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train reliability

AMCDeac said:
Didn't know they posted stats on the site, thanks. I like drinking as much as the next guy, but according to Amtrak the train arrived 2 hours and 23 minutes late on 1/31. Otherwise, it looks like it is usually 15 to 30 minutes late. Hmmm, Cary is not that far, I might drive.
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charlotte to cary is a 2.5 hour drive, maybe a little longer if you take 64. did you just not want to have to deal with a car? why were you looking to take the train?
 
DeaconCav06 said:
To get to Miami from Gainesville we'd have to go up to Jacksonville, and then back down. I am a HUGE proponent of increasing the rail system in this country but it has been largely rejected over the past few years.
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Well your governor Charlie Crist turned down 4 bill in money for a high speed rail from O-town to Tampa.
 
lbE08 said:
charlotte to cary is a 2.5 hour drive, maybe a little longer if you take 64. did you just not want to have to deal with a car? why were you looking to take the train?
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About 25 or so fly fishing friends will be meeting in Cary in connection with the Fly Fishing Show (a national show, with speakers, new gear etc http://www.flyfishingshow.com/Directions_to_Raleigh.html) to hold our annual fly tying event in the evenings. With several folks coming from the Charlotte region, it seemed like a good idea to take the train and enjoy a cocktail hour(s). Folks liked the idea, but nobody's schedule fits the train schedule very well. I hate Friday afternoon highway traffic, and since I live only a few miles from the station and the one in Cary is close to where I am going, I was thinking about doing it anyway -- but will probably drive at this point. Curiosity was also a factor - was hoping to discover some excellent way to get around, but sound like it is good on a good day and sucks on the bad days.

Appreciate the offer of suggestions on where to eat. One of my friends in Cary is putting the event together so I will just go with the flow.
 
Sounds good. Hopefully traffic won't be to bad for you, if anything there may be a bit of backup around the 85/40 merge, but the new interchange has made that quite a bit better.
I'm curious as to where you'll eat, I like knowing where others think is best to take people in Cary.

If anyone mentions Pure Gold, politely decline.
 
lbE08 said:
Sounds good. Hopefully traffic won't be to bad for you, if anything there may be a bit of backup around the 85/40 merge, but the new interchange has made that quite a bit better.
I'm curious as to where you'll eat, I like knowing where others think is best to take people in Cary.

If anyone mentions Pure Gold, politely decline.
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Haha have you been to pure gold?
 
Didn't read any of the thread, so sorry if this is haas.

I've taken the train multiple times and it is usually very reliable. You have to be careful of the weather the day you are travelling - if there is a flash flood warning in any of the counties you are traveling through, the train can only travel 15mph - THAT SUCKED. Also, in another incident someone committed suicide by jumping on the tracks.

Apart from those two delays - trains have been on time and worked great.
 
I'm driving from Maryland to NYC this afternoon, in rush hour, instead of taking the train. It saves money and we need to make sure the return trip (Sunday morning) is not late. I've been delayed so many times on Amtrak, I don't trust them with important deadlines.
 
rjequalsmj said:
Well your governor Charlie Crist turned down 4 bill in money for a high speed rail from O-town to Tampa.
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Pretty sure he turned down $2bn of federal funding because it was going to cost the state another $2bn to finish it. The whole federal support/grant money for high speed rail is a rip-off. Its like if I said "oh hey rj, here's $150k for a new ferrari, you just need to pay the other $150k." Then you turn my offer down because you don't have $150k for a car either way and everyone says you turned down a ferrari.
 
The problem is that he essentially turned down jobs for unemployed floridians and cut off a funding source for the state of FL.
 
Deac2010 said:
Didn't read any of the thread, so sorry if this is haas.

I've taken the train multiple times and it is usually very reliable. You have to be careful of the weather the day you are travelling - if there is a flash flood warning in any of the counties you are traveling through, the train can only travel 15mph - THAT SUCKED. Also, in another incident someone committed suicide by jumping on the tracks.

Apart from those two delays - trains have been on time and worked great.
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Did you take it between Charlotte & the triangle? What are the cars like, are we talking city bus or at least in line with the cleanliness/security of a plane?
 
ProfessorDeac said:
I'm driving from Maryland to NYC this afternoon, in rush hour, instead of taking the train. It saves money and we need to make sure the return trip (Sunday morning) is not late. I've been delayed so many times on Amtrak, I don't trust them with important deadlines.
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As an update, we made the right choice. It was cheaper than the train (although we paid $68 in tolls round trip) and the traffic was manageable. Only lost about 30 mins in NYC traffic, and 45 mins in Maryland because there was an accident. It was also great to be able to park right at our friends' place (in Queens, prolly wouldn't work everywhere) and drive around there to do things. Most importantly, we had complete control on Sunday morning and were back in suburban DC at 10:30 (less than 4 hours).
 
JonasDeac said:
Did you take it between Charlotte & the triangle? What are the cars like, are we talking city bus or at least in line with the cleanliness/security of a plane?
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Seats are more comfortable than the plane in terms of leg room, etc. Usually you get two seats to yourself - it seemed pretty clean.

THERE ARE NO SECURITY MEASURES WHATSOEVER
 
Deac2010 said:
Seats are more comfortable than the plane in terms of leg room, etc. Usually you get two seats to yourself - it seemed pretty clean.

THERE ARE NO SECURITY MEASURES WHATSOEVER
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yeah one time I was taking the train from Richmond to DC and I had a little time to kill before my train so I went to Williams Sonoma and I bought a 8" chef's knife I'd had my eye on. Put it in my backpack and carried it right on. I almost grabbed it and pulled it out when I was reaching in my bag to hand the conductor my ticket. Forgot I had it when I felt it in there and was like "oh shit, don't pull that out."
 
A friend and I went to Backyard BBQ for lunch on Saturday -- outstanding. That night, four of us went to An for dinner. That was also excellent.

lbE08 said:
Sounds good. Hopefully traffic won't be to bad for you, if anything there may be a bit of backup around the 85/40 merge, but the new interchange has made that quite a bit better.
I'm curious as to where you'll eat, I like knowing where others think is best to take people in Cary.

If anyone mentions Pure Gold, politely decline.
Click to expand...
 
I took the train from Cary to Charlotte and back a month or two ago. It left on time and arrived generally on time. For $50 round trip, it is as good or better than driving yourself.
 
DeaconCav06 said:
The problem is that he essentially turned down jobs for unemployed floridians and cut off a funding source for the state of FL.
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i think the bigger problem was no one wants to ride a train between Tampa and Orlando. It took my entire childhood but I-4 is the shit now
 
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