Amtrak Station

I wish the parking lot was larger. It can be stressful driving circles waiting for a spot to open up watching the clock tick down as your train approaches. I understand they may have opportunity to build across the tracks, but its held up by policies. The bathrooms could be a little cleaner, but the agents have always been nice and helpful.

My Daughter is in the USAF and had a few days to get to her base in North Dakota. I suggested a train ride. How fun would that be? She would get a chance to see some states and its beauty along the way. right? NO! It was such a traumatic experience for her. I am actually horrified in this day and age with technology so many things could go wrong. Maybe its just run by a bunch of inept, yahoos? It was that bad.
First incident started off a few hours before we are leaving to drop her off at the Martinez, CA station. We receive a call that something is wrong with the train she is to transfer to in Oregon and now a straight train ride includes a 6 hour bus ride from Portland to Spokane, WA, but she was told she would still reach her destination on time. She was disappointed, but thought, OK I can deal with it. At least I will arrive on time. We get to the station and then are told the train will be an hour late. OK. this is becoming a pattern?
She gets on the train and is seated next to a large, unkept, smelly, Santa looking man who is sitting with this shoes off. She is crying at this point. he smells so bad. I tell her her to ask they speak to him or move her. She tells me, «Everyone has complained and there is nothing they can do and the train is full I cant be moved.» We tell her to put some perfume under her nose. The poor thing.
She gets on the bus, and minus the smelly guy she decides, OK this isn’t so bad. I am seeing scenery and I have a window, at least. I am proud of her positive attitude.
The passengers arrive in Spokane, get off the train and are told, «The train was derailed into the dirt while parking (or something) and they have to bring a train back for them and it will be delayed 8 HOURS» Passengers are complaining saying they were told there would be a train waiting for them when they arrived in Spokane. The station workers tell them, «look there are a lot of you folks and 4 of us, we aren’t going to lie to you. They lied to you folks. They knew this train wouldn’t be here when you left Portland.» My daughter is so upset. She is 19, she is moving for the first time starting her career, and she is dealing with all of this?! She has to make a bed on the train station floor and sleep. They are offered pizza and fruit in the morning. I ask you, how can SO many things go wrong? My husband was traveling to Europe and left a day after my daughter and arrived a day earlier than she did. Do American people take no pride in their work? It seems everything is sloppy and mismanaged. When I complain to Amtrak they ask for me to contact them through a website and want to hear about the situation. But, how can they not know about a hundred people were put through so much, and left in a station floor to sleep? Doesn’t headquarters know a train was derailed in the dirt and another train is sent for these people and its 8 hours away?
I wanted to take a train trip with my 3 years old and husband to see more of the U.S. but, I am terrified to now. What if that happened to me with a little child? I couldn’t deal with all that. Like, I said, I am appalled that in modern society the United States can’t get a decent running, reliable train system! And I am an American saying this! My daughter serves our Country. I am mad, because we can do better than this!
They got 2 stars, because she did see some nice scenery and she eventually got to her destination a whole day later.

Clean, friendly staff, all around a joy!

Routes include: California Zephyr, Capitol Corridor, Coast Starlight and San Joaquin. I don’t know exactly what all of those mean. I come here b/​c my Reno LOVES trains. We park Chick, walk out to the platform and wait for the next train to come. And when it does, there’s that sweet, giggly, happier than a pig-​in-​mud 4 year old boy. Reno waves at the lead train like a madman. The train-​drivers always wave back.
The station itself is just fine. vending machines, long church-​pew-​type seating, restrooms, phones.