There is no reason to cross the U.S. by train, but I did it anyway • Hacker News Board

Re: There is no reason to cross the U.S. by train, but I did it anyway

#321

Post by ghaff » Thu, Mar 21, 2019, 8:03 PM UTC

dustindiamond wrote: post #161

So, how feasible is this as a remote worker? What I am really asking is, how reliable is wifi/internet and is it available through the entire journey? I would not mind a workcation this way, but probably could not afford a satphone’s data plan.

As others have noted, variable and pretty much guaranteed to be bad in remote rural locations (i.e. many of the most scenic). TBH, reliable WiFi for workations (or even just business travel) is a bit of a crapshoot in my experience. It's a lot more consistent than it used to be. But I've also spent days fighting a marginal connection to get something done. Fortunately, in a city, you can usually find good wireless at some coffeeshop even if it's bad at your hotel.

Re: There is no reason to cross the U.S. by train, but I did it anyway

#322

Post by gk1 » Thu, Mar 21, 2019, 8:03 PM UTC

cycrutchfield wrote: post #294

gk1 wrote: post #12

For anyone interested in more train-travel stories I've written (partially) about my trip across Russia, starting with: https://www.gregkogan.com/journal/russia-trans-siberian-rail... Still have half the trip left to write about, which I'll do bit by bit.

This was a fantastic read, and you are a very entertaining and engaging writer.

Thank you! More to come soon(ish).

Re: There is no reason to cross the U.S. by train, but I did it anyway

#323

Post by kuschku » Thu, Mar 21, 2019, 8:06 PM UTC

rayiner wrote: post #287

abalone wrote: post #278

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Other governments do it just fine.

Who? In most of Asia trains are privatized. In Europe, the passenger rail companies are in various stages of privatization. Rail in the UK is more or less privatised. Deutche Bahn, SNCF, Trenitalia, DSB, etc., are private companies. The government is involved in the sense they are the largest or sole shareholder, but they are run as for-profit corporations. For example, they compete in other countries. Many, such as…

Deutsche Bahn is a "private company", but with 100% of stocks owned by the state. That’s in all relevant metrics state-run.

Re: There is no reason to cross the U.S. by train, but I did it anyway

#324

Post by jaclaz » Thu, Mar 21, 2019, 8:07 PM UTC

ghaff wrote: post #303

jaclaz wrote: post #288

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yep, and it was also a sort of "rite of passage" that every 18 year old took or wished to take.

I never did it (though I have taken quite a few trains in Europe) but in the 70s or thereabouts spending a summer after graduation or whenever traveling with a "Eurail Pass" (whatever the proper name was) was almost a chiche.

I can confirm that it was still a thing in the '80's.

And it still exists (just for the record):

https://www.eurail.com/en/eurail-passes/global-pass

But of course the times have changed.

The huge thing about this was that for most young people at the time the 18 years birthday meant a lot, in most EU countries that was (is) a "threshold" you become to all effects an adult and getting an Eurail ticket was the first "totally independent" travel experience without the family, and you got for an all in all affordable to everyone amount of money "freedom", you met a lot of other young people doing the same, you could try to start a conversations with someone (a "peer") in (actually usually much improvised) other language, you could visit places you had only read about in books, etc.

It was a great experience.

Re: There is no reason to cross the U.S. by train, but I did it anyway

#325

Post by ghaff » Thu, Mar 21, 2019, 8:10 PM UTC

inferiorhuman wrote: post #317

ghaff wrote: post #301

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Train service in the US Northeast is pretty good at least for the cities it services. It's not price-competitive with Megabus but is train anywhere competitive pricewise with discount buses?

at least for the cities it services And that's the catch. I've been told that years ago it was better, but try to catch a train to a secondary city in New England and you'll often find that the only offering is an occasional Amtrak branded bus.

Fair enough. It's mostly the coastal corridor that's good with a couple on inland spurs from NY/New Haven up to St. Albans and Montreal that aren't terrible. But otherwise, there's something of a gap between commuter rail systems (which are pretty hub and spoke in any case) and what Amtrak covers.

Re: There is no reason to cross the U.S. by train, but I did it anyway

#326

Post by kuschku » Thu, Mar 21, 2019, 8:11 PM UTC

ritchiea wrote: post #146

hjdehdfhjkj wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thats because there is a cultural difference between how americans and europeans see trains. For americans its something quaint and wild whereas for europeans its just a basic form of transportation.

Trains can also be pretty quaint in Europe today now that low cost airlines like Easyjet and Ryanair offer cheap flights to most major cities. I live in Berlin and even domestic trains are far more expensive than domestic flights to medium and large cities.

Are they?

Düsseldorf-Munich for 26,70€ including reserving a seat.

Kiel-Düsseldorf 29,90€. To get back, 26,90€.

Kiel-Munich and back for 53,80€.

Not even Ryanair is that cheap, especially when you consider that with trains you don’t have to go through security, have none of the check-in times and other bullshit, and can take luggage without paying a 60€ surcharge.

Re: There is no reason to cross the U.S. by train, but I did it anyway

#327

Post by Mr_Shiba » Thu, Mar 21, 2019, 8:12 PM UTC

kyleblarson wrote: post #238

My (now) wife and I took the Empire Builder from Seattle to Chicago about 10 years ago. We purchased a private cabin. We were 8 hours late leaving Seattle and couldn't get into our cabin until we got to Spokane because of some sort of merge of trains coming from Portland and Seattle. Got to Spokane, got our cabin, another 6 hour delay. By the time we reached the upper Midwest, they were rationing food, literally cutt…

Don't sweat! We've got a wonderful car culture here in America, AM I RIGHT!?

Re: There is no reason to cross the U.S. by train, but I did it anyway

#328

Post by Aloha » Thu, Mar 21, 2019, 8:12 PM UTC

Zimahl wrote: post #264

kyleblarson wrote: post #238

My (now) wife and I took the Empire Builder from Seattle to Chicago about 10 years ago. We purchased a private cabin. We were 8 hours late leaving Seattle and couldn't get into our cabin until we got to Spokane because of some sort of merge of trains coming from Portland and Seattle. Got to Spokane, got our cabin, another 6 hour delay. By the time we reached the upper Midwest, they were rationing food, literally cutt…

For those that don't know, the Empire Builder from Seattle stops in Spokane to hook up with a train that is coming from Portland. The combined train then goes all the way to Chicago. If either are delayed it can result in waiting for the other and long delays are apparently the norm and not the exception. My wife and her grandfather took the train from Portland to Minnesota in the fall of last year. There were a numb…

Passenger trains do get priority in the US, your mileage may vary by railroad to how forgiving they are for schedule delays.

Basically Amtrak has to keep to a specific schedule, if ut misses it's window it loses the priority it had.

Re: There is no reason to cross the U.S. by train, but I did it anyway

#329

Post by Aloha » Thu, Mar 21, 2019, 8:14 PM UTC

plopz wrote: post #308

reaperducer wrote: post #275

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, and no. To the railroads it gets higher priority. But if a freight train bocks a passenger train the railroad gets fined by the hour (quarter hour?). However, the freight railroads often just eat the fine as a cost of doing business. Like delivery companies do with parking tickets.

Fined by who? Aren't all the railways privately owned and just licensed by Amtrak?

Amtrak doesn't even license it - Amtrak is actually owned mostly by the freight railroads.

Re: There is no reason to cross the U.S. by train, but I did it anyway

#330

Post by ddebernardy » Thu, Mar 21, 2019, 8:14 PM UTC

kyleblarson wrote: post #238

My (now) wife and I took the Empire Builder from Seattle to Chicago about 10 years ago. We purchased a private cabin. We were 8 hours late leaving Seattle and couldn't get into our cabin until we got to Spokane because of some sort of merge of trains coming from Portland and Seattle. Got to Spokane, got our cabin, another 6 hour delay. By the time we reached the upper Midwest, they were rationing food, literally cutt…

On the plus side, there's a saying that suggests a good way to know if your couple can weather the test of time is to sit on top of each other for a long enough period of time -- such as a weeks-long camping trip, or a long, harrowing bus or train ride.

That makes you quite lucky, and you eventually got married. Most couples don't know if their future marriage is seaworthy until they hit their first major storm.