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Started By
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Amtrak: Slidell-Birmingham; $67 R/T
Posted on 5/22/22 at 8:51 pm
Posted on 5/22/22 at 8:51 pm
OK - I'm thinking about it. Am I crazy? 7hrs there; 6 hrs back. Avg drive time 5 hrs one-way.
Haven't traveled by train in 50 years! Pros & Cons, please. T.I.A.
Haven't traveled by train in 50 years! Pros & Cons, please. T.I.A.
8
Posted on 5/22/22 at 9:44 pm to tigerpawl
You’re going to Birmingham....
Posted on 5/22/22 at 10:40 pm to tigerpawl
If you go for the LSU-Bama game (next year), it’s a big party the whole way there!
ETA: my daughter did this last year … there were delays and it ended up being a 8-9 hour trip … I mean party! Lol!
ETA: my daughter did this last year … there were delays and it ended up being a 8-9 hour trip … I mean party! Lol!
This post was edited on 5/22/22 at 10:42 pm
Posted on 5/23/22 at 5:20 am to tigerpawl
Did it last year for work. I slept about half the time. Seats are comfortable. The car I was in was about 25% capacity. Bring your own food.
Posted on 5/23/22 at 6:43 am to lsualum98
quote:This is the 2nd time I hear about delays. Something about issues pulling over and waiting on other trains in the opposite direction. Wonder what the on-time percentage is...
there were delays and it ended up being a 8-9 hour trip
ETA: Well this is disappointing. They are consistently 3 hours late departing Slidell. Why don't they just adjust the departure time to real-world data? LINK
This post was edited on 5/23/22 at 8:19 am
Posted on 5/23/22 at 8:57 am to tigerpawl
I watched a video on train travel this past week. The narrator stated that the tracks are owned by the freight lines and that they have priority over the Amtrak passenger trains.
Posted on 5/23/22 at 9:18 am to tigerpawl
I tend to think carefully about the type of people traveling on a route. Atlanta to Denver is going to be a non-trashy flight, regardless of carrier. Atlanta to New Orleans is going to be trashy as hell, regardless of carrier. Delta will be better than Spirit, but nonetheless.
Amtrak is probably worse, so I assume anything Louisiana to Alabama will be pretty awful.
Amtrak is probably worse, so I assume anything Louisiana to Alabama will be pretty awful.
Posted on 5/23/22 at 9:19 am to multicampus
quote:Yes. I've heard they have to yield to freight trains. Wouldn't it be nice if U.S. trains ran like Europe? I'm assuming Euro trains have dedicated passenger lines. In 2006, I took the TGV (France). It was really a cool trip.
The narrator stated that the tracks are owned by the freight lines and that they have priority over the Amtrak passenger trains.
BTW, I went ahead and booked the Slidell-Bham trip. Couldn't pass up saving $160 in fuel burn + no driving. Everybody has their tipping point. It's still inside my tolerance level.
Just for grins, I'm monitoring the same train (Train #20) out of New Orleans today. Scheduled departure: 09:15 this morning. See: "Train Status"
Posted on 5/23/22 at 9:23 am to tigerpawl
I’ve done it, leaving from Slidell was on time but yes, freight takes priority. I turned my Waze on, behind a freight we were doing about 40 mph, when were cruising it was usually over 80 mph.
The clientele was a mix, the station in Birmingham shares the building with greyhound if that tells you anything.
We did pick up this old drunk dude in Tuscaloosa who seemed to know all the Amtrak employees, was entertaining to say the least.
The clientele was a mix, the station in Birmingham shares the building with greyhound if that tells you anything.
We did pick up this old drunk dude in Tuscaloosa who seemed to know all the Amtrak employees, was entertaining to say the least.
Posted on 5/23/22 at 9:42 am to Flipflopfly
quote:Was his name Otis?
We did pick up this old drunk dude in Tuscaloosa who seemed to know all the Amtrak employees, was entertaining to say the least.
I think you just have to realize you have to suck up your pride. It's less stressful that way. You know going in it's not a white-glove affair. A priority will be how to productively pass the time. iPad + battery pack + a couple of chicken salad sammiches + a soft ice chest for beverages.
FYI... Train #20 (NOLA-Slidell) is estimated to be 2 minutes early in Slidell. Stay tuned for the rest of the story.
Latest status: 4.22PM. Next stop: Tuscaloosa. 01:25 late. Not top bad. Track your train - Map
This post was edited on 5/23/22 at 4:25 pm
Posted on 5/23/22 at 10:59 am to tigerpawl
Amtrak trains are great for some trips, especially if travel time is not a big deal. Enjoy the money you are saving, the lack of stress from driving and dealing with traffic, the ability to sleep/read/work/watch a screen/look out the window, and to eat and drink what you want.
Posted on 5/23/22 at 12:16 pm to NOLALGD
I've always wanted to take the train from Bham to DC. On my vacation list is the train from Chicago to San Francisco.
Posted on 5/23/22 at 6:22 pm to Aubie Spr96
Today's Train #20 pulled in to Bham at 6:00PM straight up. 45 minutes late. Not bad.
This post was edited on 5/23/22 at 6:24 pm
Posted on 5/24/22 at 7:36 am to tigerpawl
Did the Tuscaloosa to New Orleans round trip twice back when I was I college. All 4 arrivals were late, but I can’t remember how late. One one leg, we were stopped on the tracks for over an hour letting a cargo train pass.
It’s a great way to travel other than the delays. If that route was consistently on time, it’d be a no brainer to do that over driving or flying. Iirc, the New Orleans station is in the convention center/casino area, so a cheap Uber to where you want to be.
It’s a great way to travel other than the delays. If that route was consistently on time, it’d be a no brainer to do that over driving or flying. Iirc, the New Orleans station is in the convention center/casino area, so a cheap Uber to where you want to be.
Posted on 5/24/22 at 8:15 am to tigerpawl
I travel by Amtrak now and then, it's not bad but you have to think completely differently.
1. It's a gov't entity. You have the employee motivation of the post office. Your service will be worse than most airlines. Some employees are really great, many are not.
2. They pay below market rate to get a track slot. Delays are no surprise.
3. Think strategically about delays. If you're going Chicago to Milwaukee, it's a short trip and the train goes no farther. There's little chance for delay. If you're going NOLA-BHM, the train comes all the way from New York City. It's probably going to leave New Orleans on time and lose time on the way north, getting into BHM an hour or two late. On the way south, it's probably already lost a few hours before it hits Charlotte, Atlanta, then BHM. It will be very late by New Orleans.
The food is crummy and expensive. Carry a few good subs aboard. Do not include an oyster po boy unless you intend to eat it immediately after boarding.
You can always buy your own cabin, usually for overnight travel. I have done so for privacy NOL-BHM on a day trip.
1. It's a gov't entity. You have the employee motivation of the post office. Your service will be worse than most airlines. Some employees are really great, many are not.
2. They pay below market rate to get a track slot. Delays are no surprise.
3. Think strategically about delays. If you're going Chicago to Milwaukee, it's a short trip and the train goes no farther. There's little chance for delay. If you're going NOLA-BHM, the train comes all the way from New York City. It's probably going to leave New Orleans on time and lose time on the way north, getting into BHM an hour or two late. On the way south, it's probably already lost a few hours before it hits Charlotte, Atlanta, then BHM. It will be very late by New Orleans.
The food is crummy and expensive. Carry a few good subs aboard. Do not include an oyster po boy unless you intend to eat it immediately after boarding.
You can always buy your own cabin, usually for overnight travel. I have done so for privacy NOL-BHM on a day trip.
Posted on 5/24/22 at 1:49 pm to Aubie Spr96
quote:
I've always wanted to take the train from Bham to DC. On my vacation list is the train from Chicago to San Francisco.
Same. Always wanted to do an overnight trip, and 3 weeks from today my daughters and I will be boarding the City of New Orleans for an overnight trip to Chicago. They will share a bedroom; I have a private roommette.
Cubs game the day we arrive, but not till 7 PM, so if the train is late we have plenty of "time cushion".
Looking forward to it, but going into it with open eyes. Will bring some gin and tonic with me...
Posted on 5/24/22 at 2:12 pm to tigerpawl
following... would be interesting to do this if you could travel early AM get there when sunrise instead of killing a whole day of travel
Posted on 5/24/22 at 3:06 pm to BRich
quote:
They will share a bedroom; I have a private roommette.
How big are the bedrooms and roommettes? Do you have your own dining area on the train or is that even a thing? I've never ridden the train
Posted on 5/24/22 at 3:57 pm to Palmetto08
quote:
How big are the bedrooms and roommettes?
Roomette diagram:
Roomette photo:
About the size of a long closet. Have to use hall bathroom/shower in the sleeper car (off-limits to people in coach).
Bedroom diagram:
Bedroom photo:
Quite a bit bigger, has its own bath/shower combo.
quote:
Do you have your own dining area on the train or is that even a thing?
There is a dining car:
All meals are included in the ticket price if you have a bedroom or roomette (dinner and breakfast on this trip). You can also have your meals served in your roomette or bedroom, room service-style with no extra charge.
Coach riders cannot eat in the dining car, they can get food in the "cafe' car" (a different car).
Posted on 5/24/22 at 4:02 pm to Palmetto08
Sleeping cars with bedrooms/roomettes are in separate cars from coach. For one person, a roomette is plenty of space. It has two bunks, but it is not roomy enough for more than one person, IMO. The bedrooms are obviously larger and much better for 2 passengers, and include a bathroom/shower stall. With roomettes, you use community bathrooms and have access to a shower stall.
ETA: sorry, late to the show. lol.
ETA: sorry, late to the show. lol.
This post was edited on 5/24/22 at 4:03 pm
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