I took the train from Washington to Oregon that should have been on time and it wasn't. It was delayed twice for an hour both times. The train was so dirty I couldn't see out the windows! Even though the Steward swept the floor when we got close to Portland he only swept the aisles. The seats were filthy. When I had to take the train back to Washington, with my granddaughter, we were then told the train wasn't coming at all and we had to ride a bus back. Not a normal Greyhound bus but a small party bus jammed packed with people, shoulder to shoulder, a sack lunch from Subway, that I couldn't eat, no bathroom and the seats were ridiculously hard and had to sit straight up! I'm almost 70yrs old and that was very painful on a 4 hour ride! For the money I paid, and no reduced charges it was HELL! I'll not take the train ever again and I'm telling everyone I know across the country not to either!!! read more

Thursday, 07/12/2024, Up since 4:30am, Three weary travelers from Pasco, WA to Portland, OR, with a change of trains from Portland, OR to Tacoma, WA -arrived early for their 6:40am departure on The Empire Builder. Only to find out our train had been delayed by 4 hours and was now departing at 10:35am. We checked our 2 largest pieces of luggage and decided to just wait at the station, as our family friend DR had already dropped us off & gone on to work. Well about 7:30am the Amtrak employee who works the desk came by and gave us a 5.11 oz. Snack box filled with: Hummus, Cheese Spread, Almonds, Brownie Crisps, Crackers, Beef Stick & Dried Apples! FREE! WOW, what a wonderful service and it saved us from having to buy snacks with our own $! I'm highly recommend taking this train. Thanks Amtrak! read more

Gayle and I drove up to Pasco recently for a Family Wedding. My Son came in as well, but from Portland and on Amtrak's Empire Builder. He left Union Station at PDX at around 4:45 PM and arrived (late) into Pasco at around 9:30 PM. In between was a scenic ride up the Columbia Gorge and with enough diversion to keep an easily bored teenager engaged and safe. This is a Train I would like to take, preferably from either Portland or Seattle to Glacier National Park and beyond. Gayle's Sister was nice enough to pick the Kid up at Pasco and take him home. As for the Amtrak Station itself (of which I returned to take a look), it's housed as part of a spiffy looking Intermodal Center, on BNSF track and platforms, and with a Greyhound Bus connection. Pasco might not be destination location, but it's certainly a place to start an interesting journey. read more