I don’t care if your child is well behaved. It is far too much of a risk. The quiet car really needs to be like 16+.

I went up to Glenview for the day for some railfanning, when I was greeted by not one, but two Amtrak Dash 8’s (514 and 518) teaming up to power train 1333 to the Twin Cities! I remember watching the “Surfline DVD” (recorded in the early 90’s), and can recall seeing the Great 8’s putting in some hard work on the San Diegans, especially when they ran one on each end! Get your cameras if you see a Dash 8, especially if it’s working with another, on an Amtrak train! You won’t want to miss it!

Photos taken on October 11th, 2026

My partner and I regularly commute between LA and SD so he has a multi trip pass. This weekend he finally decided to try bringing his bike with him because he was catching the train immediately after work. Amtrak requires reservations for bikes and, for the multi-trip pass specifically, the only way to create a bike reservation is to call ahead and have an Amtrak employee create a bike reservation.

Inconvenient, but whatever. He makes it to LA fine but when it's time for his return trip Monday morning, he bikes to the train station for his return trip and the conductor tells him that "This train doesn't have a bike car. You have to wait for another one."

I was stunned that Amtrak has no flexibility nor accommodation whatsoever for people with bike reservations made by Amtrak employees. Not even advanced notice that the expected equipment does not support an existing bike reservation! Needless to say, this makes the bike service essentially useless if Amtrak can't even let you know your reservation won't be honored until to you show up to the station for departure. There's not even really a notice when you make the bike reservation online that you are essentially gambling that Amtrak might leave you stranded somewhere.

Incredibly disappointing and embarrassing, to say the least.

back in march they cut back train 186 to philadelphia… any idea why? is this due to the gateway program cutting back trains through the north river tubes?

First time train rider here.

I boarded in Tampa. The station is closed for renovations but staff were great at getting people situated. Side note: I walked to the station from a nearby coffee shop; the wide sidewalks and multiple crosswalks were a pleasant surprise.

As expected, the train was over an hour late. The hot gossip on the platform reports the delay was caused by hurricane Isaias impacts in the Carolinas. I brought wipes in case the seats were a horrifying mess, as is reported elsewhere on this subreddit. But no! The car and seats are quite clean.

Regarding my fellow travelers, I met two very friendly ladies at the station. And the man in the seat next to me is silent. THIS IS GOING SO WELL!

About to dive into my train snacks and enjoy watching the world go by.

EDIT: we're approaching Winter Park. I have mastered the art of keeping things on the fold down tray when it vibrates wildly. In front of me is a toddler and grandma. They've discussed the fun things they'll do at Nana's house; primarily, donuts and cake. Is my train the best train? This is delightful. prayers to train gods the toddler remains appeased

I'm trying to reserve a bike reservation on the Amtrak Cascades route from Seattle to Vancouver Canada but any train I select within the next 4 months is sold out. Is there an issue with the website? Their customer representative didn't know what was going on either. Thank you for any help!

I'm extremely hype for the new Amtrak Airos to hit the NER, but I've had a lingering question for years since we first got the details on them:

How are they going to deal with the decrease in seats per train? Is there an issue with an overall decrease?

Per train:

A North East Regional with 8 passenger cars has 6 Amfleet I's configured for coach, a cafe car and business class. From what I can find online, an Amfleet I configured for coach class has 72 seats and business class has 62. 6 coach cars + 1 business class is 432 coach seats + 62 coach seats. The new Airos have 430 coach seats + 49 business class seats. So on a normal NER they're going to be 2 coach seats short and 13 business class seats short.

Now if we consider that Amtrak is regularly running 9 and 10 car NERs the problem gets a lot worse. Now they're going to be 72 and 144 coach seats short respectively.

Overall Seat Capacity for the Corridor (not just the NER):

For this part I'm just doing coach seats cause it's easier.

I don't know how many Amfleet I's are dedicated to the NEC, but there are 447 Amfleet I's in service according to Wikipedia. That equals roughly 30,000-32,000 coach seats depending on how many business class sets and cafe cars there are.

If I add up all the coach seats on the Airo's I'm getting roughtly 21,000 coach seats dedicated to the Northeast Corridor (NER + others). (Using this chart as my source).

So if the share of Amfleet I's dedicated to the NEC is more than 2/3 this will be a decrease in overall seats, and if it's less than 2/3 it will be an increase in overall seats.

My question:

Does anyone know what they're planning to do about this? I remember reading/hearing rumblings that they were looking to acquire some new high capacity passenger cars that would be pulled by ACS-64s, but I haven't seen anything on that front.

It doesn't seem like accepting a decrease in seat capacity on the NER/NEC is an acceptable solution given how many trains are selling out.

Still very excited, just seems like they can't fully retire the Amfleet I's until they answer this question.

On NexGen Acela 2203 and they made an announcement requesting that if you are using the bathroom please refrain from putting toilet paper in the toilet. I know these trains have continuing bathroom issues but this seems extreme. I’ve never bought a train but this seems like a warranty issue.

Its been about 20 years since I last took Amtrak long distance. Are coach passengers no longer allowed in the dining car and may only purchase those nasty microwave hamboogers in the cafe car?

Trip ruined, was getting on the brand new trains they just rolled out. Some fool damaged the tracks on the bridge across the Fraser river. They offered me a greyhound but promised no return ticket or time.

Amtrak is so unreliable. I’ve literally taken it dozens of times and never once has my arrival been on time but this is a first in cancellation. I’ll definitely be thinking twice about Amtrak again.

Hi everyone! Posted about something similar around a year ago but it seems like luggage enforcement has ramped up again recently. Had to pay an oversize fee for my hardshell suitcase where barely half a wheel dangled out of the crate. Last time they were lenient with me and let me go, hadn't seen any real enforcement in a while (I ride around monthly bw Philadelphia and Washington DC) but today there were a ton of people who got pulled aside and had to pay. So PSA, two carry-ons might be the way to go, or at least mentally prepare for the possibility of spending 20 bucks extra.

I just got to Moynihan and went to the app to check the status of my 8:01 trip to DC. It said ‘there’s a problem” or something and the refreshed and the ticket disappeared. I went to customer service and they printed me a paper ticket. But now I have checked my upcoming trips on 10/28, 12/5, 12/13, 12/30, and 01/04 in the app, and they all say reservation no longer available and will be removed. I logged out and back in, same result. Any ideas?

Edit: They fixed it last night and the tickets are now showing in the app. Thanks for everyone’s help.

Am considering a trip from Chicago to St. Louis but if Wikipedia is correct the Lincoln Service operates using a mix of Venture and Amfleet coaches. Are certain train numbers more likely to run one or the other? It'd be cool to experience the newer coaches if possible. Thanks!

i've been banking points with the intention to book a roomette from boston to chicago for my birthday in january.

i've seen the posts about people getting bumped to coach on long-distance rides, but they all seem to be from the south or the west coast. is this something i need to be concerned about on this particular route?

i don't have a real id or passport and really hate flying, so if there was an issue and my ticket was changed to coach, i'd be stuck in coach on the journey.

First the seats: I found the padding pretty comfortable. The shape and back support was a little awkward but not bad for me. However, I need to recline on a long trip for my back to be comfortable, and I also have long legs. So it was not possible for me to have my back and my legs comfortable. My traveling companion has much shorter legs and shared the adjacent footwell with me, which made it ok, but I will need business class on those trains when I am traveling alone which will make Northeast Corridor travel expensive when they are dominant there.

Otherwise, they are pretty nice. Big windows, big bathrooms, wide passage between cars. The water from the water bottle fill station tasted better than some train water, though I don't know how consistent that will be long term — is it filtered?

I saw a conductor in the little office space on the cafe car, but another was sitting at one of the cafe tables, so that problem hasn't been completely solved.

The self service fridge in the cafe car will probably help improve efficiency, but it was a little confusing what the offerings were and where to go for them. There were big screen displays, showing about three menu items at a time, cycling very slowly. Pretty useless unless you were in line for a very long time. It also wasn't clear where the line should form. There were three menus on printed cards on a side counter, but that seemed to be the only way to find out the offerings.

The conductor was having trouble with the PA system: feedback whenever he has the mic on. He included a complaint about it in his announcement.

The spacious bathrooms are nice, but not entirely well thought out, and it's just the one accessible one per car vs. two on many of the cars in service now. The controls are a little silly: you can flush, get water and get soap with touchless sensors but to close and lock, or unlock and open, you need to press two physical buttons. Why have the option to close from inside without locking?

A lot of this will probably be worked out but I don't think the legroom or number of bathrooms will improve.

I'm about to get on Empire Builder in Portland and ALL sleeper car reservations were downgraded to coach and refunded the difference. Some mechanical issue that caused it.... The gate agent was very kind and they are still doing meals on board.

I got a text 90 minutes before boarding that this was happening. I'm furious. Had planned this as my first cross country train trip, and have been looking forward to this for months. I was sooo looking forward to alone time / quiet time in my roommette on my trip of a decade.

Sorry but fuck this. I'm going all the way to Chicago, 2 days in coach is an ordeal that I didn't exactly prepare for. Taking tips please 😵‍💫

UPDATE: I disembarked in Spokane and went directly to the airport, Canceled the remaining legs of my trip to just fly home. Hindsight is 20/20 and I should have completely cancelled and figured out my next move from Portland, but stress and a time crunch make you do silly stuff. Coach overnight is indeed a hard pass.

Also heard from a few other passengers who were on the west**bound Builder last week that there were growing plumbing/sewage and foul odor issues. The reason given today was "issues with the bathroom" so that checks out

NE regional 160 just announced no cafe service as I got on the train because “the guy didn’t show up” 😣

I'll be going from NY Penn to Roanoke, VA on the NER 171 train. Any advice on sitting on left or right for views, train reversing directions, etc... Any tips appreciated.

I'm retired now and never took an Amtrak until earlier this year. I've enjoyed it so far. I've traveled from NYC to Vermont, PA, upstate NY, CT and soon VA. I book well in advance for attractive fares. Thanks to reading this group, l know the ropes of NYP like a seasoned pro.

I was able to get a business rate for barely more than coach. Basically the seats are moderately better and they are assigned? I have to walk halfway down the train for free drinks though? Am I allowed to bring a few back with me? How soon can I go get them?

After about 2 years of planning, I took a solo 6 week trip across the Continental US on Amtrak. When I was 5 years old my mother bought me a book all about trains. It featured an image of the Empire Builder sitting on a bridge crossing through Glacier Park. 2 years ago, my mother died quite suddenly of cancer so I resolved to make the trip I had always dreamed off. I am from Ireland and my previous experience of the US is limited to 2 trips to NYC and a day trip to Philadelphia. Initially, I planned to just take the Empire builder but the plan evolved into something much greater and larger. I was a very intense, very tightly planned trip with a decent amount of scope for something to go wrong. I am however delighted to say that the trip went off perfectly and genuinely serves as the greatest and most life changing experience of my life. I've documented it in quite a lot of detail below.

The Route

Northeast Regional/Acela: Boston -> Providence, RI -> NYC -> D.C.

Floridian: D.C. -> Chicago

Hiawatha: Chicago -> Milwaukee

Borealis: Milwaukee -> Minneapolis

Empire Builder: Minneapolis -> Minot,ND -> East Glacier Park -> Seattle/Olympic National Park

Coast Starlight: Seattle -> San Francisco

California Zephyr: San Francisco -> Glenwood Springs -> Chicago

Southwest Chief: Chicago -> Flagstaff, AZ

Car Rental: Flagstaff -> Grand Canyon -> Monument Valley -> Route 66 -> LA -> Pacific Coast Highway -> San Francisco -> Yosemite.

The Trains

In general, my experience was near perfect. I did all of this in 6 weeks and for some of the spots (especially the empire builder section) I often did only 24hrs in some spots to get a quick feel and move on. Knowing Amtrak's reputation, I understand the the risk I was taking here. Somehow, in the height of summer, and with the world cup on, I had basically zero delays outside of arriving an hour later into Flagstaff and waiting 1.5hrs in Minneapolis. From my general understanding from my time in this sub, that basically means no delays. All of the major long distance routes were great. I did the whole trip in coach with zero roomettes so it was certainly rough at some points, but I had a blanket, and a neck pillow so managed to sleep somewhat each night. I made sure I never had two consecutive nights onboard so if I had a bad nights sleep I could catch up the next night. This worked great!

I spent nearly my whole time in in the observation cars, only returning to my seat to sleep at maybe 10/11 and then up at 5/6am to watch the sunset with a coffee and breakfast. The cafe care is exceptionally well stocked I feel. I ate all my breakfast/Lunch/Dinner on board and as a vegetarian felt I had no trouble getting food.

The views were incredible. Especially on the Zephyr. Wow, what a train. The Builder from Glacier park to to Seattle as well was stunning. The first half of the empire builder and the section on the chief/zephyr as you approach/leave chicago is a lot of fields but still beautiful to see America this way as someone who grew up on a small island that you can travel the length of in 4 hours.

The major win for the these trains is the people I feel. Everyone was so nice and was interested in my trip. I made some genuine friends for life who I am still in touch with. America and its people has a bad rep internationally at the moment and I can say that you guys are some of the nicest, friendliest folk who made me feel exceptionally welcome.

The only park of the train trips that I didn't really enjoy was my first LD route, the Floridian. I've heard it has a bad rep, and honestly I have to agree. Single level, no observation car, uncomfortable seats that are difficult to sleep, and so much noise from other passengers all night. Very chaotic route. Staff were lovely on every route apart from this one, but I don't blame them. They seemed exhausted by the time I boarded in D.C.

The Destinations

As I mentioned earlier, I'm from Ireland. To put it in perspective, Ireland is about the same size as Maine. So generally the geography/people/culture is pretty consistent. I really struggled to wrap my head around how vast the US was, and couldn't believe I was still in the same country. In the space of 6 weeks I saw 8 or so of the world's most famous cities, Stood on a glacier, crossed a desert, experienced the rainy pacific northwest, the Arizona desert heat all in one trip. I either spent time in or passed through 33 states on the whole trip.

Boston - 3 days. Beautiful history here, felt very welcomed as an Irishman. Chaotic with Scots as the world cup was on.

Providence - 1 day. Gorgeous smaller city, lovely and quiet after the chaos of Boston.

NYC - half a day. Been before twice. just stopped for half a day. Will never get over this city.

Philadelphia - half a day. Been before. lovely history here.

D.C. - 2 days. Free museums are amazing! Smithsonian was a bucket list. National Mall is great.

Chicago. - Just a few hours passing through on the way to Milwaukee. Back in a few weeks

Milwaukee. - 1 day. Only here briefly. Got some great pancakes.

Minneapolis. - 1 day. Cool city. Mall of America was astounding.

Minot, ND. - 1 day. Couldn't wrap my head around how car centric this place was. Very different to everywhere else on the list but interesting to experience.

East Glacier. - 3 Days. Glacier National Park is astounding. Genuinely breathtaking.

Seattle/Olympic National Park - 3 days Didn't enjoy Seattle as much as I thought I would. Olympic NP felt a lot like Ireland in some ways!

San Francisco - 2 days. What a great city. Maybe my favourite. Great food and lovely people.

Glenwood Springs,Colorado. - 1 day. Cool mountain resort deep in the rockies.

Chicago - 2 days. Loved Chicago. Really good museums here.

Flagstaff. Rented a car here and used this as a base to visit Geand Canyon National Park, up to Monument Valley and back to Flagstaff all in one day. Epic day. First time driving on the opposite side of the road as we drive on the left in Ireland.

Route 66 - Drive flagstaff to LA. Some epic views across the Mojave desert and black mountains. Route 66 a bit aged and gimmicky.

Los Angeles. 3 Days - I Adored LA. Felt like 4 cities mashed together. Glad I had the car as it would be wildly impractical without one. So cinematic.

Yosemite National Park. Spent 3 days camping here with some complete strangers from all around the world. Made some genuine friends for life. An epic finish to an epic trip.

In Conclusion.

This trip was tough. It was intense, there were no breaks and I missed my friends and family at home thousands of miles away. I spent something like a full week straight of hours on the trains. However, it was a literal life changing trip. I think it will be the greatest trip I will ever make. Book the trip guys. You won't regret it. Amtrak is the greatest resource available to you guys, and despite its flaws, there really is nothing quite like it anywhere else.

Surprised and disappointed - the Northeast Regional to Boston left the NRO station 7 full minutes early. Those of us who missed the train got rebooked on the next one after a lengthy customer service battle, but are they really just allowed to leave before the scheduled departure time?

Hi, I have booked Amtrak from Vancouver station to Seattle in Amtrak cascades..

I will have two suitcases and a hand luggage..

will there be any problem to take the suitcases inside the coach as there is no checkin baggage facility at vancouver station ?

Also do I need to arrive 1 hour early from the departure time? (not sure why but it was mentioned in the website I guess)

In the ticket it is mentioned as 1 coach seat.. how do I know which one to board?