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Train Travel

Please visit Amtrak's website to learn more about train travel.

 

Train travel is a low cost alternative for your road trip for an adventure-minded traveler.  This is an excellent idea to look into especially if your end destination is a national park or big city.  Once you arrive at either of these destinations you can get around easily with the abundance of public transportation.  If you like the idea of traveling by train it will add an element of adventure to your trip that you could never achieve by driving your own car.

Amtrak does an excellent job staying on schedule and is the only way to go if you are considering the idea of train travel for your road trip.  Make sure you investigate the cost, travel time, and departure times for your destination carefully.  On occasion train travel is not an option for your road trip adventure because of those factors. 

If you are looking to simply get away for a long weekend then I highly recommend a Downtown City Tour.  Once you purchase your train tickets then you can find your hotel room online at a rock-bottom price to fit your budget!

These Amtrak routes listed below will help guide your planning for this adventure.  If you visit Amtrak's website you will be able to get detailed maps of these routs and purchase your tickets online:

 

 

Route Name Major Cities Served Regions
Adirondack
Effective October 27, 2008 		New York - Montreal Northeast
Amtrak Cascades
Effective October 27, 2008 		Vancouver - Seattle - Portland - Eugene - Springfield Northwest
Auto Train / Carolinian / Piedmont / Silver Service / Palmetto
Effective October 27, 2008 		New York - Raleigh - Charlotte / New York - Washington - Miami Northeast
South
California Zephyr
Effective October 27, 2008 		Chicago - Denver - Salt Lake City - Emeryville / San Francisco Midwest
West
California
Capitol Corridor
Effective October 27, 2008 		San Francisco - San Jose / Oakland - Sacramento / Auburn / Reno California
Capitol Limited
Effective October 27, 2008 		Chicago - Pittsburgh - Cleveland - Washington Northeast
Midwest
Cardinal & Hoosier State
Effective October 27, 2008 		Chicago - Indianapolis - New York / Chicago - Indianapolis Midwest
Northeast
City of New Orleans
Effective October 27, 2008 		Chicago - Memphis - Jackson - New Orleans Midwest
South
Coast Starlight
Effective October 27, 2008 		Seattle - Portland - Los Angeles California
Northwest
Crescent
Effective October 27, 2008 		New York - Washington - Atlanta - New Orleans Northeast
South
Downeaster
Effective November 17, 2008 		Portland - Boston Northeast
Empire Builder
Effective October 27, 2008 		Chicago - St. Paul/Minneapolis -Portland/Seattle Midwest
West
Northwest
Empire Service
Effective October 27, 2008 		New York - Albany - Buffalo - Toronto Northeast
Ethan Allen Express / Vermonter
Effective October 27, 2008 		Rutland - Albany - New York / St. Albans - Springfield - New York Northeast
Hiawatha
Effective October 27, 2008 		Milwaukee - Chicago Midwest
Illinois / Missouri Services
Effective October 27, 2008 		Chicago - Quincy / St. Louis / Kansas City Midwest
Keystone Service
Effective October 27, 2008 		Harrisburg - Philadelphia - New York Northeast
Lake Shore Limited
Effective October 27, 2008 		Chicago - Cleveland - Buffalo - Boston/New York Northeast
Midwest
Maple Leaf
Effective October 27, 2008 		New York - Buffalo - Toronto Northeast
Michigan Services
Effective October 27, 2008 		Chicago - Detroit - Pontiac / Chicago - Grand Rapids Midwest
Northeast Corridor 1
Effective October 27, 2008 		New York - Philadelphia - Baltimore - Washington Northeast
Northeast Corridor 2
Effective October 27, 2008 		Boston - New York - Philadelphia - Washington - Newport News Northeast
Northeast Corridor 3
Effective October 27, 2008 		Springfield - Hartford - New York - Washington Northeast
Pacific Surfliner
Effective October 27, 2008 		San Luis Obispo - Santa Barbara - Los Angeles - San Diego California
Pennsylvanian
Effective October 27, 2008 		New York - Philadelphia - Pittsburgh Northeast
San Joaquins
Effective October 27, 2008 		San Francisco - San Joaquin Valley - Fresno - Bakersfield California
Southwest Chief
Effective October 27, 2008 		Chicago - Kansas City - Albuquerque - Los Angeles Midwest
West
California
Sunset Limited
Effective October 27, 2008 		New Orleans - San Antonio - Los Angeles California
West
South
Texas Eagle - Heartland Flyer
Effective October 27, 2008 		Chicago - Dallas - San Antonio / Oklahoma City - Fort Worth Midwest
West

 

To make your trip more enjoyable, you might want to pack some of these items so that you can easily get to them:

  • Travel games or board games
  • Deck of cards
  • MP3 Player
  • Cell Phone
  • Camera
  • Snacks & Beverages
  • Binoculars
  • Pillow & Blanket
  • Comfortable footwear
  • Crayons & coloring books for the kids
  • Crossword puzzles
  • A good book, magazine, or eBook
  • Travel journal or notebook
  • Maps (so that you can follow along during your journey)
  • Laptop
  • Sunglasses
  • Hand wipes (moist towelettes)

 


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