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Ask HN: Is Amtrak That Bad?

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Re: Ask HN: Is Amtrak That Bad?

#11

Post by jppope »

PaulHoule wrote: post #7

Whenever I have tried to get a ticket it seems like they are booked months in advance. So far as I can tell, Amtrak is for people who are afraid to fly and who don't want to ride the bus with people who ride the bus.

Just depends where you are...

As an example: Taking the train from ~OC/San Diego to Santa Barbara is absolutely beautiful, way better than staring at bumpers for ~3 hours trying to make it from orange county to the other side of LA. You can do it via flight but the cost doesn't make sense to fly into SB.

If you were going to NYC from CT (Metro North) via car you pay a ton in tolls then need to spend $15-$30 a day for parking AND traffic.

Re: Ask HN: Is Amtrak That Bad?

#12

Post by tropo »

totaldude87 wrote: post #8
PaulHoule wrote: post #7

Whenever I have tried to get a ticket it seems like they are booked months in advance. So far as I can tell, Amtrak is for people who are afraid to fly and who don't want to ride the bus with people who ride the bus.

but, what about the cost economics, i thought Cars then trains then flights are cheaper in that order.

Trains are usually most expensive. They are also often delayed. Exceptions are some subway systems (Boston, New York) and the Acela Express.

To "explore some of the towns", you really need a car. Our fuel is cheap if you avoid the west coast. Right now fuel is $2 to $3 per gallon, which is about 0.5 to 0.7 €/L and about 36 to 54 ₹/L

Flights are cheap to hubs and to some tourist places. You could fly to one of those places, then rent a car to drive out and see some towns. Choices might be Las Vegas, Orlando, Atlanta, Phoenix, Denver, Salt Lake City, and Dallas.

To see the country, I suggest driving on the US highways. Those are the ones marked with colorless shield logos. (the ones with red and blue shield logos are high-speed interstates) For a modest extra fee, you can drive a rental car from one airport to a different airport. For example, you could drive from Las Vegas to Atlanta.

Note that the hub airports tend to be in hot places. Be sure you know what you are getting into if you fly into a place like Phoenix. The seat belts in your car can become hot enough to cause blisters.

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