Why do so few LD passengers travel by train?

[Freckles68]

For me it's a combination of the cost and the time. I'd love to travel from NYC to Minneapolis by train, as I hate flying but I'd like to visit my friends there. But it would cost nearly a thousand dollars, and four of my vacation days would be spent traveling. Doesn't leave much time for visiting.

If Amtrak was comparable to air travel in terms of cost (I don't drive/park and I wouldn't be checking any baggage), it would be more likely that I'd do it anyway. But the accommodations are just too expensive. A night in a tiny compartment with no toilet is more expensive than a night at the Hyatt, and I'd need to pay for two of them each way... I have a cranky back and couldn't sit for that long. Unfortunately, it's just way out of my price range.

 

[Guest]

For me it's a combination of the cost and the time. I'd love to travel from NYC to Minneapolis by train, as I hate flying but I'd like to visit my friends there. But it would cost nearly a thousand dollars, and four of my vacation days would be spent traveling. Doesn't leave much time for visiting.

If Amtrak was comparable to air travel in terms of cost (I don't drive/park and I wouldn't be checking any baggage), it would be more likely that I'd do it anyway. But the accommodations are just too expensive. A night in a tiny compartment with no toilet is more expensive than a night at the Hyatt, and I'd need to pay for two of them each way... I have a cranky back and couldn't sit for that long. Unfortunately, it's just way out of my price range.

NYC to MSP is a one-night trip on Amtrak. If you travel the Lakeshore Limited route, you do have a toilet in your room.

 

[Freckles68]

For me it's a combination of the cost and the time. I'd love to travel from NYC to Minneapolis by train, as I hate flying but I'd like to visit my friends there. But it would cost nearly a thousand dollars, and four of my vacation days would be spent traveling. Doesn't leave much time for visiting.

If Amtrak was comparable to air travel in terms of cost (I don't drive/park and I wouldn't be checking any baggage), it would be more likely that I'd do it anyway. But the accommodations are just too expensive. A night in a tiny compartment with no toilet is more expensive than a night at the Hyatt, and I'd need to pay for two of them each way... I have a cranky back and couldn't sit for that long. Unfortunately, it's just way out of my price range.

NYC to MSP is a one-night trip on Amtrak. If you travel the Lakeshore Limited route, you do have a toilet in your room.

When I looked the other night for the dates I'd want to travel, it was 30+ hours each way (with two long legs each way that would require accommodations of well over $100 each... only one with a toilet). It was like leave Wednesday morning, get there late Thursday night. That's two days spent traveling, same on the way back. The fare was, I believe, $458 each way. Way too rich for my blood, and four days is too much time to spend traveling when you have limited time off for the visit. For that price, I could fly, spend the entire week visiting, AND stay in a nice hotel every night. :lol: (If I wanted to go tomorrow, for example, it would be over $600 each way. It's pricey... $330 for a Superliner Roomette w/no toilet, from DC to Chicago.)

Believe me, I'd always rather take the train than fly. But it's just not feasible for folks of limited means and limited time off unless the train ride IS the vacation. In my particular case, I'd spend more than half my time off on a train instead of visiting with my friends, and would be spending three times as much to do it.

The question was why do so few travel LD by train. I assumed the poster honestly wanted some reasons. I'm not trying to "demean" Amtrak by answering the question. We all have different circumstances.

 

[MJL]

For me, train travel is a fun thing to do in and of itself, where the trip is scheduled around the train, not the other way around.

For instance, to go from Wichita KS to Houston TX to visit my sister, would require a 4 hour drive to OKC, one train to DFW, another to San Antonio, then another to Houston. All with terrible connection times, and at a premium dollar.

I may do the trip someday when I have a lot of spare time / vacation time, but if I really want to maximize the vacation time, the 1.5 hour nonstop from ICT to IAD for less than $200 roundtrip is much easier.

 

[rrdude]

For me it's a combination of the cost and the time. I'd love to travel from NYC to Minneapolis by train, as I hate flying but I'd like to visit my friends there. But it would cost nearly a thousand dollars, and four of my vacation days would be spent traveling. Doesn't leave much time for visiting.

If Amtrak was comparable to air travel in terms of cost (I don't drive/park and I wouldn't be checking any baggage), it would be more likely that I'd do it anyway. But the accommodations are just too expensive. A night in a tiny compartment with no toilet is more expensive than a night at the Hyatt, and I'd need to pay for two of them each way... I have a cranky back and couldn't sit for that long. Unfortunately, it's just way out of my price range.

NYC to MSP is a one-night trip on Amtrak. If you travel the Lakeshore Limited route, you do have a toilet in your room.

When I looked the other night for the dates I'd want to travel, it was 30+ hours each way (with two long legs each way that would require accommodations of well over $100 each... only one with a toilet). It was like leave Wednesday morning, get there late Thursday night. That's two days spent traveling, same on the way back. The fare was, I believe, $458 each way. Way too rich for my blood, and four days is too much time to spend traveling when you have limited time off for the visit. For that price, I could fly, spend the entire week visiting, AND stay in a nice hotel every night. :lol: (If I wanted to go tomorrow, for example, it would be over $600 each way. It's pricey... $330 for a Superliner Roomette w/no toilet, from DC to Chicago.)

Believe me, I'd always rather take the train than fly. But it's just not feasible for folks of limited means and limited time off unless the train ride IS the vacation. In my particular case, I'd spend more than half my time off on a train instead of visiting with my friends, and would be spending three times as much to do it.

The question was why do so few travel LD by train. I assumed the poster honestly wanted some reasons. I'm not trying to "demean" Amtrak by answering the question. We all have different circumstances.

I think you answered the question PERFECTLY. I'd rather travel by train too, but that makes me the oddball when it comes to choosing transportation. I've just spent three days with my business colleagues in the greater LAX metro area. You should see the reaction when one of my colleagues tells someone else in the group that I am traveling by train. They react as though I just gave birth to an egg on the floor. First response. "REALLY". Next question. "WHY?"

"Joe Average Citizen" doesn't travel by LD train in the USA because:

1) EXTREAMLY limited departure choices. (umm, like ONE a day, please)

2) Cost for sleeping accommodations is very high. (example given, chose a nice hotel for lower rate if flying)

3) General lack of knowledge that Amtrak is even an option for LD. (and it really isn't, unless you are "into" trains)

It's like most things in life, if you want to do it, you'll find a way. But as a "travel option" for LD travel? Nah, Amtrak is not even in the ballpark.

Most of us on the board know the reasons why Amtrak can't solve reasons one and two above, I'm just stating the reasons, not looking at why Amtrak doesn't "fix" the problem.

 

[the_traveler]

When I looked the other night for the dates I'd want to travel, it was 30+ hours each way (with two long legs each way that would require accommodations of well over $100 each... only one with a toilet).

OK, I'll agree with you that 30 hours is a long time. But "2 long legs that would require accommodations"?

The Empire Builder departs CHI at 2:15 PM, travels just over 8 hours and arrives MSP at 10:31 PM! Do you need a roomette or bedroom for those 8 hours?

 

[AlanB]

When I looked the other night for the dates I'd want to travel, it was 30+ hours each way (with two long legs each way that would require accommodations of well over $100 each... only one with a toilet). It was like leave Wednesday morning, get there late Thursday night. That's two days spent traveling, same on the way back. The fare was, I believe, $458 each way. Way too rich for my blood, and four days is too much time to spend traveling when you have limited time off for the visit. For that price, I could fly, spend the entire week visiting, AND stay in a nice hotel every night. :lol: (If I wanted to go tomorrow, for example, it would be over $600 each way. It's pricey... $330 for a Superliner Roomette w/no toilet, from DC to Chicago.)

Just as an FYI, you're looking at the longest way to get there. I still agree that it will take you 2 days going and 2 coming back, but you can do it for fewer hours on the train by taking the Lake Shore Limited out of NY, instead of going to DC to catch the Capitol Limited. Instead of leaving NY at 10ish to get to DC, you can wait until 3 to catch the LSL.

And the LSL roomettes do have a toilet in the room; unlike those on the Capitol. No shower though.

 

[Freckles68]

When I looked the other night for the dates I'd want to travel, it was 30+ hours each way (with two long legs each way that would require accommodations of well over $100 each... only one with a toilet).

OK, I'll agree with you that 30 hours is a long time. But "2 long legs that would require accommodations"?

The Empire Builder departs CHI at 2:15 PM, travels just over 8 hours and arrives MSP at 10:31 PM! Do you need a roomette or bedroom for those 8 hours?

You really don't want to be sitting next to me for 8 hours when everyone around me just WILL NOT SHUT UP and my back is killing me. Trust me, it's for your own good. :lol:

 

[Freckles68]

When I looked the other night for the dates I'd want to travel, it was 30+ hours each way (with two long legs each way that would require accommodations of well over $100 each... only one with a toilet). It was like leave Wednesday morning, get there late Thursday night. That's two days spent traveling, same on the way back. The fare was, I believe, $458 each way. Way too rich for my blood, and four days is too much time to spend traveling when you have limited time off for the visit. For that price, I could fly, spend the entire week visiting, AND stay in a nice hotel every night. :lol: (If I wanted to go tomorrow, for example, it would be over $600 each way. It's pricey... $330 for a Superliner Roomette w/no toilet, from DC to Chicago.)

Just as an FYI, you're looking at the longest way to get there. I still agree that it will take you 2 days going and 2 coming back, but you can do it for fewer hours on the train by taking the Lake Shore Limited out of NY, instead of going to DC to catch the Capitol Limited. Instead of leaving NY at 10ish to get to DC, you can wait until 3 to catch the LSL.

And the LSL roomettes do have a toilet in the room; unlike those on the Capitol. No shower though.

It's still a grand and 4 days I don't have. hboy: And that shorter train is even pricier than the long one. It's just that when you add it all up, it's too expensive and takes too long... unless, like I said, the train ride IS the vacation. If you've got a week off and you want to visit family and friends, it's a lot of money to spend for such a short time spent visiting.

But again, if you just want to take the train for the experience of it, and spend a few hours in various cities, that's a completely different story. Whether or not you can travel LD by train depends on your budget, your reason for traveling, and how much time you have. I was only giving the OP my perspective, and why it wouldn't work for me. I can only speak for myself.

 

[AlanB]

When I looked the other night for the dates I'd want to travel, it was 30+ hours each way (with two long legs each way that would require accommodations of well over $100 each... only one with a toilet). It was like leave Wednesday morning, get there late Thursday night. That's two days spent traveling, same on the way back. The fare was, I believe, $458 each way. Way too rich for my blood, and four days is too much time to spend traveling when you have limited time off for the visit. For that price, I could fly, spend the entire week visiting, AND stay in a nice hotel every night. :lol: (If I wanted to go tomorrow, for example, it would be over $600 each way. It's pricey... $330 for a Superliner Roomette w/no toilet, from DC to Chicago.)

Just as an FYI, you're looking at the longest way to get there. I still agree that it will take you 2 days going and 2 coming back, but you can do it for fewer hours on the train by taking the Lake Shore Limited out of NY, instead of going to DC to catch the Capitol Limited. Instead of leaving NY at 10ish to get to DC, you can wait until 3 to catch the LSL.

And the LSL roomettes do have a toilet in the room; unlike those on the Capitol. No shower though.

It's still a grand and 4 days I don't have. hboy: And that shorter train is even pricier than the long one. It's just that when you add it all up, it's too expensive and takes too long... unless, like I said, the train ride IS the vacation. If you've got a week off and you want to visit family and friends, it's a lot of money to spend for such a short time spent visiting.

But again, if you just want to take the train for the experience of it, and spend a few hours in various cities, that's a completely different story. Whether or not you can travel LD by train depends on your budget, your reason for traveling, and how much time you have. I was only giving the OP my perspective, and why it wouldn't work for me. I can only speak for myself.

Actually if booked out far enough in advance, I can get a reservation on the LSL and the EB in a roomette for $511 one way.

I'm not suggesting that's ideal for how you see things, just letting you know that it can be done.

 

[Ispolkom]

It's still a grand and 4 days I don't have. hboy: And that shorter train is even pricier than the long one. It's just that when you add it all up, it's too expensive and takes too long... unless, like I said, the train ride IS the vacation. If you've got a week off and you want to visit family and friends, it's a lot of money to spend for such a short time spent visiting.

But again, if you just want to take the train for the experience of it, and spend a few hours in various cities, that's a completely different story. Whether or not you can travel LD by train depends on your budget, your reason for traveling, and how much time you have. I was only giving the OP my perspective, and why it wouldn't work for me. I can only speak for myself.

And you made your point quite well. I don't often travel to New York, but I do go St. Paul-Washington once or twice a year, and often have to fly for exactly the reasons you give. And I really like trains, really hate going to airports, and have a surplus of AGR points.

There are other considerations you haven't mentioned. Since the only train between St. Paul and Chicago starts on the west coast, it can be remarkably late, especially in the winter and spring, requiring an extra night in Chicago because you missed your New York-bound train. Not good if you have limited vacation, even if Amtrak is picking up the tab. This is the reason we are flying to DC at Xmas: I love Chicago at Christmas time, and would be happy to spend a night there, but Mrs Ispolkom really wants to be with her family on Christmas Eve, not Christmas Day.

If Amtrak's schedule was more robust (a train between the Twin Cities and Chicago, for instance), it would be a different matter. But if wishes were fishes...

 

[the_traveler]

But if wishes were fishes...

... you would have a full boat?

(Or should that be a train?

)

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

But if wishes were fishes...

... you would have a full boat?

(Or should that be a train?

)

If wishes were fishes I'd spend at least 50 weeks a year on the train

 

[rrdude]

When I looked the other night for the dates I'd want to travel, it was 30+ hours each way (with two long legs each way that would require accommodations of well over $100 each... only one with a toilet). It was like leave Wednesday morning, get there late Thursday night. That's two days spent traveling, same on the way back. The fare was, I believe, $458 each way. Way too rich for my blood, and four days is too much time to spend traveling when you have limited time off for the visit. For that price, I could fly, spend the entire week visiting, AND stay in a nice hotel every night. :lol: (If I wanted to go tomorrow, for example, it would be over $600 each way. It's pricey... $330 for a Superliner Roomette w/no toilet, from DC to Chicago.)

Just as an FYI, you're looking at the longest way to get there. I still agree that it will take you 2 days going and 2 coming back, but you can do it for fewer hours on the train by taking the Lake Shore Limited out of NY, instead of going to DC to catch the Capitol Limited. Instead of leaving NY at 10ish to get to DC, you can wait until 3 to catch the LSL.

And the LSL roomettes do have a toilet in the room; unlike those on the Capitol. No shower though.

It's still a grand and 4 days I don't have. hboy: And that shorter train is even pricier than the long one. It's just that when you add it all up, it's too expensive and takes too long... unless, like I said, the train ride IS the vacation. If you've got a week off and you want to visit family and friends, it's a lot of money to spend for such a short time spent visiting.

But again, if you just want to take the train for the experience of it, and spend a few hours in various cities, that's a completely different story. Whether or not you can travel LD by train depends on your budget, your reason for traveling, and how much time you have. I was only giving the OP my perspective, and why it wouldn't work for me. I can only speak for myself.

Actually if booked out far enough in advance, I can get a reservation on the LSL and the EB in a roomette for $511 one way.

I'm not suggesting that's ideal for how you see things, just letting you know that it can be done.

And, no disrespect, meant, you are missing the point. "Joe Average Citizen" doesn't know to book 11 mos out........or 8, or 4............

 

[dlagrua]

Perhaps the best answer is that when you travel by train the vacation starts when you get on. Especially so if you have the privacy of your own room. Most travlers look at the LD train as just slow costly transportation and if you compare it to air travel is is more costly. If you compare it to driving the cost is comparable or less. Railfans view train travel as comfortable, relaxing, and fun. I can't tell you about all the nice folks that we met on the train. Since there is space and plenty of it people riding the train tend to be more relaxed, more friendly and less stressed out.

As for cost we've done some comparisons before and it all depends.

For instance two can ride the AutoTrain in a bedroom for about $650.

Its a 900 mile trip and if you figure the cost of driving, meals, lodging and wear and tear you come out ahead.

If you figure the airline cost for two its about 1/2 the price but then you still need to eat dinner that day, rent a car while in Florida and figure in the airport parking fees.

For us air travel is not an option as I refuse to be lower myself to the level of an animal while traveling. To be subjected to the same indignities as a criminal going through security is an insult and it should not and cannot be tolerated. However, the American people are sheep and they'll fall for anything, including being X-rayed nude in the name of false security.