Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
• When you arrive at the station, ask an Amtrak employee
where to stand on the platform so you won't find yourself
several hundred feet from the coaches when the train comes
to a stop. The object is to be among the first to board.
• Better yet, designate someone in your party, unencumbered
with kids or baggage, to hop aboard and look for seats as
soon as the train stops. (Do not let someone who isn't travel-
ing do this. At most station stops, the train will start as soon
as everyone on the platform has boarded.)
• Once onboard, if you cannot find enough seats together, ask
the train attendant for help. If he or she is unable to help, ask
the conductor who takes your tickets. One of them should be
able to accommodate your party.
In a number of cities Amtrak provides separate lounges and
waiting rooms for sleeping-car passengers and those traveling
first-class on the high-speed Acela trains along the Northeast
Corridor. The Club Acela lounges are found in Boston, New
York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. There are also very
nice waiting rooms in the Chicago and Portland stations, which
are also for use only by sleeping-car passengers. All of these
lounges have full-time Amtrak staff and feature complimentary
soft drinks, comfortable seating, and wireless Internet connec-
tions, among other business-related amenities. (The lounge in
Chicago actually has a working fireplace.)
An attendant will ask to see your ticket when you enter; you
will be welcomed into the lounge only if you have just arrived
or are about to depart in sleeping-car accommodations. Amtrak
follows this rule to the letter too. I was once refused entry to the
lounge in Chicago because the first three-hour leg of my trip—
Chicago to Galesburg—was in coach class, notwithstanding the
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