How to ride Amtrak in coach across America | Amtrak California Zephyr and Coast Starlight coach tips 

During Covid, all long distance trains are running only 3 days per week. (All but two, the Cardinal and Sunset Limited, ran daily before the pandemic.) Also, traditional dining car service has been replaced by "flexible dining" i.e. airline style pre-packaged meals system-wide for the duration of the pandemic. Let's hope for a return to normalcy and pre-pandemic service levels sometime this year!

If you're traveling with a second person, swing for a roomette. The difference in price from coach is not that much once you factor in the food/beverages that come with it. The roomette is a bit cramped for two people normally, but leaving it in the bed configuration actually frees up more space where you can sit cross-legged or lie down across from each other if you are close. Way more comfortable than sitting in the upright seats with knees against each other IMHO. If you want to really squeeze every last dime of value out of the roomette, tip your attendant (which you should do anyway) when you get on the train, then have meals delivered to your room. Room-delivered meals come with sealed items still sealed usually. Always order with side dishes etc even if you can't eat it all and just save it in a cooler for later. Each person gets up to 3 soft drinks per meal included, so like 18 cans of soda per day that you can either drink or stash in your cooler. Order the tapioca dessert even if you don't want dessert -- it's sealed and you can stash that in your cooler too. With all the leftovers you can have enough stuff to feed and hydrate you the next day after you get off.

If you're going to/from San Francisco on the California Zephyr, the San Joaquins, or the Capitol Corridor, and do not have checked baggage, you don't have to ride the bus. Instead, get on/off at Richmond Station, and use the BART metro (which shares Richmond with Amtrak) to get to/from San Francisco. This is faster than taking the Amtrak bus and offers more connections. There are 8 BART stations in San Francisco, plus dozens of other stations across the area. In addition, you can switch to a Muni train in SF for further destinations. The only danger is if you are taking the California Zephyr westbound and it is *VERY* late such that you miss the last BART from Richmond. It normally arrives at 3:59PM, and the last BART train from Richmond is around 11:30PM (or 9:30PM in COVID times) so usually this is not a problem. You can get around this by booking your trip all the way to SF via the Amtrak bus, and just getting off at Richmond instead - the price difference is only a few dollars. Alternatively, you can book to Richmond and save the few dollars and, in the rare event that the train is running THAT late around the time you get to Sacramento, ask the conductor to let you stay on until Emeryville and then take an uber into the city. Out of the many times I have done this, only one time has a train ever been so late that I missed BART. Eastbound Zephyr obviously does not have this problem and BART is super reliable, so always book from Richmond as your origin station. If for some reason you wake up that morning and BART has broken or something, you can quickly book a bus+rail ticket to Richmond in the app and get on bus at Salesforce Tower stop, or uber to Emeryville and sort it out there. (Do not book eastbound trip from SF and then get on in Richmond as you will be counted as a no-show and your ticket canceled. I made this mistake once but they let me on anyway.) If you are taking San Joaquins or Capitol Corridor this is less of an issue as they usually do not have major delays. The Coast Starlight does not stop at Richmond, but it does stop at San Jose, from which you can transfer to Caltrain to get to/from SF. I do not recommend this as the northbound connection is tight, and the southbound connection, while doable, is subject to the potential for Caltrain delays (typically suicides). Given the normal delays, I've found that the best way to get the Coast Starlight from SF is to book via the SF bus, then if the train is not delayed get on the SF bus. If the train is badly delayed, I get a little extra time and pay for a shared lyftline/uberpool to the train station. (They will not cancel your ticket if you fail to take the bus, only if you fail to get on the train).

Sleeper car tip: The temperature controls are really unintuitive. The temperature control does not control the HVAC. The vent in the ceiling is HVAC from the entire car and it is set centrally. You have no control over that temperature. You only have a lever on the vent in the ceiling that lets you change the level of airflow. The temperature dial on the wall controls an electric space heater in the wall. It takes time to warm up. Most people fiddle with the dial, feel the vent air and notice that it has not changed temperature at all, and conclude that the dial is broken. The side effect of this is that the dial cannot make the room any cooler than the vent air, it can only make things warmer. If your room is too hot, the only way to cool it down is to try to block any sunlight coming in from the window, or ask the car attendant to lower the temperature on the central HVAC system. They don't like doing this because then they have to deal with all the other passengers who now think it's too cold and don't understand how the space heaters work.

Sleeping in coach on a Superliner tip: Book a lower-level seat (i.e. the bottom deck). There will be way less foot traffic going by you at night as the corridors between cars are on the upper level. The sound from the rails will be a bit louder, but there will be less swaying. Also there are much fewer seats on the lower level, so there's less risk of a crying baby being around. The view is not as good from a lower seat, but you can always go to the lounge for views.

Our pleasure! It's all worth it when it inspires people. Thanks :)

I’m taking my first American 🇺🇸 train from CLE to CHI to DEN & then Back 2 days later

CLE to Denver & back was awesome. Doing CLE to chi to Eugene,Or then flying back since 1 way is 62 hours (which is awesome!) but Also bc flying is so cheap $176 vs $275.

That's fantastic, I had heard that name for him but I didn't know the story. What a guy. I know he's still mega rich but taking the time to commute like the rest of us seems very endearing to me. What changes are you anticipating? Do you think there could be a tax on airline fuel? Or more tracks laid that are solely owned by Amtrak? I'd love to know your thoughts. Thanks for educating me.

@@thornton Well, today I just scrolled past a headline that he's travelling to the Gulf Coast with his nominee for Transportation secretary. That sounds to me like it may have something to do with the Sunset Limited line, which used to run from LA to Orlando/Miami and was the only single ride that went coast-to-coast (without a change in Chicago like you had to do.) The Gulf Coast section of the line (close to half of it) was badly damaged and abandoned after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, cutting off everything east of New Orleans. Since then a number of quite large and very economically depressed cities in that region have been without service. There's likely very little he can do with the stroke of a pen. Amtrak is a quasi-private, quasi-government run corporation whose relationship with Congress, the Executive and the multitude of freight carriers who own the trackage is so hideously complex it would take a law professor to fully understand it. But I'm hoping for restoration of old services, maybe a few extensions to better service rural areas, better maintenance of facilities and renegotiation of deals with freight companies, if possible. I'm hesitant to get my hopes too high for major expansions or miles of new exclusive tracks as Congress never has the appetite for things like that. But there are plenty of existing plans that have been gathering dust for years awaiting local approval or funding that might get a new lease on life.

@@thornton That's also because it would take longer for him to fly than take the train, so it's not that big of a deal to take the Acela from Wilmington to DC, especially if he goes first class, which is much better than flying.

I truly hope this happens because the USA is so behind with their rail system. Most developed countries have first class rail systems, like Japan's bullet train. This would also be huge for the green movement.

@@thornton US Senators make a decent salary but by no means the height of luxury. From Wilmington DE to the US Capitol is 157 miles (252 km) and there is some killer traffic in between (the Beltway & North Capitol St.) Joe Biden had first two, then three kids at home and he wanted to keep them in their schools irrespective of whether he was in office or not. Amtrak makes perfect sense for that commute for people who live here. One can get work done on the train, which is impossible while driving. I used to take a commuter train in from Maryland to my office in DC until I moved to Arlington VA and then I took the Metro.

Arturo thanks so much!! I was inspired by all the amazing filmmakers on here so I now feel 10 feet tall after your comment. And of course a beautiful country like the USA makes my job very easy.

@@thornton My pleasure Tom. Many of those places you visited were special to me, including Monterey and Pacific Grove, and the area around Truckee and Donner Lake on the train. Also that dog and cat segment in DC warmed my heart.

What do you mean "unlike a plane, you can bring your own food and drinks on board". As far as I know you can bring your own food and drink on a airplane. At the airport you can go the Subway, load up on sandwiches and beverage and board the airplane. Where have you been traveling?

@@ellisjames7192 You can only bring your own drinks if you purchase them in the airport after security. Or they are smaller than 2 ounces.

@@ellisjames7192 You can't bring any beverages on a plan.

@@EMVelez-qb1zu of course you can but I think they just worded this tip incorrectly. You can only bring stuff you buy at the airport after you have already passed through security. A train has an advantage because you can go to target, sams club, Costco etc……. To load up on snacks and drinks and personally I typically buy the big sub sandwiches or pack PBJ sandwiches. I’m sure we can all agree the prices on an airplane and train are expensive.

@@reggiehampton2685 Just plain wrong... I usually buy a coffee in the airport and bring it onboard with me for early morning flights which I take every couple of months.

Not to mention "preserves" which... is I guess just chunkier Jam.

@@notednuance And marmalade, which is citrus jam

Where I grew up in the mid-west (Missouri and Kansas), my family used jelly to refer to both. “You want strawberry jelly?” “Yes please, but I’ll take the chunky strawberry jelly.” This may not to common to other families!

@@WalkerCarey108 Fellow Midwesterner here. It's just your family.

ROFL yes, as a fellow Midwesterner, it’s just your family 😝

Thanks so much!! It really means a lot. I’ll be making another video about doing this trip on a budget, if you’re interested.

@@thornton Very much interested; good luck with that production!

ou , ima go watch that one now

I agree.

Thanks for the tip! Really good insight. :)

Or around my birthday in the first week of December. No one travels after Thanksgiving and before Christmas it seems but me.... You won't believe how low the prices of cruises, airlines, trains, and hotels are during the first week of December...

Roomette passengers sleep in a bed, have meals, can use the showers, too, and arrive presentable rather than disheveled. Well worth it on a two-day journey.

No vegan options for breakfast and both lunch and dinner is black beans for vegans. Carnivores get a better deal...

@@TomTomLo1 Only problematic for vegans. Vegetarians have more options. Eating vegan is hard wherever you go (e.g. India where vegetarian food is everywhere but it pretty much all has butter in it).

The roomette I saw was $900 for ONE person in May! Crazy

@@sweetsongstress7398 The prices go up as availability declines. It could be a particularly sold-out day. Sometimes roomettes get sold out so heavily that the full bedrooms actually become cheaper! Check other days around that time to see if there's a better deal. There is no "last minute" penalty for rooms on Amtrak, so the price only goes up as rooms are booked. Sometimes if a train is particularly heavily booked far in advance, Amtrak will add an extra car to the train and the prices can actually go *down* at that point (I've seen that happen and rebooked my already-reserved room for a cheaper price). A normal long distance train usually has one or two sleeper cars plus the staff dorm car, but I've seen trains with 4 sleeper cars. If you book a room at the highest price it's often an extra space in the staff dorm (the staff dorm has regular bed equipment so the experience is no different, it's just further away from the lounge). If you're buying a particularly sold-out room though for a high price, the upside is that adding a second or third person to that room (you can call to have a third person in a bedroom, but not a roomette) barely changes the price. Again, don't think of the room as an airline seat. Think of it as a hotel room. You can save money by doubling up. (I've actually made friends with coach passengers before and had them added to my bedroom for a small fee so we could all hang out. Coach passengers are NOT allowed into the sleeping car, but the conductor can convert their tickets into your reservation for not very much money. In the cases where I have done it, the price difference was less than the money they saved on meals.)

Yep. Jam is jam, containing mooshed fruit, jelly is jelly, strained, just the juice and preserves have pieces of the fruit. Marmalade has citrus peel.

Thanks Pete, we both just read your comment and it made us smile so much. Maybe next time we can hit the south, any recommendations? Best wishes from Europe.

@@thornton Thanks! I don't know how conducive it would be via Amtrak, because some of the best highlights aren't covered on train routes. The big bucket list points would have to start with the Smokey Mountains in North Carolina and Tennessee. As for the southern beaches I'm partial to the Florida panhandle and Alabama coast lines, Panama City to Gulf Shores and Mobile, and then on to New Orleans; that area is so laid back compared to the more bustling and crowded south Florida area. The uncrowded sugar sand beaches and aqua waters have to be experienced. Of course if you just gotta visit Disney World it's easy to find:)

@@pete49327 I live In AL and agree! Orange Beach, AL is quieter than FL but has great white sand and calm waves. And the Blue Ridge Mountains/Smokies in NC/TN are breathtaking with tons of good hiking trails. Tom, your videos about Amtrak are so well done. You are a gifted videographer and storyteller. My family took this same trip when I was a kid. I remember nothing about LA, but the train ride to get there was the most memorable vacation I’ve ever been on!!

pete49327 this "review" of this review makes me want to watch even more!

@@thornton great series of US travel videos- the west is spectacular to be sure, however I’ll also recommend trying a South/Southeast US journey at some point. The Blue Ridge Parkway is brilliant as noted, however for the Amtrak tie in, my current hometown of Raleigh, NC opened a brand new station a couple years ago, with easy connections to the rest of the city via rental bicycle and greenways. Lots of good affordable vegetarian food here as well.

Really good to hear!!

That's the spirit John, be crazy like us. Glad you liked the video.

I wish we had Amtrak near Maryville then. When a college student in 82 thru 86 from Southeast Asia

Don't feel like the Lone Ranger. Less than two percent of Americans have ever rode a Amtrak intercity train, not a metro commuter train... Compare that very low figure to the fact that eighty percent of Americans have flown at least once.

Take a day trip to San Diego

Thanks so much for your comment! We only hope we can turn out as cool as you 😁👍🏼

@@thornton 😁

I've done that trick when the check-in line was too long.

Hi Paul, thanks for your comment! It sounds like you had a great trip. If we could make Amtrak a yearly thing like that guy, wow, we would be so happy. It's amazing the people you meet when you do things like this, isn't it? Thanks a lot and best wishes from Europe :)

I rode that same train a couple years ago (Texas Eagle, right?) but I was going round trip between LA and Little Rock.

Thank you, send me another message on here if you go, I would love to hear about your trip!

Exactly. And in my house, growing up, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich had to be made with Peter Pan peanut butter and Welch's grape jelly. We would have considered anything else to be child abuse. It was quite a revelation to me when I visited friends' houses and found those specifications weren't universal.

Nailed it 👌

jam has seeds and less preseservation. Jelly is filtered and shelf stable.

Wow your comment was just what I was looking for! I'm 65 and want to do this solo too (if I can't convince a friend to go with me). - I'm actually more nervous about having to sleep next to random other travelers than worried about sleeping in coach seats. Good to hear about a dollar tip for hot water! I had been thinking of bringing one of those dinky electric immersion cup-heaters to make tea at my seat, but Amtrak might not like that idea. I've taken the CA Zephyr Emeryville to Reno, and the scenery was amazing even on that short trip.

What an amazing experience! We may be crazy but if it’s fun, it’s fun 😅

Glad it was helpful! It's my pleasure :)

Sounds amazing mate! Just remember to bring gloves if you do it in winter like us

I Looooove the Southwest Chief, before Covid, I rode the Chief from Chicago to Flagstaff in October , the journey was beautiful.

The desert views are great.

You and me both! Much appreciated, Carl.

Glad you enjoyed it! Have you been planning a trip like this? :)

@@thornton Not at all. In fact, I've never been on a train in the US. I'm glad you're having a blast here though. I've been in quarantine since March, and seeing you having so much fun brings joy into my life~

Hope you have a great time! Jealous! :)