(The following column by Jeff Larsen appeared on the Seattle Post-Intelligencer website on December 17.)
SEATTLE — “Spread the word,” one avid train rider and reader wrote to me. “Traveling by train makes sense and is a lot of fun.”
My first-ever Amtrak ride, which I wrote about in Short Trips on Dec. 4, evoked a number of responses from readers. They helped me understand a little more about train travel than I had learned during the trip.
My article explored rail travel between Seattle and Portland and Seattle and Vancouver, B.C., during the holiday season. I rode the trains and one bus for three days between the three cities.
One reader wished I had compared the legroom aboard the various trains with the skimpy legroom on most airplanes. He also thought the Talgo train seats are tough to recline because he had to slide forward in the seat to recline it rather than leaning back in the seat. He also wished I had mentioned that travelers can board any of Amtrak’s southbound trains in Tacoma and the northbound trains at Everett’s handsome new train station.
The bus part of the trip drew fire from another reader who was still steamed about the time his bus was running two hours late as it reached the Canadian border. Then, over the objections of the passengers, the driver still stopped the bus at the duty-free store for a half-hour. That is pretty annoying, I must agree.
Most readers I heard from thought the article was a fair account and mirrored some of their own experiences. One reader complained that he was pick-pocketed onboard, and without his identification and money, he was temporarily stranded and couldn’t catch his scheduled train ride home.
My advice to him is to keep his wallet in his front pocket, wrapped with a rubber band (makes it “stick” inside the pocket) and to hang on to his belongings tightly.
A nationwide train rider noted that travelers can buy day passes for the Sky Train in Vancouver and Portland’s light-rail system, Max. One thing I found noteworthy is the steady free public bus transportation between downtown Portland and that city’s Union Station. The same reader also noted that during the year Amtrak offers rail sales to different cities and that they often change each week.
I complained about the expensive, greasy prime rib dinner aboard the evening Talgo train from Vancouver to Seattle. An Amtrak representative wrote me that Amtrak would try to improve the quality.
I’m glad, because I think the dining aboard an Amtrak train, once a relaxing and enjoyable experience for passengers, could be vastly improved. Sure, it’s not billed as a dinner-train experience, but the food quality should match the prices and maybe Amtrak could lower the minimum charges for breakfast and dinner a bit.
Amtrak’s online booking procedures got raves from some readers who liked not having to deal with hurry-up, make-up-your-mind phone agents. By booking online, travelers can leisurely plan their itineraries without any pressure, then pick up their tickets at the station before boarding. The system has been well thought out and is very effective. But I also found that the phone system isn’t bad, either.
Amtrak has been underfunded by Congress for years, and for many frequent riders that means the romance of train travel has been diminished. During my trips, I sensed that Amtrak does the best it can with the resources at its disposal and that, in general, passengers are well served by the staff and train schedules.
By the number of letters and phone calls, it’s clear that train travel still holds a special place in the hearts and minds of the traveling public. Most agreed it is fun, relaxing and a perfect alternative to interstate gridlock.
Just remember to tie up your shoelaces before moving from car to car.