4 ms·

For the past 2 years I've rode Acela weekly between NY Penn and Washington Union Station and it's a breeze...show up 10 minutes before the train leaves no probl

For the past 2 years I've rode Acela weekly between NY Penn and Washington Union Station and it's a breeze...show up 10 minutes before the train leaves no problem. Definitely beats flying or driving if you're going to/coming from within either city...at least until they add airport-style TSA. Amtrak is slowly clawing back on their advantages (such as the new policy of forfeiting fares for no-shows), but are heads and shoulders above airlines in terms of comfort, free-wifi, etc. Finally, it's almost always on-time or early, which compared to flying between DC and NYC would be insane to think of (Northeast Regional Trains are less so). Last rant about flying -- it's funny to think that you probably spend less time in the air flying 250mi from DC to NYC than you do going 15mi in your cab after you land.

a8da6b0c91d 12y ago
DC to NYC has horrible reliability outside of weekday commuting hours. Trains are very often seriously late. And this is despite the routes being quite expensive. Weekday Acela service is on time and nice, but the price is still ridiculous. The train is more comfortable than driving I-95, but it's definitely not cheaper and only faster if your end points are right near the stations. I don't own a car and if I want to get up and down the east coast I check Enterprise car rental for specials. For a three day trip rental + tolls + gas + insurance is still often well over $100 cheaper than the train and doesn't take more time. This isn't even considering added costs like cab rides to and from the train station.
- Spooky23 12y ago
  One thing for business travel is that you can almost always work on the train. For me, that means when I have to deal with some disaster or meeting, I don't lose a weekend with my kids. That's a northeast centric viewpoint though... Outside of there, many/most businesses are no longer in urban centers, and getting to the office park in the burbs is a pain.
- Turing_Machine 12y ago
  "For a three day trip rental + tolls + gas + insurance is still often well over $100 cheaper than the train and doesn't take more time." Sure it does. It takes all the time that you're spending paying attention to traffic. On a train (especially one of the new ones with power outlets, wifi, etc.) you can make productive use of that time, read for pleasure, or even just catch up on your sleep. The time spent on driving is simply burned up. Gone.
  - GrinningFool 12y ago
    "The time spent on driving is simply burned up. Gone." Only if you choose not to enjoy the journey - just because you're not able to read or do other activity doesn't mean it's not to be appreciated.
    - Turing_Machine 12y ago
      That might be true if you're driving through a national park. It's less true of the New Jersey Turnpike. You can also, of course, enjoy the journey just as well on a train. Arguably more, since you can actually pay attention to the scenery rather than the guy riding your bumper or the one who changes lanes at random, for no apparent reason.
  - __david__ 12y ago
    Sure the activities that you can do while driving are more limited than the train (can't sleep, no matter how much I want to :-)), but that doesn't mean they are nonexistent. You can read via audiobooks, or you can listen to music, or podcasts (I came to love my 50 minute commute a couple years ago when I realized each direction was almost the exact length of an episode of This American Life). I also find talking on the phone is a great way to pass the time during a commute—I have many friends and family members where I find quite often that we're talking on the phone because one of us is driving.
    - Turing_Machine 12y ago
      "I also find talking on the phone is a great way to pass the time during a commute" That's as dangerous as driving while (slightly) drunk, and "hands-free" devices don't make much difference, if any. http://www.distraction.gov/download/research-pdf/comparison-of-cellphone-driver-drunk-driver.pdf http://www.distraction.gov/download/research-pdf/comparison-... I don't know of any studies with respect to listening to audiobooks while driving, but I would be surprised if they weren't also distracting (probably directly proportional to the level of interest the driver has in the book). Conversing with a person who is actually present in the car with you is also distracting, but in that situation you also gain some safety by virtue of having another pair of eyes watching for danger, so it's more of a wash.
cafard 12y ago
Yes and no. Years ago I commuted between Washington and Baltimore. It was mostly OK, but one hot summer all trains were run at lower speeds because of track expansion. The MARC commuter trains were lowest priority and I got home late quite a few evenings. And there is not a lot of flex if things go wrong. A fellow I know got to Washington something like five hours late once after somebody stepped in front of the Acela in Delaware.

a8da6b0c91d 12y ago

DC to NYC has horrible reliability outside of weekday commuting hours. Trains are very often seriously late. And this is despite the routes being quite expensive. Weekday Acela service is on time and nice, but the price is still ridiculous. The train is more comfortable than driving I-95, but it's definitely not cheaper and only faster if your end points are right near the stations. I don't own a car and if I want to get up and down the east coast I check Enterprise car rental for specials. For a three day trip rental + tolls + gas + insurance is still often well over $100 cheaper than the train and doesn't take more time. This isn't even considering added costs like cab rides to and from the train station.

Spooky23 12y ago
One thing for business travel is that you can almost always work on the train. For me, that means when I have to deal with some disaster or meeting, I don't lose a weekend with my kids. That's a northeast centric viewpoint though... Outside of there, many/most businesses are no longer in urban centers, and getting to the office park in the burbs is a pain.
Turing_Machine 12y ago
"For a three day trip rental + tolls + gas + insurance is still often well over $100 cheaper than the train and doesn't take more time." Sure it does. It takes all the time that you're spending paying attention to traffic. On a train (especially one of the new ones with power outlets, wifi, etc.) you can make productive use of that time, read for pleasure, or even just catch up on your sleep. The time spent on driving is simply burned up. Gone.
- GrinningFool 12y ago
  "The time spent on driving is simply burned up. Gone." Only if you choose not to enjoy the journey - just because you're not able to read or do other activity doesn't mean it's not to be appreciated.
  - Turing_Machine 12y ago
    That might be true if you're driving through a national park. It's less true of the New Jersey Turnpike. You can also, of course, enjoy the journey just as well on a train. Arguably more, since you can actually pay attention to the scenery rather than the guy riding your bumper or the one who changes lanes at random, for no apparent reason.
- __david__ 12y ago
  Sure the activities that you can do while driving are more limited than the train (can't sleep, no matter how much I want to :-)), but that doesn't mean they are nonexistent. You can read via audiobooks, or you can listen to music, or podcasts (I came to love my 50 minute commute a couple years ago when I realized each direction was almost the exact length of an episode of This American Life). I also find talking on the phone is a great way to pass the time during a commute—I have many friends and family members where I find quite often that we're talking on the phone because one of us is driving.
  - Turing_Machine 12y ago
    "I also find talking on the phone is a great way to pass the time during a commute" That's as dangerous as driving while (slightly) drunk, and "hands-free" devices don't make much difference, if any. http://www.distraction.gov/download/research-pdf/comparison-of-cellphone-driver-drunk-driver.pdf http://www.distraction.gov/download/research-pdf/comparison-... I don't know of any studies with respect to listening to audiobooks while driving, but I would be surprised if they weren't also distracting (probably directly proportional to the level of interest the driver has in the book). Conversing with a person who is actually present in the car with you is also distracting, but in that situation you also gain some safety by virtue of having another pair of eyes watching for danger, so it's more of a wash.

cafard 12y ago

Yes and no. Years ago I commuted between Washington and Baltimore. It was mostly OK, but one hot summer all trains were run at lower speeds because of track expansion. The MARC commuter trains were lowest priority and I got home late quite a few evenings. And there is not a lot of flex if things go wrong. A fellow I know got to Washington something like five hours late once after somebody stepped in front of the Acela in Delaware.