“Enjoy the Journey?” My Experience with the USA Rail Pass

For almost five years, I avoided using Amtrak except for two free trips available to me through their Guest Rewards program. Too many delayed rides had become a nuisance. Then in January of this year, Amtrak had a sale on their USA Rail Pass. For $299, customers could ride the train ten times (called “segments”) over 30 days. At less than $30 per ride, it was an opportunity to do extensive traveling at a much-reduced price.

On March 13th, I took a train from Washington, DC, to Buffalo, New York but bought a separate ticket. I planned on being in Buffalo for two weeks but ended up staying two more. One reason was the Amtrak website didn’t allow me to use my rail pass to book a ride on April 3rd to Emeryville, California. The pastor I stayed with in Buffalo encouraged me to stick around for Good Friday and Easter.

Finally, I activated my pass on April 10th. Instead of first going to California, I went to Topeka, Kansas (a Facebook friend there extended hospitality). I had to change trains in Chicago. Therefore, that trip used two segments. After a week in Topeka, my friend drove me to Omaha, Nebraska. From there, I took the train to Emeryville. It would be my first time in the Bay Area. On the way, I saw beautiful scenery in Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and Northern California.

The fourth segment was used on April 20th to go to Los Angeles. Unfortunately, delays caused that train to run four hours late and arrive after 1:00 a.m. To save money, I opted to rest a few hours at Union Station instead of getting a motel room. Eventually, I ate breakfast at a nearby Denny’s and explored LA a bit before boarding another train back to Topeka. That scenic route took me through Arizona, New Mexico, and the southeastern part of Colorado. 

After another week in Topeka, my host drove us to St. Louis, where we spent the night at a hotel. The following morning, I used two more segments to ride Amtrak to Chicago and then to my birthplace of Fargo, North Dakota. The latter train arrived two and a half hours late. A freight train ahead of us stalled in Wisconsin because of mechanical problems. Another thing that annoyed me was an Amtrak employee in Chicago ignoring my request for a window seat. She purposely placed me in an aisle seat. That made it harder for me to get much-needed rest.

Then on May 4th, another delayed train took me to St. Paul, Minnesota. Originally scheduled to arrive in Fargo at 3:29 a.m., it got held up in western North Dakota. A crew reached its federally-mandated 12-hour maximum. Another group of employees had to relieve them. As a result, that train arrived in Fargo five hours late. Then a few miles away from reaching Union Depot in St. Paul, the train sat still on the tracks for another hour. A railroad employee hadn’t responded to calls to switch tracks for us.

I still have two segments left over on my USA Rail Pass that expire this Tuesday. Therefore, I plan to take a day trip tomorrow using their Thruway bus service to see parts of Wisconsin I haven’t been to before. I considered taking the train to Milwaukee. However, I don’t want to risk getting stuck on another delayed ride.

Amtrak’s USA Rail Pass has been a blessing but could have been a more positive experience. I would recommend using it only if you are patient and have extra time on your hands. You should be aware of these other drawbacks:

• All rides are in coach. Upgrades to business class or a private room are not allowed.
• Rides on certain trains aren’t available if the limited number of rail sale seats are taken.
• Rail passes cannot be used for commuting. They won't let you go back and forth five times between the same cities.
• No Wi-Fi on some routes, particularly the longer ones
• Very few pit stops. During so-called “fresh air breaks” (when you can stand outside for a few minutes), I had to deal with smokers nearby.
• Meals on the train are pricey. Breakfast is $20. Lunches are $25. Dinner costs $45. I allowed myself to have breakfast a couple of times but mostly ate snacks brought with me.
• Unlike the airlines, no compensation is offered for late trains. Free snacks were given on two of the delayed trains I rode.

Years ago while in grade school, we sang a song with the lyric “This train is bound for glory.” One thing you don’t want to put off is making sure you are on the glory train to heaven. Amtrak’s numerous delays are a mere inconvenience compared to the Hellbound Train many people are riding unless they change their destination by getting right with Jesus.

“Then you will go on your way in safety, and your foot will not stumble.” - Proverbs 3:23