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I honestly really like Amtrak, at least on the Northeast Regional. No baggage fees, large comfortable chairs (I thought coach class was business the first time

I honestly really like Amtrak, at least on the Northeast Regional. No baggage fees, large comfortable chairs (I thought coach class was business the first time I rode it, then I discovered business class had tables), no real security restrictions (yet), the notion of quiet cars, and nice scenery. Maybe it's because I don't ride Amtrak regularly and so every time I ride it it's a novelty, but I underrated it and it exceeded my expectations every time so far. If you're not going between D.C. and Boston then maybe it'll be different, but if you're riding on the one line Amtrak has to keep operational or it'll die completely, I think it should be fine.

rolltiide 7y ago
I like that the stated travel time is the actual amount of time out of your day You show up in the middle of one city and wind up in the middle of another city Big contrast from airports. But Amtrak is too expensive and slow compared to other developed nations high speed trains, especially in Northeast corridor. Everything I said earlier applies to Japan, and western Europe.
AndrewKemendo 7y ago
I go from DC to Boston weekly and couldn't disagree more. The NE Regional or Acela add, all things considered, anywhere from a 4x - 8x time multiplier over air travel, and is about double the cost on average. Even when I was going DC > NYC years back it was barely worth the trouble, and still more than flying, only benefit being you land right in the middle of NYC and don't have the nightmare transit from NYC area airports.
- yingw787 7y ago
  I'm not saying there aren't things to like about air travel, especially if you have an axe to grind. Definitely faster, prices are competitive, and they probably innovate faster too given much higher sales volume. But I would say overall I prefer the Amtrak experience, especially if time is not a bounding factor. And it's not always an either-or. I mostly take Amtrak from BWI to Union Station, because flying out of Baltimore-BWI is much cheaper than Dulles-IAD or Reagan-DCA.
- flavor8 7y ago
  By the time you add airport parking and transport from the airport to the city (unless you take the subway) it's break-even on price for DC->NYC. It's easily break-even on timing given that front door to train in Union Station is 15 minutes, and, as you point out, you're dropped in the center of Manhattan. DC->Boston full trip would obviously be insane - it's 6 1/2 hours even on Acela. But, probably preferable to driving.
bradleyjg 7y ago
NYC to DC round trip is 6 hours scheduled time by train or 3 hours scheduled time by air. Granted Penn and Union stations are more convenient than Newark and Reagan airports, but not that much more convenient. It is a nicer trip though, I'll give you that. But not nice enough to mean an extra day away from home.
- gbear605 7y ago
  Taking into account the security checks and transport to and from the airport, the flight might take significantly longer than the the train, especially if you’re flying at a busy time. Plus planes are more likely to have delays.
  - coryrc 7y ago
    I've been regularly 6-18 hours late on Amtrak, which is longer than the length of the flight alone. At least when planes are delayed you usually know ahead of time and can just not go to the airport.
- jogjayr 7y ago
  You usually arrive at the airport 60-90 minutes before a flight, vs 30 minutes before a train. And train station locations will give you a 30 minute advantage over airport locations. So really we're comparing 3.5-4.5 hrs for a flight vs 6.5 hours for a train. Trains are also a lot more comfortable, have charging points even in economy class, and don't charge baggage fees.
  - bradleyjg 7y ago
    Not if you are a regular traveler. In that case you have global entry and/or clear, and aren't checking a bag. Depending on the exact terminal you can get to the airport about 15 minutes before boarding, 45 minutes before listed departure. The bulk of the advantage is the location of the terminal stations, which is real but not as significant as it is being made out here. I mean maybe if you live right at Penn Station and your meeting is right by Union Station, but if you coming from, say, LIC and going to Georgetown, you may be happier with LGA and DCA than NYP and Union Station. You're absolutely correct about the comfort points, but price should be just as strongly in the train's favor and it isn't.
IshKebab 7y ago
This is a really weird comment from the perspective of Europe. Why would you have to pay for baggage on a train? Standard class doesn't have tables? Why would you have security restrictions on a train? (Ok on the last point, I believe some high speed trains have light security checks.)
- stringyham 7y ago
  In France, on some trains (ouigo) you pay extra for baggage
- _n_b_ 7y ago
  At least in France, the low cost trains ("OUIGO") do charge for baggage larger than a carry-on. But I think the OP was comparing a train to flying, you don't pay for baggage on a train but you would if taking a flight.
  - DiogenesKynikos 7y ago
    ... because Ouigo is super cheap. They're following the same model as low-cost airlines: the tickets are cheap, but you pay for everything else (baggage, access to charging sockets, etc.).
TheHypnotist 7y ago
Are the 1 hour+ delays common? I see them on the board at the station fairly often. But I don't know if I just happen to look each time theres a delay.
- ghaff 7y ago
  Not really. I won’t say I’ve never encountered delays but Boston to NYP service is pretty reliable in my experience. Probably as reliable as any other form of transportation in that congested corridor.
  - vonmoltke 7y ago
    Agreed. In my experience so far, the frequency and severity of delays on Amtrak between NY and DC are on par with the frequency and severity of delays on I-95.
- tallowhawk 7y ago
  In my experience traveling from western ny to nyc or visa versa, there is always at least a 1 hour delay going through Albany. My record being 2 hours. The reason being they switch out trains with a train coming from a different location. It's super frustrating not knowing how long you're going to be stuck there.
- driverdan 7y ago
  Yes. I've seen an Amtrak train running on time once. They're usually 45min+ late.

rolltiide 7y ago

I like that the stated travel time is the actual amount of time out of your day You show up in the middle of one city and wind up in the middle of another city Big contrast from airports. But Amtrak is too expensive and slow compared to other developed nations high speed trains, especially in Northeast corridor. Everything I said earlier applies to Japan, and western Europe.

AndrewKemendo 7y ago

I go from DC to Boston weekly and couldn't disagree more. The NE Regional or Acela add, all things considered, anywhere from a 4x - 8x time multiplier over air travel, and is about double the cost on average. Even when I was going DC > NYC years back it was barely worth the trouble, and still more than flying, only benefit being you land right in the middle of NYC and don't have the nightmare transit from NYC area airports.

yingw787 7y ago
I'm not saying there aren't things to like about air travel, especially if you have an axe to grind. Definitely faster, prices are competitive, and they probably innovate faster too given much higher sales volume. But I would say overall I prefer the Amtrak experience, especially if time is not a bounding factor. And it's not always an either-or. I mostly take Amtrak from BWI to Union Station, because flying out of Baltimore-BWI is much cheaper than Dulles-IAD or Reagan-DCA.
flavor8 7y ago
By the time you add airport parking and transport from the airport to the city (unless you take the subway) it's break-even on price for DC->NYC. It's easily break-even on timing given that front door to train in Union Station is 15 minutes, and, as you point out, you're dropped in the center of Manhattan. DC->Boston full trip would obviously be insane - it's 6 1/2 hours even on Acela. But, probably preferable to driving.

bradleyjg 7y ago

NYC to DC round trip is 6 hours scheduled time by train or 3 hours scheduled time by air. Granted Penn and Union stations are more convenient than Newark and Reagan airports, but not that much more convenient. It is a nicer trip though, I'll give you that. But not nice enough to mean an extra day away from home.

gbear605 7y ago
Taking into account the security checks and transport to and from the airport, the flight might take significantly longer than the the train, especially if you’re flying at a busy time. Plus planes are more likely to have delays.
- coryrc 7y ago
  I've been regularly 6-18 hours late on Amtrak, which is longer than the length of the flight alone. At least when planes are delayed you usually know ahead of time and can just not go to the airport.
jogjayr 7y ago
You usually arrive at the airport 60-90 minutes before a flight, vs 30 minutes before a train. And train station locations will give you a 30 minute advantage over airport locations. So really we're comparing 3.5-4.5 hrs for a flight vs 6.5 hours for a train. Trains are also a lot more comfortable, have charging points even in economy class, and don't charge baggage fees.
- bradleyjg 7y ago
  Not if you are a regular traveler. In that case you have global entry and/or clear, and aren't checking a bag. Depending on the exact terminal you can get to the airport about 15 minutes before boarding, 45 minutes before listed departure. The bulk of the advantage is the location of the terminal stations, which is real but not as significant as it is being made out here. I mean maybe if you live right at Penn Station and your meeting is right by Union Station, but if you coming from, say, LIC and going to Georgetown, you may be happier with LGA and DCA than NYP and Union Station. You're absolutely correct about the comfort points, but price should be just as strongly in the train's favor and it isn't.

IshKebab 7y ago

This is a really weird comment from the perspective of Europe. Why would you have to pay for baggage on a train? Standard class doesn't have tables? Why would you have security restrictions on a train? (Ok on the last point, I believe some high speed trains have light security checks.)

stringyham 7y ago
In France, on some trains (ouigo) you pay extra for baggage
_n_b_ 7y ago
At least in France, the low cost trains ("OUIGO") do charge for baggage larger than a carry-on. But I think the OP was comparing a train to flying, you don't pay for baggage on a train but you would if taking a flight.
- DiogenesKynikos 7y ago
  ... because Ouigo is super cheap. They're following the same model as low-cost airlines: the tickets are cheap, but you pay for everything else (baggage, access to charging sockets, etc.).

TheHypnotist 7y ago

Are the 1 hour+ delays common? I see them on the board at the station fairly often. But I don't know if I just happen to look each time theres a delay.

ghaff 7y ago
Not really. I won’t say I’ve never encountered delays but Boston to NYP service is pretty reliable in my experience. Probably as reliable as any other form of transportation in that congested corridor.
- vonmoltke 7y ago
  Agreed. In my experience so far, the frequency and severity of delays on Amtrak between NY and DC are on par with the frequency and severity of delays on I-95.
tallowhawk 7y ago
In my experience traveling from western ny to nyc or visa versa, there is always at least a 1 hour delay going through Albany. My record being 2 hours. The reason being they switch out trains with a train coming from a different location. It's super frustrating not knowing how long you're going to be stuck there.
driverdan 7y ago
Yes. I've seen an Amtrak train running on time once. They're usually 45min+ late.