Fast Rail on the Horizon for U.S.?

by Catherine Bodry on

Gas prices, airport delays, and traffic jams just might provoke U.S. travelers to embrace high-speed rail. Finally.

It won’t be an easy journey to the 200 mph trains enjoyed in Japan and across Europe; track and safety improvements for already-proposed projects could cost billions. And some argue that federal money should be spent researching alternative fuel and electric cars.

Amtrak’s Acela Express, running from Boston to Washington D.C., is just six years old and the U.S.’s only rail line that tops the international “high speed” standard of 125 mph. But although it hits its maximum speed of 150 mph, it averages a mere 86 mph over its full 456-mile run. But the Acela saw a 20 percent increase in ridership in May when gas prices topped $3 a gallon, and Amtrak is poised for its fifth year of ridership gains.

Other regions are planning their own high-speed lines. The Illinois Department of Transportation’s Rail Division estimates that the 5 1/2 hour trip from Chicago to St. Louis can be cut by 90 minutes, although completing that project will cost more than $400 million. But California’s plan is the most ambitious so far: an electric-powered train running at 220 mph from Los Angeles to San Francisco, cutting a 9-hour drive to a 3 1/2 hour ride.

No mention was made of possible fares.

[via USA Today]

Free Booze: American Train Travel now Sucks Less

by Neil Woodburn on

In a wild bid to boost ridership, Amtrak has announced that they will be doling out $100 worth of free alcohol to passengers.

The free drinks will only be made available to passengers on GrandLuxe trips–a luxury sleeper train service between Chicago and San Francisco (the California Zephyr), Washington D.C. and Miami (the Silver Meteor), and Chicago and Los Angeles (the Southwest Chief).

We’ve complained before here on Gadling about how much train travel in America sucks. Sure, this is a way to make it a little better, but if you ask me, $100 is an exorbitant amount of free alcohol to serve up to passengers on a 2-3 day journey. I think Amtrak is just asking for trouble here.

New Luxury Train Travel in the United States

by Jamie Rhein on

Neil rightly expressed dismay at the state of train travel in the United States in one of his posts, but Amtrak is going upscale on some routes. The company isn’t going it alone however. It’s pairing up with GrandLuxe Rail Journeys, a private company in Evergreen, Colorado that was once called the American Orient Express.

If you’ve seen any movies of train travel back when men and women wore cool hats and overcoats, the GrandLuxe Limited train cars look like people from that era might hop on. Think mahogany, five-course meals, and an ambiance that captures the high life. There’s personal butler service even. In a way, as I read about this mode of travel, it reminded me a bit of the cruise to the Bahamas that my dad and daughter took this past December. The experience on the ship was the main thing they talked about. In the case of the GrandLuxe Limited, you’re traveling across the land instead of the sea and getting pampered along the way. While getting to a place is part of the reason for taking one of these train trips, the ride is like a vacation on it’s own.

If you’re thinking about going between Chicago and San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington, Denver or Albuquerque or between Washington to Miami, this might be what you’re looking for. It’s not cheap, but it looks fun. The trains aren’t heading down the tracks until November, but you can make reservations now on the GrandLuxe Web site.

%Poll-2033%

Why Trains Suck in America

by Neil Woodburn on

My very first trip on a train didn’t occur until after graduating from college in the U.S. and visiting Europe for the first time. Since then, I’ve been on many trains, but only one of which was in the United States.

Train travel, if not already dead, is certainly in the terminal state in the United States. Very few people bother to ever jump on a train and when they do, they discover and antiquated system of delays, inconvenient terminals, and expensive tickets. Amtrak–the major American train service in America–is an embarrassment.

In other countries around the globe, however, trains are not only a lesson in efficiency, but already existing networks and rolling stock are constantly being upgraded into the 21st century, laments David Wolman, writing for Wired Magazine.

Take, for example, the Paris-to-Strasbourg super train which zooms between the two cities at 357 miles per hour. The company which built this high speed rail is now looking for other customers in China and India. But not the United States.

Wolman points out a couple of reasons why train travel is not as popular in the United States;

Distances are much farther between cities than they are in Europe
American roads tend to be in better condition
Gas is cheap

High speed rail is not an impossibility in America, however. There has been talk for years about building a line from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. And currently, there is a bill floating around the California legislature for a high speed rail between Sacramento and San Diego. But don’t get too excited. Wolman points out that the last time such an idea was under consideration in Texas, it was squashed by a powerful Southwest Airlines lobby.

Don’t you just love America at times?

The Amtrak Picture Perfect Family Vacation Sweepstakes

by Justin Glow on

Amtrak is sponsoring a contest called the “Picture Perfect Family Vacation Sweepstakes,” and the idea is simple: create an account on their system and upload your favorite family vacation photo, and you’ll be automatically entered to win 4 Amtrak “Sleeper Accomodation” tickets from any station in the continental U.S. (find the closest one to your house here) to Chicago, along with 4 nights of accommodation at the Essex Inn.

Not a good photographer? Don’t worry — your photo won’t be judged, it’s just your ticket for entry into the contest, which comes to an end on July 6th. If you want to increase your chances of winning, you can login once a day and upload a new photo.

Good luck!