Kathleen at the ticket window really helped me out today by changing my ticket smoothly and easily. Also the trains are super clean now that covid policies are in effect. My rides on the NE Regional rail line yesterday and today were the most pleasurable rides I've ever taken. read more

Taking Amtrak is a fun experience. The four stations I've been in (Lancaster PA, Philadelphia 30th street, Baltimore Penn Station, and New York Penn Station) were architecture gems. The trains were clean and comfortable and the views were nice. My friend clocked the train going almost 90 miles per hour but it sure didn't feel that way. The only issue was we couldn't hear the announcement of which stop was next and he didn't stop very long at smaller stops. The service in some areas is also very limited. read more

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Should I drive 7 hours to North Carolina and deal with horrible traffic, feeling my blood pressure rise to stroke level as I near road rage? Or should I spend what I would've spent in gas money and instead sit back on the Amtrak and let someone else do all the driving? DING DING DING. I was so pleased with my recent trip from Philly to Fayetteville. Every seat had a charger. Free wifi was constant and accessible. The train was fast, clean, and modern. The staff went above and beyond in friendliness and helpfulness. read more

Nice and simple ticket kiosks and organized lines down to the trains. Plenty of staff handling questions during the regular work commute hours, but quieter on the weekends. And only 1 hr from Philly to NYC! read more

Besides the fact that riding the train is just plainly more comfortable than riding on a bus - and also that waiting in a station is infinitely better than on a street curb, I give mad props to Amtrak for the simple fact that their employees are incredible calm and collected. Every Amtrak person I encountered handled me with incredible patience despite my impatience, silliness, and the general panic associated with a 4-hour delay due to a power outage in DC. Bonus points for the incredible feeling of walking up from the platform into the awesome 30th St. station and the fact that I was granted a voucher in compensation with the delay even with the uncontrollable circumstance. read more

On Nov 25, 2022 I returned from Richmond Virginia to Trenton NJ. When departing in Trenton, I could not find a conductor to ask what was the correct door to exit, so I stood at a door where passengers stood for previous stops and they exited. Unfortunately, the door where I was standing did not open and I missed my stop. I frantically ran thru several train cars and found a conductor eating dinner . I told him my story and he asked if I had been sleeping and therefore missed my stop. I was FURIOUS with his answer. He told me to get off at Princeton and take the local SEPTA back to Trenton. There was a 2 hour delay for SEPTA trains leaving Penn Station so I had to take a $45.00 taxi ride back to Trenton!!! I am still waiting to hear from Amtrack as I wrote 2 emails to their complaint line. I am guessing that I will never hear from Amtrack. read more

Travelled from Philly to NYC. The Philly station was clean and secure (It seems like there was one security guard for every 20 passengers!) It is a lovely old station that takes you back to the glory days of train travel. The service left promptly, arrived a few minutes late, was acceptably clean, BUT the car was terribly hot and stuffy. Also, the WIFI was horrible .. extraordinarily slow!!! read more

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The train goes by much faster when you're drinking. That said we can only give three stars due to the bumpiness of the ride, the fact that we had to be our own sommeliers, and the fact they do not sell wine away when traveling over rough patches of track. Word to the wise: bring a picnic, others may judge, but you'll get the last laugh eating hummus and brie. But, pre cut the cheese to avoid having to deal with a knife on the train read more

Amtrak - Public Transportation Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Okay, I get it, you don't own the tracks but: 1. The temperature in the business class car is about 90 degrees and you raise the issue with the conductor who tells you the temperature is controlled under the train, do I really look that stupid? 2. We sit, not moving for over an hour. If you tell me my train is going to arrive somewhere at a certain time and I make arrangements corresponding with that time I have an expectation that you will by virtue of our contractual agreement (I purchased the ticket and you accepted my money) you are obligated to get me to the location I paid for at the pre-determined time, not an hour + later. You are a government-subsidized public business, get your shit together or get out of the business. They seem to be able to manage it very well in Europe! read more

Delayed for more than 2 hours! First and last time! and the ticket is absurd: U$ 143 Philadelphia to NYC! Amtrak, you suck! read more

Over the Christmas/New Year's holiday (a.k.a. Winter Holiday Season), I took the Acela one-way from Philadelphia to Boston. The experience was pretty good as it took 4.5 hours in comparison to 8+ hours by a combination of Regional Rail service to NYC then buses to Boston and relatively speaking, it was about as long as getting to the airport, waiting, flying, landing, and getting to my destination. The benefit that trains can offer you that planes cannot is that there is no check in process and most of the time (especially in Boston) you are dropped off much more centrally than if you were to take a plane. On the train, the bathrooms were reasonable spacious. At some ends of the trains they only have handicap bathrooms, and if you get one of those, they are HUGE. They also have changing tables in there (if you happen to be traveling with a child). To my surprise, the seats recline really far back and there is plenty of leg room. There are also foot rests unlike on planes in economy. That's probably because on Acela there is only business-class and first-class ("business" is the new "economy"). The things that I didn't like were that the seats were incredibly worn and highly uncomfortable after only 30 minutes. When the train is actually going at high speeds, the cabin shakes you back and forth (this is no different than if you were on high speed trains in France). The final thing is that because the trains are electrified and traveling at high speeds, most cabins have this very high pitch electric squeal that gets very irritating after a while. If you're older or have difficultly hearing high frequencies, you're all set! My recommendation is that you put your stuff down in your seat, stow your bags above in the closed overhead compartments, grab your valuables, and walk down to the food car. Hang out in there and stay on your feet. You get a really great view of the world whizzing by you. Overall, I would travel on Acela again, but would not sit in my sit for as long as I did without a supplemental cushion. Also, I would have to be going as a business expense of have someone else pay for my trip because $173 One-Way from Philadelphia to Boston is ridiculous for regular citizens (non-business travelers) when air-fare is less expensive to travel the same route. With improvements made to the train service, Acela could supplant air services to many places along the Northeast Corridor. The only issue is that it is still prohibitively expensive (although, Acela made its first profits in 2007. Perhaps Amtrak is going to use Acela money to support the rest of the dying system). read more

I LOVE trains and i LOVE amtrak! The Pennsylvanian is always on time. The conductors are always pleasant. There is always a car reserved for people going all the way to Lancaster and harrisburg (which means you always have room to be comfortable). The ticket you buy is good for any time train that day, just in case you miss yours or get there crazily early (both of which have happened to me). And any train is always smooth, fast, relaxing and fun to ride. For me, the best part is the Amtrak Rewards system, which doubles my miles every trip, and means that I gt a free round trip every month and a half or so! (unless i decide to save, in which case, I could travel just about anywhere within a year!). I only wish Amtrak could run SEPTA. read more

I'm not sure how many people know this, but in case you didn't, here it is: Amtrak's Acela Express trains are built for speed and fantastic-ness, this much is known. What might not be as well known is that very few tracks used by Amtrak in the Northeast Corridor are set up to allow Acela Express trains to function at their full potential. The tracks are too close together to allow the trains to tilt safely, which is one way that the Acela Express trains achieve higher speeds (by tilting on the tracks when approaching bends, and whatnot). Also traveling any faster than 135 miles per hour requires a constant tension catenary (those cables above the train), which are limited to only certain lines, (for example, NY to Boston, if I remember correctly). Knowing this, don't waste your money on the Acela Express if you're traveling anywhere in Pennsylvania. You won't get there much faster than the regular Amtrak trains. Unless you just like to say that you took the Acela Express so you can feel special. As far as regular Amtrak trains go, I'm very pleased with the service, the timeliness, the prices, and also just the general upswing in clientele when compared to, say, SEPTA? I could get used to the nice seats, and the friendly conductors. And can we say comfortable? I've never had so much legroom on any plane I've been on in the last... a long time. I've never really had an issue with not arriving on time, because... well because I've always arrived on time. As a caveat, I feel it's important to note that my Amtrak experiences have been limited to Pennsylvania. I find that getting to NY via SEPTA/NJ Transit is significantly cheaper than the Amtrak route. The R7 to Trenton is $8.00, and then it's something like $15.00 to go from Trenton to NY. You're welcome. Overall, fantastic experience that is only limited by the fact that long distance trips seem to cause ticket prices to rise exponentially, which kind of defeats the benefit/purpose of taking a train over a plane. If you have the money though, it's not a bad way to go. read more

Amtrak's Acela service is billed as the deluxe business traveler's choice between D.C., Philadelphia, New York and Boston. Though over the longer hauls it can shave some minutes off the journey, the trains' egregious lateness and ridiculous prices ($190 round trip Philly to NYC) destroy any time savings you might conceivably expect. Because the damn Acelas run on the same tracks as the regionals, when anything goes wrong, it backs the whole works up hours and hours. I've been sitting here since 7:30 for a train schedule for 8:15 that will maybe, if we are lucky, arrive at 10:30. The Acela Club attendant put out some bags of potato chips to allay the hunger many of the frustrated passengers are no doubt feeling. Of course, he's not responsible for this kind of monumental delay, but potato chips are the official response to ruining everyone's night? Methinks that WEAK. read more

After numerous trips out of Philly to New York via car, bus, and regional rail, I finally had an opportunity to give Amtrak a shot. The trip itself was paid for by a grant, and cost $160 round trip plus booking fee, which I probably would never have paid out of my own pocket. Sure, the Amtrak trains are nicer, you don't have to switch at Trenton, and you do get reliable WiFi, but unlike regional rail, you're expected to arrive half an hour early (45 minutes if you need to check bags), so even though the Amtrak ride is shorter, you end up losing the time you saved. You also need to book your seat in advance, and there's far less flexibility if you decide to catch a different train. So even with someone other than myself footing the bill, I still preferred taking the SEPTA train out to Trenton and switching to NJ Transit, at a savings of over $100. In any case, both options blow Megabus (and probably Bolt, which I have taken but not from Philly) out of the water in terms of value. Yes, the bus is dirt cheap, but the more I take the train, the more I regret all the times I ever wasted waiting for late buses in the rain. read more

Sometimes I love Amtrak, sometimes I hate it. I do enjoy riding for free (thanks, magical family member pass!) and I find trains a bit romantic. But delays are not unusual. The Acela seems to be the only one that runs on time anymore. There is a wide range of attitudes from the staff as well. I have spent enough time going back and forth to see my family in Boston and friends in NYC to know which trains have the friendlier conductors. Usually, the off-peak trains are your best bet for a good experience, I especially like the ones that travel late at night. Early morning trains tend to be laid back as well. And Keystones are great because they rarely sell out, I always have the seat next to me empty on those trips. Around Christmas and Thanksgiving, the crowds get a bit rabid, so I avoid using Amtrak completely. It is a lot nicer than the NJ Transit/SEPTA option, I used that once during a massive Amtrak delay and vowed NEVER AGAIN. I guess I'm just spoiled. read more

I, too, have a love/hate relationship with Amtrak - seeing as I take it every 2 weeks like clockwork - it is a necessary evil in my life. First of all the prices. They're high. Acela is a complete rip off saving you maybe only 20 minutes of time from Philly to NYC - and that is only if the trains are on time. Don't bother. Also you can skip upgrading to Business class - what a freakin' joke. It's the same seats - just the front car. BFD!!! OK, now the schedules - IF they are running on time with no delays they would be adequate. But you can forget about holidays - when crowded trains are OVERSOLD and running late. Thanksgiving weekend is a NIGHTMARE, Basically between T-giving and January 6 the weekends are all a colossal mess. Bring your own food - many trains no longer have the cafe car. read more

Amtrak is something that I can always count on to get me to a destination on time. The Acela between Phila and Boston is fast and comfortable. So much easier than flying. read more

Enough waxing poetic around the thrill of an old and antiquated transportation system. First off I have been taking Northern Corridor trains for years. And what I have learned is that train travel is one step below bus travel. There record here in the north east is abysmal and they, well don't care! The last four trains were either delayed hours, broke down or never came and this is out of Philly. I feel like I am somewhat knowledgeable since I have spent months in Europe and they have one of the world most efficient mass transportation systems. We cannot even begin to compare the differences in service, price and coverage. As the world runs out of fossil fuels and those huge SUV's become paperweights with payments in our driveways we will be stuck in our own mess with no real transportation infrastructure. read more

I don't like traveling by long distance trains. Having said that my experience has been really good traveling with Amtrack, the staff was uber friendly and very accommodating. They were able to help me out by hopping onto an earlier train. The trains were always on time. read more

If I could give Amtrak a negative star I would. While on my way to Hershey our train was delayed 7 hours. We lost our hotel reservations for the night. Also, we lost our extremely hard to come by dinner reservations. This was supposed to be our 15 year Anniversary trip and Amtrak ruined it. We issued a formal complaint to Amtrak and they couldn't even refund at least part of our trip. Which is all we were asking for. Instead they gave us a stupid voucher. Why on earth issue us a voucher when we will never use Amtrak again?! You ruined our trip and you just lost a whole family of customers!!! read more

I'm totally unimpressed by them. This was my first time hopping on one of their trains, and almost everything that could've gone wrong did go wrong. - First, their kiosks wouldn't work at the 30th St. station, so couldn't get the tickets electronically. - Then, when we approached the counter, the system was down, so they had to hand write the tickets. - Also, they weren't able to accept plastic, only cash. - Finally, the train was 50 minutes late. I'm like what the f*ck? But my roomy, who travels with them pretty regularly, tells me that today was definitely an anamoly, and they're usually quite solid. So two stars for that. I have yet to see it though... - And yeah, the stewardess lady was sooo friggin' loud, annoying as hell! read more

I think I am giving Amtrak four stars because of what it competes with. When given the choice between cheap smelly Greyhound Bus, cheap smelly New Jersey Transit train, or comfy-yet-outrageously-overpriced Amtrak, I will take the comfort every time. Call me snooty. I love Amtrak because I have found it to be (generally) on-time, the seats comfortable, and the ride smooth. And while bare-bones, the snack car is a fantastic amenity - how many other trains serve beer and liquor? Be sure not to sit in the quiet car if you are going to be typing or something that even involves very light noise, lest you get attacked by sleeping executives! read more

Roll down the Escalade windows and breathe breathe in - Sunoco towers, eternal gas flames along I95 / I76 (the freedom highway), most of the Schuylkill oilshed in nether SE - is this a proper punishment for exile out of Eden? How else can we affect change if not enduring sacrifice, minor and almost less than a spec - yet vital and founding-father decent Make a 65-length list on the foibles of our nation's rails - Chenyhunt targets each one - it's clear how you feel about $5 rubber pretzels, loud conductors, insufferable delays (a train to Miami - o por favor), vending machines, sneezes in queues, faux security, the Lyon-Paris vs New York-DC sadness, etc Simplicity sake is all we have: each $ on your next trip to Harrisburg, or Fun City or Providence saves lives - saves qualities of lives As we eat and overeat and indulge isnt it worth a little extra this one time? read more

... I've taken the Amtrak exactly 2 times in my life. The first time was years ago, don't remember much except that it was expensive. The other time was yesterday, took the Amtrak out of 30th Street Station to NYC. Still expensive. I am not pleased that a one-way ticket for the regular service (not express) was $90 and it was late getting to NYC. Like, close to 30 minutes late and me missing my appointment. To top it off I had to book it in heels down 6 blocks because no taxi would take us that small distance. Not very happy with neither the service nor the pricing. On the bright side the seats are spacious. read more

Ok, why don't they have the Acela Express on the west coast?!?!?! This train kicks the proverbial @$$ off any other commuter train out there! With spacious seats, free WiFi aboard, tables and outlets to plug in your laptops to to chug away at while you're on your way from NYC & Philly to DC and back, this train has it all! And you get this killer experience sans gropefest via a handsy TSA agent! You can literally show up right before the train departs, buy a ticket, and hop on with all your bags in tow and actually make your train! (Yeah, I literally was running through NYC Penn Station to catch this train to Philly) A great experience! I highly suggest anyone commuting between NYC/Philly and DC to shun the rest and try the best! read more

My first Amtrak experience came on the weekend of 11/16/2013, when it was cheaper to use the Amtrak versus renting a car and driving round trip from Newark (EWR) airport to Philadelphia. It was a hoot and a half. Knowing that I have ride the rails before in various city rail lines and subway systems during my travels, this was the first time I have done interstate rail aka Amtrak. I was in for a treat and this experience did not disappoint for a bit. I was told to book my rail ticket in advance, which I did. I assumed like air travel, that there's only so much seating at a time. With that said, I booked a one way ticket from Philadelphia 30th Street station to Newark Liberty airport and booked the inbound train trip on the NJ Transit lines, as it was a cheaper alternative than Amtrak. Getting to the Amtrak station at Newark (EWR) airport requires the use of the AirTran system at the airport, the internal airport rail system that shuttles commuters throughout Terminals A, B, and C. After buying my rail ticket online, you would get an email confirmation and your boarding pass sent to you electronically. On the day of travel, print that out like how you would a airline boarding pass and you are good to go. The 30th Street station in Philadelphia hosts both the NJ Transit lines and Amtrak. Upon arrival at 30th street, I waited for the okay to board, which was 15 minutes prior to the train arrival. Everyone got into a line and the Amtrak employee opened the doors to the train platform below street level. After arriving at the platform, it reminds me of any other subway system interface I have done. Just different, maybe, just because it was Amtrak. Maybe. On this first experience with Amtrak, the trip from Philadelphia 30th Street station to Newark EWR station took roughly an hour, compared to 2 hours on the NJ transit lines. I took the 5:15am 190 Northeastern and it was a pretty smooth ride. For a while, I thought it had plenty of seats, but as I learned that there were people coming from Baltimore and BWI going towards Boston and all points in between the route. It was annoying and frustrating to discover that many of ther seats I thought were unoccupied were in fact occupied by people sleeping - taking up both seats. There were many people doing this and many people sitting next to the window, but have their personal belongings on the seat next to them. I guess that's how it is riding the Amtrak, so I took my time. I finally found a open space, but was told by the train conductor that I was sitting in the business class, so headed back 3 cars before finding a good space for my tired legs. It was nice to sit down and enjoy the rest of my Amtrak experience. What I like about Amtrak is the inexpensiveness versus renting a car. My experience about sleeping commuters was annoying, but should've been anticipated. Never having to worry about traffic on the interstate and the fact that the Amtrak stops at major cities and airports makes this option a pretty amazing deal. While I do enjoy flying, I'm sure many people enjoy the rails as well. While there have been high profile of train accidents / derailments with Amtrak in recent years, Amtrak tends to be the better alternative to driving long distances and flying. While flying is the faster way to get anywhere, it tends to be expensive. Amtrak can be cost effective way to get where you need to go. The ride and experience was nice. Hearing the sounds of the Amtrak engine speed along its route is pretty fun. Don't have them in Honolulu, where I live yet. While I can't say that I did enjoy thoroughly my Amtrak experience just yet, it was neat to be able to ride the Amtrak for the first time. Someone needs to explain to me how those ticket things work, where the train conductor sticks on the overhead space above - in between the baggage space and you. Is it a place holder or something? Regardless of what that is, my experience was a good one and hope to return again soon and ride the rails when flying or driving isn't a feasible option. Support local! B read more

$103 to New York? If it wasn't for needing to get to a flight and not wanting to risk megabus delays, I would never spend that much. It wasn't even a nice or fast train because it took an hour and a half, they are just profit seeking. I would be willing to bet this is the most expensive train ticket on a non-high speed train for a 100 mile journey in the world. Why do they receive federal assistance with fares like this? read more

Do you make as much money as Scrooge McDuck? If so, your pockets won't be emptied by Amtrak like they have drained mine over the years. It pains me to think over the years collectively how much money I've wasted to get to a place smoothly without lurches. 100 plus dollars to get someplace 2 hours away via a regional train without internet access is ridiculous. Plus I am now sitting down in the Philly office of customer service where I experience employee S.Gregg being sugary sweet to everyone else, but snaps at me when I ask her how I'm going to get on a train when she directs me to go to one, without her handing me a ticket. Train lateness is also unacceptable. Though it's nice the food car exists, the only edible things there are a vegetarian burger and chips. The ticket collector ask me why I looked so miffed, holding in my hand with what appeared to be a detention slip (an alternative train ticket, not the original). That's because I've been completely sapped by Amtrak prices. Unless they improve their fares or their stupid customer loyalty program pays off the return on investment sooner, choose the much cheaper, more courteous Bolt Bus instead! read more

The train was clean and quiet. It was peaceful and the conductor was nice. For a quicker and more pleasant ride, the extra few bucks are so much more worth it than taking a bus. NYC -- Penn station -- Quickest is 1 hour, cheapest is $50. DC -- Union station -- quickest is 1.5 hours, cheapest is $50 Atlantic city - quickest 1.5 hours, cheapest $10. Baltimore - quickest time is 58 mins, cheapest is $40. Richmond - quickest is 4 hours, cheapest is $62. Boston - quickest time is 5 hours, cheapest is $90. Chicago - quickest is through Pittsburgh but its a long trip *** TRIVIA -- nashville is the only large city in the US with no Amtrak train :( You can make advance reservations for sleeping accommodations and bicycle storage, but it's very limited. My main problem is that they don't allow pets on board (even certain service dogs)... Not cool... read more

Well really cool train station in Philly, came here on Labor Day weekend. The train ride from Penn Station was only $39 and was quick, like 1 hour 20 minutes. Philadelphia is the birth place of America and wish I could have spent more time doing the tourist thing. The waiting area is pretty large with benches to sit. There is a very large homeless population in Philly, seems more visible here than in New York. Amtrak ride was comfortable and very fast, if you even want faster you can book Accela which is 1 hour to Philly from Penn Station at $100 one way. My best advice book in advance when you wait till the last minute you will be charged premium. I paid $39 for one way and my friend wanted to get a ticket the day before Labor Day Friday and it costs $91. read more

Where do I start? The new board is lousy looking, though reasonably efficient. The new announcements are worse than terrible. The machine voice often mispronounces words and with the feedback is unintelligible for those with impaired hearing or hearing aids. Progress shouldn't make things worse. read more

Amtrak regular coach BWI to PHL 30th Street Station. Price okay. Car clean and well climate controlled. WiFi on board. Conductors nice. People nice. Drawback is track and coach extremely bumpy. No-teeth rattling. The drawback to an underfunded US rail system and infrastructure. Yet much more inexpensive than the airlines who exploit you on price, pack you like sardines in a can and then are politely rude. Amtrak one ups the airlines on comfort, hospitality and price. read more

Amtrak - Amtrak coach - Public Transportation Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Got the stars to downgrade a little bit.....was coming back from EWR airport after a 14 hrs of bus/plane travel. I was waiting near the sliding door as the train reached Philly. And this train conductor dude thinks that I am some sort of an idiot and yells at me on how I should stand inside, etc, etc. I was already inside. He just wanted to yell at someone that day. Oh...The joys of customer service.. read more

How can Amtrak not be profitable?? I'm sitting on a train that was over booked, so it's standing room only. Imagine getting on an airplane and having to stand? Luckily I squeezed in with someone in the cafe car. All this for $115 one way from Newark to DC. Clearly Amtrak needs to update its booking software and find a way to properly fill it's trains. read more

Ahh, the reservation system. The arbitrary, cronyistic institution of harassment used by conductors to bully unsuspecting passengers. Its use has diminished the otherwise admirable Amtrak Keystone Service. On the Keystone Service, you may board a train without a ticket and purchase one on board unless the train is "Reservation Required" or is sold out. The website clearly shows which trains are Reservation Required when searching train schedules. We attempted to catch a 6:10 p.m. train back to Philadelphia the other night. Despite the train being half-empty, the conductor would not let us on-board without a reservation and simply drove off, leaving us in the cold with the lone option of making a reservation for the 8:10 train. I called Amtrak's line, which stated that all trains during Thanksgiving week required a reservation. This is stated nowhere on the website when checking train schedules. I made a reservation for the 8:10 train. Two hours later we went back to the train station. The train pulled up and the conductor let us on board without needing the reservation. He did not ask for my reservation number, he did not ask for my boarding code, and he did not ask for our IDs. He simply sold us two tickets. I described what happened at 6:10. The 8:10 pm train conductor asked me for a description of the conductor who wouldn't let us on, and confirmed that he has done this to other passengers. He intimated that the guy was simply being mean and that he himself wouldn't have done that. The issue is not about a policy, it's about choice. The reservation requirement is arbitrary; that conductor could have chosen to let us on the train, especially since we bought tickets on an even more crowded train without a reservation. He could have let us on. He didn't. This is what makes him a jerk, and this is why the otherwise excellent Amtrak Keystone Service gets two stars. read more

I have taken Amtrak's regional trains(nyc-dc route) quite a few times the past few years. All the trips have been for work or training so I have never paid for a ticket. I have found the trains to be clean and quiet, almost relaxing. Train stations have wireless and usually small places to grab a bite to eat. I wouldn't bother taking Acela because in my experience it is always late and not worth the extra $100 it costs to make the trip. read more

I take Amtrak a lot. How much is a lot? Last year, I hit 350 segments. This year, I'm 5 short of the 200 mark. And it's just July. 400-450, here I come. From the Keystone (my daily train), the NER (Northeast Regional), to the Acela Express, I've done my fair share of time in Amtrak trains. Consistently acceptably clean cabins, moderately well kept and modern interiors, and free Wi-Fi make Amtrak a great commuter and travel train in the Northeastern United States. When compared to SEPTA (the regional Philadelphia transportation system), the Amtrak trains are far ahead, far faster, and only cost a marginally higher amount, depending on the route. The lack of a thorough TSA check is a split for me. Nice to not have to deal with the hassle, but then again, the entire of TSA (in theory) is to keep folks safe. Regardless, TSA checks and Amtrak Police (with K9 units) abound in some of the larger stations in the Northeast region (Philadelphia, NYC, Boston, DC). By and far, the Keystone line offers some of the best values in the system. A trip from Philadelphia to Ardmore or Paoli runs a mere 6.50$ (or 5.52$ if you are a student). The Amtrak Guest Rewards program is a great chance to earn points to redeem on the network, and redemptions are usually quite easy to come by. Having consistently made the Select Plus tier due to my frequent travel, I can attest to the fact that the benefits really do make attaining the status worth it (free companion and upgrade coupons are just the beginning). All in all, Amtrak is awesome. read more

First time ever traveling by Amtrack from NYC to DC. Find pleasantly surprised. Clean and comfortable. Super friendly lady conductor on the 165 NE made trip fabulous! Joined the reward program as I plan to do this more often! read more

Shame on you Amtrak. Penalizing your most loyal customers, your monthly ticket holders by restricting their access to your trains - trains with empty seats. I spent $1,260 on my ticket this month and had to wait 2 hours in 30th Street Station because you refused to let me on a train. Had I spent $50 just once I would be home by now.... And forget about customer service. Even kids know this is wrong. Spread the word ....I hope Amtrak reads yelp, because the don't answer their customer service line. read more