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Comment by tspike | Hacker News Reader

I don't disagree with your comment, but the thing that often gets lost in these discussions is that at least for the Empire Builder, people generally aren't using it to go from Chicago to Portland or Seattle.

Sure, a flight from Chicago to Seattle would be much faster and cheaper. But what about getting from Minot to Whitefish? Or Spokane to Wenatchee?

I personally use it 2-3 times a week to go between Bingen and Portland. Most of the people I ride with eastbound are going to Pasco or Sandpoint or Spokane, not Chicago.

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That's a fair point. As uneconomical as it is for Amtrak, there really isn't much in the way of long-distance transportation options for people in some of these small towns.

Bus? (Sometimes operated by Amtrak, even)

Technically yes, but if I had to take a bus for 20+ hours I'd want to shoot myself.

I did it for 4 days (cross country for $49!) as a 16 year old. It is definitely an adventure.

Most of those trips appear to be under 3.5 hours each way... Why not drive since it's likely faster and cheaper than the train?

That's just about the distance that I prefer to take Amtrak over driving or flying (mostly I travel SF <-> Fresno). I can get work done, unlike when driving, and I don't have to deal with all the pains of getting to the airport early and going through security.

Unsolicited advice: get yourself global entry.

Unsolicited advice: Not everyone is into sacrificing money to avoid bullshit security theater that has been going on for 17 years.

Trains have the beauty of being able to go to the station, hop on the train, hop off. No wait or lines. I've had great trips taking the subway to Union Station then a train to San Diego. If trains were more affordable, widespread, and faster, it'd probably help the US immensely.

It may sound a bit arrogant, but global entry is 100$/5yrs, and TSA-pre is 80$ for similar amount of time.

If you are well-off to be using air transportation, it would be worth it. Though, I might be agreeing with you on the utility of excessive security check. As a foreign national, I can tell you that US requires 4x the security checks in foreign airports in inbound flights to US.

I already have global entry / TSA precheck. My preference is still for Amtrak for certain journeys. Consider that flying SF to Fresno costs hundreds of dollars each way. Amtrak costs $30.

Sure i get that. But most cases global entry is a real time and stress saver.

Some people don't drive.

Trains generally drop you in the middle of a central business district. If you’re driving to a major city, you’re spending $30-75 a day in parking or driving to suburban motels.

If you need to be in Manhattan for more than 2 nights, the train is free vs a car given a 2 hour radius. That’s probably not the case for Minot, but it is for many places.

Also unlike planes it’s a no bullshit environment. No security theatre, no getting there an hour early. On some routes you can buy a ticket on the train.

In my case: my frequent travel by train is around 3 to 3.5 hours one-way, on routes that would be around 1h40m to 2 hours by car. Using a $0.30/mile figure for driving, the train is around the same price, or a bit cheaper, than driving myself, so long as I am using multi-ride tickets.

However, the train is a comfortable environment for me to do other things. I can read, write, and do quite a bit of research work; I can comfortably use my laptop and usually have a decent internet connection.

If I drive myself, I can do very little else but drive during the time; if I have someone else drive, I can do some things, but it can be quite difficult and rather nauseating, no matter how nice the car.

Thus, my choice is usually between a 3.5 hour trip where I can pretty much do much of what I'd be doing were I not traveling during that time, or a 2 hour trip that will actually hinder the better uses of my attention: the shorter duration trip ends up taking much more of my time.

Flying from Spokane to Wenatchee is really not much slower than Amtrak. It's probably much more expensive though.

I take it from chicago to kansas city couple of times a year and I see lots of Amish people on the train.

Seems like a good option for people who can't take the plane. I would have never spoken to the amish if not for amtrak.

My knowledge of the Amish is obviously rather slim but why can't they take a plane but can take the bus? I know I that they shun most modern technology suite h as cars etc but I would have thought if they can't take a plane that they also wouldn't be able to take the train.

From what I gathered they live in communities spread across a small area of the state. They get on and get down at small towns that amtrak makes a stop, those towns are not served by airplanes. Not sure about technology thing though, never felt comfortable asking them about that :D.

Whoah, another Hacker News reader from Bingen/White Salmon?

I wouldn’t be surprised if there were a lot of gorge residents on here

At least one more

Is there/would y'all be interested in a mini HN reader meetup? Perhaps over beer in Hood River? I settled in White Salmon late last year due to its proximity to outdoor activities without knowing too much about the area. I'm surprised there's an underlying tech scene. I guess primarily due of Insitu?

Yeah, Insitu’s definitely a big part of why there’s such a surprisingly big scene. I’m also always game for a malty beverage...

Sure, I'm up for it

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