Cell Phone Coverage on These Routes!

[Gamer03]

Does anyone how Verizon's service is on Amtrak's California Zephyr route?

How is the coverage on the Coast Starlight's route?

What about the Empire Builder's route?

BTW, here is a link to the Zephyr's route:

Here is the route for the Zephyr

Here is a link to the Coast Starlight's route:

Here is the route for the Coast Starlight

Here is the link to the Empire Builder's route:

Here is the lroute for the Empire Builder

To view the maps, click on the map icon on the page where it says click here to see expanded route map image.

ILUVSOCAL, have you ridden the Zephyr from Chicago, IL to Emeryville, CA before? What about the Empire Builder?

Also, how is the scenery on the Coast Starlight's route? IS Emryville, CA San Francisco, CA? Is it a suburb?

If so, can you tell me how much you enjoyed each one, or if you have only ridden one of the routes, could you please tell me how much you enjoyed that particular route?

My family and I are thinking about taking one or all of these trains next summer.

Has anyone been along these routes before, and if so, how was the coverage with Verizon?

Thanks.

I appreciate it.


Gamer

[ILUVSOCAL]

Prepare for a long reply, you just touched on two of my favorite things, trains and cell phones!!! LOL I have actually rode all those routes. I've ridden the Coast Starlight from Los Angeles to Portland, OR, the Empire Builder from Portland to Chicago, the Broadway Limited from Chicago to Philly, the Metrloliners from Philly to DC, the Cardinal from DC to Chicago, and the California Zephyr from Chicago to Sacramento, not to mention I ride the San Joaquin's often from Martinez to Bakersfield and So Cal, so you can see I'm quite a seasoned rail traveler [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] A few summers back we took a trip from Sacramento to DC and back, it was so awesome!! The scenery on all those routes you named is just beyond words it's so gorgeous! Not to mention they are some of the busiest rail lines in the world, and with the railroads booming like never before in history, well, it's a goldmine for train nuts like me! The Coast Starlight, where you travel along some of the most beautiful coastline in America between Ventura and San Luis Obispo, through the Bay Area (actually Emerville and Oakland, which are in the East Bay, across the water from SF, which is reached by the Caltrains commuter trains and BART), and then north of Sacramento you go through some of the most gorgeous mountains and trees, and pass near mountains such as Mt.Shasta, Mt.Lassen, and Mt.Hood. Then the Empire Builder, WOW! Between Portland and Glacier Park it is AWESOME! So beautiful, the Columbia river, Snake River, Glacier National Park (there are 3 stations there, 2 of which are right inside the park!), then between just east of Glacier and Chicago there are not many mountains, but you really see some of America's most beauiful heartland, plains stretch forever and farms dot the landscape. Ahh, then the California Zephyr. another awesome train! Leaving Chicago it's mostly flat country and plains, again beautiful farm country, but when you hit Denver you begin to climb the beautiful and spectacular Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, and go through Moffat Tunnel, passing under the Continental Divide at close to 10,000 feet (when we went through there, some of the chip bags in the dining car burst open, the steward said every trip they lose a few, due the the bags being packed at sea level, and the low pressure at 10,000 feet), then drop down out of them in the Wasatch Mountains at Soldier Summit and descend into Provo, and then follow the Jordan River into Salt Lake City, then you head west (originally built in 1908 to bypass the original Promotory grade to the north) going across the Great Salt Lake causeway, across Promotory Point (very near to where the original transcon rr was completed and the UP and Central Pacific met in 1869) and out through Wendover and then across Northern Nevada and Elko, Winnemmucca, and then into Reno, then you cross the famous Sierra Nevada Mountains and Donner Summit (another very famous line, long and interesting history, as you look at the engineering marvels, remember the many Chinese who died, who blasted through solid rock and hung by rope in carts on the sides of solid granite to complete it in the 1860's), extremely gorgeous country, and the snowiest place in the US, so if you pass through in winter be prepared for TONS of snow, you should see the equipment the railroads use to plow and blow it! Now, about cell service on those routes, I can't be nearly as much help, sorry about that, we didn't have phones with us when we took the Sacramento to DC trips, but I have taken mine on the California Zephyr from Sacramento to Reno, and I can tell you service is excellent on that section of the route! Take those trips, they will be something you will remember the rest of your life, so much nicer than being in stuff bus, fighting traffic in cars or buzzing over at 35,000 feet! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] I hope this helps, and let me know if I can help ya out anymore [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

[Gamer03]

Thanks ILUVSOCAL for the reply.

It sounds like an interesting trip with plenty of wonderful scenery to take.

I appreciate your reply.


Gamer

[BillRadio]

I can comment on the Verizon coverage of the CA Zephyr. I have traveled most of the roads paralleling the tracks.

From Chicago to Denver, coverage is good. There are a couple of valleys across IL and IA that may give you trouble, but it's good in NE until Denver. As you climb the mountains, there are numerous dead spots, especially in most of the 30 tunnels between Denver and Winter Park, the longest being 6 miles. Then in CO there are long stretches of coverage, but the tracks follow so many deep canyons, it's very spotty. It's a little better in UT, but worse in NV. I haven't traveled the route west of Donner Pass.

There is no reason to take the train east of Denver. I have taken Amtrak from DEN to GJT and it is nothing less than thrilling. The Colorado River is amazing. It is there that the president of the Union Pacific conceived of the dome car. In so many places the best view is straight up!

-Bill

[Gamer03]

Thanks BillRadio for the reply.

I appreciate it.


Gamer

[ILUVSOCAL]

I forgot to add there's a train you can take from Florida straight through to California, the Sunset Limited, which goes from Orlando to Los Angeles three times a week I(the first passenger train in US history to go coast to coast without having to change trains!), It follows the southern route through AL, MS, TX, NM, AZ and then into So Cal via Palm Springs, here's the link, http://amtrak.com/trains/sunsetlimited.html, "If you want to have that coast-to-coast experience from Florida to California, Amtrak's Sunset Limited is ready to take you the Southern way - which means plenty of hospitality. We'll show feature movies, and our on-board National Park guides will tell you all about the area you're passing through — from New Orleans to Houston and Del Rio to Alpine, Texas. Come with Amtrak's Sunset Limited from where the sun rises to where it sets .

Trails and Rails

This train is part of the Amtrak and the National Park Service Trails and Rails onboard partnership highlighting natural and cultural attractions. Click here for more information."

[Gamer03]

ILUVSOCAL, yes I know they have the Sunset Limited.

My dad found that train on Amtrak's site, so my whole family and I took the train from Orlando to New Orleans this past summer. The train station in downtown Orlando where we started from wasn't kept up real well.

After we spent 3 days in New Orleans, we took the City of New Orleans to Chicago.

I do not recommend that train, since our deluxe room's beds were uncomfortable, and IMO, the train seemed old and run down.

ILUVSOCAL, have you ever heard of a travel agency that deals primarily in trains called Slotsy Tours located in Fullerton, CA. They have a good company, and they helped us plan our trip this past summer. I highly recommend them.

Have you ever ridden the The Capitol Limited from D.C. to Chicago, IL before? That was my mom's, sister's and my first trip on a train. My dad has loved and ridden on trains since he was real little (I think 3 or 4). IMO, that was the best train that I had ridden so far, since they kept the train up.

IMO, the best train station is Union Station in D.C. They have a HUGE food court in the lower level, restaurants towards the front of the station, and boutiques you can shop in. Also an interesting fact, is that Union Station opened on October 27, 1907, and it was completed in 1908, and it is considered to be one of the finest examples of the Beaux-Arts style of architecture.

Have you ever been to Union Station in D.C.? The Union Station in D.C. is MUCH bigger and better than Chicago's Union Station, even though my dad told us that they hold weddings on the upper level of the Union Station in Chicago.

Just some interesting information I liked to share with you.


Gamer

[ILUVSOCAL]

Amtrak is on a new 5-year plan to upgrade equipment, repair damaged cars and rebuild and renovate depots and build new ones, the City Of New Orelans will be part of that upgrade, it was recently made an all Superliner train and the older streamliner cars were replaced with these bi-level cars. Amtrak has suffered at times since it's inception in 1971 from funding problems, but the Congress is solidly behind Amtrak (from both parties, many staunch supporters, on both sides of the isle), and is working to give Amtrak 1 billion for the next fiscal year, and 10 billion of the next 5 years, and I am confident they can defeat this stupid administrations lack of funding for Amtrak. Check Amtrak's site on it, explains the new president and his plans, http://amtrak.com/makingtracks.html, some interesting parts on it from David Gunn:

"Amtrak Facts


The name Amtrak is the blending of the words "American" and "Track". The railroad's official name is the National Railroad Passenger Corporation.
Amtrak began service on May 1, 1971 when Clocker No. 235 departed New York Penn Station at 12:05 a.m. bound for Philadelphia.
In 1971, Amtrak announced a schedule of 184 trains, serving 314 destinations.
When service began on May 1, 1971, Amtrak had 25 employees. Today, the company employs 22,000 people.
Since the beginning, even-numbered trains have traveled north and east. Odd-numbered trains travel south and west. Among the exceptions are Amtrak's Surfliners, which use the opposite numbering system inherited from their former operator, the Santa Fe Railroad and some Empire Corridor Trains"

"/25/03 - Column by David L. Gunn: Amtrak - The Canary and the Myths




Now that I have had a little more than eight months at the helm of Amtrak, I've come to think of this company as the canary in the coal mine.

Not that we're constantly endangered every day by unseen forces - that's true - but that the problems we've been forced to deal with are symptoms of a very big problem for everyone in the transportation industry and especially for freight and passenger railroads all over the country.

The problem is that the business of moving people, whether by air, rail or transit, is only marginally profitable - if at all - and as a result requires a significant public subsidy to keep its head above water. In good times, state and federal support flows pretty well to cover the needs of roads, airports, transit systems and shipping - though not intercity passenger rail. In bad times, as we have today, airlines go bankrupt and the usually flush states howl over billions in lost federal highway funds.

Amtrak, of course, has it a lot worse, as it must scramble for federal transportation funding that is otherwise guaranteed to roads and airports through the walled-off highway and aviation trust funds. Federal rules even prohibit states from spending the federal dollars they receive on intercity passenger rail. That must be changed if we're ever to meet the expectations of a public that continues to demand more passenger rail service.

In fact, greater investment in all forms of transportation - including passenger rail - is exactly what we need right now for two reasons: the payout is relatively small compared to the payback in mobility, economic activity, jobs and productivity, plus the inverse cost of not investing - as is happening today - is paid out in the cost of congestion and billions of dollars in lost productivity.

We know - for years, intercity passenger rail has been short-changed. The lack of capital investment has undermined our operational reliability and the overall level of service we provide. A service like that in the long-run pretty soon runs out of customers. The same can be said of the freight railroads, where the margins are too thin and the return on investment inadequate. At some point, they will be where we are today, and that day of reckoning is coming soon. Amtrak is just the canary in the coal mine.

While I have concerns beyond this company, I run Amtrak and want to say a few words about our problems and our opportunities, and what I call the six myths of Amtrak.

The first myth is that Amtrak or passenger rail can be profitable. It can't, and others have gotten into a lot of hot water saying it can. In some regions with enough population density, some services can be profitable on an incremental basis - what railroaders call "above the rails." But it takes enormous public investment in track, signals, equipment and so on for a reliable system, which cannot be recovered from fares. Public dollars build airports and public dollars should build rail corridors, too.

The second myth is that the private sector is dying to take over Amtrak's service. This is not the case either. Remember why Amtrak was formed - because the private sector was losing millions of dollars covering passenger rail's capital and operating costs. The economics of passenger rail haven't improved in the past thirty years and won't change much in the next thirty years.

The third myth goes like this: long distance trains are the big money losers. They are like a sea anchor on the whole system. Get rid of them and the problem's solved. Wrong again. Out of our current year federal subsidy need of $1.2 billion, only $300 million will go to covering the operating loss of long-distance trains.

Myth number four is that Amtrak is a featherbed for labor. First, those who know me know that I'm a demanding manager. But I also know that the wage rates at Amtrak are generally defensible vis-a-vis the rest of the industry - especially the transit systems. What we do have to do - and I mean labor and Amtrak - is deal with the work rules to improve efficiency. And we'll do that through our labor negotiations, not in the popular press.

Myth five is that the northeast corridor can be profitable. As I said in myth one, when you total all the operating and capital costs - above and below the rails - it just doesn't work. The NEC covers its above the rails costs - barely - but requires and will always require public investment in its infrastructure. But that shouldn't surprise anyone - it is one of the biggest contiguous pieces of commercial real estate in the country and contains one of the most complex transportation operations in the world next to our taxpayer-supported national air traffic control system.

Finally, myth number six: there is a quick-fix that will solve everything. This, reminds me of the old adage "for every complex problem there is a simple answer and its probably wrong." People imply there is a "reform" that will solve Amtrak's problem - not so.

There are things that we can and should do to improve the service, reliability and efficiency of our operation and earn the public support and investment we need. In the short run, this means stabilizing the company, rebuilding our existing equipment and working to return the infrastructure to a state of good repair. While no single action will ever make us profitable in a true commercial sense, we can significantly improve our economics by focusing on our core business, improving our on-time performance and going after the excess. We've made a start by getting better cost-control mechanisms in place, streamlining and downsizing our management structure and getting out of the unprofitable express business. There will be a lot more that we can and will do to clean up the shop.

In the end, I think millions of people are going to continue to demand our service and support a public role for investing in passenger rail. Our job at Amtrak is to reach a level of efficiency, reliability and good service on our own that will make it easier for everyone - from passengers to politicians - to separate fact from myth and recognize the value of passenger rail to this country. The canary will be better off… and so will the coalminer. "

I have indeed been to DC Union Station, what a gorgeous, and busy place! Tons of trains in and out (Amtrak, MARC, METRO, VREX), tons of stores, places to eat, they spent a lot of money in the late 80's and early 90's to restore it to the way it looked when built, they had really let it run down for years, (legacy of Ronald "let's cut everything that doesn't make my friends rich" Reagan). Chicago Union Station was also recently renovated, they really made it nice, and modernized it a lot. Over the next decade, they will also be expanding Chicago Union Station, and making it easier and more efficient for trains and travelers (it's booming like crazy!) I have never ridden the Capitol Limited (we rode the Broadway Limited between Chicago and Philly, it's called the Three Rivers now), but I hear it is an awesome train, goes through some gorgeous country between DC and Chicago, we took the Cardinal on our way back from DC to Chicago, that's also a very beautiful train and trip, going along some of the original Baltimore and Ohio right of way laid down originally in the mid 1800's. As far as trips, I would have to rate the Coast Starlight between Los Angeles and Seattle as the best, in fact, it's Amtrak's most popular, and has a 1st class parlour car, private movie car, and travels some of the most gorgeous coastal and mountain scenery anywhere!

[Gamer03]

Thanks ILUVSOCAL for the reply.

We are tentatively planning to take the California Zephyr from Chicago, IL to San Francisco, CA. We will probably stop just west of Denver, CO, and stay their for 1 to 2 days, then go to Salt Lake City, and stay their for 2 days, and then head on out to SF.

After we spend a couple of days in San Francisco, we will take the Coast Starlight from SF to Seattle, WA, and after we spend a couple of days their, we will take the Empire Builder from Seattle back to Chicago, and then fly home.

BTW, have you ever heard of Slotsy Tours that primarily plans trips for people wanting to take a train. They are located in Fullerton, CA, and I highly recommend them.


Gamer

[ILUVSOCAL]

You are going to have such an awesome trip, I envy you! Can I come along? I'm really quiet, and I don't eat much [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img] I have heard of Slotsy Tours, they advertise almost every month in my Trains and Model Railroader Magazines.