My two cents primarily from Amtrak Boston to NYC…
-A little let down by the quality. Armrest broken in places around the controls. Some doors semi operational.
-WIFI was slooooowwww. The trains didn’t appear that full and I don’t think the sites I was visiting were bandwidth hogs. Thought the WIFI on Bolt bus was better.
-There are some odd graphics in bathroom. Don’t ask why I noticed this.
- Yes, Penn Station loading is poor. We are pretty much handled like a herd of cattle going through a single gate.
-I believe the NE corridor is the only section that makes money for Amtrak.
-Maybe not a fair comparison, but the high-speed trains in Japan are higher quality, better run and cleaner.
-The Reunification Express in Vietnam was certainly more entertaining. Again, maybe not a fair comparison.
-The food experience is poor. Small food service area (OK it’s a train, but there’s got to be a better way) and I’m paying $6.50 for a small frozen pizza, taken out of the supermarket box, microwaved and put in a cardboard travel tray. At least they serve Bud Lite at 7:30. I’m talking to you, guy sitting across the row from me on his Android’s wifi hotspot
One-off experiences…
When I road the Amtrak train from SF to Seattle the train and crew appeared wore down. Maybe it was my expectation. I was hoping for a cool train ride with views. The views were good but as mentioned before, windows (and train in general) were dirty. It was a let down. I would only recommend because of the views.