I really love to travel on Amtrak. I must brag on the Conductor that got on with us in Birmingham, AL. His name was Dontavius. He was very professional and all about the business. He deserves a raise! My Sunday, April 7, 2024 trip to Atlanta, is one that I will not forget. Thank you to all of the staff at Amtrak, on the train and off the train! You guys and gals, are all a team! Kudos! read more

I took Amtrak when going to NYC so it was a new experience. The trip up and coming back was fine. 3.5 hours and the seats were comfortable. I had plugs to charge my phone and the seats go back some. I tried to use the Wi-Fi but it was pretty bad. I got a snack from the food car of cheese and crackers and the price was more reasonable than I thought it would be. Clean bathrooms. I used the red hat service to check in and pre-board so I could get in early and pick my seat. The man who helped me board was helpful and friendly. I did notice a couple staff on the train that were rude and saying rude things to passengers at times. That was a drawback that other passengers notified. I'd probably take the train on future trips if it's convenient. read more

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I am writing this review because of what happened today when I was coming from Philadelphia, PA. We had just pulled into Union Station, Washington, District of Columbia and I was running for the metro bus I drop my cell phone, and Sean Head asked me what was going on and I told him that I drop my phone and I can't find it. So Sean Head called my phone and assisted me. There was another gentleman and he got on the track and pick up my phone for me. I appreciate that so much read more

We recently took the Amtrak train from BWI to New York City. We had buisness class tickets which I am not sure I would pay extra for this again. The business car is in the rear and we swish..and jolted all the way to NY. That was not the main reason for this review, it was so cold in the train that we wore hats, gloves and i wish we woudl have had a blanket. When I asked if there's heat the attendant said "i wish". This way of travel was very expensive and not to have heat...will not do that again in the winter for sure. We have heard from several people that they would drive from Maryland and pay the $100. a day parking instead of taking the train. Way to go AMTRAK!!!! read more

I walked up to the counter at the Thurgood Marshall BWI station to see if we could book an earlier train, since we had arrived an hour early for our train. The lady got on her computer and said how much extra it would cost, and I gave her my credit card. Then she got back on her computer and said that the computer wouldn't let her do it. So I said thanks for trying. When we got onto the train (in business class, which has assigned seating), there was another person sitting in my seat. After we talked with the conductor, it turned out that the change in trains had actually gone through, so we were no longer booked on this train. The conductor found us 2 other seats. I tried to tip her but she declined. I got on my credit card site and the lady at the station had not charged my credit card. Everything else about the journey was delightful. The cafe car has excellent food and beverage choices. The Wifi in the business car was top notch. There are even electrical outlets at each seat. Frankly, the coach class seats are almost as nice as the business class seats, but I understand that they are not assigned and, during rush hour, it can be a bit of a scramble to find a seat. read more

Literally always delayed by 30 min - many hours. Never ever on time. I was 3 hours late arriving and 1.5 hours late returning. Turns out thetes only Amtrak Tracks in NY and DC and after that its friegjt track that shakes and jolts and sways, jiggles literally ever second of the way. Imagine a shaker a bartender uses, now imagine being inside that shaker while he mixes a drink. If you get Motion Sickness Do NOT take Atrak!! MISERABLE!!!! Sadly the US became a power house becayae of its revolutionary development of its railway for frieght in the 1800s... Mortifyingly, thise are the traks we have be left riding to this day. No advancement. other countures have long since surpassed us. The car itslef was not bad, decent space for sleeping and amenities? the food was good. The wifi did not work at all on the way out, better in the way in. The communication is very poor and the sales people misinform if not outrightie to you about services, and there was no information regarding the 45 min early requirement for checked bags. I rceieved an email, as did another passenger, saying to arrive 30 min prior and when we got there we were told, nope sprry it is 45 min early too bad. That aside I was very much enjoying the experie ce and considering more like travel in a sleeper car with Amtrak until we changed to the frieght tracks and I became a human pinball in a tin can, sick to my stomach, and told the tracks across the e tire country are All frieght tracks and it feels like this the entire way, by the attendant. Maybe one day we can catch up to Japan and China and Europe and the likes, thiugh I doubt this country would ever make it free as some of thise other countires now have. Until they get up with technology( post 1800s) and lay new, non frieght- Im a human not a cargo good, I wont be riding trak again accept in areas with their actual track, if anywhere. read more

If you can avoid traveling by train with a baby, at least from this station, I would recommend doing so. Priority boarding is basically nonexistent. The staff will allow you to start boarding first but will make you stop and wait for an elevator. that has one family at a time, And then allow General Boarding to commence which means that 200 other passengers will actually get to board before you even make it to the platform. By the time you do make it to the platform, you will have to walk to the very last car at the end with a baby and your luggage and then you'll have to beg other passengers to switch seats with you so that you can sit together with your baby. All of which would've been avoided if there had actually been priority boarding and you had been allowed to get on the train first, so that you had extra time to get settled. If you do decide to say something to the staff that are doing boarding, you will be told rudely that they don't want to get sued by you and that's why you have to wait for the elevator while everyone else gets to board. So I guess that is what is meant by priority, the priority of not getting sued. I will probably just continue flights everywhere so that I can avoid this mess in the future. This is not a way to treat customers, especially customers with young babies Amtrak. read more

Acela is just not worth it for the price. Train is not well maintained (if maintained at all). The people working on the train were friendly and helpful however. read more

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We had a tough Auto Train experienc. The 17 hour trip turned into a 23 hour trip because of delays. Poor communication regarding the delays. I asked a customer service rep about thedelay and she got belligerent. Communication was terrible. Sleeping quarters were awful. I had a roomette but the ac was not working. I never slept. It was the worst experience of my life. There were positives Rafael one of the customer service reps in Sanford was a great help as was Gerald the attendant on our car was excellent and helped us make the best of a tough situation. I guess traveling by train is not for me. read more

The train has been very late on the last 3 trips I have made. Last night it was 5 hours late! This is unacceptable!

At the Acela Club, I asked if I needed a card or something to get back in if I leave..."I'm not checked in yet, she'll help you...". She 2as in the middle of a ticket issue and I waited over 5 minutes for someone to say "no." Then, I had asked for Ted cap service earlier and I wanted to confirm and the woman at the Acela Club desk at 4:25. Instead of a simple yes or no, she spent 4 or 5 sentences to tell me rather rudely to wait in line. And then apologizing to the person who had not stepped up to the desk for my rudeness! I'm done with Amtrak. read more

This was my first experience with Amtrak, the worst customer service ever. We rode 3 separate trains 1. Texas Eagle 22 Fort Worth, TX to Chicago, IL. 2.. Cardinal 50 Chicago, IL to Washington DC 3. Silver Meteor 97 Washington DC to Orlando, FL Let's begin with all being late for arrival, which, of course, made departure late as well. We are speaking hours on the first two, our first train was 3 hours late, which we were thinking okay this is not a common situation but told this is common. The second train we were to take was a 4 hour layover, which turned into an 8 hour layover. The 3rd train started 30 minutes late, but we arrived at our destination 10 minutes early. The only place to get food on these trains is in a car they call the cafe, which quickly reminded me of the old food trucks we called roach coaches and the food tasted like it was from those trucks of the 70's. Conductors were not generally very friendly. Most did not seem to want to be there. Tried to use a lounge access pass in Chicago's Union Station and was treated like I was in a caste society. We were told on the Cardinal Train that we were on a lower level service train. I tried to upgrade to roomette or Sleeper Car, but there were none available. I have seen many reviews who love the train, but they all seem to be in the northeast. I would think if one of your operating officers were the Secretary of Transportation, which it is for Amtrak, they would try to keep their guest happy across the country, not just on the East Coast read more

It is simply terrible. Not reliable in meeting schedules. Cleanliness is an issue. ------------------------------------ read more

Horrible way to travel. Absolutely horrid. Always late. Never on time. 3 1/2 hour trip turned into 10 hours.

When returning from a three week trip train 30 into Washington was delayed because two trees were down in front of the train and had to be removed. Realizing air travel over the 4th of July weekend was having many delay we though a train might be better. We managed to get through it and we're told call Customer relations when you get home and they will reimburse you $$81.35 for your overnight expense's since they covered the hotel in Washington. I called Customer Relations and waited over 2 hrs and 14 min. And nobody answered. If you want this kind of service Think Twice! read more

Amtrak - I waited 2hr and 14 min hold time without Amtrack Customer Service answering.... - Trains Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

This rain is unworthy of a second tier commuter service let alone business class on what is supposed to be the company's primier train service. None of the seats recline and there is no legroom. Four adults each of us have our legs up to our chins for five hours. We paid a premium for this? read more

Amtrak - Business class on Acela. Seats don't recline, no legroom, Each table w/4adults w legs up to our chins. Like a 2nd tier commuter train. - Trains Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

First, I am a disabled veteran. I boarded the Amtrak 4:20 train from San Clemente Pier to Anaheim on 6/25/2022. My brother accidentally purchased a metrolink ticket vs an Amtrak ticket. We were traveling with 9 people and heading to the Angeles Baseball game. When he was boarding, the conductor, Matt Goldman or Goodman, who was extremely unprofessional, said he could not board with that ticket. We asked if we could use the app to purchase a ticket once we were on the train and he said that we couldn't and that he wouldn't allow it. I have purchased many tickets on the app once I boarded after, and this was the first time this ever happened. In addition, there is no mention of being able or unable to purchase a ticket once on the train anywhere online, near a kiosk. The conductor also got in my face up close as if he was trying to intimidate me. He said, "are you boarding or not?" By the way the train was 15 minutes late already. Just don't appreciate the rude behavior of an Amtrak conductor. I have a lot of respect for railroad employees. Matt Goldman/Goodman needs to be reprimanded for his behavior. I do not deserve to be spoken to the way he did. The next time I see him and he tries this SH** again, I will not be so polite! AmtrakFail# read more

Thank you, Amtrak for providing one of the best traveling experiences I've had yet. My boyfriend and I had the absolute best time traveling from Orlando to Virginia in our private room on the train. It was very comfortable and spacious during the day. We never got bored of staring out the window. It was a dream of mine to see the country by train and it was lovely. The service was IMPECCABLE! We had dinner delivered right at the time we requested it. It was top notch for train food! The breakfast cart the next morning was also delicious. I had better service on the Amtrak than I ever have on any airplane. The only thing that would have made my experience better was having a more comfortable top bunk to sleep in. It was hard to stay asleep with the train moving so quickly at night I thought I was going to fall. Otherwise SO much fun! read more

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Have used Amtrak to and from Pittsburgh and D.C. several times as well as to BWI and other locations. It's often affordable and definitely a fun way to travel to watch the countryside pass you by. I have never had trouble missing a train or poor customer service. In fact, all interactions have been ok. read more

I would give zero stars if I could! My son was traveling alone (he is 19) from Woodbridge to Norfolk. In Woodbridge he was directed to his train by an employee. Once on the train his ticket was scanned by another employee. Here is the problem, he was directed to the wrong train! Never once did either employee let him know that he was on the wrong train until he arrived in Richmond Virginia. When they got there he was informed he needed to leave the train because this was the last stop. He panicked of course, he was forced off in a city almost 2 hours away from home. He called me and I immediately left to pick him up. How do 2 separate employees mess up so bad and basically tell a kid tough luck figure it out? In the chaos his suit was left hanging in a closet and of course it will never be seen again. I called Amtrak the next day and got a wonderful woman on the phone who questioned how this would even happen especially with his ticket being scanned. She had to transfer me to customer relations and he opened a case, the conductor had not even made a report of what transpired. I asked for a refund for the $47.00 ticket just based on the fact that they dropped the ball (yes my son should have triple checked but he trusted the employees) I was told no refund because he did in fact ride a train. I told him I would leave a bad review of my experience and then was offered a refund which I declined because I was over it at that point. I just want everyone to be careful especially if you are a young first time solo traveler. Do not trust the words of these employees because they will steer you wrong and leave you stranded. Never again Amtrak read more

A very disappointing experience with Amtrak today, taking the Acela from Washington's Union Station to New York's Penn Station. While the train was completely on time, the ride, in a word, sucked. The 2.5 hours was a constant side-to-side sway punctuated by occasional jarring shoves to the side. Completely uncomfortable and it made me quite queasy. The Acela is supposed to be the flagship train line of American rail. Well, we have a long way to go to be anything close to world class here. I've ridden the Shinkansen from Osaka to Tokyo. I've ridden the Eurostar from London to Paris. I spent two years in the UK riding the National Rail from Reading as far north as Edinburgh and as far west as Caerphilly. I've even ridden the Schweizerische Bundesbahnen (SBB) from Basel to Zurich. All but one of those was a better ride than the Acela (that worst ride falls to the East Anglia line from Liverpool Street to Norwich). The train was on time, it was clean and the seating was comfortable. The free wifi worked quite well. The conductor shushed three gents in the Quiet Car. But the comfort of the ride is where it lost all points. I think that if I'd actually eaten breakfast this morning, I'd have lost it on the train. I have experienced better. Round number review #7300! read more

Amtrak - Last stop, New York. - Trains Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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I have never been on an Amtrak train that hasn't been delayed. My current trip that I am on is a nightmare from hell. We've stopped so many times that we are delayed by 4 hours and counting. For our compensation, we were given stale brownie brittle. On top of the constant delays that they have, they do not offer refunds. I would highly recommend taking a different transportation service if possible; especially if you're looking to be somewhere on time. read more

Omg. The best train trip ever and absolutely worth every dime for sleeper service. Excellent food and the Empire Builder. America, everybody is getting into training. Traveling north from Mississippi to Chicago, and now on my way to the Northwest on Empire. No hurries. No worries. The sun is just coming up. This is a wonderful experience. The staff is CAPITAL AMAZING! Thank you to Catherine in the snack bar who completely understands my need for milk. Thanking you to the dining staff for the excellent meal service. And to Derrick in the sleeping car for his special kindness. All aboard! read more

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MS Stacy on the train to New Orleans was truly God sent- couldn't have asked for a better host read more

Amtrak - My wife and Ms- Stacy - Trains Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

We took our first train trip and it was great. However, on our return home we were at the platform waiting to go back to San Diego ca and the train just shut the doors and left us standing there. After two hours on the phone waiting for customer service, they never answered. Thankfully the next train took us back to San Diego. The same conductor as our trip up to San Juan Capistrano. This conductor was awesome. Amtrak didn't seem to care that we were on time waiting to board and they just shut the doors and left us standing there. We are thankful we didn't have a connecting train. Amtrak just didn't care about the fact that they just left us standing on the platform and shut the doors and drove away. We loved the train but the customer care through Amtrak was honestly horrible. I hope this is not normal customer care service for Amtrak. I really liked riding the train. read more

I haven't even boarded the train yet and it's already a nightmare. Having to rebook a trip 4 days after my initial itinerary was canceled due an 8 hr delay. Then going to the website to check the status of the rebooked trip and finding what is posted (and updated to the minute) is completely incorrect. A ghost train so to speak. The actual human on the phone had no explanation so what is the point of status updates-- why bother? I live in hope that the rebooked trip actually happens, call me crazy...And it's not a cheap ticket by any means. I miss the mess of TSA and the airports. read more

Directed to; Amtrak & CEO: Richard H Anderson Feb, 6 2019. Bus 4768 3:15-6:30am Driver "Jim" [Refused to disclose last name] (American Transport) Driver was blatantly too tired to drive or drunk! He woke me up several times because I could hear the wheels start to vibrate from the side emergency vibrators . When I finally started watching Jim drive I noticed he was swerving through lanes. He also kept his window down in 30 degree weather! That was a huge indication that he was tring to keep himself awake! After several times asking for the window to be raised for over 30 min. he did nothing. Then yet again he crossed lanes in the Gaviota Canyon (An extremely dangerous curvy area!) and swerved into the left emergency vibrators way past the yellow limes! Causing everyone in the bus to become extremely alarmed by his driving! Jim immediate yelled " I was getting out of the was from something in the road ." To which I replied, "that I was watching and filming and there was nothing in the road!" Jim said " Don't worry theres cameras on the bus watching." ( I'd like to see the video!) I was so scared I was already filming his driving, and the film shows nothing in the road! Once in the train station in Santa Barbara, the manager on duty was notified of the situation and asked to take action & check their contracted driver to see if he was drunk. The manager & Jim had a quick talk and all was good for them. The manager said that the only thing I could do is call in a report to Amtrak. I told him I had no reception & asked to use the phone. He said no. Jim left without having a sobriety check! Once on the train I saw the manager talk to the trains security & conductor. I asked them why they couldn't have done anything to console the passengers. They laughed a bit between themselves and said " Don't worry the train wont go out of its lanes." Like it was a joke to them. AMTRAK NEEDS TO TAKE SAFTEY FIRST! They should take more oversight of the contractors they use! This is not the first time I've had a completely negative situation with AMTRAK. AMTRAK's customer service is the worst! read more

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So I thought I'd try Amtrak to CA to visit my son. I usually fly there. And two weeks before I leave I get notice my7 train is cancelled due to "track work." So then I call the Amtrak number to gat a refund or rebook. It's busy so I opt for call back. They call back and say press one to accept. I press one, I press one, I press one. Every time the automated voice says "Sorry I didn't hear that." And eventually hangs up. I have now been on hold for 43 minutes to try and reach a live person. I will never travel on Amtrak again!!! read more

We really want to like the train. We REALLY do. We took a trip to Chicago years ago and spent the money for 2 roomettes (and one family room on the way home). It wasn't the best experience because of nonexistent parking at the train station which no one was working at, and our attendant wasn't very communicative or attentive once we got on the train. Being our first time traveling with Amtrak, we were very disappointed especially given how much money we spent to have this... experience. But, hey, that was years ago so how about we give it another chance? After all, we have a kid that has complications with flying and driving 13+ hours takes away from our family time by adding in extra stress and fatigue. Plus, THIS time we can bring our car because we are taking the Autotrain! No. Just. No. If I could go back in time, I would smack my hand away the second I started booking this trip. I suppose that, yeah, we knew what to expect. So, sure, we came better prepared and brought all of our own food, our own pillows and blankets, activities for the kids... We really put a lot of thought into booking our trip and did what we could do to make it as enjoyable as possible which I like to think it would have made a difference... if we didn't travel coach. We saw the reviews of spacious seats that recline and are comfortable with outlets and everything you could possibly need... and I am here to tell you that it should really be described as the comfortability of a slightly padded park bench that doesn't even recline 45 degrees with a "foot rest" that hit us mid-calf and we are not tall people (5'5"). I thought I was young enough being in my early 30s to be able to suck it up, but even our kids complained of pain from our travel. Also, the outlets are only by the window seat so if you're traveling next to a stranger, pray that's the seat you get assigned (you don't get to pick your own seats). The buttons to put your feet up and recline your seat are also very dated and difficult to use (they pinched my youngest's finger) and you have to manually put your foot rest up. Good luck getting it back down though because the button gets stuck very easily. Our saving grace was we booked the lower level which only has 12 seats of which we took 5 and both there and back we shared the space with a family equally as respectful as ours. The takeaway... until Amtrak puts in the effort and updates their train to make it at the VERY LEAST bearable to spend 17 hours in (or 24 when you factor in the delay we had on the way home) it's just not worth wasting your money. You'll just hobble away with the regret that you didn't just drive which is SO sad because there is SO much potential of it being a cool experience. I wasn't going to write a review, but the parting comment of "Thank you for not flying and choosing to travel with Amtrak" after a substantial delay that put us into rush hour traffic and almost caused us to have to pay an additional day to board our dogs... Eh. I guess I didn't find it as funny as they did. I can't even pretend to recommend this to anyone and all the above complaints aren't even ALL of our complaints... If you choose to travel this way, we wish you a better experience than we've had! read more

My default mode of transporation when the MARC train is not readily convenient. It's a cheap fare between Union Station & BWI, with a quick 30 minute ride. I'm appreciative of the spacious seating, charging outlets, cleanliness & friendly staff. I luck up every now & then with a jovial/harmonizing Ticket Taker. Unfortunately my trip was in the middle of a shift change, so I couldn't partake in the Café Car. Normally, the carry-out style foods & alcohol beverages are sufficed...kudos to the 'fresh fare' of items making their way to the menu. You can luck up on deals & savings with Amtrak's Everyday Discounts & Smart Fares programs, i.e. $49 to NYC with some traveling dates restrictions. I always get great customer service arriving or departing from Union Station, both at the Ticket Counter & on the train...keep up the A+ work. read more

There web advertised Arches and Canyonlands to Yellowstone with Rocky Mountaineer for the amazing price of "from $0 pp". Knowing the trip would not be absolutely free, I thought it might still be a chance to spouse on an inexpensive vacation. They have always loved trains and wanted to see Yellowstone. However, when I received a call from Amtrak for a quote I was told the only dates they had available were in September 2024, instead of April try October as the website advertised. Also, instead of the price per person being something reasonable ,seeing the offer of $0 pp, it was more like $4,899 pp. read more

Recent experience: the train left New Carlton on time but arrived in Philadelphia 31 minutes late. The following day train 93 left Philadelphia 50 minutes late and arrived in New Carlton 62 minutes late. Terrible on time record. When I asked the conductor why the trains are late, he shrugged his shoulders and said " we get there when we get there" . read more

I wish I could leave negative stars. Too many issues to even go over them all. This was our first and LAST train trip. We were supposed to arrive at 10am this meaning and we are currently sitting on the tracks woth the air ans bathrooms out of service waiting for duel to arrive about 30 minutes out fron our destination AND IT IS 5:30PM. The Staff is rude, everything is dirty, the train had a delay last night die to a train in front of us hitting a pedestrian (understandable) but after that, our train had to stop several times to let other trains pass, (why not spread the delays out instead of putting one train hours and hours behind) the we have to sit wait wait foe a new conductor, then we had to stop ans wait for an engineer (why weren't these people waiting for us at the stop when we arrive instead of is having to sit on the tracks waiting for them)? Then a fise went our ans we had to wait for the to get fixed (no aire or bathrroms). Then we ran out of fuel about 17 miles out of lorton and here we are sitting AGAIN... been waiting for fuel for over an hour. (YOU DIDNT EFFING KNOW YOU WERE LOW ON FUEL THR LAST 10 TIMES QE HAD TO STOP?) No wonder you are going out of business... WORST EXPERIENCE EVER. we reached out via chat and we're offered a credit for future trip... NO THANK YOU. I want a full credit ... you ruined our family reunion gathering but falling to plan ahead and be prepared for apparenlty normal.things that happen all.the time. UNACCEPTABLE. read more

I wish I could give ZERO stars for this Amtrak trip at union Station! Our train was delay 20 min at first because of no conductor or engine. 2 hours later we were informed we now have a conductor but NOW needed 3 motors to get the 2 trains in front of us going so that our train can move. This was my first and last time using Amtrak to travel as I was just visiting Richmond, Va and want to visit to DC. It's a shame ppl depend on this as means of transportation and Amtrak is so negligent! BEWARE read more

I want to stan hard for Amtrak cause I love trains and commercial plane travel is going to become increasingly unsustainable as climate change worsens - those big jetliners suck down enormous amounts of fuel - but Amtrak isn't for everyone. I've now taken Amtrak 3 times. In 2005 I took a round trip to North Dakota with an ex who's from there. In 2007 I took Amtrak back to Detroit from New Orleans after driving down with a Michigander who had relocated there. And earlier this year I took Amtrak from Detroit to Orlando and back to visit my snowbird parents. It's not transportation for people in a rush, not unless you live in certain areas of the east coast where major cities are bunched up together and you want to avoid the hassle of the airport. High speed rail, like they have in Europe and Japan, is still a pipe dream here. And Amtrak doesn't own their rails so their trains often get delayed by freight trains or local commuter trains in places where they share the same rails. I was delayed by about two hours on the last leg of that North Dakota trip, Chicago to Detroit. And I was delayed by 2 and a half heading out of D. C. to Detroit when an engine blew and had to be replaced. That's probably like NASCAR pit crew time for replacing a train engine (I think they just diverted us a whole new locomotive actually) but there was a lot of grouchy people in Union Station that evening. What was I doing in D. C. you say? It's nowhere near any of the three trips I mentioned? Amtrak has no lines that go south to Florida from Michigan so I had to go that far east. I actually had to take a bus from Detroit to Toledo and vice versa coming back. It was that or the train all the way to Chicago and back, which didn't make sense to me. The bus was comfortable enough anyway. All trains have a cafe car, which has pretty basic stuff - coffee, sodas, water, juices, beer, wine, salads, cereal, ramen, nuked up burgers, etc. Some trains have observation cars which are chill lounges with comfy couches and chairs and floor to ceiling windows for soaking in all the scenery. On some trains the cafe cars double as the observation cars. They're not nearly as nice but offer more table space. Amtrak is comparable is price to a lower priced airline. It was roughly about what I spent to take Southwest to Florida and back two years ago - until I upgraded to a sleeper car for one night on my way down. A single sleeper for one night ran me, I think, $239. Not too cheap, and they're pretty cramped. The privacy was nice, though, and I arrived nice and fresh. The other 3 nights I mostly slept in coach. The chairs lean waaay back and if you bring a decent pillow - I should've got one of those neck wrap a round numbers - you can get a halfway decent sleep. It helps if the train isn't too crowded and you can spread across 2 chairs. From D. C. to Detroit I mostly slept in the cafe car as that train was packed! There was no fancy diner car the night I booked a sleeper so Amtrak basically hosed me, as that meal was supposed to be included in the cost. On my trip back from New Orleans I sprang for the diner car twice, and as I was rolling solo I got paired with two strangers, since they don't do one tops. It was interesting and fun! Amtrak is good for socializing, or eavesdropping, especially if there's an observation car. It's good for reading and watching TV and movies, though if you're streaming something, even though the trains have WiFi, there's places in the boonies not near any towers, so service might be spotty sometimes. The cafe car was good for drawing, too, though the occasional bump might lead to a mistake or two. I'm a big fan of graffiti and I was blessed by a ton of it, filling my camera with pics and videos. (Pro-tip : use an editing app to slow the video speed down so you can see it better.) There's usually some party people, weirdos amd Amish/Mennonites on the trains. (I guess it's tech, but not as high tech as planes.) Security is pretty lax. Seats are assigned, but if the train's not packed it's easy to move around. Knock on wood that there's never a terrorist attack on Amtrak as there's nothing like the TSA ordeal at the airport. Less daylight made my winter trip to Florida less scenic than my two summertime jaunts, something I should have thought of in advance. Train travel in this country leaves a lot to be desired but the Catch 22 is if people don't support Amtrak it'll never get better. read more

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I would give this zero stars I'm beyond fucking pissed cause the train that I was on purposefully missed where I was supposed to go so I had to stay on for like 4 to 5 hours I was pissed when I heard that out yet I had a very important family meeting to attend zero fucking stars regretting me paying 500 dollars just for this shitty ass fucking experience read more

Please, be like the airlines and inform people that they must use headphones at all times. Mandate it. Nobody wants to hear anybody else's TV or music -- I am again suffering through a 24 hour train ride while trying to read a book (gasp!) and being rudely subjected to multiple people's commercials, tv show audio and rap music. Enough Amtrak. I'll fly because it's quieter. read more

we rode amtrak march 13, 2024 to reno and learned that lunch is prix fixe. all entrees cost $25.00 including a hot dog and a monte christo sandwich. no signs posted anywhere. our car attendant was helpful and friendly though. read more

I took Amtrak on a short trek from Union Station to BWI and then back to Union Station a few days later. It was a short trip but I was impressed with the convenience. I was able to pick my own seat (which was comfortable and offered plenty of legroom) and the train had electrical outlets so I was able to charge my phone. There was also plenty of space for me to store my carry on bag. Boarding is easy with no TSA security/baggage screening to delay boarding and cause everyone unnecessary annoyance. It's a little annoying that you have to take a shuttle bus from the BWI Amtrak station to the terminal rather than direct access but I that's not Amtrak's fault I assume. read more

Amtrak needs to improve so many things, if I were to write it down, it'd end up a novel. For the phone reservations - takes forever to get through to a representative. Enjoy being on hold for 15 minutes only to be disconnected? That's what happened to me tonight. Called again, unable to get through. Train was leaving in 30 minutes. Very stressful. Finally, I reached a helpful representative named Leslie. So happy she answered. She was very helpful & polite. Took care of the reservation & I was able to make the train. Writing this review to thank her - she's a five star out of five Amtrak rep. If only everyone was so helpful, would make the experience much better. read more