AmTrak

[airdvr 197]

Amtrak Funding Slashed In Half Under Trump Spending Plan

http://fortune.com/2018/02/12/amtrak-funding-cut-trump-spending-plan/

I Took Amtrak Instead of Flying and It Made Me Want to Die a Little Bit

https://jalopnik.com/i-took-amtrak-instead-of-flying-and-it-made-me-want-to-1833533707?utm_medium=socialflow&utm_source=jalopnik_facebook&utm_campaign=socialflow_jalopnik_facebook&fbclid=IwAR07LQ0kR5c-Vb2XZ7UH0IyXu1GAW-qiPhfmks6yBNuLyARCRRBaJl4_4zk

Why do we continue to subsidize this loser?

[normiss 620]

Why do people still travel and commute?

[PhreeZone 14]

I've done a long haul Amtrak ride from Chicago to Denver a long time ago and it was a fun experience but I'd rather spend the extra money and fly today just to get there in a few hours rather than taking a full day. That being said at the time my ticket from Chicago to Denver was about $35 and an airline ticket was 250+ at that time. Luckily airfare has not faced the same inflation rates for a lot of reasons so the difference today is a lot closer than it was years ago. If airfare was $1000 for the same flight then Amtrak would look a lot more appealing again. Short haul/high speed is a great option and I am actually ok with refocusing the dollars away from the long distance routes as long as airfares remain where they are.

Some of the best views in America from a scenic point of view are from a panoroma scenic car on a train and they are cheaper than driving on a solo basis but add in a few family members and for the length of time its cheaper to drive anymore.

 

I will say the one thing that Amtrak has going for it is group travel. Looking at youth groups like Scouts, etc it is hard to beat for trying to get 60+ youth and another dozen adults on the same itinerary for the same cost. Trying to do that via an airline is a serious stress inducer since unless you book 12+ months out (or charter for serious $$$) you might not find enough seats on the same plane to send all the group and then its subject to bumps, cancels and lots of other factors. On my trip we were traveling for 20 days so we needed a few backpacks worth of stuff each- the luggage fees now days would have been $150+ per person plus tickets. 

I recently had a funny experience for air travel pricing - at work we were all (1800+ people) told to book travel to a location for an  event in a large city but it only had about 80-100 flights a day in to it. Email comes out at 11:00 to book the trips - we all start logging into the system to book the flights and see prices starting at $400 or so right then, by the time most of us completed the booking process over the next 30 minutes or so the tickets were up to $1300-1500 since the seats were filling up and there were only a few seats let on each flight. On Demand ticket pricing via the airlines saw a surge in the number of people booking tickets to the city so it jumped the prices as seat inventory dropped. It ended up costing us about 1.25M more in airfare than originally planned due to  this since they figured prices at about 600 per person and not the inflated prices we ended up getting.  - Amtrak would have been fixed prices but it would have been painful to get everyone there.

[billvon 2,384]

1 hour ago, airdvr said:

Amtrak Funding Slashed In Half Under Trump Spending Plan

http://fortune.com/2018/02/12/amtrak-funding-cut-trump-spending-plan/

I Took Amtrak Instead of Flying and It Made Me Want to Die a Little Bit

https://jalopnik.com/i-took-amtrak-instead-of-flying-and-it-made-me-want-to-1833533707?utm_medium=socialflow&utm_source=jalopnik_facebook&utm_campaign=socialflow_jalopnik_facebook&fbclid=IwAR07LQ0kR5c-Vb2XZ7UH0IyXu1GAW-qiPhfmks6yBNuLyARCRRBaJl4_4zk

Why do we continue to subsidize this loser?

Same reason we subsidize roads, I guess.  They are an even bigger loser - ~$600 loss per household in the US whether they drive or not, and an additional $400-800 if they do drive.

https://frontiergroup.org/reports/fg/who-pays-roads

[TriGirl 268]

I would like to see its infrastructure included in the "upgrade" plan to make it a better form of transportation.  I'm lucky enough to live on the north end of the auto train route, and have to travel to just past the south end of that run 3x per year.  It is SOOO easy to load what I need in the car and have it driven into the train car, then go relax in my spacious seat with tons of storage space and really good recline (with a foot rest AND a leg platform).  I eat a good dinner in a dining car (no extra cost); can bring on whatever snacks/beverages I want for myself or can purchase in the club car; get a reasonably good night's sleep (depending on the location of the kid car); have access to tea/cocoa/coffee for free; plenty of large restrooms per car; enjoy a continental breakfast (again in the dining car, no extra cost).  Upon arrival, I can take my time getting my things and departing the train.  Then I simply wait for my vehicle to offload, and I'm on my way to my work location, usually by 10 am.

No extra bag fees, no weight limits, no complicated TSA line.  I have my own car (saves the government money on a rental), yet I have put no extra wear/tear on the vehicle. 

It's a great option for families to get to the theme parks in Orlando -- get a sleeper car for the whole family, with the easily packed vehicle coming along with you.  Snowbirds also use it for their semi-annual migration patterns.  Unfortunately, this is the only regular business that keeps this particular line in operation (hence this is the ONLY auto train Amtrak has). 

With better infrastructure, faster trains on cross-country routes, and better access to local transportation at major destinations, rail could be a viable option for more travelers.  My parents refuse to fly anymore.  Trains are a great way for them to travel (retirees -- they have more time available!)