Amtrak

I guess I should have realized that there was going to be a problem when our 5:30 pm train that left one hour late for Chicago and supposed to arrive there at 11:10 pm starting headed in the wrong direction. Though we were warned that this was because the train was late and so needed to «turnaround» it was painful to arrive back at St. Louis one hour after we were supposed to leave. Numerous additional delays later we’ve just left Joliet at 12:30 am and looks like it’s still a 2 hour ride to Chicago. I don’t think I’ll ever take this trip again and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. Mostly I feel sorry for the conductors and various others who work for Amtrak. Absolutely pathetic.

The first leg of the round trip was decent. I journeyed southeast on the right hand side of the train. I didn’t see much other than cliffs and bluffs. I took the right hand side going northwest so I could see some of the Missouri river. The service on the trains were very friendly. I don’t recommend buying anything from the café car.
The train BROKE DOWN about halfway through the return trip. We were told LOTS of different things from the conductor. We were repeatedly told we would have options and that Amtrak would get us all to our intended destinations. We switched trains and were taken back to St, Louis where most of us had begun our journey. We were told to talk to the ticket booth manager and that could get us rooms for the night and we could take the morning train. We were met by a VERY frustrated and uncompassionate manager. Long story short, Amtrak cared nothing that 30 plus travelers were left high and dry in their depot. They did absolutely nothing to fix the problem. WE ALL HAD TO FEND FOR OURSELVES. Some people had people to call. Some had to rent a car or buy a Greyhound bus ticket to complete their journey. Others had to book a hotel room with their our funds and catch another train the following morning.
Amtrak failed thirty or more of there customers. Some of who were only thirty minutes away from their destination and had to go to work the following morning. I spent 6hrs on a train several hours in the depot waiting for a Greyhound and a four hour bus ride to KC. Then I got to find my way across downtown to the Union Station to retrieve my vehicle.

The entire staff is rude. The ticket office, the baggage pick up and info stand. Rude.

So the train arrived late, and therfore departed late. Not sure why they couldn’t make up time? So 3 hours after departure from StL, we have yet to make it past Pontoon Beach (less than 20 miles). The crew has been great about food, drinks, etc. They are not providing any info on why or how long we’re going to be stopped that is of any real value. We just posted our tickets for tonights Cards vs Cub game on stubhub as we won’t make it there in time. I get that this happens to all forms of transportation, but rail should be able to resolve, or at least inform better than air or sea. So we depart 3 hours late, arrive 6, yes 6 hours late, amd jad kids on bicycles passing us
What the … Why so slow, why stops in the middle of know where? Amtrak accomplishing crew swaps and other issues on an already late train. This should be invisible to the customer, be we sat another 30 min waiting for an oncoming train bringing a body to ours. Again, what the … On the very off chance that anyone from Amtrak reads this, you get an opportunity to improve this Thursday on the way back to StL. Until then…

If you’ve never taken a train ride; you should. Amtrak is not as good a an airplane ride but not nearly as bad a bus ride. I’d say it lands somewhere in the middle.
The station itself is decent. Small but equipped with basic concessions, a rest room and information/​ticket booth. Keep in mind not all stations are created equal. Amtrak Union Station has nothing on Chicago’s Station or New York’s for that matter.
Anyway, there are pay phones, ample seating and escalators inside for access.
Last but not least; the ride is smooth and scenery is relaxing if you can tolerate the long ride with frequent stops. Be sure to pack your headphones, a few magazines or a good book to read, snacks, water and a pillow/​blanket. Make the ride as comfy as possible; you’ll be here for a while.
Personally, I’ll take a flight (my ADD sets in quickly lol)

My 7:55am train was delayed until 11:11, then we sat in the station until 11:25, when they announced that the train was almost in, and we should expect to board within 20 minutes and depart within 35. This was the last thing we heard until we were finally allowed to board at 12:35. I would he surprised, but late arrivals and departures seem to be a common trend. Thanks, but I’ll take the bus next time. Need I say more?

Arrived at station at 7:20 p.m. and train was scheduled to depart at 8:02 p.m. Luckily for us, they were running late and would arrive closer to 7:45 p.m. The nice attendant printed our tickets, and told us first class waiting area was filled up. We walked around the station which only took 5 minutes to see everything. At 7:55 p.m. conductor takes our tickets and we follow him to gate. We felt like VIP at a concert because we were able to walk past line to another towards the front. Our conductor told us to take escalator up then walk to the very end and will see platform A. Then take another escalator down. Once we reach the bottom walk towards the 3^rd car and someone will help us to our sleeper car. We thanked him and headed out. Once we arrived to the platform, an attendant requested our luggage. We were not able to check in our luggage since we arrived late. We told him that we wanted to take out some items first. He said okay you can take your luggage upstairs and its the 8^th room down. I took out a small sweater because im always cold, book, phone charger, and toothbrush plus other related items. Then our attendant said dinner was available for us. We took our luggage downstairs to check in and headed to dining car. We ordered angus burger which came with chips and pickle. Also, ordered drinks. My Bailey’s drink was as tall as an index finger. His drink was an actual 12 oz beer. Then, we left tip and were about to leave when our waitress said we needed to pay for mixed drinks which is not part of the amtrak package. We skipped dessert and our attendant asked if we wanted our beds pulled out. That sounds good we told him. When we got back our items were neatly placed near the side of the bed. There is side storage in sleeper car and you can lock the sleeper car. For privacy, there are dark curtains you can close behind you. I knocked off star due to only 1 plug outlet in sleeper car, and no wifi. I wish there was an option to watch movies in sleeper car. We only woke up once when another train was approaching. The ride was a good experience and less stressful than driving. If you get the chance to ride Amtrak take it! It was my first time taking the Amtrak and it has been fun!

I’m an old school guy. I drink Schlitz, watch Bonanza, and travel by train. I also ride a penny-​farthing bicycle but lets get back on track.
Most of you rail riders probably remember the old «Amshack» that greeted visitors to St. Louis. Compared to a landfill the place was still a dump. It wouldn’t surprise me if giant cockroaches were working as baggage handlers there. My favorite memory of the old station was that one broken window. Didn’t matter what day you arrived/​departed. There was always one window somewhere that was broken.
The new station is a massive upgrade over the Amshack, however, an old refrigerator box would have been an upgrade. My major gripe with the new place is the design. I think someone who graduated from Architecture school with a C– grade average conceived the layout.
As for traveling by train, I love it. From St. Louis, I’ve gone to Chicago, Kansas City, San Antonio, and New Orleans. I’ve trekked from LA to Chicago. I’ve chugga-​chugga choo-choo’d (hmmm) from LA to San Francisco on over to Chicago. To me, the journey is indeed the destination.
Want a vacation recommendation? Fly to Denver and take the train to San Francisco. The ride through the Rocky and Sierra Mountains and the canyons of Colorado is unmatched. The ride through Illinois, Iowa, and Nebraska, though? That will make you consider ingesting arsenic.
Overall, Amtrak is completely hit or miss. Your train could be 10 minutes early or 10 hours late. The dining car could run out of the best food. A mouse could get loose on the train (has happened). You could have an absolutely fantastic or miserable experience.
If you haven’t taken a train before, I recommend it. There’s no better way to see the country.

I’ll keep this one short and sweet.
I love travel by Amtrak, and this location is a big improvement to the old shack that used to serve Amtrak.
Honestly I believe snack and drink vending machines would be a good idea for this location. The food places have one line for all of them which takes forever.
Most importantly, and this is annoying, the station needs to reverse the escalators as needed. To get to the bridge way where platforms are located their are an up and a down escalator. However to get to the actual platform their are a set of stairs and one escalator. The escalator is always going up, which makes sense when leaving a train. But when boarding, its a pain for customers to take their luggage down the stairs.
Overall I like the place. Please fix the escalator issue, and I’ll reconsider my «3» rating

I set up a little birthday adventure for the wife and decided to roll with something different as far as method of transportation. I have used Amtrak before but had been years prior to this trip. After a few minutes of checking trains, rates, and all the travel details… I was able to secure two seats round-​trip to Chicago for a mere $ 100. That’s my kind of price.
1. Cheaper than driving and much cheaper than flying.
2. Less hassle — none of the airport security madness.
3. More freedom than being cooped up in a car or plane.
4. Can bring your own food/​snacks on board, but they also serve a variety of items… including a vegan burger in the café car.
We rolled up there on the early train on a Friday morning so was a relatively quiet trip most of the way. The ride back was a bit more hectic — assuming it was due to it being a holiday weekend (we went back on Monday morning). The train was much more crowded and consisted of mostly ornery kids. However, it was a fun experience and would definitely consider it again in the future.

Great flow of people very easy to understand where you need to be

File this one under «my mom was right»!!!
Weekend One of the three-​weekend Wedding of the Century Extravaganza, for which I am lucky enough to be dubbed Bridesmaid, was looming, and I was contemplating how I was gonna make it work, since this wedding is in Kansas City, I am in St. Louis, I’m at work more hours of my life than I’m not at work, and my car is seeking revenge on me. Oh, and sometimes I fall asleep driving to work. Yeah.
Was bitching about all of this to my mom and she’s like, «Why don’t you take the train?» And I’m like, yeah, either that or saddle up the mule Bessie. A train? Like, they still make those?
As Weekend One approached, though, it became glaringly obvious that I needed to investigate my mother’s senile moment of genius.
For less than the cost of the gas of driving round trip to Killa City, I booked myself a business class seat. Here are my impressions:
1. They had parking. And I think they only charged me $ 2.83 for 2 days. Then again, I haven’t slept in, like, a week, so maybe don’t put too much credibility into that statement.
2. Who cares about the train station? It’s a fucking TRAIN STATION. Rating a train station would be like rating a parking lot.
3. Business class on a train… WOWOWOWOWOWOWOW. Probably nicer than Elton John’s private jet. No airport security, no baggage limitations that were enforced, they didn’t even check my id. They just brought me a newspaper (did I mention that I had my own leather seat with no surrounding seats to lob over into, not that I would lob, as these seats were wider than (insert Kim Kardashian joke that I’ve already used). We also got a free nonalcoholic beverage. I mean shit, doesn’t take much more than that to make me happy. Side note: If you do it on a train, is there something akin to the Mile High Club you can join?
4. I have two complaints and two complaints only. Number one, and I am not a germaphobe at all, I rarely ever even wash my hands. But the sink in the bathroom on the train… WTF??? Who dreamt that POS up? In order to turn on the water, you had to push up on where the water comes out. And the stream of water lasted about two seconds. Not exaggerating. So I mean… my mind is racing here with how disgusting that thing is… You’re probably better off not ever washing your hands. I mean seriously. My second complaint was that the «dining car» (if you could call it that) consisted of a menu of items that were all nuked in a plastic pouch in a microwave. First class is right by the dining car, and every time they opened a nuked pouch, it smelled like someone shit themselves. For real.
5. Also— first class got their own plug ins for laptops. No wifi though.
6. If you were crammed in coach, you could have come and sat in the dining cart the whole time and had a ball.
I am so happy right now. Instead of an exhausting weekend commuting round-​trip to the worst state in the country, where I would have fought to stay awake the whole time and risked my life, I got to sleep, get work done, and read for pleasure. It took a little bit longer, but it was WORTH IT.
Wow. My mind is blown right now.
I’m gonna start listening to the madre more often when she is rambling about her horses and buggies and shit.

All my Amtrak excursions have been between St. Louis and Chicago and every time I take that trek I haven’t been disappointed.
They check you in efficiently at the desk (they say they are going to electronic only in Sept) then you can either line up for your train or sit. Best bet, to get a decent seat, is to go ahead and get in line because its a mad house if you’re not already there.
The staff is very friendly and nice.
The trains are decent. We usually get a nicer one coming home from Chicago for some reason and going up they are the older cars. Just remember if you need help with something, do not ask the snack car people — they won’t be able to help you at all. You’ll have to walk all the way to the beginning of the train and ask those conductors instead. We found this out with a bathroom situation on our my recent trip.
You can always find good deals on train rides, which as long as you don’t mind sitting for a few hours, it works. There are outlets at every seat so you can get your work done and charge your items as needed. I would make sure your luggage has wheels on it because it is a bit of a walk to the trains.

So despite the fact that I enjoy rail travel in general, I’ve never taken the «river runner» 5 hour 40 minute train to Saint Louis from Kansas City. I more often Megabus it.
Yes, the train is definitely 2 hours longer than the straight shot on I-​70. But here are reasons that you should travel it:
1. For single travelers or couples, it might be cheaper than driving, depending on how far ahead you book.
2. It’s evocative of the old style of travel — what I would call the «human scale» — and allows you to enjoy some great scenery simply not available by car (there aren’t even side roads near some of the canyons and riversides we went by.
3. Seats are super roomy, and Amtrak isn’t popular enough in the Midwest that you can’t have the seat next to you also if you’re a single traveler. Dining car has some great snack options and there’s no line for the bathroom or no one to glare at you if you just want to get up and walk around or go to the viewing car.
4. As much storage for as much baggage as you can/​want to bring.
5. No TSA grope/​pat down/​destructive and harmful x-​ray.
6. Outlets at every seat.
Reasons you might avoid it:
1. If you need 100% internet access the entire 5 hrs and 40 minutes. Between Hermann and the Lou coverage is really, really dodgy even on my usually super reliable Verizon aircard. I assume we are traveling through areas that are sparsely inhabited, and as such, not in need of the $ 1m cell tower it would cost to cover it.
2. You need to get to Saint Louis in a hurry. Take a Southwest flight. It’s direct and easy.
3. You don’t do well with possible delays and problems. Train travel in America is always subject to freight priority, so sometimes you might sit in a siding for 10 minutes at a time — time that can’t be made up.
If none of those apply to you, bring a book, maybe a cozy blanket and small pillow, and a favorite book. And enjoy your ride.
PS As Joi B. so ably chronicled in her epic anti-​STL Union Station rant (
), Amtrak is at the «Gateway Station» not «Union Station» (though it is as close as across the street). I think in trying to put together the metrolink, grayhound, and Amtrak together, Union Station wasn’t an option. Too bad, as I said in my own review (
). But don’t go to Union Station looking for Amtrak!
And don’t sweat it, because the Gateway Station rocks, with a clean interior and a couple decent food choices.

I always take Amtrak to Chicago. If you play your cards right (AKA book early and smart), you can get a cheap rate. This makes for a happier vacation, as you will be more lenient with your spending when you are at your city because you have extra than if you fly. And usually I have problems with ticketing, but the Amtrak staff are available to help and are very friendly with making changes for oddball reasons that are unavoidable when traveling. If you know how things work at Amtrak, things can go a lot smoother and may even be more enjoyable than flying.

I recently returned from a Presidents Day visit to St. Louis. Instead of making the painful drive from central Iowa to St. Louis we chose to drive to Kansas City and hop the River Runner to the Gateway City. I was able to obtain round-​trip transportation to and from St. Louis for $ 46 after using a promotional fare.
I’ve traveled on Amtrak many times. From Iowa to Chicago and beyond to Milwaukee on the California Zephyr and Hiawatha lines. From Minneapolis to Everett, Washington on the Empire Builder. From Seattle to Bellingham on the Cascades.
Some lines run very well. Some do not.
Fortunately, the Missouri River Runner does it really well. We took delight in timing our scheduled stops along the route to Kansas City to St. Louis and the River Runner was consistently within minutes or seconds of their scheduled arrival times.
The trip was relaxing and even scenic along the Missouri River east of Jefferson City.
The configuration of the train itself is not deluxe. There’s a club car serving sandwiches and drink coupled with a handful of passenger cars. You’re not going to have an observation car or multi-​level passenger areas. You are going to get large, clean and comfortable seats (on par with business class on a plane) and 120 V power for your laptop and other consumer electronics.
Thumbs up for Amtrak’s Missouri River Runner.

My last excursion from this Amtrak station went pretty smoothly. The facility was bright, clean, and actually pretty lively for 0530. And the station features… free wifi! I was happy. Unfortunately, the train/​bus service was still awful (7 hours STL-​CHI).

Two parts to this review, the station and Amtrak itself.
Station: 1.5 stars.
Amtrak Train travel in general: 3.5 stars.
I really enjoy taking the train now. It is a new thing for me. Flying for years visiting relatives, although fun when I get there, is almost always torture. Squished together, the lines, check in, re-​check in, security check, and now pat down/​shoes off/​power up laptop, take off jewelery etc. ad nauseam… Amtrak has none of that nonsense.
Advice: I always recommend the business class as it is only 20 bucks more, with the same lousy food naturally (hehe) but the seating is more spacious and comfortable with a lower noise volume which makes the comfort level goes up the scale to 100% in comparing to just regular fare. I have tried coach (LOUD and sometimes Greyhound-​sque) & I have tried the lowest level of 2 person suite for travel (less leg room,) and I still prefer the business class.
Perks: Business class you have 2 foot rests… one in front of you that you can rest your feet on and a leg/​foot rest that props up like a lazyboy chair. You can lean back in your chair without disturbing who is behind you. There are 120V electrical plugs (for coach also) for every seat pairing.
Pros/​Cons: It is a longer way to travel, by train, but not that much longer if you are going to Chicago or Michigan. Sleeping our way to Michigan, rather then driving through the ice and snow is a blessing.
Your luggage does not get searched, you can pack liquids and breakables as you choose, you don’t have to take off your shoes, in business class you sit in a different (A LOT less crowded) waiting room. For $ 20 it is beyond worth the cost.
Pros: Your luggage is always with you. You don’t have to pack like someone might go through your stuff and you don’t have to worry about your lip gloss causing an international incident etc. If you pack something your big suitcase that is your favorite item, you don’t have to worry about a luggage handler/​sorter/​etc. lifting it off your hands.
Carry that hair gel and in your carry on with no worries.
This part is a big deal for me. Through many years of flying and the last few years of having to pack everything trying to keep in mind where to pack valuables (on me,) liquids of any sort (sealed in something and pray it doesn’t burst in the suitcase. oh the horrible memory of ruining a beautiful dress from Hair conditioner. :(etc…). THANK GOODNESS all I have to do is pack it up and go to take the train!
Cons: Your luggage is always with you. Make sure ALL your luggage rolls or your shoulder bag is VERY light. Trust me. Your shoulders/​back will NOT like you if you lug your heavy (or soon to feel that way) luggage around everywhere (thinking of Union Station and trading off to go to another hub.)
The station itself: I like the location, as it seems a bit removed from the immediate area’s traffic.
The people who are working the ticket counter have 10 shades of attitude but they get 10 flavors of crazy going through there and not just mine. ;) (Good crazy is ok: p :D)
The fastfood joint is dirty and I couldn’t bring myself to eat there.
The chairs are horrible and there are no good places to put your luggage nor yourself for that matter.
All sorts of characters walking in and out of there.
I feel safe enough but I wouldn’t have anyone I care about stay there too long waiting for me to pick them up.
Always room for improvement.
What’s up:
Take luggage that has wheels. Your shoulders/​back/​neck will scream at you if you try to carry bags everywhere. Pay the extra 20 bucks for business class for a much better experience.
I love trains now. So stress free compared to driving/​flying. Don’t tarry at the station. Time your rides to be close to pick up time. I have heard many stories of VERY long waits for taxicabs, be warned. As you can call while you are on the train there is no reason to make people wait at the station for you or vise versa. Have fun! :)

*sigh*
Actually, John H., this Amtrak station has gone through a major upgrade. It is no longer located underneath the interstate in a tiny blue shack. It now rests in a slick, sleek new building that is, in fact, steps away from the Civic Center Metrolink stop. This change happened in November 2008, so it’s quite strange that your review is obviously a reflection of what the station USED to be…7 months ago.
Oh, and for the record, I don’t work for Amtrak, nor do I have any affiliation with the company. I simply think it would be doing a disservice to NOT correct a faulty review, so I’m considering this my good deed for the day.

Um not so much! We walked threw a gravel parking lot to get to our St Louis Amtrak station, something we thought would be big and show off its history… but no it looks like a tiny waiting room with no pictures no nothing. Definitely not what I was expecting. I’m hoping an upgrade is in the works because this station is not fit for a major us city.
As far as the train service goes, everything was quite pleasant. I’ve never ridden Amtrak before and I was surprised in a good way. I would like to travel again by train. I did find it interesting however, to walk throughout the train to get food and drinks and try to not fall over, that’s always fun!