I've seen some negative talk about amtrak and i wanted to know if alot of people have had trouble with amtrak. Rate it on a scale of 1-10 and give a reason behind it
I would give them an 8 although our last trip was some time ago(2001). We took #5(California Zephyr) as part of a rail/fly vacation(1999). Negative points- 6-8 hours late the whole trip due to derailment on the BNSF in Creston Ia. #5 was re-routed to Omaha via Mt.Pleasant Ia on the UP (former C & NW). other negative was the flight returning from SFO on United Airlines(a former employer), I almost missed the flight due to baggage check, my wife went on ahead to the gate and when I FINALLY arrived at the gate,breathless from running, we showed our boarding passes entered the jetway and the door was closed behind us. We were IN THE TERMINAL, in the check-in line more than 2 1/2 hours before departure time. I should add that this was PRIOR to 9/11/01. Positive points- Scenery, Scenery,Food, On-Board crew,did I mention Scenery ?. Have the Stuffed Trout entree- FABULOUS! Capitol Limited-Metroliner Services-Lake Shore Limited (June 2001) Another 8: Negative points -- No dining car service outbound on the Capitol due to late arrival of inbound equipment. Got a voucher for $20 from the agent to purchase food. Was able to get some Mickey D's at the food court at CUS. This was on a Sunday PM and not much is open that late in CUS. on the way back on the Lake Shore, ran late on the CSX due to freight traffic and the cavalier attitude of their dispatchers toward AMTRAK. Positive points - Seeing historic locations that I had only read about ie.Harpers Ferry-Martinsburg W.Va- the C & O canal- the SUPERBLY renovated Washington D.C. Union Station-The ride on the NE corridor(hadnt been on that since the early 70s)-seeing the then brand new Acelas(before the suspension problems)- riding on historic and classic rail mileage. Sightseeing in New York and seeing places I'd never seen before. Actually seeing the WTC when it was still there! Having a great seafood meal in Boston, Taking a ride up thru Maine to the Seashore Trolley museum, it was a repeat visit for me and my wife. Crews again friendly and accomodating. CT
I think its good overall. Now I can only talk about the western part of Amtrak. I have taken the Empire Builder, The Cascades, The Coast Starlight and the San Joaquins. All great trips, sometimes late, but the crews are great and all and all the trips were very enjoyable. If you think of Amtrak as anything other than basic transportation, then you need to go to the airport and wait in the security lines. Amtrak gets you there and that is all I ask. Shannon
I'd give it a 8-9. I took the California Zephyr with bedrooms both ways from Denver-Sacramento back in May '04, and had a great trip. The service was excellent, aside from a glitch eastbound with the dining car's dishwasher, and the improvised tableware of styrofoam plates/bowls, Dixie cups and plastic flatware, the dining car staff were friendly, helpful, courteous, and the food was quite respectable. Our sleeper car attendant was knowledgeable, professional, courteous, friendly, and helpful as well. Facilities on the train were nice; granted the toilet-shower combo wasn't spacious, but it did the trick. The rooms were clean, well-made up, and comfortable. The lounge car filled fast, and was a challenge to get a good seat during some scenic sections. Other than its not-very-comfy seats, the lounge car was my home away from home for most of the trip. The trainw as a few minutes late into Denver WB, and arrived in Sacramento 4 hours late; and eastbound, departed on time, and arrived in Denver 1-2 hours late. Not bad, considering the dispatching issues UP has with Amtrak on its routes. A solid 9, if not for the late train arrivals. I'd recommend it to anyone. My wife and 28-month-old son has taken the Empire Builder from Shelby, MT to Minot, ND (about 9 hours) twice so far, and reported it as a pleasurable experience. Trains run on time or close to it, even arriving in Minot on her last trip 30 min early! With a toddler, the train was a nice place to allow the child some space, without too much trouble. If you plan on any Amtrak trip over night anywhere, I recommend a sleeper. It's the only way to travel. I originally booked the CZ trip coach class, and the day before departure, Amtrak phoned us at home; they offered bedroom upgrades for greatly discounted rates. We were fortunate to get the deal, but I wouldn't bet on it all the time!
It has been a while since I rode Amtrak but overall I would say 8. The last trip I took we were 10 hours late getting into Los Angeles but I didn't mind. I would rather be stuck ten extra hours on a train than sitting 10 extra hours in an airplane. I did that once and it was not fun at all. After a trans Atlantic flight the plane was diverted to an airport where customs and immigration personnel had gone home. The crew was "dead on the law" and could not take us to our destination after the plane was refueled. So we sat on the tarmac until they could round up some people to process us through customs. Was a nightmare. On a train you can get up and walk around. When they run out of food they just picked up more in route.
We took the Southwest Chief a couple years ago, and had a really smooth and enjoyable trip. Arrived in Chicago right on time. Next time I travel, I'm going to spring for the sleeper, however.
Amtrak Three years ago my wife, daughter & myself took the Empire Builder from Vancouver Wn. to Milwaukee Wi. and return. We went first class with a bedroom. The BNSF did a great job keeping us on time east bound. Only 15 minutes late. West bound all was fine until Williston N D where the fire department met the train. We sat for just about an hour as an emergency with a passenger was taken care of. The BNSF and Amtrak were able to make up about 35 minutes as we arrived in Vancouver just 25 minutes late. Food and service were excellent in the diner. According to Amtrak only the Empire Builder has cooked on board meals, glass dishes and metal silverware. and linnin tablecloths. The main reason to eat in the diner is for the food and service. Plastic and paper are available every where else. The Empire Builder I rate an 8 the rest a 5. The photo is an early Amtrak at Vancouver on the way to Seattle
I have taken mostly Amtrak Cascades and the Coast Starlight. If I may make a couple of ratings... Amtrak availability in my home state of Oregon I would rate about a 6. It serves the Willamette Valley pretty well but there are no lines east since the Pioneer was discontinued in 1997. This is not all Amtrak's fault. State funding was not forthcoming and that's a large reason why this service tanked. I would LOVE to be able to ride the train out to Baker City so that I could get up to Sumpter Valley Railway but that's just not in the works right now. Amtrak onboard staff I would rate 8-10. I have consistently found decent to excellent service from the onboard staff. I know they get kind of hosed with their contract negotiations, but they don't take it out on the passengers. Amtrak Cascades service, if I had been asked two weeks ago, I would have rated an 8 or 9. Right now I am thinking about a 5 or 6, in light of the summary removal of equipment and failure of Amtrak to have even some leased buses in place as sufficient backup. Unfortunately, passenger rail needs all the goodwill it can get, and that gets burnt out quickly by such screwups as not having a back-up plan and stranding travelers. True, they were offering refunds, and, yes, they probably were within their rights to not come up with adequate backup, but people will remember this sort of thing when they make future travel plans. Coast Starlight I would rate as 9 when you are actually on the train, but sometimes as low as a 4 before you get on the train. The train is often late, and the blame lays almost entirely with the Union Pacific and that railroad's failure to properly honor their part of the trackage agreement with Amtrak. If traveling anywhere between Eugene, OR, and Canada I almost NEVER take the Coast Starlight simply because of the totally unreliable timetables. I do love the Superliner cars, however. I love passenger trail, and I think that Amtrak works pretty hard considering how little cooperation from some of the railroads they get, but there are some improvements that could be made, some outside Amtrak's ability to change.
I thought I would add a note about Coast Starlight delays... I have been stuck for as long as 6 additional hours waiting for that train, and that was in Santa Barbara heading north. This was shortly before the strike in 1992. The station staff was really good about doing what they could. They didn't charge me to check my bag for a little while and I went walking around town. This was handy since little more than a week before I had been in the worst car wreck of my life and had big, nasty bruises all over my shoulder and chest. They also told me the sorts of things I might be able to see in town within walking distance, and this was nice since I was 18 and traveling alone.
Coast Starlate If the management at Union Pacific spent as much time keeping the trains on time as they did worrying about a few model railroaders painting models in Union Pacific colours the Coast Starlight wouldn' be known as the Coast Starlate. Six hours late in the first few hundred miles. That is just lousy dispatchng by incompetant employees. The Espee might have had a poor public image but the Amtrak trains were usually on time. Union Pacific once had a slogan "We Can Handle It". Maybe it should have read we can't handle it.
I could fill pages with negative things that have happened to me and my family on Amtrak but I'll just sum it up this way. Aside from an eastbound trip on the Empire Builder when the dining car burned in Seattle, all the problems that I have had with Amtrak have all been with train crew either not doing their jobs or having an additude. It is ridiculous that one entity can have so many bad eggs. The most recent incident was when a lounge car attendant left her post 45 minutes before scheduled closing of the snack bar. She returned at midnight to close the snackbar and refused to sell anything to the people who had waited for her to return. She literally slammed the door in our faces.
I rode on Amtrap only once... a round trip from Boston to New York City. Twenty minutes out of Boston, there was a power failure that lasted for three hours. Add to that the fact that cars and trucks seem to have Amtrak in their sights and cause an alarming rate of accidents... I give Amtrak a 1 out of 10. If I had my way, I'd shut them down.
