"When you board an American long-distance train in 2025, you are trading the airport routine for entry into a locomotive-driven realm where there is neither TSA nor WiFi. And AI might as well stand for aged infrastructure. There will be delays, often because of passing freight trains. But in the bargain, you are freeing yourself from worry about aerodynamics or the chronic shortage of U.S. air traffic controllers and gaining access to ground-level scenery and idle hours."
"You're also joining a modest trend. Even before this fall's bout of flight cancellations during the government shutdown, Amtrak had set records for passengers and revenue in fiscal 2024, then again in 2025. Ridership on the Southwest Chief rose 12.6% in the last year. Amtrak's long-distance trains haven't caught up with their pre-pandemic numbers yet, but we seem to like them a little more lately."
Long-distance Amtrak travel in 2025 prioritizes scenic, slower journeys over airport routines, lacking TSA and onboard Wi-Fi. Infrastructure is aging and delays often occur due to passing freight trains. Travelers accept delays in exchange for a relaxed pace, ground-level scenery, idle hours, and social encounters in communal spaces like the Sightseer Lounge. Amtrak set passenger and revenue records in fiscal 2024 and again in 2025, and the Southwest Chief saw a 12.6% ridership increase last year. Long-distance services remain below pre-pandemic levels but show growing popularity as an alternative travel experience.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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