions are different (except for in the U.S. corridors). European countries are much smaller than the U.S. To compare an Amtrak long distance train to most of what Europe has is an apples to oranges comparison.

I'm not sure I agree that it's as different as most Americans seem to feel. We have substantially similar airline options, so why not trains? If you can't compare France or Germany to the US can you compare them to Texas or California? If so we're still way, way behind. California is trying but has no money so everything will be on hold for years or decades as they can't raise taxes or cut other funding easily. There's also the potential for them to swing toward the anti-government right in the next election cycle. Texas drew up a plan and then quickly shelved it as soon as the local airlines balked. Trust me, so long as even one airline remains in Texas we won't ever risk angering them again. The NEC is certainly the closest we can get to European standards but it's still many billions of dollars away from approaching what France or Germany can provide and I don't see that changing anytime soon.

IIRC, Caravanman (an avid Amtrak rider from England) thinks Amtrak does a better job than they do in England (correct me if I am wrong). Also, IIRC (again) it is the French, German, and Swiss trains that are considered to be the beast, while the rest (Spain, Italy, England, etc...) are considered to be fair to marginal.

I think that might be a little outdated. England is definitely behind France and Germany (and Japan) but they're currently upgrading some lines and are at least trying to catch up somewhat from the looks of it. They are also part of the Eurostar service which is pretty damn impressive in my book. I'd have to hear more to understand how England is worse than (or even equal to) Amtrak in general. I'd also contest Spain being worse than (or equal to) Amtrak. In fact the only country I can agree with at first glance is Italy, which isn't that surprising since Berlusconi remains even worse than Bush when it comes to helping improve his own country. Amtrak may have been better than England and Spain many years ago, but while America's Amtrak has largely stagnated for most of its life other countries have followed the decisive revivalist path and made substantial long-term investments in their passenger rail systems.

Amtrak holds up pretty well in my opinion, especially compared to systems with significantly more government funding.

I agree that in many respects Amtrak simply does what it can but I'm not sure that's going to be a huge selling point for any improvements. Most folks who are disappointed with Amtrak aren't going to have the time or inclination to come to AU to understand all the why's and wherefores. They'll just assume Amtrak sucks and be done with it. Then when it's time to vote for a politician who wants to fund Amtrak they'll be against it and nothing will ever improve. Or at least that's my concern.

 

[darien-l]

If we're going to do comparisons, allow me compare to a system that I'm very familiar with and have logged about 50,000 km on: Russian Railways. I think it's a fair comparison because both Russia and the U.S. are large countries, and both have long-distance trains that travel great distances. So, let's begin:

FREQUENCY OF SERVICE: Russian railways has much better frequency of service. A wide variety of passenger trains (more on that later) traverses mainlines every 1-2 hours. You won't have to wait long to catch a train between, say, Novosibirsk and Krasnoyarsk. Off mainlines, service is less frequent, but generally is at least several times a day.

SLEEPER ACCOMODATIONS: Russian long-distance trains are composed of sleeper cars only. There is no coach seating: Russians shudder at the thought of spending the night in a seat. There are 3 classes of sleeper cars: SV (2-person compartment, 1st class), kupe (4-person compartment, 2nd class), and platskart (open configuration, 3rd class). A person traveling alone has a choice of buying out the whole compartment or being assigned roommates. Gender segregation is optional, but women traveling alone generally request female roommates. In addition, there are 3 classes of trains: firmennyi ("brand-name", top-of-the-line), skoryi ("express", middle-of-the-road), and passazhirskiy ("passenger", slow train, makes a lot of stops). This provides a lot of flexibility: a person wishing to be pampered can book SV (first class) on a firmennyi train (here's a random example: http://visual.rzd.ru/isvp/public/visual?STRUCTURE_ID=1039). On the other end of the scale, the cheapest way to travel is platskart (3rd class) on a passazhirskiy train: you are in a large dorm room on wheels, there are often issues with BO and other unpleasant smells, there is typically no air conditioning, and the toilets can be downright nasty. Amtrak sleeper service is about equivant to that on a skoryi (middle-of-the-road) train: the attendants there will provide the basics, but will not bend over backwards for you. One positive thing about Amtrak, though, is that all long-distance trains are equipped with showers. In Russia, generally only firmennyi trains traveling more than 2 days have shower compartments, and even that is a relatively new addition.

ON-TIME PERFORMANCE AND RELIABILITY: Generally a lot better in Russia. As in the U.S., passenger trains share tracks with freights almost everywhere, but passenger trains are always given the highest priority. A long-distance train that is delayed by more than an hour is considered "extremely late", and it hardly ever happens. Cancelled trains and bustitution is pretty much unheard of. Mechanical problems are rare.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: Traveling by train in Russia has generally been a better experience for me than in the U.S. (I am fluent in Russian, incidentally, so language hasn't been a problem). There is frequency, flexibility, consistency, and reliability that is lacking in the U.S. First class on long-distance trains is much nicer than Amtrak, third class is generally worse, but you get what you pay for. There's train service to just about all major cities, save for one or two in the remote reaches of Siberia (Yakutsk comes to mind, but a train line to it is being constructed right now). So whenever someone argues that trains will never work for the U.S. because it's "too big" or the population density is "too low", I always cite Russia as a working example.

 

[darien-l]

If our trains were like the ones in Europe I would think many people would take a train over a plane. Amtrak is like a 3rd world operation.

http://www.bahn.com/i/view/DEU/en/services/index.shtml

Jack, you do realize that Deutsche Bahn is 100% owned by the German government, right? I'm just a little surprised that you cite it as an example of how things should be, given your previous anti-government sentiments.

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

Isn't RZhD state-owned...

 

[darien-l]

Isn't RZhD state-owned...

Yes, it is. I never implied otherwise.

 

[kal-tex]

If we're going to do comparisons, allow me compare to a system that I'm very familiar with and have logged about 50,000 km on: Russian Railways. I think it's a fair comparison because both Russia and the U.S. are large countries, and both have long-distance trains that travel great distances. So, let's begin:

FREQUENCY OF SERVICE: Russian railways has much better frequency of service. A wide variety of passenger trains (more on that later) traverses mainlines every 1-2 hours. You won't have to wait long to catch a train between, say, Novosibirsk and Krasnoyarsk. Off mainlines, service is less frequent, but generally is at least several times a day.

SLEEPER ACCOMODATIONS: Russian long-distance trains are composed of sleeper cars only. There is no coach seating: Russians shudder at the thought of spending the night in a seat. There are 3 classes of sleeper cars: SV (2-person compartment, 1st class), kupe (4-person compartment, 2nd class), and platskart (open configuration, 3rd class). A person traveling alone has a choice of buying out the whole compartment or being assigned roommates. Gender segregation is optional, but women traveling alone generally request female roommates. In addition, there are 3 classes of trains: firmennyi ("brand-name", top-of-the-line), skoryi ("express", middle-of-the-road), and passazhirskiy ("passenger", slow train, makes a lot of stops). This provides a lot of flexibility: a person wishing to be pampered can book SV (first class) on a firmennyi train (here's a random example: http://visual.rzd.ru/isvp/public/visual?STRUCTURE_ID=1039). On the other end of the scale, the cheapest way to travel is platskart (3rd class) on a passazhirskiy train: you are in a large dorm room on wheels, there are often issues with BO and other unpleasant smells, there is typically no air conditioning, and the toilets can be downright nasty. Amtrak sleeper service is about equivant to that on a skoryi (middle-of-the-road) train: the attendants there will provide the basics, but will not bend over backwards for you. One positive thing about Amtrak, though, is that all long-distance trains are equipped with showers. In Russia, generally only firmennyi trains traveling more than 2 days have shower compartments, and even that is a relatively new addition.

ON-TIME PERFORMANCE AND RELIABILITY: Generally a lot better in Russia. As in the U.S., passenger trains share tracks with freights almost everywhere, but passenger trains are always given the highest priority. A long-distance train that is delayed by more than an hour is considered "extremely late", and it hardly ever happens. Cancelled trains and bustitution is pretty much unheard of. Mechanical problems are rare.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: Traveling by train in Russia has generally been a better experience for me than in the U.S. (I am fluent in Russian, incidentally, so language hasn't been a problem). There is frequency, flexibility, consistency, and reliability that is lacking in the U.S. First class on long-distance trains is much nicer than Amtrak, third class is generally worse, but you get what you pay for. There's train service to just about all major cities, save for one or two in the remote reaches of Siberia (Yakutsk comes to mind, but a train line to it is being constructed right now). So whenever someone argues that trains will never work for the U.S. because it's "too big" or the population density is "too low", I always cite Russia as a working example.

I found this comparison to be fascinating - makes me want to head to Russia just to ride the trains! One question - how do the prices compare? Could an "average Joe" afford to ride first class?

 

[Ryan]

If our trains were like the ones in Europe I would think many people would take a train over a plane. Amtrak is like a 3rd world operation.

Amtrak:

Third World:

Yep, you're right... They're exactly the same.