A traveler has shared a detailed account of their experience, outlining both the positive and negative aspects of a $939 upgrade to United Business Class, providing insights into the value and comfort of the premium service.

An author shares their experience of booking both a roomette and a bedroom on Amtrak's California Zephyr, concluding that the bedroom offers better value for longer journeys despite the higher cost.

As a frequent Amtrak rider, I've found some of the most beautiful train routes in North America. Sojourner White Over the past five years, I've taken more than 20 Amtrak routes across North America. During my trips, I've fallen in love with the gorgeous landscapes I've seen out the window. Some of my favorite scenic routes include the Amtrak Adirondack, Coast Starlight, and Builder. I never imagined I'd become a die-hard train traveler. But when I found myself stretched out in a roomette, ...

My travel bag is one of my favorite things I pack for train rides. Kylie Stoltzfus In 2024, I took 53 trips on Amtrak trains, so I've become an expert on what to pack for the ride. I think…

I rode two Amtrak trains on a long-haul journey from New York to Texas. Michael Rosenthal I spent 60 hours in coach across two Amtrak trains to get from New York to Austin via Chicago. Getting to see historic landmarks and beautiful views was a pleasant surprise. The delays got tedious and a bit frustrating, but the train felt like home by the end of my trip. Spending 60 hours on Amtrak trains in coach isn't ideal for a lot of people. Fortunately, I don't mind a long ride. To get from New York to Austin, I booked two different Amtrak routes that would take me to Texas via Chicago. Ultimately, my long journey over several days was pretty nice. After this trip, I'd still say Amtrak trains are one of the most pleasant and enjoyable modes of travel. Here are a few things that surprised me about the 60-hour ride. At times, I forgot I was even on a train. Sometimes I forgot I was even on a train. Michael Rosenthal Local train rides can be slow and clunky, so I prefer long-distance ones — you can largely sit back, relax, and enjoy the journey because the stops are much farther apart. The ride was smooth and enjoyable, and I watched the country pass by right outside my window, as if I were watching TV or a movie. Sometimes I was so distracted by a conversation with someone else on board that I forgot we were moving. However, there's also a lot of potential for delays. Many Amtrak lines run on a single track. Michael Rosenthal Long-distance trains are great when they run properly, but delays can be tough to avoid. Amtrak mostly operates on freight railroad lines, which means you're often at the mercy of those dispatchers. To make matters worse, some lines run on a single track. So if there's an oncoming train, you have to wait on a track siding until it clears. Freight trains can cause anywhere from 10 minutes to multiple hours of interference. These delays — which came every hour or so on my trip — interrupted the joy and relaxation that came with the otherwise smooth ride. Sometimes passengers didn't receive announcements about delays, or only got vague ones. I wish I'd brought a radio scanner that picked up on the frequencies used by the dispatchers so I could stay up to date on the information or estimate the delay time myself. Many passengers relied on the café car for food. I mostly ate the food I brought from home. Michael Rosenthal I brought enough of my own food for my two and a half days on the rails, and my short layover in Chicago gave me a chance to grab a hot meal. I also packed a reusable bottle so I could fill it up with tap water on the train. However, I was surprised by how many people depended on Amtrak's onboard dining options. The café car is OK in a pinch: It has basic snacks, beverages, and hot foods like burgers and pizza. The prices aren't unreasonable, but I still don't think they're worth it for food that generally gets taken out of a plastic wrapper and microwaved. I expected more people to get off the train to stretch their legs at the stops. I wanted to take the opportunity to stretch my legs in fresh air. Michael Rosenthal Every so often, the train made an extended stop at a station for a crew change or servicing, and passengers were allowed to step off for a bit. There's no smoking on the trains, so I noticed a fair number of people using these stops as smoke breaks. However, I expected more people to take the opportunity to get some fresh air and stretch, rather than stay on the train. There were only so many of these opportunities, and it was great to walk around, feel some sun on my face, and say that I set foot in a different place, instead of just passing through it. The history all around me felt remarkable. We passed through so many interesting towns. Michael Rosenthal My trip took me through more than a dozen states, including six state capitals and the US capital. The trip from New York to Washington, DC, started out on tracks that were part of the historical Pennsylvania Railroad and continued down one of the busiest rail corridors in the country. The bulk of my Cardinal-line trip went along old Chesapeake and Ohio Railway tracks. There was a lot of interesting history to learn about the railroad towns that sprang up along the tracks when they were first laid. My trip through Virginia took me across tracks that played a vital role in the Civil War. The train also traveled through old boom-and-bust towns in West Virginia — some of which still exist, but others have only scant remnants. There was no WiFi on the Texas Eagle line. The coach car on an Amtrak train. Michael Rosenthal The Texas Eagle is one of the few Amtrak trains that doesn't have WiFi, and some areas we passed through had little-to-no cell reception. The Cardinal line also passed through areas with poor cell reception, which made the onboard WiFi quite unstable. For this reason, I'm glad I brought an AM/FM HD radio with me. I had a lot of fun tuning in to different stations as my trains traveled the country. It helped me feel more connected to the small towns and gave them more life. I found surprisingly good content in some remote areas. I didn't really end up watching all of the entertainment I downloaded. I mostly ate the food I brought from home. Michael Rosenthal I came prepared for my train ride by downloading a bunch of TV shows and movies onto my laptop. However, surprisingly, the 60 hours went by so quickly that I didn't watch any of them. I only kept my laptop open on the Cardinal line to look at Amtrak's "Track Your Train" map. I was also having too much fun with the radio and didn't want to miss out on live broadcasts. Plus, I could continue fully taking in the sights out the window while listening. The train was a very social place at times, too, so I was often busy speaking with the people around me. The camaraderie with other passengers is second to none. I met a lot of interesting people on my trains. Michael Rosenthal The camaraderie I've experienced on Amtrak train rides is pretty much unmatched. I didn't get to talk with as many people as I have on past trips, but it was still enjoyable to journey together with a bunch of people for such an extended time. It was great to see others get off at their destinations, but, in a funny way, it also made me a little sad to see them (and the ways they contributed to the train's atmosphere) go. Getting to spend time with fellow passengers from all over the world while different parts of the country passed by provided some true slices of American life. There was no observation car on the Texas Eagle during my trip. I had to make due with the views from my window. Michael Rosenthal It's great to switch things up by sitting and socializing in the café cars. However, the Cardinal and Texas Eagle trains have combined café and dining cars, so seating was very limited and only for passengers who purchased something. I missed hanging out in observation cars, as I've done on past trips. I knew this would be the case for my time on the Cardinal, but the Texas Eagle usually has an awesome sightseeing lounge with a variety of seating and viewing windows. The fact that my train didn't have one was by far the biggest disappointment of the trip. However, the Eagle has since brought back its observation cars. It's definitely worth checking whether your train has an observation car before booking a long Amtrak ride. I fell into a routine on the train that made it feel like home. Michael Rosenthal When you spend enough time somewhere, it can start to feel very familiar and comfortable, which was my case on the train. Doing things like making room while walking in the aisle so someone else can pass, heading down the stairs to the bathroom, and refilling water bottles felt as routine as anything I'd do at home. There was almost a weird comfort in walking around and seeing different parts of the train that became very familiar to me during my many hours aboard. This story was originally published on November 9, 2021, and most recently updated on February 17, 2025. Read the original article on Business Insider

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An author shares their 53-hour experience on Amtrak's California Zephyr, the longest train ride in the US, offering tips for the journey.

Business Insider's reporter spent 53 hours on Amtrak's California Zephyr train in a bedroom accommodation. Joey Hadden/Business Insider I spent two nights in a private bedroom on an Amtrak sleeper train for $2,200 in February 2026. The 50-square-foot space had a couch, a seat, a table, two beds, and a full bathroom. It was worth the price for my 53-hour train ride on the California Zephyr. When I decided to take the longest train ride in the US, I splurged for comfort. The 53-hour journey o...

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An Amtrak train carrying over 100 passengers collided with an 18-wheeler in Texas while en route to New Orleans, though details on injuries or damage are not immediately available.

The author made some mistakes on board the California Zephyr. Joey Hadden/Business Insider I recently traveled on the California Zephyr, an overnight Amtrak train, from Chicago to California. I…

Over the years, I've seen passengers making some basic mistakes and social faux pas on train rides. sculpies/Getty Images I've been riding trains across the US for over 26 years, and it's one of my favorite ways to travel. After hundreds of trips, I have a running list of some of the worst things passengers do on board. Avoid bringing too much luggage and taking up more than your fair share of space on board. Train travel can be an adventure. Whizzing by different terrain and meeting new people are all part of the trip. However, a ride can also be frustrating or a bit chaotic, especially if other passengers are doing things that irritate you. After more than 26 years of riding trains up and down both US coasts and across the Midwest, here are seven things I wish passengers would stop doing. Talking your seat partner's ear off As is the case on most public transportation, you risk encountering talkative seatmates on trains. Being stuck in a conversation for a multihour train ride can be exhausting, especially since many people choose this form of transit because it's considered a leisurely and relaxing travel option. I don't usually mind having brief conversations with people near me — it's a shared experience after all — but not everyone wants to be social. When it comes to chatting on board, consent from both parties is key. Bringing too much luggage There probably won't be tons of storage space on the train. Daniel J. Macy/Shutterstock Similar to air travel, trains have limited space in front of the seats and in the overhead bins. Try to stick to your fair share of luggage, or plan in advance to check it when you board. On Amtrak, most reservations allow you to bring one bag and two carry-on items. You may be able to bring more if you book a private car or upgrade your ticket. People are getting on and off at every stop, so even if your train car looks empty when you board, you should still be mindful of how much space you're taking up. Spreading your belongings (or body) out across a row of seats Speaking of taking up too much space: Spreading all your things across a row or more of seats is annoying for fellow passengers. Since there isn't much extra space on trains, I wish people were more mindful about taking too many seats, blocking the middle aisle, and knocking into the people around them when they need to unpack something or resituate their luggage. This also goes for lying down across multiple seats. If you need to stretch out, go to the café car or observation space, where there's usually a little more room to move around. Leaving trash and spills for others to clean A lot of people think they don't have to clean up after themselves on trains and planes. It's especially annoying because there are trash receptacles throughout the train, making it easy to organize your space as you go. I usually find them near stairwells, in restrooms, in the dining car, or at the end of the passenger cars. Your trash is your responsibility — the same goes for anything you spill during the trip. Trapping people on the stairs or between cars Try not to stand in front of doors for too long. Dogora Sun/Shutterstock Don't stand in the way of people in the space between cars or on the narrow, sometimes winding, stairwells. Space is limited, and if you trap someone for too long, they may start to feel unsafe or uncomfortable. It's sometimes unavoidable to momentarily block people as they get on and off the train, but otherwise, be mindful and stay aware of your surroundings. Taking your shoes off When you're in a public place that's not a pool or spa, taking your shoes off probably won't elicit a pleasant reaction. This is especially true when you're trapped in what's essentially a metal tube for hours. Keep your shoes on to avoid bothering your fellow train riders. I personally wouldn't want my feet touching the floor of a train anyway. Watching videos or listening to music without using headphones If you want to avoid irritating everyone around you, reduce your noise pollution. You might be fascinated by the cooking video you found on YouTube, but the rest of the passengers probably aren't. And no matter how amazing your taste in music is, use headphones while on the train. This also applies to phone calls — no one wants to hear your whole conversation on speakerphone. This story was originally published on November 10, 2024, and most recently updated on February 20, 2025. Read the original article on Business Insider

A man in Kansas died after his car was hit by an Amtrak train, leading to an investigation into the fatal incident.