It may take longer to get there, a lot longer, depending on your destination, but Ecogeek has found 9 reasons why traveling on trains is better than traveling on planes. No security delays, more legroom and no baggage handlers to lose your luggage is just the beginning. Check out one of our favorite reasons, inside…
5. No NAGGING: It’s a frikkin pleasure not having someone bug me about my seatback and tray tables and whether my electronic device is approved for that particular segment of the trip. And no seatbelts at all! Whether or not that’s technically safe, it’s certainly more comfortable.
We doubt that all the Amtrak cars are as nice as the Silverliner pictured above, but for some destinations we could see trains as a viable and pleasant alternative. When was the last time you traveled a great distance by train, if ever? To see all the reasons, check out Ecogeek’s full article.
Nine Unexpected Benefits of Trains [Ecogeek]
(Photo: Getty)
More From Consumerist
-
Rush Hour Is Not The Best Time To Read The Paper If You’re The One Operating The Train
-
What Does Amtrak Have Against The People Of Lancaster?
-
Nothing Quite Like Being Stuck 150 Feet In The Air For 2 Hours To Put You Off Roller Coasters
-
140 Passengers Get Stranded On JFK AirTrain, No One Notices
-
Break Tiny Part Of Logitech Gaming Wheel, Throw The Whole Thing Out
Is this author on crack? I could stay a long weekend at the Ritz Carlton for what it cost to get a prison cell like cabin on Amtrak. Its not even close to competitive to the airlines unless you live near New York. And even then you are sure to derail/hit a car/hit a pedestrian.
I was going to go ahead and assume that this was going to be about all trains BUT Amtrak, but he says the dreaded word right there in the first paragraph – and right after “no waiting”. Uh huh.
@petrarch1608: Ooooo… tjat sounds like a great way to go visit Hez when we do that West Coaster Commenter meet-up.
As to visiting family back east… I’m still captive to the airline industry…
PDX to Penn Station NY: 65 hours and 50 minutes over three days, with two transfers.
[Portland, OR -> Chicago, IL -> Washington D.C. -> NY Penn Station]
PDX to Tampa, FL: 82 hours and 30 minutes over four days, with three tranfers.
[Portland, OR -> Chicago, IL -> Washington D.C. -> Orlando, FL -> Tampa, FL]
The above assumes a “picture perfect” trip with no delays. As romantic as it sounds, it’s not realistic.
What’s always stopped me is that any booking attempt for a two-state route always landed me with an odd combination of train-bus-train-bus (one way, mind you). If I want to ride the train, I want to ride the train!
Re-inspired by this post, I called to speak with a human being. She assured me that I could, indeed, take the entire trip by train, but I’d have an overnight layover. Well, OK. That’s actually what I’d rather do. They really need to improve their web booking.
Now I’m beginning to plan a 3-week train/bicycle/camp tour around California. Thanks for the nudge!
The picture you chose to go along with this post is of a lounge car, so of course, not all cars are as awesome as the lounge car.
But yeah, trains are awesome.
My only train experience was two rides on the Amtrak train that ran from Dallas down to San Antonio (or did it go farther south?). Here’s what I learned on those rides:
Here is my one train experience that is obviously indicative of every train ride in the United States!
I don’t know how the Northeast corridor flights stay open. If you factor in the times to get out to JFK, the cost to get out to JFK, the security, the traffic, the lines, then waiting for baggage…. the two wire to wire times have to pretty much equal.
@sharkd: Boy, if you’re making DC to Durham in 4 hours, you must be leaving from Fredericksburg on a weekend! My husband and I lived in DC and Durham, separately, when we were first married, and getting into or out of Arlington ROUTINELY took 6 to 8 hours.
I started taking the train between NYC and DC when I figured out time was money–though the cost of a train ticket was higher, the faster travel time was worth more to me than the money I could have saved by taking the bus, which is much slower and always filled to capacity.
Another thing I like about the Regional train is the quiet car. It’s not always available but when it is, it’s a fantastic option, being able to choose a seat where you know you won’t be disturbed by other passengers.
Hey Eyebrows – I also took a Russia trip w/ the train from Moscow to St. Petersburg around that same time. We went as a high school theatre troupe trip. What a lot of fun that was. The majority of Russian people were very friendly and helpful to us and I had a blast learning about their pre-Soviet history. We also got to see Novgorod after St. Pete and Moscow
My mom bitched me out last week when I told her I took the train to Chicago(from Michigan) a couple weeks ago.According her the train and bus are for poor people and paroles! Little does she know I cut school dozens of times with my friends and took the train into the city(New York)
hahaha those were the days….
I haven’t found them to be much, if any, cheaper. And they really only work if you live in a large city that’s a big hub. But the lack of hassle is totally worth it.
@Mr. Guy:
Wait wait wait: “when gas price goes to $9/gal Amtrak will be cheaper”.
Wodeya think powers Amtrak? Grass-squeezings?
I love taking the train. So far I’ve only gone OregonSeattle, but it’s been fun. We’ve planned our vacation for this summer around taking it =)
I’ve taken the train several times from Toronto to Halifax and back, and although it’s about a 28-hour trip, and not cheap if you get a sleeper, the experience is so pleasant that I’d choose it over a 3-hour flight any time.
On a related note … Even after 9/11, I never understood the airline security overkill when there is no comparable security for trains. Are you telling me that a terrorist couldn’t kill just as many people with a well-placed train bomb? Come on. The only reason it hasn’t happened in North America is because there simply aren’t any terrorists around.
Ahh, the train. One of the most romantic moments of my life happened in a train station. I think it’s the first time Trenton, NJ can be considered “romantic”.
Man do I love train travel. Well, except that time I went home from Bloomington to Arlington (VA). 18 hour trip, which I spent disgorging my apparently-unsanitary BIG AS YOUR HEAD!! burrito, and trying to put the creepy wino (who tried to give me a kiss in the Indy train station) out of my head.
Alas, I long for the day when US rail travel is more like, say, German. The express trains are a modern marvel.
Aren’t they building a freaking MAG-LEV from Vegas to Anaheim? I read the first leg just got greenlighted.
@Eyebrows McGee: How did you take so long getting through Arlington? Even getting through the Mixing Bowl in rush hour never took me more than a couple hours.
I used to take Amtrak from NYC to Rutland, VT and back quite often. Once you got a ways past Albany the tracks were horrible. By the time you reach VT you pitch side to side so much that it was like being at sea. It seemed like I always ended up in the car that had the broken door. They didn’t feel it necessary to clean up very often. Getting a ticket in Rutland was just about impossible. I don’t know if it’s changed, but they built a shiney new station, and didn’t even include any of those ticket machines, and the station itself was only open about half an hour before, and the guy there didn’t know how to do tickets.
On the plus side; the cars were really empty between Albany and VT, so it was nice and quiet, I never had trouble finding an outlet, nice scenery (except for the trailers), I’d arrive at Penn Station so I could just hop on the subway to get home in next to no time, and flying just isn’t an option.
And not sure if it’s a plus, but security? What security? Up to 2003 (last time I rode) the only question I ever got was “Ticket?” I could bring anything. No one ever checked.
I love the concept of train travel. And I have tried and tried to make it work. But out here in the Rocky Mountains, it’s just a frustrating mess. The relaxing nature of scenic train travel in the West is destroyed by the frustrating wait for hours in every canyon to let coal and freight trains go by. Apparently, they have higher priority than Amtrak. So what might be a frustrating 4 hour drive through mountain traffic turns into a more frustrating 9 hour train ride through traffic. If the train would take no more than 50% longer than driving, it might be an option.
If Amtrak allowed pets in their cabins, I would definitely take a train.
I love how everyone talks about Amtrak delays. Thank god there are no delays flying now days. Can you imagine what several hours delay would be like stuck on an airplane compared to the train. I could imagine it getting hot, toilets overflowing or worse. But since delays are so infrequent on flights, no one every has to worry about it.
I don’t know how many europeans are reading this. Or how many have visited europe. But I honestly miss the trains when backpacking across europe. too bad the US has been left behind.
A benefit not mentioned: Train stations are located in the center of each town, saving you time and/or money on the trip.
Unfortunately, the train system in the U.S. is s-l-o-w which limits your trips to your region (Northeast, Midwest, etc.) unless you have a day or two to spare. Where’s that bullet train, America? Bring it on!
I would love to take the train if it were more feasable. Amtrak makes 2 stops here in Cleveland, both of them around 2 AM. Great for getting into Chicago at 7AM, not so great for me not wanting to be catching the only available train to chicago at 2AM.
I used to take the train regularly to commute from college to home – about 110 miles.
I didnt have a car, so this was the best option for me. Round trip was, depending on the season, $38-44 – not bad for the comfort and no hassle with traffic.
Time was okay – it took about 2.5-3 hours depending on the time of day. By car – the drive is anywhere from 1.2-3 hours depending on traffic.
I was able to relax – spread out – read a book – watch a movie – do work on the laptop – etc.
I now have a car – and am no longer in school – I sometimes think about taking the train to go home.. but they have upped the price to $52-60 depending on time of year! Thats crazy, and much more than what gas costs me. The added comfort is not worth it.
My coach seat on Amtrak’s Sunset Limited and Coast Starlight were far more comfortable and in better condition than any airline seat I’ve ever been in. I actually managed to sleep four nights on the train, something I’ve never done on a plane.
The government needs to get serious about rail in this country instead of bailing out the airlines. Amtrak needs to have right-of-way on the freight rails. Where I live, less than 5 hours from the western end of the Sunset Limited, the train is normally at least two hours late by the time it gets here. All because UP won’t let it through.
I like the article, but what we really need is articles about why trains are better than cars.
I took the train home from college for a while-unfortunately, I had the Lake Shore Limited, which I’m pretty sure is their most frequently delayed line (it better be-I’d hate to imagine a worse-performing train). They were never better than two hours late, and once managed a 23 hour delay. It didn’t bode well when people are arriving for tomorrow’s train and you haven’t left yet.
I believe Amtrak has some serious customer relations issues. I was on the City of New Orleans when it ran into a garbage truck in Crystal Springs, MS last month. I was injured hours BEFORE the accident, and no one has contacted me.
During the accident my new laptop was smashed, and I was told I needed a baggage claim form which would take 7 to 10 days to send. (what takes it so long?). I still haven’t received the form and when I called, they claimed I never called, until I remembered the name of the previous CR I spoke to, who remembered talking to me. They also said there was not a way to talk to a CR manager, nor could they fax the document for me to fill out. They offered me no direct numbers, only an address in Washington DC.
In the meantime, a lawyer contacted me, and I had no interest in any legal action, until it was obvious that Amtrak is not interested in resolving my issues. It’s a shame, because it seems like a decent way to travel, but the true test of a company is how it works when things DON’T WORK.
I agree with this – I went from Seattle to Manchester NH last summer on Amtrak and it was the best trip I ever took. No having to worry about being bumped of flights, or missing a connection because a gate or time was changed and it wasn’t posted correctly (I’m deaf, so announcements on a PA system are lost on me.) It was longer, but since I factored that into my vacation, it was actually a chance to relax, read a few good books, watch a few movies on my DVD player, and enjoy the scenery which was just beautiful! With all the “rush rush rush” we go through in our daily lives, the opportunity to sit back and just enjoy the trip was a treat.
I agree that train travel is a nice option. It’s a great way to see the country and a great way to meet and talk with people you wouldn’t normally meet.
Some bad things that happened in my experience though:
1. The woman at the train station sold me the wrong sleeper. She did not charge me for the more expensive one and give me the economy, she just sold me the economy cabin after I told her I wanted the deluxe. I had no way to figure this out since I only had her confirmation number to go on.
2. The people in the serving car were extremely SURLY. I mean SURLY. It got to where the surliness was almost funny but it was really quite annoying to be a paying guest and be treated like that.
3. THEY LOST MY BAGGAGE. But you know what? It wasn’t like they left it on a plane and it would take a day or two to get it back. After they located my bag they just loaded it on to the commuter train back to the station I was at and I had it that evening.
Despite those things I think I would like to go again.
I love taking Amtrak between LA and San Diego or Northern Cali. And I live near a Metro Station, so I Park & Ride to Union Station. 3 hours on the train beats 4 hours in freeway traffic any day.
If they every get that line running to Vegas, they’d save the US Economy.
I’ve had mixed experiences with Amtrak, mostly confined to the Midwest.
The City of New Orleans is either a great or very poor trip. I have taken it several times. I took it from Champaign, IL to New Orleans pre-Katrina with some friends and other than the frequent stops it was a good trip. The times I took it up to Chicago at 6 am in the mornings were less positive. Assigned seating would have been nice because it took me almost 15 minutes to find a seat and some of the passengers, mostly those paying the bare minimum were rude and acted all offended that I woke them up from their 6+ hour sleep.
Amtrak needs to consider assigned seating. I would pay extra to have the option.
Other Illinois routes are not too bad. The main issue is the fact they lease the rail lines, which can cause delays, but once the train is into Chicago proper, it’s not too bad.
Illinois into Michigan is not so great in terms of being on time. Same issues as Illinois, but more stops in small towns along the lake in Indiana and Michigan.
Ahh, if only Metra would expand out of the Chicago area into Champaign and Northern Illinois. I’ve found that Metra actually is a better ride and is more realistically priced than Amtrak. You can get from downtown Chicago to southern Wisconsin for less than $10 one way, a great bargain and actually runs close to the schedule.
The trouble in the US is the obsession with privatization and “letting the market decide”. Other nations know better and let the government do the job when business can’t or won’t. Sometimes letting the government run businesses IS the way to go.
The eastern US and Canada have enough population to merit an extensive rail system, yet the investment was never made. Europe and Asia made the investment, and now you can travel from England to Vietnam entirely be rail. Even the North Korean regime has seen the sense of letting trains travel through to and from South Korea. I’ve even heard talk of the old colonial railroads in Africa being resurrected.
When the economic crash comes, the US won’t be ready. Those who should have been making the decisions won’t be held accountable because they’re not in political office anymore, and corporations never take blame unless thousands die from their decisions.
I used to travel to Baltimore, MD on Amtrack from Hartford, CT (before SWA started flying from BDL to BWI). At the time, ~8 years ago, it was actually more expensive to take the train than to fly. On top of that the train ride was around 7-8 hours (with delays) as opposed to around an hour of actual flight time. Although I don’t know what the price difference would be today — personally, I would still rather fly. Granted, you might think I’m crazy because I also prefer to drive into New York City rather than take the MTA from New Haven or some other smaller station along that route, but that’s just me.
I had a horrible experience with Amtrak. I was taking a train from DC to Raleigh, NC, and our train was delayed 6 hours because of a service outage in New Jersey, which I understand can happen. They didn’t tell me until 40 minutes before my train was meant to leave. But we were just sitting in the train station for 5 hours without being updated as to what was going on, and when we finally got on the train, there was a very disgruntled passenger who had missed her connection in DC and refused to get off. It took an hour for them to get her off the train (seriously, after 10 minutes, it’s time to call the police), and then we had to stop somewhere in rural NC to throw a hobo off the train who had gotten on in Richmond.
The train itself was great, and much for comfortable than the plane. But I will never, ever take Amtrak again.
*looks at continental europe*
Yes, trains are a lovely way of transport. I’m absoultely in love with the idea… if the infrastructure is well done and the prices are reasonable.
@Eyebrows McGee: Nope. I lived in Arlington (Pentagon City – Joyce Street, to be exact) and my now-wife was living in Durham. 4 hours door to door, weekdays or weekends. (Except when Tom Cruise closed the HOV lanes for an entire day, to film 30 seconds worth of MI:3.)
My wife, son, and I took a train from Oakland CA to Chicago IL. That was a blast. If you have ever travelled by RV multiply that 100 in terms of radness.
@katekate is squared: Your experience doesn’t really sound any different from the typical air travel nightmare.
I love train travel, although Amtrak has certainly been horrible at times. My favorite was the time the train inexplicably ground to a halt in the middle of some farmland, putting my window right next to a sign that said “Caution, toxic chemical spill in area!” with a little stick person getting burned by acid. I figure we were about five minutes away from the atomic frog attack when they got the engines running again.
Still, I’d put up with a lot for the pleasure of stepping out of a cab, walking through a nice marble-floored lobby, and hopping right on the train, with my bags and my electronics and my shoes and my bomb-making equipment with me the whole time.
I daydream sometimes about being a multi-billionaire and just up and building a nationwide high-speed train network, just buying up the land, laying track, and giving towns six month’s notice to put up signs directing people to the station. I think we could get it done for the price of a war or two.
@sholnay: That sucks. In college I used to take the South Shore Line (the vomit comet!) about the same distance, from South Bend to Chicago, walk across the Loop, and catch the Metra out to my parents’ house in the burbs (they live w/in walking distance of the train station). If I could get someone to drive me from campus to the train station/airport/bus depot in South Bend, the whole thing came in under $20 — $9.50 for the South Shore, $3.50 for the Metra, and the rest for a cab across the Loop if it was pouring and I had luggage, or for some McFood in Union Station.
I counted on four hours door-to-door (2ish on the vomit comet, 45ish on the Metra, plus transit between stations and on either end), but it was typically a PLEASANT four hours where I got a lot of homework done. By car it took 2.5 hours, plus about $8 in tolls, so I felt like the train was a reasonably good deal. During rush hour or construction, sometimes the trains would beat the car trip (especially because Metra runs expresses during rush hour).
It was also just so nice and felt so liberating to know that whether I had a car or not, whether I felt like driving or not, I could get home in an afternoon if I wanted to. I kind-of hate that where I am now, I’m dependent on a car. No trains, and you have to drive to the airport — taking a cab costs more than driving + long-term parking.
The train? Seriously? Didn’t anyone see the Amtrak episode of “Sex and the City” ??
Amtrak = Greyhound on rails.
@Eyebrows McGee: $5 to $8ish in tolls, I should say. Depending on route and on what, exactly, they were dicking around with on the toll roads.
As I’m now in college, and without any real transportation, the train is usually my only option home, and I am very loath to take it. I’ve waited hours upon hours for a train that begins its route only thirty minutes south of where I depart. Anecdote: I was supposed to go see the pilot taping of David’s Situation, the new HBO show with David Cross and Bob Odenkirk, and I planned everything, switched midterms at school and whatnot to make it on time. Even the bus to the the train station was unusually on time. Unfortunately, once I arrived at the station at 2, they told us that the tracks had been down since 9 AM due to a gas pipe breakage or something. So I waited with the faint hope of possibly making it to Studio City before 7. I did not make it and was very sad. Though I realize that accidents happen, they do have my e-mail address and phone number for a reason and could have contacted me in the five hours between the event and the train’s departure time so that I could have possibly arranged alternate transportation. Story end. In conclusion, boo on Amtrak.
Living in the Bay Area (CA) I’ve never found trains usable for long distance. I once considered taking the train to Los Angeles before, but it was absurdly expensive. I remember finding prices around $400 ($1 / mile) for one way a couple years ago? That’s just crazy talk.
Several years ago I took AMTRAK from San Jose to Salt Lake City, and seriously regretted it. 2 (3?) days of sitting on a train where I didn’t have a sleeper cabin and eating train food for the privilege of paying several times as much as a plane ticket? I’ll pass, thank you.
Until train prices are competitive to driving, let alone flying, there’s no way you’ll catch me on one. I can’t imagine taking the train anywhere I could drive; even with today’s gas prices I believe driving would still be cheaper in most circumstances, and I’d have a car at my destination.
But driving takes too long, you say?
So does the train. If I was in a hurry, I’d fly.
@themossie: Seriously? Two or three days to go from San Jose to Salt Lake? When I traveled from San Francisco to Denver it was about a day, maybe a bit more. Strange.
I’ve taken the train several times, and enjoyed it. More room than the airplane, which pretty much made it worthwhile for me. Sadly Amtrak doesn’t travel to my current hometown (Phoenix) otherwise I’d be thinking about them for my next trip.
@Kishi: Apparently my recollection was off. According to timestamps on pictures I took on that trip, it took something like 30 hours. I left late at night, and arrived around 2-3 am two days later. I’m guessing the train was delayed at some point; amtrak.com shows 20 hours in theory to Salt Lake from San Jose.
Thanks for getting me to check
Sure, I’d take the train…if it actually went where I was going, wasn’t twice as expensive, and didn’t take 4 times as long as the equivalent plane trip.
Don’t get me wrong…I love trains, but until they can seriously compete with air travel, I’ll be flying the unfriendly skies.
@mgy: Of course that would also require population densities like Europe. To put that in perspective, that would mean 75 million people would live in Kansas. That’s roughly 30 times the states current population.
And speaking of Kansas, my longest rail journey has been from Newton, KS to Oxnard, CA and back twice. Amtrak was delayed by four hours each time, though the first was due to snow in Chicago. Extremely comfortable in coach, but I was willing to get to get off at the end. No power anywhere, and a surly crew depending on who you talked to.
As for European trains, the NS trains were about like taking the LA metrolink. The CityNightLine was nice, but I paid for berths in a sleeper. My final train was a DB Regional Bahn. Uncomfortable, stiff seats, stinking toilet. Worse than Amtrak actually. I haven’t had opportunity to try any high-speed trains. But frankly, for my money I’d rather fly.
I forgot about something: the susidies for Amtrak’s Heartland Flier (OKC-Dallas), per passenger, are so high it was at one time cheaper to high a limosine for each person who had made the trip.