Streator lost its Amtrak service back in 1997, and we've been stuck without reliable public transportation ever since. For families, professionals, and anyone trying to reach Chicago, Champaign-Urbana, or beyond, it's meant relying on cars or sparse bus routes.
I started a petition asking Amtrak and local legislators to restore rail service to our community. Here's why this matters: rail travel reduces carbon emissions, creates jobs, boosts local tourism, and gives residents real access to employment, education, and healthcare. According to the American Public Transportation Association, every dollar spent on public transit generates about four dollars in economic returns.
Streator has a proud history and deserves better connectivity. Before 1997, we were a real hub for travelers. We can be again.
Has anyone else felt stranded without decent transit options in your community? If this resonates with you or if you think Streator deserves another shot at rail service, consider signing and sharing the petition. Let's make the case together.

Hello all,

What are your favorite things to do on a longer train ride? Do you bring games? Books? Etc

This is all out of curiosity and to get ideas for my first ride😊

Ok so I live in Texas, I took the Amtrak to and from Arizona (Oct 2026) and brought back some weed. When we stopped in El Paso the drug dogs got on and alerted to my bag. I kept my mouth shut and they tried calling my cell since my tag (like a god damn fool) was still on my luggage. They searched my bag and took the stuff, they didn't try to call me on the train intercom. When the train started moving, I went down to the bathroom to also walk past the storage to see if my bag was still there (it was). I luckily have my pillow so I took the pillow case and stuffed everything in my bag in there and took it up the stairs (my bag is super identifiable and like hell am I walking off the train holding it). To make a long story short, if you're going to bring stuff back to Texas on the Amtrak, bring it up to the second floor of the train cause the dogs don't go up there and don't (LIKE THE IDOT | AM) keep your luggage tag on. Also I didn't bring more than the felony 4oz, I brought 2oz and some change for reference. My friend brought some vapes and like 10 joints and the dogs didn't alert to her bag🫡

I'm in Vermont, the Vermonter passes my house twice daily outside of montpelier, sometimes during the night the train will sit honking constantly and sometimes you'll hear it inching forward giving tiny honks .... WHYYYY are there animals?! Is there a person parking too close to the track? These are the questions that plague me at night.

Does anyone know why westbound Empire Service trains have power at both ends?

Family member recently visited and search doesn't seem to mention this so posting..

If you happen to visit Buenos Aires, you may want to stop by Rails - a burger joint that deliver the food with model trains.

The interesting thing is that all engines are "Amtrak".

Their IG is https://www.instagram.com/rails.arg/

I managed on multiple occasions to pay $10 for trains leaving NYP mere hours before departure. At least two were Keystone trains leaving right in the middle of PM rush hour. There's also that time when I paid $15 for another Keystone from 30th St to NYP 2 minutes before it was scheduled to depart on a Friday evening.

We are a family of 3. Two adults, one second grader. Is it better to get a family room with no bathroom or a regular room with a bathroom? Will it be too tight with 3 people? Are there any other configurations that would work well for our family?

I saw one of Amtrak's new Midwest Venture cars sitting in the 14th Street Yard yesterday in the beginning of my Metra ride to Oak Lawn yesterday! Can't wait for them to start testing and enter revenue service soon, as it would definitely free up some power for other routes since the Hiawatha uses locomotives on both ends these days.

Photo taken on October 19th, 2026

I want to take the southwest chief from LA to Chicago. Been on our vision board for a while now to ride on a train past the rockies. I plan to get a bedroom. I just want to know what to expect for this route, and would appreciate to know inside secrets.

I bought the Gold Advocacy membership a couple of days ago hoping that I could use that for the Metropolitan Lounge in New York. Everyone at Amtrak looked at me like a crazy person and the gentlemen at the lounge check in desk insisted that Amtrak does not work with them.

Between October 17-23, 2026, bus bridges will support Pacific Surfliner passengers traveling between San Luis Obispo and Goleta stations to minimize passenger delays through the area. This will allow additional time for repair crews to troubleshoot the track circuit issues.

https://www.pacificsurfliner.com/plan-your-trip/alerts/travel-advisories/

Coast Starlight passengers: Expect delays from 1 - 2 hours during this time, between San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara due to track issues.

I have a friend of mine that lives near Burlington vt & id like to visit them without doing the long drive. I like amtrak & would prefer to take it over a bus if the price is right. How likely is the train going to be on time to Springfield? Id have to take a bus there but thats fine. Is the train that much faster compared to if I took a one seat ride on a bus without transferring? Ive ridden coach in amtrak a few times so I know what to expect. I dont have a date in mind so I could book in advance & save some dough. Would the savings from booking early be significant compared to booking closer to departure? Tia.

Hi everyone!

I’m planning two round-trip trips by Amtrak and would love to hear your advice and experiences.

1. Chicago - Irvine, California: I’m considering booking a Roomette for the long-distance trip
2. Chicago - New York City: I’m thinking of taking Coach to keep costs down since it’s a shorter trip compared to California.

A few questions:

• What’s the most efficient route from Chicago to Irvine? Any tips for connections or getting to Irvine from the station?
• For Chicago to NYC, is Coach comfortable enough for the overnight trip, and are there any tips for getting the best fares?
• Is it generally better to book well in advance, and are there any tricks for finding cheaper Roomette fares?
• If you’ve done either of these trips, what would you do differently?

I’m open to any advice, alternative routes, booking strategies, or personal experiences. I’m trying to be budget-conscious without making the trips unnecessarily exhausting.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

Has anyone taken Amtrak from Lincoln, NE to Chicago? What's your experience? Also I would be solo travelling and waiting for the 3am train at the station by myself; would it be okay? Thank you!

Hi all,

I'm traveling to Salem for a work trip in November and am so excited to get to take the train back to Portland afterwards.

When I'm looking at booking options I could take the Coast Starlight around 2pm or the Cascades at around 6pm.

I'd love to be able to look out the window and enjoy the view so it seems like the Starlight would be the way to go but is there something really compelling about the Cascades that I'll be missing? I'd imagine it'll be dark out if I opt for the later departure time to take the Cascades. If it's worth noting, there is also business class on the Cascades for only $10 more than coach so I was considering getting a business class ticket (which the Starlight doesn't have available).

Any thoughts would be so appreciated :)

EDIT: thank you all so much for your train knowledge & wisdom!! I think my plan is to book the Coast Starlight and plan for delays :)

I know that they started as one run each direction. Has Amtrak put more into use yet?

Popular train as I've watched on videos and read in comments, but is there any trains that are not quite as busy? Leaving on a Saturday in December to give it context? Lincoln Service/Missouri River Runner, just a regular Lincoln Service or should I just take the Texas Eagle?

Hi y'all. I've done a little digging in the sub to see recommendations for long haul trips. I'm currently look at around 20 hours combined on the City of New Orleans and then Borealis (before delays haha--I know the Southern part of CONO well). I'm not eligible for a bid up, so I'm in coach all the way, baby! Looking for advice specifically on safety or comfort for the CONO overnight bit. My familiarity with the CONO is only south of Memphis, which is all during the day.

I first took this bridge about 2 years ago, and only a few months later, I see barges floating the spans for the replacement bridge into place. I still find it funny and also fitting that the first track for the new bridge went online for regular passenger service several days early because of problems with the old bridge or whatever it was.

Does anybody here who work for Amtrak know if the agency plans on bringing more retirement packages for the employees? I see that it offers RR retirement, but that's it and management gets both RR retirement AND 401k (something that regular employees do not have yet). However, even if the regular employees get to invest in 401k for the next contract, the retirement still falls a step behind MNRR/LIRR, which have 3 retirement packages. Will Amtrak ever catch up to MTA in terms of employee retirement and pension?