In fact, I've just been onto the Amtrak site and found it extremely easy to book from Harrisburg to St. Louis and back again, just putting in the 2 end points. It's a long journey - 19 hours - and expensive at $391-, but it seems easy to book. I don't know what distance that is, but it looks like a reasonable way on the map.
By way of comparison, the longest rail journey you can do here is from Penzance in Cornwall to Thurso in the north of Scotland, a distance of about 600 miles. Using the online journey planner (http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/) leaving on Tuesday and returning on Saturday requires between 4 and 6 different trains, and takes between 22 and 28 hours each way. The cheapest fare is £224-, which is about $357- today. It can be a lot cheaper if you book several weeks ahead though. It's possible to book luggage and bikes onto most trains, at extra cost, but I would not be confident that my luggage would arrive at the same time as I did if I booked it onto this journey. Bob > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On > Behalf Of Bob W > Sent: 24 May 2009 16:00 > To: 'Pentax-Discuss Mail List' > Subject: RE: OT - ranting about Amtrak > > According to the man in seat 61 you can cross the states from > sea to shining > sea for a pittance: > <http://www.seat61.com/UnitedStates.htm#Travelling by train > in the USA> > > He might be able to help you plan your trip from Harrisburg > to St. Louis > more effectively. > > Bob > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Bob W [mailto:[email protected]] > > Sent: 24 May 2009 15:56 > > To: 'Pentax-Discuss Mail List' > > Subject: RE: OT - ranting about Amtrak > > > > > > > > Are you still bitching about rail travel in the UK, Bob? > > > > > > ;-) > > > > > > > that's not a bitch about rail travel, it's a bitch about bad > > software design. > > > > I don't really bitch much about UK rail travel. It's > > generally pretty good. Over-priced, but still better than > > flying, mostly. > > > > Bob > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On > > > Behalf Of Scott Loveless > > > Sent: 24 May 2009 15:36 > > > To: Pentax-Discuss Mail List > > > Subject: OT - ranting about Amtrak > > > > > > On 5/24/09, P. J. Alling <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > Intercity passenger rail is expensive. It's estimated that > > > Amtrak would > > > > save the taxpayers money, (and in fact on some runs > > > actually make a profit), > > > > if every time someone bought a train ticket they simply > > > issued them a plane > > > > ticket to the same destination. Australia is a mostly low > > > population > > > > density place, much like most of the US so I expect the > > > same economics would > > > > apply. > > > > > > Allow me to rant. I know that I can get from Harrisburg, > Pa to St. > > > Louis, Mo (a trip I make by car about twice a year) on the > > train. The > > > Amtrak map confirms it. But if I go to the Amtrak site and try to > > > book a train ride it tells me that I can't get there from > > here. So I > > > click the little multi-city trip link and start telling it where I > > > want to go. The Keystone takes me from Harrisburg to > > Pittsburgh. The > > > Capitol takes me from Pittsburgh to Chicago. And the > Illinois takes > > > me from Chicago to St. Louis. I can't just say that I'd > > like go from > > > place to place, I have to tell it when I want to leave from > > each city > > > along the way. Since I don't know the train schedules I > space them > > > out over 2 days. But there's not a daily Capitol from > > Pittsburgh, so > > > I get a 26 hour layover 2 hours from home. Does it take that into > > > account when showing me fares from Chicago? Noooo! I have > > to hit the > > > back button and start over, trying to remember exactly which train > > > leaves when so that I can make the trip as short as possible. > > > > > > Furthermore, there is no checked baggage service on the > Keystone. I > > > also can't bring my bike. I can check baggage from Pittsburgh to > > > Chicago, but still can't bring a bike. From Chicago to > St. Louis I > > > can bring my bike, but there's no checked baggage. Gah! > > > > > > Contrast this with the airlines. I can get from any > airport in the > > > world to just about any other. As you all know, I can go > to Expedia > > > or some similar site, plug in points A and B and it will show me a > > > variety of options, consisting of different airlines, different > > > layovers and different connections. And they all get from > > A to B. I > > > can check my bags. I can pay a few bucks extra and bring my bike. > > > And since I have a credit card I can arrange for all of > > this within a > > > few minutes and it's cheaper than the train. > > > > > > Amtrak, however, makes me spend an hour on their site only > > to find out > > > that train tickets from Harrisburg to St. Louis, for me > alone, costs > > > more than airfare for my whole family. One company, one web site, > > > they own the tracks (or lease them or whatever) and they > > can't figure > > > out how to get me to where they can supposedly take me. > > > > > > Spending 18 hours in the car over two days and paying for > > gas and food > > > and a hotel for the family is the least expensive option, > even with > > > last summer's fuel prices. > > > > > > Are you still bitching about rail travel in the UK, Bob? > > > > > > ;-) > > > > > > -- > > > Scott Loveless > > > Cigarette-free since December 14th, 2008 > > > http://www.twosixteen.com/fivetoedsloth/ > > > > > > -- > > > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > > > [email protected] > > > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > > > to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly > > > above and follow the directions. > > > > > > -- > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > [email protected] > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly > above and follow the directions. > -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
