I had my first experience using Amtrak yesterday as I needed a way to get out to Indiana to buy my sister's old car off of her without having a car of my own to get there (duh). It wasn't the best experience of my life. I am still very tired while writing this. The Floridian line of the Amtrak is, as I now know, always very, very late. As it was scheduled to leave the station at 3am, I woke up very early to get to this station on time. All the services were closed (very unfortunate) and me and dozens of others waited in the bare waiting room on uncomfortable seats for over and hour and a half before finally boarding at 4:30am. At least this station in particular was clean and the waiting room was open and the signage was well lit from the outside. 3 stars for the building and services and 2 stars for Amtrak itself. The staff on the train itself was very professional and good at their jobs so there's that. I wish there was a rule against people talking so dang loud the whole ride as 99% of us were trying to sleep!! Only gonna do this again in the case of last resort... like I had to this time. read more

The reason I really like the station is that its free parking downtown and they lock the gate after the last train leaves so your vehicle is protected. read more

Somehow I have never taken a train before. I arrived at the last minute, literally 7 minutes before my train was scheduled to leave. Luckily for me the train was here and running on time! I read the other reviews first so I really did not want to spend ANY time inside the station. I found what seemed like the last parking spot, grabbed my bag and got in line. The guy at the train door gives you your seat number but he might not tell you what the is handing you. I was so confused, like what is this little piece of paper?? Then once the train starts, they come around just like on the movies and ask for your ticket. I was blown away. The seat I had was spacious, clean and comfortable. Really cheap and easy way to travel if you can catch a train that is actually on time. I guess I will try this again. read more

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The Amtrack staff were super friendly and answered all my questions with patience I had (this was my first Amtrack trip). It definitely could use a update but it was pretty clean and smelled neutral. I wasn't sure about parking so I just parked in a public garage 1.6 miles away and took a Lyft. It was $17 on the way at 1am and a whopping $25 to pick us up at 3:30am to take us back to the garage + the cost of parking. Hindsight I would just leave my car in the Amtrak lot. It's fenced in and is locked when Amtrack is closed. read more

Amtrak - Public Transportation Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

I wish I could give it zero stars. My train ride from Northern Ohio to Chicago and then on to Seattle, and then San Francisco, and then back to Chicago and then finally back to Northern Ohio was a nightmare. 6,000 mi and all I could smell was raw sewage. The staff seemed disinterested in explaining and seemed like it was just a common occurrence that they had to put up with. Looking online when I got back from my trip I see there have been comments made about the " toilet trains, for decades. The smell was so bad that I had to hold a cloth over my nose with a little bit of my perfume on it. One attendant offered me a air freshener and said he could spritz the carpet. That was not going to help. It was like being held captive in a pit of raw sewage that you could not get away from. I could not rest and could not even think about eating. California zephyr was definitely the worst, 30 hours of a constant smell of rotting raw soured disgusting bacteria filled stench. The train coming into main stations was immediately turned around and sent back out without proper maintenance. It is hard to understand in 2025 how this is still going on and no one is doing anything about it. I am actively seeking a refund for what was supposed to be a dream trip that cost upwards of $10,000. Disgusting I will never ride Amtrak again and I will be sure to share my honest opinion with anyone who asks me about it that our country is beautiful, the installation of a train system with tracks that go all the way across to the oceans is nothing short of a miracle but the way Amtrak is currently doing business and what they are subjecting their staff and their riders to​ read more

The person that uploaded pics of another Amtrak station (maybe Chicago?) is getting your hopes up too high. This is not like the Union Stations or even Albany station. It's more like a bus station with uncomfortable plastic seats and outdated brown decor. However it looks pretty clean and well run - there are working bathrooms, vending machines, water fountains. The staff are not necessarily friendly but they are helpful with clear announcements and ushering you onto the track. There are only four trains that leave out of this station and all really early in the morning so the station hours are just midnight to 7:30a. So far I've only taken the Lake Shore trains from Cleveland to New York, but both times, they arrived/departed on time. The walk to/from station to Downtown really early in the morning does not feel unsafe just mostly surreal - like you are in an episode of The Prisoner because the town is eerily quiet and completely empty. Just note that to avoid extra driving or walking, you need to approach from E9th St or E3rd St to enter station. read more

Amtrak - Public Transportation Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

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So we had this dude Eric and he was literally the friendliest dude I've ever met. Seriously deserves a promotion. Love em to death. Eric if you read this we were the cali passenger who had no idea what we were doing. Take care bud and wish you the best! read more

When I booked this train reservation, I was so excited because the last ti I was on Amtrak I was a child & I loved. So I was looking forward to this trip.My experience riding & dealing with Amtrak was exactly a bad experience for the most part. My trip was from Cleveland to Milwaukee, with a 2 hour layover in Chicago. I was very uncomfortable in the seats. I couldn't rest my head all the way back on the seat, even when I recline the seat. I needed a small pillow to rest my head, which I didn't have. Another thing that happened on the train, I was talking on my phone, & this Amtrak employee stated (very firmly) to get off the phone it's quiet time. I said I didn't know & I didn't hear anything about quiet time. I can't remember what he said but I do remember saying I won't be riding Amtrak ever again. Besides, last time I remembered, quiet time was for preschooler/kindergarteners. And what's the difference between me talking on the phone & two people sitting next to each other talking. I heard other people talking during "quiet time" & he didn't say anything to them. Another problem our suitcases didn't arrive at our final destination. So, since I don't have a way to come get it, I had it FEDEX to my home. When I received the suitcases, I said to myself, I disn't zipped the suitcase up like this (part of the plastic bag was in the zipper). When I went through all my clothes, my navy blue sweatshirt is missing. I'm not for sure who went in my suitcase but it's not there & I know it was in the suitcase before I left the hotel. Although, my experience with Amtrak wasn't a great one & they will never get my business again, for the most part, besides that man who told me quiet time, Amtrak do have professional & very nice employees. read more

MY family and I had a wonderful two day trip with Carie;SD, Vincent and the men from the dinner cart,theymade our trip wonderful and they made it enjoy able :th e time went by so fast. They are a dilgenrt crew that made sure the customers were happy. The train was clean and tidy and made sure It s tayed that way, the food was good quality and we didn't mind eating the five times we ate good food great service.the atmosphere of the ride was very up beat. we also enjoyed the Chicago crew we will have to tell our family and friends about the excellent crews reasonable price and smooth ride with Amtrak!! We traveled from June29 and will arrive in DC on July2nd. Train 6 from Sacramento to Chicago and Tran30 from Chicago to DC. read more

The station for downtown Cleveland is a mess. Directions taking you there leads you on a wild goose chase. After going around in circles for 3 trips, finally asked a construction guy. Geez..... have to go down a back street that's not easily accessible and drive down a narrow street passing some RTA stops. Finally arrived. I think. Cleveland wants to keep that station their "best kept secret" from the city read more

Ugh. The Cleveland station is similar to walking the plank. It was dirty, smelly and scary. Will never return ... ever.

If I hadn't grown up at the Mistake on the Lake, I am not sure I'd ever be able to find this place. Mad props for it being in a scary/dangerous area. Seriously how did they manage to pick such a crappy spot for a station? Putting all that aside, Amtrak in general is awesome. (disclosure: my uncle is a former CFO for them). Sure it is no faster than driving and certainly slower than flying, but even with just a reserved seat, it is the least stressful way to travel. Sit back, watch out the window, and imagine a time when the train was pretty much the only way to get anywhere. read more

So, I'd love to really say something positive about the Cleveland Amtrak Station... but I'm gonna come up empty. We arrived for our train to New York at about 4:30am for the typical 5:30ish eastbound departure. The train finally arrived at about 7am. During this time, the staff did nothing to advise us of the delay or provide an estimate on when the train would arrive until they had an update for the westbound train. Not customer service friendly. The station itself is like walking back into the early 80s... brown and gray are the main color palette... the ugly lighting really enhances your experience as you sit for hours waiting on your train until the sun comes up. The stains on the carpet really accentuate the entire atmosphere of government-run dreariness. The vending machines do not accept cards... but there is a handy change machine nearby incase you actually carry cash and love pockets full of quarters. I didn't venture into the restroom but was told that I pretty much should be grateful. If Amtrak, who has record-breaking ridership this year, were to just put some money into livening this station up, it could really enhance the overall experience of waiting 3-4 hours for your train to pull in. Outside, the parking is a bit of a mess. The lot could use a resurfacing and some lines. Spaces are limited, so arrive well before your train if you want to be able to park in the lot. The good news is it's free. read more

It is really really hard to find this Amtrak station. If you follow the signs around town, you will most likely get lost. You have to be merging onto rt 2/90 going east, then turn around and look over your right shoulder while making a 120 degree turn, or you will miss it. The other really misleading thing is that if you go to Amtrak's website and buy a ticket to Philly, sometimes you are not taking the train from Cleveland, but rather a bus from the greyhound station to Pittsburgh, then a train from their Amtrak station. This is really not at all obvious and more than a little maddening when you have already driven around the block and throughout downtown for 30 minutes and finally find the Amtrak station, only to realize you need to go the bus station 10 minutes away. Then you must hope you have a nice boyfriend like mine who is willing to chase the bus down as it's pulling out of the bus station since you almost missed it. When you are actually on Amtrak, it's about 53473243% better than Greyhound (and for that reason it merits two stars), but they sure don't make it easy for you to get on the train in the first place. read more

Dark, desolate and dismal! Basically, our station consists of uncomfortable seats in a large dark room. We must do better than this if we want to encourage not only rail travel in general, but visitors to Cleveland. read more

Amtrak - Public Transportation Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

Oh, this train station is so bad! The eternal optimist in me is trying to think of something positive to say, but I'm coming up empty-handed. So, let's just dive into why this station is awful: * Hard to find - We had to make several loops to find the entrance. It's right on the lake, and the signage is terrible. * Parking - The lines in the lot are mostly gone, so we had no clue if we were in a real spot or not. Also, it gets overly cramped and hard to navigate. * The interior - Ew. It's totally gross. Brown floor, brown walls, yellow lighting, stains (or mold?) on the walls, and funny smells. * The staff - They were weird, cranky, and unhelpful. Our train was several hours late, and these folks kept hiding from everybody and refused to keep us updated. When you're in Ohio, there aren't many other options for catching the train, so you're kinda stuck with this hot mess. #fail read more

The folks behind the counter do a GREAT job. But this terminal closes at 7:00 am, and does not open again until MIDNIGHT -- trying to find a place to wait for it to open at midnight is nearly IMPOSSIBLE unless you want to waste a good amount of $heckels at the nearby Marriott. NOTHING-- I mean NOTHING is near this station, other than office buildings that close in the evening. The station is also not easy to find by car. When your train gets you here, get a cab at once-- as soon as the last train takes off, so do the cabs. Watch out for ONE cab driver who is usually the last one there -- a heavy set guy with a Jamaican accent, he is belligerent and charges WAY too much. I don't see why this AMTRAK station can't 1) Open this station earlier -- and 2- contract a local 7-11 or McDonald's to open a food bar in this place so it's more welcoming. PS-- those photos below are, I believe Philadelphia-- definitely NOT Cleveland. read more

I had read some negative reviews and was worried about my choice to travel by train leaving from the Cleveland station. I am pleased to say we had a good experience! The workers went above to be polite and helpful. The parking was not bad. The station is a little old but so am I. I have no bad things to say! read more

Amtrak is a great way to travel from NYC to CLE. Huge comfortable seats that recline way back with nearby power outlets. The Cleveland station, however, is a dismal mess. I don't have an issue with the location even though it's tricky to find. It is not in a dangerous area, but is dark and unwelcoming with terrible seating and no amenities other than an assortment of vending machines. The Amtrak station at Albany is much more like an airport terminal with a big newsstand and a coffee and sandwich place that sells beer too. The Cleveland station has none of this. read more

Amtrak rules!! Derailments and all, man. I love riding the train about five million times more than flying. Yes, the train is always hours late, but that just means vouchers for even more late trains. I think that's commonly referred to as a vicious cycle. The cleveland station is very low key compared to Orlando, Chi-town or Boston, but it has it's charm. Did i say charm? I meant stench. The coolest feeling is slowly departing around 2 or 4 am and rolling off into the night in your huge, leg-roomingest seat ever. Again, screw flying. It also used to be cheaper, but i think the prices have been jacked up of late. The key to finding this hidden alcove of railroad riches, is to park right in the middle of route 2 and walk over to it. The other reviewer is right about it's obscurity. Once you find it, though, repeat visits are easier. read more

Great train station. If you have a first class seat or a sleeper car, use the private lounge. It is awesome! Quiet. Comfortable and easy to load. Totally worth the money. read more

Antrack is a total disaster. Avoid if at all possible. Trains are NEVER on time. The app they provide is useless as it cannot predict when the train will arrive. The entire Amtrak system needs to just go away. read more

What can I say? Amtrak is a great and cheap way to travel the US. I use the Cleveland station several times a year and although it's old and kind of dirty, it's cheap and mostly reliable with a private, fenced-in parking lot. The nation's railways are not maintained by Amtrak, but by the freight lines that own the track, so don't blame Amtrak if they can't travel at high speeds. The govt. subsidizes Amtrak, so as you might imagine they don't have a lot of money. All that being said, I love the train and take it any time I can. ** Make sure you have some lee-way in your travel plans because Amtrak is notoriously unreliable when it comes to their posted departure and arrival times. I nearly missed my honeymoon because of a MAJOR delay. read more

What kills this station is the signage. Absolutely atrocious. First, when you're coming off 90, and you turn back around and see the station STAY STRAIGHT through the light. On the next exit that parallels the parking lot, take it. Go straight, then take a right. Follow what appears to be an alley. You're there. Other than that, yes, it's small 1970s decor and uncomfortable, but you're only there for 15 minutes. As for the people, friendly, courteous and were polite to everyone that approached. read more

I rode coach with my 2 children from Sacramento to Cleveland. After three days sleeping in seats with a toddler our 6 am departure from the train was a little rough. As soon as I arrived home I realized I had left an item in the pouch on the back of the seat. I called Amtrak with the details, I knew exactly where it was, but I was told they would have to wait and see if it was turned in or found by a cleaning crew. I know, it's my own fault for forgetting it, but I don't understand why they could not reach out to the conductor and ask him to check my seat. I just tried to follow up, make sure it wasn't found and slipped through without my being contacted. I was told they could not check for me. Very disappointed with the way Amtrak handles lost/forgotten items. read more

In my humble opinion it is bad but not terrible. I think that Pittsburgh Amtrak station is way worse. Kinda tricky finding this place but again, it's not too bad . read more

It's OK-- the people behind the counter are courteous and efficient. This station has limited hours because hey this is not Penn Station NYCity -- just a few trains rumble through here daily. However, please do something about the lighting at the SIDE ENTRANCE of the facility - we saw a woman get accosted by some creepy guy as she opened the entrance doors and went outside briefly - this was around 3 am - he was standing in the shadows and she did not see him. We walked over to that side door to check on her and the guy took off, only to walk in thru the FRONT door, to stand in the waiting room with a smirk on his face. If you can't afford to install better lighting here at the side door, then surely you can afford to have Transit cop here. read more

I think it is absolutely ridiculous you are not willing to honor a voucher. My wife and I were ill for a previous trip and we were given a voucher not a refund. We were not told that it expires. We went to use it and all I was told was that my money was lost now. Great customer service. I will never use you again. I don't know any other company that works like this or treats customers like this...... read more

June 1, 2015--car stolen out of the Amtrak parking lot. Cops said another car was also attempted to be stolen. Not secure.

I love riding the train, it is so relaxing to me...But this station needs an upgrade! I don't remember seeing a security guard or any type of security; I think this station needs one. Maybe they do have one but I didn't see it... read more

had some packages sent to me by Amtrak. They called me at 6 am - thanks a lot - to tell me my packages were available for pick up. The only times available for pick up were from midnight to 7:30 am. How's that for customer friendly. Getting info was like pulling teeth. Unless you asked they volunteered little. I understand you have to pick up your stuff within a couple of days. Not sure if they throw it out or keep it if you don't get it promptly. After the call I thought there's no way they can stay in business with this kind of service. Then I thought it must be government run and by George I was right. Another fiasco. read more

(One star only because zero not an option.) I soooo agree with "really, really hard to find." Prior to the trip, got directions by phone from a former transit cop, and downloaded a GoogleMap w/ turn-by-turn driving directions. After circling & backtracking several times (and getting nearly-there course "corrections" from a police officer on Lakeside and a garage attendant) we parked in a garage on E. 9th. While consulting the large map at the sidewalk, a friendly pedestrian offered assistance, even calling in to the Cleve Visitor's Center for yet another set of sort-of directions. We set off walking. After better than an hour on foot, with a few more helpful suggestions, we gave up without ever reaching said station, retrieved our car and returned home. Four plus hours led to zero satisfaction. Thankfully, we weren't catching a train, or we'd still be lost. Had to laugh afterwards, when Googling "Amtrak Cleveland" resulted in several links to "Cleveland tries to hide Amtrak station . . . " as it doesn't seem to be necessary, based on our experience. read more