Thanks so much for watching, let us know if you have any Amtrak questions! Don’t forget to subscribe for our next trip that starts on Thursday: Iceland/Europe!
Ive taken the Amtrak to Chicago from Michigan several times because its cheaper then driving and paying for parking but there is ALWAYS a delay and they NEVER communicate the delay. So I'd say you had a pretty normal experience.
It's funny because we checked the arrival times for the past month on this specific line, and it had arrived on time over 90% of the time. My sister was picking us up and of course the time they have a major delay is when we're on it hahah
Just be informed that Amtrak has quiet hours between 10pm to 7am, so no announcements are made over the intercom during those hours. These quiet hours apply to pretty much any long distance Amtrak train.
Ashley & Christian great video and I'm glad you had a mostly great trip. Most likely you were stopped for something to do with a freight train in front of you. Because the freight railroads own the tracks that Amtrak runs on they are often subject to delay for a number of reasons. More than likely the reason no announcement was made is that they have quiet hours at night where they don't use the PA system so as not to wake anyone up. As well the car attendants and the Cafe car staff are off duty from 12am to 6am. The only staff on duty at night are the conductors and they often hangout in the crew car at night as well may have been busy during the delay on the phone or the radio or in some cases even off the train.
I love Amtrak mainly because of the leg room too not to mention low price. Delays often come as part of the experience so I'm never in a hurry to get any where.
10p-7a or so is quiet hours. They're don't make announcements unless it's an emergency or something major...like if the train is cancelled. People riding in a sleeping compartment (and coaches) are probably sleeping and very much appreciated not being awoken to be told of a delay that they can't do anything about. I can't imagine how annoying it would be to be repetitively awoken just to be told the train is delayed. The attendants are off duty overnight. The conductor is always on duty.
I have been on that train on all my Amtrak Trips. I have been to Chicago IL Kansas City Trinidad CO and Flagstaff AZ I hope y’all had a blast on Amtrak
Unfortunately, freight trains take priority over Amtrak with the use of the rails, so delays often occur when they have to wait. Amtrak does not like to make this information known (for obvious reasons). It is rare to get a route that isn't often late in arrival, it just all depends on the freight movements in the area. Amtrak is not ideal if you have to be somewhere at a very specific time, but great for leisure trips!
@Aubrye Ellzye that makes complete sense! I just wish they communicated it better, or gave you resources to find delays. We travel on European trains a lot and they’re very open about what’s going on, so this threw us off guard. We had a good experience overall with the train, they’re very well taken care of!
@@AshleyandChristian Yes, I guess maybe they feel full disclosure might cause them to lose revenue. I also loved traveling with them! It's a great alternative to flying, even with that little hiccup in their system. Great vlog, thank you for sharing.
Hey, I enjoyed the Amtrak video. Two things for you. It is not THE Amtrak. It is just Amtrak. You can say The Amtrak Train. Also, Union station is not 50 years old. It is 96 years old. :)
There are often frustrations with train travel, but we know there are none with the airlines (yes....bit of sarcasim). If you get a chance I have enjoyed the Empire Builder. Taking it again in 26 days. The views are often stunning especially day 2 out of Chicago. Someday looking to try the Zephyr.
@Bill Hanson We’ll definitely have to check it out! I’m not sure if we mentioned it but train travel is actually our favorite way to travel. Still less hang up than flying usually 🤣
@@AshleyandChristian Yep, it's not perfect but compared to flying, driving or bus. For me its not even close. For me the trip is the vacation and where I stay is just a relaxing layover. I've heard the Zephyr is very beautiful, some say more. Just have never had the money for that route when I am able to travel. As such this is my 3rd trip to Seattle and have so enjoyed the last 2. I highly recommend giving the Empire Builder a try.
Gah…so frustrating. Just glad you guys made it home! Honestly the, the observation deck is just beautiful! You guys are so right about taking it through some scenic states!
I'm taking the Southwest Chief from DC to LA on Tuesday first time on Amtrak I hear it's nice but they are always delayed, it's usually because of the freight train
Whoa, that yogurt dish! We spent a couple days in Chicago recently and LOVED it - but yeah, we feel ya on the cell service. Really cool that you did a train trip in the U.S., but sorry for the delays you had to endure. Thanks for sharing!
We just did a day in NY as well on an accidental layover and we felt the same about there too! I wonder though if we got lucky since tourism is still down due to covid.
@@AshleyandChristian It gets hotter in America and Canada during the summer months so there are heat restrictions (slower speeds) of the steel rails (tracks). They apply for both freight and passenger trains. When weather goes above 90 degrees Fahrenheit, or 32 degrees Celsius, heat restrictions kick in. While this doesn't happen much in the UK or Germany, this can happen in Southern European nations. The Italians paint their tracks white to avoid heat restrictions, but it gets hotter in America than it does in Italy....
Coach seat accommodations well presented - one thing, if riding solo, BOTH seats are yours! (quite comfortable that way). Railed SWC many times (esp NM/AZ to KC) in coach and always a great ride!
the host railroads can turn a nice amtrak trip from sugar to 💩 with delays , I ride the crescent quite often I must say the crew's on there are usually pretty good about letting the passengers know what's going on
How long should you arrive to stations for tsa, It will be my first time on train taking an Amtrak from Longview TX to Chi union station. Idk how baggage claims and tsa/security works or what should I expect from departing to arriving in that regard.
Hello! Hopefully if you've traveled already, everything went smoothly. But if not, I'd recommend about an hour before! It's pretty quick compared to flying.
I wish the US government would invest more in efficient national passenger rail. If they really want to go green and encourage less car use, it would be great. Especially if they had sprinters between more major and minor city destinations. In Europe in Japan they're just perfect. Meanwhile Amtrak is an industrial era holdover. I rode the California Zephyr last summer 2021. Aside from not being on time, it way stress free. At least I made it to Reno while the sun was still up. Instead of around 8am it was almost noon.
Gah!! So frustrating. I hope the rest of your trip is smooth. I’m hoping to take Amtrak cross country but will definitely make sure not to build in any tight turnarounds!
@@AshleyandChristian With Amtrak especially during the hot summer months with heat restrictions of the tracks, plan to get to your destination and any railroad connections a day early. I do the same with any mode of transit, then you won't sweat any delays. I rather spend a day in Chicago than miss a train and a wedding or birthday.
@@AshleyandChristian That has changed since you said they made announcements about the masks all night long. I'm an Amtrak Guest Rewards Select member & have been on all long distance trains (except Texas Eagle) over the last 15 years with all being in sleeper car service. I've been on approximately 25 round trips total & they don't make public announcements after 10 PM in coach or sleeper cars. When it's your stop on an over night portion, they come to your room door or coach seat to let you know that your stop will be in a few minutes. Not doubting you, but am surprised about the frequent Covid announcements.
yeah it was about the mask policy going off frequently. not sure if it was supposed to or not, but the attendants were still coming around for stops to wake people up! Do you know why they wouldn’t update with changes in arrival times?
@@AshleyandChristian Not really. I just use my cell phone & call for updates. It's kind of frustrating because the airlines are mandated by the government to keep passengers informed of delays every 15 minutes at the boarding gate..........even if the update is to let passengers know there is no new info to tell. However, government owned Amtrak doesn't have to abide by that law. A bit of a double standard.
We’re pretty seasoned Europe train travelers, and they always are very on top of updating and making sure everyone knows what’s going on, I think that’s why we were so surprised when there was no update or anything. Although from the comments we’ve gotten, Amtrak customers are pretty used to this
You need to just relax. Amtrak is often delayed for various reasons such as rail congestion from freight trains or signal issues. Delays are pretty normal, as any experienced Amtrak rider will tell you. The conductor can answer any questions. They are not hiding from you...they are busy!
Well, the issue wasn’t the delay, we have no problem with that! It’s that we were stopped on the tracks for 3 hours with no one around or even one announcement. We had seen attendants every 10 minutes or so until we stopped.
@@AshleyandChristian All it takes is another train, that freight train in front of your train, breaking down one way or another. A vehicle accident, hot bearings on one axle out of hundreds of axles, locomotive mechanical issues, signals failing, etc. I have had airlines cancel flights, delays are a risk in transportation...
That really reminded us of our trip and all the things that went wrong. Our first train we took from New York to Chicago stopped in the middle of nowhere for 7 hours in the middle of the night when it was -20 C outside, they left all the doors wide open with snow and wind blasting in and turned the heating off. It was one of the hardest nights of our lives. The second one (which was a day later) wasn't much better. We took California Zephyr from Chicago to San Francisco, that was delayed by 5 hours and was just as cold inside, which meant it was impossible for us to sleep for the 57 hours that we were on it. The only redeeming thing was the panorama cart and the views from it. We don't often complain about travel experiences, but we definitely complain about Amtrak...
These Superliner coaches are nearly 50 years in age. Frankly, Amtrak has done a great job keeping these coaches working as well as they do considering their age. I will agree, the Superliner coaches are showing their age and should be replaced with brand new coaches.
It's not that good. The whole experience is not worth the time or money. From October 6, 2020 to July 11, 2021 I traveled on 4 of the 5 cross country amtrak routes in a roomette. Air conditioning is the biggest problem next to on board sewer system. If you compare the price of flying, amtrak is not worth the money. About 50% of the amtrak employees are rude and unhelpful. Inter city routes like, New york to Washington DC are great and that's what amtrak should stick with. These cross country trains need to go.
Maybe, but there would be no Amtrak on the northeast corridor without Amtrak serving the nation coast to coast. There is not enough political support for a northeast corridor only Amtrak. As far as the price is concerned you are comparing apples with oranges. Every night on the train is one less night in a hotel.
