Once upon a time in America: Coast-to-coast on a 3300-mile rail odyssey from NY to San Francisco

Daily Mail (UK) ^ | 4th July 2010 | Mihir Bose

[PugetSoundSoldier]

On the other hand, plane travel lets you go to where you want to go, and spend extended time at that destination, unlike the train where you have short stops.

If I have 10 days, I can spend 8 of them on the train across the country and back, or I can fly to Reno, spend a few days in the Northern California/Nevada area, fly to Denver, spend a few days there, fly to Chicago, spend a few days there, fly to New York, spend a few days there, then head back to San Francisco.

The train can be a fun trip, an enjoyable excursion. But it’s not a replacement for normal commutes and most travel in the US.

[Kirkwood]

I didn’t write that.

[kabumpo]

Seattle to Portland is a GREAT and very relaxing trip —
you arrive in the center of town. It was musch better than flying.

[kabumpo]

Seattle to Portland is a GREAT and very relaxing trip —
you arrive in the center of town. It was much better than flying.

[Willie Green]

- That AMTRAK train is subsidized $80 round trip

That's cool... It's sorta like getting a $80 rebate on your taxes every time you travel!!!

- It’s slower than driving

Why waste all that time driving when I can be surfing the Internet on Amtrak's free wifi???

- Your costs are only when the tickets are bought a month or more in advance; it doesn’t apply to 2-3 day pre-buys (like my airfare does)

Even if purchased at the last moment, Amtrak is half of what air fare costs.
But the prices I cited were normal fares.
Amtrak offers a variety of discounts and deals for frequent travelers.

[PugetSoundSoldier]

So how much will it cost, Willie? What is the general number? You’ve never stated that - ever. I wonder why? How much will we pay to deploy your fantasy?

[biff]

Well, I am not so much worried about the cost but I am still trying to figure out how I am gonna get my Lazy Boy strapped to the top of the freighters that come thru town at 50mph. No WIFI, no tea service, no restrooms and no heat but a nice breeze for cooling. Oh, and the clearances for the overpasses are gonna be a real headache.

[hsmomx3]

My dad used to work for the Santa Fe Railroad and back then it was a great way to travel and see the country. So many perks back then which no longer exist. Miss those days.....

[sbMKE]

Don’t forget that the coast-to-coast Amtrak trip is subisdized with $2,500 or so of taxpayer dollars just to cover operating costs.

It’s a $4,000 trip even before you factor in the coast of equipment.

[Grunthor]

How long does it take to cross the country in a train with the current tech?

How long does it take to do the same thing on an airplane?

Which costs more for a basic “no frills” ticket?

Thank you.

[Lmo56]

I’ve traveled from Philadelphia to Seattle via Amtrak many times over the past 13 years. I wouldn’t want to go any other way.

Had to go to a convention in LA in 1997 - also had to burn built-up vacation time. I took the train from DC-Chicago-Seattle-LA [5 days], spent 5 days in LA, went from LA across Southwest to New Orleans [spent a few days there], went from New Orleans-Atlanta-Great Smokies-DC. Took 21 days total ...

Cost me about $2100 total, or $100/day [this included my stays at the hotels in LA and NO]. Had the sleeper car, shower, meals included. PLUS, the scenery - FANTASTIC !!!

HAD A WONDERFUL TIME ...

[Publius]

Whenever I need to do the Seattle-to-Portland-and-return bit, I always take the train. It's a simple bus ride to the station in Edmonds, a relaxing trip in business class with a stop (or two) in the bistro car for a microbrew, and when I hit Portland, it's a quick ride on MAX to the hotel. MAX runs until 1:30 AM so I never have to worry about how to get from the event location back to the hotel.

The return trip is just as easy.

Granted, it's a bit longer than the drive on I-5, but that assumes that I-5 is flowing without difficulty. One simple accident or construction on the freeway will make the train trip the shorter of the two, plus it's far less stressful.

[BluH2o]

I didn’t write that.

Really? I was responding to your post #14.

[Gay State Conservative]

Long distance trains may well make sense in Europe because of the shorter distances involved and because Europe is *much* more densely populated.But apart,possibly,from the Northeast corridor,they don’t make sense here.

[Gay State Conservative]

I’ve traveled from Philadelphia to Seattle via Amtrak many times over the past 13 years. I wouldn’t want to go any other way.

When I was about 5 (back in the 50's) my entire family took the train from Boston to Miami.My mother wouldn't fly so driving and the train were the only two options.Until the day he died my Dad used to remind me that on that trip I started asking "are we there yet?" when we hit Connecticut! Happy memories!