Priorities Out of Order

Amtrak has decided to class itself up by synergising with GrandLuxe Rail Journeys. While this isn't a fundamentally bad idea, it misses a fairly large problem with Amtrak, something that most people on the East Coast can speak to: the system sucks!

Amtrak does not cover enough of the country. It's slow. And, to add on to everything else, it is perpetually late. I've taken two trips on Amtrak. I didn't fail to show up to my destination at least three hours late both times. The first time, I was supposed to arrive in the daylight. It was pitch black out. The second time, it didn't really matter so much as I had been to Boston before.

So, Amtrak, before you start classing it up, how about getting the basics right with trains that run on time and are also competitively priced against flying and taking the bus. Once you do these two things, maybe I'll contemplate taking a train to San Fran in a luxury car, which does sound pretty sweet.