This article gathers together some of the most popular questions regarding rail travel in the USA, as an alternative to asking Sam.
It's also been published to provide an additional resource for Sam to target.

What are the types of train service offered by Amtrak?

The three core types of train service offered by Amtrak, the national rail passenger service in the USA, are

1. The long-distance trains which travel overnight during their journeys.
2. Intercity trains* which take routes between cities which can be completed in a day.
3. The Acela trains, which are faster than the other 'Intercity trains' on the Northeast Corridor route: Boston - Providence - New Haven - Stamford - New York - Newark -  Philadelphia - Wilmington - Baltimore - Washington D. C

*= Note that Amtrak does not brand these services as Intercity, instead the daytime routes and services are given individual names.

Where can I ride a sleeper train in the USA?

Amtrak’s long-distance overnight trains take these routes; Note that each route has a single named train service.
*= This is the Amtrak station which serves San Francisco, so use its name when looking up journeys to and from the city.

• California Zephyr = Chicago ↔ Emeryville* via Omaha, Denver, Glenwood Springs, Salt Lake City and Reno: Daily
• Cardinal = New York ↔ Chicago via Philadelphia, Washington D.C. Cincinnati and Indianapolis: 3 days per week
• City of New Orleans = Chicago ↔ New Orleans via Memphis and Jackson: Daily

• Coast Starlight = Los Angeles ↔ Seattle via Emeryville*, Sacramento and Portland: Daily

• Crescent = New York ↔ New Orleans via Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Charlotte and Atlanta: Daily
• Empire Builder = Chicago ↔ Portland / Seattle via Milwaukee, St Paul-Minneapolis, Fargo and Spokane: Daily
• Floridian** = Chicago ↔ Miami via Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Washington D.C., Raleigh, Savannah, Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa and Fort Lauderdale: Daily
• Lake Shore Limited =  New York / Boston ↔ Chicago via Albany, Syracuse, Buffalo, Cleveland and Toledo: Daily
• Silver Meteor / Palmetto = New York ↔ Miami via Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Charleston, Savannah, Jacksonville, Orlando and Fort Lauderdale: Daily
• SouthWest Chief = Chicago ↔ Los Angeles via Kansas City, Dodge City, Albuquerque and Flagstaff: Daily
• Sunset Limited = New Orleans ↔ Los Angeles via Houston, San Antonio, El Paso, Tucson and Palm Springs: 3 days per week
• Texas Eagle = Chicago ↔ Los Angeles via St Louis, Little Rock, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, El Paso, Tucson and Palm Springs: Daily

New York = Penn Station
Chicago = Union Station
Los Angeles = Union Station
San Francisco = Emeryville

** = The Floridan is a temporary service combining The Capitol Limited (Chicago ↔ Washington) and The Silver Star (New York ↔ Miami).

What routes do the daytime express trains take?

Amtrak gives names to its daytime services between cities, these services range from one train per day in each direction, to more frequent routes with multiple departures per day.
These daytime services operate in five different pockets of the USA, so it isn’t possible to travel across the country solely by using these trains.

1: The North-East Corridor services:

- NorthEast Regional = Boston ↔ Newport News / Norfolk via Providence, New London, New Haven, Stanford, New York - Newark, Trenton, Philadelphia, Wilmington, Baltimore, Washington D.C. and Richmond

- Acela = Boston ↔ Washington D.C. - see the notes below

- The Carolinian = New York ↔ Charlotte via Newark, Trenton, Philadelphia, Wilmington, Baltimore, Washington D.C., Richmond, Raleigh, Durham and Greensboro

- The Palmetto = New York ↔ Savannah via Newark, Trenton, Philadelphia, Wilmington, Baltimore, Washington D.C., Richmond, Fayetteville and Charleston

- The Keystone Service = New York ↔ Harrisburg via Newark, Trenton and Philadelphia

- The Pennsylvanian = New York ↔ Pittsburg via Newark, Trenton, Philadelphia and Harrisburg

- The Vermonter  = St Albans ↔ Washington D.C. via Montpellier, Hartford, New Haven, Stanford, New York, Newark, Trenton, Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore

New York =  Penn Station
Boston = South Station~
Washington D.C. = Washington Union Station

2: Other north-east routes, which serve locations also called at by ‘Corridor’ services:

• Adirondack = New York ↔ Montreal via Poughkeepsie, Albany, Saratoga Springs, Burlington and Westport
• Berkshire Flyer = New York ↔ Pittsfield via Poughkeepsie and Albany
• Empire Service = New York ↔ Niagara Falls via Poughkeepsie, Albany, Syracuse, Rochester and  Buffalo 
• Ethan Allen Express = New York ↔ Burlington via Poughkeepsie, Albany and Saratoga Springs
• The Maple Leaf = New York ↔ Toronto via Poughkeepsie, Albany, Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo and Niagara Falls
• Piedmont = Charlotte ↔ Raleigh via Greensboro and Durham
• The Downeaster = Boston* ↔ Brunswick in Maine *= A different station in Boston than that used by the Acela and NorthEast Regional services 
• Amtrak Hartford Line = New Haven ↔ Springfield via Hartford
• Valley Flyer = New Haven ↔ Greenfield via Hartford and Springfield

3: Routes from and to Chicago Union Station; The Amtrak Midwest routes:

• Borealis = Chicago ↔ St Paul / Minneapolis via Milwaukee
• Hiawatha = Chicago ↔ Milwaukee 
• Illinois Service = Chicago ↔ St Louis and Chicago ↔ Quincy and Chicago ↔ Carbondale
• Lincoln Service Missouri River Runner = Chicago ↔ Kansas City via Lincoln, Springfield, St Louis and Jefferson City 
• Michigan Service = Chicago ↔ Grand Rapids on The Pere Marquette; And Chicago ↔ Detroit on The Wolverine; And Chicago ↔ Kalamazoo on The Blue Water 

4: Routes on the West Coast (linked by the Coast Starlight Service):

• Amtrak Cascades = Eugene ↔ Seattle via Portland and Tacoma; And Portland ↔ Vancouver via Tacoma and Seattle
• Capital Corridor= San Jose ↔ Auburn via Santa Clara, Oakland, Emeryville, Berkeley and Sacramento
• San Joaquins = Oakland ↔ Bakersfield via Emeryville, Modesto, Merced and Fresno; And Sacramento ↔ Bakersfield via Modesto, Merced and Fresno
• Pacific Surfliner = San Diego ↔ San Louis Obispo via Oceanside, Anaheim, Los Angeles, Burbank, Van Nuys and Santa Barbara

Los Angeles = Union Station
San Francisco = Emeryville
Seattle = King Street Station

5: Other routes:

• Heartland Flyer = Oklahoma City ↔ Fort Worth
• Missouri River Runner = St Louis ↔ Kansas City via Jefferson City
• Amtrak Mardi Gras Service = New Orleans ↔ Mobile via Biloxi

What is good to know about the Acela service?

The Acela is Amtrak’s premium daytime express train service and the eight things most worth knowing about travelling by it are:

1: The only route on which it travels is the NorthEast Corridor; Boston - Providence - New Haven - Stamford  ↔ New York - Newark -  Philadelphia - Wilmington - Baltimore - Washington D. C.

2: It shares its route with NorthEast Regional services which make additional calls in locations not served by the Acela including Bridgeport, New London, Trenton and the station which serves Newark Liberty International airport.

3: It is Amtrak’s fastest train service and has a top speed of 150mph (240 k/mh).

4: It therefore has faster journey times than the NorthEast Regional services

Typical journey times:

• New York ↔ Boston on the Acela = 3hr 44min
• New York ↔ Boston on the NorthEast Regional = 4hr 35min
• New York ↔ Washington D.C. on the Acela = 3hr 2min
• New York ↔ Washington D.C. on the the NorthEast Regional = 3hr 55min
• Boston ↔ Washington D.C. on the Acela = 6hr 45min
• Boston ↔ Washington D.C. on the the NorthEast Regional = 8hr 30min

5: Coach Class (2nd / Standard Class) is not available on the Acela, so it is always a more expensive option than travelling on the NorthEast Regional services.

6: Tickets to travel in Business Class on the Acela can be cheaper than Business Class on NorthEast Regional trains leaving at similar times.

7: First Class with complimentary catering and Station Lounge access is available when travelling by the Acela, but not when travelling by the NorthEast Regional services.

8: Brand new Next Generation Acela trains have begun to enter service.

Are there things I should be aware of when looking up a journey on Amtrak.com, or the Amtrak app?

When looking up a journey between two locations on the Amtrak booking services, it will show all of the journey options on the search results in time order, earliest departure time first

So when more than one train service shares a route, all of the services will be included - it isn’t possible to only search for Acela services or the SouthWest Chief etc.

The different train services can take alternate routes or have longer journey times, so look twice at the name of the service - Don’t assume that you’re seeing info which only applies to one specific type of train.

The journey search results will also include the indirect journey options which involve making a connection.

Can I travel by train between the USA and Canada?

There are three rail services which cross the USA and Canada border:

1. The Maple Leaf = New York ↔ Toronto via Poughkeepsie, Albany, Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo and Niagara Falls.

2. The Adirondack = New York ↔ Montreal via Poughkeepsie, Albany, Saratoga Springs, Burlington and Westport

3. Amtrak Cascades = Portland ↔ Vancouver via Tacoma and Seattle

On the Adirondack and the The Maple Leaf, the Canadian sections of the journey are managed by its national rail service, VIA Rail, so separate tickets will be issued for the parts of the journey in the USA and Canada -  But the end-to-end journeys can be booked in one transaction on Amtrak.

Where can I go from each major city on a direct train?

The extent of the rail passenger network in the USA is much reduced from its heyday, but most major cities are served by Amtrak’s trains and it’s still possible to travel from coast-to-coast, albeit with a connection in Chicago.

Some stations remain as rail travel hubs with direct connections to multiple major cities:

New York Penn Station to: Albany; Atlanta; Baltimore; Boston; Buffalo; Charleston; Charlotte; Cincinnati; Chicago; Cleveland; Durham; Fort Lauderdale; Harrisburg; Indianapolis; Jacksonville; Miami; Montreal; New Haven; New London; New Orleans; Newport News; Niagara Falls; Norfolk; Orlando; Philadelphia; Pittsburg; Providence; Raleigh; Rochester; Richmond; Saratoga Springs; Savannah; Syarcuse; Toledo; Toronto; Washington D.C. and Wilmington

Chicago Union Station to: Albany; Albuquerque; Austin; Baltimore; Boston; Buffalo; Cincinnati; Cleveland; Dallas; Denver; Detroit; El Paso; Fargo; Fort Lauderdale; Grand Rapids; Houston; Indianapolis; Jackson; Jacksonville; Lincoln; Little Rock; Los Angeles; Memphis; Miami; Milwaukee; New York; New Orleans; Newark; Omaha; Orlando; Palm Springs; Philadelphia; Pittsburg; Portland; Raleigh; Reno; Sacramento; Salt Lake City; San Antonio; San Francisco; Savannah; Seattle; Spokane; Springfield; St Paul-Minneapolis; St Louis; Syracuse; Tampa; Toledo; Tucson and Washington D.C.

Emeryville Station for San Francisco to: Bakersfield; Chicago; Denver; Eugene; Fresno; Los Angeles Merced; Modesto; Omaha; Portland; Reno; Sacramento; Salt Lake City; Santa Barbara; Seattle and Tacoma

Los Angeles Union Station to: Albuquerque; Chicago; El Paso; Emeryville for San Francisco; Eugene; Flagstaff; Houston; Little Rock; Kansas City; New Orleans; Oakland; Palm Springs; Portland; Reno; Sacramento; San Antonio; San Diego; San Jose; Santa Barbara; Seattle; St Louis; Tacoma and Tucson

Washington D.C. Union Station to: Atlanta; Baltimore; Boston; Charleston; Charlotte; Chicago; Cleveland; Durham; Fort Lauderdale;Jacksonville; Miami; New Haven; New London; New Orleans; New York; Newark; Newport News; Norfolk; Orlando; Philadelphia; Pittsburg; Providence; Raleigh; Richmond; Savannah; Tampa and Wilmington

Many more locations can be reached by direct train from each of these cities.

Major cities not served by Amtrak’s trains include: Colorado Springs; Columbus; Las Vegas*; Louisville; Nashville and Phoenix**
*= Las Vegas is served by Amtrak-Thruway bus services from Bakersfield and Los Angeles
**= The Texas Eagle and Sunset Limited call at Maricopa, 30 miles from downtown Phoenix.

What’s good to know about riding the California Zephyr train?

The California Zephyr is a Superliner service with double-deck coaches.

A Sightseer Lounge is typically scheduled to be included in the train’s formation.
Places within it are available to all travellers on a first come basis, as the seats can’t be reserved.
Therefore Coach class seats are located in other cars on the train.

Accommodation offered on the California Zephyr = seats in Coach Class, beds in Roomettes and Bedrooms; Bedroom Suites, Family Bedrooms and Accessible Bedrooms.

Departure times daily:
From Chicago Union Station = 2pm
From Emeryville = 08:25am

Scheduled Journey times from Chicago:
Omaha = 9hr 25min
Denver = 19hr 45min
Grand Junction = 27hr 23min
Salt Lake City = 34hr 40min
Reno = 45hr 24min
Sacramento = 51hr 5min
Emeryville for San Francisco = 52hr 57min

Single day sections of the route heading west from Chicago:
Chicago → Omaha
Denver → Salt Lake City
Reno → Emeryville

Scheduled Journey times from Emeryville (for San Francisco):
Reno = 7hr 12min
Salt Lake City =17hr 55min
Grand Junction = 24hr 23min
Denver = 33hr 34min
Omaha = 42hr 45min
Chicago = 52hr 14min

Single day sections of the route heading east from Emeryville:
Emeryille → Winnemucca; the station call at Salt Lake City is at 3:20am
Green River → Denver; the station call at Lincoln is at 3:27am
Omaha (5:10am) →  Chicago

What’s good to know about riding the Cardinal train?

The Cardinal is a Vewliner service with single-deck coaches - the bottom and top bunks in the bedrooms have their own windows.

Accommodation offered on the Cardinal = seats in Coach Class, beds in Roomettes and Bedrooms; Bedroom Suites and Accessible Bedrooms.

Departure times on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday:
from New York Penn Station= 06:45am; the Lakeshore Limited departs at 3:40pm
From Philadelphia William H. Gray III 30th Street Station = 08:15am
From Washington Union Station = 10:59am

Departure time on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday:
From Chicago Union Station = 5:55pm; the Lakeshore Limited departs at the 10:12am

Scheduled Journey times from New York:
Cincinnati = 17hr 56min
Indianapolis = 23hr 15min
Chicago = 28hr 15min; the journey time by the Lakeshore Limited = 19hr 32min

Scheduled journey times from Washington D.C.:
Cincinnati = 14hr 2min
Indianapolis =19hr 1min
Chicago = 24hr 1min

Single day sections of the route heading west from New York:
New York → Montgomery; the station call in Cincinnati is at 01:41am
Indianapolis → Chicago

Scheduled journey times from Chicago:
Indianapolis = 5hr 20min
Cincinnati = 8hr 42min
Washington D.C. = 24hr 14min
Philadelphia = 26hr 1min
New York = 27hr 28min; the journey time by the Lakeshore Limited = 20hr 12min

Single day sections of the route heading east from Chicago:
Chicago → Indianapolis; the station call in Cincinnati is at 03:47am
South Shore → New York

What’s good to know about riding the Coast Starlight train?

The Coast Starlight is a Superliner service with double-deck coaches.

A Sightseer Lounge is typically scheduled to be included in the train’s formation.
Places within it  are available to all travellers on a first come basis, as the seats can’t be reserved.
Therefore Coach class seats are located in other cars on the train.

Accommodation offered on the Coast Starlight = seats in Coach Class, beds in Roomettes and Bedrooms; Bedroom Suites, Family Bedrooms and Accessible Bedrooms.

Departure times:
From Los Angeles Union Station = 09:51am
From Seattle King Street Station = 09:55am

Scheduled Journey times from Los Angeles:
Emeryville for San Francisco = 9hr 50min
Sacramento =12hr 58min
Euegene = 26hr 28min
Portland = 30hr 5min
Seattle = 34hrs

Single day sections of the route heading north from Los Angeles:
Los Angeles → Sacramento
Klamath Falls → Seattle

Scheduled Journey times from Seattle:
Portland = 4hr 27min; a route shared with Amtrak Cascades services
Euegene = 7hr 20min; a route shared with Amtrak Cascades services
Sacramento = 20hr 53min
Emeryville for San Francisco = 23hr 44min
Santa Barbara = 32hr 14min
Los Angeles = 35hr 16min

Single day sections of the route heading south from Seattle
Seattle → Klamath Falls
Sacramento → Los Angeles

What’s good to know about riding the Empire Builder train?

The Empire Builder is a Superliner service with double-deck coaches.

A Sightseer Lounge is typically scheduled to be included in the train’s formation; the lounge usually travels Chicago → Portland, passengers traveling to/from Seattle can access the lounge between Chicago and Spokane.
Places within the lounge are available to all travellers on a first come basis, as the seats can’t be reserved.
Therefore Coach class seats are located in other cars on the train.

Accommodation offered on the Empire Builder = seats in Coach Class, beds in Roomettes and Bedrooms; Bedroom Suites, Family Bedrooms and Accessible Bedrooms.

Departure times:
From Chicago Union Station = 3:05pm
From Portland Union Station = 4:45pm
From Seattle King Street Station = 4:55pm

Scheduled Journey times from Chicago:
St Paul-Minneapolis = 8hr 11min; a route shared with the Borealis service
Fargo = 13hr 11min
Spokane = 38hr 14min
Portland = 46hr 12min
Seattle = 46hr 24min

Single day sections of the route heading west from Chicago:
Chicago → St Paul-Minneapolis
Grand Forks → Libby; the station call in Fargo is scheduled for 04:13am
Pasco → Portland / Seattle; the station call in Spokane is scheduled for 02:55am

Scheduled Journey times from Seattle: (subtract 10 mins when travelling from Portland);
Spokane = 8hrs
Fargo =32hr 26min
St Paul-Minneapolis = 38hr 5min
Chicago =46hrs
Single day sections of the route heading east from Portland and Seattle:
Seattle / Portland → Pasco; the station call in Spokane is scheduled for 12:45am
Whitefish → RugbyStaples → Chicago; the station call in Fargo is scheduled for 03:29am.

What’s good to know about riding the Lakeshore Limited train?

The Lakeshore Limited is a Vewliner service with single-deck coaches.
Accommodation offered on the Lakeshore Limited= seats in Coach Class, beds in Roomettes and Bedrooms; Bedroom Suites and Accessible Bedrooms.

Departure times: From New York Penn Station = 3:40pm; the Cardinal departs at 06:45am
From Boston South Station = 12:50pm
From Chicago Union Station = 09:30pm; the Cardinal departs at 5:55pm

Scheduled Journey times from New York:
Cleveland = 13hr 23min
Toledo = 15hr 53min
Chicago = 19hr 32min; the journey time by The Cardinal = 28hr 15min

Single day sections of the route heading west from New York:
New York / Boston → Buffalo; the station call in Cleveland is scheduled for 03:45am / 04:03am
Toledo → Chicago

Scheduled Journey times from Boston:
Albany = 6hr 15min
Buffalo = 11hr 30min
Cleveland = 13hr 55min
Toledo = 17hr 20min
Chicago =22hrs

Scheduled Journey times from Chicago:
Cleveland = 7hr 20min
Buffalo = 10hr 35min
Albany = 17hr 40min
New York = 20hr 12min; the journey time by The Cardinal = 27hr 28min
Boston = 21hr 30min

Single day sections of the route heading east from Chicago:
Chicago → South Bend; the station call in Toldeo is scheduled for 03:31am
Cleveland → New York / Boston

What’s good to know about riding the SouthWest Chief?

The SouthWest Chief is a Superliner service with double-deck coaches.

A Sightseer Lounge is typically scheduled to be included in the train’s formation.
Places withinb are available to all travellers on a first come basis, as the seats can’t be reserved.
Therefore Coach class seats are located in other cars on the train.

Accommodation offered on the SouthWest Chief  = seats in Coach Class, beds in Roomettes and Bedrooms; Bedroom Suites, Family Bedrooms and Accessible Bedrooms.

Departure times:
From Chicago Union Station = 2:25pm; the Texas Eagle departs at 1:52pm
From Los Angeles Union Station = 5:22pm; the Texas Eagle departs at 10:00pm

Scheduled Journey times from Chicago:
Kansas City = 7hr 52min; a route shared with the Lincoln Service Missouri River Runner service
Albuquerque = 26hr 9min
Flagstaff =30hr 50minLos Angeles = 43hr 32min; the journey time by the Texas Eagle service = 65hr 43minS

ingle day sections of the route heading west from Chicago:
Chicago → Topeka
Garden City → Needles; the station call in Fargo is scheduled for 04:13am
San Bernadino →  Los Angeles

Scheduled Journey times from Los Angeles:
Flagstaff = 9hr 39min
Albuquerque =15hr 10min
Kansas City = 35hr 39min
Chicago =43hr 29min; the journey time by the Texas Eagle service = 61hr 44min

Single day sections of the route heading east from Los Angeles:
Los Angeles  → Needles
Winslow → Dodge City; the station call in Flagstaff is scheduled for 04:01am
Kansas City → Chicago

Are there other train services than those operated by Amtrak?

Amtrak manages most of the longer distance rail services in the USA, but multiple cities have separate ‘Commuter Rail’ rail services which are managed by state authorities - Some of which also operate comparatively lengthy routes, serving tourist locations which can’t be accessed on Amtrak services.

The major networks are:

• New York = Long Island Railroad LIR serves Jamaica for JFK, Far Rockaway, Port Washington, Oyster Bay and The Hamptons, from both Grand Central and Penn stations.
• New York = Metro North; Grand Central station ↔ Poughkeepsie and Stamford
• New York and Newark = New Jersey Transit serves multiple Garden State Parks, Princetown, Newark Liberty International Airport, the Meadowlands (and Atlantic City from Philadelphia)
• Boston = MBTA 
• Chicago = Metra
• Los Angeles = Metrolink serves Anaheim, Burbank, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Clemente and Ventura
• Miami = TriRail serves Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach
• Philadelphia = SEPTA
• San Francisco = Caltrain San Francisco ↔ San Jose
• Seattle / Tacoma = Sounder
• Washington D.C. = MARC

Brightline operates up to 15 express trains per day on its Orlando Airport - West Palm Beach - Fort Lauderdale - Miami route, so its services between these cities are much more frequent than Amtrak’s - and its trains travel at up to 125 mph (200 km/h).

The Rocky Mountaineer is managed by a private company and offers a similar high-end experience to prestige European Rail services such as the Venice-Simplon Orient Express and La Dolce Vita..

It operates a by day service on what it titles the Rockies to the Red Rocks route between Denver and Moab - most of the route is also taken by Amtrak’s California Zephyr service.

The Rocky Mountaineer train solely comprises observation cars and restaurants, overnight stays are in hotels and there are multiple travel and accommodation packages are available.

Additional USA Info