Train trips in USA

The total land area of contiguous United States is around 1.9 billion acres. And when there is absolutely fantastic road system, it is agreeable why railway system is comparatively weak. But, there are few train routes which have to be taken atleast once in a lifetime. I always wanted to go on one. And I finally took a trip last year from Chicago to Los Angeles by the Southwest Chief.

The Southwest Chief runs between Chicago and Los Angeles daily. The travel time is around 45 hrs. Yeah, it is a long journey, around 2000 miles. But, there are only few long distance trips worldwide at such affordable prices. If you buy sleeper class, food is included in the price. The food is of good quality and we were actually tired of eating so much, and had to skip a dinner. The bed is really comfortable and the cabin attendant makes sure that we have sufficient blankets, pillows and fresh towels. I wasn't expecting any kind of service and was pleasantly surprised by the service we received. The bartender comes in few hours before dinner and lunch and schedules our prefered time for food. The only downside I can think of is, each cabin can accomadate two people, and it is quite small when we sit, but the space is more than sufficient when we sleep. Apart from the comforts, the chief crosses eight states along the old Sante Fe trail. Below is the map of the route.



The rocking of the rails and ample time to relax, we crossed great plains of the midwest, colorado rockies and swimming through Chihuahuan desert, we reached Albuquerque. By the time we woke up in the morning, we were in California.
The amtrak station at Albuquerque is quite a big one and there are native americans selling various kinds of jewellery. Long trips are fun, we can meet lot of people and talk about all random things. And especially at dinner, it is nice to have a little chat with the co-travellers.

We initially took Pacific Surfliner from LA to San Diego and that inspired us to go on a long trip. The Surfliner is so scenic that after Irvine, the tracks are right next to the beach, in some places, right next to the ocean. I should say this is one of the top things to do in Southern California.