I rather use Amtrak then greyhound or maga bus any day it's fast and comfortable and quiet whenever I have to go to delewere or New York I take Amtrak and I sleep really well until I get to my destination or I will just read and eat on a snack lot of legroom and outlets at the seats the conductors and operators are so nice and polite and tell you when your stop is coming up I think I will give the acelra express a try next time for 50 more dollars vs on the bus where it's loud squished and hot read more

I went on a trip in August and I got to the station and decided to change my class of travel. The difference in fare was put on a voucher. I tried to use the voucher a year later and they said I no longer had a voucher because it was valid for 1 year. I was surprised and tried to explain to the CSR that it was not a free voucher but like a gift certificate that you can use at anytime because I paid for it. The customer service guy was very rude and disrespectful. All he kept saying (5 times) was "Mam you no longer have a voucher". Yes I might have skipped the part where it says that it expires but I expect courteous service at all times from a company like that. Very dissatisfied and disappointed. read more

It has been a few years since riding Amtrak and I was excited to get an opportunity to ride the rails on the east coast...leaving from Penn Station Newark NJ and heading to DC. How do I put into words just the over all experience of this...it wasn't enjoyable, dealing with record heat the train was without power for what felt like forever as they switched the engines out during the trip. The air conditioning wasn't very effective and the staff made it clear that most people were a bother to them, as I watched so many Amtrak staff congregate in the snack car during much of the trip. Understand that the snack car was the only car who's air conditioning was truly working. As much as it pains me to say this, the cars are antiquated, pealing paint, what seemed to be a step back into the late 80s...unfriendly staff and the Cherry on this Sunday was finding out that "reserved coach seating" didn't mean you have reserved seating...but that the "entire train was reserved"...lol. Good luck finding a seat together. Sadly welcome to our very expensive third world tran company that we the tax payers continually give our hard earned tax dollars to bail out each year. read more

Good: 1. Food 2. Observation car 3. Service on the train good. 4. Meeting different people. Bad: 1. Bathroom-too small especially for large folks 2. Showers-no place to hang or set your bathing needs. Seat covered with clean towels-no place to move them. 3. Always late-was supposed to leave Greensboro at 3:44 AM but left at 5:15 AM. Was late getting back into Chicago by 4 hrs. Was supposed to be a 6 hr layover. And our train to Washington left 20 min. before we arrived. The mess that resulted from this caused a 24 hr layover. The only place they had to put us was sleeper cars that were not ready for us. Not offered a hotel room. Was offered $10 worth of vouchers to the station stores that would accept the vouchers. 4. I had a fall getting off the train in Chicago. Had a very difficult time reporting it to authorities. 5. Upper bunks in roomettes very hard and no windows. Trains cars from Greensboro NC to Grand Canyon need desperate updates. Call me if you would like my input. read more

Don't forget to sign your ticket. Sign it because they get nuts about it for some reason. Comfy train. Pricy but worth it.

My grandmother passed unexpectedly in early July, so I had to get to Georgia pretty quickly. Plane tickets were over $800. I had never taken a train anywhere, but the tickets from Alexandria to Savannah were only about $300. The catch was that it would be an 11 hour ride each way! I was not sure I could handle this, and I was particularly concerned about delays that other reviewers wrote about, some as long as 9 hours at one stop!!! I don't have luck when it comes to traveling; just as an example, I had just come back from NYC the weekend prior to this trip and had my luggage stolen. Anyway, point being, I expected that I would have delays and promised that if I didn't I would write a good review. So here I am. There were absolutely no significant delays, just minor hold ups from other trains needing to pass. I arrived there and back only about 30 minutes behind schedule. My car had wi-fi, plenty of room to sit comfortably, and conductors (not sure if that's the correct title) that were all reasonably friendly and helpful. There were no funny smells (well except for the smoke smell that lingered a while after someone decided to break the rules and have a cig in the bathroom). The snack bar was manned by a really pleasant woman, and there were a variety of options (though don't expect anything tastier than what you might get from a 7-eleven). It was in some ways better than a plane. The 11 hours passed quickly, and I'm grateful I had such a dependable and economic option for going to the funeral. read more

My family and I took a (one-time) trip on "nasty" Amtrak from West Palm Beach to Maryland for a wedding. Amtrak lost one of our suitcases. I filled out a baggage claim form, didn't hear anything from them so I called the next day. They said they found it and I could come pick it up. I asked if they could deliver it because I have no way to pick it up...I'm out of town, no vehicle and we're getting ready for a wedding and the train station is about 40 minutes away. They said that I would have to pick up the luggage from the station and Customer Relations told me I'm lucky they don't charge me storage fee while it's been there (for the past 24 hours). read more

We took the Acela Express from Union Station to NYC Penn Station (and back) in early June 2018. Overall, it was decent enough, not great, not horrible, I'll explain why. With the Acela you have a choice of business class or first class. Our b-class tix were $168 ea and those were acquired months ahead of time. As time draws closer to departure I saw they went to $198. The first class tix for this run are typically $258 and offer complimentary at-seat onboard meal and beverage services and privileged access to ClubAcela lounges. Buy your tix online if possible and use their Amtrak app to "house" your tix since it's far easier to show that to the on-train staff. DC's Union Station is a great place to take off from since it's got vintage architecture and lots of fooderies while you wait. The train boarding experience is much different than airlines. There's no TSA-like inspections, you just sit in the gate area till it's near time, then you line up at the gate. When it's time to board it's a free-for-all of people rushing to whichever train car they want. We took the standard car next to the Dining Car to check it out easily. There's also the restricted first class car, and a Quiet car where there's no talking permitted. The Dining Car is nothing special, looks kind of like a bar area actually. And you have the "privilege" of paying for drinks and snacks at a 5X multiple. There are a few configurations of seats in a standard car. All are that blue cheap leather that could pass for vinyl and most are in a 2x2 airline configuration with a tray that pops from the side. They'll lean back a bit. And there's one or two maybe per car where it's just a single seat with a desk/table and several electrical outlets, great for the connected business guy. And then there are a few 2x2's that face each other with an expandable table between and that's the one we two chose. It was great for conversation and watching things on my tablet with stand. There's free wifi aboard the train but I forgot to test its speed, ugh, but it was fast enough for browsing. My entertainment was stored on my tablet so I didn't need to stream Amazon, Netflix, etc. You can put your luggage in a few small cubbies on the car's end or you can stow it above your seat in an airline like bin. Invariably, people that stored theirs in the cubbies at floor level left them on their wheels and they'd roll out into the passage area since there was no retaining chain. I suppose this wasn't a problem 15 yrs ago when most luggage only had two fixed-direction wheels but now they all have four rotating wheels so they need to fix that. There are bathrooms at one end of each car and they're similar to those on airlines. However, it appeared that several people thought the bathroom door autolocks when closed so that led to a few embarrassments I saw. (There's a manual lock that must be engaged.) The train left exactly on time and got to NYC on time even though it had six stops - I thought express meant maybe one or two stops, but six. The stops are only like 2 minutes though, so no fooling around. The ride itself is a bit "rougher" than airlines or driving. There's a constant sway, sometimes more sometimes less, and it'll make you sleepy. On our trip there we were too "up" to sleep but on our exhausted way back, we laid on our arms on the table much of the way. I had an app that measured as high as 125mph though much of the trip is at lesser speeds. It was interesting watching the train's progress on Google Maps since it moved much faster than what I see when I'm driving. The trip was about 3 hrs each way whereas an airline would've been about an hour. However, Amtrak's sans TSA experience and train stations are far preferred to the airport experience, especially those in NYC which get continually poor reviews. Finally, since we stayed in mid-town Manhattan, Penn Station was just a short 5-min walk to our hotel whereas the airports were far away in Brooklyn/Queens, requiring a $55 taxi ride. Finally, this was about the Acela Express. The other "normal" Amtrak trains are far less expensive to ride ranging from $50 coach to $100 b-class but they're much more crowded than the Acela. My Acela trains were maybe a third filled but the NE Regional looked like it had a LOT more people boarding. In my book, Amtrak is the way to go unless you have to get somewhere much faster by plane. read more

Overpriced for trips from DC to NYC. Horrible WiFi. Crappy overpriced cafes staffed by sometimes rude people. BUT it can best flying and you avoid the traffic that you may hit with the bus. I so wish Amtrak would get its act together. read more

I had a wonderful trip on 11/24/12 on Train #80, on the Washington DC to New York segment. I boarded at Durham, NC and we had the engine switch and crew change, as normal at Washington and left at 4:48 PM, after being held for a Acela.. We were promptly informed by our conductor of all the small delays on the way. We arrived at Philly ahead of schedule and my thanks go out to the crew who I later found out are friends of mine I met on Facebook. Please give my compliments to the engineer, John-Paul Fiorentino, and the head conductor, John Riccardi, for an excellent trip. Charles Greene read more

Took Amtrak last night from New York Penn. This was my first Amtrak trip and I was actually very surprised. As a native New Yorker I am used to take subways and the LIRR but never Amtrak for a long distance. Recently moved to DC metro area and will definitely use Amtrak more often! Big seats, lots of leg room, fairly quiet, power oulet in every seat, 3.5 hr trip, less than 10 stops. (Newark Airport, Trenton NJ, Philly, Wilmington, Balitmore, BWI Airport, New Carrolton, DC) Better than sitting in car traffic on I-95 in my opinion. Or having airport delays ruin a 45 min flight. The WiFi is garbage though and barely works, but that's what I expected from reading previous reviews so I wasn't that bummed about it. Cell service throughout the trip was above par. Granted I took Amtrak on Monday night and not a busy time like Friday night or Sunday night. I would definitely recommend to anyone. read more

If you're going to take Amtrak, take the Acela! It's the fastest train, made to be an express between DC and NY (and some other places too). The train is all business class (unless you upgrade to first class, but why?) so the seats are roomy with lots of legroom. There are also some seats with tables if you have a small group. Drinks and snacks are for sale and there's also a car with food for sale as well. For short distances like this it far beats the hassle of an airline. Lastly, it has quiet cars. Perfect for people who need to work or just want some peace from loud children and raucous. I was able to text work and review reports the entire trip. The train was clean, spacious and just really nice! read more

Don't even bother. Went from DC to Orlando and was supposed to take 15 hours, it took 24. We got on the train at 3:00 for a 5:00 departure which is pointless to make people do. So there is 2 hours wasted, next we went 30 min into the trip to get delayed 2.5 hours because a couple trees fell on the track. It took them over 2 hours to show up and 30 min to actually do it. Then around 2:30 am, the train was messed up and got delayed another 3 hours. Constantly slowing down to 5 mph and then shooting back up to 60 mph. Food was whatever, seats were whatever, WiFi was horrible. I will never do this horrible trip again. Spend the extra money and fly. I've driven to Florida before which was 17 hours total, I'd rather do that then take this. read more

I recently took Amtrak from Colfax CA to Denver CO. Turns out I left my laptop on the train (I KNOW). I've been trying for over 3 weeks to find out if it was turned in at the Chicago Station (last stop for this train) to no avail. Chicago Lost and Found's recording says they're open from 8-5 M-F but nobody answers the phone, instead they have you leave a message - DONE. Then it says to send an email - DONE. I also put a report in thru corporate, but apparently nobody in Chicago bothers to read these. I just want somebody at Chicago Lost and Found to confirm that there is or isn't a turned in laptop - don't think that's much to ask in this day and age. And why are they not answering the phone - can't be THAT busy. Or responding to emails - can't be that busy. I've taken this train now 4 times in the last 3 months to visit family. And I'll probably take it again since I don't relish flying. My NEW laptop will not leave my sight. But I feel bad my old laptop is out there somewhere. CHICAGO LOST AND FOUND - customer service would be a good thing. read more

Amtrak is the only company that I know of that allows an employee to tell a paying customer (who is using a cane) to get out of her seat.!!! This was train #90, the Palmetto. Then, hold a social hour talking with all the other employees, and a little bit to loudly too. And, they all were discussing another passenger talking with the speakerphone. Some nerve! They should be quite during an evening train so passengers can have a peaceful train ride. read more

We had tickets from Philadelphia to Boston on Acela on Friday, March 24, 2017, and we were about to board when we informed by the conductor that service was delayed indefinitely by a NYC derailment. Not knowing how long the delay would be and having to be in Boston, we elected to drive. We were told by the Amtrak info desk that refunds could be obtained by calling Amtrak after the weekend. Upon calling I was informed that I should have sought a refund at the ticket counter in Philadelphia and that no refund or credit would be forthcoming. The upshot: Amtrak experienced the derailment in NYC; Amtrak said the delay of the Acela was indefinite; Amtrak said we could get a refund after the weekend; after the weekend Amtrak refused a refund as well as a credit for future travel. It is clear that Amtrak is undependable as a means of transportation (derailment delay) and is undependable in its communications with its passengers and is likewse unfair in its refund policies. Bus, plane or car transport is much preferable. read more

This was supposed to be a fun experience. A short trip up the coast as a last getaway before my wife gave birth to our first baby. It was not a good time. For $78 the train trip costed at least triple what it would have been, had we simply driven the 40 miles from San Diego to San Juan Capistrano. Instead we chose to take the train for a scenic, relaxing experience. The folks at Amtrak decided to overbook the train so a bunch of people had to stand. So much for a realxing trip. My wife sat next to some sleeping dude while I stood and wandered around waiting for a seat to open up. We missed out on the experience that we were hoping for. We basically got fleeced. Now I know why train travel is not preferred in our parts. Next time I'll just drive, even will the awful So Cal traffic, the comfort is much greater and its much less expensive. I paid Amtrak the cost of a nice dinner for nothing. read more

Today Amtrak earned 1 star. Our departure time was 12:05 and they told us they were doing safety checks. Finally at 12:25 they turned the air on. Since its in the mid-80s it was getting pretty toasty and some of the passengers were getting red in the face. We are now 26 minutes delayed with no update in 10 minutes. I usually have better experience with Amtrak but today they are not very passenger centric. Train 176, maybe I will fly next time or drive. read more

If you travel from DC to New York (or anywhere between), this is the way to travel. No security screening, so you can show up five minutes before the train departs. You also get about twice as much leg room as you would taking the US Airways or Delta shuttle. If you're traveling for work, the biggest advantage over airlines is the ability to plug in your laptop and have a productive 3 hours of work. You'll barely lose any of your work day traveling. Cell/wireless card reception can be spotty at times (Baltimore tunnel and in Jersey). read more

Ok, I'm from NYC, a place renowned for its "unique attitude." So it is reaaallllyyy saying something when I state that I have NEVER experienced anything as hostile and nasty as the customer service reps at the D.C. Amtrak station. They were so over the top in going out of their way to make their customers squirm that I started to wonder if we were all being pranked as part of some new reality show. The trip was fine but I was honestly frightened of the Amtrak reps at the terminal. read more

I've done 3 long distance trips on Amtrak on 5 different trains, and so far the experience has been a relatively good one. The ride was comfortable, exciting, and a great way to see America's back-country. -Auto Train -Capitol Limited -Cardinal -California Zephyr -Palmetto The Auto Train, The Capitol Limited, and the California Zephyr all use the double-decker Superliners cars. They're fairly easy to identify because they're FREAKING HUGE. These cars as a result seem to be a little top heavy so expect a little more rocking. Both the sleeper cars and the coach cars have seating on both levels. The Cardinal and the Palmetto use a mix of single level cars. For the coach and dinning cars they use the Amfleet II cars. These can be identified by the fact that they look like beer cans on wheels. They use the boxier Veiwliners for sleepers (on the Cardinal only. Palmetto is not an overnight train). These only show up primarily along the East coast due to height restrictions in the tunnels. read more

We took a round trip on Acela from New Haven to DC and back. Pros: Faster than a normal Amtrak train. Trains were on time. Good legroom Newer coaches, restrooms not too bad Limited stops Don't have to go through airport-type security to board. You can get up and walk around any time, unlike when flying Wi-fi (when it works), power outlets at each seat Can make cell calls at any time, unlike flying (except if you're on the quiet car) Cons: Oversold trains. Can be very difficult to find a seat if you get on at some of the smaller stations. Many unhappy people walking through the train not finding seats. Some of the conductors helped locate seats for people. Very limited space for larger items of luggage. If you have more than a standard roller bag you may have to get creative to locate a spot for it. Constant & somewhat annoying automated announcements. Relatively high cost for tickets, considering you can fly there roundtrip for around $250. Food not that appetizing, long lines in club car The train ride is NOT SMOOTH. When traveling south of NYC in the 'high speed' section of the line, the car swayed side to side enough to make walking difficult, even made reading the laptop screen a problem. Boarding at DC was kind of a zoo scene. When the gates opened there was a kind of free-for-all as everybody rushed to get the best seats on the train. This can be an issue for older riders or those unfamiliar with the process. My advice to Amtrak would be to ditch the quiet and first class cars, and just have two more business class coaches on the train. Then they can leave 5% of the seats vacant to avoid the passenger inconvenience of overselling the train. Also slow the trains down in the sections with the most track issues. We would probably not take Acela again. It seems to serve a very specific type of traveler, one who is willing to put up with the discomforts, bumpiness, etc. Being on a train for 5 hours is kind of a pain compared to a 90 min airplane ride. But your mileage may vary. read more

Wait, is there a way to rate Amtrak as ZERO Stars? My children have been fascinated with trains starting with Thomas the Train and graduating to their first train set . You can imagine their excitement when we decided to take them on their first train trip. My first encounter with the Amtrak agent at the LA union Station was less than professional. I walked up and greeted her "Good Morning." She had a pen in her mouth and mumbled something unintelligible. I repeated my "Good Morning" and got the same response. Guess she didnt get my hint that it was rude and poor customer service to speak with a pen in your mouth while you read a magazine and eat in plain public view at your customer service window. I told her I had two bags to check in. She replied that I was almost out of time. I asked her to be specific: Was I too late to check in bags or not. She replied that only had 20 minutes. Hmmm, sounds like plenty of time to me. She said I should carry them on board. I asked her why she couldnt check them in if I had 20 minutes. Ohhhhh, I was interupting her meal and magazine reading while on duty and how dare I ask her to do her job. After pointing out that I had plenty of time, she copped an attitude and took our bags. We boarded our train. EEEEEWWWWWW. That's all I can think of as a descriptor of our seats. They were stained and the seatbacks had trash from the previous riders. And we were the first train of the day. Guess they dont clean the cars at the end or start of a run. The air conditioning was poor and the car was muggy and uncomfortable. After perusing the in-car menu, I took my kids on an adventure to the dining car. Guess what, they ran out of what we wanted. So what was advertised is not what they stocked. And the attendant made a sour face when I opted to NOT tip her. Did not seem appropriate. I tried to stay positive to make this an enjoyable trip for the kids. When we got to our destination, to my chagrin, one of the handles was ripped off. HMMMMM, the luggage was just fine when we checked them in. On our return trip to LA from Santa Barbara, the train was delayed by 3 hours. I tried to check my bags back in only to be told that i could not because the broken handle was a possible hazard. I was told to buy new luggage or if I wanted, i could BUY a box to be taped up and check THAT in. When told that Amtrak had been the party responsible for damaging my bags, I was told that I should have made a claim when I got off the train. When I asked to make a claim, I was told that it was too late and the damage was probably my fault and i was trying to get Amtrak to buy new luggage. Then the rather corpulant customer service attendant made a snide remark about "travelling with cheap luggage and if I bought high end luggage, i wouldnt have had any damage". When I told her I didnt appreciate her comment, she told me that I had to leave or she would call the police for causing a disturbance at the station. Excuse me? Well, when the train finally did arrive, we had so many diversion and waits on the track that a 3 hour ride turned to nearly 5 hours. And yes, I carried my two suitcases and put them up on the bulky item racks ( was actually easier.) This was a novelty trip for my kids, but Amtrak had no luster, no romance of travelling on the rails, no beckoning to return back . The customer service was the worst of any business I have had to deal with. The wages must be so low, that only dregs will work for their meager pay. i can see why they filed for bankruptcy. I guess after their reorganization, the fat cats got paid, the debtors told to wait and the poor customer service institutionalized. I work hard for my travel and leisure dollars. They are discretionary. And I will be spending them elsewhere. We took our first and LAST train trip. So good news for airlines and cruises. Amtrak turned us off to the rails, so we will fly or cruise to our next family vacation/adventure. read more

AMTRAK STINKS! I booked a ticket and called to cancel it just 2 hours later. They assured me there would be no problem getting a refund. After more than FIVE HOURS of being put on hold (for 20 to 40 minutes each time) and transferred 8 times to rude, incompetent representatives, I was told that their records showed I had taken the trip!! The charge would remain on my credit card because the ticket had been used!! End of story. Unbelievable. Well, it's not the "end of story", Amtrak!! I am sending a certified letter to their Director of Customer Service in Washington, DC expressing my outrage of this pathetic customer service and fraud...taking my money for services I had not used. I am being told, "Yup! You're credit card was charged! Our records show you took the trip...too bad for you!". read more

I took the Surfliner train from Camarillo, Ca to San Diego, Ca this last Saturday (10/6/2012). The trip was a complete and utter lesson in frustration and futility. The trip started with the station being poorly marked so we ended up on the worng track. Who know that Track 2 was closed when there are no posting on Track 2 declaring this? We waited 2-hours for the next train only to find this train was delayed by an hour. So far I'm 3-hours late and I haven't left the station. If it sounds like airplane travel... it does and it got worse. As we arrive in Union Station, Los Angeles, we're told there will be an addtional 2-hour delay because the train had been re-designated as a "training train". What they really used this train for was to pick up passengers going to San Diego who had been delayed from other lines. I felt as if I was on a cattle car at this point. Or worse... one of those trains you read about where the passengers are being taken to a labor camp. At this point the porters became agrumentative and had no answers other than to call 1-800-USA-RAIL. Believing that things could not get worse... they did. The train elected to not stop at the station we had people standing by to pick us up at. Little did we know at the time of booking the trip... the train crew can elect to not stop if they feel they need to keep to schedule. At this point there was almost open revolt on the train. Sensing a takeover the train crew elected to stop at the my station. Amtrak is a terrible means of travel in my area. I will no longer use Amtrak and will make it my life's mission to take as much business from Amtrak I can. Starting with me! If there is any Amtrak employee or manager reading this write up (which I doubt). Fix the placards at the Camarillo Station as a starting point. read more

Amtrak has amazing customer service. After Hurricane Sandy, they rescheduled my trip twice with no hassle and no extra charge. Even when I changed my reservation about an hour before my train was supposed to leave, they were extremely helpful and made sure that I wouldn't pay any additional charges. read more

On a family trip took Amtrack Northeast Regional from Union Station, Washington, DC to Penn Station, NYC. Purchased our tix online a couple of months in advance. A few things we were not aware of: If you are driving to Union Station and intend to leave your car, allow plenty of time to find the station and parking. Lots of construction (as of this writing) and poor signage make finding long-term parking a nightmare. Secondly, and perhaps more annoying was the fact that seating is not assigned. If you are traveling with someone, particularly children, get to the station at least an hour in advance...seating is first-come, first-serve. Apparently, paying for three reserved seats online only guarantees that you'll have a seat, not necessarily together. For families traveling with kids, this is a terrible policy. Our train was packed and we were lucky to all be on the same car. The so-called dining car is a joke; 8 tables, 2 of which were occupied by train staff and several of the others were occupied by people who couldn't find seats together in the regular cars. Won't be taking Amtrak again anytime soon. read more

I love to ride on trains in other countries and so I really want to support Amtrak but I just had a terrible experience at Union Station in Washington, DC. The ticket agents were rude and unhelpful and when I arrived on the platform to find two Acela trains waiting on both sides of the platform, there was not a single Amtrak agent around to tell me which train to board. When I did finally locate someone to ask - surprise, they were rude too. Given the choice between a flight to NY out of DCA or the experience I just had, a flight is starting to look much better. read more

took this to NYC twice in a month. Both times was more than 30 minutes late. Second time I arrive 5 minutes prior to departure but was not allowed to board. Even though arrived more than an hour 1.5 late from scheduled arrival on the accella train. Waited more than 1 hour in wilmington DE while the regular train scheduled after us cruised past and arrive earlier than our earlier departing accela train. Very poorly run train line. Japan this is not. read more

I ride Amrak a lot, and my experience is usually mediocre at best. The late trains and crummy service would be more palatable if the tickets weren't so ridiculously expensive. But today I had the worst Amtrak experience of my life, and I will now do everything I can to avoid taking Amtrak. I was on a 6:30 am train to NYC, set to arrive at 9:45 am. I had a 10 am meeting. As we started to pull out of Union Station the train stoped and the conductor announced the engine was broken. He said we were waiting on a new engine and will leave as soon as it arrives. Everyone waited patiently for about 25 minutes, and then people started to think about getting on other trains so they wouldn't be late. I decide to try to make the 6:55 am Acela, but I can't get off the train. I can't find a conductor, and when I do he will not let me off the train (even though we are still at the platform). So I missed the 6:55 am train and any chance of making my 10 am meeting. Now people were starting to get upset. I wanted to try and make the 7:25 am train (I will still be an hour late, but at least I'll be there). I finally got one of the workers to let me off. He still didn't know anything about the engine or when it would arrive. I ran to catch the 7:25 am train, but most other people were still trapped on the train with no information. I understand mechanical malfunctions. These things happen. What I don't understand is no communication with passengers, no offering to get passengers on other trains in order to get them to their locations on time, and literally preventing people from exiting the train (for no reason, because eventually they let me and few other passengers off). The worst part is that Amtrak DOES NOT CARE. They have a monopoly on train travel. They know they can offer terrible service and people will still pay a premium to ride. All we can do is vote with our feet and avoid Amtrak at all costs. That is what I will be doing. read more

Why isn't Amtrak more competitive? This morning I decided to go to Stamford CT from New York City. Basically I thought of two ways to get there, I could take Metro North or I could take Amtrak. The Metro North cost is $14, the first Amtrak train was Acela, for $74. While Penn Station is closer to me by bit (a shorter walk) than Grand Central, I could still take a luxury car service there and still be well under $74 total. The trip is 46 minutes on Acela and about 60 on Metro North, which is nice but 15 minutes is not that big a deal. Amtrak has wi-fi, which is nice, but I have a data plan to cover that need, so that didn't affect me. For $74, I could even easily drive my car to Stamford, even with the insane bridge/tunnel tolls in this region, and it's so early there would be no traffic. However, even though $74 is an insane price to go from NYC to Stamford, I figured: 1) I'll take advantage of the Acela lounge and do some work before departure. 2) I have never taken Acela before, so I'll try it out. When I got to Penn Station, I went over to the Acela Lounge. Granted it's probably my fault for not reading the fine print -- but I found out, from the stern and not very friendly guy manning the gate, that I couldn't go in because I didn't have a first class Acela ticket. $74 from NYC to Stamford (five times the price of Metro North) and I'm still not fancy enough to sit in the Acela lounge, even though I have an Acela ticket? This blows my mind! Further, now that I'm on the train, and I look around me, I see that my car is about 70% empty. Sure, that's comfortable and nice for me, having a seat to myself, but why isn't Amtrak, which is always losing money and seeking government subsidies (which I don't fully have a problem with), dropping the price to fill up these seats? Surely the computer system knows the route is no where near full, why is the price not dropping so as to be more competitive with other alternatives? To top it off, Amtrak (including Acela) employees in most cases have all the warmth of Patty and Selma, Homer Simpson's sisters-in-law that work at the DMV. (Like the company as a whole, they seem kind of complacent.) Congress should consider giving the Amtrak franchise to Jet Blue, who know how to fill a metallic tube with people at a competitive price all while maintaining a very modern, chic, and comfortable atmosphere. Washing Post writer Dan Zak got it right when he described Amtrak as "Exclusive yet shabby". read more

We took the Coast Starlight from San Jose to Seattle and it was great! They had a wonderful staff onboard coast starlight 14. Debbie in the pacific parlor car was very funny and nice! The food in my opinion was ok but it was good for a train! I would definitely recommend going on any of amtrak's long distance trains it's a great way to travel! read more

My wife and I recently took the Amtrak train from Kannapolis, NC to Alexandria, Va. It was our first trip by train in over 50 years! I am sorry to say that it was quite disappointing! Over 2 1/2 hrs. late arriving in Alexandria (causing us to miss our free "happy hour" at the hotel) and over 1 hour late coming back to Kannapolis. Additionally, the ride was quite rough, especially on the return. The best thing I can say is that the Conductors and other Amtrak personnel are all very pleasant and friendly. I think we have been spoiled by the train operations in Europe which are exceptionally efficient, fast and always on time. read more

Clean cars, soft seats, much roomier and quieter than an airplane, nice air-conditioning on a hot day. What a refreshing way to travel! WiFi. Far superior to airports/airlines for our trip from NYC to DC and back. read more

Very friendly customer service, had to change my mom's reservation due to illness and was pleased with the representatives.

Amtrac needs more communication between onboard workers during an emergency situation with no excuses....

Took Amtrak to get myself and my dad from Milwaukee to Chicago on a dad-daughter baseball weekend trip. We had a rented car in Milwaukee, but it was far cheaper to return it there and take the train down to Chicago (plus, bonus, no driving in Chicago required...for Nebraskans, where traffic means it takes 20 minutes to get somewhere instead of 15, Chicago driving is a hellscape). We caught the train from the airport station, and had an on-time, super-easy trip down to Union Station. Granted our trip was only about an hour and a half, not the overnight long-distance ventures like others on here have had to do, but this was insanely easy, cheap, and a billion times better than a bus or driving it ourselves. Would absolutely recommend at least this leg to folks in need of an easy trip to Chicago. read more

I travel for business all the time and Amtrak is by far the worse mode of transportation I have ever seen. Besides being 2 hours late for departure we at the current rate of progression (still on the train) will take 7.5 to 8 hours to go from St. Louis to Chicago which is only a 4 hour and 45 minute drive that was supposed to be a relaxing 5 hours and 50 minute train ride to start our vacation. That assuming will get moving again soon will end up being 10 hours from original departure to arrival plus time spent in train station. Which brings me to the worse part Amtraks total disregard to communication and customer service. When I arrived at the train station in St. Louis my family and I are greeted but a smuck rude older gentlemen with a snarky attitude about the train being delayed and when the nice employee behind the desk asked her peer if he sent notifications out no remark was made and I 3 minutes later get a text saying train was delayed and may make up time enroute with new departure time. From there we get no notifications or updates even while aboard the train until an hour before the amtrak app says we will arrive we get an announcement that we will be arriving at 430. Still sitting on the train for what has been a series of random stops with no updates to schedule or purpose for the delays or regards to the customers and their connections or plans. Communication would go a very long way with customers. Worse travel experience and customer service I have ever seen. Just got 3rd update in 10 hours its going to be another hour!! That's 8 hours and 10 minutes to go 320 miles read more

we could not disembark, and were stuck on the acela express. i was screaming- let me off, let me off. the door closed on me, my son behind me. called on the emergency phone - no answer. wtf! never take the acela express. express to hell. read more

Amtrak from Charlottesville to Washington D.C. is a nightmare. Never runs on schedule. Routinely stuck behind freight trains. Not at all unusual to run an hour or more late. read more