Let’s just say the Amtrak ClubAcela Lounge at Washington Union Station (WAS) does not hold a candle to the swanky Metropolitan Lounge at New York Penn (NYP). That said, I still appreciated a quiet place to work after my...
How To Bid For An Upgrade On Amtrak
Amtrak offers upgrade bidding that I successfully used to upgrade from business class to first class on Acela for less than half the retail price of a first class ticket. Perhaps even more lucrative, you can also bid for...
Review: Amtrak Acela First Class New York – Washington
For many years I’ve flown between New York and Washington, but recently decided to take Amtrak instead and splurged for Acela First Class. I’m glad that I did. Amtrak Acela First Class Review The door-to-door journey time might not...
Review: Amtrak Metropolitan Lounge New York (NYP)
Amtrak has drastically upped its lounge game with its beautiful Metropolitan Lounge at the Moynihan Train Hall adjacent to New York Penn Station. Amtrak Metropolitan Lounge New York Review The National Passenger Railroad Corporation (Amtrak for short) is a...
Amtrak Cancels All Long-Distance Train Service
UPDATE: The strike has been avoided. It is not yet clear when Amtrak long-distance and California services wil resume. The original article appears below. Facing a freight labor rail strike on the tracks it utilizes, Amtrak has proactively cancelled...
BREAKING: Amtrak Train Derails Near Kansas City
UPDATE: Tragically, three passengers were killed, 50 were injured. An Amtrak train traveling to Chicago has derailed near Kansas City, with multiple casualties reported. Amtrak Southwest Chief Train Derails Near Kansas City The eastbound Southwest Chief is Amtrak’s daily...
What Caused Amtrak Train To Derail?
On Saturday, an Amtrak train detailed in rural Montana, killing three and injuring 50. What caused the Amtrak train to derail? What Caused Amtrak Train To Derail? At approximately 4:00pm local time on Saturday a westbound Empire Builder Amtrak...
Biden’s Tall Tale On Amassing 1.5 Million Amtrak Miles
President Joe Biden, known for his folksy embellishments of the truth over the years, now has added to the archive with a new tall tale over how he earned over 1.5 million Amtrak miles. Biden’s Story On Traveling 1.5...
United Airlines + Amtrak End Partnership
United Airlines and Amtrak will end a decades-long partnership, eliminating reciprocal lounge access and what historically has been a convenient way to earn miles when traveling on Amtrak. Amtrak + United Wind Down Partnership Stretching back two decades, Amtrak...
Amtrak Won’t Let You Sue, Even After A Crash
You buy an Amtrak ticket. Your train derails. You are severely injured. And you can’t sue. Why? Blame the fine print in your ticket rules. Back in January, Amtrak quietly revised the language of its ticket terms and conditions....
End Of An Era: The Amtrak Dining Car
Amtrak is “reinventing” dining on its longhaul train service. Dining cars are out on many routes. “Flexibility” is in. Driven by cost-cutting and a desire to appeal to millennials, Amtrak will close onboard kitchens and shift to pre-packaged meals...
Amtrak Hints At Long-Haul Route Cuts
Amtrak is hinting that long-haul train service will remain, but will be scaled back from current levels. I’d call that wildly optimistic thinking. Speaking to Skift’s Brian Sumers, Amtrak CEO Richard Anderson explained: There will always be a place...
Amtrak Wants To Turn European
Amtrak wants to turn European, which is probably good news for taxpayers and bad news for customers. The stereotype of the western European rail network is efficient, punctual, cheap, and fast. I’ll certainly agree to the efficient and fast...
Amtrak’s Coast Starlight Train Stuck In Snow For 37 Hours
An Amtrak train traveling from Seattle to Los Angeles made an unexpected stop in a small town in Oregon…for 37 hours. Amtrak’s Coast Starlight service runs daily between Los Angeles and Seattle. The 36-hour journey mostly follows the Pacific...
Amtrak Faces A Daunting Dilemma
Amtrak, America’s state-run passenger railroad company, faces a daunting dilemma. Its path to profit is to cut what its Congressional overlords seem unwilling to even consider eliminating. I’m taking about long-distance rail service. Storied routes like the Empire Builder...
Review: Amtrak Empire Builder (Superliner Bedroom)
My journey from from Portland, Oregon to Whitefish, Montana aboard Amtrak’s Empire Builder service was not what I expected, but still enjoyable. After arriving from Los Angeles on the Coast Starlight, we had about an hour before continuing our...
Review: Amtrak Metropolitan Lounge Portland Union Station
While certainly more private than the station itself, the Amtrak Metropolitan Lounge in Portland, Oregon is hardly a compelling highlight. You’ll find the lounge toward the left side of the station, as you enter. Coffee and water are available....
Review: Amtrak Coast Starlight Superliner Bedroom Los Angeles To Portland
The day had finally arrived. It was time for the great train adventure. All my life I had wanted to take a long-distance journey on Amtrak and now I would have my chance…29.5 hours to Portland, Oregon then another...
Review: Amtrak Metropolitan Lounge Los Angeles Union Station
Prior to boarding my Coast Starlight train for Portland, my wife and I spent about 30 minutes in the Amtrak Metropolitan Lounge at Los Angeles Union Station. You’ll find the lounge on the second floor of the station, near...
Introduction: An Astounding Amtrak Adventure
I am switching gears for my next trip report, pivoting away from flying and writing about a wonderful train trip I enjoyed with my wife in 2016 from Los Angeles to Glacier National Park in Montana. Whenever I publish...
