Tag Archives: Train Travel

Current Affairs, Food & Drink, Memories & History, Pleasures, Travel

What I learned from taking a train across the US

August 9, 2023 DrWeb

Here’s how US train travel went from excellent to mediocre.

By Dean Peterson, Jul 18, 2023, 11:15am EDT

Added via YouTube

If you’ve taken the Amtrak recently, you might have no idea that the United States used to have the largest and wealthiest rail system in the world. How did the US go from having luxurious, widely used passenger trains to the Amtrak system we have today?

Video producer Dean Peterson makes a 72-hour journey on Amtrak from LA to NYC to show its current state of operation. From getting kicked in the head by his sleeping seatmate to taking in sweeping views of the desert at sunset, Dean shows the highs and lows of being stuck on Amtrak for days on end.

Along the way, he explains the history of passenger rail in the US — starting in the problematic robber baron era to the US government’s takeover of passenger rail. Will the United States ever catch up to the rest of the world when it comes to train travel, or are Americans stuck with an underfunded, inefficient rail network forever? Join Dean on his journey as he sets out to find the answers to these questions and more.

https://www.vox.com/videos/2023/7/18/23798910/travel-train-amtrak-coast-to-coast

Current Affairs, Food & Drink, Travel

These scenic train routes are just the ticket for a Fourth July trip | Euronews

June 27, 2022 DrWeb

By Rebecca Ann Hughes • Updated: 26/06/2022 – 07:01

*These breathtaking train journeys are an alternative to road-tripping that is much easier on the wallet. – Copyright JK*

Train travel is on the rise in the US and these scenic routes make for a memorable 4 July trip.

Swapping the car for the train means you can dedicate your time fully to enjoying the stunning landscapes out the window.

It’s a great eco-friendly alternative to the traditional American road trip and as gas prices continue to soar, it’s also a great option for your wallet. Here are seven routes that pass by some of the most iconic sights in the US.

Wind through the Pacific Northwest with the Amtrak Cascades …

Editor’s Note: Read more, see link below for original item…

Source: These scenic train routes are just the ticket for a Fourth July trip | Euronews

Food & Drink, Pleasures, Travel

The Best Train Trips in the World: 2021 Readers’ Choice Awards | Condé Nast Traveler

March 15, 2022 DrWeb

The places inspiring your return to travel.

By Todd Plummer, January 24, 2022

Ah, the allure of train travel.

“Slow travelers” are drawn to this glamorous, old-world mode of exploration, but there’s also something to be said about the perspective found onboard a train–you’re really experiencing a landscape in a way that you can’t experience any other way.

A train trip often brings you where everyday roads cannot, whether it’s through untouched Malaysian jungles or high into the Canadian Rockies.

For our 34th annual Readers’ Choice Awards, we called on all of you to rank the world’s best train journeys–here are the 15 you loved most.

15. Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, Europe

Year after year, the world’s most iconic locomotive continues to be a standard-setter in luxury. Of course, the decadent interiors are a fantasy of 1920’s Art Deco design, but it’s the impeccable service that keeps this train firmly ensconced in a class of its own.

Bags are whisked off from the platform and magically reappear in your cabin, no glass ever runs empty, and the beds seem to make themselves anytime you step outside of your cabin.

By day you can revel in the scenery of French countrysides and Swiss mountain scenes, and by night, the formal dress code feels anything but stuffy—in fact, playing dress up and making your way to the art deco Champagne bar is, we think, one of the coolest experiences anyone could have on a train.

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Books & Reading, Pleasures, Travel

The Function of Train Travel in Books | Book Riot

January 17, 2022 DrWeb

By Neha Patel, Jan 14, 2022

I grew up in Los Angeles, which is not exactly known for its public transportation.

My first time on a train wasn’t very romantic, but what it lacked in romance it more than made up for in adventure. The first time I was on a train was in my motherland: India.

And yes, everything you’ve heard about Indian trains being hectic, confusing, and overcrowded is absolutely correct. I honestly don’t even remember how my family found our cabins or even got all of our luggage on before the train screeched to a start.

It was a funny conversation with my classmates once I got back to California. Their eyes were wide and amazed. You were on a train?

Apparently it wasn’t cool to read about the Hogwarts Express, but it was cool to sleep on a train cot in India watching the countryside whiz past and eating chaat handed to me through the window by a vendor while headed to Rajasthan (actually, it was cool).

Source: The Function of Train Travel in Books | Book Riot