O
ohmark
Guest
Actually, Chicago to Dearborn. First thanks to all who posted to my earlier questions about this service. Thanks for all the help. Well, I ended up taking #352 in business class from Chicago Union Station to Dearborn on Thursday, 2/3/05. Generally enjoyed the trip, except for the club (business) car seating. Half the car was the dinette section with small booths and the snack bar. The other half was 2x2 seating. Much to my surprise the seat pitch (leg room) was small enough to make it relatively uncomfortable for me; I'm about 5' 11". Because of the seat pitch, it was impossible to comfortably use the foot rest. As I walked through the rest of the train, I couldn't help but notice that all of the coach seats had seat pitches about 30 to 50% greater than business. In other words, to turn the transportation industry on its head, the passengers who purchased the lower fare, got the greatest amount of room. (I used Southwest Airlines for the outbound portion; their seat pitch in coach seemed about 20% greater than the business class on the train.)
I like the other aspects of business class: the seats seemed newer, the car cleaner. The dinette attendant indeed passed out coupons good for $4.50 on whatever. The beer and wine choice was fine (half bottle of decent wine was $10). Interestingly, certain soft drinks were comped, others not. For example, want a Pepsi?--it's free;want a small bottled water?-- it's not. As to the schedule, except for a medical emergency which caused a passenger to be taken away in an ambulance in Michigan City, Indiana, the train was on time. Overall, I enjoyed the experience, and would consider the train again, but not with the inadequate seat pitch in business. The seat pitch might be okay for a short commuter run; not for a regional train.
I like the other aspects of business class: the seats seemed newer, the car cleaner. The dinette attendant indeed passed out coupons good for $4.50 on whatever. The beer and wine choice was fine (half bottle of decent wine was $10). Interestingly, certain soft drinks were comped, others not. For example, want a Pepsi?--it's free;want a small bottled water?-- it's not. As to the schedule, except for a medical emergency which caused a passenger to be taken away in an ambulance in Michigan City, Indiana, the train was on time. Overall, I enjoyed the experience, and would consider the train again, but not with the inadequate seat pitch in business. The seat pitch might be okay for a short commuter run; not for a regional train.