Sometimes I ride Amtrak Lakeshore Limited coach between Chicago and NYC: usually around the holidays when airlines are gouging.
It’s… okay. There’s a potentially 25% faster route through Pittsburgh but since there’s a 5 hour layover in Pitt, it’s just as long and the layover is at 2am… so i ride Lakeshore.
Another example: boarding the train. Amtrak boards like an airline. No other passenger rail i know of does this. imagine in the MTA or CTA did this? there’s no reason for it other than manufacturing irritation and delay
the point is, Amtrak is designed to be inferior to flying. Where the train could be an alternative, policies are put in place to shittify it.
ok I’m done. sorry for ranting, i have feelings about this
I tried this once in the US with Amtrak, and it was wonderful. Super chill, you can walk around, lay in a bed, whatever you want. Beats the hell out of flying. However… it was not cheaper than flying. But was it worth it? I think so.