Long distance and Commuter Trains in America

Let’s talk about public transportation in America. For trains, there are two types of trains used for transportation. There are longer distance trains run by the American Passenger Rail Company, a quasi-government agency known informally as Amtrak. Amtrak runs trains, for instance, between Boston and Washington DC (its most heavily traveled run. On the Boston to DC run, there are three classes of rail: The regular train, which runs slower and makes all stops, the Metroliner, which is more luxurious, runs faster than the regular train and skips some stops, and the so-called “high speed rail”--the Acela--pronounced “a sella” which gets you from New York to DC in about three and a half hours, is the most luxurious, and makes only a few stops.

 On most trains in the Northeast, there are two classes of seat: business class and coach class. On the Acela there are two classes of seat: “business class” which is somewhat luxurious and “first class” which is the most expensive (New York to DC is $450 one way) and the most luxurious with valet service, bottle service if you drink, meals, and so on. Its quite an experience, Also on most Amtrak trains in the Northeast is a “Cafe Car” where you can purchase hot food, cold beer, wine, mixed drinks, soda, juices and other sundries. Prices vary on Amtrak trains, but you can either go to a ticket office, located at any Amtrak station during station hours, purchase tickets from a “Quick TIk” machine at major stations, or go online at www.amtrak.com.

 Prices vary depending on what specials are being run at what times for what buyers. A lot of it depends on how full a given train is. Long distance Amtrak trains are similar to commuter trains in the Northeast with an important difference: long distance trains, multi day travel trains, typically have sleeping compartments. These are private compartments for one or two people with seats that fold down into beds for sleeping. The number of these on a given train tends to be limited, but speaking from personal experience--I’ve only done it once--its the most luxurious way to sleep you can imagine. The humming off the train engine and the motion of the train is *extremely* relaxing

. Now that I think of it, Long distance Amtrak trains also have checked baggage service, like an airline. One trick for getting an inexpensive sleeping compartment is to wait until you are on the train, and if the sleeping compartments are not full on that train, you can ask the conducter to sell you one. You used to have to pay cash but I’m pretty sure you can pay by card now. Be aware that this may annoy some more cantankerous conductors who might feel that you should have booked the bunk with the original ticket rather than being chintzy or cheap (their view, not mine) and trying to get one inexpensively. On the other hand, some conductors are happy to help. Depends on who you draw. That’s Amtrak.

 Commuter trains are typically run by the state you are in, and not all states have them. The systems are pretty good in the Northeast, by contrast in the South, or anywhere south of DC or west of Pennsylvania they are almost nonexistent. Commuter trains are primarily for getting people who live in the suburbs of a large city and work in the large city into and out of the large city. They are typically crowded, loud, dirty, they don’t run on time, they break down constantly for long periods of time, the conductors are sometimes surly and rude and sometimes obnoxious (with good reason--they deal with awful people all day long). They are filled with some of the strangest and sometimes most dangerous people you could imagine.

FWIW, the conductors on a New Jersey Transit train typically have no more idea what’s going on at any trouble spot than you do. New Jersey Transit regards conductors as the low people on the totem pole and they tell them almost nothing about nothing. Try to remember that the next time you are tempted to yell at or give a conductor a hard time. THAT said, some of my best friends are conductors are New Jersey Transit conductors, and you can get into some great conversations with some awesome people if you know how to approach people and who you can approach. You have to take the point of view that everybody on the train really just wants what you want: A quiet, uninterrupted ride without a lot of trouble. If you approach any potential conversation from that perspective and remember to keep convos short, interesting, and you remember to be kind, the trains can be good.

 Useful things to have on a train of any kind are: a smartphone with working service and preferably a WiFI hotspot, a set of good noise canceling headphones, a snack or three--I usually pack a sandwich or two and a drink, a sweatshirt orr zipup, and a patient disposition/ The longest I ever had to wait on a train was two and a half hours where someone had a medical emergency and was so unstable that he coouldn’t be moved, so they evacuated the car and woked on him there. Then later on that same trip someone’s GPS told them to make a left after a crossing and it was dark without streetlights ad they turned onto the railroad tracks and got stuck. That was another hour and a half wait. During both of these delays I fell asleep. Patience is a virtue and learning to sleep when there’s nothing else to do, and to wake up to full wakefulness immediately is also a useful skill for trains.

 All right? All right!

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