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>> We were 8 hours late leaving Seattle and couldn't get into our cabin until we got to Spokane because of some sort of merge of trains coming from Portland and

>> We were 8 hours late leaving Seattle and couldn't get into our cabin until we got to Spokane because of some sort of merge of trains coming from Portland and Seattle. Got to Spokane, got our cabin, another 6 hour delay. By the time we reached the upper Midwest, they were rationing food, literally cutting every meal (that we had already paid for) in half. We eventually arrived in Chicago about 22 hours late. >> The train was disgustingly dirty and the employees were surly and unhelpful. > On my wife's trip the refrigeration went out at some point so cold food was no longer available, nor was food that required refrigeration before it was cooked. Fortunately they disembarked soon after that happened. The rest of the train was still a day or so from Chicago and those passengers were stuck with god knows what to eat. Stuff like this makes it feel like the USA is falling apart from being a 1st world nation, crumbling in bits and pieces into a 3rd world one.

peteretep 8y ago
As much as I like trains, the that the passenger ones in the US are crumbling sounds like resources are being efficiently allocated?
rtpg 8y ago
US quality of life for many is already pretty close to what you'd see in (granted, middle-class-level) China. The system is able to handle it because a lot of people don't even get to experience how so many other developed nations have a stronger foundation for everyone. They just assume that life sucks and that there isn't a better way. And even rich people in the US are satisfied with pretty terrible experiences because US culture is so disconnected from everything else that they don't get that things are a lot nicer elsewhere! Nothing like visiting someone's multi-million dollar home with worse plumbing than cheap 1-room studios elsewhere in the world.
PhantomGremlin 8y ago
Stuff like this makes it feel like the USA is falling apart from being a 1st world nation, crumbling in bits and pieces into a 3rd world one. That's exactly the wrong take-away! Amtrak is totally irrelevant for trans-continental travel. There is a "daily" departure from Seattle to Chicago. I.e. one train per day. Probably a few hundred passengers on a good day. I just did a quick check and there are 7 non-stop flights tomorrow from Seattle to Chicago. Average air travel time is about 4 hours. Cheapest fare for tomorrow is $262. So this train exists for a few tourists and for a few people who can't or don't want to fly. Everyone else takes a non-stop plane and gets there in hours not in days. It's an indication of the USA's wealth and bounty that we are willing to waste billions of dollars a year on useless vanity projects like this. Long distance Amtrak runs at a loss, the US congress provides $1.3 billion a year to make up the difference. In addition there is a $650 million subsidy for passenger trains between Washington DC and Boston. That's arguably something useful, since the route is heavily traveled. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/03/21/amtrak-gets-nearly-2-billion-federal-spending/447301002/ https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/03/21/amtrak-gets-n...
- stcredzero 8y ago
  It's an indication of the USA's wealth and bounty that we are willing to waste billions of dollars a year on useless vanity projects like this. It's kind of a "nature preserve" of socialism in the US.
wil421 8y ago
No one is taking trains in the US. You can take a MegaBus from Atlanta to New York for like $35. It takes less than the amount of time it takes Amtrak to get from Atlanta to DC. Spirit has a flight for $112 from Atlanta to New York which is the same or less expensive than a train that takes over 20 hours! In the US, Canada, and Mexico trains are for freight. Even if you’re in the Northeast Corridor a bus is usually a better option if you aren’t driving or flying. Europe uses trucks for freight.

peteretep 8y ago

As much as I like trains, the that the passenger ones in the US are crumbling sounds like resources are being efficiently allocated?

rtpg 8y ago

US quality of life for many is already pretty close to what you'd see in (granted, middle-class-level) China. The system is able to handle it because a lot of people don't even get to experience how so many other developed nations have a stronger foundation for everyone. They just assume that life sucks and that there isn't a better way. And even rich people in the US are satisfied with pretty terrible experiences because US culture is so disconnected from everything else that they don't get that things are a lot nicer elsewhere! Nothing like visiting someone's multi-million dollar home with worse plumbing than cheap 1-room studios elsewhere in the world.

PhantomGremlin 8y ago

Stuff like this makes it feel like the USA is falling apart from being a 1st world nation, crumbling in bits and pieces into a 3rd world one. That's exactly the wrong take-away! Amtrak is totally irrelevant for trans-continental travel. There is a "daily" departure from Seattle to Chicago. I.e. one train per day. Probably a few hundred passengers on a good day. I just did a quick check and there are 7 non-stop flights tomorrow from Seattle to Chicago. Average air travel time is about 4 hours. Cheapest fare for tomorrow is $262. So this train exists for a few tourists and for a few people who can't or don't want to fly. Everyone else takes a non-stop plane and gets there in hours not in days. It's an indication of the USA's wealth and bounty that we are willing to waste billions of dollars a year on useless vanity projects like this. Long distance Amtrak runs at a loss, the US congress provides $1.3 billion a year to make up the difference. In addition there is a $650 million subsidy for passenger trains between Washington DC and Boston. That's arguably something useful, since the route is heavily traveled. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/03/21/amtrak-gets-nearly-2-billion-federal-spending/447301002/ https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/03/21/amtrak-gets-n...

stcredzero 8y ago
It's an indication of the USA's wealth and bounty that we are willing to waste billions of dollars a year on useless vanity projects like this. It's kind of a "nature preserve" of socialism in the US.

wil421 8y ago

No one is taking trains in the US. You can take a MegaBus from Atlanta to New York for like $35. It takes less than the amount of time it takes Amtrak to get from Atlanta to DC. Spirit has a flight for $112 from Atlanta to New York which is the same or less expensive than a train that takes over 20 hours! In the US, Canada, and Mexico trains are for freight. Even if you’re in the Northeast Corridor a bus is usually a better option if you aren’t driving or flying. Europe uses trucks for freight.