Amtrak — Local services in Albuquerque

This review concerns only the Southwest Chief route on Amtrak.

We initially booked this vacation through Amtrak Vacations. Robin Johnson was fantastic and worked tirelessly to make it all come together. However, the day we were supposed to leave, the route got canceled so we had to rebook everything including the hotel in Williams Arizona and the train excursion to the Grand Canyon.

Once the new dates were booked we were excited to go on the journey but right out of the gate the train was delayed 2 hours out of Chicago. When we got on in Kansas City it was 2.5 hours late and it got progressively worse throughout the night and the next day. It was over 4 hours late by the time we got to Flagstaff Arizona. Not dependable.

The tracks are in horrible condition throwing the train cars back-and-forth hard for most of the 24 hour trip, to the extent it is hard to walk among the cars and to where you cannot possibly sleep in the sleeper car. It borders on dangerous for the crew and passengers.

The positive takeaway is that the staff on the train were excellent, especially Pam, and the food was excellent as well. The young lady at the Amtrak counter at Union station Kansas City was delightful. The train cars are clean but somewhat dated.

The negatives are the tremendously bad condition of the tracks all the way from KC to Flagstaff Arizona which makes the ride totally unenjoyable and extremely turbulent. You cannot possibly sleep in the sleeper car so that money is wasted. Add to that unreliable service.

The cars themselves are technologically deficient having only one electric outlet in each sleeper room and no other high-tech amenities like USB ports or wifi or small screen tvs or anything you might find in a decent airplane.

This will be the last time I take any Amtrak overnight sleeper trains anywhere until there are assurances that the tracks are fixed and the cars...

I traveled from Lancaster, PA to Los Angeles, California. I had to change trains twice. My 1st transfer the train was late. It was midnight & I had potato chips & Rice Krispy treats for dinner. Finally I boarded the train from Pittsburgh to Chicago. I had a sleeper car & my porter was very helpful. I had never been in the sleeper car. In the morning the porter brought me a continental breakfast as the dining car wasn't open. I arrived in Chicago for my last train change. The station was enormous. I got lunch at the food court. I had trouble getting information on my next train. Finally I found the Amtrak lounge and the employee told me to wait in the lounge & when my train was ready they escorted us to the train. I was in another sleeper car. The men who worked in the dining car asked me what time I wanted to be seated for dinner. It was a historic day! For the first time since the pandemic they gave diners menus & we could choose our meal. I spoke with a couple from Kansas who had been on a long train trip. They said that they had received microwave meals until that evening. Our servers Paul & Ryan were very efficient. I found out that Paul was being bumped from the Southwest Chief to the Coast Starlight. My late husband worked for Metro in Los Angeles & he got bumped several times. Paul would've preferred to stay on the Southwest Chief. Hopefully Amtrak will reconsider this change. My porter was nice & helpful. He was very busy. Turns out we live in the same community. I truly enjoyed my cross country adventure on the Amtrak train and look forward to...

Great way to travel if you have time. The views of the countryside are second to nothing, beautiful! However, only if you can see out of the windows. Amtrak, please clean your passenger train windows. My wife and I used to ride coach class for a couple of years until I got totally frustrated with the non-cleanliness of the restrooms. My wife would have to clean up the restroom before she or I could use the facility. I thought that spending the extra money Amtrak charge for the use of a sleeper bedroom on the train would solve our problem, traveling long distances. NO, NOT, WRONG!! From our experience, each time we entered our assigned room, my wife and I had to clean up the room before we could comfortably enjoy the trip. Seriously, if you don't clorox, wipe the bathroom, handles, tray table, seats, and make sure you check the bedding for fresh blankets, sheets, and pillows! You'll be riding in filth!!! From Newton Ks to Los Angeles CA, it costs approximately 2k to ride in what you would think luxury. Once we clean up our room that we paid 2k for, the trip becomes somewhat enjoyable. The food comes with the room. However, if the kitchen grill isn't working, you'll be offered cold food or microwave food. 🤔 now I'm thinking, fly!!! Which I hate! Delays, delays, and more delays!!! This last trip, Aug 2, 2024, we were delayed over 5 hours, arriving and approximately 6 hours delayed returning. I don't know which is worse, waiting while sitting on the train,or plane. Well, at least on the train, we can get up and...