Latest news with #Amtrak
Wall Street Journal
a day ago
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
Why Did It Take So Long to Build a Coast-to-Coast Rail Operator in the U.S.?
The $85 billion merger deal between Union Pacific UNP 2.00%increase; green up pointing triangle and Norfolk Southern NSC 1.43%increase; green up pointing triangle announced Tuesday joins 50,000 miles of railroad tracks that span from the Jersey shore to the ports in California. The union would create a single company controlling coast-to-coast rail shipments for the first time in U.S. history—a feat Union Pacific says would speed up shipping and make supply chains more efficient. The first transcontinental railway was patched together in 1869, when a ceremonial 'golden spike' was driven into the final rail in Utah connecting two companies' tracks—but that version depended on more than one operator. Today, Amtrak carries passengers from coast to coast but operates mostly on tracks owned by freight railroads.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Daily Mail
I spent 200 hours solo traveling across America by train... here is what the experience was REALLY like
A woman who has traveled over 8,000 miles across the US by train has shared the hidden gems most Americans don't know about. Chloé Höglund, 34, who is originally from New Zealand, went on a solo trip around America on Amtrak sleeper trains earlier this year. She visited a whopping 26 states and spent nearly 200 hours on trains, and along the way, she witnessed a series of beautiful sights. 'I basically drew a rectangle across the map of America - New York to Seattle, down the Pacific Coast, across the deserts to New Orleans, and up the East Coast to New York again,' she shared exclusively with the Daily Mail. 'I saw a mix of big-name spots and tiny towns I'd never even heard of until the train stopped there.' Chloé gushed that there were 'so many amazing views' but the place that stood out to her the most was Washington state. 'I loved it - mountains, rivers, bridges, snow-capped peaks, big trees - it had everything I love,' she explained. According to the avid traveler, even the more 'boring' states surprised her by their beauty. 'Even the "boring" or flatter states had beauty in them - whether it was quirky houses, farm animals, or strange little structures in the middle of nowhere,' she continued. 'I found something to enjoy everywhere. Nothing went unappreciated on my end.' While many people choose to travel via plane, Chloé explained that taking a train gives you the opportunity to explore places between your starting point and destination. She added that time seems to 'slow down' when you're on a train, and it's a lot less stressful than getting on a flight since there are no security lines and TSA. 'Days stretch out, scenery unfolds, and you get to be fully present,' she shared. 'It's slow in the best way. You can read, nap, chat with strangers (which I had to practice doing as I was terrified), or just watch the world roll by without worrying about traffic or airport delays. 'It feels nostalgic, cinematic, and a bit magical. It's like pressing pause on real life for a few days.' She said traveling via train helped give her a taste of so many different places, and she can now pick which ones she wants to go back to and visit more thoroughly. 'Sure, you might not fully explore every destination you pass through, but I think of it more like a little preview of places I'd love to come back to,' she explained. 'My travel list has grown massively just from watching the world roll by on Amtrak.' Chloé, who estimated that she spent $5,000 on the train tickets during the trip, slept on a bed on the train, and while she admitted the rooms were a little 'cramped,' she said they felt 'cozy' to her. 'The rooms are tiny but honestly, I love tiny spaces, so it didn't feel like a downside to me. It's a bit like camping… but with walls, bumps, horns, and a moving bed,' she joked. 'The gentle rocking helps you sleep (usually), and waking up to a new view out your window feels like a little gift every morning. I loved the surprise of opening my curtains to a new view each day.' There were some downsides, however, like some crew members who 'seemed like they hated their jobs' and rooms not always being the cleanest. There were some downsides, however, like some crew members who 'seemed like they hated their jobs' and rooms not always being the cleanest 'Unfortunately, Amtrak's rooms weren't exactly sparkling clean - not awful, but definitely not spotless,' she shared. The Wi-Fi was also 'unreliable' and the service was usually spotty, but she added, 'I kind of enjoy the forced disconnect of it all, it's all part of the charm of slow travel.' In the end, she wanted to remind others that travel doesn't 'always need to be fast of fancy to be memorable.' 'It's such a different way of traveling - you're not in control like you are on a road trip. You have to give in to the journey, surrender to the pace,' she concluded. 'It kind of forces you to be 'bored' and relax in the best way possible. Read that book you've been putting off, daydream, watch the clouds… it's good for the soul.'
National Geographic
2 days ago
- National Geographic
8 of the most beautiful train stations in the U.S.
Completed in 1914, Denver Union Station in Colorado is now home to the luxe Crawford Hotel and 10 restaurants. Completed in 1914, Denver Union Station in Colorado is now home to the luxe Crawford Hotel and 10 restaurants. Completed in 1914, Denver Union Station in Colorado is now home to the luxe Crawford Hotel and 10 restaurants. Completed in 1914, Denver Union Station in Colorado is now home to the luxe Crawford Hotel and 10 restaurants. Train stations in the U.S. are more than just destinations for passengers to ride the rails—many are historic design marvels—and still are, visitors' first introduction to major cities like LA, Chicago, and New York City. Communities saved several of these century-old stunners, which had declined after World War II. Now, many train stations now double as hotels, museums, and food halls in addition to serving as transportation hubs. These train stations also remain icons of architecture, and they are starting to see more passengers walk through their doors, too, as Amtrak had a record 32.8 million riders in 2024. The old-school opulence of these train stations, which drip with marble, mosaics, sculptures, and symbolism, still persuades travelers to pause for a rare taste of architectural eye candy—not something you'd usually say about an airport. Here's a list of where you will find the most beautiful train stations in the U.S. (Travel delays? These airports and train stations actually have great food) Passengers catching trains at Union Station in Washington, D.C., should take in the multi-billion-dollar renovations underway, including the updated 30-foot-high coffered barrel-vaulted ceiling. Photograph by Allan Baxter, Getty Images You can't help but stop in your tracks in Washington, D.C.'s Union Station, a Beaux Arts behemoth completed in 1908 that's a fittingly grand gateway to the nation's capital. Its soaring Main Hall has a 30-foot-high coffered barrel-vaulted ceiling punctuated with 23-karat gold-leaf medallions, and 46 statues of ancient Roman Legionnaire soldiers stand sentinel around the room above the passengers wandering below. Despite all these symbols of its past, the station is undergoing a huge $8.8 billion modernization upgrade to transform the country's second-busiest train station into a hub for high-speed rail. A new train hall is currently under construction next to the historic one, designed to better connect with buses and other forms of public transit. (Forget the road trip—these national parks are best visited by train) Denver Union Station, Colorado Denver's train station is a phoenix, rising from the ashes—both literally and figuratively—several times over the last century. The chandelier in the women's bathroom caught fire in 1894, torching most of the original building, but in 1914, the train station expanded to accommodate an increasing number of passengers. An impressive 2014 overhaul brought the formerly dilapidated station back to life, and 10 years later, a refresh confirmed Union Station's place as an integral part of the city's fabric. The carved granite Beaux Arts beauty still has many original features, including its terrazzo floors, iron arches, and double-height arched windows. Today, Denver's Union Station is a model for other train stations across the country, providing necessities for modern-day travelers. Its food hall contains bars serving cocktails and Colorado craft beers, as well as restaurants, including Iberian-themed Ultreia, helmed by James Beard-award-winning chef Jennifer Jasinski. The Great Hall doubles as a lobby for waiting passengers and guests to check into the luxurious Crawford Hotel, one of only three hotels in Denver awarded a Michelin Key. 'You can't build history,' says Ed Blair, the area general manager of Denver Union Station. 'There are a lot of great new modern spaces, but the uniqueness of Denver Union Station and other train stations throughout the country is that it just happens over time. Keeping those stories alive, whether they be spoken through the architecture that's restored and celebrated, or whether things are found and turned into art, is part of what's differentiated us, certainly in the city and then among our peers throughout the country.' (Is this classic train odyssey through the Rockies North America's best rail journey?) Kansas City Union Station, Missouri 'When you walk in and see the towering 95-foot ceilings, it's kind of like our Sistine Chapel,' says George Guastello, the CEO of Kansas City's Union Station. The architecture of this train station certainly does inspire feelings of reverence and awe. Opened in 1914, Union Station features heavy bronze doors and a coffered ceiling holding aloft three 3,500-pound chandeliers and a clock with a six-foot-tall face. Union Station in Kansas City experienced a period of decline after World War II; however, a historic bi-state sales taxthat started in 1997 saved it and helped fund its much-needed renovations. The space has expanded to handle much more than trains. It is also home to a kid-focused science museum, a planetarium, restaurants, and a movie theater with a five-story-tall screen. The station is, of course, still for travelers, but it's become more like the front porch of Kansas City. 'We've become the visual voice of the community,' Guastello says. 'I don't think [architect] Jarvis Hunt could have ever imagined 350,000 people in front of Union Station to do a football draft, but his building was lit up and was the backdrop for one of the biggest sporting events in the world.' (These are the best train trips in the world to take in 2025 and beyond) Chicago Union Station, Illinois Marking its centennial this year, Chicago's Union Station is the central hub for long-distance train travel in the U.S. As the longtime home of architect Frank Lloyd Wright and the world's first skyscraper, Chicago is an excellent destination for architecture enthusiasts. Even in a city of giants, Union Station is no slouch, and its humbly named Great Hall hints at the grandeur inside. 'It wasn't just for travel that locals came to Chicago Union Station. It was a destination in its own right,' say Joan Johns, who leads Union Station tours at the Chicago Architecture Center. 'Locals continue to come by Chicago Union Station at all seasons of the year just to visit the Great Hall.' After a $22 million renovation that wrapped up in 2019, the Great Hall is once again looking its best, boasting travertine columns, hexagonal medallions, and gilded statues called Night and Day—meant to remind customers that trains ran around the clock in the 1920s, unlike air travel at the time. The curved skylight that spans the full length and width of the Great Hall's ceiling is the highlight at this station. (10 of the dreamiest stargazing trains in the U.S.) Los Angeles Union Station, California Los Angeles Union Station, known for its Mission Moderne architecture, is the last grand train station constructed in the U.S. Photograph by Robert Landau, Getty Images The last grand train station constructed in America, Los Angeles Union Station, is the largest train terminal in the western U.S., and was touted as a beacon of modernity when it opened in 1939. Its unique Mission Moderne architecture—combining Spanish Colonial Revival with Art Deco—is embodied in the exterior whitewashed walls, a 127-foot-high clock tower, and a bright red clay tile roof. Inside, the Waiting Hall is an Art Deco masterpiece, featuring a painted beamed ceiling, 30-foot-tall windows, and six 3,000-pound bronze chandeliers above blocky, original wooden chairs. An eight-year-long restoration reveals a ceiling with stencils of California wildflowers in the Entry Vestibule, which had been hidden for 80 years beneath tobacco tar and dirt. Like many LA residents, Union Station is also a star of the silver screen, having appeared in 150 movies in its long career, including The Dark Knight Rises, Catch Me If You Can, and Blade Runner. (How to plan the ultimate U.S. rail trip along the West Coast or Eastern Seaboard) Philadelphia 30th Street Station, Pennsylvania Travelers are sure to spend a lot of time craning their necks at Philly's huge train station, where Art Deco meets neoclassical in a truly grand fashion. 'It was built at the scale of the great city, with gigantic east- and west-facing Corinthian porticoes appropriate for their function as the gateway of a metropolis,' says David Brownlee, a professor of the history of art at the University of Pennsylvania and an expert on the City Beautiful movement, a turn-of-the-century push to bring beauty and monumental architecture to urban spaces. 'The stupendous Main Hall, floored in marble and walled in travertine, is 95 feet tall. It signals to the arriving traveler, in no uncertain terms, that Philadelphia is a place of superlatives.' Coffered ceilings feature blocky, cylindrical Art Deco chandeliers, and massive windows that span multiple stories, illuminating the space. The station is undergoing a renovation project, expected to finish in 2027, which will brighten its Alabama limestone facades and introduce a new food hall for travelers, making the station a more attractive destination. Grand Central Terminal, New York Travelers pass through the busy Grand Central Terminal in New York City. Photograph by Brian Drouin, National Geographic Image Collection No U.S. train station is more iconic or better known than Grand Central in New York City. Even though this station doesn't have Amtrak services—it's a stop only for some NYC subway lines and regional commuter trains—it sees more than 750,000 passengers every day. Another Beaux-Arts beauty, Grand Central draws its architectural inspiration from ancient Roman baths, and features a vaulted plaster ceiling painted with the 12 constellations of the zodiac and 2,500 stars in gold leaf. Dating from 1913, the bulging glass clock atop the information booth remains a popular meeting point. An acorn sits atop the information booth clock in the Main Concourse. Look closely to find more scattered around the station's architecture, representing the phrase 'great oaks from little acorns grow,' the family motto of the Vanderbilts, who paid for the station's construction. Portland Union Station, Oregon Topped with a 150-foot Romanesque Revival clock tower and an illuminated neon sign that implores travelers to 'Go By Train,' Portland's Union Station opened in 1896 and has been a landmark ever since. It doesn't resemble the other grand stations from this era, swapping Beaux Arts for brick, but it is the oldest major train station on the West Coast. Today, passengers still wait for departures on large wooden pews under the lofty coffered ceilings, which are adorned with flower-shaped medallions and surrounded by Italian marble walls and floors in the main hall. Why are so many train stations in the U.S. called Union Station? In the days when multiple companies provided passenger rail service in the United States, they often pooled their resources to create a single train station in a city. As a way to represent this corporate collaboration, train stations were called Union Station. Today, Amtrak, founded in 1971, is the only national passenger rail service in the U.S. (After 20 years, Amtrak's Gulf Coast train line is back—here's what to expect) Lauren Keith is a travel writer and guidebook author who covers underloved and off-the-beaten-track places. Follow her on is a travel writer and guidebook author who covers underloved and off-the-beaten-track places. Follow her on Instagram
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE It was supposed to make train travel easier but horrors of deadly Amtrak crash still haunts passengers
It was supposed to be a day of celebration for passengers aboard the Amtrak Cascades 501 train as it traveled on its first day of a new rail route in Washington State until disaster struck that left three people dead and 70 injured. Quincy Linton, now 20, was sitting on the train on his way to visit his sister and meet his newborn niece. In one moment, he was enjoying the ride and in the next sprawled out on the train tracks dazed, bloodied and wounded. The 12-car train careened off the overpass during the busy morning rush hour traffic onto Interstate 5 crushing eight vehicles - five cars and two semi-trucks - causing a chaotic and horrific scene filled with police, firefighters and emergency responders. Seventy-seven passengers were aboard the train including five Amtrak workers and a Talgo, Inc. technician. Linton's story of survival is part of a new weekly limited series produced by NBC News Studios, Survival Mode that is slated to air on July 28. 'I remember being on the ground. Rocks falling from the train and the train dangling down. I see blood gushing down onto my hands onto my shoes onto my ground. I was just telling myself, 'I want to go to sleep,'' he said in an exclusive clip shared with Daily Mail ahead of the show airing. 'I remember some lady that came to pick me up. She was just telling me, don't go to sleep. Stay up.' She told me, 'I'm strong. Stay up. I was asking her where my dad's at?' Each episode of Survival Mode focuses on a different disaster with firsthand accounts from survivors and rare archival footage. The Maui wildfires, the Joplin Tornado, Superstorm Sandy, and the sinking of the Costa Concordia are among the disasters featured in the series. Good Samaritan Tanya Porter was driving home after her shift as a nurse and immediately rushed to the scene to help those caught in the mangled train. 'There was a gentlemen laying the ground underneath the train that was dangling. I went over. I was trying to assess what was going on. And people are yelling at me to move out of the way because they're still fuel on the ground. It's not safe,' she recalled in the new show nearly eight years after the horror. She told emergency responders, 'Wait, we can't leave these people here. There are several other people on the ground underneath the train. So we can't just leave them here. If the train falls, they'll be gone.' Preliminary information from the data recorder showed that, the train was traveling at 78 mph nearly 50 mph over the speed limit in the 30 mile per hour zone, according to the 2019 Railroad Accident Report from the National Transportation Safety Board. The engineer driving the train was near DuPont, Washington and was crossing Interstate 5 around 7.32am when he went past the advanced speed restriction sign roughly two miles before the dangerous curve. The time of the crash was 7.34am on December 18, 2017. The engineer planned to brake at the sign about one mile before the curve but as the train approached the headlights washed out the sign, and the engineer missed the breaking point, as per a report. The alarm sounded off, however, the engineer was reportedly unfamiliar with the charger locomotive and appeared not to react to the warnings. Once he realized the grave situation he was in, it was too late. The goal of the new railway line was to separate passenger and freight traffic and reduce congestion giving commuters a faster ride and shorter trip. It was a joint partnership between Amtrak, who operated the train and state and local authorities in Oregon and Washington. The new line would save ten minutes in commuting time from Seattle to Portland compared with the previous route used by Cascades Amtrak. However, the train derailed a short distance from where the new route merged with the previous route. On the morning of the crash there were many safety measures that were reportedly not in place that contributed to the devastating crash, according to multiple reports. Days before the inaugural run, more than a dozen engineers and conductors told their supervisors they did not feel sufficiently trained on the new route. The engineer driving the doomed Amtrak Cascades 501 was a certified engineer working for the rail company since 2013 and was described as experienced and a conscientious and safe driver. The engineer told investigators he took seven to 10 observational training trips on the new route, but was only at the controls for three one-way trips, and only one of those was in the direction the train was traveling when it crashed, according to an interim report released by the National Transportation Safety Board, CNN previously reported. The chaotic scene as several railcars hit oncoming vehicles along the busy roadway during morning rush hour around 7.30am December 18, 2017 Though he did not speak to CNN, according to the report he told the NTSB 'he would not have gotten behind the throttle if he had any reservations about his readiness to operate the train'. They told CNN that they felt 'dangerously unprepared' and training was rushed and 'totally inadequate'. Some of the engineers disclosed that they were not getting enough practice during the brief training runs. They needed more time to familiarize themselves with the controls and the new route - and revealed that the new locomotive used in the inaugural was something they weren't as accustomed too. After the devastation, damages were estimated to be more than $25.8 million. The NTSB partly blamed Sound Transit, the public transit agency serving the Seattle metropolitan areas in Washington State for failing to implement safety improvements before the new Portland to Seattle route, according to local news outlet OPB. More than 35 people sued Amtrak and several won multimillion dollar suits. In November 2021, four years after the deadly train crash, OPB reported that the railway has resumed operations with new safety measures including, an 'Activated Positive Train Control,' a system that uses GPS to slow a train in dangerous conditions.
Travel Weekly
4 days ago
- Business
- Travel Weekly
All aboard! Demand for rail travel picks up steam
With rail travel bookings surging both this year and next, tour operators are adding itineraries and product. Railbookers has seen a 35% jump in year-over-year bookings for 2025 and a 51% increase for 2026 compared to the same time last year. The operator also owns Amtrak Vacations, which has seen a 15% increase in 2025 bookings year over year. The rail specialists are not the only ones observing a spike in demand for train travel. Intrepid Travel added six itineraries to its rail travel collection in July after unveiling the tours last year and seeing a 24% increase in bookings so far this year. Intrepid Travel expanded its rail itineraries in July after seeing increased interest in the travel style over the last year. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Intrepid Travel G Adventures debuted a rail collection in April that features itineraries with more than 50% of travel by train. G Adventures director of product Sean Benner said the collection was receiving a "ton of engagement" and that G already has plans to expand rail offerings due to the popularity. "We've seen [with] the tours that have been tagged as rail collection, the sales are going up on those," Benner said. "It is a trend that we've been aware of, and it's exciting to see the engagement that we're getting out of it." Tour operators and travel advisors cited various factors fueling demand to ride the rails, from new product to social media to nostalgia for the slower travel of the past. "We've found that it really appeals to travelers looking for more thoughtful, immersive journeys that reduce their environmental impact," said Intrepid spokesperson Hannah Choat. "While sustainability plays a role, the appeal of rail today is equally about pace, presence and deeper connection." Angela Walker, the vice president of operations at The Society of International Railway Travelers, said social media and nostalgia has fueled increased interest in rail travel. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Angela Walker Angela Walker, vice president of operations for The Society of International Railway Travelers, a travel agency that specializes in luxury rail travel, also said slow travel is a major draw for clients opting for luxury rail itineraries. Travelers enjoy the time spent on trains meeting other passengers, enjoying cocktails while watching the scenery go by and indulging in multicourse meals, she said. "It is about the journey as well as the destination," Walker said. That was echoed by Benner, who said that slow, immersive travel and rail journeys go hand in hand. Rail travel differs from country to country, he added, providing a different experience based on the destination and a unique glimpse into the lives of locals. "You're traveling with commuters who are going to work every day," Benner said of G Adventures' itineraries. And he added that the experience "hits perfectly to our sort of ethos, the grassroots of community travel and being there with the community and experiencing it as a local." A passenger train in Poland, with the Tatra Mountains in the background. Photo Credit: Courtesy of G Adventures New trains, vintage experiences Social media is also driving the trend, operators said. Take the iconic bullet trains in Japan or sleeper trains in India, for example. Those types of experiences, frequently shared on social media, can fuel desire to visit those destinations, Benner said. Walker said that with social media picking up on the travel style, it appears to be in "the zeitgeist a little bit more than it used to be." She also credited the premiere of new luxury trains this year as enticing travelers to get onboard. Belmond launched its Britannic Explorer in England and Wales earlier this month, while La Dolce Vita Orient Express made its debut in Italy in April along with the Golden Eagle Silk Road Express in China, Walker said. "It doesn't happen very often that a new train comes along, much less three," she said. Though business at the Society of International Railway Travelers has remained steady, Walker said clients are skewing younger. Luxury rail is no longer only for retirees, she said, adding that she sees more Gen X and millennial clients. Walker said nostalgia is also a factor, pointing to the personal connection many travelers have with rail travel, whether it's a family member's connection to the railroad or a childhood fascination with trains. Luxury train itineraries will sometimes feature a night when passengers dress in 1920s-inspired outfits, a nod to a heyday of rail travel. Jackie DeAntonis, a Scott Dunn private travel manager, agreed and said the allure of the throwback experience proves to be a motivator for rail travelers. "Our guests love the idea of dressing up for a glamorous dinner onboard and connecting with fellow travelers," she said. "But even more important than the glamour is the opportunity rail travel affords them to explore lesser-known regions and experience magical moments."
