Cell Phone Reception on Amtrak trains

Which routes have the best and the worst cell phone service?

Have you experienced extended dead spots, and where, and how long, and what carrier?

Does any cell phone carrier have particularly better or worse service for Amtrak trips?

In general, Verizon's got the widest coverage area, so they're going to be the best.

We have AT&T and had vast swaths of dead space on the EB and the CS through Vandenberg AFB.

I would suggest you check each carriers coverage map, and compare it with the Amtrak map. I cannot answer from experience, but my guess is that you would have coverage best in the most populated areas, and worst in rural mountainous or desert areas, unless they parallel an interstate highway.

In general, I believe Verizon is acknowledged to have the best coverage, with a few exceptions ("Rule The Air!").

I have tracfone and it worked well only had problems in Detroit on the wolverine even at the station no signal until right at royal oak. On the LSL coming back from the Boston gathering I don't remember which station but I had a signal but this one guy did not. Did loose signals out in the woods though when your away from the towers.

I too have AT&T, but I did have Verizon a few years ago. Although I don't use my cell phone 24/7, I can get a signal on most routes anytime - with one BIG exception!

On the EB, I could not get a reliable reception from before Glacier NP (when I woke up in the morning) in MT to Minot, ND! This is almost a whole day! The best is the NEC - and most of it is 3G!

We have Sprint and had basically the same problem on the EB that the_traveler had, In addition while stopped outside the cascade tunnel for four hours due to a broken down freight no-one had service including the conductor who had to climb up a mountain side to the highway to be able to get cell AND radio reception! We were allowed to get off the train (unofficially!)for a fresh air/smoke break which surprised me due to the remoteness of the area but as always were told," Do NOT leave trainside!"

There is ALWAYS somwhere on the line where cell service is good and others where there are weak signals. If you want to talk on the phone all day, its not going to happen but if you wish to make select calls its no problem. In the East the NE corridor has very good cewll service.

I have Verizon and the EB was an issue through MT. On the SWC I got some good reception in the middle of no where. I would keeplooking for a tower but saw nothing. But I get it best on the NEC. Even in the NY Tunnels I have reception. Grant it it's very little but it's still service.

Motorola phones usually have the best reception. Combine it with Verizon or a carrier that has access to the Verizon network (Sprint, Page Plus, US Cellular, some Tracfone/Net10, ect)and you get a winning combination for voice and sms.

Guest said:

We have Sprint and had basically the same problem on the EB that the_traveler had, In addition while stopped outside the cascade tunnel for four hours due to a broken down freight no-one had service including the conductor who had to climb up a mountain side to the highway to be able to get cell AND radio reception!

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dlagrua said:

There is ALWAYS somwhere on the line where cell service is good and others where there are weak signals. If you want to talk on the phone all day, its not going to happen but if you wish to make select calls its no problem. In the East the NE corridor has very good cewll service.

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It seems unsafe in this day and age to have a train with hundreds of lives totally out of communications in the event of trouble issues of many kinds--be it medical, crime, breakdown, or whatever. If there are spots with comm. 'dark territory', they need to be addressed. The building of cell tower, radio repeater, or even old lineside RR telephone boxes should be established.

If all else fails, locomotives should be provided with Iridium satellite phones, that do not depend on landbased cell towers.

On the Boston section of the Lake Shore Limited I had more or less no signal while in the Berkshires between Albany and Pittsfield. The Cumberland gap on the Capitol Limited is extremely inconsistent so it isn't worth trying. Otherwise the only other dead zone I've noted is, bizarrely, northern Indiana near Valpo. I've used both Sprint and AT&T.

We have Alltel system phones and they are pretty reliable, especially since Verizon purchased part of the company. As everyone has suggested, if you are out in the middle of the desert or in Glacier National Park, you are on your own :unsure:

railiner said:

Guest said:

We have Sprint and had basically the same problem on the EB that the_traveler had, In addition while stopped outside the cascade tunnel for four hours due to a broken down freight no-one had service including the conductor who had to climb up a mountain side to the highway to be able to get cell AND radio reception!

Click to expand...

dlagrua said:

There is ALWAYS somwhere on the line where cell service is good and others where there are weak signals. If you want to talk on the phone all day, its not going to happen but if you wish to make select calls its no problem. In the East the NE corridor has very good cewll service.

Click to expand...

It seems unsafe in this day and age to have a train with hundreds of lives totally out of communications in the event of trouble issues of many kinds--be it medical, crime, breakdown, or whatever. If there are spots with comm. 'dark territory', they need to be addressed. The building of cell tower, radio repeater, or even old lineside RR telephone boxes should be established.

If all else fails, locomotives should be provided with Iridium satellite phones, that do not depend on landbased cell towers.

Click to expand...

Passengers may be without their precious cell phones at times while on board an Amtrak, but the train itself is almost never without communications in the form of the radio. Even some of the longer tunnels are wired for radio communications. There are few places in the US where an engineer cannot radio the dispatcher and request any type of emergency service.

railiner said:

It seems unsafe in this day and age to have a train with hundreds of lives totally out of communications in the event of trouble issues of many kinds--be it medical, crime, breakdown, or whatever. If there are spots with comm. 'dark territory', they need to be addressed. The building of cell tower, radio repeater, or even old lineside RR telephone boxes should be established.

If all else fails, locomotives should be provided with Iridium satellite phones, that do not depend on landbased cell towers.

Click to expand...

In railroad terms, all "dark" means is a line is not signaled, just controlled by dispatchers by radio. As AlanB pointed, the RR's radio is available everywhere along the line. If it there is an area of bad reception due to geography, the railroad puts in repeaters, and they run antenna lines in the tunnels. If the conductor's handset isn't powerful enough in a certain area, he can radio to the engineer and the engineer's more powerful transmitter in the cab will work.

Chill, dude. And don't get your facts from a bad movie ("Dark Territory").

zephyr17 said:

railiner said:

It seems unsafe in this day and age to have a train with hundreds of lives totally out of communications in the event of trouble issues of many kinds--be it medical, crime, breakdown, or whatever. If there are spots with comm. 'dark territory', they need to be addressed. The building of cell tower, radio repeater, or even old lineside RR telephone boxes should be established.

If all else fails, locomotives should be provided with Iridium satellite phones, that do not depend on landbased cell towers.

Click to expand...

In railroad terms, all "dark" means is a line is not signaled, just controlled by dispatchers by radio. As AlanB pointed, the RR's radio is available everywhere along the line. If it there is an area of bad reception due to geography, the railroad puts in repeaters, and they run antenna lines in the tunnels. If the conductor's handset isn't powerful enough in a certain area, he can radio to the engineer and the engineer's more powerful transmitter in the cab will work.

Chill, dude. And don't get your facts from a bad movie ("Dark Territory").

Click to expand...

My daughter just took a train from Boston to Haverhill MA. She couldn't get a signal with her Net10 phone until she got off the train in Haverhill. She was then able to call me for a ride. I don't know any possible solution to that problem. I just know it sucks.

Jim R said:

zephyr17 said:

railiner said:

It seems unsafe in this day and age to have a train with hundreds of lives totally out of communications in the event of trouble issues of many kinds--be it medical, crime, breakdown, or whatever. If there are spots with comm. 'dark territory', they need to be addressed. The building of cell tower, radio repeater, or even old lineside RR telephone boxes should be established.

If all else fails, locomotives should be provided with Iridium satellite phones, that do not depend on landbased cell towers.

Click to expand...

In railroad terms, all "dark" means is a line is not signaled, just controlled by dispatchers by radio. As AlanB pointed, the RR's radio is available everywhere along the line. If it there is an area of bad reception due to geography, the railroad puts in repeaters, and they run antenna lines in the tunnels. If the conductor's handset isn't powerful enough in a certain area, he can radio to the engineer and the engineer's more powerful transmitter in the cab will work.

Chill, dude. And don't get your facts from a bad movie ("Dark Territory").

Click to expand...

My daughter just took a train from Boston to Haverhill MA. She couldn't get a signal with her Net10 phone until she got off the train in Haverhill. She was then able to call me for a ride. I don't know any possible solution to that problem. I just know it sucks.

Click to expand...

Get her a different cell phone and/or cell phone company.

I have AT&T and not only did I have voice service pretty much the entire way between Portland & Boston, I was able to get online using my cell phone as a modem for my computer.

Not suggesting that solves things for every train in every spot, but on the Downeaster between Boston & Haverhill there is pleny of cell service in that area. So the problem is either the phone and/or the company.

I am expecting not to have cell service on our trip on the EB here and there.. I am just going to set up my voice mail saying, "Thanks for calling. I am on vacation, and will not be answering my phone. Please leave a message, and I will get back to you when I have a chance." then my cell will be shut off, and going to enjoy the trip!

I've lost signal before when the railroad diverges from the highway and goes through heavy forest, a canyon, etc.

The cheaper cell phone companies (especially prepaid) are not going to have good traveling service...you get what you pay for. That being said I have a verizon phone and a virgin mobile phone. Haven't take a trip with the VM phone, but during my SWC trip with Verizon, only when we were going through the Raton Pass did I not have any service at all.

I have lost only a few calls on VZW . On the SWC I have good Sig and the CZ the same . the CS is spotty due to woods .

I to had zippo in Raton . but just about every where else I had some thing .

Peter

I have a tracfone (which is the parent company of Net10) and I rarely have no reception. I believe my tracfone uses AT&T cell towers. When I went across country last year, I used my tracfone for texts and phone calls and my net book with Verizon prepaid broadband. There were only a couple of places where I did not get coverage on either the phone or netbook. In fact, on the Capitol Limited, I had much better coverage on the phone than I did on the netbook. Recently, I took the Acela from WAS to BOS and I used my tracfone to send text messages (to the_traveler) just about the entire trip.

I think with my prepaid tracfone, I get more than what I pay for. I recently purchased a Net10 touch phone on which I can access the internet and my gmail account. I have not used in other than in Orlando and Kissimmee, so I have no idea how it will do "on the road." Yesterday, I was in the KIS station and I accessed the Amtrak website to check the status of my train. I was successful and it "cost" me 2 minutes of time, which translates to 20 cents.

I have a NET10, mobile web LG900 phone, service is provided by AT&T.

I had 4-5 bars for almost my entire trip on the Pere Marquette and Texas Eagle to Dallas.

There was a very short period of time when I had 2-3 bars but never a time when I had no service.

I have AT&T service. Only once was I unable to get a signal.

I was on the Cardinal and we were passing through the mountains

and valleys in West Virginia. A lady sitting in the lounge car

was trying to phone her daughter to tell her that the train would

be late could not get a signal on her phone, so I offered my phone

to her, but my phone was unable to get a signal too. She had Verizon

service. About one hour later, I tried again with my phone and was

able to get a weak signal. I think all services have dead spots.

veryzon and sprint suck!!! i love at&t it works worldwide.

veryzon and sprint wont work over seas, that a fact!!

freddie said:

veryzon and sprint suck!!! i love at&t it works worldwide.
veryzon and sprint wont work over seas, that a fact!!

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Not only is it not a fact, it's absolutely false. My iPhone Verizon 4S works in Europe, Asia, and some 200+ countris around the world. That's one of the reasons I chose Verizon, better US coverage and all the international coverage I need.