Comments

You must log in or register to comment.

rivervalism t1_j3vbxet wrote

“Passengers traveling on an Amtrak Auto Train from a Washington, D.C., suburb Monday evening expected to arrive in the Orlando area by Tuesday morning. But their planned 17-hour journey experienced significant delays caused by a freight derailment.

The southbound Amtrak Auto Train was detoured off its normal route due to the derailment of a CSX freight Monday night and was stopped in Denmark, South Carolina, while waiting for a new crew to arrive, Amtrak said.”

Collided with vehicle. Moving again.

30

DukeOfGeek t1_j3xa6ce wrote

Meanwhile every airplane in the country was grounded by a computer glitch.

6

man-in-purple t1_j3vcpf7 wrote

This shit happens all the time. I had a train delayed 16 hours because a freight liner conductor broke his fucking ankle deboarding to fix a separate problem and they had to send a taxi with new crew and ambulance.

21

ttogreh t1_j4211cc wrote

Where did the guy break his ankle?! In the middle of a God Damn desert?

2

InsuranceToTheRescue t1_j3xfwno wrote

Why Amtrak is awful.

tl;dr, Although freight rails are supposed to give priority to passenger trains, they don't. Nobody enforces this law and even though there are places for one train to "pull over" in order to allow another one to pass, freight trains are often too long to fit into these. All of this combines to make passenger rail awful.

17

bukkake_washcloth t1_j3uyvf4 wrote

Goddam I miss living in Japan. I’m sorry America but I am just not seeing the appeal at all.

10

[deleted] t1_j3v049a wrote

[deleted]

32

Jampine t1_j3vkl1l wrote

Reminder that Musk didn't actually plan to build anything, he just needed to jangle keys enough to get the government out of investing in high speed rail.

32

riptide81 t1_j40yupm wrote

I’m sure there’s a lot you miss, bukkake washcloth…

1

ABDLTA t1_j3utd6r wrote

Wait, people use Amtrak???

−37

cleverdawny t1_j3uvfqs wrote

Yeah. It beats air travel except for the time. I'd rather spend twelve hours on a train than two on a plane

23

lucky_ducker t1_j3xpy66 wrote

Every time I've compared the cost of getting somewhere, flying was both cheaper and faster than Amtrak (and until today, more reliable).

2

cleverdawny t1_j3xq630 wrote

Train ticket from mt to WA is $120 or so. Plane $500 give or take. You probably live in a big city.

3

thisusedyet t1_j3xv7rf wrote

Just as a quick example:

Newark to Miami from 2/13/23 - 2/17/23

by Plane:

$90-$220 in 3-6 hours

By Train:

$130 - $660 in 27-31 hours.

Amtrack won't let me link it.

Go here for NWK -> MIA

3

cleverdawny t1_j3ze672 wrote

So yeah you live in a big city

Amtrak is far more useful for people who don't live within driving distance of major airport hubs. I would have to drive two hours to a regional airport, go through security, then take a flight. Doesn't even end up saving that much time

4

ABDLTA t1_j3uvjbx wrote

Honestly didn't know they were still in business

−26

cleverdawny t1_j3uvx5p wrote

It's important for rural areas, but yeah, Amtrak long distance trains have a major charm. I took the Empire Builder from Seattle to Chicago and back. Worth it.

10

yblame t1_j3uxdj5 wrote

Barely. Cross country train travel is a novelty in this country these days. Freight rules the rails, and passengers are an afterthought.

Those songs "City of New Orleans" and "The Gambler" or "Folsom Prison" romanticize things that are no more. Don't even get me started on the ass fucking the railroad unions got recently. Rail travel is dead in this country,.

−5

Cicero912 t1_j3vln81 wrote

Rail travel is very much alive in the northeast corridor

11

thejoeface t1_j3uvzq3 wrote

My wife gets overwhelmingly motion sick on planes, so she takes the train when she can.

13

aShittierShitTier4u t1_j3wgnsv wrote

City boys and small town girls alike take the midnight train going anywhere. I don't know if that's because it's late and they don't want to be stuck at the station or what. I just know that they would pay anything to roll the dice just one more time, and gambling addiction is tragic.

8

autotelica t1_j3vlcv2 wrote

Yes. I love taking the train from Richmond, VA to DC, Philly, and NYC. Much better than flying or driving. I can't wait for a high speed option.

5

oddratio t1_j3uxass wrote

It’s a very useful but expensive way to get between east coast cities. For me I can use it to go from CT to Philly or Washington DC etc

3

Bad-Infinite t1_j3yg37i wrote

I take Amtrak 3-4 days a week for work (Milwaukee to Chicago). It's cheaper, quicker, and better for the environment than driving. Plus, I get extra work done, watch Netflix, sleep, or do multiple other things I can't do while driving.

3