You've been there; standing in the cold, the wind, the rain, waiting for your Amtrak train to arrive. Its late. Its always late. Amtrak's policy seems to revolve around being late but there are other things this train gets very, very wrong.
Let's get the obvious one out of the way:
1. The perpetually late train.
Amtrak is notorious for being late. Late to the point of annoyance, you're standing at the platform, bags at the ready, and then the dreaded announcer's voice; "Train 238 from Albany to NYC is 15 minutes late". One person I know said that the only trains that aren't late are the 5:30 am train and the 12:30 pm train.
2. The Quiet Car.
The infamous car that people in business suits and scowls clamber onto. The quiet car is meant to provide a nice atmosphere for the people working. Yet it's always sandwiched next to the cafe and the bathrooms, not quiet territory. Also, what is with the placement of the car? It is right in the middle. Also it's scarcely used, so maybe instead of having the quiet car, perhaps the train could come on time.
3. The Wifi
I can count on one hand the amount of times Amtrak's wifi has worked for me my entire trip. And I take A LOT of Amtrak rides. It's always great at first, Spotify is working, my emails are showing up, but them somewhere past the ½ mark and the guy next to me snoring, the wifi goes MIA. I try restarting my computer, using my phone, even switching seats but the wifi remains elusive. Isn't the perk of Amtrak the wifi/outlets?
4. The Seats
Amtrak advertises relaxing reclining seats with plenty of leg room. Nope. You get seats, while cushioned and clean, are close together and do not in fact recline. On a packed train, you feel like a sardine. Most early morning/late night trains are good but that's not what your paying for. This brings me to my final point.
5. The Ticket Price
Oh, Amtrak, I really love you, hate you. While convenient, you are expensive.I recently tried to purchase a ticket for an hour's trip which came to a total of 40 dollars. With the sketchy wifi and the horrible seats, not to mention the late train, sometimes the cheaper option would be better.
All in all Amtrak sometimes your cons outweigh your pros. Better luck next time.
