Amtrak Reviews

by Riehutch

We travel on this app twice a week and find Amtrak to be inconsistent. It often freezes, errors out or you get an app update when you’re ready to check out. It doesn’t store payment information so it needs to be entered every time. Another feature is during the course of buying the ticket the price can change- requiring your to start the transaction all over and pay upward of $30-50 more for the train you were buying. You can’t use your rewards in Amtrak or any discount coupons or credits. If you get an electronic ticket when they scan your ticket on the train they’re going to tell you to change your brightness settings on your phone which automatically adapt to the ambient light in the room. All in all, easier to buy a ticket at the station and print it out.

by Nataushia_chism

Had a trip planned with some friends that would take us from Seattle, Washington to Leavenworth, WA. All throughout today I kept checking the status of our train to make sure it was still going to leave the station at 4:40pm due to the 3-4 feet of snow Leavenworth had in the last 24-48 hours. Amtrak told me the train had a 6 min delay every time I checked (from 8am all the way to about 4:15pm). Once at the train station I had a question regarding something unrelated and spoke to the ticket agent whom informed me that the train was delayed, I told them I knew about the 5-10 min delay only to be told it was in fact a 8-10 HOUR delay. Really shocking to find this out considering Amtrak never once updated itself, or received any kind of notifications about the delay.

by Azmdmo

I was looking at this app online and then thought I’d try Amtrak to see if prices matched. This was 5 minutes after I looked online at trains that said 15% booked. When I searched in Amtrak for the same trip, every date variation between the same destinations I had searched online produced the same pop-up that said “one or more of your segments is unavailable for the day/time”. It didn’t say which or give any options for alternative dates. You just had to keep pulling the travel slot machine wheel and hope something came up as available. Also, no search options for flexible dates. Online told me if something was unavailable and what dates were alternatives. App is complete waste of time. If you’re in mobile, just browser it.

by Blazersgurl2017

First off the train is not practicing social distancing rules there are multiple riders who are placed directly next to others who are not boarding together, there is a notice on the this app website that there will be one passenger to each row, that also is not accurate or being unforced. Also there is mold in the last cart that sits 12 people. I am sending an email with pictures of that issue as well. And it’s not just a few spots of mold I mean the whole upper fixtures where each personal seats lights are have mold on them. I have videos of that as well. When notifying an employee on board they said “oh yeah that could be black mold” but they still decided to sit my 3 year old son directly underneath it! I asked many times if I could move and they stated “due to social distancing I could not, which was not an issue last month when I rode this app trains. I was allowed to move seats due to my own personal safety concerns.

by Ickoomck

My arrival was delayed 2 hours and I found out from someone not aboard the train. The staff apologized over speaker for a delay, but provided no details. I had to call off work. Customer service rerouted me a dozen times before I got a recording saying that what ever department that could help me with the issue was closed for the holiday. This isn’t the reason that this is the first and last time I will use this app, however.
There were signs all over stating that masks were required. There was also a recording played over speaker. There was also a “Covid-19 questionnaire” that had to be filled out prior to boarding.
So why is half the passengers sitting in my car not only mask less- they are hacking, coughing, sneezing all over the place and the staff (walking back and forth) isn’t enforcing anything? It’s like a moving urgent care and I’m literally praying that I don’t catch anything.

by Btjigga

this app is now requiring customers (including those who purchase monthly passes) to “confirm” each trip in advance - or risk being denied service. The problem with Amtrak is it only allows customers to confirm trips from two stations. So if you have a monthly pass from Philadelphia to Downingtown, Pa (and therefore are entitled to travel anywhere in between, eg, Ardmore, Paoli, Exton) Amtrak doesn’t let you choose those destinations for confirming a trip. You run the risk of being kicked off the train because Amtrak won’t let you confirm a trip to one of those inlying stations! You might say, “just confirm the trip from Phila to Downingtown and get off where you want”. Well, if the train doesn’t stop in Downingtown (not all do), you can’t!
In sum, Amtrak currently is defective. It needs to be fixed so that stations/ destinations can be toggled when confirming trips.

by Sthflboi78

Took a train from Utica NY to Boston witch I had never been. Now the train was over 2 hours late arriving in Boston, at the time not a dime to my name, subway closed and taxi Uber out of the question. Now mind you I had 2 small suitcases and a backpack and laptop! Missed train had to sleep outside, then after waiting on hold for 45 min they tell me I had plenty of time to walk a mile in a strange city with 100lbs in baggage. They were very rude and made it seem like it was my fault that their train was two hours late. Now mind you it would arrive on time I would’ve taken the subway. Then the way I was treated at the station by the attendant her exact words oh this is not how I’m starting my morning and then I asked her if she slept on the street last night? Then she turned around and said actually I did sir. Their customer service is zero

by Tabathaeric4318j

Was traveling my trip takes almost 16 hrs. I have taken this trip many times in the last year. Some trips were just fine. However lately the staff is just awful. I have to explain this to someone. So I purchased my ticket for $81. Trying to board the train the lady employee kept talking and talking to a customer about anything other than this app information. So I finally get in the train. At this time the whole cart was almost full. So I went to the seat I was assigned to and there was an woman larger than myself it was obviously not gonna work for us for 16hrs if half that time. So both embarrassed I flagged over the conductor and explain our issue and he of coarse said smirky we’re all booked and full. Then the other woman who walks the isle. Again she argued and scolded stating loudly in front of everyone and I felt completely shamed. Not to mention that half of the train was empty. A man almost to late to even run before the doors closed. He got to be seated in one of the seat in the back of the carts. The whole 15 hrs not a person was set there. I had to walk past it in and off train and to the washroom. Hopefully this doesn’t again

I also feel that my tickets Iv been buying is nothing to this app.

I have mention these employees and still nothing was done on either side

by Minus 50 Stars

Hours - I received no text notification- it missed my connecting train - had to Stan in a ticket line for 45 mins to get my hotel room voucher- then when the shuttle picked me up to take me back to this app station I had to again stand in line another 45 mins for my new tickets- I am a passenger with a disability so I had a roomette booked - I was given a coach seat for an overnite trip - no meal ticket - I was supposed to have dinner on the train - so now I’m squeezed onto a coach seat for a 9 hour trip with my back scoliosis issue!!!! Horrible! When I got off the train lastnite - the red cap transported every passenger from coach first, left me standing on the track for an hour in the heat with a hot exhaust running train on both sides - I paid a whole lot more for a super liner roomette than a coach seat, but I got the last service! Absolutely unacceptable!

by Longing For Old Times

It’s sad when people don’t follow the rules. Especially because they don’t seem to be enforced.
Those of us who do are looked down upon.
The viewing car this morning was “filled” with maskless passengers. One in particular 17-18 years young. Looked very defiant kept sticking her tongue out and and making faces. When I finally had enough I got up quietly and left. That young girl stuck her finger in the air along with sticking out her tongue. I just nodded my head and returned to the peacefulness of my room.
The sad thing was every time the attendant came by she quickly put her mask back on. Her mother or adult companion appeared to reinforce her behavior.
Most of the other passengers in the viewing car weren’t wearing masks either but were more tolerable.
I used to look forward to being able to go to the viewing car especially now since it’s the first time I’ve been allowed to travel since before the pandemic occurred. Now since there appears to be no enforcement I’m stuck on staying in my room on a 4 1/2 day trip across the country because of behavior such as this. This is lousy money spent.

by Discouraged Dad

Yes, Amtrak lets you book trains and hold tickets. But the only way to check a train’s status officially is to use Amtrak - even the website refers to Amtrak to check train statuses. So when there’s a major winter storm and you realize there may be a problem with the train, you check the status in Amtrak and it indicates the train is on time. Except you go to the station later to find out it’s not only not on time, It’s been cancelled. For hours. When you could have been arranging alternate transport. The children really wanted to try trains to get to schools and back. We were too happy to oblige; to let them try something different, more of an Experience. Except multiple long delays on the way home because this app couldn’t find engines to switch out, and now more delays because they don’t have a way to keep us informed about train status (I don’t blame this app for the weather; just the lack of information). So much for trains.

by Theresa Giovanna

this app notified me via email that a pre-boarding check was REQUIRED 24 hours prior (the notice was sent well into the 24 hours, not giving me the REQUIRED 24 hours to reply). Rather than click links that could include malware and viruses, I went to view my trip via the this app app. Amtrak did not have a section dedicated to this COVID check. I closed and restarted Amtrak . Amtrak then had a COVID check section. THEN Amtrak claimed not to recognize my trip or info provided (which I also have in print). I am not asking for full on royal treatment (I do not have Markle syndrome: I am a Black woman grounded in reality; I merely ask that vendors, companies, and employees do their reasonable best, and this app apparently can’t manage this simplest of tasks) - however, I do require public accommodations to not make my experience of public travel more grievous or frustrating than necessary.

by Herbalisious

Please, its a pretty simple bit of coding to allow your App to adjust to the orientation of an iPad! Many of us use it with the keyboard and having to physically rotate the iPad and keyboard to accommodate Amtrak is a distraction from the user experience!

How about allowing me to order my meal when I make a reservation. This will increase my passenger experience and will make your onboard food logistical experience better! If you have a need to talk with another operator that does this, talk with the Swedish railway company!
Also, how about getting to the point where a passenger can book a particular seat from those available? That passenger experience would also give this app better boarding times, as passengers would be able to stand on the platform in the position where their reservation (car and seat) would stop.

by Tricia 11

This should be 5 stars, but I will explain the decrease.
I really enjoy commuting to my job on this app’s Capitol Corridor. For my outbound trip from Sacramento to San Francisco, it is ideal. Unfortunately, the last return commuter train is too early and I have to wait hours for the next train that leaves EMY at 10:30 pm. I get back to Sac at midnight, if I’m lucky. Train 14 is often late, crowded and I feel the short trip Sacramento passengers are misplaced on this train. The train can be 3-4 hours late. Our journey takes 1 1/2 hrs. It just doesn’t make sense. There is no other method of transportation. Megabus has discontinued this run and FlixBus has an 8 pm, but does not offer it most work days Please Re-instate a later commuter train! We need it so badly. Thank you.

by Lefti Jones

We really enjoyed our train ride from Bakersfield to Emeryville. We were very unhappy that the Thruway bus from Emeryville to San Francisco dropped us off at 555 Mission. We did not realize that we were going to be dropped off just somewhere random in San Francisco. The this app bus stop at 555 Mission is not covered. There is nowhere to sit and wait for other transportation. There were no taxis there trying to pick up fares. It’s just in front of some business. I was so confused that after we got to our hotel I contacted this app by text to make sure the we would board the Thruway bus for our return trip at 555 Mission. When we take another this app trip in the future, if a Thruway bus is involved we many rethink the trip.

by Tommyboy2884

Amtrak can barely display your ticket, and most of the time I have to find my reservation number in order to do that. I get a system error any time I try to make a change, and there is no connection to your this app Rewards. It makes no sense. I take this app all the time because the service itself is good in the NE corridor, but you might as well just print your ticket rather than rely on Amtrak.

I realize this is a bad review, but for some constructive criticism, please connect Amtrak with people’s rewards accounts. I would be happy if I could just simply apply an upgrade coupon without having to call this app. Btw the this app phone customer service is actually very good, but frustrating that Amtrak can’t do basic things like show your ticket or connect to your rewards coupons.

by Roox13

I don’t usually write reviews for apps but lately I’ve really had a very pleasant experience booking with this app. I’ve had to make more plans or adjustments to my trips than I thought I would have, due to Covid, and the user experience has been a real surprise. Amtrak itself works great and when I needed to change the starting point of my journey, I used the chat function and Luke was very helpful and efficient in making the change. I was really surprised in the best way—y’all have figured it out!

by Haller Would Ne Thine Name

I have been using this app to visit my grandchildren the last 2 weekends. I haven't seen them for a year because of COVID. I usually fly but taking some 6 hr train rides from Milwaukee to southern Illinois has been some of the nicest traveling I have ever done. Every train was on time, everyone at this app was smiling and helpful. Even the passengers I ran into were helpful. I helped a smaller lady with her baggage as we departed a double decker to keep her from struggling. Other passengers were courteous and helped each other with opening doors and patiently waiting!
The seats were comfortable and the process was easy! Good job this app, keep up the good work!!

by Pweb

Their online “purchasing” system doesn’t update more than once or twice a month, it seems, if you’re trying to book a room for a long distance journey, don’t even bother. Anything they list as “available” isn’t. Have been trying to book one from Chicago to LA for over a month, and kept getting errors. I reach out to this app to see what the problem is, they claim there are none available until the end of the month, 3 weeks after when I’ve been trying to book it. And all they can say is the “website takes longer to update.”

I love riding the train and was looking forward to seeing parts of the country I had never seen. Now I’m flying. What a joke.

by LoveourUSA

Easy to read instructions and set up contact information in case of delays or service disruption. My wife and I experienced that and were notified immediately and given several options, this app handled it great thank to the contact information we had provided. In our trip what made everything easier was that we obtained printed copies of our tickets and itinerary, really helped in the long stops allowed us to get off go into the stations even outside when time permitted it and no hassle looking through your phone

by Notatrainrider

First of all our train departed 3 hours late. Then the train broke down in South Bend, IN where we sat for over 5 and a half hours. We were told at 1:00 a rescue train was on the way. It would be there in 1 hour and we would be in Chicago by 3:00 pm. Everyone who worked for the train disappeared and there was no communication. I called the 1-800-USA-RAILS number where I was told if I wanted a refund I would be removed from the train. At 5 pm the train finally headed for Chicago which is another 1 hour and 10 minutes. At one point I tried to speak to someone working for this app and was told they were stuck on the train as well. You are being paid overtime to ride this train, where I have wasted an entire day of vacation and missing reservations and costing me money. We asked why a bus had not picked us up. Also the cafe was out of all food, no hamburgers, no hotdogs.... now again at 5:30, a half an hour from the station, this train has yet again stopped. No communication until we are at a complete stop. We are riding the train for the first time for our daughters 18th birthday trip, making memories. This was a horrible experience and ruined the entire weekend. We missed our dinner reservations and will not be able to complete our city pass activities because we spent an entire day on the train for a 3-hour ride. I will never board another train. All aboard- NO WAY!

by AirGrab

I used to use Amtrak every couple of weeks to book tickets, but recent updates have made it totally unusable.
On opening it gets stuck on the start up screen for at least a minute, even on full signal wifi. When I finally get in it freezes routinely. After a lot of effort I enter dates and destinations, but it never finds any available trains. I’m abandoning and going back to the website, which is not aa convenient and requires me to be on a desktop computer as mobile site is very poor forbooking tickets.
Please sort this out. Buying tickets has become such a pain that I’ve started looking into alternative transport methods.

by Caerbannog44

*Usually* shows my purchased ticket, and if you know the time and train number you can look up train status. That's about it. Station schedule button doesn't work, some other essential buttons such as "done" don't work, text is placed on top of battery indicator on iPhone X, scrolling doesn't work in some screens, and app navigation is confusing at best. App shows barcode for purchased tickets if you manually enter the confirmation number the first time, which is useful, but doesn't use the ticket info to show you anything about your train status and frequently shows incorrect number of rides remaining

by Xplosneer

Amtrak STILL has had the time zones coded for Eastern for at least a year, which makes the departure notifications essentially useless. Hey this app, you exist in multiple parts of the country.

The ticket screen should be condensed because all of the self-ads get in the way and you have to scroll if you have any transfers.

That said, having mobile ticketing in Apple Wallet and now stored payment info for easy purchase is an improvement.

by Brobdignagian

The this app app is clunky, but it gets the job done. It is helpful that it now can save credit card information (for better or worse). It would still be much faster, more convenient, and probably better card security if Apple Pay were built in to Amtrak.
Usability wise, I find I sometimes miss the opportunity to choose one way or round trip, and end up buying one way rather than exiting and starting over. If the round trip option were more visibly obvious at the beginning, that would help. If there were an option to add a return trip at the end of booking a one-way, that would help.

by Rand R

We were all settled into our seats that the Conductor said sit anywhere, so we decided to go to the observation car, when we returned all of our things had been moved to another seat.
We were told that our first seats were needed for 4 people, well the whole rest of the train ride no one sat in our first seats. And white tags were put on all of the seats,
Our leg rest did not work so I told the car person she said look for another seat!
None were to be found, she would not accommodate us in any way so when people started getting off we found our own workable seats.
Please try to fix this

by Loco Motif

I cannot book my wife and me at the same time. When I plus the number of passengers from 1 up to 2, when I then process the transaction, it’s only for one passenger. So I have to go through the entire search process all over to book my wife, and hope there’s a seat left. It’s been like this for months, but I assumed it would have been detected and fixed by now. (If it’s important to your coders, I’m on an iPad.)

by PAC & TAC

Ver 4.0 is a vast improvement over the previous versions, all of which added as many (or more) flaws than they fixed. Ver 4.0 is excellent. I have only two (so far) minor gripes:
1. On iOS devices the automatic password loading function does not work - passwords have to be entered manually.
2. Logging out is still hidden deep within (of all places) the Settings set of menus. Why there? Logging out is not a setting.

by DP Lew

We travel this app a lot. Although the republican party’s grifter of transportation is trying to destroy this app, the employees make up the difference. What I like best is delays. Like any travel, weather can cause delays but OM this app you are treated wonderful instead of being locked ina cramped plane out on the runway or a crowded airport. I’ve had as many delays on this app as flying but only this app is almost enjoyable,

by Kimheath53

I’m sitting here waiting for the train. I was supposed to get on the train at 12:22 am. There was a freight train derailed earlier today! My train won’t get here until 6:30 am! That’s six hours that I’m going to be in this little town, in an unmanned station.
Thanks to Amtrak I can keep track of when my train will be here. I’m getting text messages with updates. That’s very nice! I’m so glad I got Amtrak!

by Muyenga430

The ability to save a credit card has been added to Amtrak . This huge improvement for those of us that ride the train weekly. Hurrying to catch a train while simultaneously trying to make the reservation and punch in a cc number to pay for it, was a nightmare. Thank you for finally adding this. My life has been made much easier!

by HeartDiet Guy

If you have the time to travel
by train, app makes it easy to find a route and get a ticket. When I made a purchase mistake ( I realized I forgot to set purchase as round trip right after buying), it was easy to cancel and rebook correctly. If you are traveling to smaller towns that are on train routes, I found trains often net cheaper than flying.

by JeromeAlan

Having flown and driven for several decades, I decided to slow down and ride the train. I’m hooked, and now search for weekend excursions while on business trips. I hope to ride nearly every route available. There’s just nothing to compare riding the train, especially in a sleeper room, but even in coach the freedom is unparalleled.

by Satisfied Amtrak Passenger

this app offers a great app that makes booking, modifying, and checking train status as simple as 1-2-3. This service is a great addition to accessing reservation agents, and whenever the line is busy, customers can still perform most of the transactions they need from their mobile devices. For me, the this app app is a welcome option for me to continue using Northeast Corridor passenger rail service.