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Beginning March 1, Amtrak’s popular “saver” tickets will be nonchangeable and nonrefundable, ending a popular policy that gave passengers the flexibility to rebook if their travel plans changed
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- Title
- Amtrak is making 'saver' tickets nonrefundable, embracing airlines-like fare policy
- Word count
- 984 words
I'd love to use Amtrak more, but it almost never makes sense to do so. Once a year I take a trip that by rail takes about a day and a half, and I really enjoy getting an Amtrak sleeper roomette for it, but it's wildly more expensive than flying if you get the roomette and you're still stuck in a normal coach seat for a good six hours on the more local train that doesn't pull sleeper cars. The price is competitive if you forego the sleeper, but then you're stuck in a coach seat for like 20 hours.
In a couple of months I'm going to a concert across my state and thought maybe it would be fun to take the train since there's a direct route, but turns out it would be slower, less convenient, and more expensive even with the cheapest ticket than just driving.
I'm sure there must be some locations where Amtrak is super convenient and sensible, but at least some of their network right now only makes sense if you really want to ride a train for the sake of it, are afraid of flying, or don't have a car. It feels like an option of last resort, which is unfortunate since rail has so much potential.
From what I have heard, the only reason to take long-distance Amtrak trains is because you want to enjoy the experience. And since it's slow paced, it's not going to be for everyone. Consider it to be a landscape-watching cruise with only basic amenities.
Coincidentally, I was recently propositioned with making vacation plans with Rocky Mountaineer where they do a slightly different and perhaps more upscale take on the idea - they only have 'coach' seats, but they also only move during the day so you can see the sights, opting to allow passengers to stay at hotels where they stop.
Highways killed the reality of long-distance passenger trains in the US. As things are now, passenger trains have lower priority than cargo trains. Nobody is going to pay for a transcontinental high-speed railway that is dedicated to passenger traffic.
Former Rocky Mountaineer and Amtrak cross-country traveller here, can't recommend the Mountaineer enough really. Amtrak can be fun, and it is quite a lot cheaper than the Canada option, but the Mountaineer brings you through some areas so scenic and remote that their beauty can't really be matched anywhere on the American passenger rail system. If you have any care for luxury or scenery, the Mountaineer will treat you right. I took the short trip from Banff to Vancouver with a stop in Kamloops; all three places were well worth the visit. Banff in particular is a genuinely stunning place to be, I'll go again if I ever get the chance. In addition, the Mountaineer folks put us up in a great hotel in Kamloops overnight, and every train has outdoor receptacles from which to view the nature, something you can't get on American passenger trains anywhere. I loved that train trip so much, I'd take the exact same route again!
Part of the problem is how private freight railroad operators prioritize their own traffic over Amtrak's passenger trains despite federal laws giving Amtrak priority. Therefore the longer the trip, the more likely (and severe) the delays will be.
I'm fairly certain that the only place that Amtrak ever makes sense is for a small number of daily work commutes. My brother commutes daily on Amtrak and from what I have heard it is still frustratingly inconsistent, but it generally beats driving in terms of time and stress.
It's definitely an edge case. Last time I used Amtrak was when we wrecked our car far away from home and needed to get back. Was short notice, no big airports near where we live, but there's an Amtrak station.
This video explains why they're doing this.