Missouri Amtrak Service

[loftguy]

Saturday we are taking the 8:15 Amtrak to Lee’s Summit for their weekend festival and boarding for the return trip at 2:04. This will drop us off right in the middle of old downtown, no worries about parking, etc. The cost is $31.50 total for both of us. Should be fun.

Clever. Sounds great!

[grovester]

The Milwaukee trip was a great adventure. Short version is the train travel itself is great, everything up to the point of the train moving is a bit nerve-wracking.

We were delayed an hour leaving KC, which while a mental bummer at the get go, in retrospect is the best place to be delayed. The whole ticket-taking, check-in, seat assignment is something out of a Monte Python skit. People queue up randomly, someone comes around and scans your ticket, but doesn't assign any seating. Then the line marches down to the platform where a free for all happens around the 3 or so conductors who step off the train. They have these paper slips that seem circa Wall Street 1945, scribbling furiously, pointing people in seemingly random directions. I would think the "Hack America" folks could have a field day with Amtrak. To be fair, the system seems to work, but to the detriment of the passengers sense of order.

It was a funny compared to flying, where everyone is treated as if this is their first time and everything is structured. This was a libertarian operation where it was assumed that we were all regular rail passengers.

Chicago was crazy. Not sure if I missed anything, but I was expecting a grand old hall like KC. This was an underground food court. And again with the random line forming, mad dash to the trains.

Don't want to come off as too whiny. It was just stressful. I'm sure a repeat trip will not seem as foreign. Not sure I'd do Milwaukee again, as that leg adds 4 hours to the trip. Perhaps spend the evening in Chicago and then go up the next morning. I'll certainly take it for Chicago trips, it was as fast as driving.

The Milwaukee station was nice. Open and airy in the style of the art museum. Easy walk to the 3rd ward, about a mile from downtown, but still walk-able.

[IraGlacialis]

Thanks. Does this route have wifi? Didn't see it listed on the page.

Pretty much the only routes that seem to have wifi are still the coastal ones: http://www.amtrak.com/journey-with-wi-fi-train-station.
Which is a pity. Wifi throughout the trains would be a complete dealbreaker in my mind. Granted, with the advent of smartphones/tablets and 4G, there is probably not as much of a rush.

[grovester]

A realization I had after the trip. Folks are all on their smart phones. There's no demand for wifi. I could have figured the tether/hot spot before I went if it was really important to me. Lots of time to delve into the ipod playlist, Black Angels, Pretenders, Modest Mouse and Beck for the ride home.

[IraGlacialis]

A realization I had after the trip. Folks are all on their smart phones. There's no demand for wifi. I could have figured the tether/hot spot before I went if it was really important to me. Lots of time to delve into the ipod playlist, Black Angels, Pretenders, Modest Mouse and Beck for the ride home.

Hell, when you think about it, you can probably get faster internet on your smartphone than the provided wifi.

[bobbyhawks]

A realization I had after the trip. Folks are all on their smart phones. There's no demand for wifi. I could have figured the tether/hot spot before I went if it was really important to me. Lots of time to delve into the ipod playlist, Black Angels, Pretenders, Modest Mouse and Beck for the ride home.

Hell, when you think about it, you can probably get faster internet on your smartphone than the provided wifi.

Sounds like it is very provider specific. Back in 2011, I could barely hold a Sprint signal for more than a few minutes at a time on the Southwest Chief. Wifi on trains in England was awesome, and the signal never faltered. I could have gotten a lot of work done in transit had I not been using it to plan my meals and personal legs of a work trip.

[smh]

FWIW, I rode Amtrak from Portland to Seattle a couple of years ago and the WiFi was erratic at best. It seemed to continually drop out.

[flyingember]

A realization I had after the trip. Folks are all on their smart phones. There's no demand for wifi. I could have figured the tether/hot spot before I went if it was really important to me. Lots of time to delve into the ipod playlist, Black Angels, Pretenders, Modest Mouse and Beck for the ride home.

this would make sense except the trains don't exactly go on routes that follow the best signal.

look at AT&T for SW Chief, just KC to Chicago. Roughly half of the trip the route goes through an area of 2G coverage and some areas with nothing.

[grovester]

No doubt, but like smh said, the wifi was erratic also, likely for the same reason. With the curve going with increasingly better cell signal nationally, Amtrak probably doesn't think wifi investment will be much of a draw for them.

[aknowledgeableperson]

What did people do on the train before these toys? At least some of the time was spent talking to those around you.

[kboish]

What did people do on the train before these toys? At least some of the time was spent talking to those around you.

drink?

[DaveKCMO]

i often criticize amtrak for their complete lack of a boarding process, but somehow they get it done every day. it applies to every single station i've used -- northeast, california, midwest. most of it comes down to a mix of stasis and actual infrastructure. in other countries, a single route may have consistent platform lengths/heights for the entire route, allowing the coaches to match a specific spot on the platform (your ticket says platform 1, position 6). there are places on the amtrak long distance trains that are still flag stops with nothing more than a single concrete pad (essex, montana... first hand experience!). rustic, yes, but that makes it hard to be consistent.

of course, southwest mastered the cattle call for decades before finally introducing the appearance of orderly boarding.

it will be interesting to see passenger rail competitors start working alongside amtrak in the US (this has been allowed since 2008, but no one has yet started to compete... a testament to why amtrak is still necessary in many places). first will be florida, then las vegas.

[grovester]

Definitely a method to their madness. Actually, all they would have to do is have a pre-arrival announcement saying, "This is what's going to happen folks, a, b, and c." Also that being first doesn't get you any better seat (assuming it is a reserved route)

[IraGlacialis]

What did people do on the train before these toys? At least some of the time was spent talking to those around you.

drink?

Sleep. Read. Work on whatever needs to be done.

I don't think that technology has really affected sociability on trains that much.
Case in point for a more unconnected atmosphere: people don't usually go of their way to talk to strangers on a long plane ride.

And on the flip side, there have been people I've had animated conversations with, despite the presence of other things to do on a ride.

In any case, in this day and age, having connectivity is a strong asset.

[grovester]

Most of the socializing goes on in the observation car or snack bar. They seem to be trying to keep the seats fairly quiet.

[cknab1]

My wife and I had a great trip to Lee’s Summit. Our only problem was arriving at Union Station 40 minutes early and seeing Parisi Coffee was not open. I think they open at 8:00 on Saturdays which was too late for us and the other travelers. At any rate once we killed a little time the boarding went very smoothly. After we went down to the platform, the conductor told us which car to board and it was open seating. After we started he came by and marked our seat locations. This car was not very full. on our trip to Chicago they assigned the seating on the platform. We had one stop in Independence for a couple of minutes and were on our way to Lee’s Summit. I enjoy the train going thru KC. It goes thru my old neighborhood of Northeast just a block from 9th & Van Brunt where I lived for a few years. And it was interesting going down the west side of Noland Road seeing the stores and streets from that perspective. We had a good time at the fair, meet some friends for lunch, and it was just too easy to catch the train back at 2:04. It was on time and in 25 minutes we were back in Union Station, walked across the street and arrived home. For $31.50 it was a great bargain.

[grovester]

My wife and I had a great trip to Lee’s Summit. Our only problem was arriving at Union Station 40 minutes early and seeing Parisi Coffee was not open. I think they open at 8:00 on Saturdays which was too late for us and the other travelers. At any rate once we killed a little time the boarding went very smoothly. After we went down to the platform, the conductor told us which car to board and it was open seating. After we started he came by and marked our seat locations. This car was not very full. on our trip to Chicago they assigned the seating on the platform. We had one stop in Independence for a couple of minutes and were on our way to Lee’s Summit. I enjoy the train going thru KC. It goes thru my old neighborhood of Northeast just a block from 9th & Van Brunt where I lived for a few years. And it was interesting going down the west side of Noland Road seeing the stores and streets from that perspective. We had a good time at the fair, meet some friends for lunch, and it was just too easy to catch the train back at 2:04. It was on time and in 25 minutes we were back in Union Station, walked across the street and arrived home. For $31.50 it was a great bargain.

Was 2 your only return option?

[cknab1]

yes it was. It left St. Louis early that morning, headed for KC.

[StL_Dan]

I finally took the cross state trip - downtown KC to Kirkwood - last summer, and went solo. If for no other reason (which I did have a darn good reason, lol)_ than I like to do new stuff (to me), it was kinda fun. Yet, it was earthy and sorta weird too. The "people watching" was pretty darn fun...probably the best part...even thought I enjoyed the heck out of rolling along the old railway right of way and seeing parts of Missouri I'd never seen before. Lot's of smokers and fidgety types. Some people that appeared to be in a big giant hurry to get somewhere important. A few yups that just wanted to get drunk, go to wine country, get more drun, then come home. Also a few folks that looked like they rode the train periodically just for fun - regulars if you will - like they had nothing better to do. Railway locals. Pretty funny.

I almost felt out of place, like it was some type of other culture. Which again, made it even more fun to experience and observe.

[flyingember]

if you haven't been following the cameras, the 2nd bridge over the Osage River is in the process of the track connection

which as I've seen, is the last segment east of Jeff City to go two track