Trend Magazine Online/Review/November 2014/Amtrak

Fast forward nearly three decades later and it was now time for me to try it again; this time over less daunting terrain. I decide to make a round trip from Salisbury, North Carolina, to Charlotte, North Carolina, for a business trip. I was quite surprised that the cost of a round trip ticket was about $30 lower than taking the Greyhound Bus which takes about the same amount of time one way. I booked one seat on train #73 Piedmont outbound and was allowed to bring along my bike at no extra charge. I was in a 56-seat car which is the same capacity as a tour bus. I arrived at approximately 8:20 A.M. for the 9:08 A.M. departure. The staff person was very friendly, cordial, helpful, and even knowledgeable on Military bases name origins. He said that all of them are named in honor of Civil War Generals. The waiting area was very clean as well as the men’s room. There was a plethora of informational brochures on every service they had to offer at various locations throughout the lobby area and via a kiosk. The station’s train schedules were conspicuously located throughout the station as well.

When it came time to depart I was escorted out to the train boarding area with my bike and was given instructions as to where to wait to load my bike. My train arrived around 9:15 A.M., I was given assistance by one of the porters loading my bike and we were off and running at approximately 9:20 A.M. He then advised me that the second car was a bit cooler which was great. I, however, decided on the third car which was less crowded. The interior of train #73 was very clean and there was quite a bit of space between seats to allow for reclining. There were electrical outlets at each seat row and more brochures in the back of each seat -- providing information on their train routes – which also came with folding trays for eating or working. Also included were games and puzzles to pass the time away. There were two Train Hosts – an older male and female – that also boarded in Salisbury that moved from row to row greeting and conversing with passengers. We made a quick stop/pick-up in nearby Kannapolis at approximately 9:40 A.M. and arrived in Charlotte at approximately 10:07 A.M. – 47 minutes total travel time. All in all it was quite a pleasant experience and smooth ride on the outbound leg of my trip.

My return trip train was the #76 Piedmont due to depart Charlotte at 5:15 P.M. This station’s lobby was also clean as well as the men’s room. Their staff was helpful but more business-like than the Salisbury crew. I was allowed to board first because of my bicycle which gave me the first choice of coach seats. The car was clean except some liquid residue from a soda pop above my seat. Apparently someone shook their can before opening. There was not as much leg room in this car as the #75 Piedmont outbound. We departed on time, however, shortly thereafter experience a 20-minute delay just north of the station because a cargo train was held up. I did not realize before that these passenger trains run on the same tracks as opposed to parts of Europe and Asia where they reach top speeds of 224 (360 km/h) and 267 miles per hour (430 km/h). Not much sightseeing going on there! Smile! The temperature inside our car was nice and cool, and the ride smooth as well. We arrived in Salisbury at approximately 6:15 P.M. – one hour later; due to the delay.

This was a much more pleasant experience than my trek through Bayou country nearly three decades ago on Amtrak; and the cost ($21.00 round trip), as mentioned earlier, is noticeably cheaper than going Greyhound – at least for my trip. In addition, I like that they offer free (gratis) bottled water and coffee in their snack cars, and the convenience of being able to print my ticket from their lobby kiosk or have it emailed to me so it can be scanned via my smart phone; being able to access their 800 number for train delays via Julie; and the option of email or text alerts for delays. I have since taken the train on quite a few similar business trips and have learned that some of these metallic marvels are susceptible to being upwards of three hours or more behind schedule due to boarding delays, conflicts with cargo trains, and occasionally accidents with pedestrians. As such, I have learned to book the earlier train if I am on a tight time schedule. Other than that, I am sold on Amtrak as a reasonably priced alternative to Greyhound or driving yourself.

Want to book? Just visit www.amtrak.com. Tell them that Trend Magazine Online™ sent you.

Review November 2014 Amtrak

Review November 2014
Amtrak