Search results

Amtrak Unlimited Discussion Forum

Help Support Amtrak Unlimited Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
  1. F

    California Zephyr issues in Salt Lake City

    I absolutely agree. And it should apply equally to airlines, that currently have next to no legal obligations to deal with delays and cancellations. Something like the EU regulations on passenger right would be a good place to start, in my opinion.
  2. F

    Best and worst of Amtrak staff on our recent trip

    I mentioned in Eric and Pat's excellent trip report that we'd done a similar trip recently and I'd be providing a trip report. Well, life has intervened and a full trip report will have to wait, but while things are fresh in my mind I thought I'd comment on the highs and lows we experienced of...
  3. F

    NY Times article on train food in Central Europe

    Read it and be jealous...so far beyond even our new, improved traditional dining on Amtrak... https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/06/travel/central-europe-trains-dining.html
  4. F

    Rail service and travel by rail in India and Bangladesh

    I was listening online to the BBC World Service and came across a half hour documentary on Indian rail, particularly focusing on plans to electrify the system. A good, half hour listen...and apparently the link will work for a year. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3ct4lrg
  5. F

    Magnetic vent covers?

    We're taking a couple of LD trains this summer and I will definitely want to deal with the ceiling vents in the Superliner. Has anyone tried using those magnetic vent covers that go over heating registers? I was thinking they'd be reusable and handier than messing around with cardboard and...
  6. F

    Advice on a mammoth train trip with our ten-year-old granddaughter next summer

    The backstory on the planned trip is that we had for many years promised our granddaughter than, in lieu of getting toys for her birthday and Christmas, we were going to arrange a trip for her, anywhere in the world she wanted, with me and Grandpa, when she was 10 or 11. (The idea is that she'd...
  7. F

    Maybe no cellphone coverage is not always a negative for Amtrak?

    In an interesting article by a cognitive psychologist studying people's reactions to lack of cellphone coverage, the researcher looked at through-hikers on the Pacific Coast Trail and their attitudes regarding their ability to use their phones on the trail. First off, she saw that most first...
  8. F

    Group working on Cascadia HSR

    Today's Seattle Times had this article about a high-powered working group whose long range plans include HSR between Vancouver BC and Portland. I realize that, even if this comes about, I won't live to see it, but it does recongize the importance of corridor HSR for the future of the region...
  9. F

    Article about a senior's LD trips in coach during the pandemic

    https://www.travelandleisure.com/trip-ideas/senior-travel/how-amtrak-trains-became-one-retired-travelers-sanctuary-during-the-pandemic I agree that housebound seniors during the pandemic suffered as much from loneliness and depression as from fear of COVID itself, and this gal's solution to...
  10. F

    How is tipping done in a cash-less Amtrak world?

    Now that traditional dining is coming back, are we allowed to leave cash as a tip in the dining car as before? And, if you're in the sleeper, there won't be a bill for the meal, so how can tips be added to a bill you don't get? I am assuming that handing cash to the sleeping car attendant on...
  11. F

    WSDOT reports on Point Defiance Bypass resumption and new trainsets for Cascades service

    https://www.theurbanist.org/2020/12/02/amtrak-cascades-sets-timeline-for-point-defiance-bypass-restart-and-new-trains/ I still think it is a shame that the Talgo 6's have been taken out of service; I loved riding them. Now, if they really were uncrashworthy, then I suppose it was inevitable...
  12. F

    Item touting train travel in TripIt

    https://www.tripit.com/web/blog/travel-tips/holiday-travel-by-train.html?us=tripitmail&um=email&un=20201113_BlogNewsletter_RET_FREE_LIVE&spMailingID=18088052&spUserID=MTIzMzAyNjkxMjYwS0&spJobID=2000940119&spReportId=MjAwMDk0MDExOQS2 I keep forgetting that most Americans aren't even aware that...
  13. F

    A newspaper article about the importance of preserving and extending Amtrak

    Seen in the Seattle Times today: We need a better Amtrak for post-pandemic America
  14. F

    Crash on Italy's HST line

    Very sad news--two fatalities in a derailment on Italy's Frecciarossa train service. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-51397027
  15. F

    Seattle Light Rail to rename University Street Station

    https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/sound-transit-renames-university-street-station-as-union-street-symphony-station/ No naming rights this time, unfortunately. And, for those who can't get behind the paywall, the executive summary is that the old name was confusing to...
  16. F

    Car rental from Union Station DC?

    Seeing the thread on car rental from Chicago reminded me that we have a trip planned this April where our Amtraking ends in Union Station DC. I was planning to rent a car from there, but now I'm getting nervous. There are certainly car rental offices at/near the station, but the reviews are...
  17. F

    Reporter took the Coast Starlight end to end in coach

    Today's Seattle Times had this article on a reporter's trip from LA to Seattle on the Coast Starlight: https://www.seattletimes.com/life/travel/what-its-like-to-take-a-35-hour-ride-on-the-coast-starlight-train-from-l-a-to-seattle/ The article (not paywalled unless you've already used your...
  18. F

    Survey on HSR

    I had just logged onto E-rewards to see if they might have a survey for me (I need to keep some hotel points active!) and what I got was a survey from WashDOT on my preferences with regard to high speed train models in the Vancouver BC to Portland corridor. They seem to be trying to judge...
  19. F

    The Canadian, travelogue part three

    Day Three: The Prairies By morning, we were well into prairie country, with a full crew change. Don’t let anyone tell you that the prairies are boring terrain, because they do have their own distinct appeal. Being as early in the season as it was, the fields were a combination of last year’s...
  20. F

    The Canadian,travelogue part two

    Day One: “Cottage country and the wilds of Ontario.” Once the train had left the suburbs of Toronto behind, we plunged into forested areas pocked with ice-blue lakes. When I saw my first beaver lodge—they are truly impressive mounds—I grabbed my camera for a shot. Little did I appreciate that...
Back
Top