Note: this page was last updated in 2008. Some of these links are dated but the information they discuss is still online and discoverable via search.
Amtrak Official Websites
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En-route train status – on the Amtrak homepage
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Amtrak Guest Rewards frequent traveler program.
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Amtrak Vacations - travel, hotel, and entertainment packages.
Third-Party Information Sites
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Long-Distance Train Travel in the USA - this site
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Amtrak Travel Tips from the National Association of Railroad Passengers
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More questions and answers from NARP
Mailing Lists and Groups
- All_Aboard, (e-mail list), the largest passenger-related mailing list on the Internet.
Rail Advocacy Organizations
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Regional advocacy organizations at trainweb’s advocacy directory
Links to this note
Generally, I have found train travel to be competitive with iir, bus, or car travel. Of course, the specifics will vary depending on where you are going, when, and on what train. Check out the How to Travel by Amtrak page for information on getting fares online or by phone. Also, there are lots of discounts available.
Traveling by rail can be a fun, rewarding, exciting, and inexpensive experience. There are lots of Reasons to Travel by Rail. But it’s different in many ways from air or car travel. Read on to learn all about your trip.
Amtrak is the only cross-country passenger railroad in the United States. Outside a few regions, Amtrak is usually the only way to travel state-to-state by rail, and is the only regular option for cross-country travel by rail. Amtrak operates the trains, and mostly runs on tracks owned by freight railroads. Amtrak is a quasi-governmental corporation, created in 1971 when the passenger railroads at the time wanted to get out of the passenger business. For more information on the history of Amtrak, see the Wikipedia article on Amtrak.