Blue Water survey

[creddick]

A few weeks ago, I took a trip to Chicago from East Lansing. I love trains, no matter. However, Amtrak sent me a survey to fill out and boy, did I rip them. Don't get me wrong, I loved the trip and the train but they gave me an opening. I ripped them on cleanliness, inside and out, food, OTP, and filthy, smelly restrooms. I gave them good marks on comfort (business class), value for the money, and friendliness of the cafe car attendant. I also said I would recommend the train to others. I am behind Amtrak all the way and I would love to see a real first class railway in this country. What we have is a crying shame.

 

[amtrakwolverine]

its a shame. other countrys have great train service. even canada's via rail is better then amtrak of course via rail has the support of the goverment. here the goverment wants to get rid of amtrak.

 

[GG-1]

A few weeks ago, I took a trip to Chicago from East Lansing.

Aloha

right now there is a slim chance that I will go to Lansing MI in March, so this train to East lansing is under consideration. In the past 3 time I have visited thia area the Air fares direct were so good I flew all the way. Last yeay nothing worked. Going to try again this year

Did you connect from to anything?

And just how bad was the OTP?

Mahalo

 

[AlanB]

its a shame. other countrys have great train service. even canada's via rail is better then amtrak of course via rail has the support of the goverment. here the goverment wants to get rid of amtrak.

While everything I've ever heard says that VIA's sleeper class and diners are far superior to anything that Amtrak now runs, VIA also charges far more than Amtrak for that service. Two to three times more than Amtrak. You can't get one person from Toronto to Vancouver in the lowest sleeper class, a section, for less than $900 at anytime of the year. If I hit things right, I can go from NY to the west coast on Amtrak for far less than that, in a private room. I just did NYP to LAX for the gathering for just a bit over $600 in a private room, and that was at a semi-peak time. I got low bucket for the Capitol, but a middle bucket for the SWC.

And then there is VIA 1 service in the corridor. This is available on trains running between Montreal and Toronto and just like Acela First Class is geared towards the business traveler. While the food is a cut above that served on Acela, it's not that much better. And on Acela, I have far more leg room, a much roomier seat, not to mention a single seat instead of a pair. So I'll take Acela First class over VIA 1 any day and twice on Tuesdays.

 

[creddick]

A few weeks ago, I took a trip to Chicago from East Lansing.

Aloha

right now there is a slim chance that I will go to Lansing MI in March, so this train to East lansing is under consideration. In the past 3 time I have visited thia area the Air fares direct were so good I flew all the way. Last yeay nothing worked. Going to try again this year

Did you connect from to anything?

And just how bad was the OTP?

Mahalo

I did not connect to another train, I simply went to Chicago for a weekend. Sometimes the Blue Water is between 2 and 3 hours late, an amazing feat for such a short distance. My last trip, a few weeks ago, produced pretty good results as far as OTP is concerned - less than an hour each way.

The last time I connected with another train was in 06. I had to connect to the Builder. I was so nervous about the connection I stayed over night in Chicago so I would be sure to make the connection. Returning to East Lansing is not easy if you want to ride the train the whole way. Many routes take you to Battle Creek and then bus to EL.

Good luck.

 

[amtrakwolverine]

its a shame. other countrys have great train service. even canada's via rail is better then amtrak of course via rail has the support of the goverment. here the goverment wants to get rid of amtrak.

While everything I've ever heard says that VIA's sleeper class and diners are far superior to anything that Amtrak now runs, VIA also charges far more than Amtrak for that service. Two to three times more than Amtrak. You can't get one person from Toronto to Vancouver in the lowest sleeper class, a section, for less than $900 at anytime of the year. If I hit things right, I can go from NY to the west coast on Amtrak for far less than that, in a private room. I just did NYP to LAX for the gathering for just a bit over $600 in a private room, and that was at a semi-peak time. I got low bucket for the Capitol, but a middle bucket for the SWC.

And then there is VIA 1 service in the corridor. This is available on trains running between Montreal and Toronto and just like Acela First Class is geared towards the business traveler. While the food is a cut above that served on Acela, it's not that much better. And on Acela, I have far more leg room, a much roomier seat, not to mention a single seat instead of a pair. So I'll take Acela First class over VIA 1 any day and twice on Tuesdays.

via may cost more $$$$ but its worth it. to go from windsor to toronto to vancouver and back with upper berth is around 1800-1900 CAN about 1500 USD.