
Ask HN: Is Amtrak That Bad? - totaldude87
Am new to USA and willing to explore some of the towns, apart from Cars, Amtrak really looks like a good alternative, but too many bad reviews.. is it really that bad?
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tjr
I've only been on Amtrak a few times, all on the U.S. East Coast, but have had
perfectly fine experiences. I can imagine that someone who uses Amtrak a lot
would have seen more reason to dislike it, or maybe other locations are worse.

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totaldude87
Thank you! am in east coast, so would try and explore it once :)

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jppope
Basically the 95 Corridor (Boston to Washington D.C.) is accessible via public
transportation and a few isolated cities are manageable (SF, Chicago,
Portland, etc) within proximity to the city but the rest of the United States
Requires a Car... and yes it sucks.

Ergo, Amtrak could be useful depending on where you are... otherwise you'll
want to get a personal vehicle.

Are the ratings real? Yes... but they're also not real.

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totaldude87
thanks for the inputs! cheers!

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PaulHoule
Whenever I have tried to get a ticket it seems like they are booked months in
advance.

So far as I can tell, Amtrak is for people who are afraid to fly and who don't
want to ride the bus with people who ride the bus.

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totaldude87
but, what about the cost economics, i thought Cars then trains then flights
are cheaper in that order.

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tropo
Trains are usually most expensive. They are also often delayed. Exceptions are
some subway systems (Boston, New York) and the Acela Express.

To "explore some of the towns", you really need a car. Our fuel is cheap if
you avoid the west coast. Right now fuel is $2 to $3 per gallon, which is
about 0.5 to 0.7 €/L and about 36 to 54 ₹/L

Flights are cheap to hubs and to some tourist places. You could fly to one of
those places, then rent a car to drive out and see some towns. Choices might
be Las Vegas, Orlando, Atlanta, Phoenix, Denver, Salt Lake City, and Dallas.

To see the country, I suggest driving on the US highways. Those are the ones
marked with colorless shield logos. (the ones with red and blue shield logos
are high-speed interstates) For a modest extra fee, you can drive a rental car
from one airport to a different airport. For example, you could drive from Las
Vegas to Atlanta.

Note that the hub airports tend to be in hot places. Be sure you know what you
are getting into if you fly into a place like Phoenix. The seat belts in your
car can become hot enough to cause blisters.

