Image courtesy of www.RhizomeImages.com

by Jen Pennington

After reading Sara Stroud’s article, “West Coast Rail Projects Reap Rejected Funds” yesterday in Sustainable Industries, I was so glad to learn that the West Coast will be getting some additional funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation. When Wisconsin and Ohio rejected the funds slated for high speed development, those amounts were redirected towards other rail projects in fourteen states. For us “left coasters” it means Washington, Oregon and California will reap some of the benefit.

Speaking as a native New Yorker who commuted daily, as someone who frequently takes the Sounder from Seattle to Mukilteo, whose business partner travels by train from Portland to Seattle, and as three time cross-country traveler whose goal it is to ride every Amtrak route (as crazy as that sounds), extending how we travel via high-speed rail systems from city to city is something this country desperately needs. It is indeed so much more civilized than air travel, and every time I do it, I feel relaxed when I get to my destination, and not like I’ve been through a meat grinder.

When high-speed rail does get here, it may mean that rail systems will finally be able to offer up a viable alternative to plane travel. While the trip may still take longer, I’d rather be on a moving train, than waiting endlessly for two to fours hours at an airport before I even board the plane.  The trick will always be getting people to step out of their cars, and change their behaviors, and nevermind touting that it’s a greener way to travel. That’s the icing on the cake. If the people who shout the loudest about keeping jobs and creating new employment opportunities in America actually took the train once in awhile or even if they showed interest in these projects, they’d be supporting a rail system made with American products and American workers. Doesn’t get more patriotic than that, no matter which side of the aisle you sit on.

I will do anything to avoid flying if possible. It feels like a cannery to me. Waiting in multiple lines, no room to move, rude customer service and people contain themselves in their own invisible bubbles of non-communication. It is a means to get from one place to another, and the joy is lost on many of us. The number of times I been stuck in an airport or on a Tarmac is ridiculous.

My preferred method of travel is the train. I have always lived in place where I can hear or see trains. It comforts me. I’ve taken them to Canada, and traveled parts of Europe by rail. I commuted for years back and forth between New York City and Long Island. I now commute on Fridays to Whidbey Island from Seattle aboard the Sounder to the Mukilteo Ferry when I can.

In the last two and half years I traveled across the country three times on Amtrak. The first time, I took the California Zephyr from New York to Grand Junction, Colorado where I met up with my husband. I booked a roomette and on board I had time to think, work on my computer, stretch my legs, read my books in peace, walk around the train, admire the Rockies, and get out for some fresh air at a few stops. Can’t do that on a plane.

“What does it say about us as Americans that we willingly pay more to get to our destinations sooner with less and less comforts? That’s not travel. That’s a business transaction.”

For breakfast, lunch and dinner, you are expected to eat in the dining car and the host seats you with perfect strangers. You may not share the person’s beliefs, or political points of view, but on a train there is so much to see out the window that there’s never a lull in the conversation.

One breakfast I met a woman who runs a historical cemetery etching organization. Cool! I had a wonderful book club-like discussion with a couple in Idaho and played in the snow with a Mennonite family while stopped in North Dakota. I can’t help but think, if you really want to meet your fellow Americans this is the best way to do it, and the most civilized.

Many people dismiss Amtrak as a means of travel. They don’t like it or it takes too long. Well yes, it does take longer than a plane, and there’s no denying you have to be okay with how much time it takes. If you’re impatient, this isn’t a method of travel for you. As for customer service, the attendants we had were great.

The second time we traveled, my husband and I were going back to NY from Seattle with a stop in Chicago at a hotel for the night. We had already checked out the next day but all our bags were still at the hotel until we were ready to leave. It was the day after Christmas. About four hours before our train was to depart, Amtrak called us and said they had a problem with the sleeper cars on our train. They offered to put us in coach and refund the difference on our fare. I asked them if they could book us in a roomette the next night and they said they could. It turned out they upgraded us to a handicapped bedroom for the price of our roomette. We then went back to the hotel and rebooked a room for that night. When was the last time your airline called you to tell you your plane was going to be late, and then upgraded you?

On our return home we started in Detroit and left for Chicago, where we would switch trains for the Empire Builder. I was starting to get sick with the flu. While in Chicago, we realized we would have to switch rooms at 1:00 a.m. in Spokane, Washington on our way to Seattle. We didn’t think much about it. The conductor in Chicago noticed I was not feeling well, looked at our tickets, and told us she would find us a new compartment so I could rest and not have to wake up to switch cars. It took her a little time, but she found one and I couldn’t believe our luck. I was so thankful, because my flu had gotten ugly and I was able to lay down the whole time. Our attendant brought me my dinner and by the last day of the ride I was feeling much better.

I have become a staunch supporter of the rail system in this country because of these experiences.
What does it say about us as Americans that we willingly pay more to get to our destinations sooner with less and less comforts? That’s not travel. That’s a business transaction. For me it’s not about paying more or less to travel by train, it’s about the richness of the experience.