Amtrak

friendly and helpful staff who printed out an itinerary for me to use for my whole trip and who updated me often on when my train was coming in. despite the building being very old, the carpet stained, and the color scheme is outdated, it was pretty clean. the bathrooms were decently clean too. they weren’t as clean as the rest of the station but not bad. the vending machines only take cash but i feel like it’s kind of a common sense thing to bring at least some cash with you when you go anywhere. it’s well-​lit and feels safe.
the main complaint i have is the signs to find this station are honestly awful. one cab driver unknowingly dropped me off at the wrong location and i had to call a second cab to go down the street (it was 3am and i just moved here).
I recommend having a cab bring you here or getting a ride from a friend or family member if you were planning on driving. it’s Cleveland, which means car theft is pretty regular.
honestly the amount of bad reviews for this station is so ridiculous. it’s not the Hilton, it’s a train station in downtown Cleveland. really the only thing wrong with the building is that it’s pretty old, not spotless, and hard to find.
honestly, if you wanted something fancier you should have flown there.

It’s OK– the people behind the counter are courteous and efficient. This station has limited hours because hey this is not Penn Station NYCity — just a few trains rumble through here daily. However, please do something about the lighting at the SIDE ENTRANCE of the facility — we saw a woman get accosted by some creepy guy as she opened the entrance doors and went outside briefly — this was around 3 am — he was standing in the shadows and she did not see him. We walked over to that side door to check on her and the guy took off, only to walk in thru the FRONT door, to stand in the waiting room with a smirk on his face. If you can’t afford to install better lighting here at the side door, then surely you can afford to have Transit cop here.

June 1, 2015 – car stolen out of the Amtrak parking lot. Cops said another car was also attempted to be stolen. Not secure.

In my humble opinion it is bad but not terrible. I think that Pittsburgh Amtrak station is way worse. Kinda tricky finding this place but again, it’s not too bad.

What kills this station is the signage. Absolutely atrocious. First, when you’re coming off 90, and you turn back around and see the station STAY STRAIGHT through the light. On the next exit that parallels the parking lot, take it. Go straight, then take a right. Follow what appears to be an alley. You’re there. Other than that, yes, it’s small 1970s décor and uncomfortable, but you’re only there for 15 minutes. As for the people, friendly, courteous and were polite to everyone that approached.

So, I’d love to really say something positive about the Cleveland Amtrak Station… but I’m gonna come up empty.
We arrived for our train to New York at about 4:30am for the typical 5:30ish eastbound departure. The train finally arrived at about 7am. During this time, the staff did nothing to advise us of the delay or provide an estimate on when the train would arrive until they had an update for the westbound train. Not customer service friendly.
The station itself is like walking back into the early 80s… brown and gray are the main color palette… the ugly lighting really enhances your experience as you sit for hours waiting on your train until the sun comes up. The stains on the carpet really accentuate the entire atmosphere of government-​run dreariness.
The vending machines do not accept cards… but there is a handy change machine nearby incase you actually carry cash and love pockets full of quarters.
I didn’t venture into the restroom but was told that I pretty much should be grateful.
If Amtrak, who has record-​breaking ridership this year, were to just put some money into livening this station up, it could really enhance the overall experience of waiting 3 – 4 hours for your train to pull in.
Outside, the parking is a bit of a mess. The lot could use a resurfacing and some lines. Spaces are limited, so arrive well before your train if you want to be able to park in the lot. The good news is it’s free.

Oh, this train station is so bad!
The eternal optimist in me is trying to think of something positive to say, but I’m coming up empty-​handed. So, let’s just dive into why this station is awful:
* Hard to find — We had to make several loops to find the entrance. It’s right on the lake, and the signage is terrible.
* Parking — The lines in the lot are mostly gone, so we had no clue if we were in a real spot or not. Also, it gets overly cramped and hard to navigate.
* The interior — Ew. It’s totally gross. Brown floor, brown walls, yellow lighting, stains (or mold?) on the walls, and funny smells.
* The staff — They were weird, cranky, and unhelpful. Our train was several hours late, and these folks kept hiding from everybody and refused to keep us updated.
When you’re in Ohio, there aren’t many other options for catching the train, so you’re kinda stuck with this hot mess. #fail

Amtrak is a great way to travel from NYC to CLE. Huge comfortable seats that recline way back with nearby power outlets. The Cleveland station, however, is a dismal mess. I don’t have an issue with the location even though it’s tricky to find. It is not in a dangerous area, but is dark and unwelcoming with terrible seating and no amenities other than an assortment of vending machines. The Amtrak station at Albany is much more like an airport terminal with a big newsstand and a coffee and sandwich place that sells beer too. The Cleveland station has none of this.

If I hadn’t grown up at the Mistake on the Lake, I am not sure I’d ever be able to find this place. Mad props for it being in a scary/​dangerous area. Seriously how did they manage to pick such a crappy spot for a station?
Putting all that aside, Amtrak in general is awesome. (disclosure: my uncle is a former CFO for them). Sure it is no faster than driving and certainly slower than flying, but even with just a reserved seat, it is the least stressful way to travel. Sit back, watch out the window, and imagine a time when the train was pretty much the only way to get anywhere.

What can I say? Amtrak is a great and cheap way to travel the US. I use the Cleveland station several times a year and although it’s old and kind of dirty, it’s cheap and mostly reliable with a private, fenced-​in parking lot. The nation’s railways are not maintained by Amtrak, but by the freight lines that own the track, so don’t blame Amtrak if they can’t travel at high speeds. The govt. subsidizes Amtrak, so as you might imagine they don’t have a lot of money. All that being said, I love the train and take it any time I can. ** Make sure you have some lee-​way in your travel plans because Amtrak is notoriously unreliable when it comes to their posted departure and arrival times. I nearly missed my honeymoon because of a MAJOR delay.

Dark, desolate and dismal! Basically, our station consists of uncomfortable seats in a large dark room. We must do better than this if we want to encourage not only rail travel in general, but visitors to Cleveland.

Amtrak rules! Derailments and all, man. I love riding the train about five million times more than flying. Yes, the train is always hours late, but that just means vouchers for even more late trains. I think that’s commonly referred to as a vicious cycle. The cleveland station is very low key compared to Orlando, Chi-​town or Boston, but it has it’s charm. Did i say charm? I meant stench. The coolest feeling is slowly departing around 2 or 4 am and rolling off into the night in your huge, leg-​roomingest seat ever. Again, screw flying. It also used to be cheaper, but i think the prices have been jacked up of late. The key to finding this hidden alcove of railroad riches, is to park right in the middle of route 2 and walk over to it. The other reviewer is right about it’s obscurity. Once you find it, though, repeat visits are easier.

It is really really hard to find this Amtrak station. If you follow the signs around town, you will most likely get lost. You have to be merging onto rt ²⁄₉₀ going east, then turn around and look over your right shoulder while making a 120 degree turn, or you will miss it.
The other really misleading thing is that if you go to Amtrak’s website and buy a ticket to Philly, sometimes you are not taking the train from Cleveland, but rather a bus from the greyhound station to Pittsburgh, then a train from their Amtrak station. This is really not at all obvious and more than a little maddening when you have already driven around the block and throughout downtown for 30 minutes and finally find the Amtrak station, only to realize you need to go the bus station 10 minutes away. Then you must hope you have a nice boyfriend like mine who is willing to chase the bus down as it’s pulling out of the bus station since you almost missed it.
When you are actually on Amtrak, it’s about 53 473 243% better than Greyhound (and for that reason it merits two stars), but they sure don’t make it easy for you to get on the train in the first place.