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Maine’s Marvelous Train
Friday, August 14, 2009
On a recent round-trip Amtrak journey from Washington, I rode the Northeast Regional, Downeaster, and Acela Express. I have had the pleasure of riding the Northeast Regional and Acela on past trips to New York City, but this was my first time aboard the Downeaster. When I arrived at Boston’s North Station, I was expecting just another ride in a standard Amfleet I coach. As I looked around the station, I noticed several cheerful ads proclaiming “Train to Maine - So easy, so obvious, so close.”
I found the Downeaster to be quite clean, and the crew to be very friendly. We departed from Boston on time. Shortly afterwards, an announcement was made inviting passengers to use the free Wi-Fi offered onboard. As I walked to the café car—which had an excellent menu, featuring items such as fresh fruit and clam chowder—I noticed roughly half of the passengers were browsing the Internet on their laptops. Wireless Web access is a valuable amenity not found on other travel modes (except some intercity buses) that could lure passengers aboard. I hope to see it on other routes soon.
As the train approached Portland, an announcement was made that we were traveling through the most scenic part of the train’s route. We were told that had the weather been clearer, we would have been able to see Mt. Washington in the distance. The ability to enjoy the passing landscape is an aspect of train travel that I am glad Amtrak is acknowledging. We arrived into the Portland Transportation Center, which is a transit hub served by intercity and local bus routes, something that should be a fixture of all 21st-century cities. Maine has truly done an excellent job with the Downeaster, and deserves a lot of credit.
On my return voyage to DC the next day, I transferred in Boston to the Acela Express by way of the T to South Station. As my train headed south, I saw a few people working on laptops using air cards, but far fewer than on the Downeaster. While the Acela is an excellent train already, Amtrak should make it a priority to equip the train with Wi-Fi to bolster its attractiveness to business travelers.
The addition of on-board Wi-Fi would help Amtrak to gain a larger share of the travel market along corridors in the Northeast, Midwest, and along the West Coast. Critics complain that the company has not taken advantage of modern technology. Wireless Internet, in addition to electronic ticketing – which should be in place at some point next year—would prove to detractors that passenger rail is not outdated, and can and will play a key role in our national transportation network, far into the future.
— Peter Roberts
Peter Roberts has been a summer volunteer in the NARP office for the past two summers. He is a rising sophomore at Herndon High School in Virginia. He reorganized our library last summer and has worked on a variety of projects this summer. We thank him for his work and his dedication to our cause. – Malcolm Kenton
Posted by NARP
Tags: amtrak, corridor, crew, downeaster, maine, scenic, wi-fi,Amtrak Unveils Wi-Fi on Trains Today
Monday, March 01, 2010
Amtrak launched free wireless internet access for select portions of the Northeast Corridor this week. AmtrakConnect will be available for all Acela Express trains, in all ClubAcela lounges, and in the following NEC stations:
- Washington, DC - Union Station
- Baltimore, MD - Penn Station
- Philadelphia, PA - 30th Street Station
- New York, NY - Penn Station
- Providence, RI
- Westwood, MA - Route 128
Amtrak has provided a few tips to help access AmtrakConnect.
Posted by NARP
Tags: acela, amtrak, internet, northeast corridor, wi-fi,©2010 National Association of Railroad Passengers | » NARP website
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