Related Pages: Transportation, train
Amtrak
www.amtrak.com
Description: USA's intercity and transcontinental passenger rail system.
Category:
Transportation
Keywords:
train, rail, hands free, car free
Reviews of Amtrak
Trains are Greener
I loved taking trains while traveling through Europe, and almost everyone i know who traveled Europe (which is almost everyone i know) loved it just as much. There is a great sense of community on trains, plus it is so nice not to have to go through the rigmarole of waiting in line at the airport and taking off my shoes and putting all of my liquids in tiny little disposable bottles and sealing them in plastic bags - air travel is a nightmare! Now that all the major airlines are canceling flights like they have nothing better to do, maybe we will all finally start taking trains more.
Oh, did I mention that in addition to all of those perks, riding trains is almost 8 times better for the environment than driving a car, and like a million times (OK, not that much, but a lot) better than flying. One trans-Atlantic flight can be the equivalent to many peoples car emissions for an entire year! And while we can't take a train across the Atlantic (not yet anyway...) we can certainly take them to plenty of places here in America. Let's get on this people!
Adam W.'s keywords: locomotive, commute, energy efficient travel
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Back to the Future
I grew up riding the train - to Chicago and the west coast and LOVED it. I was so sad to see train travel diminish as I grew into adulthood, but now I am a grandmother and have just taken a train trip with a grandson to Chicago and it's even better than it was when I was a kid. The seats are big - way more room than an airplane, the cars are quiet, there is still a "dome" car - now the lounge car, there are electrical outlets for computers or other electronic equipment and you can move around easily - plus you still have that great sense of being in a funhouse when you cross from one car to the other and have the floor moving and rails clacking beneath you. My hope and dream is that rail travel will continue to grow and my grandchildren will know that wonderful sense of traveling across our country and really seeing it all - backyards, small towns, mountains, farmland, industrial parts of our cities. As a people we need to invest in this form of transportation.
Kate C.'s keywords: transportation, grandchildren
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The New Hotness
where to begin?
i took the capitol corridor train today from oakland to sacramento and it was about 80% bliss. the other 20% i'll get to later. blissful: walking around, being able to stretch, crowding the snack bar for sausages, french toast and chatting with fellow travellers; relaxing by myself with a huge table and window; seeing all parts of california between the two cities; not having to drive.
(the info they'd prefer me to put on this review: taking trains instead of planes for medium-distance travel reduces your greenhouse gas pollution contribution by a factor of 10! see http://www.eurostar.com/UK/us/leisure/about_eurostar/environment/tread_lightly.jsp)
the 20%: diesel, not bullet train-smoove. the train leans side-to-side because of its high center of gravity, shared track w/ freighters and less track and train finesse than japanese trains... might make some people sea(?)sick but you get used to it. still, loved it! i'm going to take more amtrak trips. two so far.
Ken O.'s keywords: smoove transit, non-bullet train, amtrak, rail, capitol corridor, train, choo, yum, public transportation
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Amtrak
Amtrak offers the only scheduled intercity and transcontinental passenger rail service in the United States. Rail is the most energy efficient way by far to move heavy loads and a great way to see and, if you wish, "meet" America.
Unfortunately, the only track Amtrak owns is between Washington, D.C., and Boston, Mass. In that corridor, service is frequent and good. In other parts of the USA, Amtrak runs on tracks owned by freight railroads. Service ranges from several trips a week on some routes to several times a day. The tracks are not optimized for passenger trains, and Amtrak off the Norteast corridor is usually no faster than driving. But it is still greener and more relaxing than other powered alternatives.
Jeff D.'s keywords: travel, transportation, alternatives to driving
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