What reason do you hear from people for not riding Amtrak

[SanAntonioClyde]

I am often in discussions about Amtrak telling people of my recent trips and experiences. It never fails to hear during these discussions something along the lines of " I hear Amtrak is { fill in the blanks}."

The most frequent statement seems to be they are always late or expensive.

Here in Texas I also hear, "you can take a train from here to there!"

So what statements do you hear most frequently?

 

[roomette]

"I've always wanted to do that. It seems like it would be fun."

 

[zepherdude]

Yes, lots of people always wanted to ride Amtrak, but never do. I did and I liked it!

 

[The Davy Crockett]

"It takes too long." hboy:

"It is too expensive." (If the NEC, followed by) "The bus is so much cheaper." :help:

"I prefer to drive." :wacko: :blink: (THAT is insanity )

 

[MattW]

"Isn't it slow?"

That's the one I typically hear

 

[Ryan]

As one friend described it to me when considering a DC to Boston trip:

It's the worst of both time and money. If I wanted to spend $500 (for two tickets), I can get there in 2 hours on a plane. If I wanted to take 8 hours getting there, I can do it for a heck of a lot cheaper by car.

 

[hankster211]

I've been telling people about our upcoming Trip on the EB. The response I get most often is, "You can travel by train?"

One has to remember that there has been no passenger service in TN (with the exception of the western state line) for 30+ years. They just aren't aware.

 

[FriskyFL]

"What's a train? "

 

[VentureForth]

"We have a train?"

 

[chrsjrcj]

"Takes too long."

Someone wanted to take the train to Houston. Jeez, a few years ago we had the Sunset that took you right to Houston, now you have to change trains in DC, then change in Chicago, then change to a bus in Somewhere, Texas.

Then had someone who wanted to take the train to Indiana. Hello Floridian!

I would also love to take the train to NOL, but it's too costly (and I don't want to use valuable AGR points I'm saving for a longer trip).

 

[zephyr17]

"I hear they're always late"

The complete UP meltdown on Starlight timekeeping a few years ago, when being only 4 hours was an exceptionally good day, is still echoing. I hear "Well, my friend so-and-so took Amtrak a few years ago and they were 10 hours late..." horror stories all the time.

 

[Bob Dylan]

You mean Austin has a Train that can get you to San Antonio 2 Hours for only $12 or Dallas for $20 in only 5 Hours!??? You can't Drive for That! (IH 35 is oftentimes a Parking Lot!)

My Grandparents/Parents used to ride Trains back in Ancient Times!

Isn't it too Slow?

Mega Bus only Charges a $1!!!

 

[Texan Eagle]

I am in that age group where most Americans are car-and-air travelers, most don't even know where Amtrak runs, so when I mention about Amtrak travel, the reaction is always one of these two-

"Amtrak is so expensive and soooo slow. Takes a whole day to go from San Jose to Los Angeles. Ridiculous!"

"Why would you waste so much money on it, just fly, you'll be there in 2 hours. Or drive"

 

[Rail Freak]

People in my neighborhood wanted me to give them a little speil on Amtrak travel, since I was telling everyone how much I enjoyed it & maybe do a group x-country trip!!!! One night, we got together & I ran thru the basics! The main concerns were expense & slow travel!!!! I couldnt get the point across that the train was the experience & the vacation (no driving, moving hotel room , includes meals, can walk the train, Sight Seer Lounge, etc.....) Finally I gave up! I sure am glad I had the opportunity to have this little get together, otherwise the trip may have been more like "Survivor"!!! I would have been a basket case by the time we got back!!!

Different strokes for different folks!!!

Have Fun

 

[the_traveler]

"Nobody rides trains anymore!" (That's why it's so hard to get a seat.)

 

[Texan Eagle]

I see most of the people have pointed out two things- 1) Amtrak is expensive, and 2) Amtrak is slow. And both are valid arguments if you are anywhere outside NEC and not a railfan.

I might be able to convince someone to try Amtrak as a "land cruise" but it has been almost impossible to convince someone to use it as a means of travel. Consider this-

Example 1:

Me: "Oh you want to go to Los Angeles from Bay Area? Why don't you take this train that starts at 10 in the morning and reaches at 10 in the night, or you can book this roundabout itinerary that requires you to take a bus, then transfer to a train, and then transfer back to a bus"

Them: "Why bother with all this when I can take Megabus that takes me to LA in 6 hours and costs less than half. Or I can just drive down, no big deal"

(I can bring up oh-you-will-get-stuck-in-traffic but who am I kidding? I have done this drive a few times and its not that bad, I-5 has flowing traffic, not parking lot)

Example 2:

Me: You want to go to Reno? Go to Emeryville and take this Amtrak train that will reach Reno at 4pm

Them: Are you mad? If I start at 8am, I can drive to Reno by noon. If I don't want to drive, I will take Megabus, that also takes only 4 hours and is much cheaper than damned Amtrak

(True. The ride through Donner Pass is annoyingly slow)

Example 3:

Me: Going to Sacramento? Take the train

Them: It costs HOW MUCH? $39 per person? That's about $120 for the three of us. Forget it, I am gonna drive and be there and back with gas costing $25-30.

(Can't argue. I have chucked Amtrak and driven to Sacramento for this same reason)

 

[FriskyFL]

"Oh, Amtrak is a BIG government boondoggle that should be either a) shut down, or b) privatized to balance the budget".

 

[crescent2]

When I've mentioned our Amtrak trips, the most frequent comment is something like, "I didn't know there were any passenger trains left." They are surprised that it's possible to take a train. Of course, the Crescent is the only choice within hundreds of miles.

 

[Ocala Mike]

I asked Yogi Berra this question, and he replied, "Nobody takes Amtrak any more; it's too crowded!"

 

[Big Iron]

I asked Yogi Berra this question, and he replied, "Nobody takes Amtrak any more; it's too crowded!"

Way to channel your inner Yogi!!

I've had luck convincing folks to ride from RVR to points on the NEC. When I tell them I take the train to Chicago from RVR I get puzzled looks like I'm into masochism. Convenience outsells price on the NEC, IMHO.

 

[AKA]

# 1 Theres a train that comes thru here ? # 2 It cost to much. # 3 Its to slow. You ride trains !?

Its often hard to explian, that for me the train is part of the vacation.

As to gas. In the recent past its been cheeper to go by train than to drive where I trave to see family.

 

[the Other Mike]

They just don't know anything aboutr them until I spend an hour talking it up.

 

[Shortline]

Unfortunately, a common response I get when I ask why not take the train, starts with "I did that once....never again". Hard to argue with that. There are some great things about the train. Most of the great things though, are only appreciated by people who like taking trains. You either seem to love it, or hate it. Same goes for cruises, I wouldn't be caught dead on one of those things, but some people dig it. But unfortunately there's also a lot of negatives, that unless one just likes to travel by train, are hard to ignore. Schedules, cities served, on board service, ammeneties, cleanliness, equipment...all leave a lot to be desired. I can largely ignore a lot of it, close my eyes, and pretend I'm on a streamliner back in the day-Most travellers don't know what's reasonable to expect, and probably have higher expectations than I've come to have.

Train travel, for most people, is simply not convenient, not cost effective (unless one wants to sit in coach next to a stranger for up to 2 days, and even then it's still often cheaper to fly in many cases, unless buying at the last minute) and not an effective use of time. Boils down to, unless you just want to do it for the experience, or are faced with 2 days on a train, vs 1-2 days on a bus with a dog on the side of it, there's just not much of an argument to be made for travel by train unfortunately. I do use it for business on rare occasions, but it's really still more about wanting to, vs making a true argument that it's practical. I do get work done on the train. I could probably get more done, if I fly a 5 hour door to door trip, vs a 31 hour door to door trip by train. I could probably squeeze a lot more work in that extra 28 hours, than I get in a roomette, even if it's not quite as much fun! Even with all that, even I often times can't justify taking the train, mostly due to schedules, convenience, and availability of rental cars at the other end. Maybe some day we'll have a better system. Until then, I'll just ride what's left, when I have the time, and on those few andfar between occasions I need to get somewhere that I can actually get to by train, within the time constraints I have, and hope the food isn't too bad, the service too lacking, and the equipment is in working order.

 

[VentureForth]

Just for me... If I travel by myself, the cost for a train ticket could almost be compared to driving. As soon as I add a 2nd person - even a child - it's cheaper to drive. Then I have to decide if I would prefer to drive 4 hours or spend 9 hours on the train. I usually pick the train.

 

[NW cannonball]

On the train, at least I stay connected by phone - text - maybe wifi. Driving myself or with a passenger - not so much - unless I don't care about driving into a wall, or a person.