I’ve seen a lot of people saying that there won’t be any after today. But Amtrak’s website still shows that they’re scheduled for trips after the Portal Bridge work. So which one is the correct answer?
New York Giants football team train with a Legacy Acela, trainset 9 operating as extra 809 past Perryville on 10-10-26!
Hi everyone,
I haven't flown in over 20 years because of a significant fear of flying. I used to fly regularly when I was younger, including international trips, but over time my anxiety became overwhelming.
My family would love to visit New York City to see museums, Broadway shows, and some of the major attractions, and I'm seriously considering taking the train from Central Texas to New York instead of flying.
I'd love to hear from anyone who has traveled from Texas to New York by Amtrak.
A few questions:
I realize the train takes much longer than flying, but I'm more interested in having a comfortable and enjoyable journey than getting there quickly.
Thank you for any advice, experiences, or suggestions.
Once again, found another one was being delivered, so I took some pictures and a video!! This was at 1:19AM CST today. (images below)
Without fail a delay of 10 to 15 minutes minimum on this route, so I don’t know why the arrival times always seem to be so optimistic earlier in the route.
Also, this trip growing into a nearly 7-hour journey is so frustrating. The NEC upgrades can’t come soon enough. Or at least the Airo cars so the trip is a little more comfortable.
How soon do I need to get there? The station is about 20 minutes from my house.
If I do miss my train because we arrived too late, can I just get the next one the next day or will I have to buy new tickets?
And if I do take a luggage, can I also take a duffle bag for my essentials on the train and a backpack with my personal items plus a pillow?
If I were to check my bag, does it have a limit weight? How much is to check a bag? And if I don't, can I put it inside?
Is the food in the train really worth it? I usually skip breakfast and eat small things for dinner so I would probably just spend $25 on lunch on 1 of the days and run to a grocery store in between stops.. or I'll figure something out heh!
Since this is my first time and I'm traveling alone, what are some tips and tricks? Since I'm traveling coach, I know I don't have a ton of space and outlet is limited to 1. I'm scared I'll be sitting next to a man. What can I do for this not to happen? Can I ask the crew to put me next to a woman? Or even, in a row alone?
How about wifi? I'll be downloading my music and movies but I need to work while traveling (I work with schedules and email), would I be able to answer calls and use our scheduling app while on the train?
Anything I should bring extra in the train? I have a list of things I could think of but I'm afraid I'm forgetting something.
I know shower is also limited, that's why I listed shower wipe to help me a bit. And I also know I could shower in Chicago. Where should I go for that? How much is to shower?
If you can only answer a few questions or all of them, I'll be soooo grateful!!!! If I think of other questions, I'll make sure to put them in here! I'm a bit nervous but it'll be an amazing adventure!
Ct Rail 4400 departs Berlin station for Hartford, Windsor, Windsor Locks and Springfield, MA Thursday morning as Amtrak 125 - running 15 minutes late - arrives from Springfield with major stops in New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C. and terminating in Newport News, VA on 10/8/26.
I recently took the Coast Starlight from Emeryville to Los Angeles, purely for fun and leisure as a railgeek. I would have loved to have had another overnight trip, but I still enjoyed the roomette on this daytime journey. While, over its overall length, it does not rival the California Zephyr for scenery, there are segments along the coast that are every bit as scenic as the Zephyr.
As somebody who didn't ride Amtrak a lot before 2000 and certainly wasn't measuring train speed then, I've always wondered what the top speed was for AEM-7 + Amfleet sets on Regional trains when the Metroliners were running. At the time, 125 mph seemed to be marketed exclusively for the Metroliners, even though there was no equipment limitation preventing other trains from reaching this speed.
Assuming an AEM-7 was leading and all Amfleets (I know some locos were slower), did they lower the speed of non-Metroliner trains and just increase it to 125 once the Acela launched? Or was 125 the norm before? And how did the schedule handle this in case there was a change in equipment?
I’ve been riding the Amtrak steady from Homewood,Illinois to Carbondale, Illinois for a good couple of years. This year being more than others.
The Homewood station is un-manned, and they have an entry ramp or stairs to get down. However, to get back up there is about roughly 40 or more stairs.
They have an elevator to get to the platform but it’s been out of service for months now. I have some walking difficulties and also mobility issues.
When I take this train I’m usually gone for 5 days minimum. I’ve tried packing lighter, I’ve adjusted my arrival times to get there in time but I just have to ask…
Is this even legal? What about someone who is wheel chair bound of full on disabled?
What happens if I or someone else falls?
I’ve already busted some of my luggage and broke some parts because I just can’t do it by myself sometimes.
I’ve contacted them about it, and their only response is basically… “We suggest going to the Chicago or Kankakee stations.” Those are almost over an hour away from me while the HOMEWOOD station is 13 minutes away from my house..
I love Amtrak, when I get onboard and moving it’s never an issue. On board staff is awesome!
I’m just fearful that myself or many others may take a tumble down those stairs. I just don’t understand how they can have their set up like this!
Is there something I can do about this? Is there maybe someone higher up I can see about this?
If anyone has any type advice about how to try and go about this, I’d love to hear it!
Thank you for reading!
I'm a regular rider on the Northeast Corridor. I entered the Lounge the other day at Union Station in DC for my Acela and the Lounge staff member glanced at my suitcase and immediately said "that bag is oversized, you must pay $20." I was puzzled because I've brought that bag on dozens of trains. He didn't measure it. Since my train was leaving soon, I just paid it. But when I got home, out of curiosity, I measured my bag. It was far less than 50 pounds and the dimensions were smaller than the 28 x 22 x 14 inches max listed on the Amtrak website.
Has the baggage policy changed? Or did I just encounter an overzealous employee? Anybody else have this happen? I'm wondering if I should bother asking for a refund of my baggage fee!
Amtrak's August ridership gained 223,000 rides compared to last August. Ridership over the last 12 months now stands at 36.74 million rides. Annual operating deficit continues to hover around $500 million, with total cost recovery at 89% and fare revenues covering 80% of route expenses across the network.
