Amtrak Ridership Hits Record High Amid GOP Attack.

[happyslug]

37. My Sister takes the Empire Builder From Minnisota to Chicago, then the Capital Limited to Pittsburgh

She does this during Christmas, Thanksgiving and the 4th of July. I joke she gets only ONE week of Vacation each year, but she is given paid time off when her boss closes his business for the weeks (The Week of Thanksgiving, 4th of July and the two weeks of Christmas and New Years). In effect she gets 5 weeks off per year.

She catches the Empire builder and then wait the six hours or so before the Capital Limited is ready to leave for DC. When she returns Amtrak sets up the trains so it is about a four hour wait between the time Amtrak hits Chicago from DC and the Empire Builder leaves for the West.

She has had some problems over the years. During the Flooding of the Upper Mississippi a few years ago, they would stop the train at Minneapolis and Amtrak set up buses to take people to Chicago from Minneapolis and from the various stops in between. When the Empire Builder was snowed in one year, she had to catch a bus. Another time the train only ran to Minneapolis. One time her train was late (Amtrak is late more due to problems with the Freight railroad they on operating on then due to any problems with Amtrak) and Amtrak put her up in Chicago and put her on the next train (Amtrak will try to hold a train IF the incoming train will get in within a hour or so of the outgoing train leaving, but any later it just causes problems with other connections). During one return trip out of Pittsburgh, the line was so tied up her connection was cancelled (due to snow) and she had to wait three days to get another train (She was doing this during the Christmas period, and the trains were booked solid).

Yes, she has had some problems, but as a whole she has liked it. Her discussion with the train crew indicates that occurs mostly on the Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter Holidays. Spring break is a lesser problem. Weekends (Including Fridays and Mondays) tend to be busier then Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. During the Major Holidays, and some weekends, Amtrak is booked solid for Amtrak has no real excess capacity. Amtrak can increase ridership even more, but needs more equipment (more cars and engines) to do so. The increase over the last few years is people going on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for they can not get on the train Friday, Saturday, Sunday or Monday.

As to Seattle Washington to Maine, you have to take the Empire Builder to Chicago, a 45 hour, 15 minute trip. On that Amtrak and I agree, but when I went to the Amtrak Web Site it says to wait only 2 hours and 50 minutes and take the Cardinal to DC, a 23 hour, 21 minute trip, then wait four hours to take the Northeast Regional for 10 hours till it reaches Boston, then you have one hour and 10 minutes to go from The back Bay Station in Boston to the North Station in Boston (an 8 minute Trip) to catch Downeaster which goes to Portland Maine.

http://tickets.amtrak.com/itd/amtrak

The Cardinal goes Chicago, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Charleston WV then DC. The above trip, Seattle to Portland ran from $279 to $425 depending on when you were leaving. The Closer to a Holiday the higher the fare. Please note if you order far enough in advance, you will get the lowest fare, as the trains reaches its full capacity Amtrak raises the rates. $279 was the week before Halloween, $425 was the day before Thanksgiving.

Now, when I went to the Amtrak site and typed in Seattle and DC, it gave me four options,

Option #1, 11 Coast Starlight....Seattle to Sacramento $357

Departs: 9:45 AM...Tue Jan 22 2013...Seattle, WA (SEA)
Station News Arrives: 6:15 AM...Wed Jan 23 2013...Sacramento, CA (SAC)...
Duration: 20 hr, 30 min

Then to take train # 6 California Zephyr, Sacramento to Chicago

Departs: 11:09 AM...Wed Jan 23 2013...Sacramento, CA (SAC)
Arrives: 2:50 PM...Fri Jan 25 2013....Chicago, IL - Union Station (CHI)
Station News
Duration: 49 hr, 41 min

Then to take Train # 30 Capitol Limited from Chicago to DC

Departs: 6:10 PM...Fri Jan 25 2013...Chicago, IL - Union Station (CHI)
Station News Arrives: 12:40 PM...Sat Jan 26 2013...Washington, DC - Union Station (WAS)

Option #2, Seattle to LA to New Orleans to DC $402

Train # 11 Coast Starlight

Departs: 9:45 AM...Tue Jan 22 2013...Seattle, WA (SEA)...Station News
Arrives: 9:00 PM...Wed Jan 23 2013...Los Angeles, CA - Union Station (LAX)
Duration: 35 hr, 15 min


Train # 2 Sunset Limited

Departs: 10:00 PM...Wed Jan 23 2013...Los Angeles, CA - Union Station (LAX)
Arrives: 9:40 PM....Fri Jan 25 2013....New Orleans, LA (NOL)
Duration: 45 hr, 40 min

Train # 20 Crescent

Departs: 7:00 AM...Sat Jan 26 2013....New Orleans, LA (NOL)...
Arrives: 9:53 AM....Sun Jan 27 2013....Washington, DC - Union Station (WAS)
Station News
Duration: 25 hr, 53 min

Option #3 Seattle Chicago DC $212
Train # 8 Empire Builder

Departs: 4:40 PM...Tue Jan 22 2013...Seattle, WA (SEA)...Station News
Arrives: 3:55 PM....Thu Jan 24 2013....Chicago, IL - Union Station (CHI)
Duration: 45 hr, 15 min

Train # 30 Capitol Limited

Departs: 6:10 PM...Thu Jan 24 2013....Chicago, IL - Union Station (CHI)
Arrives: 12:40 PM....Fri Jan 25 2013...Washington, DC - Union Station (WAS)
Duration: 17 hr, 30 min

Option #4, Seattle Chicago, DC via Cincinnati $212

8 Empire Builder

Departs: 4:40 PM...Tue Jan 22 2013....Seattle, WA (SEA)
Arrives: 3:55 PM...Thu Jan 24 2013...Chicago, IL - Union Station (CHI)

Duration: 45 hr, 15 min

Train # 50 Cardinal

Departs: 5:45 PM...Thu Jan 24 2013....Chicago, IL - Union Station (CHI)
Arrives: 6:06 PM.....Fri Jan 25 2013.....Washington, DC - Union Station (WAS)
Duration: 23 hr, 21 min

Once at DC you can decide to take any of the Northeast Trains. You have the choice of 18, for 3:15 AM to 10:00 PM, From $167 to $279. The Acela high speed train tend to be higher, but the 1:00 pm was $167, the same as the northeast regional train.

Northeastern Schedule:
http://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/118/785/Boston-Springfield-DC-Schedule-070212,0.pdf


From Boston you have five trains to Portland leaving the North Station at the following times :05 am 11:05 am 5:00 pm 5:40 pm 11:20 pm

Northeastern Schedule:
http://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/414/770/W03,1.pdf

I can come up with a fifth route, From Chicago you take the Capital Limited to Pittsburgh and the depart, Then take the Pennsylvanian to Philadelphia and catch the Northeast Corridor trains to Boston. The problem, is while it is faster to go from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia then to DC, once you on the train, if you include the layover in Pittsburgh it is much longer.

I recommend the Capital Limited to DC, it is the cheapest, shortest and quickest route. On the other hand, I can make the argument for the Empire Builder

I also would look into a Sixth Route, Chicago to Boston via Albany New York

448 Lake Shore Limited, The Empire builder arrives in Chicago at 3:55 pm, the Lake Shore Limited leaves at 9:30 pm.
22 hr, 33 min

You could make a round trip of it, Seattle to Chicago, to Boston via Albany, the return from Boston to DC, then to New Orleans, to LA back to Seattle. A long trip but doable.

Go to the Amtrak web site and play around with the routes, it gives you prices on the routes.
http://tickets.amtrak.com/itd/amtrak