Amtrak for Flight Junkies?

[NEURALBD]

Hello,

I have a question which is probably been answered alot but I could not find in search.

I leave near an Amtrak "station" and wanted to test Amtrak as an alternative to Airlines.

Now, I have been on European Trains which are probably as clean or new as US airlines. However my mental image

of US trains are in fact that they are not clean, and people who may take them are wild.

Again - I cannot say why I have this feeling or why there is such a astigmatism about Train Travel, however it seems there is

Question:

1) Is the Amtrak Station in Birmingham, MI - a bus stop? or is there a Terminal and a place to leave your vehicle?

2) What is the level of train quality? dirty - semi clean - old looking - smells like old people?

3) Safety ? - Are they safe

While these seem like naive questions - I would say that they are the most common ones I hear and always wanted answers too

Thanks for your advice and help

 

[MrEd]

If old people bother you, take the bus, much younger crowd.

 

[rrdude]

Hello,
I have a question which is probably been answered alot but I could not find in search.

I leave near an Amtrak "station" and wanted to test Amtrak as an alternative to Airlines.

Now, I have been on European Trains which are probably as clean or new as US airlines. However my mental image

of US trains are in fact that they are not clean, and people who may take them are wild.

Again - I cannot say why I have this feeling or why there is such a astigmatism about Train Travel, however it seems there is

Question:

1) Is the Amtrak Station in Birmingham, MI - a bus stop? or is there a Terminal and a place to leave your vehicle?

2) What is the level of train quality? dirty - semi clean - old looking - smells like old people?

3) Safety ? - Are they safe

While these seem like naive questions - I would say that they are the most common ones I hear and always wanted answers too

Thanks for your advice and help

Your questions are, unfortunately, very normal for the general public.

1) YES, there is a "Station" in Birmingham, well, the train stops there. Here is Amtrak's description.

Birmingham, MI (BMM is the "Airport Code" equivalent)

Platform with Shelter

Villa Road and Lewis Street

Birmingham, MI 48009

2) Depends almost entirely on crew. Generally, you will find the service staff and cleanliness "Average" or "Above Average". You have likely heard only the "bad stories" from friends, media, etc., as "good news" seldom IS news......... Will it be like the infamous Orient Express? Nope.

Will it be like traveling on Greyhound? Not even near. (much, much, much better, really no comparison) Old? I think generally not. Smelly? Hardly ever. If you are traveling to Chicago from BMM, you will have a pretty utilitarian experience. And THAT is what traveling via Amtrak is, an "EXPERIENCE" or as most on these boards will say "part of the journey". I'll leave it to other posters to fill in what that is, but for me it's about traveling thru the countryside and backyards of America, good, bad, and weird......The ability to get up, stretch, walk around, grab a bit to eat in the snack car (on short distance or corridor trains) and NOT have to DEAL with the TSA and all that crap.

3) Extremely safe. I believe safest form of public transportation. (could be wrong)

So with realist expectations, I think you'll find rail travel a viable alternative, and enjoyable. As long as you don't have to be at your destination "yesterday". (unless you are traveling in the northeast USA, or the California corridors, there Amtrak actually has a higher, much higher in some cases, percentage of travelers who choose either Air or Rail)

Oh, the "wild people", not so much. Unless you find one of us posters on the train.

 

[NEURALBD]

Great! Thanks for the advice.

"Old People" I am one of them - What I mean is commonly un-used/un-serviced transportation or structures have an odor of mold or mildew.

As often in Eastern Europe or parts of Asia.

I appreciate the description and think it would then be very similar to European train travel just not on the newer Mag-Rail or High Speed trains.

Will be interested to hear more comments from users in the Michigan area who used the Birmingham "on-boarding" "hut" aka station

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

Great! Thanks for the advice.
"Old People" I am one of them - What I mean is commonly un-used/un-serviced transportation or structures have an odor of mold or mildew.

As often in Eastern Europe or parts of Asia.

I appreciate the description and think it would then be very similar to European train travel just not on the newer Mag-Rail or High Speed trains.

Will be interested to hear more comments from users in the Michigan area who used the Birmingham "on-boarding" "hut" aka station

There should be no problems as to your definition of "oldness".

 

[rrdude]

Great! Thanks for the advice.
Will be interested to hear more comments from users in the Michigan area who used the Birmingham "on-boarding" "hut" aka station

If you want, you can always drive to Pontiac, Dearborn, or Ann Arbor, they all have "real" stations.

Ann Arbor's is just down the track from the original Michigan Central depot, which has been an upscale, railroad-themed restaurant called the Gandy Dancer since 1969(?) or so. There are a couple of other restaurants within walking distance of the A2 Amtrak station, and a nice display of an old coal car on a trestle just a few hundred feet west.. Can only see the "trestle" in front of the building...

 

[Bootman4U]

LOL..as a healthcare provider I am more than a little amused by your reference to smelling like old people and I understand it completely. Trust me..YOU will get there and hopefully with grace and style.

I take trains in Europe A LOT. I'm one of those people who actually flies over to Europe sometimes with the sole purpose of taking trains so i think I am as knowledgeable as many in terms of comparisons.

The punctuality, maintenance of rolling stock and other facilities, and the cleanliness of trains in Europe depends to a certain extent on which country you are talking about. I would have to say that ON AVERAGE you will probably find a higher level in all three of these areas than you will in the US..notice I said "on average" since generalizations can lead to lots of misunderstandings.

We do NOT have the level or the extent of public transport in the US as compared to Europe and there are a variety of understandable, in not regrettable, reasons why that is so..and probably why it will continue to be so despite the best intentions of people who love trains, people who actually RUN the trains, etc.

There are actually travel routes in Europe where the railroads and the services are so frequent and efficient that the airlines have more or less abandoned those markets...the high speed services in France between Paris and Lyon come to mind as do the services between Frankfort and Cologne in Germany. Some of us would LOVE to think that could happen here; some of us KNOW that it CAN happen here but are probably not so sure of seeing it in our lifetimes.

I do not apologize for this lengthy response. I would encourage you to check out IN PERSON your local rail resources and make use of them but I would also not expect to see you abandon a mode of travel which is efficient and effective (for you) out of sentimentality alone.

 

[sunchaser]

Great! Thanks for the advice.
"Old People" I am one of them - What I mean is commonly un-used/un-serviced transportation or structures have an odor of mold or mildew.

As often in Eastern Europe or parts of Asia.

I appreciate the description and think it would then be very similar to European train travel just not on the newer Mag-Rail or High Speed trains.

Will be interested to hear more comments from users in the Michigan area who used the Birmingham "on-boarding" "hut" aka station

Welcome to the board!

I haven't noticed any 'old structure smell'-mold, mildew, or musty type of odors. Some of the train cars are pretty old, but they clean them at the end of each route. As for actual cleanliness, the last two trips on the California Zephyr was much cleaner than our previous trips on the same train. We were in a roomette, and the Sleeping Car Attendants kept the bathrooms very clean.

Some people prefer to ride coach vs a roomette or bedroom-it really depends on you & finances of course.

Having never rode any european trains, I cannot compare the two. I feel overall, that it is a pleasant experience, with fairly good service. I feel, however, along with others that there is plenty of room for improvement.

 

[Rumpled]

Well, here's the Birmingham Stop

Birmingham Google Satellitte Shot

Street view doesn't get close enough for a good look. Poking around, seems like a kinda new upscale industrial area. Buildings look new and there is a Chop House just down the block. Looks like a very simple platform; hopefully, that construction in the photo has turned into parking.

 

[dlagrua]

We avoid the congested, filthy, unheathy, dehumanizing conditions of air travel whenever possible. I would best describe rail travel as a comfortable "laid back" relaxing way to travel. Since we always do overnight trips in a bedroom, we enjoy complete privacy and can best describe our vacations via rail as part of the fun of getting there. The food is good, at times very good, the scenery can be interesting, most routes have a bar/lounge car, many have observation cars. All overnight runs offer roomettes and bedrooms that are generally clean. As far as I know Amtrak janitors board the train at end point destinations and clean the train during layover times.

 

[Jeremy]

If you want a really unbiased opinion, you are probably asking the wrong crowd, since most of us are tremendously biased in favor of rail travel.

My personal experience with European trains, although extensive, is based upon day trips only. In such situations Amtrak equipment is as good as all but the very best (TGE or ICE) European trains. European trains are great but they have much less geography to deal with, the population density is higher, and the trains receive government subsidies to keep rates reasonable.

One of Amtrak's main challenges is that they do not own the tracks on which their trains run (excepting some trackage in the NE corridor) and therefore are at the mercy of the freight carriers who do own the rails. This makes it hard for Amtrak to keep to its schedule. If you are not in a hurry (as I am not when I vacation via Amtrak) is that delays simply mean I get to spend more time on the train [would that we had a Trans-Siberian-length train in the USA!].

As the the comparison with airlines, there is no comparison. The only thing flying really has going for it is speed. There may also be some cost advantages to flying but only if you fly coach. Between the airport security and the airliner cramming, there isn't much fun left in flying. You can't see much in the way of scenery, you can't really get up and walk around and the food [if any] is mediocre.

I don't want this to turn into a rant against the airlines as they have their place. For my next vacation, riding the Empire Builder round-trip between Portland and Chicago, the two days of train travel each way will be a distinct part of the vacation. If I flew, the same would not be true.

Jeremy

 

[Bootman4U]

I would agree this should not become a rant against airlines, etc., but would you agree that AMTRAK is one BIG "government subsidy" ???? <G>

 

[rrdude]

I would agree this should not become a rant against airlines, etc., but would you agree that AMTRAK is one BIG "government subsidy" ???? <G>

I've argued that on BOTH sides of the fence many, many, many times over the years.

And IF you take that position, you MUST also agree that Airports, Air Traffic Controllers, all "essential" service flights, the ENTIRE US Interstate Highway Network, all of the navigation and ship canals, locks, the "Greyhound Snow plows" (not) the TSA, (don'tcha love 'em?) yada, yada, yada are all ONE BIG GOVERNMENT subsidy, yes?????? <G>

I think most of us who post here would be OVERjoyed with simply a "balanced' (and not in the FoxNews method of "Fair & Balanced" either!) spending on transportation from the Fed, and the states.

IF, if we had had that over the past thirty years, we would have been a world leader in HSR too, instead of an "almost, but never did got there....."

 

[the_traveler]

I would agree this should not become a rant against airlines, etc., but would you agree that AMTRAK is one BIG "government subsidy" ???? <G>

And it's not just the US Interstate Highway System - it's almost ALL roads! Even the road leading to your property (unless it's a private road that you built) was built mostly with Federal Government funds! Most times, the Feds pay 90% of the cost.

So without this "subsidy", you would have to pay a $10,000 toll each time you go to the store to buy food for dinner!

 

[alanh]

Trainweb.org has photos of every Amtrak stop, though some are from a few years back. Here's Birmingham, MI from 2002.

The former station is now the Whistle Stop restaurant.

 

[volkris]

I think you might be asking the wrong question.

Right now Amtrak can hardly be seen as an alternative to airlines as the two modes of transportation are extremely different in practical terms. How can you really compare a train running at 50mph with a plane flying at 500? Once your trip goes beyond a few hundred miles the train begins to become a significant part of the trip itself, for better or worse.

If you describe yourself as a flight junkie I can only imagine that the parts of flying that you like would be completely missing on the train. Surely you're not a junkie because of the smell of old people

 

[Trainmans daughter]

What do we smell like?

 

[sunchaser]

What do we smell like?

Baby Powder & L'Aire Tu Temps! :lol: GOOD!

Better than old shoes!

 

[wcswingdance]

Trainweb.org has photos of every Amtrak stop, though some are from a few years back. Here's Birmingham, MI from 2002.
The former station is now the Whistle Stop restaurant.

The "station" doesn't look like it did in 2002. It is now a small shelter near the tracks. Yes it looks like a bus shelter. I normally use this station when taking the train to Chicago for the weekend. There is no parking lot so you have to park on the street. The old station is now a restaurant.

The Birmingham station is in a nice and very safe area.

I am taking a long trip in May to Seattle and back. I do not want to leave my car on the street for over a week. For this trip, I am leaving out of Dearborn. They have a real station with free parking.

Hope this helps!

 

[NEURALBD]

Trainweb.org has photos of every Amtrak stop, though some are from a few years back. Here's Birmingham, MI from 2002.
The former station is now the Whistle Stop restaurant.

The "station" doesn't look like it did in 2002. It is now a small shelter near the tracks. Yes it looks like a bus shelter. I normally use this station when taking the train to Chicago for the weekend. There is no parking lot so you have to park on the street. The old station is now a restaurant.

The Birmingham station is in a nice and very safe area.

I am taking a long trip in May to Seattle and back. I do not want to leave my car on the street for over a week. For this trip, I am leaving out of Dearborn. They have a real station with free parking.

Hope this helps!

Extremely amazing response qty and diversity. That alone makes me want to use train travel more often

Flight Junkie was to simply explain that in over 250k flight miles - I never tried a US based Rail-Travel

Well I appreciate the great info and believe I will be testing it this month - Consider me an BETA user, and will propagate better

information to my "older" generation that Train travel is in fact a mode of transportation still.

When will Warren Buffet purchase Amtrak and "pimp" it up/ make it more "sexy" / "sizzle"

 

[Rumpled]

Warren recently made some big investment in rail - freight that is.

 

[sunchaser]

What do we smell like?

Baby Powder & L'Air Du Temps! :lol: GOOD!

Better than old shoes!

(Corrected spelling)

 

[rrdude]

When will Warren Buffet purchase Amtrak and "pimp" it up/ make it more "sexy" / "sizzle"

I think Mr. Buffet will pass on Amtrak, he already has a profitable BNSF to play with, and he's in the habit of investing for a Return On Investment, NOT to watch his money get pissed away..............for the greater good of the country.