Riding the Rails

Journey’s start: Eugene’s Amtrak Station (photo by Pi 1415926535, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license)

As I write this, I’m sitting in Seat 16, Car 7 of Amtrak Cascades Train 500 on its way from Eugene to Seattle. Upon arrival in Seattle, I’ll transfer to Bus 8900 and complete my journey to Vancouver, B.C. The purpose of my trip is to visit my parents and siblings but also, sadly, to attend a funeral service for my aunt (my father’s sister), who passed away a week ago.

There are plenty of reasons why more North Americans do not travel by train, including underinvestment in the rail infrastructure, the low population density (relative to Europe or Asia), the fact most of the tracks are owned by freight companies (meaning passenger trains have to defer to and are delayed by freight services), the extensive network of domestic airline routes, and of course our love affair with the automobile. These facts won’t change significantly anytime soon.

It’s not my intent to make this blog post a bookish essay about the virtues of passenger rail service. I will simply say I’ve come to prefer riding the rails rather than either flying or driving for my visits to and from Canada.

Flying isn’t that much more expensive, but the hassles associated with a limited schedule of flights between Eugene and Vancouver (typically involving layovers in Portland or Seattle), the TSA security gantlet, the cramped seating (in coach), etc. combine to make traveling by air less than pleasant. I’m old enough to remember an era when people considered flying glamorous and exciting, an occasion to celebrate. No more; flying is now tedious and stressful. The fact my elapsed time from door-to-door isn’t significantly reduced when I fly only reinforces my preference for train travel.

The problem with driving between Eugene and Vancouver—which like flying can admittedly be accomplished in fewer hours than taking the train—is that I can’t take a moment off while doing so. I can’t afford to daydream, be distracted, or—god forbid—nod off while behind the wheel. I certainly cannot compose a blog post, at least not until I own a self-driving vehicle. Statistically, driving is a much riskier mode of travel. Last year’s spectacular and tragic Amtrak Cascades derailment notwithstanding, I’m much more likely to end up in the hospital or in a morgue as a driver or passenger in an automobile than I am as a rail passenger.

Traveling by train is convenient. I can arrive at the station just minutes before the scheduled departure time and simply board the train and find myself a seat of my choosing. Contrast that with the need to be at the airport a recommended two hours before takeoff to ensure enough time to check-in and endure the indignity of the security screening procedure. I can visit the bistro car on the train at any time at my convenience to purchase a snack or meal. My seat comes with ample knee-space, outlets to plug my phone or laptop into, and wireless Internet access (well, sometimes). You can sleep on the train (which I find next to impossible to do while seated in Coach class on a plane). Trains are seldom, if ever, delayed due to weather.

Rail travel is the most sustainable and green form of long-distance transportation. Flying results in the largest carbon footprint per mile traveled, by far. On average, a trip by car can emit several times as much CO₂ per passenger as one taken by train (depending upon how fully occupied the train is). If you worry about the climate impacts of your travel habits, going by train is a responsible choice.

All the stations along the Amtrak Cascades route—from Eugene’s depot at the foot of Skinner’s Butte, to Portland’s Union Station, and Seattle’s King Street Station—are older and architecturally interesting. Indeed, these three (among many others nationwide) are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Vancouver’s Pacific Central Station (the Amtrak and Via Rail terminus) and Waterfront Station (the end of the line for the Canadian Pacific Railway’s transcontinental passenger service) are likewise historic, landmark structures. All are situated in the heart of their respective cities, as opposed to being located miles away in a placeless, exurban landscape as most airports are.

Now for an airing of just a few grievances: Wireless connectivity while on the Amtrak Cascades is iffy at best. Why can’t Amtrak provide a more reliable, faster Internet service on its trains? The aforementioned deference to freight trains can result in frustrating delays. And, of course, why can’t the U.S. provide Amtrak with better funding and better equipment, perhaps a high-tech, high-speed intercity rail network to rival those already in regular use throughout Europe and Japan? We treat our nation’s highways as a public good by shifting the burden of paying for them from drivers to society at large, so why not likewise support our rail system? It’s disingenuous and hypocritical to suggest a truly comprehensive and reliable passenger rail network will never exist because Amtrak (or an entirely privatized operator) cannot succeed without public subsidies.

Notwithstanding my grievances, I simply prefer traveling by rail when I visit my family. I’m enjoying a particularly scenic view at the moment of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge from the comfort of my seat aboard Amtrak Cascades Train 500, something that would be unavailable to me if I were driving a parallel route several miles away from Puget Sound along I-5 in bumper-to-bumper traffic. I’ll take the view of a placid Puget Sound any day.

Journey’s end: Vancouver’s Pacific Central Station