As bad as it is, when it does work out, it’s way, way better than flying.
Took a trip to Minneapolis on Amtrak from Columbus, WI (closest station to my house in Madison). Everything is so much more low key than air travel. Seats are fairly comfy, and have legroom that might even beat first class air travel. Food is . . . no worse than airlines.
Most of all, I didn’t feel tired at the end of the trip. Air travel always makes me want to spend the rest of the day in bed.
We’d probably go out of Wisconsin Dells next time. It takes the train an hour to go between the Dells and Columbus, and the extra drive time is less than that. But we also found this wonderful pizzeria not far from the station in Columbus, so idk.
If you have the time, Amtrak is a pleasant way to go. You are right about the seats. They are very comfortable and it is nice to walk around on the train and stretch your legs.
My most recent trip on Amtrak was from Effingham IL to Chicago. They only bad part about the trip was the last couple of miles in Chicago. The train stops just a mile or two away from Union Station and we had to wait quite a bit until it was our turn to move into the station.
Edit: I have been corrected by another commenter below. Amtrak owns rails in the NE corridor. Which explains why it operates so much better there.
Have you never had sardine cargo class seats on a train? Or standing? I’ve experienced both what you described, and also what I described. Most Americans have never experienced either. One thing about a car though, I can blast my tunes with my subs kicking and not piss off the strangers riding next to me. I’ve had a bunch of nice train trips, but I have had hundreds if not thousands of amazing road trips in a car or on a motorcycle.
It’s way more pleasant than a drive. We also have an EV, and while we can make that range, charging infrastructure isn’t good in northwest Wisconsin, and the Twin Cities are falling behind there, too. Southeast Wisconsin and Chicagoland are much better.
Trains are generally a better environmental option than EVs, anyway, and they can be a more practical option if we fucking try.
Even as it is, I prefer taking the train on this route if possible.
I probably enjoy driving way more than you do, and that’s an understandable difference. But I do spend 90% of my free time where there are no charging stations, which is why I don’t have an EV yet. I also never have to drive in traffic because of where I spend my free time and the fact that I live on the outskirts of town. So driving is pretty pleasant. Honestly, sometimes it’s amazing. I’ve had a couple of great train experiences, but nothing that ever touched a great road trip in a car or on a motorcycle. I think another factor for me is time. I’ve never had more than a week off at once in my life, and I’ve been working for 40 years. When I do have a vacation, I want to get there quickly, enjoy the drive, enjoy the time there, and enjoy the drive back quickly with the music bumping the whole way. I sometimes fly but if it’s under a 24 hr drive away I just drive it straight thru only stopping for fuel. It’s amazing watching the landscape change so much in just one day.
As bad as it is, when it does work out, it’s way, way better than flying.
Took a trip to Minneapolis on Amtrak from Columbus, WI (closest station to my house in Madison). Everything is so much more low key than air travel. Seats are fairly comfy, and have legroom that might even beat first class air travel. Food is . . . no worse than airlines.
Most of all, I didn’t feel tired at the end of the trip. Air travel always makes me want to spend the rest of the day in bed.
We’d probably go out of Wisconsin Dells next time. It takes the train an hour to go between the Dells and Columbus, and the extra drive time is less than that. But we also found this wonderful pizzeria not far from the station in Columbus, so idk.
I just don’t have the leave to spend 6 of my leave days simply riding a train or waiting at stations.
Another failure of US rail. Slow as hell.
It might mayyyybe make sense if you just happen to find an overnight route so you can sleep instead of having to drive. But that’s incredibly rare.
If you have the time, Amtrak is a pleasant way to go. You are right about the seats. They are very comfortable and it is nice to walk around on the train and stretch your legs.
My most recent trip on Amtrak was from Effingham IL to Chicago. They only bad part about the trip was the last couple of miles in Chicago. The train stops just a mile or two away from Union Station and we had to wait quite a bit until it was our turn to move into the station.
Edit: I have been corrected by another commenter below. Amtrak owns rails in the NE corridor. Which explains why it operates so much better there.
That’s only like a 4 hr drive though. I drive farther than that for quick overnight trips all the time.
On a train, your holiday starts the moment you board it.
You can watch movies, play board games, even do cartwheels if you so wished. With a view that is constantly changing.
Have you never had sardine cargo class seats on a train? Or standing? I’ve experienced both what you described, and also what I described. Most Americans have never experienced either. One thing about a car though, I can blast my tunes with my subs kicking and not piss off the strangers riding next to me. I’ve had a bunch of nice train trips, but I have had hundreds if not thousands of amazing road trips in a car or on a motorcycle.
It’s way more pleasant than a drive. We also have an EV, and while we can make that range, charging infrastructure isn’t good in northwest Wisconsin, and the Twin Cities are falling behind there, too. Southeast Wisconsin and Chicagoland are much better.
Trains are generally a better environmental option than EVs, anyway, and they can be a more practical option if we fucking try.
Even as it is, I prefer taking the train on this route if possible.
I probably enjoy driving way more than you do, and that’s an understandable difference. But I do spend 90% of my free time where there are no charging stations, which is why I don’t have an EV yet. I also never have to drive in traffic because of where I spend my free time and the fact that I live on the outskirts of town. So driving is pretty pleasant. Honestly, sometimes it’s amazing. I’ve had a couple of great train experiences, but nothing that ever touched a great road trip in a car or on a motorcycle. I think another factor for me is time. I’ve never had more than a week off at once in my life, and I’ve been working for 40 years. When I do have a vacation, I want to get there quickly, enjoy the drive, enjoy the time there, and enjoy the drive back quickly with the music bumping the whole way. I sometimes fly but if it’s under a 24 hr drive away I just drive it straight thru only stopping for fuel. It’s amazing watching the landscape change so much in just one day.