(The following appeared on the Seattle Times Travel website on March 10.)
SEATTLE — If you are planning a trip during which you’ll visit more than one U.S. city, taking the train can be an affordable option for ground travel. If you want to see both Philadelphia and New York, or Tampa and Orlando, you could fly into one city, out of the other and relax on the train when traveling between the cities.
Or you could just find a cheap deal for a weekend getaway by train from Seattle to Portland. The Amtrak Cascades service, which includes four round trips a day between Seattle and Portland, is booming with a record 676,670 passengers in 2007, a 7.4 percent increase over the year before.
But beware if you were thinking of taking a train south of Portland; the popular Coast Starlight service from Seattle to Los Angeles has been disrupted by mudslide damage to tracks near Chemult, Ore. The tracks are closed and travelers are being taken by bus between Portland and Sacramento; the tracks aren’t expected to reopen until April after the massive damage of the Jan. 19 slide.
In happier news, here’s how to find some discounts on Amtrak rail travel, close to home and around the United States. There are bargains for AAA members, seniors, students, children and veterans, plus weekly specials and limited-time offers for all travelers. You often have to provide a code to get discounts on Amtrak, and many of these discounts are not listed on its Web page, so check around.
Check the convention and visitors bureaus for the cities you are visiting to see whether they have an Amtrak discount code. And there even are discounts for high-school students and their parents heading out on college tours.
• Travelers can enjoy a free companion fare on Amtrak Cascades travel from Seattle to Portland. The offer is valid for purchase and travel through May 23. Customers must use promotion code H750 when booking at www.amtrak.com. Blackout dates apply. For more information see www.travelportland.com/deals/amtrak.html.
• Travelers to Orlando can save 20 percent off the best available Amtrak rate with the free Orlando Magicard. The offer is valid for travel on the Auto Train, Silver Service and Sunset Limited through May 31. Use fare code V673. Restrictions apply. See www.orlandoinfo.com/magicard.
• The Downeaster train, which runs between Boston and Portland, Maine, with stops in between, is offering half off senior fares for travel on Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays, and kids ride free on Sundays. These offers are valid through June, with a three-day advance purchase. For the kids offer, up to two children ages 2 to 15 can ride free per paying adult. Use promo code V481 for the seniors offer and V486 for the kids offer. Other offers may be available. Go to www.amtrakdowneaster.com/promotion.php.
• Travelers can save 20 percent off rail tickets to the Santa Barbara County, Calif., cities of Santa Barbara, Buellton, Carpinteria, Goleta, Guadalupe, Lompoc, Santa Maria, Solvang or Surf. The offer is valid on the Pacific Surfliner and San Joaquin routes for travel through Dec. 11. Tickets must be purchased at least three days in advance. Restrictions apply. Travelers must register online to get a valid code for this offer. Go to www.santabarbaracarfree.org/traindiscount.htm.
• High school juniors and seniors can receive 50 percent off a companion ticket when they take the train to visit college campuses. Additional children ages 2 to 15 can travel for half off regular fares. The offer is valid for purchase by Dec. 8 for travel through Dec. 18. Tickets must be bought at least seven days in advance. Restrictions apply. Travelers must fill out an online form at www.campusvisit.com/amtrak to receive a promotion code.
• To book trips or get more information, contact Amtrak: 800-872-7245 or go to www.amtrak.com.