Signs & Wonders Blog

For the third time in the past four years, I’ve utilized an Amtrak USA Rail Pass . This pass grants a passenger the privilege of embarking on ten train journeys within a 30-day timeframe at an affordable price. Typically, the pass costs $499. However, during the past four Januarys, the pass was on sale. This year, it was briefly reduced to half-price at $250, likely in celebration of the United States Semiquincentennial. I promptly purchased one and meticulously booked segments weeks in advance to minimize the risk of being stranded. A limited number of seats are available for rail pass users. My latest train pass was activated on February 7th in Tampa. From there, I embarked on a journey along the Floridian route to Richmond, Virginia. The conductor initially assigned me an aisle seat. Fortunately, the man occupying the window seat next to mine offered to switch seats. That made it easier for me to catch some sleep during the lengthy train ride. However, the train arrived in Richmond...

I’m currently using an Amtrak USA Rail Pass for the second time. This allows a passenger to ride the train up to ten times within 30 days at a much-reduced price. Unfortunately, there are drawbacks to traveling on Amtrak. One of the biggest is their trains are often not punctual . This past Thursday, a train I took to Los Angeles showed up in Tucson, Arizona 3½ hours late. It was supposed to arrive at 8:00 p.m. with an 8:15 departure time. When I checked my train status earlier that afternoon, it listed the same departure time. However, an added notice stated they were three hours behind schedule due to freight train interference and unscheduled track maintenance.  My host in Tucson drove me to the Amtrak station just after 5:00 p.m. so I could check in my two larger bags before we went out for dinner. Strangely, the Amtrak employee insisted the train was running on time despite the schedule board stating it was eight minutes late. After dinner, my host dropped me off at the t...