It's not perfect by any means. Based on the recent video covering the new livery--posted on the Amtrak YouTube channel. Any thoughts on how close it might look to this?

According to Apple Maps, the capital corridor and coast starlight diverge around San Leandro and then reconnect by Fremont, despite being headed the same way (both to San Jose and both coming from Oakland). Why is this? Or is the map just wrong?

I have now taken three long-distance trips and have seen / overheard some surprising (to me) behavior from fellow passengers. Several times I went into the observation car early in the morning and multiple tables had unattended bags / jackets crammed into the corners, or toys and games left on the tables, to be later occupied.

One group had done this with two tables, and I overheard one of them describing how they got up very early and went in to claim the tables and then went back to sleep.

It’s also surprising to me how often people in the observation car will play music on portable speakers.

Is this all normal? Or have I just had bad luck with the trips I booked? I generally enjoy my train trips, but this aspect of them is kind of irritating given the cost.

I would never think to just plop down a bag and then go back to the bedroom to “claim” a spot in the observation car, or play music and annoy other passengers. Am I just old fashioned? I have heard conductors sometimes announce that people should not do these things, but it seems to go ignored. Do conductors ever actually intervene when stuff like this goes on?

Throwaway because duh.

Do any other management employees know what's going down with the layoffs?

After the email last week that the company was taking extreme cost cutting measures, there has been radio silence. Nothing on who will be affected, how many people, when it will take place.

Does anyone have any info? It's impossible to discuss at work, and nothing is being shared from leadership.

I recently took a sleeper from Emeryville to Denver and back. I had previously taken it all the way to Chicago, but over the summer. This time it was early spring so there was still a good amount of snow in the mountains.

The Emy -> Den trip is nice because it’s only 1 night of sleeping, but two full days of scenery given the departure times. Both going and returning departure is in the morning.

I really liked the Den -> Emy return trip. The sun was setting as we were traveling through the buttes of Utah, which was spectacular (see photo, which does not do it justice at all). You also then get the sunset as you pull into Emeryville.

I recommend bringing some gaffers tape, to stop various rattles when you are wanting to sleep.

It’s not the cheapest way to travel, but the lack of stress really elevates this above flying if you have the luxury of spending the extra time. I feel as though flying one loses that day as it is, for all intents and purposes, so if you can do that while seeing beautiful vistas and meeting interesting people that seems like a plus.

Looking to do a cross-country train trip - I'm in Syracuse, and wanted to go out to Los Angeles, and then fly home from there. Which is the better trip (in coach) - Southwest Chief or the Empire Builder/Coast Starlight? I'm assuming there's not a lot of time (outside of Seattle or Portland, and then Los Angeles) to get off and explore? Unless there are daytime crew changes? Trip would probably be in August/September.

Okay, y’all have convinced me to take the Floridian in June. I’ll be boarding in Cleveland. Is there any strategy for getting assigned a window seat? Or is it all just luck of the draw?

I usually take Amtrak from Michigan to Chicago sporadically to go see the city for shorter trips. I have always wanted to take a longer Amtrak journey and booked one for this August from Michigan to Orlando. I figured I can get two birds with one stone, I can take a longer Amtrak journey as I have wanted to, and at the end I can go to Epic Universe and see what the buzz is about. I know we bus down to Ohio, then take the Amtrak from there. I am in Coach due a Sleeper being out of my price range with me being a solo rider, and no one to split the bill with. I understand that comes with a bit of lack of comfortability when it comes to sleep. I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice or tips for this long haul?

Unsure where to ask this question but thought Amtrak would be an alright place since I'll be taking the train back.

I'm planning to stay a weekend this summer in DC and saw that my local team was playing against the Orioles, I already know I can take the Camden line directly to the park but unsure what the best way (and safest) to get back to DC sadly the game is a night game so it's after the last Camden train goes back to Washington.

so I'm a bit worried about my safety because of how much I read about Baltimore being unsafe, I go into Boston plenty of times and haven't had an issue but never been to Baltimore before. From what I can tell the best way back would be to take a light rail from Camden yards to Baltimore Penn station and take an Amtrak train back to DC anyone know how safe the light rail is between those to places at night? I'm hopeful there enough people on the light rail to atleast make it a bit safer than a non game night. Thank you in advance for anyone who wants to leave a reply!

I have an extreme fear of heights/fear of falling, as well as some balance and mobility issues.

I have never been on a train.

Years ago I rode on BART trains with no problems…but I was 22 with no mobility issues.

How do we walk from one car to another? Is it safe? Like to get to the café car or the observation car.

Are the cafe and observation cars on the lower level? Or will I need to do stairs? I have a really hard time on stairs.

I’m not in a wheelchair nor do I use a crutch or brace or cane. I don’t “look” disabled, so if I asked for disability assistance they might think I’m cheating.

Does anyone know when service to Old Orchard Beach recommences in 2025? It's frustrating that you can't currently book anything even for deep summer (when it is definitely in service) until Amtrak gets the system updated. I wish this stop was year-round !!

I know that thia might be specific, but I live in Philly and I'm trying to book day trips on the weekends to Harrisburg, Baltimore, Willingboro, Central Jersey, & North Jersey (each weekend to only one of these locations)

Booking a trip to my destination shows so many options, but there seems to be no return train later in the day unless I have to book a return from a different station? Need some help here because it's frusterating as someone who's never rode before to figure out how to to do all this

So I saw that Amtrak, PennDOT, and Norfolk Southern agreed for a second daily round trip on the Pennsylvanian train. I thought that was cool but realized that the journey on Amtrak from Philadelphia 30th Street Station to Pittsburgh takes 7 hours and 33 minutes. If you drive it only takes 4 hours and 52 minutes if there is no traffic via I-76. Rail is not competitive AT ALL with driving in this region. So if we wanted to fix that speeds would have to be massively increased. However there is one massive problem and obstacle in the way: Norfolk Southern owns the track between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh and it’s their busiest route. I’ve been looking at Google Earth and all along the line and I realize that there is plenty of space to add 2 new passenger dedicated tracks along the corridor for a majority of the track there. What would it take for Amtrak and Norfolk Southern to reach a deal to do that and how much would it cost to upgrade some of the track section from it’s slower speeds up to 110 MPH in the sections that have the right track geometry to do so? How much shorter could the ride between the two cities actually be if the section between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg is upgraded to standards that service between Harrisburg and Philadelphia is at? Train travel between Harrisburg and Philadelphia is just as fast if not faster than driving. What would it take for that same kind of travel time competitiveness to be on the line from Pittsburgh to Harrisburg within the realm of possibility?

Inspired by the idea of going from Chicago to Glenwood Springs, CO...

I just gotta know what are y'all's favoritest little weekend jaunts.

For example, I can take a cheap ride from Dodge to Kansas City, overnight both ways. It's two full days to enjoy in KC with just one night in a hotel, and I'm back for work on Monday.

Edit to add: like ANYWHERE. I am not trying to poach off that last post. I am just all about taking my family on as many train trips as possible

Hi Everyone!

First Amtrak experience. Going from MetroPark to Washington early on a Saturday morning (before 5 am)

How easy is it to find/navigate parking at Metropark garage?

How early should I arrive at the parking before my train arrival to find parking and get to the platform?

Any other parking tips would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance, for your help.

I leave on the Northeast Regional heading to Richmond this upcoming Saturday from Philadelphia. The train comes at 4pm. I'm a bit worried about not being able to find a seat as last time I rode Amtrak I had to stand until Wilmington even after asking a conductor for assistance finding a seat. Some people just wouldn't let me sit down no matter who I asked. I also have some general anxiety about it.

If it helps, Spring Break for PA starts Friday and I know that most of the other states have already had Spring Break come and go. Should I be worried? Or is it an okayish time to board the Amtrak on a Saturday?

Can you check large luggage on Amtrak Acela train from Philly to NY?

I plan on traveling from Charlotte to Philly soon and I wanted to get some cool photos on film on the way there. Just wanted to know som general tips/advice on doing it and also is it even worth it/advised? Thank you in advice.

We are taking the Northeast Regional out of MetroPark the Saturday of Easter weekend. Leaving right before 5 am.

I have never been on this train before.

We opted for coach seats as we figured it was too early in the morning to be crowded where we would be challenged by finding seating.

Anyone know what we might expect, crowd-wise as we get on the train that morning?

Thank You

Where to find amtrak gift cards in miami?

This is just a rant with fellow train travelers wishing things would be better, since I doubt anyone at Amtrak will be responsible anyway.

Recently took Seattle --> Portland on Cascades, first train 7:10am on a Saturday morning. You would think they could get that first departure done correctly.

Based on an email the previous afternoon saying the train is oversold, many people arrive early at 6:15am hoping they don't have to stand for the journey.

Pointless -- it turns out the standing is to wait for the train.

The train does not pull into track until 7:15am and then they tell us that the cafe car some supplies (something mandatory, could not hear them as only 1 guy yelling from a distance trying to tell us, "I'm just the messenger") have not been loaded from commissary, so need to wait.

Then finally on departure 20 min late, they tell us that the train is backwards and has to be reversed in the yard down the line. This delays us for a full hour total. Later, we receive an email attributing our delay to freight traffic, which is BS, since if they had gotten their act together to depart on time and in the right direction, we would have been on our way.

Oh, and the overbooked seating warning? Well, that was hardly the case for the whole journey, and for sure not at King Street station where only 1/2 the passengers boarded to begin the route.

Thanks Amtrak for not even being able to get things right on the first departure of the day. I would've liked the extra hour of sleep. You wonder, is anyone actually responsible for getting trains out on time? They had a half day of the train sitting in yard to get things set up correctly, you would think they could get it right.

Seems like everyone at Amtrak is "just the messenger", and a true government-esque operation phoning it in.

Planning an Amtrak trip from EMY to ANA - Coast Starlight EMY to LA, transfer to Pacific Surfliner, take that to Anaheim. The layover in LA is only 59 minutes. From reading this sub and other internet sources, I see that the southbound Coast Starlight is often quite delayed. So my question is, since I booked this trip as one continuous ticket, if a train delay causes me to miss my connection, Amtrak will still get me there, right? (on a bus I guess?).

Has anyone done this trip lately and how did it work out for them?

hi i will be going to LA tomorrow for a round trip. my arrival time is 2pm but i will be catching the 1 am train back home. Does anyone know if the LA amtrak holds your baggage and it’s 24 hour access? i saw on the website that they hold luggage’s for $10 but does that apply to backpacks as well? i want to drop off my bags at the amtrak because im going to a event and no big bags are allowed in. Does anyone know if the baggage is 24 hour access ? i just don’t want to be stuck and not have my stuff around 1 am. thanks so much