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I have basically a weekend and I'd like to go from ATL to either WAS or NOL, basically enough time to go there and then back on the next return train. My main desire is to enjoy the train. I'd be in a roommette. Option 1: Leave evening from ATL, get to WAS in the morning, spend a few hours...

Of course the only time I can travel by train to see family is around Christmas time. But Amtrak won't let me use points for sleeping accommodations. They say some peak times are blocked out. Frustrating. Is there an actual list of dates that are blocked out?

I've been searching BOS to PDX for several different dates and none of the options that come back show the Empire Builder as an option. Instead it has me taking the Zephyr to the Coast Starlight. But oddly when you enter BOS to SEA it returns a trip on the EB to PDX but then switching to the...

Curious about people's experiences with service on eastern versus western LD routes. Last year I took the LSL and had an absolutely wonderful sleeping car attendant but not too friendly or helpful in the dining car. On the EB my sleeping car attendant was awful and unhelpful but dining staff was...

Wow! This is ridiculous. I'm waiting to board the 8 at WFH and a freight train has been sitting at the platform for a while with no sign of moving. The EB is literally sitting behind it waiting to pull up. What's with BNSF?!

I was just comparing the current EB timetable with the new one (effective 4/15) and noticed that the new timetable's key no longer uses the language "Enhanced Dining Car Service"; it's now simply "Full meal service". Compare...

Travel from Boston to Portland: 6/6 to 6/9 Lake Shore Limited - BOS to CHI Just two days after getting engaged, Sarah and I checked our bags at South Station in Boston and settled into the Club Acela Lounge while waiting for the Lake Shore Limited to board. A red cap helped us board before the...

I'm on the EB right now and our sleeper attendant, Miguel, has not been too helpful. He didn't give us much information when we boarded and when he put down the upper berth last night (in a bedroom) he failed to connect the metal rod to the ceiling at the foot of the bed. We also never got a bag...

Hello rail fans! I am absolutely stoked about a trip I am making with my girlfriend to PDX this Thursday. Leaving from BOS on the Lake Shore Limited to CHI and then the Empire Builder to PDX. This was probably 9 months in anticipation. My girlfriend was at first a bit sceptical of travelling...

Can anyone speak to the food served on the EB in 2001. I saw this menu on the Amtrak history site: http://history.amtrak.com/archives/i-empire-builder-i-menu-2001 Today's menu seems much more limited and they simply state "Chef's Special" for an option. Is the food selection/quality comparable...

This may sound a bit odd but one of my girlfriend's cousins lives in rural Montana (that's not the odd part). We'll be passing through in June on the Empire Builder going west and cannot stop to see her cousin, but apparently she is willing to drive an hour to the Wolf Point station to say hi to...

I was reading the following report which investigates potential improvements for the Empire Builder service. One thing they made note of was that Amtrak has a vendor contract with the Boxcars restaurant in Havre, MT where "customers placing orders with the on-board staff for a box dinner...

Is there any possible way to view one's reward booking (using AGR points) on the Amtrak.com website? I'd love to add the trip to my Amtrak iPhone app so I can add it to Passbook. The paid leg of my trip I was able to do that and have a Passbook pass for. It's just the reward leg leaves me...

I've been perusing the VIA Rail website and am impressed by the quality of the marketed on-board service, dining, and accommodation options. Their menus look much better than Amtrak's. The dining car, public spaces, and sleepers even look more nicely appointed than on Amtrak (dome car...

I'll be travelling from Boston to Washington on the Northeast Regional with two large suitcases that are within the Amtrak carry-on limits. Where on the train can I stow these two large bags and is seeking Red Cap assistance in Boston a good idea? Just moving about with two large suitcases on...

Anyone know the wifi password for Club Acela in BOS? The attendant here doesn't usually work here and doesn't know it!

The Lake Shore Limited timetable shows under dining that "sleeping car passengers will receive complimentary cold meal service." What does that mean? Does that mean I'll have to pay for dinner? I thought, according to the Amtrak site, that all regular meals are included in the price of the first...

Well, tomorrow I start to fulfill my dream of a transcontinental journey by rail. Boston to St Louis for a few days and then from St Louis to San Diego via the Texas Eagle and Pacific Surfliner. I figured I would share my progress and insights on Twitter. My iPhone allows me to tweet a Google...

Travelling on the TE 21 to LAX. Since we will be sitting in SAS from 10am to 5:40am waiting for the SL to join us, would I be able to get off the train for any extended period of time, say to explore or find a place to get a drink? Would the train ever leave before the scheduled departure time?

I will be travelling in coach from CHI to STL. I'd love to get dinner on board in the dining car before I pull into STL at 7:21pm. Will I have enough time to eat (what are the seating times) and will I be able to reserve my preferred time being that I am travelling in coach? Cheers, Andy