Comment by d_burfoot
2 days ago
My wife loves the train (hates driving) and so this would be quite interesting to us. But I've heard too many Amtrak horror stories, like the one about how the train broke down about ten miles away from her destination, and they wouldn't let her get off, so she had to sit there for ten hours until they were able to fix it.
This is definitely the weirdest part, their refusal to treat passengers with any respect. For the most part the crew often doesn't know if it will get fixed in one hour or ten hours, but they don't communicate this and there's never an option to bail and have someone pick you up.
Last time I took Amtrak out of LA Union Station, it broke down but luckily was able to pull into the next station so people could get off and find another route. I stayed on and after about 4 hours we were towed back to union station.
They cannot legally allow you to bail. They’re government employees or the next closest thing.
So you need to work within their framework. Take the smoke breaks with other passengers. Note how the door works. See where the nearby road is.
And then do a runner.
We once rode the Amtrak from Sacramento to Reno, through the snow, with the kids. Figured it would be a fun adventure. On the ride up, we were about an hour behind schedule - no problem. On the way back, we started our day at 8am and didn't arrive home til 8pm. Train had to keep stopping for "unexpected delays". Regulars on the train were saying it happens all the time. Not fun.
Why anyone would pay 100x the price to have the same experience is beyond me.
Because if you can remove the need to be somewhere, it can be relaxing and fun.
But that decoupling from the need to be somewhere at a time is quite hard.
The car horror stories are much worse
Having a toilet in your sleeping compartment, in 40cm from your pillow is a horror story by itself.
That is not how Amtrak cars are laid out. That's just categorically not a thing on Amtrak. Not in coach, not in the roomette, and not in the private rooms.
My bedroom shares a wall with my bathroom in my penthouse apartment. My toilet is less than a meter from my head. What does it matter, mate?
There’s a wall…
Maybe small spaces just aren't your thing?