When one thinks of transportation from the nation’s capital to South Florida, Air Force One flights to Mar-a-Lago are probably the first thing that comes to mind. But a few weeks ago, I used a much more efficient and enjoyable mode to get from Downtown Washington to Palm Beach County – Amtrak’s overnight Silver Meteor route.
As someone who rides America’s long-distance trains several times per year, I can attest that the network has room for improvement. Many of the challenges it faces, like delays due to freight train congestion, are infrastructural issues similar to those adversely affecting many transit systems nationally.
But even in its current form, Amtrak is often preferable to airline flights or a road trip. While constructing a network of high-speed rail lines is a worthy goal for our country, before funding for such infrastructure materializes, there is a lot Amtrak can do to attract new riders and ensure our existing passenger rail system gets the public support it deserves.
The American overnight train experience
From the amenities to the clientele, overnight trains offer an experience different than any other form of transportation. They carry people from all walks of life, but common demographics include people heading to important, interesting jobs you’ve never heard of, college students, retirees who aren’t in a rush, and Amish individuals whose religious doctrine prohibits them from driving or flying.
Dining cars – the signature feature of the long-distance train – ensure you’ll get a chance to meet these people, as patrons share tables with strangers. On my D.C. to Florida trip, those I ate with included a pair of train conductors from Connecticut celebrating their 20th year on the job, a man commuting home after getting off work in Charleston, S.C. at 3 a.m., and a Russian immigrant taking her young daughter on a train for the first time. Try meeting such a variety of people, all in a good mood, on a plane or at a roadside McDonald’s!
Sleeping on the train does take some getting used to, especially if one rides in coach rather than springing for often-expensive sleeping car accommodations. But even the cheapest seats lean back substantially and offer ample legroom, allowing for the possibility of at least some shut-eye, something that (at least for me) is out of the question on an airplane. In contrast to the awful roadside Best Western I once stayed at in Mojave, Calif., overnight trains are not only comfortable, but progress toward your destination as you sleep.
The long-distance Amtrak system’s importance
While Amtrak’s FY 18 federal appropriation of $1.9 billion was nearly $500 million more than it received the previous year, its ex-airline CEO’s recent announcement that boxed meals would replace dining car service on two routes has led to renewed panic that the disappearance of the long-distance system is imminent. But contrary to many peoples’ misconceptions, Amtrak’s national system is not a relic of the past, but instead a vital lifeline for our country that will remain essential for the foreseeable future.
In a divided U.S., our trains ensure that “flyover country” is not forgotten. Not only do they bring people with different perspectives into the same space, forcing them to break bread and clink glasses together, but they ensure the people of rural America have a decent way to get where they need to go. In rural areas, sufficient transportation infrastructure for any mode is bound to require high per-user subsidies – remember that the Essential Air Service program faces political hostility comparable to what passenger rail is forced to deal with.
But, despite its tight budget, Amtrak often provides residents of and visitors to these areas their best option for mobility. Workers commuting to North Dakota’s oil fields to reap the benefits of the fracking boom take Amtrak, having stood by it even when the freight trains transporting the oil they extracted caused crippling track congestion. Boy scouts take the train to their national camps, politicians to their rural retreats, and Alabama Crimson Tide fans to the college football national title game.
Fortunately, even congressmen representing deep-red rural districts understand how much their constituents benefit from Amtrak, ensuring at least that our marginalized existing train service continues.
How can long-distance Amtrak travel become a mainstream thing?
While competing with long-distance highway trips is difficult because travelers might be driving to a car-dependent destination where they need their cars, Amtrak can pitch itself differently to capture those travelers.
Amtrak’s goal should be to make overnight rail something that the average traveler seriously considers as they weigh plane, train, and automobile-based options. One way to capture long-distance highway trips is to highlight the obvious: if comfortable trains on which riders can walk around, watch scenery, dine, drink, converse, and sleep are available, would any sane person strap themselves to a seat, perilously thread their way past trucks, and eat low-quality rest-stop food?
Air travelers with sufficient time also could logically consider the train, especially as airlines’ customer-service deteriorates. To make this happen, Amtrak needs to put itself in the rational traveler’s mind. I’ve thought of a few approaches that, while not expensive to implement, could help make Amtrak more appealing to potential riders. As always, I’d love to hear more suggestions:
- Embrace the unique aspects of train travel: To distinguish itself from its competitors, Amtrak should focus on its positive attributes that other modes cannot offer. For example, instead of adjusting its food service to emulate airlines, it should instead emulate financially successful eateries. To accommodate travelers of varying budgets, café cars could resemble tasty, economical chains like Chipotle or In-n-Out Burger, while full-service dining cars could model themselves after pricier, bar-and-grill style establishments. Other possibilities include retrofitting some railcars to serve as offices on wheels, allowing professionals to get work done as stunning scenery rolls by, and providing group discounts and a play area for kids, encouraging families to get on board.
- Know what travelers are looking for: Amtrak’s current setup often requires travelers to choose between saving money and getting a good night’s sleep. Coach seats are often cheaper than budget airlines, while sleeping accommodations can be more expensive than airlines’ first-class offerings. Finding some kind of middle ground between these two classes of service could make long-distance train travel viable for a larger segment of the population. One possibility that the ex-Delta CEO may have some expertise in is seating comparable to business class on overseas flights, giving passengers the chance to, for a reasonable surcharge, lie down flat and avoid having to sleep right next to a stranger.
- Take a multimodal approach: Like any transportation mode, long-distance trains need to be well-integrated with other transportation modes to function effectively. Stations should be convenient, pleasant places to transfer between intercity trains, local transit, and other modes. Amtrak’s Thruway Motorcoach bus system should not only provide well-timed transfers to and from trains, but also effectively serve areas trains are not available in—something that existing legislation currently prevents in some states, like California. And expanding codeshares with airlines could both improve connectivity to areas lacking large airports and help the travelling public learn that trains are able to operate in weather conditions that ground planes.
If these strategies prove successful, maybe even our president – following in the footsteps of another want-to-be-strongman – will try the train on a future golfing trip.
Photo of Amtrak train in Chicago by Ian Freimuth. Photo of dining car by Librarianboy.